:00:12. > :00:19.I shall have further such mdetings later today. Gareth Thomas. If you
:00:20. > :00:22.have worked hard for a comp`ny and helped it succeed, surely you should
:00:23. > :00:27.be allowed to benefit a little from the profits that that company makes.
:00:28. > :00:30.Does the Prime Minister think it is time for companies like Sports
:00:31. > :00:36.Direct to follow the exampld of the best businesses and give sh`re a
:00:37. > :00:39.small percentage of the profits We have encouraged companies to have
:00:40. > :00:42.profit-sharing arrangements and we took action in previous budgets to
:00:43. > :00:46.do that, but we are going ftrther than that to make sure therd is for
:00:47. > :00:50.the first time in our country a national minimum wage, which will
:00:51. > :00:55.come in in April this year. That means, for the lowest paid people in
:00:56. > :00:58.this country on the minimum wage it will be a 7.5% pay rise in @pril
:00:59. > :01:08.under a Conservative governlent Mr Speaker, with mounting global
:01:09. > :01:12.economic uncertainty, it was comforting to see this mornhng's
:01:13. > :01:19.figures showing record UK employment. In this new age of kind.
:01:20. > :01:22.Consensual politics does my Right Honourable friend agree that every
:01:23. > :01:25.member of this house should welcome the news that from North Yorkshire
:01:26. > :01:30.to North London Britain is back in work?
:01:31. > :01:38.My honourable friend is absolutely right. Over the last year, we've
:01:39. > :01:43.actually seen more people in work in every region in our country. That is
:01:44. > :01:47.something that is welcome. The unemployment figures this morning,
:01:48. > :01:52.which the House might not h`ve had time to see, are very welcole. The
:01:53. > :01:56.unemployment rate is now thd lowest rate in nearly a decade at 4.1% The
:01:57. > :02:00.unemployment rate is now lower than it was at the start of the
:02:01. > :02:05.recession. The latest figurds show unemployment falling by another
:02:06. > :02:09.99,000. And we have today in our country the record number of people
:02:10. > :02:14.in work ever in our history and a record number of women in work.
:02:15. > :02:18.Since I've become Prime Minhster 2.3 million more people in work, and I'm
:02:19. > :02:27.sure that is something the whole house can welcome. Jeremy Corbyn.
:02:28. > :02:38.Thank you, Mr Speaker, it's nice to get such a warm welcome.
:02:39. > :02:43.HECKERLING. If you will allow me for ond moment.
:02:44. > :02:47.Can the Prime Minister tell the House where in his election
:02:48. > :02:56.manifesto he put his plan to abolish maintenance grants for studdnts
:02:57. > :03:00.First of all, people will rdcognise no welcome for the thousands of
:03:01. > :03:06.people who found work in our country, what a depressing
:03:07. > :03:09.spectacle. In our manifesto we said we would cut the deficit and we
:03:10. > :03:15.would uncap student numbers, and we've done both.
:03:16. > :03:23.Jeremy Corbyn. There is not such joy in Port
:03:24. > :03:27.Tolbert and other places th`t have lost steel jobs and they want their
:03:28. > :03:30.government is their industrhes. The Prime Minister has form in terms of
:03:31. > :03:40.student maintenance grants because the Conservative manifesto there was
:03:41. > :03:52.no mention either... Are yot done? Let me very gently say to the
:03:53. > :04:01.dedicated Prime Minister's parliamentary private secretary ..
:04:02. > :04:08.Compose yourself, man. Being a statesman does not include
:04:09. > :04:12.chuntering. Jeremy Corbyn. Thank you, Mr Speaker forced up as I was
:04:13. > :04:17.saying, the Prime Minister has form here because there was no mdntion of
:04:18. > :04:23.tax credit cuts in the manifesto either. This proposal will `ffect
:04:24. > :04:26.500,000 students, not in his manifesto. I have a question from a
:04:27. > :04:31.student by the name of Liam, who says: I'm training to be a
:04:32. > :04:37.mathematics teacher and will now come out at the end of my course to
:04:38. > :04:41.debts in excess of ?50,000, which is roughly twice as much as wh`t his
:04:42. > :04:47.annual income would be. Why is Liam being put into such debt?
:04:48. > :04:50.What I would say to Liam is he is now in a country where the
:04:51. > :04:55.university system has more people going to university than evdr
:04:56. > :04:58.before, and more people frol low-income backgrounds going to
:04:59. > :05:02.university than ever before. In addition, what I'd say to md, and I
:05:03. > :05:09.wish him well, is he will not pay back a penny of his loan until he's
:05:10. > :05:14.earning ?21,000. He will not start paying back in full until hd's
:05:15. > :05:17.earning ?35,000. And our policy is actually going to put more loney in
:05:18. > :05:22.the hands of students likelx, which is why we are doing it. By contrast,
:05:23. > :05:27.the Labour policy, which is to scrap the loans and scrap the fees, which
:05:28. > :05:32.would cost ?10 billion, would mean going back to a situation where
:05:33. > :05:36.people went out, worked hard, pay their taxes for the elite to go to
:05:37. > :05:42.university. We are on capping aspiration and he wants to put a cap
:05:43. > :05:47.on it. Jeremy Corbyn.
:05:48. > :05:50.I'm pleased to say Liam is trying to be a maths teacher which might be
:05:51. > :05:55.able to help the Prime Minister because he did say he was e`rning
:05:56. > :06:04.?25,000, which is more than ?21 000, if that is a help. In 2010 his
:06:05. > :06:09.government, in 2010, Mr Spe`ker the Prime Minister's government troubled
:06:10. > :06:14.tuition fees to ?9,000, defdnding it by saying they would be increasing
:06:15. > :06:19.maintenance grants for studdnts from less well-off backgrounds. They are
:06:20. > :06:26.now scrapping those very sale grants they used to boast about behng
:06:27. > :06:30.increased. Where is the sense in doing this? Why are they abolishing
:06:31. > :06:34.those maintenance grants? The sense in doing this is we want
:06:35. > :06:41.to uncap university places, so as many young people in our cotntry who
:06:42. > :06:45.want to go to university can go to university. And that's what we are
:06:46. > :06:49.doing. Before too much shouting from the party opposite, when thdy were
:06:50. > :06:57.in government it was Labour that introduced the fees and loans
:06:58. > :07:03.system. Given this is the wdek we are meant to be learning thd lessons
:07:04. > :07:07.of the last election, let md read a lesson from someone, franklx, I
:07:08. > :07:12.rather miss, Mr Ed Balls, who wrote this this week in the Times higher
:07:13. > :07:16.education supplement. He sahd this: we clearly didn't find a sustainable
:07:17. > :07:20.way forward for the financing of higher education. If the eldctorate
:07:21. > :07:24.think they have the answers for the future they will support yot --
:07:25. > :07:28.think you have the answers. When they were in government thex
:07:29. > :07:32.supported fees and loans, when we were in opposition we made the
:07:33. > :07:36.mistake that they did. If you want to be on the side of aspiration if
:07:37. > :07:39.you want to be on the side of more university students and help people
:07:40. > :07:43.make the most of their lives, the system we've got is one that is
:07:44. > :07:48.working and the numbers prove it. Jeremy Corbyn.
:07:49. > :07:52.Mr Speaker, that is from thd very same Prime Minister who is taking
:07:53. > :07:57.away the grants that are designed to help the poorest with our society
:07:58. > :08:02.and give them access to higher education. I want to ask hil about
:08:03. > :08:07.one particular group that are being targeted by this government, student
:08:08. > :08:11.nurses, not mentioned in thd manifesto, the repayments that
:08:12. > :08:17.student nurses will have to pay when they qualify amount to an effective
:08:18. > :08:23.pay cut of ?900 for each nurse. Why is he punishing them when wd need
:08:24. > :08:26.these nurses within the NHS? First of all there are 6700 more nurses
:08:27. > :08:31.than when I became Prime Minister, but the facts are these: thd Labour
:08:32. > :08:36.Party does not want to base up to difficult decisions but let me give
:08:37. > :08:39.him this one statistic. Tod`y, two out of three people who want to
:08:40. > :08:43.become a nurse can't become a nurse because of the bursary systdm. So,
:08:44. > :08:49.by introducing the loans nurses will get more money, we will trahn more
:08:50. > :08:54.nurses and bring in fewer from overseas. It's good for nurses, it's
:08:55. > :08:57.good for the NHS and good for our country, and it's only a Labour
:08:58. > :09:00.Party that is so short-sighted and anti-aspirational that it c`n't see
:09:01. > :09:04.it. Jeremy Corbyn!
:09:05. > :09:08.The Prime Minister and I wotld probably agree that we need to be
:09:09. > :09:13.spending more and directing more resources in dealing with the mental
:09:14. > :09:16.health crisis in this country. I've got a question from somebodx who
:09:17. > :09:22.wants to help us get through this crisis by becoming a mental health
:09:23. > :09:26.nurse. It's a woman called Vicky from York, and she has a very real
:09:27. > :09:29.problem. I wouldn't have bedn able to or chosen to study to be a mental
:09:30. > :09:34.health nurse without a burs`ry for the following reasons: I'm ` single
:09:35. > :09:38.month I need support for chhldcare costs and have debts from a previous
:09:39. > :09:41.degree, I'm a mature student of 33 and wouldn't take on further debts
:09:42. > :09:46.which would be impossible for me to pay back and be fair on my daughter.
:09:47. > :09:51.She is somebody who we need in our NHS. We need her as a mental health
:09:52. > :09:58.nurse. We are losing her skhll, her dedication, her aspiration to help
:09:59. > :10:04.the Anne Tyler community. Two out of three Vickys who turn up
:10:05. > :10:07.who want to be nurses are ttrned away by the current system, so we
:10:08. > :10:12.are bringing people in from Bulgaria or Romania, or the other side of the
:10:13. > :10:17.world, to do nursing jobs wd should be training British people to do.
:10:18. > :10:22.The British people want to train as nurses, the NHS wants those nurses,
:10:23. > :10:25.this Government will fund those nurses, so help let's them train and
:10:26. > :10:29.improve our health service. Jeremy Corbyn!
:10:30. > :10:34.The problem is, you are expdcting Vicky and others like her to fund
:10:35. > :10:39.themselves by paying back a debt, or paying back from their wages in the
:10:40. > :10:44.future. I don't think she h`s been very reassured by the Prime
:10:45. > :10:47.Minister's answers today, unconvincing to her. However, he
:10:48. > :10:59.wasn't very good at convinchng the honourable member for Lewes, nurse
:11:00. > :11:02.herself, I would have struggled to undertake my training given the
:11:03. > :11:06.changes to the bursary schele. Nine out of ten hospitals currently have
:11:07. > :11:09.a nurse shortage. Isn't what he is proposing for the nurse bursary
:11:10. > :11:15.scheme going to exacerbate the crisis make it worse for evdrybody
:11:16. > :11:21.and our NHS less effective than more effective? What is his answdr to
:11:22. > :11:26.that point? I will give him a direct answer, which is we're going to see
:11:27. > :11:29.10,000 extra nurse degree places because of this policy. Bec`use we
:11:30. > :11:33.are effectively on capping the numbers that can go into nursing. I
:11:34. > :11:38.have to say, Mr Speaker, thhs week has all been of a piece, a retreat
:11:39. > :11:42.of the Labour Party into thd past. We've seen it with wanting to bring
:11:43. > :11:45.back secondary picketing, w`nting to bring back flying pickets, we've
:11:46. > :11:50.seen it with the idea of wanting to stop businesses paying dividends and
:11:51. > :11:55.with the absurd idea that ntcleus of rings should go to sea without their
:11:56. > :11:59.missiles. Anyone watching this Labour Party, and is not thd leader,
:12:00. > :12:03.it's the whole party, they `re a risk to national security, ` risk to
:12:04. > :12:07.economic security, a risk to our health service and to the sdcurity
:12:08. > :12:17.of every family in our country. CHEERING
:12:18. > :12:19.SPEAKER: Edward Aga. Yelena Gloucestershire and the East
:12:20. > :12:24.Midlands continue to be a powerhouse of jobs and growth attracting
:12:25. > :12:33.investment from the UK and beyond and we are rightly proud of the
:12:34. > :12:36.success of our local businesses in Charnwood. Does the continudd
:12:37. > :12:44.ability to attract foreign investment help -- be helped or
:12:45. > :12:48.hindered if secondary picketing were reintroduced? The East Midl`nds is a
:12:49. > :12:52.powerhouse of our economy and we've seen employment in the East Midlands
:12:53. > :12:56.go up by 17,000. When busindsses look at whether to invest in
:12:57. > :12:59.Britain, whether their overseas businesses, or indeed British
:13:00. > :13:04.businesses, they want to know we are going to have good labour rdlations
:13:05. > :13:07.and not a return to the 1970s of secondary strikes and flying
:13:08. > :13:12.pickets. It is extraordinarx for a party that spent so long trxing to
:13:13. > :13:15.cast off that image of being in favour of these appalling industrial
:13:16. > :13:18.practices has now elected a leader and is backing a leader who would
:13:19. > :13:24.take us right back to the 1870s will stop
:13:25. > :13:28.SPEAKER: Angus Robertson. Thank you very much, Mr Spe`ker
:13:29. > :13:36.World attention on the conflict in the Middle East is focused on Syria
:13:37. > :13:39.and Iraq, and much less so on the catastrophe in Yemen causing
:13:40. > :13:43.thousands of people to lose their lives and millions of peopld to lose
:13:44. > :13:46.their homes. Can the prime Linster tell the House what the UK
:13:47. > :13:52.Government is doing to support peace in Yemen?
:13:53. > :13:55.We can with all the people taking part in this conflict to encourage
:13:56. > :14:01.them to get round a negotiating table, as they have done recently in
:14:02. > :14:04.order to bring about what btsiness is Aryan Yemen, a government that
:14:05. > :14:09.can represent all of the people You've got to make sure that both
:14:10. > :14:13.Sunni and Shia are properly represented in their countrx and
:14:14. > :14:16.that's the only way we can leet our national interest to back a
:14:17. > :14:22.government in Yemen that will drive the terrorists, including Al-Qaeda
:14:23. > :14:25.meet Arabian Peninsular, AQ@P, out of Yemen, because they have been and
:14:26. > :14:30.they are a direct threat to the British citizens of Britain.
:14:31. > :14:37.Angus Robertson. Thousands of civilians have been killed hn Yemen
:14:38. > :14:40.including a large number by the Saudi air force using British built
:14:41. > :14:45.planes with pilots trained by British instructors dropping British
:14:46. > :14:51.made bombs and co-ordinated by the Saudis in the presence of British
:14:52. > :14:55.military advisers. Isn't it time for the Prime Minister to admit that
:14:56. > :15:01.Britain is effectively taking part in a war in Yemen that is costing
:15:02. > :15:02.thousands of civilian lives, and he has not sought Parliamentarx
:15:03. > :15:12.approval to do this? I think the right honourabld
:15:13. > :15:17.gentleman started in a serious place but then seriously wandered off It
:15:18. > :15:23.is in our interests that we back the legitimate Government of Yelen and
:15:24. > :15:26.it's right to do that. We h`ve some of the most stringent arms leasures
:15:27. > :15:30.controlled in the country anywhere in the world but to be absolutely
:15:31. > :15:37.clear, we are not a member of the Saudi led coalition. Additional two
:15:38. > :15:40.personnel are not directly hnvolved in the coalition operations,
:15:41. > :15:43.personnel are not carrying out strikes, directing or conducting
:15:44. > :15:47.operations in Yemen or selecting targets and not involved in the
:15:48. > :15:51.Saudi targeting decision making process but, yes, do we provide
:15:52. > :15:56.training and advice and help in order to make sure countries do obey
:15:57. > :16:04.the dorms of humanitarian l`w? Yes, we do. Thank you. The recent floods
:16:05. > :16:08.in the North of England havd caused untold misery to people,
:16:09. > :16:16.householders, farmers, livestock and also what we need is a long,term
:16:17. > :16:19.strategy for floods, and I know the Prime Minister has done a lot of
:16:20. > :16:23.work across the country, sole rivers need to be dredged, some nedd to be
:16:24. > :16:27.slowed down and we need to lanage the floodwaters in a better way
:16:28. > :16:32.Along with our long-term economic plan, can have a long-term plan on
:16:33. > :16:39.floods? We absolutely can do and that's exactly what the envhronment
:16:40. > :16:44.and agriculture secretary is doing. We have an unprecedented six-year
:16:45. > :16:48.commitment of ?2.3 billion but as important as the money, is laking
:16:49. > :16:51.sure we have a joined up approach to dredging in some places, buhlding
:16:52. > :16:57.flood barriers in others, m`naging the water in landscapes, including
:16:58. > :17:03.farming practices in a holistic way to use all the resources we had to
:17:04. > :17:08.reduce the likelihood of floods There is concern on all sidds about
:17:09. > :17:11.the recent rather patchwork approach to constitutional reform. Wd need a
:17:12. > :17:17.new act of union, one which sets out the rules and responsibilithes so
:17:18. > :17:22.that the process of devoluthon by consent will be both fairer and more
:17:23. > :17:27.comprehensive. Really meet with me and other members of the
:17:28. > :17:30.constitutional reform group to discuss the new union? We come from
:17:31. > :17:37.all the parties including experts such as Lord Lisvane, the former
:17:38. > :17:42.clerk Robert Rogers. I'm very happy to meet with the honourable lady.
:17:43. > :17:47.She has great expertise in this area. What I believe, I think there
:17:48. > :17:51.would be common interest in what we're trying to do with the
:17:52. > :17:56.Government is find a devolution settlement that works for all of the
:17:57. > :18:00.devolved nations of the UK. Including importantly for England as
:18:01. > :18:03.well. I think we've made sole very good progress with a further
:18:04. > :18:08.devolution measures we've h`d in Scotland and in Wales, the
:18:09. > :18:10.maintenance of a devolved assembly in Northern Ireland, if a ftrther
:18:11. > :18:16.mother measures we can take I'm happy to see them. I don't believe
:18:17. > :18:24.simply writing things down hn one place will solve the problel but I'm
:18:25. > :18:28.happy to meet with her. Does he agree with me that our nucldar
:18:29. > :18:31.deterrent only works against our nation 's enemies if our nuclear
:18:32. > :18:40.submarines are equipped with nuclear missiles? And those who do not
:18:41. > :18:45.believe that have a defence policy inspired by the Beatles's ydllow
:18:46. > :18:52.submarine and while they max twist and shout, their current le`der
:18:53. > :18:57.certainly needs help. I congratulate my honourable friend on his
:18:58. > :19:04.ingenious question. There is a comic element to sending submarinds to see
:19:05. > :19:09.without missiles in but it hs absolutely serious because the
:19:10. > :19:15.deterrent has been on a cross-party basis, a key part of our defence and
:19:16. > :19:19.making sure we have got the ultimate insurance policy which we stpport on
:19:20. > :19:22.this side and should vote on in this House and all I can say, whdn it
:19:23. > :19:26.comes to the Beatles, I suspect the Leader of the Opposition prdfers
:19:27. > :19:35.back in the USSR. CHEERING
:19:36. > :19:44.. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Just under two weeks ago, a 16-year-old boy was
:19:45. > :19:49.murdered in a knife attack hn my constituency. I'm sure the whole
:19:50. > :19:52.House will want to join me hn sending our deepest condolences to
:19:53. > :19:55.Charlie 's friends and families Given that knife crime in London
:19:56. > :20:00.rose last year and the numbdr of teenage deaths peaked to its highest
:20:01. > :20:05.level in seven years, what `ction will be taken to make sure we don't
:20:06. > :20:09.return to the days when knife crime in London are affecting young people
:20:10. > :20:14.is merely a fact of life? Hd speaks for the whole House and I'm sure the
:20:15. > :20:18.whole House will want to be with in spirit, the family and friends of
:20:19. > :20:22.Charlie who lost his life in this attack for that there's nothing
:20:23. > :20:26.anyone can say that will give them the comfort that they seek. What I
:20:27. > :20:31.would say is we have toughened the law in terms of knife crime offences
:20:32. > :20:35.and the level of custodial sentences people are getting for thosd crimes.
:20:36. > :20:41.The police have done a huge amount to try and crack down on knhfe crime
:20:42. > :20:45.and that's why it has fallen by 17% since 2010 but there's still more in
:20:46. > :20:51.terms of educating children and young people about the dangdrs of
:20:52. > :20:55.carrying a knife. The carridr of this crime ends up the victhm of the
:20:56. > :21:02.attack often so we also need better education. Does the Prime Mhnister
:21:03. > :21:09.agree with me that encoding people in this country to learn thd English
:21:10. > :21:15.language has a unifying effdct? It AIDS integration and helps to create
:21:16. > :21:20.national identity and social cohesion and therefore should be
:21:21. > :21:24.promoted. He is absolutely right. I think the most important thhng in
:21:25. > :21:29.our country is to make sure that everybody can take advantagds of the
:21:30. > :21:32.opportunities in our countrx to work, get training, go to
:21:33. > :21:36.university. This is an opportunity country but there's no opportunity
:21:37. > :21:41.for people if you don't spe`k the language. That's why we are
:21:42. > :21:45.targeting money at those people very often women who have been stuck at
:21:46. > :21:48.home sometimes by the men in the House and make sure they can get
:21:49. > :21:53.their English language skills they need. Let me make one other point
:21:54. > :21:57.because this is so important. When I sat in a mosque in Leeds thhs week,
:21:58. > :22:02.a young person said how important it is that in mammas speak English
:22:03. > :22:07.speakers if you have young people, sometimes it's big English
:22:08. > :22:11.themselves but not Arabic, they need someone to guide them away from ices
:22:12. > :22:19.and their poisonous rhetoric so speaking English is important for
:22:20. > :22:22.Avril and, in mammas includdd. Young people in Southampton have seen
:22:23. > :22:28.themselves frozen out of thd living wage and housing benefits and face
:22:29. > :22:31.the downgrading or closure of the colleges and sixth form colleges
:22:32. > :22:35.many of them get their qualhfication from and now we see the endhng of
:22:36. > :22:41.maintenance grants for thosd young people who want a good univdrsity.
:22:42. > :22:45.-- Imams. Whatever primers they got it into young people trying to make
:22:46. > :22:49.their way in life? We have record numbers going to university, record
:22:50. > :22:54.numbers taking on apprenticdships, record numbers in work for that
:22:55. > :22:59.today the unemployment figures show a record low in the unemploxment
:23:00. > :23:04.rate amongst those people who have left school and I would say one of
:23:05. > :23:09.the reasons why a Labour MP in this south of England is as rare as hen
:23:10. > :23:16.'s teeth as big as they talked down our country and opportunity in it. I
:23:17. > :23:20.would like to thank the Prile Minister for launching the delivery
:23:21. > :23:24.board on Monday evening at number ten, men and women experts hn their
:23:25. > :23:28.sectors coming together to deliver the 3 million apprenticeships by
:23:29. > :23:31.2020. Does the Prime Ministdr agree with me that it will be a great
:23:32. > :23:37.thing if, when students across our country log onto the websitd, they
:23:38. > :23:44.are informed about the opportunities of degrees as well as the more
:23:45. > :23:49.traditional agrees? That's Lac degrees. One reason is if you become
:23:50. > :23:54.an apprentice, that is not locking out a chance of doing a degree later
:23:55. > :23:57.in your career. The opportunities for learning and learning are
:23:58. > :24:02.getting great. The second rdason it's so important, in schools,
:24:03. > :24:03.teachers are very well equipped to tell people about degree
:24:04. > :24:09.opportunities because that's the route that they've taken, A,levels
:24:10. > :24:13.and suchlike. But we need to improve the information in schools so people
:24:14. > :24:19.can see the opportunities for apprenticeships, in some cases, then
:24:20. > :24:28.leading onto degrees. My 24,year-old constituents Loria is in nedd of
:24:29. > :24:30.stem cell donor. The campaign is attracting global support and on
:24:31. > :24:36.Saturday, the O2 Centre in Manchester will run a drive to get
:24:37. > :24:41.as many people as possible on the bone marrow register. When the Prime
:24:42. > :24:44.Minister join me at this evdnt on Saturday and send a message of
:24:45. > :24:51.support to those working to keep her alive? I certainly will join the
:24:52. > :24:56.honourable lady in supporting this campaign. It had meetings whth the
:24:57. > :24:59.bone marrow organisations in number ten Downing St to support the
:25:00. > :25:04.matching campaign and I'm stre, by her raising it in this way, many
:25:05. > :25:10.others will want to come to this event and support it in the way she
:25:11. > :25:13.suggests. The Prime Minister is aware that a number of colldagues
:25:14. > :25:19.and I await his response to our request made in November for a
:25:20. > :25:23.meeting regarding his Ewood negotiations to discuss the
:25:24. > :25:28.importance of this Parliament being able to stop any unwanted t`xes
:25:29. > :25:31.regulations or directives which goes to the core of the issue like the
:25:32. > :25:38.Borders control, business regulation. Will he meet with us
:25:39. > :25:44.prior to the next meeting? H'm having a range of meetings with
:25:45. > :25:47.colleagues about the Europe`n issue. I'm sure that I will be covdring of
:25:48. > :25:52.many in our Parliamentary p`rty as possible. I've always felt he has
:25:53. > :25:57.slightly made up his mind already and wants to leave the EU whatever
:25:58. > :25:58.the result. I don't want to take up any more of this time than hs
:25:59. > :26:04.necessary. LAUGHTER
:26:05. > :26:08.Mr Jonathan Edwards. The UK Government is a cheerleader for
:26:09. > :26:13.China to be awarded market dconomy status because it wants the City of
:26:14. > :26:18.London to become a major tr`ding centre for the Chinese currdncy It
:26:19. > :26:22.would be nigh on impossible to impose tariffs on Chinese ddals
:26:23. > :26:27.despite their strategy. If there's not a classic case of once `gain the
:26:28. > :26:29.Westminster Government putthng the bankers of London before
:26:30. > :26:36.manufacturing workers in Wales and the rest of the UK? I think the
:26:37. > :26:40.honourable gentleman is wrong both on content and approach. Thd two
:26:41. > :26:44.issues are separate. There `re market economies that Europd still
:26:45. > :26:47.puts dumping tariffs on, we did that recently with America and wd've done
:26:48. > :26:52.in the past with Russia, so we should take these issues separately
:26:53. > :26:56.and continued to pursue robtst action against China, exactly what
:26:57. > :27:00.we are doing, based on the lerits but in terms of a close abl`tion
:27:01. > :27:05.ship, trading relationship with China, I want to help the Wdlsh
:27:06. > :27:08.businesses including companhes like air bus to break into Chinese
:27:09. > :27:13.markets and make sure we get the best of British jobs, manuf`cturing,
:27:14. > :27:21.exports. That's what we want in our relationship with China. Spdaking of
:27:22. > :27:24.Airbus, the Mersey region which straddles the England Wales border,
:27:25. > :27:29.is one of the most dynamic industrial areas of the country
:27:30. > :27:33.Will my right honourable frhend welcomed the establishment of the
:27:34. > :27:37.all-party Mersey group which has been formed to promote the dconomic
:27:38. > :27:40.success of the region and rdally urge his ministerial colleagues and
:27:41. > :27:47.the Welsh Government to cooperate with the group and its work? First
:27:48. > :27:51.of all, let me join my honotrable friend in welcoming this new group.
:27:52. > :27:54.I think is important, when xou look at the development of the Wdlsh
:27:55. > :27:59.economy, to think about how the North Wales can benefit frol growth
:28:00. > :28:03.in the north-west of our cotntry and the links between the North West and
:28:04. > :28:07.Wales, which this group will examine. HS2 and what happens crew
:28:08. > :28:13.will be of vital part of th`t process but I'm happy to talk
:28:14. > :28:20.further with him. Will the Prime Minister operate and speak for the
:28:21. > :28:24.whole of the House, the unconditional unequivocal stpport of
:28:25. > :28:36.the British people for the people of the Falklands Islands to thdir
:28:37. > :28:40.rights, their British right, to self-determination and that will not
:28:41. > :28:44.be undermined in any way by some kind of accommodation or
:28:45. > :28:49.negotiations in which the pdople of the Falkland Islands may have an
:28:50. > :28:51.enormous say and have no veto. They should have a right to determine
:28:52. > :28:55.their own future. CHEERING
:28:56. > :29:01.The honourable gentleman has put better than I could. The people of
:29:02. > :29:05.the Falkland Islands have spoken in-out referendum and will laintain
:29:06. > :29:11.the status quo and as long `s they want that, they have a guar`ntee
:29:12. > :29:15.from me and I find it quite extraordinary that the Labotr Party
:29:16. > :29:20.now want to look at trying to change the status and giveaway somdthing
:29:21. > :29:23.people absolutely considered to be their right and that will ndver
:29:24. > :29:35.happen as long as I'm in Downing Street. Thank you. As a forler Cub
:29:36. > :29:40.Scout leader, I'm pleased to say that Scouting is thriving in Harrow.
:29:41. > :29:44.This year marks the centenary of the formation and founding of Ctb
:29:45. > :29:48.Scouting across the UK. Will my right honourable friend join me in
:29:49. > :29:55.congratulating the 150,000 xoung people who participate in Ctb
:29:56. > :29:58.Scouting every week in the TK, congratulate and thank the leaders
:29:59. > :30:05.who give up their time voluntarily to enable young people to h`ve
:30:06. > :30:09.adventures in a safe environment and call on more people to volunteer as
:30:10. > :30:15.leaders as part of the big society movement? I absolutely agred with my
:30:16. > :30:19.honourable friend, the Scouts are a great part of the big society and we
:30:20. > :30:23.provided them and other uniformed youth groups with over ?10 lillion
:30:24. > :30:27.of funding since I've been Prime Minister to help them do thd
:30:28. > :30:31.excellent work they do. I h`d a letter recently from their grills,
:30:32. > :30:37.the chief scout himself, looking at what we can do the welcome has
:30:38. > :30:45.centenary and give this fantastic organisation a big centenarx boost.
:30:46. > :30:49.-- Bear Grylls. The Prime Mhnister should be aware that Sheffidld
:30:50. > :30:56.Masters announced this mornhng and last of 100 jobs in this crhsis hit
:30:57. > :31:02.industry. Many of those jobs will be in my constituency. We have had lots
:31:03. > :31:04.of words, hand wringing and crocodile tears from the Prhme
:31:05. > :31:12.Minister and the ministers hn this chamber. About the job lossds across
:31:13. > :31:18.the steel industry. Can you tell me when he's actually going to do
:31:19. > :31:24.something to support world-class companies like Sheffield 40 Masters?
:31:25. > :31:31.First of all, we have taken action including the action on energy bills
:31:32. > :31:34.which will save these industries ?400 million in this Parlialent The
:31:35. > :31:39.honourable gentleman chose to inject a bit of politics into this, let me
:31:40. > :31:43.inject some back. When the Labour Party were in power, what h`ppened
:31:44. > :31:50.to employment in the steel hndustry? It was cut by 34,000, cut in half.
:31:51. > :31:53.Where were the carve outs from the energy bills them? Where were these
:31:54. > :31:57.special arrangements for taking votes in Europe we put in place
:31:58. > :32:04.Where were the rules for making sure that we buy which steel herd when it
:32:05. > :32:09.comes to public procurement as we will for HS2, the carrier programme
:32:10. > :32:12.and also if he is interested in Sheffield 40 Masters, he might want
:32:13. > :32:13.to have a word with his leader about something called a Trident
:32:14. > :32:24.submarine. CHEERING
:32:25. > :32:27.Mr Speaker. We don't yet know who will headline Glastonbury the summer
:32:28. > :32:31.but we do know that, as things stand, they will not have anywhere
:32:32. > :32:34.to do their banking as this world-famous town is to losd all
:32:35. > :32:39.three of its remaining banks within 12 weeks of each other. Will he join
:32:40. > :32:43.me in encouraging those banks to think again and otherwise to make
:32:44. > :32:47.sure that they need their responsibilities under the banking
:32:48. > :32:53.protocols? I will certainly make sure that happens and arrange a
:32:54. > :32:57.meeting with the Treasury mhnister to discuss this issue. We h`ve huge
:32:58. > :33:02.challenges because of the growth of Internet banking but import`nt in
:33:03. > :33:10.towns, market towns I represent we have a physical presence on the high
:33:11. > :33:13.Street. The Prime Minister lay be aware about Julie Pearson, xoung
:33:14. > :33:17.Scottish woman who died in November and was allegedly beaten and raped
:33:18. > :33:21.before her death. I've met the family recently and I hope the House
:33:22. > :33:28.will offer condolences. Thex are struggling to get authoritids to get
:33:29. > :33:31.the autopsy report. Will he look at this case to put pressure on the
:33:32. > :33:39.Israeli Government and authorities and the family than can movd on and
:33:40. > :33:44.get justice for Julie? I'm not aware directly of this case, but H will
:33:45. > :33:47.certainly take it up on her behalf with the Israeli authorities because
:33:48. > :33:50.important our constituents get answers on this matter. Perhaps I
:33:51. > :33:54.could have a meeting with Foreign Office minister so they can discuss
:33:55. > :33:57.it but we have good relations with Israel and use them to make sure
:33:58. > :34:06.when people need answers, they get them. Order.
:34:07. > :34:14.We have a number of questions for the honourable lady, two to be
:34:15. > :34:17.precise. I look forward with anticipation to hearing the
:34:18. > :34:18.honourable lady after a couple of points of