:00:00. > :00:00.case he raises with me but he is once do drop in, we can look into it
:00:00. > :00:13.fully. Questions to the Prime Minister. The house will be a
:00:14. > :00:16.further dreadful accident that happened at Didcot power station
:00:17. > :00:22.yesterday afternoon in which one died and three are missing.
:00:23. > :00:24.The family and friends of the victim.
:00:25. > :00:27.The house will be aware of the dreadful accident at Didcot
:00:28. > :00:29.power Station, one died and three are
:00:30. > :00:31.missing and the whole House will want to send
:00:32. > :00:32.The family and friends of the victim.
:00:33. > :00:36.And emergency services dealt with the incident with typical
:00:37. > :00:41.professionalism. The Health and Safety Executive will find out what
:00:42. > :00:44.led to the tragedy. This morning I had meetings with ministerial
:00:45. > :00:51.colleagues and others and I shall have further such meetings later
:00:52. > :00:56.today. I would like to associate myself and the people of Wiltshire
:00:57. > :01:02.with the Prime Minister's sentiments about Didcot. Wiltshire has
:01:03. > :01:08.successfully integrated a number of Syrian refugees including babies and
:01:09. > :01:15.children that would have otherwise frozen or starved to death in the
:01:16. > :01:19.camps. There has been delays in introducing more to the area. Can
:01:20. > :01:23.the Prime Minister say what more he can do and can he look into it and
:01:24. > :01:29.also outline what can we do to fulfil our moral duty to these
:01:30. > :01:32.desperate people? Let me first pay tribute to Wiltshire Council and
:01:33. > :01:37.many councils up and down the country who have done lives in job
:01:38. > :01:41.in integrating taking in Syrian refugees and their families, finding
:01:42. > :01:49.them homes and schools and I hope in time jobs too. If you look at what
:01:50. > :01:52.has happened across Europe in terms of the resettlement programme,
:01:53. > :01:57.actually Britain has done far better than any other country in terms of
:01:58. > :02:03.this sort of resettlement programme, we said 1000 by Christmas and we
:02:04. > :02:07.have delivered 1000 by Christmas. First of all I will make sure she
:02:08. > :02:13.can meet with the Home Office to talk about how we can make sure this
:02:14. > :02:18.system works well, we will continue to invest in the Syrian refugee
:02:19. > :02:22.camps, not least with the $11 billion we raised that the landmark
:02:23. > :02:25.London conference, and we will continue to do what we can to
:02:26. > :02:36.deliver 20,000 Syrian refugees we said we would take into our country.
:02:37. > :02:40.Thank you, Mr Speaker. I want to echo the Prime Minister's tribute to
:02:41. > :02:44.all of the emergency services in dealing with the major incident in
:02:45. > :02:50.Didcot. Our thoughts are with the families of the person who died and
:02:51. > :02:54.those of the families who are missing and injured and we should
:02:55. > :02:58.always make sure the emergency services are there for all of us.
:02:59. > :03:04.The NHS staff survey shows that nine out of ten junior doctors already
:03:05. > :03:09.work extra hours beyond their normal contract, the survey also showed
:03:10. > :03:13.falling morale and among this vital group of staff. What does the Prime
:03:14. > :03:20.Minister think the Health Secretary's veto of a deal and
:03:21. > :03:26.imposition of a contract will do to their morale? The Health Secretary
:03:27. > :03:30.did not veto a deal. We have had for four years discussions about how
:03:31. > :03:36.important it is to have an NHS which works on a more seven-day basis. Let
:03:37. > :03:40.me pay tribute to the fact that so many in the NHS works so hard
:03:41. > :03:45.already at the weekends, but what matters is making sure we can have a
:03:46. > :03:49.genuine seven-day NHS and what I would say to junior doctors is that
:03:50. > :03:54.no junior doctor working legal hours will receive a pay cut and this will
:03:55. > :03:58.not impose longer hours and in fact has tougher safeguards to make sure
:03:59. > :04:02.it reduces the hours that worked. We are not seeking to save money from
:04:03. > :04:07.the new contract and nights and Saturday evenings and Sundays
:04:08. > :04:11.attract unsocial hours payments. This is a good deal from a
:04:12. > :04:21.government putting ?10 billion more into our NHS. This dispute with the
:04:22. > :04:26.junior doctors has been on the basis of misrepresented research about
:04:27. > :04:30.weekend mortality. I will read the Prime Minister what the research is
:04:31. > :04:35.themselves say, and I quote, it is not possible to ascertain the extent
:04:36. > :04:38.to which these excess deaths may be preventable, to issue and they are
:04:39. > :04:44.avoidable would be rash and misleading. Is the Prime Minister
:04:45. > :04:51.and his Health Secretary being rash and misleading with these figures?
:04:52. > :04:55.Let me agree with the right honourable gentleman about something
:04:56. > :05:02.which is that the dispute has been plagued by scaremongering and
:05:03. > :05:05.inaccurate statistics. The British Medical Association, in their first
:05:06. > :05:12.intervention said that this was a 30% pay cut, that was completely
:05:13. > :05:16.untrue. In fact, it was so untrue that they had to take their pay
:05:17. > :05:21.calculator off the website and they never put it back again. Let me
:05:22. > :05:26.answer directly the question about excess deaths, the 6000 figure of
:05:27. > :05:32.excess deaths was based on a question asked by the Health
:05:33. > :05:35.Secretary to Sir Bruce Keogh, the medical director of the NHS. Now we
:05:36. > :05:42.have had time to go into these figures in more detail, I can tell
:05:43. > :05:46.the house this, the Health Secretary was indeed guilty, he was guilty of
:05:47. > :05:52.an understatement. The true figure is why excess deaths at the weekend
:05:53. > :05:59.are 11000 and not 6000. So perhaps The Right Honourable gentleman will
:06:00. > :06:02.now withdraw his totally unjustified attack on the Health Secretary, will
:06:03. > :06:13.he withdraw it now Latinos the figures? -- now that he knows them.
:06:14. > :06:19.It is worth reflecting for one moment that there is no dispute with
:06:20. > :06:22.the junior doctors in Scotland or in Wales because their governments have
:06:23. > :06:28.had the sense to reach an agreement with the junior doctors. He must
:06:29. > :06:32.also be aware, that the vast majority of the public of England
:06:33. > :06:39.are on the side of the junior doctors, not the Secretary of State.
:06:40. > :06:43.But the Secretary of -- the situation actually gets worse. A
:06:44. > :06:49.Freedom of information request by the BBC today reveals that when
:06:50. > :06:53.asked for the source of the Health Secretary's statistics civil
:06:54. > :06:57.servants decided to, and I quote, offer up the most bland statement
:06:58. > :07:03.possible that would neither confirm nor contradict the Health
:07:04. > :07:07.Secretary's statements. Isn't it time that the Prime Minister and the
:07:08. > :07:11.Health Secretary actually apologised for what they have done and
:07:12. > :07:17.corrected these statements and while they are at it reach an honourable
:07:18. > :07:21.settlement with junior doctors? I think the best that can be said is
:07:22. > :07:26.that he wrote that question before he heard my answer. I have given the
:07:27. > :07:31.fullest possible description of how the 6000 figure was arrived at and
:07:32. > :07:37.now the true figure being 11,000. I know that there is no withdrawal of
:07:38. > :07:42.his accusation even after he gets the figures. He says there is no
:07:43. > :07:45.dispute in Scotland and Wales with junior doctors, the reason for that
:07:46. > :07:52.is that in Scotland and Wales they are not trying to create more of a
:07:53. > :07:57.seven-day NHS. The seven-day NHS was not only in our manifesto, because I
:07:58. > :08:00.want to make sure that hard-working people can access health services at
:08:01. > :08:06.an equal rate right through the week, because you don't just get ill
:08:07. > :08:11.in the weekdays, but also if he reads his own party's report into
:08:12. > :08:16.the election defeat, they admit that the concept of a seven-day NHS was a
:08:17. > :08:20.popular concept, and it is. What I would say to him is coming you can
:08:21. > :08:27.see in England we are putting ?10 billion more into the NHS, we have
:08:28. > :08:30.10,000 more doctors, 10,000 more nurses, we are treating more
:08:31. > :08:34.patients and we now have a settlement of the GP contract, a
:08:35. > :08:38.settlement of the junior doctors contract, we are building a strong
:08:39. > :08:52.NHS operations, and that's what this is about. We all want a strong and
:08:53. > :08:56.successful NHS. You don't achieve that by provoking industrial action,
:08:57. > :09:03.misrepresenting research, or failing to get a grip on the cost of agency
:09:04. > :09:08.staff in the NHS which now amounts to ?4 billion. Indeed, in the Prime
:09:09. > :09:14.Minister's own local NHS Trust, it has overspent on staffing costs by
:09:15. > :09:20.?11 million this year. Yet has spent ?30 million on agency staff. Will
:09:21. > :09:25.the chair of the Oxford anti-austerity campaign, writing
:09:26. > :09:28.another letter to himself, asking his local... On behalf of his
:09:29. > :09:34.constituents for the Health Secretary to intervene and support
:09:35. > :09:38.his local NHS? I am very proud of the NHS in Oxfordshire and everyone
:09:39. > :09:42.who works in it and having met recently with the head of the Oxford
:09:43. > :09:49.Radcliffe trust I know that he supports this move towards more
:09:50. > :09:56.seven-day services. That is vital. Ask your mother! My mother would
:09:57. > :09:58.look across the dispatch box and say, put on your suit, do up your
:09:59. > :10:35.tie, and sing the national anthem. If we are talking of motherly
:10:36. > :10:41.advice, my late mother would have said, stand up for the principle of
:10:42. > :10:49.a health service free at the point of use for everybody. Because that
:10:50. > :10:57.is what she dedicated her life to, as did many of her generation. We
:10:58. > :11:05.are three quarters of the way passed into this financial year, the NHS
:11:06. > :11:11.deficit is already ?2.26 billion. 53% of NHS Trust finance directors
:11:12. > :11:15.say that the quality of care in their area has worsened in this
:11:16. > :11:22.year. What will the deficit be by the end of next month? We will get
:11:23. > :11:28.deficits down because we are clamping down on the staffing
:11:29. > :11:31.agencies, an expensive management consultants, and introducing better
:11:32. > :11:36.public procurement. The honourable gentleman has to recognise that we
:11:37. > :11:41.said we would back the Stevens plan which means that at least 8 billion
:11:42. > :11:46.more into the NHS, although we put 10 billion more into the NHS. At the
:11:47. > :11:50.last election and subsequently Labour have refused to back that
:11:51. > :11:54.extra money and when you look at the NHS today, my mother is equally
:11:55. > :12:01.proud of the NHS as I am and I know she would be pleased to know 1.9
:12:02. > :12:08.million more people go to A, 1.6 million more operations, 10,000 more
:12:09. > :12:13.doctors, 11,800 more nurses. And if Nye Bevan was here today he would
:12:14. > :12:22.want a seven-day NHS because he knew the NHS was for patients up and down
:12:23. > :12:26.our country. Nye Bevan would be turning in his grave if he could
:12:27. > :12:31.hear the Prime Minister's attitude to the NHS. He was a man with
:12:32. > :12:37.vision, he was a man with vision who wanted a health service for the good
:12:38. > :12:41.of all. I tell you, our health service is run by brilliant people,
:12:42. > :12:47.brilliant doctors, brilliant nurses and staff. But I have got a question
:12:48. > :12:52.for the Prime Minister from one of those brilliant doctors, his name is
:12:53. > :12:58.Ashraf and he sent me a question saying this, as a doctor I know full
:12:59. > :13:04.well the stresses on the NHS and the shortcomings. We already have a
:13:05. > :13:09.seven-day emergency service. How does increasing elective work
:13:10. > :13:15.improve safety at the weekend? If a truly seven-day NHS is wanted we
:13:16. > :13:20.need more nurses, more admin staff, more porters, radiographers, physios
:13:21. > :13:24.and all of the other vital workers. Will the Prime Minister now today
:13:25. > :13:32.commit to publishing the Department of Health analysis of the real cost
:13:33. > :13:35.of introducing a seven-day NHS? And will he be prepared to pay for it
:13:36. > :13:37.rather than picking a fight with the junior doctors who want to deliver
:13:38. > :13:44.it? What is not clear is whether or not
:13:45. > :13:50.labours aboard a seven-day NHS or not. We do support a seven-day NHS
:13:51. > :13:54.and that is why we are putting in the ?10 billion, why we are put in
:13:55. > :13:58.10,000 more doctors, putting in thousands more nurses and crucially,
:13:59. > :14:01.yes, that is why we are looking up the contracts in the NHS to make
:14:02. > :14:07.sure it can work on a more seven-day basis. The truth is this. You can go
:14:08. > :14:10.to hospitals today in our country, like the Salford in the north-west
:14:11. > :14:15.of England, where they are already operating on a seven-day basis of
:14:16. > :14:19.the existing budgets. This is good because they are using all their
:14:20. > :14:23.recruitment on a seven-day basis, carrying out consultations seven
:14:24. > :14:27.days of the week, carrying out some operations seven days a week. That
:14:28. > :14:32.is good for the hospital, good for the staff working on it and above
:14:33. > :14:36.all good for patients. We don't just get ill Monday to Friday. I want a
:14:37. > :14:40.world class NHS. We are funding a world-class NHS. We've got
:14:41. > :14:46.world-class people working in our NHS and together we are going to
:14:47. > :14:56.build that seven-day NHS. Chris Davies. Thank you, Mr Speaker.
:14:57. > :15:02.With such a large number of schools facing the prospect of closure in my
:15:03. > :15:04.constituency, what can the Prime Minister doodling on to the Welsh
:15:05. > :15:10.Assembly to convert state schools into Free Schools economies in order
:15:11. > :15:13.that my constituents can benefit from the improvements to education
:15:14. > :15:17.that English pupils are staying web of seeing and hopefully save his
:15:18. > :15:24.excellent schools from closure? The issue of education is to in Wales.
:15:25. > :15:30.But I would urge them to focus on a good education, which depends not
:15:31. > :15:33.only on a finance, which is there, because of the way the Barnett
:15:34. > :15:37.formula works and because of the decisions we taken about funding in
:15:38. > :15:40.England, it is also about high standards of the publication of
:15:41. > :15:46.league tables so people can see how their children are doing, and it
:15:47. > :15:50.requires the structural reforms. Free Schools, academies, introducing
:15:51. > :15:52.some diversity, some competition and getting organisations that are
:15:53. > :15:57.passionate about education to provide state education. We want all
:15:58. > :16:05.the best organisations in their providing the best education for our
:16:06. > :16:07.children. Thank you very much. May I begin by associating the Scottish
:16:08. > :16:10.National Party with the comments of the Prime Minister and the leader of
:16:11. > :16:13.the Labour Party in relation to the tragedy in Didcot. Our thoughts are
:16:14. > :16:17.with all of those who have been affected. Will the Prime Minister
:16:18. > :16:21.congratulate the Scottish Government and his own colleagues who secured a
:16:22. > :16:26.deal on financial arrangements for the next phase of Scottish
:16:27. > :16:29.devolution? The Treasury position initially endangered ?7 billion of
:16:30. > :16:33.public funding in Scotland. At the beginning of this week, that was
:16:34. > :16:38.reduced to ?3 billion. Yesterday morning, it was ?2.5 billion. What
:16:39. > :16:42.changed the mind of the Treasury and help them agree to a deal that will
:16:43. > :16:45.make Scotland no worse off? Well, let me agree with the Right
:16:46. > :16:49.honourable gentleman, this is an excellent deal. It is an excellent
:16:50. > :16:53.deal for Scotland but it is also an excellent deal for the UK. For those
:16:54. > :16:57.of us who want to keep the UK together, what we've just
:16:58. > :17:02.demonstrated is that you can have full on devolution with a powerhouse
:17:03. > :17:05.parliament, with a fair fiscal settlement, inside the UK and I
:17:06. > :17:09.think that is something to be celebrated. Now we are going to move
:17:10. > :17:12.to a situation where the Scottish Government and the Scottish
:17:13. > :17:16.Parliament will have to start talking about policies and decisions
:17:17. > :17:20.rather than processes. But I'm happy that the negotiations went as they
:17:21. > :17:23.did. I'm happy we have a good outcome and I'm happy that Lord
:17:24. > :17:27.Smith, who was responsible for so much of this work, without a
:17:28. > :17:31.statement saying this delivers Smith and the principles in full. So no
:17:32. > :17:36.more grievance, no more fussing about process, no more arguments
:17:37. > :17:44.about the arrangements. Now it is time to get on and govern. We're
:17:45. > :17:47.indebted to Scotland's finance secretary, John Swinney, and to
:17:48. > :17:52.Nicola Sturgeon for securing a no detriment deal for Scotland. The
:17:53. > :17:57.Prime Minister is right that all parties will have to lay out their
:17:58. > :18:00.plans in advance of the May election so could he answer this question -
:18:01. > :18:06.is it actually true that in this time of austerity, his party, the
:18:07. > :18:12.Conservative Party, is planning tax cuts for high earners in Scotland?
:18:13. > :18:15.It will be Ruth Davidson, who is the only proper opposition figure in
:18:16. > :18:20.Scotland, who will be setting out the plans. If you are worried in
:18:21. > :18:23.Scotland about having a bit of a 1-party state and a lack of
:18:24. > :18:26.accountability, if you think that the Labour Party in Scotland has
:18:27. > :18:32.lost its way, there is only one choice and that is rude. But I will
:18:33. > :18:36.say this. I think there are opportunities to cut taxes, there
:18:37. > :18:39.are opportunities to sharpen incentives, there are opportunities
:18:40. > :18:42.to attract businesses and people into Scotland and I'm sure that
:18:43. > :18:46.route will be making those arguments and as she does, whatever she
:18:47. > :18:58.decides, she'll have my full and unequivocal support. A recent survey
:18:59. > :19:03.undertaken by a District Council showed that 96% of the 1000 100
:19:04. > :19:08.residents survey were satisfied with my counsel's services. Would my
:19:09. > :19:14.right honourable friend join me in paying tribute to the leader of the
:19:15. > :19:19.council, Conservative leader Terry Richardson, his councillor
:19:20. > :19:23.colleagues and all the officers in that District Council who, whilst
:19:24. > :19:27.making savings that are necessary, are continuing to deliver a first
:19:28. > :19:32.class service to the residents of South Leicestershire? I'm happy to
:19:33. > :19:36.join my honourable friend in doing that but he does make, I think, an
:19:37. > :19:39.important point which is, yes, we had to make difficult spending
:19:40. > :19:43.decisions, not least over the last five years, but satisfaction with
:19:44. > :19:47.local governments overseas actually went up and I think this proves a
:19:48. > :19:49.larger point, which is you can reduce spending levels, find
:19:50. > :19:59.efficiencies and provide better services at the same time. My
:20:00. > :20:02.constituent Frank is a long-term -- is on long-term sick leave due to
:20:03. > :20:06.depression but he is no longer entitled to sick pay, was turned
:20:07. > :20:09.down for ESA and cannot claim ASA due to his job being kept open for
:20:10. > :20:13.him. He cannot leave his highly skilled job as a chef due to the
:20:14. > :20:18.threat of punitive sanctions, leaving him with no income. Will the
:20:19. > :20:22.Prime Minister look at this case specifically but also the wider
:20:23. > :20:27.issue of people with mental health issues who are unable to work being
:20:28. > :20:30.expected to live on fresh air? I'm very happy to look at the individual
:20:31. > :20:35.case because the way our benefit system should work is clear, that if
:20:36. > :20:39.you are unable to work but, with help, could work you should go on to
:20:40. > :20:43.employment and support allowance on the work-related activity group and
:20:44. > :20:46.get that help. If you are unable to work, you go onto the support group,
:20:47. > :20:51.you get a higher amount of money. It's not means tested or
:20:52. > :20:54.time-limited. For people who have mental health issues and
:20:55. > :20:56.difficulties you have got the new personal independence payment
:20:57. > :21:00.system, which can address some of those. So quite rightly for a
:21:01. > :21:03.generous and compassionate country, we have a benefit system that
:21:04. > :21:09.supports those who cannot work while making sure that those who can work
:21:10. > :21:14.are encouraged to do so. Thank you, Mr Speaker. It was fantastic news
:21:15. > :21:21.that unemployment in my constituency has fallen by 62%. However, I'm
:21:22. > :21:24.committed to helping even more residents back into work as we work
:21:25. > :21:29.towards our target of full employment. That is why on March the
:21:30. > :21:33.18th I will be holding a community and jobs fair, being together
:21:34. > :21:37.employers and the voluntary sector, for residents to find out the many
:21:38. > :21:40.ways they can get suitable employment and support from
:21:41. > :21:45.charities. I would like to invite the Prime Minister to come along to
:21:46. > :21:49.this event and see for himself the resourcefulness of the residents of
:21:50. > :21:52.error wash. Let me thank my honourable friend and I'm sure I'll
:21:53. > :21:55.be doing a lot of touring the country in the weeks to come and
:21:56. > :22:01.perhaps a visit to the constituency would be worthwhile. I've visited
:22:02. > :22:04.before. We have now are much lower employment -- unemployment rate, our
:22:05. > :22:07.rate of just above 5% is one of the lowest in Europe but even at that
:22:08. > :22:10.rate, there is still much more to be done to match the jobs that are
:22:11. > :22:14.being created to the people that want to work and job says and
:22:15. > :22:17.apprenticeships and training programmes are absolutely essential
:22:18. > :22:23.so that we deliver on what we promised, which is full employment.
:22:24. > :22:26.The Prime Minister likes to go on about the importance of returning
:22:27. > :22:30.sovereignty to this house. Can I remind the Prime Minister that on
:22:31. > :22:34.the 7th of January, we debated the issue of women's state pension and
:22:35. > :22:41.the fact that women are being discriminated by the state pension
:22:42. > :22:44.increase? The house decided by 158 votes to zero and asked the
:22:45. > :22:47.government to mitigate the effects of this. Why has the government not
:22:48. > :22:51.respected the sovereignty of the vote of this Parliament? I would
:22:52. > :22:55.argue very strongly we are not discriminating against women. What
:22:56. > :22:59.we are making sure is that there is an equal age of retirement and
:23:00. > :23:02.that's right and two women who have been discriminated against in the
:23:03. > :23:06.pension system in the past, the single tier pension means many more
:23:07. > :23:09.will be retiring with a full pension and as they do so, they have the
:23:10. > :23:17.triple lock of knowing pensions will always go up by wages, prices or
:23:18. > :23:21.2.5%, is highest. That's why pensioner poverty is at a record low
:23:22. > :23:28.and that's why pensioners know they can live in security and dignity in
:23:29. > :23:34.our country. South Thanet lags behind much of the south-east across
:23:35. > :23:37.very many indices. I've launched a new body locally, the Ramsgate
:23:38. > :23:41.regeneration Alliance, that brings together businesses and community
:23:42. > :23:46.groups. Can I invite my right honourable friend and the coastal
:23:47. > :23:52.communities minister to this gem on our doorstep to seek themselves what
:23:53. > :23:58.it could and, indeed, should be? I'm very happy to put Ramsgate on my to
:23:59. > :24:02.a list for the coming months and we all run of the historic battle that
:24:03. > :24:05.he fought in that constituency. We have set up the coastal communities
:24:06. > :24:09.fund. We have a dedicated minister in the government to try to help
:24:10. > :24:12.coastal communities and I will make sure that officials from his
:24:13. > :24:15.department meet with this new alliance and look at the Ramsgate
:24:16. > :24:21.coastal community team and what they can do to help. For tee years my
:24:22. > :24:26.constituents and I campaigned against development of a luxury
:24:27. > :24:30.skyscraper. The local council has listened and rejected the plans but
:24:31. > :24:35.then the Conservative minister for local government called in the
:24:36. > :24:41.decision and overturned the wishes of the community, showing utter
:24:42. > :24:44.disrespect for local democracy. The Prime Minister preaches localism but
:24:45. > :24:50.will he finally admit that his government only believes in the
:24:51. > :24:55.devolution of blame for cuts, not the devolution of actual power for
:24:56. > :24:58.local communities? We have a long-standing system for local
:24:59. > :25:01.planning but also being able to call in decisions and that operated all
:25:02. > :25:06.the time under the last Labour government. If anything, our local
:25:07. > :25:09.planning system is actually putting more power in the hands of local
:25:10. > :25:13.people because once they've completed their local plan, it is
:25:14. > :25:16.then much easier to say yes to developments that are within that
:25:17. > :25:24.plan and no to develop Mensah that are outside it. -- developments that
:25:25. > :25:27.are outside it. Last Friday I made separate visits to three families,
:25:28. > :25:30.all of whom have a child suffering from acute mental health
:25:31. > :25:34.difficulties, which the families felt had not been adequately
:25:35. > :25:37.assessed at the early stages. Colleagues from across the chamber
:25:38. > :25:41.will be all too familiar with such visits. I welcome the Prime
:25:42. > :25:44.Minister's recent commitment to reform mental health provision for
:25:45. > :25:48.young people. Can I ask him to consider reviewing the provision of
:25:49. > :25:52.initial stage treatment and asked that he continues to be the champion
:25:53. > :25:58.for these vulnerable and brave children? Let me thank my honourable
:25:59. > :26:01.friend for his question. He is right that children and young people's
:26:02. > :26:04.mental health is a priority for this government. We can all agree across
:26:05. > :26:09.this has this is not an area that has had adequate attention or
:26:10. > :26:12.investment the many years. I would highlight particularly the problems
:26:13. > :26:18.of psychosis, sometimes caused by drug use, I would also raise the
:26:19. > :26:22.huge problem of eating disorders, where we see a rapid increase in the
:26:23. > :26:25.number of people suffering. We have come a long way in increasing the
:26:26. > :26:29.number of talking therapies, something like 740,000 more people
:26:30. > :26:32.are accessing those therapies than when this government came to office
:26:33. > :26:37.but we recognise there is more to be done and that's why we are investing
:26:38. > :26:44.1.4 billion in systemwide transformation across children and
:26:45. > :26:48.adolescent mental health. Last week, ScottishPower refused to attend and
:26:49. > :26:53.evidence session with the cashback APPG where crucial evidence was
:26:54. > :26:57.uncovered. As a former litigator I am mightily convinced that over 2000
:26:58. > :27:00.by constituents and over half a million people in the UK are
:27:01. > :27:04.cashback from ScottishPower. Given this is a scandal of potentially
:27:05. > :27:08.huge proportions, will the Prime Minister agreed to meet with me and
:27:09. > :27:10.the cross-party APPG to discuss how we can ensure these ordinary,
:27:11. > :27:14.hard-working people perceive the cash that they were promised by
:27:15. > :27:16.ScottishPower? I'm glad the honourable gentleman has raised this
:27:17. > :27:21.because it has been raised on previous occasions by the honourable
:27:22. > :27:26.member for Aberconwy and I know the cross-party group has done some very
:27:27. > :27:30.useful work. Any alleged wrongdoing should be fully investigated. Ofgem
:27:31. > :27:33.can impose fines if they find companies have breached their
:27:34. > :27:35.licence and I'm very happy to arrange for a meeting between him
:27:36. > :27:44.and other members of the all-party group with relevant ministers so we
:27:45. > :27:47.can try and get this fixed. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. Does my
:27:48. > :27:51.right honourable friend agree with me that with the Nato summit in
:27:52. > :27:57.Warsaw pending, with the threat of expansionism from put-in's Russia
:27:58. > :28:02.and the threat from Daesh, we are right in this government to support
:28:03. > :28:07.to % of our GDP towards defence? Isn't too shocked at the failure of
:28:08. > :28:13.the party opposite to do likewise? Ayr isn't he shocked. He makes an
:28:14. > :28:17.important point which is that we do face an insecure and unstable world,
:28:18. > :28:21.particularly with what Putin has done in the Ukraine, particularly
:28:22. > :28:24.with what we see in Syria and that's why I think to % spending on defence
:28:25. > :28:28.and making sure we renew our nuclear deterrent is the right answer. To be
:28:29. > :28:32.fair to the Labour Party, they have got an answer. They are not going to
:28:33. > :28:34.spend to %, they are not going to renew our Trident submarines but
:28:35. > :28:38.they've come up with a brilliant answer. They are bringing back as
:28:39. > :28:46.their spokesman and spin doctor Damian McBride. Six months after
:28:47. > :28:49.saying - and this is the Leader of the Opposition - we could win in
:28:50. > :28:54.2020 but only we spent the next five years building this movement and
:28:55. > :28:58.putting forward a vision for the kind of politics, honest, kind and
:28:59. > :29:24.more caring. Six months on, Damian McBride is back. That says it all.
:29:25. > :29:35.Colleagues are calling for more. There will be more. Imran Hussain.
:29:36. > :29:38.Thank you, Mr Speaker. Last week I visited Palestine along with several
:29:39. > :29:43.of my honourable friends, where we visited the home of Nora and her
:29:44. > :29:51.family, who have lived in the old city of East Jerusalem since 1953.
:29:52. > :29:54.However, Israeli settlers are now trying to force Nora from her home
:29:55. > :30:00.of over 60 years and there are many other cases. Does the Prime Minister
:30:01. > :30:07.agree with me that illegal settlements and constructions are a
:30:08. > :30:14.major roadblock that hinder peaceful negotiations and what is this
:30:15. > :30:20.government doing to help prevent the infringement into Palestinian lives
:30:21. > :30:23.and land? Let me say, I think the question the honourable gentleman
:30:24. > :30:27.raises is incredibly important. I am well known as being a strong friend
:30:28. > :30:32.of Israel but I have to say, the first time I visited Jerusalem and
:30:33. > :30:34.had a proper tour around that wonderful city and saw what has
:30:35. > :30:41.happened with the affected encirclement of East Jerusalem, it
:30:42. > :30:44.is genuinely shocking. What this government has consistently done is
:30:45. > :30:48.saying we are supporters of Israel but we do not support illegal
:30:49. > :30:52.settlements, do not support what is happening in East Jerusalem and it
:30:53. > :31:03.is very important that this capital city is maintained in the way it was
:31:04. > :31:06.in the past. One of my constituents, Alex Bagnall, is fighting to have
:31:07. > :31:16.his son brought back to the UK after he was taken to Poland by the mother
:31:17. > :31:19.illegally, as per the Hague treaty. What representations, government
:31:20. > :31:23.make to EU and Polish authorities with regard to the Hague convention
:31:24. > :31:27.in order to help British families with the safe return of the abducted
:31:28. > :31:32.children, to offer hope to devastated families like my
:31:33. > :31:35.constituents, the Bagnall is? My honourable friend is actually right
:31:36. > :31:39.to raise a case like this and sadly there are far too many of them in
:31:40. > :31:44.our country. The straight answer is that the return decision is for the
:31:45. > :31:47.Polish court and governments can't interfere in the decisions processes
:31:48. > :31:50.of another country's justice system but we do have the international
:31:51. > :31:54.child abduction and contact unit at the Ministry of Justice. They've
:31:55. > :31:58.been in constant touch with Mr Bagnall, they are processing his
:31:59. > :32:00.paperwork, tracing their counterparts in Poland for
:32:01. > :32:04.information and I will make sure the Foreign Secretary is aware of this
:32:05. > :32:10.case and does everything he can to help her and hope the constituent.
:32:11. > :32:14.Oil and gas has contributed over ?300 billion to Treasury coffers.
:32:15. > :32:17.The Scottish Government, trade unions and oil and gas UK are
:32:18. > :32:21.calling for reductions to the headline rate of tax to support the
:32:22. > :32:24.industry in its hour of need yet instead of the so-called broad
:32:25. > :32:28.shoulders of the UK, what we see sloping shoulders of the Prime
:32:29. > :32:33.Minister repeatedly dodging his responsibilities. Will he commit to
:32:34. > :32:38.reduce the tax level of oil and gas and support this vital industry?
:32:39. > :32:41.What I would say to the honourable gentleman is, first of all, in the
:32:42. > :32:45.budget last year we reduced the burden of tax on oil and gas,
:32:46. > :32:51.something we were able to do because of the broad shoulders of the UK.
:32:52. > :32:57.And now let us to stick some in what has happened since that time. Oil
:32:58. > :33:02.and gas revenues are down 94%. If there weren't the broad shoulders of
:33:03. > :33:06.the UK Government, if instead this was a genuinely fiscally independent
:33:07. > :33:11.Scotland, there would be a massive black hole in your budget. You would
:33:12. > :33:14.be cutting welfare, you would be cutting spending, you would be
:33:15. > :33:25.putting up taxes, you would be facing a financial catastrophe.
:33:26. > :33:32.Every week, two women are killed in England and Wales by current or
:33:33. > :33:37.former partners. The perpetrator is the problem. The question is not why
:33:38. > :33:42.doesn't she leave but why doesn't he stop. The Sussex Police and crime
:33:43. > :33:47.commission is piloting a programme called kart Drive, which aims to
:33:48. > :33:51.change the behaviour of offenders. It is part of his new strategy to
:33:52. > :33:55.tackle violence against women and girls. Will the Prime Minister join
:33:56. > :33:59.me in congratulating Katie born the tackling domestic violence? My
:34:00. > :34:05.honourable friend is right to raise this. We have got better at tackling
:34:06. > :34:11.it but there is still so much more to do. I think Katie born, who I
:34:12. > :34:14.know, does an excellent job as the Police and Crime Commissioner. I
:34:15. > :34:17.think this is a good example of the sort of thing that Police and Crime
:34:18. > :34:20.Commissioners, with their higher profile than police authorities ever
:34:21. > :34:24.had, can give a real lead on and I would urge others around the country
:34:25. > :34:27.to do exactly that. We need to make sure we are policing these incidents
:34:28. > :34:35.properly. We need today is the culture. But I think PCC is can help
:34:36. > :34:38.lead the way. As the Prime Minister knows, resources were ring fenced
:34:39. > :34:42.in November to help Northern Ireland in November to help Northern Ireland
:34:43. > :34:48.deal with legacy cases. Will he consider releasing some of the
:34:49. > :34:50.money, as has been hinted at by the secretary of state, to help the
:34:51. > :34:53.Police Service of Northern Ireland as they face increasing pressures in
:34:54. > :34:58.front-line policing and will he take the opportunity to reaffirm that
:34:59. > :35:03.there will be no rewriting of the past in Northern Ireland to let it
:35:04. > :35:11.rise -- legitimised terrorism or to promote a pernicious narrative? What
:35:12. > :35:15.I say is that the fresh start agreement was a good agreement and
:35:16. > :35:18.an important part of it was dealing with these legacy cases and making
:35:19. > :35:21.sure they were dealt with more quickly. To me, it's always been
:35:22. > :35:26.about trying to heal the hurt of the legacy cases, rather than trying to
:35:27. > :35:30.write new narratives. I'll look carefully at what he says about
:35:31. > :35:33.resources because we need to make sure that the policing of Northern
:35:34. > :35:40.Ireland continues to be properly resourced, not least because we
:35:41. > :35:44.still face a terrorist threat today. The United Kingdom endorses the code
:35:45. > :35:50.of good practice on referendums, published by the European Commission
:35:51. > :35:53.for democracy through law. It says equality of opportunity must be
:35:54. > :35:57.guaranteed for the supporters and opponents of the proposal being
:35:58. > :36:04.voted on and equality must be ensured in terms of public subsidies
:36:05. > :36:08.and other forms of backing. Yesterday, Sir Jeremy Hayward sent a
:36:09. > :36:12.letter around the department preventing ministers from having
:36:13. > :36:16.access to civil service briefings. Can the Prime Minister check that
:36:17. > :36:21.that letter was compatible with the guidelines on neutrality? I'm very
:36:22. > :36:24.happy with the letter that was sent out for this reason, which is that
:36:25. > :36:28.the government has a position on this issue. The government's
:36:29. > :36:33.position is that we would be better off in a reformed European Union.
:36:34. > :36:38.Ministers are able to depart from that position and campaign in a
:36:39. > :36:41.personal capacity. That is very important statement. It is right in
:36:42. > :36:44.terms of how we go about it but it does not mean the government is
:36:45. > :36:48.neutral. It doesn't mean the civil service is neutral. The government
:36:49. > :36:52.has a policy, from which people can depart. As for the funding of the
:36:53. > :36:55.referendum campaign, we now have very clear laws in place and rules
:36:56. > :36:59.in place and the Electoral Commission to make sure that both
:37:00. > :37:00.campaigns are funded properly and I think that is good for our
:37:01. > :37:03.democracy.