:00:33. > :00:39.This morning, I had meetings with ministerial colleagues
:00:40. > :00:41.and others and in addition to my duties at this House,
:00:42. > :00:43.I shall have further such meetings later today.
:00:44. > :00:46.Will the Prime Minister take this opportunity
:00:47. > :00:49.to confirm that the UK Government intended to take ?7 billion
:00:50. > :00:54.from Scotland, over a decade, through the fiscal framework?
:00:55. > :01:06...today to explain why that was the case?
:01:07. > :01:09.Only the SNP can try to maintain a grievance after a settlement
:01:10. > :01:16.What we have done is build a powerhouse Parliament
:01:17. > :01:21.for Scotland with more powers, more ability to set tax rates,
:01:22. > :01:23.more ability to determine benefits for
:01:24. > :01:28.its citizens, and now is the time for the SNP to stop talking
:01:29. > :01:30.about grievances, and get on with government!
:01:31. > :01:43.recently taken on six new apprentices.
:01:44. > :01:46.Across South Ribble, we have had more than 1,000
:01:47. > :01:52.agree that this is the time for government to stick
:01:53. > :01:54.with the plan, so that even more companies
:01:55. > :02:01.have the ability to take on apprenticeships?
:02:02. > :02:05.We have a very stretching target for three million
:02:06. > :02:06.apprentices to be trained during this Parliament.
:02:07. > :02:08.We will do our bit, by funding programmes,
:02:09. > :02:15.contributing to the apprenticeship levy, but we need small businesses
:02:16. > :02:18.like CSA, in her constituency, and indeed the public sector,
:02:19. > :02:21.to get fully involved in training apprentices to give young people
:02:22. > :02:24.the chance to earn and learn at the same time.
:02:25. > :02:37.It is three years since the government announced
:02:38. > :02:45.Could the Prime Minister tell us what is the hold-up?
:02:46. > :02:48.We are introducing that along with the 30
:02:49. > :02:52.hours of childcare, for everyone with three-
:02:53. > :02:58.with a ?6 billion commitment, with the start of the 30 hours
:02:59. > :03:02.coming in in a pilot scheme this year.
:03:03. > :03:09.Mr Speaker, the Treasury website describes it as a long-term plan...
:03:10. > :03:15.announced in 2013, and is not apparently going to be introduced
:03:16. > :03:21.Could the Prime Minister tell us why his promise
:03:22. > :03:25.of 30 hours free childcare for three- and four-year-olds is not
:03:26. > :03:28.there for one in three working parents who
:03:29. > :03:33.want their children to be cared for in preschool?
:03:34. > :03:35.First of all, on the tax relief on childcare,
:03:36. > :03:38.we lost a court case against some of the
:03:39. > :03:40.existing providers, so there was a delay,
:03:41. > :03:44.and the tax-free childcare will come in in 2017.
:03:45. > :03:47.As for the 30 hours, as I have said, there will be
:03:48. > :03:51.a pilot schemes this year, and full implementation
:03:52. > :03:54.next year, in line with what we have said in the manifesto.
:03:55. > :03:57.I'm delighted he is helping me to promote government policy!
:03:58. > :04:07.we only had 10 hours of childcare - it has gone up to 12,
:04:08. > :04:09.and is now 15, and is going up to 30.
:04:10. > :04:12.These are all the things you can do if you have
:04:13. > :04:16.If you are getting your deficit down, your economy is growing,
:04:17. > :04:20.you are able to do all of these things.
:04:21. > :04:24.I'm glad we are able to talk about them.
:04:25. > :04:27.Today, the National Audit Office report
:04:28. > :04:31.confirms that one third of families promised 30 hours' free childcare
:04:32. > :04:39.The report also warns that many childcare providers
:04:40. > :04:43.are not offering the new entitlement due to insufficient funding.
:04:44. > :04:47.There are 41,00 three-year-olds missing out
:04:48. > :04:50.on free early education as a result of this.
:04:51. > :04:54.Will the Prime Minister intervene and make sure those children get
:04:55. > :04:59.We want all children to have the start in life
:05:00. > :05:02.they deserve and I'm glad he mentioned the National Audit
:05:03. > :05:06.Let me read some of the things it says.
:05:07. > :05:09."The department has successfully implemented entitlement to free
:05:10. > :05:12.childcare for three and four-year-olds with almost
:05:13. > :05:16.universal take-up of hours offered to parents."
:05:17. > :05:18.I think we should be congratulating the Secretary of State.
:05:19. > :05:29."The Department has made significant progress in making free entitlement,
:05:30. > :05:35.parents and children are benefiting, stakeholders are positive about
:05:36. > :05:39.All of these things we are able to do because we have
:05:40. > :05:44.if we listened to the right honourable gentleman.
:05:45. > :05:46.And as I regularly subscribe to the Islington Tribune,
:05:47. > :05:49.I can announce his latest economic adviser, one Yanis Varoufakis!
:05:50. > :05:54.He was the Greek Finance Minister, who left his economy in ruins!
:05:55. > :06:02.That is Labour's policy in two words - " Acropolis now".
:06:03. > :06:08.That is not much help to the 41,000 children not
:06:09. > :06:12.benefiting from what they were promised by the government.
:06:13. > :06:15.Looking further on in the educational life of
:06:16. > :06:19.children, according to the figures from the government,
:06:20. > :06:23.half a million children in primary schools are
:06:24. > :06:30.in classes over 31, 15,000 are in classes of over 40.
:06:31. > :06:33.We all know the importance of both preschool and
:06:34. > :06:37.early years of education to give all of our children a decent start
:06:38. > :06:43.living in poverty and many are in oversized classes.
:06:44. > :06:45.Isn't it time for a serious government intervention
:06:46. > :06:51.Let me bring him up to date on all of these figures.
:06:52. > :06:56.Introducing the extra hours for childcare is a huge operation
:06:57. > :06:59.for the childcare providers, but since the National Audit Office
:07:00. > :07:02.report, that said only 58% of disadvantaged
:07:03. > :07:07.to-year-olds were accessing the free childcare offer,
:07:08. > :07:12.the latest information shows it is over 70% of those.
:07:13. > :07:15.Now, he mentioned the number of teachers and overcrowded classes,
:07:16. > :07:20.There are 13,100 more teachers than there were in 2010,
:07:21. > :07:22.because we have invested in Teach First, we have
:07:23. > :07:26.invested in bursaries, we have made sure that teaching
:07:27. > :07:32.When it comes to school places, I want to answer him, because there is
:07:33. > :07:36.453 fewer schools that are full or overcapacity,
:07:37. > :07:45.36,500 fewer pupils who are in schools that are overcrowded.
:07:46. > :07:47.Again, why have we been able to do this?
:07:48. > :07:50.We protected education funding, protected the money that went
:07:51. > :07:54.following every pupil in the school, introduced the pupil premium,
:07:55. > :07:58.the first time any government had recognised the extra needs
:07:59. > :08:01.of children from the most poor backgrounds.
:08:02. > :08:04.We did all of that, so the school system is growing,
:08:05. > :08:05.there are more places, fewer overcrowded schools,
:08:06. > :08:08.all because we've got the strong economy and the right values
:08:09. > :08:14.Mr Speaker, the problem is that class sizes are growing,
:08:15. > :08:19.is a crisis of teacher shortages as well.
:08:20. > :08:21.And I have been talking, as I am sure
:08:22. > :08:24.the Prime Minister has, too many teachers, I have a question
:08:25. > :08:32.been teaching for ten years and I am currently head of design
:08:33. > :08:35.and technology at a successful secondary school.
:08:36. > :08:38.With increasing numbers of teachers leaving the profession,
:08:39. > :08:41.will the government now accept that there is a crisis
:08:42. > :08:45.of recruitment and also of retention of
:08:46. > :08:48.teachers in this crucial profession?"
:08:49. > :08:51.I have given you the figures, there are 13,000 more
:08:52. > :08:54.teachers in schools than when I became Prime Minister,
:08:55. > :08:56.if he worries about teacher recruitment, explain
:08:57. > :09:01.this - how is it going to help his party's proposal to put up the basic
:09:02. > :09:10.secondary school teachers, nursery teachers all paying more tax.
:09:11. > :09:12.what we are doing is helping teachers
:09:13. > :09:16.by saying, you can earn ?11,000 before you pay any income
:09:17. > :09:20.I don't think that recruiting teachers
:09:21. > :09:23.is simply about money, it is also about having a good
:09:24. > :09:25.school system, which we have in place in this
:09:26. > :09:28.country, it certainly won't help if we listen to Labour and put up
:09:29. > :09:35.The Prime Minister seems to be in a bit of denial here.
:09:36. > :09:44.all confirmed there is a shortage and a crisis of teachers.
:09:45. > :09:47.Ensuring there are another excellent teachers
:09:48. > :09:52.in our schools is fundamental to the life chances of children.
:09:53. > :09:55.When 70% of head teachers warned they are now
:09:56. > :10:00.using agency staff, to staff their classroom,
:10:01. > :10:02.isn't it time the government intervened and looked
:10:03. > :10:06.at the real cost of this, damage to children's education,
:10:07. > :10:12.but also, ?1.3 billion spent last year on agency teachers.
:10:13. > :10:15.We have this agency working situation in the National
:10:16. > :10:18.Health Service, and also in education, are we moving
:10:19. > :10:26.into an era which we can turn it agency Britain?
:10:27. > :10:33.He has got to look at the facts, rather than talk down people
:10:34. > :10:35.working so hard to teach children in our schools.
:10:36. > :10:37.Teachers are better qualified than ever,
:10:38. > :10:39.that is the fact, 96.6% of teachers in state
:10:40. > :10:41.funded schools now have a degree or higher qualification.
:10:42. > :10:45.I would argue that going into teaching, and now,
:10:46. > :10:48.Teach First is the most popular destination
:10:49. > :10:51.for Oxbridge graduates, which never happened under a Labour
:10:52. > :10:54.government, if you want to encourage people
:10:55. > :10:57.to go into teaching, you have got to know you have a good
:10:58. > :11:01.school system with more academies, more free schools.
:11:02. > :11:03.Higher qualification, making sure we have
:11:04. > :11:06.rigour and discipline in the classroom, all of which has
:11:07. > :11:12.But all of that is only possible if you have
:11:13. > :11:28.a strong and growing economy to fund the schools that our children need.
:11:29. > :11:35.Fiddlers Ferry, in my constituency, we have one of several UK power
:11:36. > :11:36.stations, which has announced closure this year.
:11:37. > :11:38.In Germany and Holland, both of whose carbon
:11:39. > :11:40.emissions are higher, they are building brand-new mega
:11:41. > :11:43.power stations, much of that we are going to import.
:11:44. > :11:45.It is very hard, for me to explain the logic of this
:11:46. > :11:47.to my constituents, could the Prime Minister review
:11:48. > :11:49.the pace of our closure programme, particularly
:11:50. > :11:51.in the context of next year's energy crunch.
:11:52. > :11:53.My honourable friend raises an important question,
:11:54. > :11:56.he is right, there is big change in the industry,
:11:57. > :12:00.we want to see an increase in gas capacity, an increase in renewable
:12:01. > :12:04.capacity and the restarting of the nuclear programme,
:12:05. > :12:06.which I hope to be discussing with the French
:12:07. > :12:10.He is right that security of supply must be
:12:11. > :12:11.the number one priority, that is why
:12:12. > :12:13.we have announced we will bring forward
:12:14. > :12:18.the capacity market to provide this extra boost to existing stations,
:12:19. > :12:22.this could indeed help Fiddlers Ferry itself.
:12:23. > :12:24.I say to him and everybody across the House,
:12:25. > :12:26.all of the decisions we take about energy,
:12:27. > :12:29.they have consequences for people's bills.
:12:30. > :12:33.He mentions Germany, German electricity prices are 40%
:12:34. > :12:37.higher than in the UK, the level of subsidies makes up 30%
:12:38. > :12:41.of German bills, ours is less than half that level,
:12:42. > :12:43.and we have got to think through these decisions
:12:44. > :12:46.for the consequences for energy consumers.
:12:47. > :12:58.We all have a right not to be discriminated against.
:12:59. > :13:00.On the basis of age, gender, sex, sexual orientation,
:13:01. > :13:15.Parents have rights to paternity and maternity entitlement.
:13:16. > :13:20.Parents have the right to paid holidays. -- workers have the right
:13:21. > :13:21.to paid holidays. All of the these are guaranteed
:13:22. > :13:23.through the European Union. Does the Prime Minister agree
:13:24. > :13:27.that there are huge social benefits to being members
:13:28. > :13:29.of the European Union? What we have done, including
:13:30. > :13:31.under this government, is actually add to the rights that
:13:32. > :13:34.people have, including maternity I think that the emphasis
:13:35. > :13:38.in Europe now needs to be making sure that we expand
:13:39. > :13:41.the single market and make it more successful for businesses,
:13:42. > :13:44.recognising that social benefits matter as well but principally,
:13:45. > :13:47.I believe they are a matter Millions of UK citizens
:13:48. > :13:54.live elsewhere in the European Union, European decisions
:13:55. > :13:58.have helped the environment reducing sulphur dioxide emissions by nine
:13:59. > :14:03.tenths, relations between 28 EU member states are often imperfect
:14:04. > :14:08.but they occur through dialogue and agreement, surely
:14:09. > :14:10.a huge improvement on confrontations
:14:11. > :14:13.and wars of the past. Will the Prime Minister
:14:14. > :14:18.concentrate on the positive arguments for EU membership, and
:14:19. > :14:20.reject the approach of My arguments about being
:14:21. > :14:25.stronger in the reformed European Union, and
:14:26. > :14:29.safer, and better off in the reformed
:14:30. > :14:31.European Union, are all positive arguments, and I would add
:14:32. > :14:34.the point that he makes, things like pollution
:14:35. > :14:37.crosses borders, and it The fundamental point
:14:38. > :14:41.he makes is one worth thinking about,
:14:42. > :14:45.he and I are both post-war children, but we should never
:14:46. > :14:48.forget, when we sit around the table, that 70 years ago,
:14:49. > :14:51.these countries were murdering each For all the frustrations
:14:52. > :14:57.of this institution, and believe me, there are many,
:14:58. > :15:00.we should never forget that, the fact that we talk and work
:15:01. > :15:06.together and is the resolve disputes Those who foster children
:15:07. > :15:16.deserve our full To mark fostering February,
:15:17. > :15:22.I visited in my constituency a fostering unit which since
:15:23. > :15:25.establishment in 2003 has helped over 1,250 children,
:15:26. > :15:31.find a loving and caring home. Would my right honourable
:15:32. > :15:34.friend join me in thanking the unit,
:15:35. > :15:37.as well as the carers, but would he also agreed to look
:15:38. > :15:42.into how the currently complex funding arrangements for over 18s
:15:43. > :15:45.could be considerably simplified to ease the transition
:15:46. > :15:48.of children into We all know as parents it is very
:15:49. > :16:03.important to give people the support That's why we changed the law
:16:04. > :16:08.in the last Parliament so local authorities are under a duty
:16:09. > :16:11.to support young people who choose to remain with their foster carers
:16:12. > :16:16.beyond the age of 18. We put in place what is
:16:17. > :16:19.called a staying put arrangement and are providing
:16:20. > :16:21.?44 million pounds over three years. In the first year of its roll-out,
:16:22. > :16:24.almost half of those eligible This is a real advance
:16:25. > :16:29.in our fostering As this is my first ever question
:16:30. > :16:37.to the Prime Minister, Mr Speaker, in September last year,
:16:38. > :16:50.16-year-old Mohammed was stabbed His mother discovered
:16:51. > :16:56.last week the CPS will not be prosecuting the man
:16:57. > :16:58.arrested for his murder. Sadly, she joins the 84%
:16:59. > :17:06.people in Southwark who experienced by
:17:07. > :17:08.crime last year who Home Office blame local police
:17:09. > :17:16.for that low prosecution rate and I resent the accusation
:17:17. > :17:18.that my local Will the Prime Minister
:17:19. > :17:22.ensure that my local police have the resources
:17:23. > :17:24.to investigate knife crime fully and bring more
:17:25. > :17:25.killers to justice? The honourable gentleman
:17:26. > :17:27.uses his first question to raise an incredibly
:17:28. > :17:29.important issue which is knife crime The good news is that
:17:30. > :17:33.knife crime has come down about 14% since 2010 but he makes
:17:34. > :17:36.an important point about the level Last year there were something
:17:37. > :17:39.like 11,000 prosecutions. The rate of prosecution is similar
:17:40. > :17:42.as for other areas but clearly everything we can do to help
:17:43. > :17:45.the police, the CPS to increase the rate of prosecution
:17:46. > :17:49.is wholly worthwhile. We need to give the police
:17:50. > :17:52.the resources they need and we are, We need to educate
:17:53. > :17:55.young people on the dangers of knife crime and we need
:17:56. > :17:59.to make sure those who commit these Well, let's hear from someone
:18:00. > :18:15.who is here, Mr David Davis. I know the houses in a state of some
:18:16. > :18:35.peturbation but we must hear from the Right honourable
:18:36. > :18:36.gentleman when he's For five or six years,
:18:37. > :18:44.national insurance numbers issued to EU migrants have
:18:45. > :18:47.been hundreds of thousands higher than the official
:18:48. > :18:49.immigration figures. This implies the figures may be
:18:50. > :18:54.a dramatic underestimate. We can only know the truth
:18:55. > :18:57.of the matter if HMRC release the data on active EU
:18:58. > :19:01.national insurance numbers, Will the Prime Minister
:19:02. > :19:06.instruct HMRC to release those statistics
:19:07. > :19:08.so that we know the truth single transferable question,
:19:09. > :19:15.if not the single transferable vote. The reason why these
:19:16. > :19:23.numbers don't tally is you can get a national insurance
:19:24. > :19:27.number for a very short-term visit and people who are already
:19:28. > :19:32.here without insurance number can apply for them, so these
:19:33. > :19:34.numbers are quite The HMRC has given greater
:19:35. > :19:39.information and I will make sure The proposed changes
:19:40. > :19:47.to Sunday trading are causing great concern to many
:19:48. > :19:50.retailers, shop workers, to their families,
:19:51. > :19:52.to faith groups and to all who want to keep Sunday special,
:19:53. > :19:55.yet before the election the Prime Minister said he had no plans
:19:56. > :20:01.to change Sunday Trading laws. When did he change his
:20:02. > :20:04.mind or was it always his plan to scrap this great British
:20:05. > :20:07.compromise as soon as the election Well, I thought
:20:08. > :20:14.it was right to bring forward these proposals because they
:20:15. > :20:17.are genuinely new proposals. New in that we are
:20:18. > :20:19.devolving to local authorities to make those
:20:20. > :20:23.decisions and secondly, crucially, I'm sure honourable
:20:24. > :20:25.members opposite will be interested in this, we will be
:20:26. > :20:29.introducing new protections not only for new workers
:20:30. > :20:33.on Sundays but for all workers on Sundays
:20:34. > :20:37.and so I think the House should look carefully at this idea,
:20:38. > :20:40.not least because our constituents are able to shop online
:20:41. > :20:43.all day, every day, All the evidence shows
:20:44. > :20:48.this will be welcomed by customers, will
:20:49. > :20:52.create more jobs and I think we have nothing to be scared
:20:53. > :20:56.of moving into this new arrangement. At the weekend I visited
:20:57. > :21:06.a Young Enterprise trade fair where teams
:21:07. > :21:10.from across local Staffordshire schools, including
:21:11. > :21:15.Rugeley sixth form Academy, were showcasing
:21:16. > :21:17.their entrepreneurial skills. Will my right honourable
:21:18. > :21:19.friend join me in wishing good luck
:21:20. > :21:21.to all of the teams and does he agree that with me,
:21:22. > :21:24.initiatives such as this are key to inspiring the next
:21:25. > :21:30.generation of entrepreneurs? I think my honourable friend
:21:31. > :21:32.makes an important point, which is for years in our schools
:21:33. > :21:35.not enough was done to encourage enterprise and entrepreneurship
:21:36. > :21:41.when we know that so many jobs of the future will
:21:42. > :21:42.come from start-up businesses and small businesses
:21:43. > :21:44.and rapidly growing start-ups, so it is absolutely right
:21:45. > :21:47.that in our schools we should be promoting enterprise,
:21:48. > :21:56.not only through teaching but also through exercises including starting
:21:57. > :21:58.businesses for young people Yesterday, a north-east
:21:59. > :22:02.SME ceased to trade. Their goal was the extraction of gas
:22:03. > :22:06.from coal deep under the North Sea. The Government failed to provide
:22:07. > :22:11.a supporting statement to support investment due
:22:12. > :22:13.to its inability to comprehend not only would the
:22:14. > :22:22.company secure our energies supply but also provide
:22:23. > :22:26.feedstocks to grow our industries and all of that
:22:27. > :22:27.totally decarbonised. at this appalling
:22:28. > :22:30.loss of opportunity and urgently change course
:22:31. > :22:32.and develop a meaningful industrial and energy strategy that British
:22:33. > :22:35.industry and workers and the planet I will certainly look
:22:36. > :22:41.at the case that he raises because we back all
:22:42. > :22:44.energy projects that could create jobs and create growth
:22:45. > :22:47.in our country and we have a very I know that he's disappointed
:22:48. > :22:53.about our decision on carbon capture and storage, but I
:22:54. > :22:56.would say to him that that is an extra capital investment
:22:57. > :23:00.and even after that, there is no sign yet
:23:01. > :23:03.that carbon capture or storage can be even close
:23:04. > :23:09.to competitive to even nuclear power or offshore wind but
:23:10. > :23:11.I will look carefully A large proportion of the fish
:23:12. > :23:21.caught by British vessels and landed in the UK
:23:22. > :23:23.are exported to Europe, mainly to EU countries,
:23:24. > :23:26.and a great many of our fishermen fish in the sovereign
:23:27. > :23:28.waters of other In a reformed regime,
:23:29. > :23:35.reforms that were Does my right
:23:36. > :23:40.honourable friend agree that our seas, those that exploit
:23:41. > :23:42.them and the communities that they support,
:23:43. > :23:44.are better off in a I agree with my honourable
:23:45. > :23:59.friend and I pay tribute to him for the huge work
:24:00. > :24:03.that he did to reform the common fisheries policy from what was
:24:04. > :24:05.a very poor policy to one that is now working
:24:06. > :24:07.much better for our When it comes to fishing
:24:08. > :24:11.and farming, the key issue is going to be making
:24:12. > :24:13.sure that Europe's markets remain open to the produce
:24:14. > :24:16.that we land and we produce and that I think is
:24:17. > :24:18.going to be vital in the debate
:24:19. > :24:19.in the months ahead. 1600 families are on
:24:20. > :24:23.York's waiting list, when care workers
:24:24. > :24:25.are forced to leave the city due to the cost of renting,
:24:26. > :24:29.when young families are placed in single rooms in
:24:30. > :24:34.homeless hostels and when supported housing schemes
:24:35. > :24:37.will have to close due to benefit changes, can the Prime Minister
:24:38. > :24:39.specifically state why, up to 2,500 predominantly
:24:40. > :24:43.high-value homes are being planned for development
:24:44. > :24:45.in York Central without building a single home
:24:46. > :24:51.for social rent? The decisions made in York
:24:52. > :24:55.about planning for York City Council and their local plan,
:24:56. > :24:57.but what I would say to her, one of the things
:24:58. > :25:01.that we did in the last Parliament was specifically
:25:02. > :25:03.designed to help York, was to change the change of use
:25:04. > :25:06.provisions so that empty offices could be used to build flats
:25:07. > :25:08.and houses for local people, which is happening in
:25:09. > :25:35.York and will help to Will my right honourable
:25:36. > :25:37.friend agree to meet me and my constituent William Lawrie,
:25:38. > :25:39.a brilliant young farmer whose business has been put at risk
:25:40. > :25:42.because the RPA haven't paid his basic
:25:43. > :25:43.payment scheme money? Will he also confirm
:25:44. > :25:45.that the RPA figures that they keep putting out
:25:46. > :25:48.are fictional, or does he agree with his Defra secretary
:25:49. > :25:50.that it is the EU's commissioners' fault for making
:25:51. > :25:52.the cap so complicated? What I would say to my
:25:53. > :25:54.honourable friend is that the system is
:25:55. > :25:56.complicated and we need to make sure that the Rural Payments
:25:57. > :25:59.Agency does the very best To date, 70,000 farmers
:26:00. > :26:01.have received their 2015 payments,
:26:02. > :26:05.which is now 81% of all claims paid but there is always
:26:06. > :26:07.room for improvement. We should look at all the devolved
:26:08. > :26:11.areas of the UK and see how they are coping
:26:12. > :26:13.with this problem. In terms of the issue more broadly,
:26:14. > :26:16.I think it's very important we maintain the access
:26:17. > :26:25.that our farmers have without tariffs, without
:26:26. > :26:26.tax, without quota, to produce the cleanest
:26:27. > :26:28.and best food export it to 500 million people
:26:29. > :26:35.in the EU single market. Yesterday the chair of the board
:26:36. > :26:38.of international campaign for Tibet, Richard Gere, came to the House
:26:39. > :26:43.of Commons to meet with members Will the Prime Minister
:26:44. > :26:48.follow the example set by the United States,
:26:49. > :26:51.Canada, Germany and Japan and write to the Chinese
:26:52. > :26:54.authorities to express his concerns about their oppressive
:26:55. > :26:57.counterterrorism laws, I wasn't aware of that
:26:58. > :27:05.visit by Richard Gere. I will look very closely
:27:06. > :27:09.at what he said and perhaps get back to the honourable lady
:27:10. > :27:11.about the issues he In 2004, the 16-year-old some
:27:12. > :27:22.of my constituent Lorraine Fraser was murdered by a gang
:27:23. > :27:30.and the conviction of four of them The recent ruling
:27:31. > :27:34.in the Supreme Court has caused Lorraine and many other
:27:35. > :27:37.victims' families a great deal Would my right honourable friend
:27:38. > :27:39.agreed to facilitate a meeting to enable
:27:40. > :27:41.these families to discuss their concerns
:27:42. > :27:43.with ministers and understand what the ruling might
:27:44. > :27:45.mean in cases like Well, through my honourable friend,
:27:46. > :27:50.can I extend my sympathy He is absolutely right,
:27:51. > :27:58.we should remember that the families of all those
:27:59. > :28:01.who've lost loved ones to dreadful crimes who are worried about this
:28:02. > :28:07.judgment and what it might mean I'm very happy to facilitate
:28:08. > :28:09.meeting between him and one of the justice ministers
:28:10. > :28:11.We should be clear that this judgment
:28:12. > :28:14.only referred to a narrow category of joint enterprise cases
:28:15. > :28:16.and I think it would be wrong to suggest
:28:17. > :28:18.that everyone convicted under the wider law on joint enterprise
:28:19. > :28:21.It is very important that message goes out
:28:22. > :28:24.but I will fix the meeting that he calls
:28:25. > :28:27.People in the Midlands are absolutely furious to learn
:28:28. > :28:28.that the Government's awarded a contract to
:28:29. > :28:30.make British medals to some French company.
:28:31. > :28:37.You open your distinguished service order or CBE and it says "Made
:28:38. > :28:44.I visited Midlands metal manufacturers in Birmingham's
:28:45. > :28:53.to Downing Street, call in the Cabinet Office minister
:28:54. > :29:00.The only point I would make to the honourable
:29:01. > :29:04.gentleman is, I'm sure all of those in the Royal Mint in Wales
:29:05. > :29:09.would want to contest the fact that they
:29:10. > :29:11.make the finest medals in the United Kingdom and I'm sure
:29:12. > :29:13.the competition between them and Birmingham is very
:29:14. > :29:16.I'll certainly take away what he says.
:29:17. > :29:18.I wasn't aware of this issue but I'm always in favour,
:29:19. > :29:21.where we can make something in Britain, we should make something
:29:22. > :29:29.A recent investigation carried out by my local newspaper,
:29:30. > :29:30.the Derby Telegraph, uncovered reports of alleged
:29:31. > :29:32.experiments carried out on children by medics
:29:33. > :29:35.at a medical facility in Derbyshire during the 1960s and 1970s.
:29:36. > :29:41.Can I ask the Prime Minister to ensure
:29:42. > :29:43.that a thorough investigation into this situation
:29:44. > :29:50.I'm very happy to give my honourable friend that assurance.
:29:51. > :29:52.She is absolutely right to raise this.
:29:53. > :29:54.They are very serious allegations and
:29:55. > :29:56.it's vital that the full facts are considered.
:29:57. > :29:59.My understanding is that the police, the local authority
:30:00. > :30:01.and the NHS are working together and there's
:30:02. > :30:03.an inquiry process under the Derby Safeguarding Children
:30:04. > :30:05.board in line with its procedures.
:30:06. > :30:07.I would encourage anyone who knows anything
:30:08. > :30:13.about this to come forward and give evidence to that board.
:30:14. > :30:17.The Syrian ceasefire is extremely fragile.
:30:18. > :30:19.There are reports that Russia is continuing to attack anti-Assad
:30:20. > :30:23.rebels, not Daesh, and that Islamic terrorists and weapons continue
:30:24. > :30:25.to pass into Syria across the Turkish
:30:26. > :30:33.What is the British Government doing to ensure
:30:34. > :30:35.the ceasefire is properly monitored and,
:30:36. > :30:40.in particular, to reduce serious tensions between Russia and our Nato
:30:41. > :30:45.The honourable lady is absolutely right to raise this.
:30:46. > :30:47.The cessation of hostilities is an important step forward,
:30:48. > :30:51.imperfect though it is, and it does enable
:30:52. > :30:53.the possibility of political negotiations starting next week.
:30:54. > :30:56.doing to ensure it is properly enforced.
:30:57. > :31:00.with the Americans and Russians to make
:31:01. > :31:08.I've got a European conference call with Vladimir Putin
:31:09. > :31:11.later this week to reinforce these points.
:31:12. > :31:13.Even though the ceasefire is imperfect, it is progress
:31:14. > :31:18.Not every group is included in the ceasefire but basically
:31:19. > :31:21.there aren't the attacks that were taking
:31:22. > :31:26.place on the moderate opposition, which is welcome, and it is also
:31:27. > :31:29.enabled us with others to get aid into communities that desperately
:31:30. > :31:31.need it, including through air drops and convoys.
:31:32. > :31:34.So I wouldn't put too much optimism into the mix right
:31:35. > :31:36.now but this is progress and we should
:31:37. > :31:45.Two weeks ago I visited a refugee camp and the surrounding
:31:46. > :31:47.area on the Jordanian/Syrian border, primarily to assist health care
:31:48. > :31:51.I was struck by the remarkable resilience the local
:31:52. > :31:54.people but this local system is under quite significant pressure.
:31:55. > :31:59.Would the Prime Minister meet with me to
:32:00. > :32:01.discuss further what Britain can do to enhance health care services
:32:02. > :32:06.on the ground, both for the Syrian refugees and the wider Jordanian
:32:07. > :32:12.I'm very happy to meet with my honourable friend to discuss
:32:13. > :32:16.It is an extra ordinary sight, that refugee camp,
:32:17. > :32:18.because of the scale of the endeavour under way.
:32:19. > :32:21.Britain can be proud of what we've done in terms of the direct aid
:32:22. > :32:24.we've given and also the London conference that raised $11 billion
:32:25. > :32:29.I know he's got a long-standing interest
:32:30. > :32:32.on what we can do to make sure facilities
:32:33. > :32:33.are delivered quickly, including on occasions
:32:34. > :32:36.using military facilities, and I think there may be
:32:37. > :32:39.opportunities for that but we also need to make sure the emergency
:32:40. > :32:43.response from NGOs and the United Nations is as fast as it can be
:32:44. > :32:48.when crises like this happen in the future.
:32:49. > :32:50.As the Prime Minister struggles with certain elements
:32:51. > :32:52.in his party over Europe, does he ever
:32:53. > :32:54.think that on an inspirational Prime Minister, Harold
:32:55. > :32:57.Wilson, who faced difficulties but stood up to the rebels
:32:58. > :33:00.in his own party and secured a yes vote for
:33:01. > :33:03.staying in Europe, and will he join with me because Harold Wilson's
:33:04. > :33:05.centenary of his birth is next week and could be celebrated
:33:06. > :33:07.across all parties, a great innovative Prime
:33:08. > :33:24.I do feel a natural sympathy for anyone who has had
:33:25. > :33:27.Irrespective of what side of the House we're on.
:33:28. > :33:29.I think he did do some important things and
:33:30. > :33:34.the honourable gentleman has a special connection to him.
:33:35. > :33:37.I wish his family well on this important day
:33:38. > :33:42.and I think we approach things in different ways but one thing
:33:43. > :33:45.we would have agreed about is Britain's
:33:46. > :33:52.future is better off in a reformed EU.
:33:53. > :34:00.I'm sure the whole house will join me in expressing our
:34:01. > :34:01.condolences to Neil and Jennifer Burdett,
:34:02. > :34:03.the parents of two-year-old Fay, who died on Valentine's Day
:34:04. > :34:12.Since Fay's death, 815,000 people have signed
:34:13. > :34:13.a petition calling for the Government
:34:14. > :34:17.to vaccinate more children against meningitis B.
:34:18. > :34:19.I'm proud that the UK is the first country
:34:20. > :34:22.to have a vaccination programme for meningitis
:34:23. > :34:24.B but could my right honourable friend make sure the government
:34:25. > :34:27.looks at what more can be done to prevent more children like Fay
:34:28. > :34:36.On behalf of the whole house, let me extend my
:34:37. > :34:38.sympathies and condolences to Fay's parents and all those who have had
:34:39. > :34:43.children suffering from this terrible disease.
:34:44. > :34:44.My honourable friend is absolutely right,
:34:45. > :34:47.we were the first country in the world to have
:34:48. > :34:49.this vaccination programme, which is based on the advice
:34:50. > :34:50.of the joint committee on vaccination and
:34:51. > :34:52.immunisation who recommended targeting the vaccine to protect
:34:53. > :34:58.the infant at highest risk.
:34:59. > :35:11.incident does occur in babies of five months. Over 100 children were
:35:12. > :35:16.under one you defeat last year. She makes an important point. We need to
:35:17. > :35:21.look at all information carefully and recognise Britain has a rigid
:35:22. > :35:28.taken important steps forward to vaccinate in this way. Order.