:00:00. > :00:00.businesses in Scotland that will benefit from a cut in corporation
:00:00. > :00:07.tax. As he is he saying he opposes that?
:00:08. > :00:09.THE SPEAKER: Order. Questions to the Prime Minister.
:00:10. > :00:21.Sir Peter Bottomley. A Belfast prison of the died last
:00:22. > :00:26.week as a result of injuries caused by a bomb placed under his vehicle.
:00:27. > :00:30.A murder investigation is under way, a man has been charged, but we
:00:31. > :00:35.should offer our condolences to the family and friends. Let me also
:00:36. > :00:40.briefly update the house on the attacks yesterday in Brussels.
:00:41. > :00:47.Details are emerging, but at least 34 people were killed and many
:00:48. > :00:52.others injured. Daesh claimed responsibility, following their
:00:53. > :00:58.attack in Istanbul. We are aware of for British nationals injured, and
:00:59. > :01:01.we are concerned about one missing British national. We face a common
:01:02. > :01:05.terror threat and I am sure the whole house will join me in
:01:06. > :01:10.expressing our solidarity with the people of Belgium. I spoke to the
:01:11. > :01:15.Belgian Prime Minister yesterday to pass on our condolences, our police
:01:16. > :01:18.and agencies are doing everything they can to support. We have
:01:19. > :01:22.increased police patrols and border screening here. The Home Secretary
:01:23. > :01:29.will make a statement later setting out the steps we are taking. Britain
:01:30. > :01:31.and Belgium share the same values of liberty and democracy, the
:01:32. > :01:37.terrorists want to destroy everything that we stand for, but we
:01:38. > :01:40.will never let them. I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and
:01:41. > :01:49.others this morning, and I shall have further such meetings later
:01:50. > :01:54.today. Bombers aim for public reaction and this unity. Can we
:01:55. > :02:05.disappoint them by uniting for hope, not hate? He is absolutely right to
:02:06. > :02:08.say that. These people packed their explosives with nails to kill as
:02:09. > :02:14.many innocent people, women and children, as they could, and we
:02:15. > :02:18.should unite in condemnation, stand with the people and Government of
:02:19. > :02:26.Belgium and with all countries afflicted by this appalling menace
:02:27. > :02:30.and say they shall never went. I wish to support the words just said
:02:31. > :02:34.by the member for Worthing and the Prime Minister in solidarity with
:02:35. > :02:37.the people of Belgium and the victims of the horrific attacks that
:02:38. > :02:41.have taken place in Brussels and Ankara in the last few days. We pay
:02:42. > :02:47.respect and tribute to their families and friends and enormous
:02:48. > :02:50.respect to the emergency services of all the nominations for the huge
:02:51. > :02:55.work they have done to save life. We must defend our security and values
:02:56. > :03:00.in the face of such outrages and refuse to be drawn into a cycle of
:03:01. > :03:05.violence and hatred. We take pride in our societies of diverse faiths,
:03:06. > :03:10.and creeds, and we will not allow those who seek to divide us to
:03:11. > :03:15.succeed. My right honourable friend will respond on behalf of the Labour
:03:16. > :03:22.Party to the Home Secretary. I also joined the Prime Minister in sending
:03:23. > :03:27.my deepest condolences to the man's wife and daughters, the people of
:03:28. > :03:31.Northern Ireland chose to follow the path of peace when they widely
:03:32. > :03:37.adopted the Good Friday agreement, the actions of an unrepresented few
:03:38. > :03:42.should not change the course supported by the overwhelming
:03:43. > :03:50.majority of people. On a different subject altogether, last week I got
:03:51. > :03:53.a letter from Adrian, he said, I am disabled and live in constant fear
:03:54. > :03:57.of my benefits being reassessed and stopped and being forced onto the
:03:58. > :04:01.street. Could the Prime Minister do what the Chancellor failed to do
:04:02. > :04:07.yesterday and apologise to those who went through such anguish and upset
:04:08. > :04:13.during the threat of cuts in their personal independence payment? Let
:04:14. > :04:17.me thank the right honourable gentleman for what he said about the
:04:18. > :04:20.terrorist attacks in Belgium and for what he said about Northern Ireland
:04:21. > :04:25.and the fact that we have achieved so much peace and progress in that
:04:26. > :04:29.valuable part of the UK. Turning to the issue of disability benefits, as
:04:30. > :04:34.I said on Monday, when you are faced with having to take very many very
:04:35. > :04:38.difficult decisions, including many spending reductions, as we were
:04:39. > :04:43.after becoming the Government in 2010, you do not always get every
:04:44. > :04:47.decision right. I am the first to admit that, and on every occasion
:04:48. > :04:53.that happens it is important you learn the lessons of. But we will
:04:54. > :04:58.continue to increase spending on disability benefits, which will be
:04:59. > :05:06.?46 billion more a year by the end of this Parliament, to pay to I
:05:07. > :05:10.became Prime Minister. Government figures published only this morning
:05:11. > :05:16.showed the number of people with disabilities and homeless is now up
:05:17. > :05:22.by 39% since 2010. 300,000 more disabled people are living in
:05:23. > :05:27.absolute poverty. That is why people like Adrian are very worried, there
:05:28. > :05:32.has been big disarray in the cabinet, so can the Prime Minister
:05:33. > :05:35.now absolutely, categorically rule out any further cuts to welfare
:05:36. > :05:43.spending in the lifetime of this Parliament? Simply, yes or no? Let
:05:44. > :05:47.me respond to the point he made. He talked about the number of people in
:05:48. > :05:54.poverty, we have seen poverty fall over this Parliament. Secondly, he
:05:55. > :05:58.referred to the regrettable rise in homelessness, with figures out
:05:59. > :06:05.today, but it is still 58% below the peak that it reached under Labour,
:06:06. > :06:08.that is important. They talked about the number of disabled people, this
:06:09. > :06:14.is a Government committed to supporting the disabled, but in the
:06:15. > :06:19.last two years there are extra 293,000 disabled people who got it
:06:20. > :06:23.to work. We want to continue as we have set out in our manifesto to
:06:24. > :06:27.close that this ability gap. As for the question about further welfare
:06:28. > :06:32.reductions, let me repeat a statement that the new secretary
:06:33. > :06:39.made on Monday, the Chancellor made on Tuesday. I dealt with these
:06:40. > :06:45.issues on Monday. If he does not ask the questions, I get the answers,
:06:46. > :06:49.even if he had not given the questions, but we are not planning
:06:50. > :06:57.additional welfare savings other than the one that we set out in our
:06:58. > :07:00.manifesto and that are in train. My question was actually about the
:07:01. > :07:07.poverty of people with disabilities, which the Prime Minister did not
:07:08. > :07:10.answer. In his failure to explain how he would fill the hole in his
:07:11. > :07:16.Budget left by the change of heart on the IP, the Chancellor said, we
:07:17. > :07:22.can absorb such changes. If it is so easy to absorb changes of this
:07:23. > :07:25.nature, why did the Chancellor and the Prime Minister ever and answered
:07:26. > :07:31.in the first place? Will he now listen and learn and withdraw the
:07:32. > :07:38.?30 a week cut to disabled ESA claimants, which is Government is
:07:39. > :07:42.pursuing? The changes have been through both Houses of Parliament,
:07:43. > :07:45.and it is important to note that employment and support allowance for
:07:46. > :07:51.the most disabled, the support group, are up by ?650 a year under
:07:52. > :07:56.this Government, we have increased the higher rate of attendance
:07:57. > :08:00.allowance, carers allowance, the enhanced rate of PIP, because a
:08:01. > :08:04.stronger economy should support the most disabled people, and that is
:08:05. > :08:11.what we have legislated to do. If he wants to get on to discussing black
:08:12. > :08:18.holes, I say, bring on the argument, because we inherited an 11% Budget
:08:19. > :08:23.deficit from the Labour Party. Under this team of ministers and this
:08:24. > :08:27.Chancellor, we have cut that deficit by two thirds since we became the
:08:28. > :08:32.Government. From Labour, all we have had is more proposals for more
:08:33. > :08:35.spending, more welfare, more taxes, more debt, all of the things that
:08:36. > :08:46.got us into the biggest mess with the biggest Black hole in the first
:08:47. > :08:50.place. If it is also fine and dandy, why did the member for Chingford
:08:51. > :08:56.feel it necessary to resign as Work and Pensions Secretary, complaining
:08:57. > :09:01.that the cuts being announced were to fit arbitrary fiscal targets? He
:09:02. > :09:09.said they were distinctly political rather than in the national economic
:09:10. > :09:12.interest. If the -- in the initial announcement he proposed
:09:13. > :09:23.cuts in PIP, then changed his mind. Is the honourable member right when
:09:24. > :09:27.he says it was a political decision? After seven or eight years of
:09:28. > :09:31.economic growth, it is right to be targeting a surplus, as a
:09:32. > :09:36.responsible Government put aside money for a rainy day. I do not want
:09:37. > :09:39.to be part of a Government that does not have the courage to pay off our
:09:40. > :09:45.debts and leave them instead to our children and grandchildren. That is
:09:46. > :09:49.the truth. What is dressed up as compassion from the party opposite
:09:50. > :09:52.just means putting off difficult decisions and asking our children to
:09:53. > :09:58.pay the debts we were not prepared to pay ourselves. I don't know why
:09:59. > :10:02.the shadow leader of the house is shouting at me. We have got an
:10:03. > :10:09.interesting document, the spreadsheet of which Labour MP is on
:10:10. > :10:17.which side. The honourable lady shouting, but it says here... She is
:10:18. > :10:20.neutral but not hostile. The Chief Whip on the other hand is being a
:10:21. > :10:40.bit quiet. Mr Speaker... There are five
:10:41. > :10:47.categories. We have core support,... I have got all the way. We have got
:10:48. > :10:58.poor support,... You can include me in that lot. They have -- the Chief
:10:59. > :10:59.Whip is being quiet because she is in hostile. I thought I had
:11:00. > :11:13.problems! If I could invite the Prime Minister
:11:14. > :11:21.to leave the theatre and return to reality... The reality is he has
:11:22. > :11:27.presided over a Budget that unravelled in two days and now
:11:28. > :11:30.contains a 4.4 billion black hole. He may wish to consult the
:11:31. > :11:37.Chancellor on get another change of heart on this matter. Could he now
:11:38. > :11:42.consult the Chancellor and tell the country who will pay for this black
:11:43. > :11:47.hole? Will it be cuts or tax rises? Where we'll be cuts fall, where
:11:48. > :11:55.we'll be tax rises take place? 4.4 billion has to be found from
:11:56. > :12:03.somewhere. Suddenly the king of fiscal rectitude speaks! He may have
:12:04. > :12:08.noticed the Budget passed last night and it cuts the deficit in every
:12:09. > :12:11.year of this Parliament, it delivers a surplus by the end of this
:12:12. > :12:19.Parliament, and none of that will change. He talks about this
:12:20. > :12:25.Budget,... Hold on, hostile shout, that's right, but neutral but not
:12:26. > :12:32.hostile, you have to be quiet, I think.
:12:33. > :12:44.Hands up who is core support plus? Anybody else? I would tell you what
:12:45. > :12:47.this Budget did, it had a million people out of income tax, it saw
:12:48. > :12:53.more money for our schools, it helped the poorest people to save,
:12:54. > :12:57.it cut taxes for small businesses, for the self-employed, it made our
:12:58. > :12:58.economy stronger and our country fairer, and it will help this
:12:59. > :13:12.country do better. The truth is it was a Budget that
:13:13. > :13:15.fell apart in two days. Many people with disabilities went through the
:13:16. > :13:24.most unbelievable levels of stress and trauma after the attempt to --
:13:25. > :13:27.after the PIP announcement was made. There are still people going through
:13:28. > :13:34.stress and trauma. I am not sure those members opposite that are
:13:35. > :13:40.shouting so loudly at the moment have any idea what it is like to try
:13:41. > :13:44.and balance a Budget at home when you do not have enough money coming
:13:45. > :13:50.in, the rent is going up and the children need clothes. Order. There
:13:51. > :13:56.is too much shouting on both sides of the house. Stop it. The public
:13:57. > :14:00.are bored stiff by it. The right Honourable gentleman will finish his
:14:01. > :14:07.question, we will have an answer, but no shouting from members of any
:14:08. > :14:09.grouping. The Budget has do mean something for everybody, however
:14:10. > :14:21.poor and however precarious their lives are. This Budget downgraded
:14:22. > :14:24.growth, downgraded wage growth, downgraded investment, the
:14:25. > :14:29.Chancellor has failed on debt targets, on deficit targets, as the
:14:30. > :14:35.official figures have shown. The fiscal rule is failing. The Treasury
:14:36. > :14:40.Select Committee scrutinised it, they could not find any credible
:14:41. > :14:45.economist who backed it. Can the primaries to find anybody that backs
:14:46. > :14:49.a Budget and a policy that is a Budget with a big hole in it and
:14:50. > :14:51.downgrades everything a forecast that they set themselves before the
:14:52. > :14:58.Budget was made? He's a bit late because the budget
:14:59. > :15:01.passed through this House with large majorities on every single vote. Let
:15:02. > :15:06.me remind him, this is a government that is spending more
:15:07. > :15:09.on the disabled than in any year under the last Labour government. We
:15:10. > :15:13.are spending more on the most disabled, including the most
:15:14. > :15:16.disabled children in our country. We got more disabled people into work
:15:17. > :15:20.and ever happened under Labour and what we see with this budget is the
:15:21. > :15:25.background of an economy that is growing, employment at a record
:15:26. > :15:30.high, investment that is rising, businesses that are creating jobs in
:15:31. > :15:32.Britain, that is the envy of other European economies. And it's because
:15:33. > :15:37.we got a strong economy that we are able to provide this support. That
:15:38. > :15:40.is what you concede, Britain getting stronger and the Labour Party a
:15:41. > :15:47.threat to the economic security of every family in our country. I'm
:15:48. > :15:53.sure the Prime Minister is as appalled as I am that incidents of
:15:54. > :15:56.anti-Semitism are on the rise. Does my right honourable friend agree
:15:57. > :16:03.with me that all organisations, public and private, should root out
:16:04. > :16:09.anti-Semitism without hesitation? I completely agree with my honourable
:16:10. > :16:13.friend. Anti-Semitism is an absolute cancer in our society and we should
:16:14. > :16:17.know that when it grows, it is the signal of many even worse things
:16:18. > :16:22.happening to ethnic groups and different groups all over our
:16:23. > :16:26.country. There is, sadly, a growth of anti-Semitism in our country and
:16:27. > :16:29.we see it in terms of attacks on Jewish people and Jewish students
:16:30. > :16:33.and it absolutely has to be stamped out. We should all, all of us,
:16:34. > :16:37.whatever organisation we are responsible for, make sure that
:16:38. > :16:40.happens. We do see a growth in support for segregation and four
:16:41. > :16:44.anti-Semitism in the heart of the Labour Party and I would say to the
:16:45. > :16:53.lead opposite it is his party, he should sort it out.
:16:54. > :17:04.Order! This sort of gesticulation across the chamber... Order! Is way
:17:05. > :17:08.below the level and the dignity of the senior members of the front
:17:09. > :17:14.bench on either side. Terribly tedious. Cut it out. Angus
:17:15. > :17:21.Robertson. When terrorists attack Russells or Paris or London or
:17:22. > :17:27.Glasgow, we are as one in our condemnation of these atrocities, as
:17:28. > :17:36.we equally condemn the killings of your CDs, of Kurds, of Syrians and
:17:37. > :17:40.Iraqis by other extremists. -- of Yazidis. We owe a debt of gratitude
:17:41. > :17:43.to those who work here and abroad in the face of the ongoing terrorist
:17:44. > :17:47.threat. Will the Prime Minister confirm that absolutely everything
:17:48. > :17:49.is being done to help the Belgian authorities and the people of
:17:50. > :17:55.Belgium in the wake of the Brussels tax? I can certainly confirm that.
:17:56. > :17:59.In my conversation with the Belgian Prime Minister, I made a number of
:18:00. > :18:02.offers about policing and intelligence assistance that we
:18:03. > :18:06.could give, particularly high-end expert and technical capabilities.
:18:07. > :18:12.There are already some intelligence officers embedded with the Belgian
:18:13. > :18:14.authorities and strong police to police co-operation. Clearly the
:18:15. > :18:18.Belgians could be with an unprecedented situation in their
:18:19. > :18:22.country. We stand ready to do anything more that we can and we are
:18:23. > :18:29.examined all the capabilities we have here to see what more we can do
:18:30. > :18:33.to safeguard our own country. A defining characteristic of a
:18:34. > :18:36.democratic society is our trust in our institutions and democratic
:18:37. > :18:40.oversight by parliamentarians of those who work so hard to keep us
:18:41. > :18:44.safe. We have that oversight with our police, we have that oversight
:18:45. > :18:49.with our security services. We don't yet have that with UK special forces
:18:50. > :18:52.under the intelligence and security committee or the Defence Select
:18:53. > :18:58.Committee. Will the Prime Minister address this? I'm afraid I just part
:18:59. > :19:03.company with the right honourable gentleman on this one. We have put
:19:04. > :19:06.in place I think some of the most extensive oversight arrangements for
:19:07. > :19:10.our intelligence and security services. They do a remarkable job
:19:11. > :19:15.and, of course, the police are regular record to account both
:19:16. > :19:18.locally and nationally. I think the work our special forces do is
:19:19. > :19:23.absolutely vital for our country. They are subject to international
:19:24. > :19:26.law, as everyone else's in our country, but I do not propose to
:19:27. > :19:33.change the arrangements under which these incredibly brave men work. In
:19:34. > :19:37.England, this government has delivered better GCSEs, better
:19:38. > :19:41.A-levels and a better chance of getting into university than Labour
:19:42. > :19:45.in Wales. Would my right honourable friend agree with me that members
:19:46. > :19:49.opposite have no right to criticise our education policies when their
:19:50. > :19:55.own education minister in Wales has had to issue a public apology for
:19:56. > :19:59.the failure of his own? I think my honourable friend makes an important
:20:00. > :20:04.point. What we've seen in England, and we should praise the teachers
:20:05. > :20:08.who worked so hard to deliver these results, but it's the result of
:20:09. > :20:12.rigour in standards, independents in our schools and accountability for
:20:13. > :20:16.results. And when we look at Wales, we don't see those things in place
:20:17. > :20:19.so I would urge the Welsh Assembly Government and urge Welsh people
:20:20. > :20:23.when they've got a choice that these elections to make sure that they
:20:24. > :20:25.vote for parties that but education reform, education standards,
:20:26. > :20:39.education rigour and education accountability first. In 1992, the
:20:40. > :20:44.oil tanker Bray ran aground on the coast of Shetland. It was carrying
:20:45. > :20:50.tonnes of crude oil which spilled into the seas and on our shoreline.
:20:51. > :20:54.It caused economic and environmental devastation. Since a report into
:20:55. > :20:57.that disaster, we have had an emergency pump stationed in the
:20:58. > :21:02.Northern Isles. It is our protection against ever being blighted in that
:21:03. > :21:06.way again. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency now wants to take
:21:07. > :21:10.that talk away. There will be no finance for it after September. Will
:21:11. > :21:14.the Prime Minister look again at that decision and will he give an
:21:15. > :21:21.undertaking to the people of Shetland that he made in 2014 not to
:21:22. > :21:26.leave them exposed in that way again? The writer will gentleman
:21:27. > :21:31.makes a very important point and my understanding is that the one told
:21:32. > :21:35.that has been there, sustained off the coast of Scotland, has played an
:21:36. > :21:40.important role in the past. The cost is between two and ?3 million the
:21:41. > :21:45.year and it is currently used very sparingly, so it is right to look at
:21:46. > :21:47.the right way to deliver the service in the future. Alternative options
:21:48. > :21:50.will take time to develop and implement, which is why we've
:21:51. > :21:55.announced that this will be funded until the 30th of September 2016 and
:21:56. > :21:57.will have to make a decision on provision in due course and I'll
:21:58. > :22:05.keep him in touch with those develop on. -- developments. We believe in
:22:06. > :22:13.doing the right thing and that's why it's absolutely right that the
:22:14. > :22:20.proceeds of crime are returned to the local communities that have been
:22:21. > :22:21.the victims of crime. Staffordshire's Police and Crime
:22:22. > :22:27.Commissioner, Matthew Ellis, is calling on community groups in
:22:28. > :22:31.Cannock Chase to apply for grants from his proceeds of crime fun. Does
:22:32. > :22:36.my right honourable friend agree that this shows that our excellent
:22:37. > :22:38.Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner is delivering real
:22:39. > :22:44.value for the people of Staffordshire? I think she makes an
:22:45. > :22:47.important point. I think Police and Crime Commissioners Ruby now have
:22:48. > :22:55.bedded in properly as a means of bringing up police to account. I
:22:56. > :23:02.think the a committee recently said that they provide clarity for
:23:03. > :23:06.policing and are the most vibrant public as providing accountability.
:23:07. > :23:13.When they bring forward ideas like using the process -- proceeds of
:23:14. > :23:19.crime light she says, they should be rewarded at the ballot box. The list
:23:20. > :23:24.of Cabinet ministers who have resigned since the premise expresses
:23:25. > :23:27.full confidence in them is extensive so does the Prime Minister still
:23:28. > :23:31.have full governors of the Chancellor? Of course because he is
:23:32. > :23:34.the one working as part of a team that has delivered the
:23:35. > :23:38.fastest-growing economy in the G7, 2.4 million people in work,
:23:39. > :23:45.inflation that is virtually zero, wages that are growing, an economy
:23:46. > :23:51.that is getting stronger. The House of Commons library confirms that
:23:52. > :24:00.this year, our net contribution to the EU will increase by over ?2.6
:24:01. > :24:07.billion. I think it is actually 2600 ?27 million. Prime Minister, should
:24:08. > :24:11.that money be spent supporting people in Bulgaria and Romania or
:24:12. > :24:15.should it be spent in this country supporting our vulnerable and
:24:16. > :24:18.disabled people? What I would say to my honourable friend is, our net
:24:19. > :24:25.contribution to the EU accounts for about just over 1p in every pound
:24:26. > :24:28.that is paid in taxes. So as we enter this vital debate, we have to
:24:29. > :24:33.work out whether we believe that that sort of investment, 1p out of
:24:34. > :24:36.every pound, is worth the jobs and the investment and the growth and
:24:37. > :24:40.the security and the safety and the solidarity that we get through
:24:41. > :24:43.working with our partners. I will be on the side saying that I think that
:24:44. > :24:47.it is and he is clearly going to be on the side saying that he thinks
:24:48. > :24:51.that it isn't, but we should have a polite and reasonable debate as we
:24:52. > :24:55.go about this. What I would stay, which I'm sure he will welcome, is
:24:56. > :24:58.we have, of course, limited our contributions to the EU budget
:24:59. > :25:02.because we set an overall budget which is falling over the next six
:25:03. > :25:08.years. The reason our contributions vary as part of it is generated
:25:09. > :25:12.determining on the success of your economy. Because our economy has
:25:13. > :25:14.been growing faster than others in Europe, we been making a slightly
:25:15. > :25:24.larger contribution than we otherwise would be. My constituents
:25:25. > :25:26.Susan suffered not only the death of her son but the unexplained
:25:27. > :25:29.circumstances in which this occurred. This meant a 12 year
:25:30. > :25:35.battle with the authorities in Belgrade, where this happened. The
:25:36. > :25:39.UK coroner has now ruled this as murder so would the Prime Minister
:25:40. > :25:43.or Foreign Secretary meet with the family and do what can be done to
:25:44. > :25:46.get a proper investigation to resolve the question marks that
:25:47. > :25:51.remain and achieve justice for Peter? I'm not aware of the case the
:25:52. > :25:56.honourable lady mentions but it is important that hurt constituent gets
:25:57. > :25:58.proper resolution in this matter and I'll make sure she has a meeting
:25:59. > :26:06.with Foreign Office ministers to discuss it. JP Morgan Chase,
:26:07. > :26:11.sun-seeker, Cobham lush and many other local businesses are
:26:12. > :26:15.supporting the inaugural mid Dorset apprentice ship and jobs fair. I
:26:16. > :26:19.know the Prime Minister will be warmly welcomed if he happens to be
:26:20. > :26:25.free. It is on the 15th of April in Wimborne. I know the Prime Minister
:26:26. > :26:29.will warmly welcome the news that unemployment in my constituency is
:26:30. > :26:33.down by more than 60% but will he ensure that we are not complacent
:26:34. > :26:36.and that we secure the vital infrastructure needed to get good
:26:37. > :26:42.quality jobs in Dorset and across the south-west? He is absolutely
:26:43. > :26:48.right. One of the reasons why we've managed to get our unemployment rate
:26:49. > :26:51.down to around 5% and we've seen 2.4 will he and more of our fellow
:26:52. > :26:58.countrymen and women into work is because we've seen businesses
:26:59. > :27:01.recover and apprenticeships are taking place as part of the 3
:27:02. > :27:07.million target for adventurous we have in this Parliament. Academics,
:27:08. > :27:11.civil society and the Scottish Government have all condemned the
:27:12. > :27:15.government's anti-lobbying clause in new grant agreements. How can the
:27:16. > :27:18.Prime Minister promote transparency, democracy and freedom of speech
:27:19. > :27:22.overseas when this clause is clamping down on those principles
:27:23. > :27:29.here in the UK? I would answer very simply that I want to see taxpayers'
:27:30. > :27:34.money going to good causes, rather than in lobbying ministers and MPs
:27:35. > :27:37.and spending money here. That's what they should be spending their money
:27:38. > :27:42.on. That it is worth making the point that we are only one day away
:27:43. > :27:47.from what would have been separation day for Scotland. Had that happened,
:27:48. > :27:56.there wouldn't be money for charities, there wouldn't be money
:27:57. > :28:00.for anything. Pubs are the beating heart of many communities across the
:28:01. > :28:06.UK. Will the Prime Minister join me in welcoming the support given to
:28:07. > :28:11.pubs in successive budgets, join me for duty frozen pint in the Crown
:28:12. > :28:16.Hotel in my constituency and tell the House more he can do to support
:28:17. > :28:20.this vital part of our economy? I thanked him for his kind invitation.
:28:21. > :28:22.I think we've seen in budget after budget this government supporting
:28:23. > :28:27.the pub industry is such an important part of our economy and
:28:28. > :28:31.such an important part, particularly of rural communities. I can make one
:28:32. > :28:34.announcement today which is that subject to the usual conditions,
:28:35. > :28:38.will be extending pub opening hours on the 10th and 11th of June this
:28:39. > :28:46.year to mark Her Majesty The Queen's 90th birthday. I'm sure that will be
:28:47. > :28:49.welcome right across the House. If you compare my constituency to the
:28:50. > :28:52.constituency of the Prime Minister and the Chancellor, you will find
:28:53. > :28:56.that I have four times the number of youths unemployed, more than double
:28:57. > :29:00.the disabled claimant count and an average weekly wage of 20% less. Are
:29:01. > :29:03.these the reasons that the Prime Minister and Chancellor never had
:29:04. > :29:08.the compassion to realise that the disabled cuts were so obviously
:29:09. > :29:11.wrong when everybody else did? I give him one further opportunity -
:29:12. > :29:15.will he apologised to my constituents who have been scared
:29:16. > :29:18.witless over the past week? Obviously there remain challenges in
:29:19. > :29:23.his constituency but the claimant count is down by 16% in the last
:29:24. > :29:28.year alone but at the claimant count has fallen by 50% since 2010 and the
:29:29. > :29:36.claimant count but he is visibly mentioned has fallen by 12% in the
:29:37. > :29:39.last year. That has been because we have a strong economy, businesses
:29:40. > :29:42.want to invest in our country, we are supporting apprenticeships and
:29:43. > :29:45.we are making sure that growth is delivering for people and in just
:29:46. > :29:50.two weeks, the national living wage will come in, giving the poorest
:29:51. > :29:55.people in our country a ?900 a year pay rise and that will be tax-free
:29:56. > :30:02.because we are lifting the tax threshold in our country. Does my
:30:03. > :30:05.right honourable friend the Prime Minister - is my right elbow friend
:30:06. > :30:10.the Prime Minister aware of the remarks of Sergei Lavrov this
:30:11. > :30:12.morning that we should put aside our differences, that terrorist should
:30:13. > :30:16.not be allowed to run the show, and will he agree with me that we should
:30:17. > :30:19.be stronger if we could work together but to do that we are going
:30:20. > :30:24.to have to have a better understanding of Russian security?
:30:25. > :30:29.What I would say is, of course we want to work with everyone we can to
:30:30. > :30:33.combat terrorism but when it comes particularly to what is happening in
:30:34. > :30:37.Syria, it is vitally important that the Russians stopped any attacks and
:30:38. > :30:42.do not restart any attacks against moderate Sunnis, moderates in
:30:43. > :30:46.opposition, which clearly have to form a part of our country. You
:30:47. > :30:51.cannot in the end defeat terrorism simply through use of guns and
:30:52. > :30:54.missiles. You defeat terrorism through governance and good working
:30:55. > :30:57.democracies cause in that way, people can see their own interests
:30:58. > :31:04.being represented by the countries in which they live. The former Work
:31:05. > :31:09.and Pensions Secretary described the cuts to personal independence
:31:10. > :31:12.payments for the disabled as divisive, unfair and against the
:31:13. > :31:17.national interest. The Chancellor's U-turn suggests he now agrees. Can
:31:18. > :31:22.the Prime Minister explain how on earth he allowed this to happen in
:31:23. > :31:24.the first place? Well, it's good to have an intervention from someone
:31:25. > :31:30.who I think is neutral but not hostile. I'm sure if she keeps
:31:31. > :31:37.going, she could join core group plus. She'd be very welcome in core
:31:38. > :31:40.group plus. I'll tell you what this government has done - it has
:31:41. > :31:44.increased spending on disability benefits, it's seen 293,000 more
:31:45. > :31:49.disabled people into work in the last two years, 2.4 million more
:31:50. > :31:53.people into work. That is bringing the country together. We've got a
:31:54. > :32:00.growing economy that is delivering a fairer society. My right honourable
:32:01. > :32:05.friend will have seen the recent OECD reports on literacy and
:32:06. > :32:10.numeracy in England. Based on data from 2012, it ranks our teenagers as
:32:11. > :32:15.bottom out of 23 developed countries for basic maths and reading. A
:32:16. > :32:26.damning indictment of 13 years of Labour's education policy. Doesn't
:32:27. > :32:29.this show... Order! The honourable lady is entitled to ask a question.
:32:30. > :32:36.The same goes for every other member. Doesn't this show why a more
:32:37. > :32:41.rigorous curriculum and more autonomy for schools to succeed are
:32:42. > :32:47.vital to turn around the life chances of the next-generation? My
:32:48. > :32:51.honourable friend makes an important point, which it is worthwhile
:32:52. > :32:56.benchmarking your education system against other advanced countries.
:32:57. > :32:59.And what we've seen in recent years is that the competition is very
:33:00. > :33:03.tough but when you let other countries that are succeeding,
:33:04. > :33:06.whether it is the Republic of Korea or Finland, they have well-paid
:33:07. > :33:10.teachers, they have proper accountability systems for results,
:33:11. > :33:13.they have a rigour in terms of their discipline and that is exactly what
:33:14. > :33:21.we are introducing in our country with the new curriculum coming in
:33:22. > :33:27.right now. The women of this country are tired of waiting, waiting for
:33:28. > :33:30.equal pay, waiting for an end to maternity and pregnancy
:33:31. > :33:37.discrimination and waiting for a fair deal for pensioners. It is
:33:38. > :33:43.2016. Can I ask the Prime Minister how much longer? The honourable lady
:33:44. > :33:49.is absolutely right to raise these issues and it is good that the pay
:33:50. > :33:52.gap is now at a historic low. It is almost evaporated for under 40s, but
:33:53. > :33:58.there is more to be done in the public sector and the private sector
:33:59. > :34:01.to bring that about. On the issue of pensions, what we've introduced is a
:34:02. > :34:05.pensions system which will benefit many, many women in years to come
:34:06. > :34:09.because we've got a single tier pension without a means test,
:34:10. > :34:14.operated for prices, earnings or 2.5%. We were only able to do that
:34:15. > :34:19.because we raised the pension age, saving over the long-term something
:34:20. > :34:24.like no 5p. A difficult decision but the right one because it means we
:34:25. > :34:34.can look our pensioners in the eye and know they are getting security
:34:35. > :34:39.in their old age. -- something like ?0.5 billion. If we are going to
:34:40. > :34:43.meet the target for apprenticeships to which the Prime Minister
:34:44. > :34:47.referred, the whole public sector needs to play its part. Will the
:34:48. > :34:53.Prime Minister and ensure that every part of the public sector invests in
:34:54. > :35:00.training our young people so we have the skills the country needs? He is
:35:01. > :35:02.right to raise this. It is a very stringent target, getting 3 million
:35:03. > :35:06.apprentices trained in this Parliament. We are going to have to
:35:07. > :35:09.see those large companies that have put their shoulders of the wheel on
:35:10. > :35:13.this agenda to continue to do so, but there are two sectors where we
:35:14. > :35:17.need to do better. One is in the public sector, where we need more
:35:18. > :35:20.public sector organisations to get behind apprenticeships, and we need
:35:21. > :35:25.to make it simple and attractive for small businesses to start training
:35:26. > :35:29.apprentices again. That is what my right honourable friend, the Member
:35:30. > :35:34.for Grantham, is doing and we all need to work very hard to do this by
:35:35. > :35:40.the end of the Parliament. If the UK votes to leave the EU in June, does
:35:41. > :35:48.the Prime Minister believed that the EU institutions will respond
:35:49. > :35:55.vindictively? It's a very difficult question to answer. I think that if
:35:56. > :36:00.we were to vote to leave, I do think we should be naive about believing
:36:01. > :36:05.that other countries would automatically cut us some sort of
:36:06. > :36:12.sweetheart deal. I think if you just take one industry as an example,
:36:13. > :36:16.take farming. Our farmers now know they have duty-free, quota free, tax
:36:17. > :36:21.free access to a market of 500 million people. Were we to leave,
:36:22. > :36:25.can we really guarantee that French farmers or Italian farmers or
:36:26. > :36:28.Spanish farmers wouldn't put pressure on their governments to
:36:29. > :36:32.give us a less good deal? I don't think we can and that's one of the
:36:33. > :36:40.many reasons I think we are safer, more secure and better off in a
:36:41. > :36:43.reformed EU. In April 2015, the Prime Minister said that there
:36:44. > :36:48.should be a new Carlisle principle to ensure that other parts of the UK
:36:49. > :36:51.do not lose out by Scottish devolution. Could the Prime Minister
:36:52. > :36:54.confirm that this principle will apply, who will review the position
:36:55. > :37:01.and when will it report and who will it report to? He is absolutely right
:37:02. > :37:04.and I think this is important, particularly for constituencies like
:37:05. > :37:09.his, very close to the border, to make sure that decisions that are
:37:10. > :37:14.made, quite sensibly and rightly, by devolved parliaments and assemblies
:37:15. > :37:19.don't disadvantage the rest of the UK. That was the principle set out
:37:20. > :37:27.and the Chancellor will report regularly on that as he updates the
:37:28. > :37:30.House on his fiscal plans. I trust that the Prime Minister will be
:37:31. > :37:35.aware that there is a critical meeting of the board of Tata in
:37:36. > :37:39.Mumbai on Tuesday. I will be flying out to Mumbai with the general
:37:40. > :37:43.secretary of community union to make the case for British Steel. That
:37:44. > :37:47.meeting will be deciding the future of the Port Talbot steelworks in my
:37:48. > :37:52.constituency. Will the Prime Minister join me in exhorting Tata
:37:53. > :37:56.to stand with that plan and to secure the future of the Port Talbot
:37:57. > :38:01.steelworks? I absolutely give him my backing on that. A team of ministers
:38:02. > :38:04.met yesterday to discuss all of the things that we can do to get behind
:38:05. > :38:09.the steel industry at this vital time. It is an extremely difficult
:38:10. > :38:13.market situation with the massive global overcapacity and the huge
:38:14. > :38:17.fall in steel prices but the areas where we've taken action already,
:38:18. > :38:21.and will continue to look at what we can do, and that is stated
:38:22. > :38:25.compensation so we can secure the energy costs, greater flexibility
:38:26. > :38:28.over EU emissions legislation. We've done huge amount in terms of public
:38:29. > :38:32.procurement, which can make a big difference our steel industries, and
:38:33. > :38:36.all of those things and more, and making sure that tartar and others
:38:37. > :38:41.understand how valuable we believe this industry is to the UK and as a
:38:42. > :38:43.government, within the limits that we have, we want to be very
:38:44. > :38:45.supportive and helpful.