20/04/2016 Prime Minister's Questions

encourage people into Dublin and the North of Ireland, and look forward

to capitalising on the next series of Game Of Thrones. Questions to the

Prime Minister. Mr Speaker, this morning, I had

meetings with ministerial colleagues and in addition to my duties today,

I shall have further such meetings this morning. -- today. On her 21st

birthday in 1947, a young woman declared her whole life, whether

long or short, would be dedicated to the service of our nation. Nobody,

Mr Speaker, could possibly argue that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

has done anything other than fulfil her promise to the nation with

dignity and grace. People across the country will be marking the Queen's

90th birthday tomorrow in many different ways, many honourable and

right Honourable members will have joined the WRI in the four the Queen

initiative, tidying the neighbourhoods, some will be raising

a small glass and many will be having a proper knees up. So when

the Prime Minister next has an audience with the Queen, will he

pass on my best wishes and those... And those of the whole house. To our

remarkable monitor, and long may she rain.

CHEERING. I'm very glad my honourable friend

has raised this, I will certainly pass on his best wishes and best

wishes from right across Yorkshire. Tomorrow is an important landmark,

not only for Her Majesty the Queen but also for the country and

Commonwealth as a whole. She has served our nation with such dignity,

with such ability for so many years, 64 years on the throne and I think

it is right we will have the opportunity in the House tomorrow to

pay tribute to what she has done and I know the whole country and the

whole house will want to join me in saying, long may she reign over us.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I am also

looking forward to wishing her a happy birthday tomorrow. But until

then, Mr Speaker, until then, could the Prime Minister explain why he is

intent on forcing good and outstanding schools to become

academies against the wishes of teachers are parents, school

governors and local councils? The short answer is because we want

schools to be run by head teachers and teachers and not by bureaucrats,

that is why we support the policy. But we also support it because of

the clear evidence of academies. If you look at converter academies, 88%

of them are either good or outstanding and you look at schools

started by academies, they see a 10% improvement on average over the

first two years. The results are better, education is improving, I

say let's complete the work. Mr Speaker, he hasn't managed to

convince the former chair of the Education Select Committee, his

friend the Member for Beverly Ann Holderness, who said, "Current

evidence does not approve that academies raise standards overall or

for disadvantaged children." Why is the Prime Minister ignoring evidence

of select committee chairs and so many others on this issue? The

results speak for themselves. Under this Government, there are 1.4

million more pupils in good or outstanding schools, but let me take

him to a school near where he lives. Let's try the downhills primary

school not far from his constituency. It was in special

measures, taken over by an academy and two years later, it was a good

school, so the question I would put to the Leader of the Opposition and

indeed so many other MPs opposite, why do you want to stand on a picket

line under a banner saying "Save our failing schools"? Mr Speaker, as he

well knows, every teacher, parent, pupil wants the best they can get

for their schools and they want a good education system. What many are

concerned about is this top-down reorganisation. If he won't listen

to the former chair of the Education Select Committee, will he listened

to his friend the Member for Colchester, who said this, "If a

school is well governed, well-run and performing well, it should be

left alone and allowed to do its job." Can the Prime Minister explain

why good school leaders should focus their time and resources not on

educating children but on arbitrary changes imposed from above? Let me

make two points on the specific issue he raises. I would say to

outstanding or to good schools, they have nothing to fear from becoming

academies, but a huge amount to gain. The truth is, even about

outstanding or good schools, we want them to be even better and the truth

is academies and greater independence, letting headteachers

run their schools, has been hugely effective and actually, this is

something started by the Labour Government, given rocket boosters

under this Government. We have seen massive improvements in our schools

because of academies and we say let's get on with it, finished the

job and give all of our children are great opportunity. Mr Speaker, I'm

sure the Prime Minister is aware of the views of people in Oxfordshire

on this issue. Councillor Tilly, the Conservative Cabinet member for

education in his own county, said, "I am fed up with the from above",

"Saying you will do this and you won't do that." He claims to be an

advocate of devolution so is he not concerned about criticisms from the

Member for altering the sale West who says there is little

accountability or parental involvement. Can't the Prime

Minister understand the anger so many people feel just being imposed

on them, a system they don't want on what of often already very good or

outstanding schools? It is always good to get a lecture McDevitt

lecture on diktats from somebody who's press secretary is an avowed

Stalinist. The truth is, creating academies is true devolution because

you are putting the power in the hands of the headteachers and the

teachers. And of course you will find people in local Government who

want to keep things exactly as they are, but the truth is, one of the

reasons I so strongly supported academies is that when they fail,

they are intervened on so much faster. Local authority schools are

often left to fail, year after year after year. I think one year of a

failing school is one year to many, so let's encourage academies, let's

build a great education system and let's have opportunity for all our

children. Mr Speaker, last week, I spent a very interesting afternoon

at a local school in my constituency. I visited Duncan

primary school and it is a good to outstanding school and I had a long

discussion with the headteacher, parents, parent - governors and year

six pupils. The year six pupils were very interesting, asking me to say

this to the Prime Minister, "Why are you doing this?" They love their

school. They like it the way it is, they don't want any top-down

reorganisation and he hasn't even convinced the former Education

Secretary Kenneth Baker, who says I don't quite know why the Government

is doing this. What is his answer to those very smart pupils in year six?

My answer to those pupils in year six is very much the answer that he

gave, because I was following his tour of the school and this is what

the Right Honourable gentleman said. "I Want to see a family of schools

and I want to see them properly funded. " with our reform to the

formula, there will be fair funding across the country and with our

plans for academies, there will be genuine families of schools,

families that choose to group together and here is the point about

outstanding schools, not only will they be able to get better but in

groups of academies, they will be able to help others schools to

improve, so a game, that is why we need this reform, to make

outstanding and good schools even better and to help raise the

aspiration of all. That is what it is all about. Mr Speaker, we appear

to be heading into some kind of fantasyland here. The Institute for

fiscal is to -- fiscal studies state that school spending is expected to

fall by at least 7% in real terms in the next four years. It is the

biggest cup since the 1970s. So why on earth is the Prime Minister

proposing to spend ?1.3 billion on a top-down reorganisation that wasn't

in his manifesto, teachers don't want it, parents don't want it,

governors don't want it, headteachers don't want it, even his

own MPs and councillors don't want it. Can't he just think again and

support schools and education, not force this on them? Let me answer

his question very directly about spending, because we have protected

spending per pupil all the way through the last Parliament and all

the way through this Parliament and we are spending ?7 billion on more

school places to make up for the woeful lack of action under the last

Labour Government. That is the truth on spending. Now, he talks about

fantasyland. I think it is the Labour Party that this week entered

fantasyland, where they are now abandoning trident in Scotland, they

have selected someone who sits on platforms with extremists in London

and they have now decided that when I read they were going to ban

McDonnell from the Party Conference, I thought it was the first sensible

decision they have made, but it turns out it wasn't the job

destroyer they wanted to keep away from their conference, it was one of

Britain's biggest destroyers. No wonder Labour MPs are in despair.

Frankly, I'm loving it. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Can I ask my

right honourable friend whether he agrees with the Treasury forecast

issued on Monday, which warns that if we stay in the European Union,

there will be 3 million more migrants by the year 2030? Last

year, my right honourable friend and I were elected on a clear manifesto

pledge to reduce net migration to the tens of thousands. How are we

going to be able to deliver on that pledge unless we leave the European

Union? The point about the Treasury forecast is it takes the Office of

National Statistics' figures and the OBR figures and it doesn't alter

them, but it is trying to make a very clear and pure argument, backed

by the governor of the Bank of England, that shows what would

happen if Britain leads the EU. There is a demand out there for

independent and clear statistics and that is exactly what the Treasury

provided. It is believed that the recent

murder of Glasgow shopkeeper Asad Shah was religiously motivated and

this week, faith leaders launched a campaign across Scotland entitled

United Against Extremism. Will the Prime Minister join me and

colleagues of all parties in supporting the aims of this campaign

to support and foster understanding and to stand up to extremism? I will

certainly join The Right Honourable gentleman. This was an absolutely

shocking murder and I think what it demonstrates again and what his

question hints that is we need not only to stand up against violence

and acts of appalling violence like this, but we also need to stand up

against the extremist mindset that sometimes tries to justify events

like this or other such outrages. Total agreement with the Prime

Minister and the murder of Asad Shah is just the most recent of sectarian

extremism targeting the community in the UK. This is reports, dear being

refused employment, businesses being boycotted, children being shunned

and people working to bring faith leaders together facing death

threats. Does the Prime Minister agree this is totally unacceptable

in a country where we believe in free speech and religious tolerance

and the time has come for all community and all faith leaders of

all religions to stand up against extremism?

I agree Faith leaders can play a huge role in standing up against

extremism, and I welcome what they do. But the attack on Muslims by

other Muslims demonstrates once again that what we face is not some

clash of civilisations between Islam and Christianity, or Islam and

Buddhism. What we are seeing is a small minority in a great religion

in our world, is lamb, believing there is only one way, our violence,

extremist way of professing their faith. This is a battle in Islam and

we have to be on the side of the moderate and help them win it,

otherwise we take the wrong path. The future of services provided by

Paignton hospital has been thrown into doubt by news that the CCG and

local trust are about to launch a consultation which could see it

close with no replacement. Does the Prime Minister share my

concerns and agree it is vital services are placed and the trust

and the CCG are unsupported actions. I understand no decision has been

made. These bodies are clinically led and I think it is important.

Decisions about what services are required will be taken by that

group. If there are significant changes, they have to meet key

tests. Support from clinical commissioners, public engagements

and clarity on the clinical evidence base and support, all those things

have to be satisfied. Mr Speaker, the air in our cities is both toxic

and illegal with diesel fumes contributing to 800 deaths a week.

40,000 a year. So why is the Prime Minister, instead of removing the

most heavily polluting diesel vehicles from our streets, lobbying

the EU in Brussels with the Mayor of London, to weaken plans to improve

our air quality and save lives? We are investing in better air quality.

Since 2011 we have committed ?2 billion to help us operators upgrade

their feet. We have seen her quality improved in terms of emissions of

nitrous oxide is coming down by 17%. When it comes to these standards we

all have to meet, we are working with our car industry. I want a car

industry in Britain. I am proud of the fact it has recovered so

strongly. In the north-east of England we now make more cars than

the whole of Italy. We are going to make sure they have the resources

they need to meet the high standards that are set out. It is a truth

universally acknowledged, that fish and chips taste test on the beaches

of Skegness and that is why 4 million people visit every year.

Does the Prime Minister agree with me, that we should work with the

Environment Agency, the local enterprise partnership, the local

councils and builds on the work of this government that has brought

jobs and growth, extend the tourist season and build ?1 billion coastal

economy by the end of this decade? By honourable friend is right, that

is why I announced the 5-point plan for tourism last year, to encourage

people to visit UK resorts, both from overseas and British people as

well. That is what is happening. In the week where we are supporting

fish and chips on this side of the House, they are banning McDonald's.

Mr Speaker, more than 2000 people have signed a petition started by

Alison's chemist in Cockermouth in my constituency, calling on the

government not to cut the funding for community pharmacists. Given the

major reports last week from Bootsy face investigation by the regulator,

isn't it time the Prime Minister and his government supported independent

pharmacies which are vital lifeline for our community and help to keep

the high streets alive? We are supporting the pharmacies. There is

a specific scheme to help will stop if we look at the massive fire --

last five year there was a massive increase in pharmacy spending and we

have to make sure as much of the NHS resources go to the front line,

nurses, doctors and the operations and the A we want to see carried

out. We have to make sure we are getting value for money in

pharmacies but also protecting the pharmacies she talks about. Mr

Speaker, given his earlier important comments, does my right honourable

friend agree, it is the duty of all members of this House to condemn,

without caveat, all extremism and never, never to share a platform

with any extremist? I think my honourable friend is absolutely

right. If we are going to condemn, not just by Liz and -- violent

extremism, but extremism that justifies violence in anyway, we

cannot back these people and appear on platforms with them. I am

concerned about Labour's candidate as Mayor of London who has appeared

again, and again... The leader of the Labour Party is saying it is

disgraceful. Let me tell him... Solomon Ghani, the honourable member

for tooting has appeared on a platform with him nine times. This

man support IS. Mr Speaker, they are shouting down this point because

they don't want to hear the truth. Anyone can make a mistake about who

they appear on a platform with. We are not always responsible for what

our political opponents say. But if you do it time at the time, time

after time, it is right to question your judgment. Mr Speaker, news

overnight of a management and worker buyout at Tata will bring hope the

families. It is important UK Government provides all the

supporter can. Will the Prime Minister become the company's head

of sales and meet with Port Talbot's biggest customers to make sure no

orders for Welsh steel are lost? We will do everything we can to help

this company and help it with its customers during this difficult

time. Right now we are talking with the board of Tata to make sure the

questions they need answered, are answered by us. We want to have a

proper sales process with proper buyers coming forward and we want to

be cleared the government is prepared to support that process and

support the outcome. That is exactly what we will do. The EU security is

only as strong as its weakest border. Does the Prime Minister

share my concerns, not only over Angela Merkel's legitimate and --

legitimisation over the Turkish leaders speech. Is he concerned

currently Angela Merkel seems to be outstripping everyone in making the

case that Brexit. If you are in the Schengen zone you are only as strong

as your weakest border. But we're not in the Schengen zone. The second

point, the Schengen zone has decided to offer visas to Turkish nationals.

We have not made that decision and we will not be making that decision.

At Visa is not a right to go and live and work reside. The Visa is a

right to visit. So let's be clear also, those Turks with their visas

are visiting Schengen countries, don't have those rights and they

don't have the right to come to Britain automatically either.

Important to get back clear. In the last hour we have had the

devastating news that reduce gas proposed to close a site with the

loss of 700 jobs. Will the Prime Minister in strip his ministers to

contact the company and the unions, and arrange urgent meetings,

preferably to save these jobs. If that proves impossible, to establish

a task force to create alternative opportunities for this loyal and

hard-working workforce? I can give the honourable gentleman that

assurance. I heard is new shortly before PMQs. We will make sure a

task force of ministers available to talk to the company, the local

community to provide assistance in terms of retraining and other things

to be done to help. Mr Speaker, Mrs Thatcher used to organise seminars

for ministers and senior academics for colleagues like myself whose

knowledge of modern science she thought needed to be improved. Would

he contemplate similar seminars for some of his senior and very respect

did Cabinet colleagues with businessmen, on the nature of

international trade in today's world? Because some of their

respective figures believe you simply turn up and sell goods and

services that comply with British made rules, but don't have to comply

with any rules agreed with the country to which you are selling.

And would he also include some of the many businessmen who are cutting

investment decisions on hold now, because of the uncertainty about

Brexit after June the 23rd will stop if we made our whole future trading

arrangements with the outside world as uncertain as some people are

trying to do. I always listen very careful to my right honourable

friend and will consider such seminars. I hope they will never be

as frightening as seminars sometimes used to be under Mrs Thatcher. One

of the first times I met her, I was responsible for trade and industry

research. She asked me what today's figures were, I didn't know. I

wanted the floor to open up and swallow me at that moment. Just

because you have friendly relations with the country, doesn't mean you

get automatically good trade relations. We are very pleased

President Obama is coming on Friday, but it is worth noting, even though

we have a friendly relationship with America, we cannot sell beef or lamb

to the United States of America. The point is, you don't need good

relations, you need nailed down trade relations. Mr Speaker, at the

budget the Chancellor announced the creation of a northern school

strategy, which I broadly welcome. But I am concerned that the progress

it could make would be reversed by the government's forced a cad plans.

Why is the government pushing these plans, which parents in my

constituency don't want and plans, which even a former Tory Education

Secretary, describes as a plain daft and unnecessary? What I said to the

honourable gentleman, wake of the outcome of this review, which the

Chancellor sets up. The point is, some schools that have been failing

for year after year have been left by local authorities in that state.

We have found the way to help succeed schools to fly and for

failing schools to improve is to have academies. The evidence is in

front of us and that is why we are so keen in progressing this. One of

the reasons my right honourable friend led his party to victory at

last year's general election, was the pledge to reduce immigration to

the tens of thousands. Can he tell us why the OBR project immigration

to be above 200,000 a year for the rest of this decade? By what

assumptions do they reach this figure? Can he give some details?

The OBR don't take into account the agreements we have just reach with

the European Union over welfare and other immigration restrictions. The

Treasury document is very clear about not trying to make all sorts

of different assumptions by variables, but to take a very clear

set of statistics, established by the OBR. That is why it was

interesting when the governor of the Bank of England came out and said it

wasn't analytically robust process. It doesn't take into account the

agreement we reached in Europe. In 2009, Michelle was brutally raped

and murdered in Walthamstow. Since 2011, a man wanted in connection

with this crime and seven other counts of sexual violence in my

constituency, has been evading extradition from India. Over 30

court appearances and another one planned tomorrow. Yet, despite the

severity of this crime and the delay in these proceedings, there is no

record of any ministerial or diplomatic representations from

either the Foreign Office or the Home Office. Will the Prime Minister

today, personally committed to put this right and directly raised this

matter with his counterpart, so we can finally seek justice for

Michelle? I am happy to give the honourable lady that assurance. The

British government is always raises all these individual cases, if that

is what the victims want us to do. We always raise them, just as we

raise a series of cases where there are British people stuck in the

Indian justice system. I wasn't aware of this specific case, if she

gives me the details I will raise it appropriately. With the president of

the United States visiting the UK later this week, can I ask my right

honourable friend to raise the issue of the islanders. The government

concluded in a report last year that they have a right of resettlement

and with the US military presence, will he raise the case of US

assistance for the right of return to the British Indian Ocean

Territory? I certainly will be discussing this issue. I know it is

right right honourable friend raises it. There are many chip Austrians

who live in Crawley. What he said is not entirely correct. What the

National Security Council and the Cabinet have been doing is looking

at the situation of the islanders and reviewing all of the options for

how we can help with their future. Those discussions have taken place

and we need to come to a conclusion about the best way forward. Some

people think the worst case that has been made so far to vote to leave

the EU is the claim that England is an island. Could the Prime Minister

tell the House what the worst argument he's heard from Brexit is?

I think probably the one we would get out of the Eurovision Song

contest. Not only would that be incredibly sad, but given Israel and

Azerbaijan and anyone near Europe seems to enter, I think we are

pretty safe from that one. Would my right honourable friend point out to

President Obama, in a series of European court judgments, such as

Davis and Shrems using fundamental rights, the EU has established its

jurisdiction over our intelligence data and sought to prevent our

intelligence sharing with the United States. Will he therefore warned the

president, if we vote Remain, far from the US gaining influence in the

EU, the United States is losing control and influence over her

closest ally. I am sure the president will take all of these

calculations into account before saying anything. Let me make two

points. First of all, this decision is a decision for the British people

and the British people alone. We are sovereign in making this decision.

Personally, I believe we should listen to advice from friends and

other countries. I struggle to find the leader of any friendly country

who thinks we should leave. When it comes the United States, it is worth

looking at what so many Treasury secretaries have said, going back

over a Republican or Democrat administrations. It may not be the

determining factor for many people, but listening to what our friends

say in the world, is not a bad idea. The average property price in

Hackney is ?682,000. The medium rent for a two-bedroom flat for month is

1500 pounds and overcrowding and demand for social housing is the

highest I have seen in 20 years. Can the Prime Minister tell my

constituents how the housing bill will help them? It is going to help

them because we are building starter homes for the first time that people

come by. We are extending the right to buy two housing association

tenants, so they can buy homes. I noticed the lady giving us the

benefit of her wisdom. Many people in her constituency would love to

buy a council House or a housing association House. We have the Help

to Buy scheme which is helping many people get on the housing ladder.

And with shared ownership, all of those things will help. Since 2010,

101,000 homes have been built in London, including 670,000 affordable

homes. We need to build many more. We need to do the right thing and

that his side we are on. Prime Minister, woodland is much valued,

not least the recycling much of our hot air, but especially ancient

woodland. There is only 2% of the remaining. It is as precious as the

rainforest and its biodiversity cannot be replaced. Would the Prime

Minister agree this precious habitat and the Prime Minister has 331

ancient and veteran trees in his constituency, would he agree it

ought to be protected in line with Heritage sites and national

monuments? I am lucky to have an ancient forest in my constituency,

containing many of the trees she mentions. I will look carefully at

what she says. The most important thing we can do is make sure we are

planting more forests, more trees and woodland, which this government

has a very good record on. The Secretary of State for Northern

Ireland said recently, politics in Northern Ireland was on a more

stable footing than it has been for some time. We will continue to offer

strong leadership for a better future in Northern Ireland. The

people in Northern Ireland are concerned about a two sided approach

to the past to investigate a police officer who bravely stopped an IRA

bomber trying to kill police officers 25 years ago at a police

station. Will the Prime Minister agree with me, we have to get behind

our security forces, praise them for the work they did in Northern

Ireland and not persecute them going forward? Let me be tribute to the

right honourable gentleman and his Members of Parliament and members of

the assembly. It is right to say politics in Northern Ireland is more

stable and is more given our ban has been for many years. Obviously,

issues around the acts of the past cause pain and difficulty on both

sides of the debate. But we have an independent and impartial justice

system. Order.