23/11/2016 Prime Minister's Questions

voted against the SNP motion because we have absolutely no idea where the

SNP stand in relation to the UK's future relationship with the EU?

Questions to the Prime Minister. Number one, please, Mr Speaker. I

had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others this morning.

In addition to my duties in this House, I shall have further meetings

today. A report recently produced by a number of organisations including

the Citizens Advice in five found that one third of families that

should have been applying for support didn't and that it was

partially because it was a ?20 application fee. Other by Minister

review these charges? The issues of trying to ensure that those who are

responsible for children actually pay for their children when a family

has broken up has been a long-standing question this House

has addressed. There have been various ways of dealing with it

through the agency that has been responsible. It is right that the

changes which have been introduced on a more level basis and that more

people are able to access the support that they need as a result.

The Government has rightly focused on economic growth, jobs and

prosperity, something that all of us on these benches can get behind.

With that in mind, will she back our highly competitive bid for funding

for the north-west relief road in Shrewsbury, not only dealing with

the congestion our town is facing but dovetail into that narrative.

And I thank my honourable friend for raising this and I know that that

Northwest relief road in Shrewsbury has been an issue of particular

concern to him, a priority for him and it has had much backing. I know

a feasibility application has gone in and what I can say at the moment

is that the announcement of the successful bids for visibility

funding is expected very soon indeed. Jeremy Corbyn. Thank you, Mr

Speaker. Thank you, Mr Speaker. The Government 's sustainability and a

summation plans for the National Health Service hide ?22 billion

worth of cuts from our service according to research by the British

Medical Association. That risks, and I quote, starving services resources

and patience of vital care. That comes from Doctor Mark Porter of the

BMA. When he calls this process a mess, where is he wrong? The

National Health Service is indeed looking for savings within the NHS

which will be reinvested within the NHS. I would remind the right

honourable gentleman that it is this Government that is providing not

just the 8 billion of extra funding the NHS requested, but 10 billion

extra funding requested by the National Health Service and the

sustainability and are summation plans are being developed at local

level in the interests of local people by local clinicians. It's

very strange that by Minister should say that, Mr Speaker, because the

Health Select Committee, chaired by our honourable friend the member

board Totnes Zenit St Petersburg back to label .5 billion, not 10

billion. There's quite a big difference there. Part of the reason

for the strain on our national Health Service is that more than 1

million people are not receiving the social care that they need. As a

result of this, there's been an increase in emergency admissions for

older patients. Margaret read to me this week saying, it's not funny.

She described how her 89-year-old mother suffered to fall to leading

to hospital admissions due to the lack of nursing care and went on to

say, my mother is worth more than this. What action will be Prime

Minister take to stop the neglect of older people which ends up forcing

them to take a and E admissions when they should be cared for at home or

in a care home? Of course shows your care is an area of concern and

social care is an area of key concern for many people. That is why

the Government has introduced the better care fund, why they have

introduced the social care precept for local authorities and we are

encouraging the working together of the Health Service and local

authorities to deal with precisely the issues he has raised on social

care and bed blocking. But I will just say this to the honourable

gentleman -- right honourable gentleman. We have eschewed eased

the social care precept and the better care plan. Let's look at what

Labour did in 13 years. They said they'd deal with social care in the

97 manifesto, introduced a Royal commission in 1999, a Green paper in

2005, a review in 2006, say they would sort in 2007 and another green

paper in 2009. 13 years and they did nothing. Mr Speaker, as the Prime

Minister well knows, health spending travelled under the last Labour

Government -- trebled under the last Labour Government and the levels of

satisfaction with the National Health Service were at their highest

ever in 2010. This Government's choice was to cut social care by

?4.6 billion in the last Parliament. That was at the same time as they

found the space, shall we say, to cut billions in corporate taxation

bills. That means it is affecting patients leaving hospital as well.

In the last four years, the number of patients unable to be transferred

from hospital due to lack of adequate social care has increased

by one third. Will the Prime Minister ensure how Government

guarantees all of our elderly people the dignity they deserve? I

recognise the importance of caring for elderly people and providing

them with the dignity they deserve. He says that this Government has

done nothing on social care. I repeat, we have introduced the

social care precept. That is being made use of by his local authority

and mine. We have also introduced the better care fund by Debbie talks

about support for elderly people, I would remind him which Government

has put the triple lock in place for pensioners, ensuring the largest

increase in pensions for elderly people. The precept is a drop in the

ageing compared to what is necessary for social care. I'll give you an

example. The whole house, I'm sure, would have been appalled by

revelations in a BBC panorama programme this week showing older

people systematically mistreated. The Care Quality Commission's

assessment that care homes run by the Morley group require improvement

and has issued a warning notices. They go on to say that the owner has

allowed services to deteriorate further and has, and I quote,

utterly neglected the duty of care to the residence of these homes.

What action is how Government going to take to protect the residents of

those homes? The right honourable gentleman raises the issue of the

quality of care that is provided in homes and the way in which elderly

people are treated. I'm sure everybody is appalled when we see

examples of poor and terrible treatment which is given to elderly

and vulnerable people in care homes. What we do about it is ensure that

we happy CQC, able to step in, take action, that has powers to make sure

that nobody in the chain of responsibility is immune from legal

accountability. But we know that there is more that can be done and

that is why the CQC is looking into ways in which it can improve its

processors, increase its efficiency. My right honourable friend, the

Minister for community health and care will be writing to the CQC

shortly. He will let at how we can improve what they do. It is the CQC

which deals with these issues, we have back in place, is there more we

can do? Yes, and we are doing it. The problem seems to be that that

has -- that home was understaffed and we shouldn't be blaming bee

staff. We should be ensuring that are enough of them properly paid in

all of those homes. There was a problem serious understaffing and it

was the last Labour Government which established the CQC and I think a

warning notice is insufficient. We need stronger action than that.

Yesterday, the Government propose that patients may have show

passports or other IDA to access non-emergency health care. As the

Government considered that the impact of this on elderly people,

with the last census showing us that 9.5 million people in this country

do not have passports? Rather than distracting people, could they bred

by the NHS and social care with the money they need to support people?

Over the course of this Parliament, the Government will be spending half

?1 trillion on the National Health Service. The right honourable

gentleman asks about a process to ensure that people receiving NHS

treatment are entitled to receive that NHS treatment. For many years,

there has been a concern about health tourism, about people turning

up in the UK, accessing health services and not paying for them. We

want to make sure that those who are entitled to use the services are

enjoyed able to see those free at the point of delivery but that we

deal with health tourism and those who should be paying for the use of

our Health Service. Sir Simon Stevens said two weeks ago that the

next three years will be the toughest ever for NHS funding and

that 2018 would see how spending per person cut for the first time ever

in this country. The NAL reported that the cost of health tourism is

over 100 times less than the ?22 billion worth of cuts the NHS is

facing from this Government. The reality is that under this

Government, there are 6000 fewer mental health nurses. A record 3.9

million people on NHS waiting lists. All of us who visit accident and

emergency know the stress the staff are under and that the waiting time

is getting longer and longer and that there are 1 million people in

this country not receiving the social care they need. Instead of

looking for excuses and scapegoats, shouldn't the Prime Minister the

ensuring that health and social care is properly resourced, properly

funded, taking away the stress and fear that people face in old age

over social care and the stress that is placed on our very hard-working

NHS and social care staff? Billions of pounds extra into social care

through the social care precept and the better care fund. Half ?1

trillion being spent on the National Health Service. A record level of

investment in mental health in the National Health Service. Order.

Order. Members must not attempt to shout down by Minister. The question

was asked, heard and the answer must be heard. There is a fundamental

point that the right honourable gentleman refrain from mentioning.

We can only afford to pay for the National Health Service and social

care if we have a strong economy creating wealth. That is precisely

what he's going to hear from the Chancellor of the Exchequer in a few

minutes time. Order. On the 23rd of June, my constituents voted by a

margin of 62% to 38% to leave the European Union. Many of those

people, many of those people are unhappy and frustrated at what they

see are delaying techniques -- tactics by some remain as who don't

seem to understand the meaning of the word democracy. Order. This is

very discourteous. The honourable gentleman has a legitimate question

and this question should be thoroughly and with politeness and

heard. Thank you Mr Speaker. Remainders

don't seem to understand the meaning of the word democracy which I would

remind them is government by the people and rule of the majority and

with that in mind what reassures on scan my right honourable friend give

my constituents and me that article 50 will be triggered by March next

year? I am clear that he will click the article 50 by the end of March

next year but my honourable friend is absolutely right to make the key

point, the referendum was decided by this parliament 6-1 that the people

should have the opportunity to vote on the EU, the vote was held the

turnout was high on the public gave the verdict. There must be no second

referendum or attempt to weasel out of this. This is the government that

will deliver on the vote of the British people. We on these benches

have repeatedly brought up the devastating impact on disabled

people from the UK benefits system. The government plans to cut support

for people with long-term health difficulties by ?30 per week. Last

week by SNP colleague the member for Airdrie and Shotts proposed the

motion that was passed by this house with support from both Labour and

Conservative members for these cuts to be postponed. Will the Prime

Minister act on the vote of this house? Let me say to the right

honourable death and what we have been doing in relation to benefits

for disabled people. The overall funding for disability benefits will

be hiring every year up to 2020 that was in 2010, we have been focusing

support on those who most need it, those who are not able to get into

the workplace. For those who are able at some stage to get into the

workplace we have been providing a wider package of support. I'm

pleased to say that over the last six years almost 600,000 more

disabled people are in the workplace with the dignity of having a job

which is what any people with disabilities want to have. We focus

help those who most need it and help those with disabilities who want to

get into the workplace to do just that. It is widely trailed that the

Prime Minister will make changes impacting on benefits recipient in

work. Will the Prime Minister confirm that she has no intention of

helping people with disabilities and medical conditions? Why should

people unable to make a living be punished for the disability or

illness I was ?630 per week? Does she have any intention of changing

that? I have just set out for the right honourable gentleman the ways

in which we are providing support and help for those people who have

disabilities. As they said the overall funding, spending on

disability benefits will be higher in every year to 2020 than it was in

2010. It is important to recognise that when we give support for people

with disabilities it is not simply about the benefits system and how

much money they are given, for those are able to get into work and on

that part of the USA we provide ideas that are outside of benefits

as well because we recognise that people want the dignity of getting

into the workplace. That is what we are helping people with disabilities

who can work to do. Will my right honourable friend agree that

thousands of road commuters including many of my constituents

who used a 12 pack travelling on roads that need to be repaired and

upgraded? To improve connectivity and speed up the daily commute

times, would my right honourable friend except that the proposal ?1.3

billion investment to improve our road network is warmly welcomed and

will do a great deal to enhance connectivity? My honourable friend

is absolutely right, the importance of infrastructure expenditure in

helping to deal with the issue of productivity in our economy and I am

pleased that the 1.3 billion for new roads shows is investing in the term

future for Britain. It is about delivering jobs, economic growth, it

is about making sure that this is an economy that works for everyone. It

is one part of the package we are proposing, and my right honourable

friend the Chancellor will be setting our proposals out were

clearly in a few minutes time. My constituent is in prison in Iran. A

British national, he has been separate -- she has been separated

from her husband and two-year-old. For eight months. She has been on

hunger strike and is now suicidal. The Prime Minister needs to reunite

this mother, this daughter, this wife with her family. Mr Speaker,

will it take her death for the government to start taking her

seriously? Obviously this is a very difficult time for the whole family

and I'm sure we're all concerned about the of the impact that the

tension is having on her health as she is in detention in Iran. This is

an issue that he's been repeatedly raised with the Iranian government

by the UK Government, but the previous and current Foreign

Secretary is, I personally written with President Rohani on the 23rd --

20th of September and stressed the importance of finding a resolution

as quickly as possible. I have written to present a highly

suggesting a commutation of the charges and assurances that she will

be allowed full legal representation and regular contact with her family.

We will continue to do everything we can for the family including the

British government remaining being ready to help bring her back to

Britain if that is the request. Does my right honourable friend agree

that most of our social problems are either caused or aggravated by the

acute shortage of housing? So even if as I hope we managed to reduce

the net immigration to this country we will have to build far more new

homes. So isn't the recommendation by the European banking authority to

increase by 50% the reserves banks must hold a house-building making it

even more costly for them to lend for housing than for unsecured

credit cards, profoundly unhelpful and perverse? I am sure my right

honourable friend will recognise that we are subject to our own

regulation authorities, but the point he makes about house-building

is correct. We need to build more homes. That is something the

government has been doing, there have been 900,000 new homes built

since 2010 and there's more for us to do. The Brexit secretary and the

Foreign Secretary are described by a senior German politician is having

no idea what Brexit really means. Other times reports today that EU

ambassadors in more -- say that the Foreign Secretary's more colourful

outbursts are damaging our relationships with member states.

When will the Prime Minister get a grip on her ministers and

demonstrates to the country and to our EU colleagues that she has a

coherent workable plan for Brexit? I have been very clear in this house

on many occasions about the plan that we have for Brexit, crucially,

we will be leaving the EU and we will be triggering article 50 by the

end of March next year and that is when the form associations will

start. But that is absolutely right that we do not set out at this stage

every single detail of our proposed negotiating strategy because that

would be the best way to get the worst possible deal for Britain. As

he leaves the EU, maintaining the UK's cutting edge and world

leadership in scientific and technological discovery is of

paramount importance to our industries and universities. Can I

welcome the Prime Minister's announcement that each year we will

invest a further 2 billion in research and development to bless

the science and engineering base? Isn't this just the type of vital

support that our businesses and researchers need, rather than the

sets from the Labour Party to slice the heart and the tax credits which

would hamper innovation? My right honourable friend is absolutely

right. The extra investment we will put into research and development is

a crucial part of the long-term task we have of ensuring that we have the

economy around growth and prosperity in this country that we need. The

new funds will be able to put us at the cutting edge of scientific

discovery, which I soften myself, we are already doing this. I was at the

welcome Jean on campus in Cambridge on Monday to see the really

exciting, really transformational work that is being done coming out

of the knowledge base and scientific research here in the UK. We want to

see more of that and that is why you will be investing in it. A little's

hospitals are destroyed and Syrians who avoid the bombs and cloying gas

are starting from the Russian blockade. We must do more. So will

she revisit the prospect for AIDS drops and will she'll look at

backing the campaign to stop this daily perpetrator of war crimes, of

stripping them of their right to hold the 2018 World Cup? The

honourable gentleman is right to raise the issue of the appalling

atrocities taking place in a little. And it is right that we along with

the international allies are doing all that we can to try and bring

this to stop. He will recognise that the issue of who hosts sporting

events is not the government remit, what is in the government remit and

what we are doing is working with the international allies to put more

pressure on Russia to stop the appalling atrocities, the appalling

attacks taking place in Aleppo. What we want to see is an agreement for

the political transition to a Syria without President Assad. Does my

right honourable friend agree that if the UK is to remain competitive

and our citizens are to enjoy the benefits of the digital revolution,

it is essential that we should be at the forefront of deployment of both

ultrafast broadband and five G mobile connectivity. Can I therefore

welcome the announcement that we're led to believe might be made shortly

of a ?1 billion investment to achieve this? My right on all friend

will of course be waiting in anticipation for my right honourable

friend the Chancellor's Autumn Statement but he's absolutely right

that as we look at improving productivity in this country and as

we look to the economy of the future, the provision of that

superfast broadband in three provision of the new technological

opportunities for people is a crucial part of that and that is

something that is government recognises and will act on.

One day last week for police officers in my constituency were

assaulted over a single 24-hour period. There are over 23,000

assaults on police officers last year and an assault on police

officers is an assault on society. What will the Prime Minister do to

insure the toughest deterrents are in place to protect front-line

officers and when will the number of police on our streets? Can I send

our best wishes to those police officers who were assaulted in her

constituency last week? It is important that we recognise that

when police officers go out on duty and indeed for many of duty they

sometimes find themselves interview in situations where they find

themselves with assaults on violence against them. They are willing to

enter the line of duty were others are not and we recognise that. What

we have done in relation to this is one of the things we want to do is

recognise better the number of assaults taking place and that is

why last year we introduce provisional figures, and we are

improving those figures this year. Sentencing guidelines already allow

for an assault on a police officer to be taken as an aggravating factor

into account, and also new developments like the body worn

videos help provide the evidence that ensure that people can be

brought to justice and that deterrent assaults in the first

place. I know the Prime Minister shares my concern at the level of

Acute Hospital bed blocking. Does she agree with me that part of the

solution is to promote Community Hospital beds where they still exist

in places like Warminster and Shaftesbury as part of the

sustainability and transformation planning process? As regards to the

SDP process that will take place at the local level and it will be about

level that the proposals will be considered and put forward by

clinicians, but the concept of being able to deal with the bed blocking

any variety of ways is absolutely right. There are good examples

around the country are having those step-down beds available is actually

resolving the problem of bed blocking. There are other ways in

which it is being done, part of the contour of social workers are being

employed by hospital trusts for example, but it is very good to

recognise good practice when it is done and we should see more of that

across the country. Earlier this month an area man turned lawyer

Karen, I confess to the BBC that he took part in robberies and gun

attacks that murdered British soldiers. He stated that he will

never disclose information on any further IRA man despite knowing

details of IRA reaction is that he himself defines as posited in war

crimes. In the Prime Minister assure me that Her Majesty 's government

will apply for the extradition of this terrorist for questioning from

the Republic of Ireland? The question as to whether or not an

individual would be extradited or a request including four extradition

would be for the appropriate prosecution authorities. What I say

to the honourable gentleman is that we do of course recognise the

concerns for those cases where it is still possible to bring people for

justice and obviously want to see that being done.

During the last six years we have had three major referendums all with

varying degrees of excitement. But the Prime Minister agree with me

that you can have too much excitement and which he therefore

rule out any further referendums in this Parliament? -- would she

therefore? My honourable friend is trying to take me down a route. One

thing I will certainly rule out is a second referendum on whether or not

we leave the European Union. Mr Speaker, the people of Aberdeen have

launched a financial appeal because of the increased number of people

finding themselves homeless as a direct result of the UK Government's

the sea to posterity. How can the prime ministers sleep in how warm

bed at night knowing her policies are consigning people to a cold

Christmas? The Government is taking action in and a variety of ways to

address the issue of homelessness and one thing we need to do is

ensure more homes are built in this country. I would say this to the

honourable lady. She talks about austerity in the town which she

refers to it. Posterity is about living within our means -- austerity

is about us living within our means and we should always remember when

we are talking about Government providing support for individuals

that taxpayers have do pay for that support and many taxpayers are

themselves struggling to get by. The Prime Minister will be aware that

yesterday the peninsula railed task force launched its report,

commissioned following the storms that severed Devon and Cornwall's

vital rail link. Does she welcomed the report and will she commit the

Government to ensuring its vision is delivered? I thank my honourable

friend for his question. Can I suggest he listened very carefully

to what my right honourable member Chancellor has to say? In these

uncertain times we will certainly agree that Britain needs strong

defence. So how can the prime ministers justify her Government's

decision to scrap all the Navy's heavyweight surface to surface

missiles without any replacement? I have do say I don't recognise the

picture the honourable gentleman presents in relation to what the

Government is doing with the Armed Forces. We are investing billions of

pounds to ensure our Armed Forces have the missiles, boats, the ships

for the Royal Navy and the other pieces of equipment for the other

Armed Forces, so that picture is not one I recognise. Would my right

honourable friend agree that it would be good for confidence in the

rule of law if judges did not enter into speculative public thoughts on

cases that they are about to hear? We value in this country the

independence of our judiciary. That's the independence for the

judiciary when they come to make their judgments in court but also

they are independent and it is to them to determine what they choose

to put in their speeches or not, not for the Government to tell them what

to do. As millions of public sector workers face another year of

suppressed pay after another week of shambolic Brexit negotiations and

with a National Health Service facing a winter crisis, crying out

for cash, does the Prime Minister worry that her Government is only

just about managing? Well, I have do say to the right honourable

gentleman that we are very clear about the amount of money we are

putting into the National Health Service. He talks about the

negotiations. Actually the negotiations for us leaving the

European Union don't formally start until we trigger article 50. We will

do that by the end of March next year. What the right honourable

gentleman wants to do is to stop us from leaving the European Union by

denying the people the decision and deliver ability of the vote that

they too brightly on the 23rd of June. He wants to deny people what

they want, we are going to give it to them. May I raise the Prime

Minister the concerns of many drivers and hauliers across the

United Kingdom who worry about the cost of driving, the cost of fuel

duty and whether her Government will look at keeping that down and also

at the pump pricing and how forecourt pricing works as the oil

price falls. They jump like a rocket and fall like a feather. I recognise

as my honourable friend says that many people look with great concern

at the cost of motoring in this country. I suggest that he is a

little more patient and wait for the Chancellor's Autumn Statement. The

Prime Minister has talked about her worries with social care, but surely

we have do judge her by her actions. In the last six years, there has

been a 37% on average cut in funding, 57% in my area and nearly a

quarter of those in need of social care have been denied any help at

all. What is she going to do about it? The right honourable lady might

have noticed that I have been asked several questions about social care

and I will give the answer that I have given previously. But the

covenant is doing about social care is putting more money on through the

better care fund, giving more opportunities through the social

care research and making sure that health and social care come together

to deal with the issue of bed blocking. Mr Speaker, how many of us

words -- would charge into a darkened store in night knowing that

inside were three mask wearing crowbar wielding thugs. Well, my two

constituents did just that and by intervening, the thugs fled, leaving

the money, the staff were hurt less and one of the gentleman was hurt

himself. Will my right honourable friend join me in craving --

praising their courage and selflessness in this extraordinary

act of bravado? I absolutely agree with my honourable friend and I

commend the bravery and courage that was shown by those two individuals,

who stepped into that situation to ensure that it was not as bad as it

might have been. That is incredible bravery. There are many members of

the public who would not have been willing to step forward in that way

and can you pass on the Best wishes of the whole house to those

individuals? Does the Prime Minister believes that big companies should

put a work are on the board? I believe that we should do the work's

representation on boards and I make no apology but the fact that this

Government is going to deliver on that. For all their years in

Government, the Labour Party did nothing.

Statement, the first Secretary of State and Chancellor of the X,

Chancellor Philip Hammond. It is a privilege to report today on an

economy which the IMF predicts will be the fastest-growing major

advanced economy in the world this year. An economy with employment at

a record high and unemployment at an 11 year low. An economy which

through the