22/02/2017 Prime Minister's Questions

We work of all our partners to ensure a and the protection of the

people is taking place. Questions to the Prime Minister.

Mr Speaker, last year the campaign group Fighting Cuts at the hospital

were due to deliver a strong petition to Downing Street, but they

were turned away at the gates and told, today is not a good day.

Comeback after Thursday. How can the Prime Minister justify this

disgraceful dismissal of the people of Corb Lund? -- Copeland. The

petition was indeed delivered and accepted by Downing Street yesterday

so I suggest to the honourable lady she considers what she said in her

question, but I am aware of the issues raised around West Cumberland

Hospital, and I am aware of those because the very good Conservative

candidate in Copeland, Trudy Harrison, has indeed raise those

issues with me, and made very clear she wants to see no downgrading of

services at West Cumberland Hospital, she has made that clear to

me and the health ministers. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I have constituents

concerned about the new funding formula. Can I be assured that when

deciding on funding for our schools we will look at costs such as the

apprenticeship levy and things like that to ensure they have the money

they need to educate our children? I thank my honourable friend for

raising this. The question of schools funding and the system we

have is important. I think the current system is unfair, not

transparent and out of date and that has been the general view for some

time now. The problem is it cannot support the aspiration of all our

children to get a great education and we do indeed want to see

children being able to get the education they deserve that ensures

they can go as far as their talent and hard work take them. The Labour

Government did nothing to address the funding system and we are

looking at that funding system. It is... It is a consultation and I am

sure the comments my honourable friend has raised will be noted by

the Secretary of State for Education. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

When hospitals are struggling to provide essential care, why is the

Prime Minister's Government cutting the number of beds in our National

Health Service? Thanks to the medical advances, the use of

technology, the quality of care, what we see in hospital stays is

actually the average length of time for staying in hospital has

virtually halved since the year 2000. Let's actually look at

Labour's record on this issue. In the last six years of the last

Labour Government, 25,000 hospital beds were cut, but we don't even

need to go as far back as that. Let's just look at what was Labour's

policy before the last election. Because before the last election,

the Right Honourable member, a former Shadow Health Secretary,

said, what I would cut our hospital beds. Labour policy to cut hospital

beds. Mr Speaker, back in 2010 there was the highest ever level of

satisfaction with the health service delivered by a Labour Government.

The BMA tells us, Mr Speaker, that is doctors, that 15,000 beds have

been cut in the last six years, the equivalent of 24 hospitals, and as a

result we have longer waiting times in A, record charges and more

people on waiting lists. The Prime Minister claims the NHS is getting

the money it needs, so why is it one in six of A units in England are

set for closure or downgrading? I will tell the honourable gentleman

what is happening and what has been happening since 2010 in A 1500

more emergency care doctors, which includes more Andrew Neil

consultants, 2400 more paramedics, -- more emergency consultants. What

the NHS... He speaks about what the NHS needs and what it needs is more

doctors and we are giving it more doctors. What it needs is more

funding and we are giving it more funding. What it does not need is a

bankrupt economy, which is exactly what Labour would give it. Mr

Speaker, I asked the Prime Minister by one in six A units are

currently set for closure or downgrading. She did not answer. One

of the problems, and she well knows this, is that ?4.6 billion cut the

social care which has a knock-on effect, and her friend, the Tory

chair of the Local Government Association, Lord Porter, has said,

and I quote, "Extra council tax income will not bring in anywhere

near enough money to alleviate the growing pressure on social care. Two

weeks ago -- social care." Two weeks ago we found out about the

sweetheart deal with Tory Surrey. When will the other 151 social

department in England get the same as the Surrey deal? The right

honourable gentleman refers to the questions he asks me about Surrey

County Council two weeks ago. Those claims were utterly destroyed the

same afternoon. So rather than asking the same question, he should

stand up and apologise. Mr Speaker, far from apologising it is the Prime

Minister who ought to be reading her correspondence and answering the

letter from 62 council leaders representing social services

authorities who want to know if they are going to get the same deal as

Surrey, as they are grappling with a crisis that has left over 1 million

people not getting the social care they need. Mr Speaker, we opposed

the Tory cuts in the NHS which involved scrapping of nurses'

bursaries because we believed it would dissuade people from entering

training. We were told it would create an extra 10,000 training

places in this Parliament. Has this target be met? There are 10,000 more

training places available for nurses in the NHS, but the right honourable

gentleman talks about the amount of money being spent on the NHS. It is

this Conservative Government that is putting the extra funding into the

NHS, and I remind the right honourable gentleman, I remind the

right honourable gentleman that we are spending ?1.3 billion more on

the NHS this year than Labour planned to do if they had won the

election. Mr Speaker, my questions were about the social services

funding to pay for social care. No answer. My questions were about the

number of nurse training places being brought in. No answer. In

reality, 10,000 fewer places have been filled because there are fewer

applications. There is a problem in building up for the future. In

addition, the Royal College of Midwives estimate is shortage of

3500 midwives in England, and the Royal College of Nursing warned the

nursing workforce is in crisis. If fewer nurses graduate in 2020 it

will exacerbate what is already an unsustainable situation. Will the

Prime Minister at least commit herself to reinstating the nurses'

bursary? He asked me a question about nurses' training places which

I answered. I have to say to him, if he doesn't like the answer he gets,

he cannot just carry on asking the same question. If I have answered it

previously. He is talking about all these issues in relation to what is

happening in the NHS. Let's just look at what is happening in the

NHS. We have 1800 more midwives in the NHS since 2010. We have more

people being seen in A since 2010. We have more operations every week

in the NHS. Our NHS staff are working hard, providing a quality of

care for patients up and down the country. What they do not need is a

Labour Party policy that leads to a bankrupt economy, because Labour's

policy, you spend money on everything which means you bankrupt

the economy, and have no money to spend on anything. That does not

help doctors and nurses, it does not help patients, it does not help the

NHS and it does not help ordinary working families up and down this

country. Mr Speaker, yes, let's look at the National Health Service.

Let's thank all those that work so hard in our National Health Service,

but recognise the pressures they are under. Today the married to

re-foundation trust finds nurses are so overstretched they cannot provide

the high care needed for patients at the very end of their lives -- the

Marie Curie Foundation. It prevents patients from having the dignity of

dying at home. There is a nursing shortage and something should be

done about it such as reinstating the nurses' bursary. Mr Speaker, her

Government has put the NHS and social care in the state of

emergency. Nine out of ten NHS trusts are unsafe. 18,000 patients

per week are waiting. Mr Speaker, I repeat the figure. 18,000 patients a

week are waiting on trolleys in hospital corridors. 1.2 million of

them very dependent... Mr Speaker, it seems to me that some members do

not want to be concerned about the fact there are 1.2 million elderly

people not getting the care that they need. The legacy of her

Government will be blighting our NHS for decades. There are hospitals,

fewer A departments, fewer nurses and fewer people getting the care

they need. We need a Government that puts the NHS first, and will invest

in our NHS. First of all I have to say to the right honourable

gentleman that he should consider correcting the record, because 54%

of hospital trusts are considered good or outstanding. Quite different

from the figure he has shown. Secondly, I will take no lessons on

the NHS from the party... Oh, the deputy leader of the Labour Party

says we should take lessons on the NHS. I will not take any lessons

from the party that presided over met staff's hospital, and what

happened at that hospital. -- Midstaff. They say we should learn

lessons. I tell you who should learn lessons. The Labour Party, who still

fail to recognise that if you are going to fund the NHS, and we are

putting more money in - there are more doctors, more operations, more

hospitals. If you're going to fund the NHS you need a strong economy.

Now we know that Labour have a different sort of phrase for their

approach to these things. Remember they used to speak about boom and

bust. Now it is borrow and bankrupt. We must get through backbenchers'

questions and the answers to them. Brendan Cox will meet with the

Duchess of Cornwall to launch plans to bring communities together over

the weekend of the 17th and 18th of June to mark the first anniversary

of our colleague's death. It is for more than 10 million people across

the country to come together as communities and neighbours for

events such as student parties and picnics and bake off. Will the Prime

Minister join me and agree that such event is a moment of national

reflection but also celebration in our communities and it will be a

fitting tribute to Jo? And as she herself said it will remind us that

we have far more common with ourselves than things that divide

us. I am happy to agree with him that what is becoming known as the

great get-together is a fitting and important tribute to our late

colleague Jo Cox and I would like to commend her husband Brendan and I am

sure everybody would like to do so, for the work he has done. It is

important we remember there is more that brings us together than divides

us. This opportunity at this point of national reflection and

celebration of the strength of our communities is important as we face

the future together. We stand at momentous times for this country and

it is important we remember that being united makes us strong, we

should recognise the things that unite us as a country and as the

people, the bonds that we shared together, and this is a very fitting

tribute to our late colleague. In recent days the Prime Minister has

said that it is a key personal commitment to transform the way that

domestic violence is tackled. It is hugely welcome that she has called

for ideas about how the treatment of victims can be improved and more

convictions secured against abusers. Combating violence against women and

preventing domestic violence is the aim of the Istanbul convention which

the UK has yet to ratify. Does she agree with members across this house

that the convention should be ratified as a priority? He has

raised a particularly important subject. It is one that I take

particularly seriously. I worked very hard on it as Home Secretary

and I continue to do so as Prime Minister. Over 400,000 victims of

sexual violence in the last year. We signed up to the Istanbul convention

and are committed to ratifying it and that is why we supported the

members bill in principal at second reading and that committee stage.

The measures we have in place in many ways go further than the

convention but I am very clear that we need to maintain this momentum

and that is why I am setting up a ministerial working group to look at

the legislation and how we can provide good support for victims and

to look at the possibility of a domestic violence act in the future.

This Friday the Commons will consider a bill on the Istanbul

convention and government ministers have been working very hard with my

colleague who has cross-party support for her bell. Given the

importance of this issue and the Prime Minister's personal commitment

she has outlined again today will she encourage members to support the

bill and discourage any attempts to use Parliamentary tactics to stop

it? I am very happy to join him in that. The minister for vulnerability

has had a number of constructive discussions with the member for

Banff and Buchan and tabled mutually agreed amendments which the

government will be voting for this Friday and I hope that all born

Friday will be supporting those measures. It is an important bill

which the government has been supporting and I hope it will they

support across all parts of this house. Residents in the village of

highly in my constituency are concerned by the 4000 homes proposed

under the Greater Manchester spatial framework more than doubling the

size of that village. What assurances can she give to my

constituents that the green belt is safe with this government? I am

happy to give that commitment. The government is very clear that the

green belt must be protected. Very clear that boundary should only be

altered when local authorities have fully examined all other reasonable

options and if they go down that route they should compensate by

improving the quality or accessibility of the remaining green

belt land so that can be enjoyed. I know the particular issue he has

raised and I believe the framework led to quite a number of responses.

There was a lot of interest in the consultation. I am sure all those

views will be taken into account. Last week the all-party group for

children of alcoholics launched a manifesto for change. 2.5 million

children are growing up in the home of a problem drinker. I did as well.

These children are twice as likely to have problems at school, three

times as likely to commit suicide, four times more likely to become an

alcoholic yet 138 local authorities have no plan to support these

children. All the Prime Minister work with the all-party group to

establish the first ever government strategy to tackle both hidden

problem that blight the lives of millions? She has raised an

important issue and I know she recently spoke very movingly about

her experience and I am sure members recognise the devastating impact

that addiction can have on individuals and their families. This

is an important issue for her to raise. It is unacceptable that

children bear the brunt of their parents' condition. It is important

than the government is committed to working with MPs and health

professionals and those affected to reduce the harm of addiction and

give people the support they need and we will be looking carefully at

the proposal she has raised. Question nine. It is absolutely

appalling when people tried to make a business out of dragging our brave

troops through the courts. In the case of Northern Ireland 90% of

deaths were caused by terrorists and it is essential the justice system

reflects this. It would be wrong to treat terrorists more favourably

than soldiers or police officers and that is why as part of her work to

bring forward the Stormont House bill we will make sure that

investigate of bodies are fair, balanced and proportionate soul

veterans are not unfairly treated or disproportionately investigated. It

does not go as far as I and others would like. There is no prospect of

new credible evidence coming forward against our veterans of the troubles

up to 40 years after the event and yet people are starting to use the

same techniques in Northern Ireland against them as were used against

veterans of Iraq. Surely the answer has to be a statute of limitations

preventing the prosecution of veterans to do with matters that

concerned prior to the date of the Belfast Agreement. As he knows this

is an issue that we are looking at as part of the Stormont House

agreement. We are ensuring that the investigative bodies responsible for

looking at depths during the troubles will operate in a fair

balanced and proportionate manner. We want cases to be considered in

chronological order. We are going to be consulting fully on these

proposals because we want to make sure we get this right. The new

local housing allowance cap for social tenants when introduced in

2019 will hit people on low income in my constituency really hard. In

Maidenhead the allowance will often exceed the average rent but in

Merthyr Tydfil not so. This will mean that tenants including many

older be bought will be expected to find almost ?500 a year towards the

rent. Will she acts to introduce clear guidance to at the very least

exempt older people from these cuts and ensure that the local housing

allowances in line with local rents? Yes. I believe local authorities are

in a position, they have a fun they can exercise discretion in relation

to this matter. There will be incidences across the country and

there were some steps taken to ensure that particularly vulnerable

people were not affected as you suggest. The lack of large-scale

vaccine manufacturing has been described for our country as a

national security issue. Which will take many years to build up. Will

she look into what more the government can do to address this

highly critical health and defence concerned? She is right to raise

this in the context she has. The government takes it very seriously.

Being able to ensure we can scale up vaccine production in the event of a

pandemic is very important to national security. The precise

details are confidential but I can assure her we have provisions in

place to make sure that urgently needed vaccines are available in the

UK at short notice including in the event of pandemic. As a contingency

we are funding a ?10 million competition to establish a world

leading centre on vaccine manufacturing but it is only part of

the picture because we have one of the most successful vaccination

programmes in the world backed up by ?300 million. Last night Bristol

council said its budget very difficult decisions very difficult

because of the abject failure of the previous murmur to get a grip on the

finances. It has taken a Labour mayor to face up to the challenge

but government cuts are making his job almost impossible and it is

doing more with less. We did our bit, will the Prime Minister meet

with the mayor of Bristol to discuss the funding deal that the people of

Bristol deserve? I understand the Communities Secretary has had such a

meeting to discuss the issues she raised. 17 years ago my constituent

received a phone call that no parent should ever have to take. The collar

told them that their daughter Kirsty, who was backpacking in

Thailand, had been brutally murdered. The tie as warranties are

due to close the investigation into her murder but as yet her case

remains unsolved, her killer remains free and her parents have not

justice or closure. Can I ask her to push the Thai authorities to use DNA

techniques to bring the killer to justice, to endeavour to provide

more support to families who have lost loved ones abroad and finally

to ensure that Kirsty's personal effects are at last returned home to

her parents from Thailand? I am sure the whole house would offer

condolences to the family and recognising the trauma they have

been through as a result of the killing of their daughter. It is

obviously not for the British government to interfere with police

investigations that take place in another country but I understand the

Foreign Office has been providing support and our embassy in Bangkok

will continue to raise these issues as it has been with the Thai

government and I am sure the Foreign Office will keep him updated. In the

Lancaster house speech she said of a future trade agreement with the EU

that no deal for Britain is better than a bad deal for Britain. In the

spirit of consistency will that appeal to any future trade goals she

Asians with the US? By Mike President Trump has said that

America comes first -- negotations. We will be ensuring when we

negotiate trade deals they will be good deals for the UK. In the same

sex marriage act we took the power subject to consultation to give

humanists in England and Wales the opportunity to celebrate marriages

as they do in Scotland. We have had the consultation with 90% approval

and there has been referenced in the Law Commission which has concluded.

And she gave her attention to laying there is order and giving humanists

same rights in England as they enjoy in Scotland? This is an issue he has

been following closely over recent years. He recognises this is an

important area of law and complex and we want to make sure the

proposals are considered properly which is why the Ministry of Justice

is examining the differences in treatment that exist within marriage

law so that the differences can be minimised and I am sure he will

agree it is right and fair to approach it that way. My

constituent's chances of survival from buying the Attic cancer were no

better than his mother's who died 40 years earlier. A disease soon to

become the fourth biggest cancer killer in the UK -- pancreatic. Will

she championed a significant increase in spending on pancreatic

cancer researcher, which lags behind that of other cancers? He has raised

a very important point which obviously is of particular relevance

in the case of the constituent referred to. It is the case that

pancreatic cancer is one that is very difficult to deal with and to

treat and there has been a lot of attention over the years on certain

cancers, like breast cancer, bowel cancer, prostate cancer, but I am

sure it is important the appropriate attention is given to cancers which

are more difficult to deal with like pancreatic. In February 2008 the

brother of one of my constituents was unlawfully killed in the

Ukraine. His Ukrainian wife is clearly implicated in his death.

Earlier this year a coroner in Devon ruled that he was tricked into

standing on a carriageway before being run down by a car with stolen

license plates and death was immediate. Every time an

investigating officer makes progress with this case and the Ukraine they

are replaced. This has happened ten times and the case has stalled. And

I implore her to raise this case with the Ukrainian Prime Minister so

we can get justice and closure for Barry's mother, brother and the

family? I am sure that the whole house will join me in offering

condolences to the family following his death in 2008. I understand he

has discussed this case with the Foreign Secretary. It is not for the

British government to interfere in the legal processes of another

country but the Foreign Office has been regularly raising this case

with the Ukrainian authorities and will continue to do so and I

understand UK police have assisted the investigation on a number of

occasions and all information from the UK coroner will be passed on and

I am sure the Foreign Office will keep him updated. Tens of thousands

of disabled people on the portability scheme have had their

cars removed by this government. In November a minister said they were

looking at payments to keep their car pending appeal. Next week my

constituents will lose her car. Can the Prime Minister of the house on

the progress of this review to help Margaret and thousands like her? He

raises an issue about the way these assessments are made and the

implications of decisions being taken. He referred to a review in

relation to payments and the moat ability elements of that and I will

write to him with further details. It was a gear this week sends a

hospital was closed due to fire safety concerns. There are no

community gets locally within St Ives, Penzance or Saints just or

rural areas in between. Campaigners agree that there is valued Community

Hospital needs to be opened a urgent priority. Will she apply some

pressure to NHS property services and Cornwall NHS managers to get the

building work done and open these community beds? This is obviously a

concern for his constituents and he is right to raise it. He will

recognise the first priority must be to ensure patients are being treated

in a safe environment and I understand the local CCG and the NHS

have been working to ensure that community hospitals are fit to

deliver that expectation in Cornwall. A review has been

undertaken into the repairs needed to bring the Community Hospital up

to a safe standard and the CCG will be looking at the entrance at

facilities and needs once the local plan has been agreed and then Health

Secretary has heard his representations. The government

business rate hike could devastate the local economy in migrating

constituency. Brighton Pier is facing a 17% increase, the world end

pub, a hotel a 400% increase. Does she recognise Brighton will be

disproportionately affected and will she set up a discretionary fund to

support small businesses and agreed to a full review of the whole

system? Business rates are based on the rental values of properties and

the rental values of properties change over time going up and down

and it is right that rates changed to recognise that. That is the

principal of furnace that underpins the business rates system. We want

to support businesses and recognise that for some business rates will go

up when these revaluations take place which is why we have put

significant funding in place for transitional relief but I recognise

there has been particular concern there will be some small businesses

that are particularly adversely affected by the result of this

evaluation and that is why I have asked the Chancellor and the

Communities Secretary to make sure there is appropriate relief for

those cases hardest-hit. She gave a sympathetic answer to the honourable

friend for the new Forest. Can I put it to her that for many of us there

is something profoundly wrong with a criminal justice system which can

pursue veterans will risk their lives for this country, 40 years on

after any possibility of new evidence, while at the same time is

capable of paying out ?1 million to a terror suspect. In relation to

this issue in Northern Ireland, we are... The issue with the legacy

bodies was part of the Stormont House agreement and we are working

to deliver on that agreement. As I said, the overwhelming majority of

our armed forces serving in Northern Ireland served with great

distinction and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude. The situation at

the moment is there a case is being pursued against officers who served

in Northern Ireland. We want to see developing a legacy body, a

proportionate fair and balanced approach. We recognise the majority

of individuals were the result... Were at the result of the hands of

terrorists. The Prime Minister pledged to end the burning injustice

of so few working-class boys going to university. Can she tell me how

cutting every single secondary school in Rochdale, Trafford and

Manchester through the new schools funding formula is going to do

anything other than make that injustice even worse? We want to

ensure through the education system that we have a good school place for

every child. And the Conservatives in government we have seen 1.8

million more children in good or outstanding schools. We are looking

at the funding formula for schools. We are listening to the comments

made. Everybody across this house will recognise that for some time it

has been said the existing funding formula is not transparent and is

fair. But I can assure that our education policy is about ensuring

every child has the opportunity to go as far as their talents and

hard-working Ed Balls them to do. -- enables. You saw what a cut run

means for a town and club like Sutton. With Wimbledon out of the

picture wonder if she will join me in teen graduating Sutton for such a

spirited performance on Monday and in wishing Lincoln well to keep the

non-league spirit alive in the next round. He must be heard. Finally

come gradually to and thanking arsenal for their generosity and

allowing Sutton to keep a little bit of an extra slice of the FA Cup pie.

Any reference to pie. I am happy to congratulate Sutton on the extremely

good run that they had in the FA Cup. It is important and makes a

huge difference to local areas when their football club is able to

progress to that extent and is able to be up there with the big boys and

do as well as they did and I am happy to congratulate Lincoln city

on the success may have shown and we wish them well for the future.

Finally, Michelle Thomson. The green investment bank is currently being

sold. Some reports suggest that the contract could soon be concluded.

This despite the U:K.'s dated focus on research and development and the

fact that no realistic guarantees have yet been given as to the

continuation of the proper headquarters and board based in

Edinburgh. Will she commits to looking again as to why a sale at

this time is not in the best interest of Edinburgh or the green

agenda or the UK taxpayer? Before I respond I also am apologies. I am

sorry to the member for Stroud and mixing him up with the member for

Lincoln. I was obviously getting carried away with the football

fever. In relation to the green investment bank, I will write to her

with response to the questions she has raised. The Prime Minister has

applied a very straight bat. We will leave it there.