05/07/2017 Prime Minister's Questions

Last week saw the 80th anniversary of the 999 service. I know members

will want it join plea paying tribute to the men and women who

work tirelessly saving lives, day-in and day-out. Mr Speaker, this

morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others n

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

later. Later this week I will attend a meeting of the G20 where I'll

discuss the global economy, counter-terrorism and sustainable

development with my fellow leaders. THE SPEAKER: Hannah Bardell. Thank

you. Her face smashed with an iPad. Her body beaten and forced to abort

a baby girl. This is only some of the domestic abuse my constituent,

Lola has faced by her estranged husband because she has refused the

genital mutilation of her daughter. She's ledgicated, has moot and had a

good job with RBS until the Home Office revoked her right to work. I

have been writing to the Home Office since March and got nowhere. So will

the Prime Minister now intervene to stop this family being deported and

the three-year-old girl being subject to female genital

mutilation? I say to the honourable lady that

the Home Secretary has obviously heard the case she set out here

today. The issue of female genital mutilation is one on which I think

we are all agreed across this whole House. It is an abhorrent activity T

should not be taking place. Great efforts have been made over recent

years, in terms of strengthening the law on it but also on getting

information out about this issue and also trying to support people in

these communities where there is a practice of FGM. The message has to

go out from this House today - we will not accept FGM in this country.

THE SPEAKER: James Morris. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Until the last few

days, Iraqi security forces assisted by coalition air strikes have made

significant progress in eradicating Isil fighters from Mosul. This is a

significant step forward in the military conflict against Isil in

Iraq. But would the Prime Minister agree with me that the UK and the

United States and abroad international alliance needs to work

with the Iraqi Government to ensure reconstruction in places like Mosul,

as well as working with the Iraqi Government to make sure that it is

sufficiently strong to withstand the poisonous ideology of the Isil as we

seek to defeat it. My honourable friend is right. In order to keep

the streets of Britain safe we must continue to I a tack Isil in Iraq

and Syria. The RAF has conducted over 1,400 strikes. There are over

500 British soldiers on the ground, providing further assistance but my

honourable friend makes the important point that it is not just

about the military action that takes place, it is about how we ensure

there is sustainable reconstruction and rebuilding afterwards. Our

troops have helped train 55,000 Iraqi security force personnel. We

are providing over 169.5 million pounds in humanitarian aid and a

further ?30 million to help Iraq stabilise these liberated areas. And

together we must also work, not just in Iraq but internationally, to

ensure that the hateful ideology of extremism is not able to poison the

minds of people. THE SPEAKER: Jeremy Corbyn? Thank you, Mr Speaker. Can I

start by wishing everyone a happy Pride month and especially those

taking part in the Pride maefrp this Saturday. We should be aware - the

survey taken by Pride in London found half of LBGT people in London

had experienced hate crime in the past 12 months. I join the Prime

Minister in wishing the NHS a very happy birthday. I was hoping she was

going to say a bit more about NHS staff and their pay during birthday

greetings, because after a week of flip flopping and floundering, we

thought we got some clarity from Downing Street at last. On Monday

the announcement was that the public sector pay cap at 1% remains and a

rare moment of agreement between number 10 and 11 was seen but

yesterday we had news that firefighters are going to be offered

2% this year and 3% next year. So, account Prime Minister confirm

whether the public sector pay cap will remain for all other public

servants until 2020? May I join The Right Honourable gentlemen in

wishing everybody who is going to take part in Pride London on

Saturday an excellent day. I'm sure it will be a very good occasion as

it always has been. Can I also say that I and all members of this House

value the work that is done, incredibly important work done by

our public sector JEERS

And I understand the concerns about the pay. But for the information of

the House perhaps I can set out the current position. We have had three

pay review bodies in the public sector reporting in March. That

covered doctors and dentists, NHS staff, including nurses and the

Armed Forces and the Government accepted the recommendations in all

three of those cases. The firefighters award is not a matter

that is determined by Government, it is determined by the employers and

it is not subject to a pay review body. There are outstanding pay

review body reports. Those cover teachers, prison officers, police

officers and senior salaries and the Government will consider those

reports very carefully and we'll respond to them. But while we do

that, we will always recognise the need to ensure that we take those

decisions, against the need to live within our means. The right

honourable gentleman and I both value public sector workers and our

public services. The difference is, I know we have to pay for them. Mr

Speaker, the public sector pay cap causes real shortages in nursing and

teaching and many other professions, as well as real hardship. I had a

letter last week from a teacher called David. It's all right, he is

a teacher, he is doing a good job, all right. Inhe says, and I quote,

"I've been teaching for ten years. I have seen my workload increase. I

have seen more people leave the profession than start and no form of

pay increase in seven years. The only thing holding the education

system together is the dedication 20 struggle on for their students and

staff." And he says, "This dedication is starting to run out."

So what we are doing, by this pay cap, I say to the Prime Minister, is

recklessly exploiting the goodwill of public servants, like David. They

need a pay rise. The Leader of the Opposition refers to the numbers of

nurses and teachers we have working in the public sector. Of course we

now have more nurses in our hospitals than we had in 2010. More

teachers in our schools. But let me remind the right honourable

gentleman of why it has been necessary for us to exercise

restraint in public spending, including capping public sector pay?

It's because we inherited the biggest deficit in our history...

Shouts and jeers SHOUTS THE SPEAKER: Order. I noticed

earlier Mr Mcmood you seem to be in a hyper condition today. I recommend

you take a soothing medicamen, you will probably feel better. We've

acted to bring the deficit down. It is now down by three-quarters. At

the same time, we have seen the economy grow and we've seen

recordlevels of people in employment. Our policy on public

sector pay has always recognised that we need to balance the need to

be fair to public sector workers, to protect... To protect jobs in the

public sector and to be fair to those who pay for it. That is the

balance we need to strike and we continue to assess that balance.

We've had seven years of tax cuts for the richest and tax breaks for

the biggest corporations. And last year, Mr Speaker, there was a net

loss of 1,700 nurses and midwives to the NHS, and in the first two months

of this year alone, 3,264 have left the profession altogether. Not a

great birthday present for the NHS, is it? Last week the Chancellor said

"We all value our public services and the people who provide them to

us." And went on to laud his own economic record by saying #wed a

fundamentally robust economy. Well, the Prime Minister found ?1 billion

to keep her own job, why can't she find the same amount of money to

keep nurses and teachers in their jobs, who afterall, serve all of us?

The right honourable gentleman talks about the number of nurses. In fact

I think some of those figures he was talking about was the number of

nurses who are registered in the United Kingdom. There are about

600,000 nurses registered in the UK. About half of them, 300,000 work in

the NHS in England. And contrary to what he says, we have 13,000 more

nurses working in the NHS today than compared to 20 o 10. SHOUTS

But ginned stand that it has been hard for people who have been

working hard and making sacrifices, over the years, as we have been

dealing with Labour's mismanagement of the economy. But let me just...

Let me remind the right honourable gentleman of what happens when you

don't deal with the deficit? It's not a theoretical issue, let's look

at those countries that fail to deal with it? In Greece, where they

haven't dealt with the deficit... Yes...

SHOUTS AND JEERS What did we see? Spending on the health service cut

by 36%. Thatp doesn't help nurses or patients. I hope the Prime

Minister's proud of her record of controlling public sector pay to the

extent that hard-working nurses have to access food banks in order to

survive. And the frozen wages of teaching assistants, par meddies and

council workers. But, Mr Speaker, it not -- paramedics.

But across the economy wages are rising by 2.1% while inflation is

nearly 3%. 6 million workers already earn less than the living wage. What

does the Prime Minister think that tells us about seven years of a

Conservative Government, and what it's done to the living standards of

those people on whom we all rely to get our public services, our health

services, delivered to us? I'll tell the right honourable gentleman what

has happened over the last seven years, we see record numbers of

people in employment. Nearly 3 million more people in work. We have

seen the introduction of the national living wage - never done by

Labour. Done by a Conservative Government. And we've seen 4 million

people taken out of paying income tax altogether. And a cut in income

tax and a change in the personal allowance which is the equivalent of

?1,000 to basic rate tax payers, including nurses. That's the record

of good management of the economy. You only get it with a Conservative.

Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker, the Prime Minister simply doesn't get it.

SHOUTS AND JEERING. There is, Mr Speaker,... We've got

plenty of time, I'm quite happy to go for a lot of time. People should

try to calm themselves and give a moments thought as to whether they'd

like to be viewed by their constituents shrieking their heads

off, it's very down-market. Mr Speaker, there is a low pay at the

panic in this country. And it has a terrible -- P epidemic in this

country and it has a terrible effect on young people. Those in their 20s

will earn less than a generation don't before them. The first

generation to be worse off than the last. They are less likely to be

able to buy their own home, more likely to be saddled with debt, more

likely to be in insecure, low-paid work. Except for more misery, what

does the Prime Minister and her government actually offer for the

young people of this country? THE SPEAKER: Prime Minister.

Yes, to echo those colleagues, what we offer young people is more jobs,

more homes, and opportunity to own their own home. But let me just, let

me just tell the Right Honourable gentleman what isn't fair. It isn't

fair to refuse to take tough to sessions and to load debts on our

children and grandchildren in the future. It isn't, it isn't fair to

bankrupt our economy because that leads to people losing their jobs

and losing their homes. And it isn't fair to go out and tell people that

they can have all the public spending they want without paying

for it. Labour's away leads to fewer jobs, higher prices, more taxes and

Labour's way means everyone pays the price of labour. Mr Speaker, when

Tories talk of tough choices, we know who suffers, it's the poorest

and most vulnerable within our society. Young people, Mr Speaker,

in Clwyd on zero hours contracts, are more likely to have -- employed

on zero hours contracts, are more likely to have worse physical and

mental health. University students who have graduated with ?50,000

worth of debt which will stay with them until they retire. Mr Speaker,

let me spell it out to the Prime Minister. This is the only country

in which wages have not recovered since the global financial crash.

More people are using food banks. 4 million children living in poverty.

Record in work. Poverty. Young people who see no prospect of owning

their own home and 6 million earning less than the living way. The low

Payet Adamic is a threat to our economic stability. -- the low Payet

Adamic. So can she take some tough choices and instead of offering

platitudes, offer some real help for those in work, young people who

deserve better and deserve to be given more optimism rather than

greater inequality? We actually now see the proportion of people in

absolute poverty is at record lows. He asks for help for those who

low-paid. I'll tell him the help that we have given, we introduced

the mandatory national living wage, the lowest earners fastest pay rise

in 20 years. We have cut taxes for those on the basic rate. We are

doing what is important for this country which is insuring there are

jobs and an economy which provides jobs, which is the best route out of

poverty, being in work. And I know, I know that the right honourable

gentleman has taken to calling himself a government in waiting.

Well, we all know what that means. Waiting to put up taxes, waiting to

destroy jobs, waiting to bankrupt our country, we will never let it

happen. CHEERING

I understand the House is excited about hearing the right honourable

member, Nicky Morgan. I know that the Prime Minister and

her ministers and many other members of the House are committed to better

mental health care for everyone. I'm a founder of the Loughborough

well-being project and I recently visited an eating disorder service

in Leicester. As a result of the Rodman's careful financial

management, 1.4 billion more is going into mental health services.

How can she insure that this goes into the service is consistently?

May I commend her on her work in this project and I'm happy to join

her in paying tribute to the work of the eating disorder service in

Leicester. As she says, they do incredibly important work and we

must do more to transform the mental health services that we provide for

young people, but also mental health generally. That's why, as she says,

we are putting more money into mental health and it will reach a

record 11.6 billion, it reached that last year. That funding, we need to

make sure it gets through to the front line, we are working to ensure

that people and staff in schools are trained to better identify and deal

with mental health problems when they are present with children. I

saw that when I visited a school in Bristol last week, excellent work

being done, improving the quality of services for young people with

mental health. In Blackford. As we meet here today, the funeral is

taking place in Dundee for the former leader of the Scottish

National Party and member of Parliament for Dundee East from 1974

to 1987, I'm sure the House would like to join with me in

commemorating the life and contribution to politics of the

late, dearly missed friend and colleague, Gordon Wilson. Mr

Speaker, the UK Government has not announced any measures to address

rising inflation and slamming wage growth which the eye S S has

described as dreadful. -- which the IFS has destroyed as dreadful. As

workers endure the worst pay for 70 years, does the Prime Minister think

she is looking out for the just about managing? Can I first of all

say to the honourable gentleman as I did last week, I am sure all members

of the House would like to offer our condolences to the friends, families

and colleagues of the late Gordon Wilson but also to recognise the

role he played in politics in the UK including in this house. And I say

to the honourable gentleman, as I have said to the Leader of the

Opposition, what is important is that we ensure that we have an

economy which is increasing the number of jobs because the best

route out of poverty is for people to be in work. That is what we are

doing. We've seen nearly 3 million more jobs being created over recent

years. That's important for people. We also help people, for example, by

cutting taxes, it's what we've done for people who are you lower paid,

introducing the national living wage, that is what people need. It

is the forecast in the rise in work poverty which should concern us,

particularly the increase of young people in poverty. Since the general

election in 2010, the FTSE 100 has risen by 39.6%. Monetary policy, not

least quantitative easing, has helped drive up financial assets

while workers have paid the price for austerity. Workers will earn no

more in 2021 than they did in 2008. Will the Prime Minister give workers

a pay rise? I would have thought that particularly with his

background, he would have recognised the role that the monetary policy

including quantitative easing has done in ensuring that we at able to

see those jobs in the enquiry -- economy which are so important. Can

my right honourable friend tell me what steps the government is taking

to drive value for money and efficiency in the aid budget to

ensure taxpayer money is used to promote global peace and security in

the national interest? Can I say to my honourable friend that I am proud

that the government is committed to honouring our international

commitment on aid, that is important for this country. This money is

saving lives, building a more stable and prosperous world, that's firmly

in our UK national interest but of course, but he's absolutely right,

we need to make sure the money we are spending is being spent utterly

and efficiently. The international developer and secretary, I can

assure him, is driving value for money and efficiency in the aid

budget, focusing on greater transparency, boosting payment by

results and driving value for money as well. We set up in 2011 and

independent aid watchdog together with stronger controls in DfiD. It's

important we are committed to this money but it is also important that

it is spelt well. My young constituent paid ?300 house

reservation fee to an estate agent their landlord clients -- grow which

they will not refund after they refused to honour the contract after

the landlord pulled out. When will the Prime Minister act and put an

end to these rip-off fees and stop these agents capitalising on young

people and others? We have made reference in the Queen's speech to

what we're doing in this area, we recognise the issues. He says when,

but he will recognise in the House that we need to ensure that anything

we bring forward in legislative terms get right, so it's going to

work. We recognise the problem and we are going to do something about

it. In 2008, I brought forward an amendment to the animal welfare act

that would have extended the sentences for cruelty to animals

from weeks to years. Will my right honourable friend look and see what

can be done to ensure that people who are deliberately and wilfully

cruel to animals are punished far more severely? I'm grateful to my

honourable friend for raising this issue and we all share a high regard

for animal welfare, the importance of having strict laws in place to

ensure that we deal with people properly who are not looking after

animals. And anyone who is cruel to an animal doesn't provide for

welfare needs may be and from -- banned from owning animals, given a

fine sent to prison. We are in discussion with the Ministry of

Justice regularly in remission to the sentencing policy for animal

welfare. With this awful service reportedly having to explain in

crayon to the -- with the civil service reportedly having to explain

in crayon to the Cabinet that there is now know have your cake and eat

it option for Brexit, will she admits she is prioritising her own

red lines? He will have heard the answer before. We want to negotiate

the best possible answer for the United Kingdom which ensures we have

a comprehensive free trade agreement, we can trade with our

partners, we have a deep and special partnership with the European Union,

that we ensure that we are growing our economy but it's not just about

our relationship with the European Union, it's about trade deals that

we will do with countries around the rest of the world. And it's about

ensuring sound management conservative government.

Commissioners have highlighted to me the valuable contribution that

retired police Sergeant and now special constable Ross Hall has made

to maritime policing. Does my right honourable friend believe that

joined up working with other agencies is essential and can make a

positive contribution to beating crime in our small harbours? And

helps protect our borders? Can I join my honourable friend in

recognising the contribution that special contribution Ross Hall has

made in her constituency, and she makes an important point. When I was

Home Secretary, I brought various agencies together to look at just

this issue of how we deal with protecting our borders. That joined

up working can make a real and positive contribution. As she will

know, of course, what matters is not just how we do that but ensuring

that we're having an impact but as she will know, crime has fallen by a

third since 20 ten to eight record low. -- 2010 to a record low. Thank

you for advising me on my blood pressure, when I go to my consultant

on Monday, he will give me the same advice. My blood pressure rises

because when I go and see those nurses in those hospitals,

overstretched, overworked and underpaid and having to use food

banks, she pays lip service and does not look at the pace sector gap and

does not reduce it. Listen to the plea of those nurses and do

something about the pace sector cap. I have set out the position to the

Leader of the sop significance when he spoke earlier. -- Leader of the

Opposition. And for nurses there is the overall public sector pay

increase but also many nurses receive increments or progression

pay. And for a typical band 5 nurse, they'll be receiving 3.8% over and

above the 1%. It is a strong economy that power this is Government's

investment in the NHS and it is a strong economy that is allowing this

Government to create 1,500 new medical school places and new

medical schools. Does the Prime Minister agree with me that

Lincolnshire makes a new case for a new medical school in this great

county? My honourable friend makes an important point. We can only pay

for public services with a strong economy. And as he said we are going

to train 1,500 more doctors every year to ensure the NHS has enough

doctors to continue providing a safe, compassionate care we all want

to see. We are looking at the question of how to allocate the

places and will publish their consultation response. They are also

looking at the possibility of new and aspiring medical schools bidding

for these places and I'm sure that as my honourable friend has always

been a champion for his constituents and constituency, he will continue

to make an excellent case for Lynne coreshire. On Saturday the Shadow

Chancellor and I joined staff from picture house cinemas outside the

Ritzy in Brixton who are striking because their employer reus foos to

pay the London living wage and has outrageously stacked their trade

union representatives. Will the Prime Minister join me on calling of

Picture House cinema who made a profit last year of ?18 million to

pay their staff the London living wage and to rein-Tait their local

res madly -- reinstate. It is about a relationship between employers and

their employees. What I say to her overall is the importance of

Government taking the right decisions to ensure we can - excuse

me - taking right decisions to ensure that growing the economy and

providing those jobs for people in the first place. Tait THE SPEAKER:

Andrew Bowie. Thank you Mr Speaker, I would to thank the Prime Minister

for taking time during the general election to come up to campaign in

my constituency where I think we did rather well. I would like to ask if

she agrees with me that it is utterly shameful that the Scottish

Government have for the second year in a reh to go pleading to the

European Commission for an extension to the farm payment deadline, and is

this not proof, if further proof were needed that the SNP are failing

rural Scotland? THE SPEAKER: Order. We're fascinated to hear the answer,

I should just say although I'm interested to hear the answer and we

will, the Prime Minister is not responsible for the Scottish

Government. Prime Minister. Can I first of all welcome my honourable

friend to his place in this House and I very much enjoyed my visit to

his constituency during the election campaign. But what he says is

absolutely right because time and again, in this Chamber, Mr Speaker,

we hear the Scottish Nationalists demanding more powers for Scotland.

Yet what do we see? They are failing to deliver for the Scottish people

on the powers they already have. Yet again Scottish schools are now

outperformed in every category by schools in England, Northern

Ireland, Estonia and Poland. Powers are kept in Edinburgh rather than

being devolved to local people and as my honourable friend says, yet

again we see farmers waiting months for their subsidy payments. The

simple fact is that the SNP's qualities are not in the best

interests of the people of Scotland. THE SPEAKER: Order. I say to the

honourable gentleman the member for Glasgow South who persists in

gesticulating in an eccentric matter, he seems discome bob lighted

from the world he inhabits. It is an unhappy state of affairs.

The southern rail dispute is causing real damage to the economy of

Eastbourne and South East. My constituents have had a shocking

time with the services provide the or not for the last 1 months. This

shrimp cannot go on. With the Prime Minister enlighten me, my

constituents and the House, why the Department for Transport and the

train operator will not meet with the unions at the same time in the

same room, together, to negotiate a deal? I recognise the problems that

have been experienced by passengers on southern rail, this is a matter

that has been raised by a number of my colleagues in the House,

including my honourable friend the member for Lewes who raised it last

weevenlingt I'm very disappointed that they have called more

industrial action. It is completely unnecessary. All it will do is cause

more disruption and frustration for passengers. The recent independent

report says the main cause of widespread disruption on Southern

has been union action. So, I would urge the unions to call off these

strikes, work with the operators and deliver the services the passengers

need. THE SPEAKER: Alex Burghart. Businesses across my constituency

will be cock ahoop to hear that their calls for better broadband are

being answer bid the digital infrastructure investment fund.

Which is going to unlock about ?1 billion for full fibre service. It

is going to help them create jobs, particularly in rural areas. Will

the Prime Minister agree with me that this is exactly the sort of

infrastructure spend we need to get our country Brexit-ready? My

honourable friend makes a very important point. And wear already a

digital world leader and we're committed to making sure this

unremains so. We already see 93% of the UK accessing superfast broadband

and we are on track to reach 95% by the end of the year but we do want

to see more commercial investment in the gold standard connectivity full

fibre provides and this is' why we've launched this digital

infrastructure investment fund accompanies aaround the UK will be

able to apply for match funding for projects which would see fibre

delivered right to the doorstep. Yesterday we also announced 100%

business rate relief for businesses rolling out new fibre. This is

important. We want to continue to be woorld leader and these are the

actions Government are taking in making sure we will be. Police

officer numbers in Wales have dropped by 10% since her party came

to power. The policing is devolved in Northern Ireland and Scotland and

have xrap funding worth ?25 million at their disposal. This would more

than replace those lost officers. What justification is there for

refusing to want to devolve policing? We have been around this

discussion before but can I address the central issue of what the

honourable lady is talking about, police budgets and the number of

police officers. We are currently protecting police budgets. We have

been doing that since 2015. That I believe is acknowledged across the

House. And we have we are not protecting the police budgets but

ensuring the police need the cape acts they need to deal with new

types of crime, creating the national cybercrime unit and

national police agency and this is why what we are doing to cut crime

and crime is at a record low. THE SPEAKER: Scott Mann. Can I thank the

Prime Minister for introducing the trade and fishery Brexit bill in the

Queen's Speech. It'll be welcome in the West Country however we are

facing significant challenges with rural Post Office network and the

trands flings some branches from community branches to community

village stores and community buildings. Some of those moves have

been smooth and some haven't. Can I ask her to take a look at this and

see if there is anything more the Government can do to help my

constituents? My honourable friend again raises an important point and

it is right we should recognise the role played in communities by rural

Post Offices and rural Post Offices in places like Campbell Ford and in

his constituency but in the constituencies of other honourable

members. We've invested in the network up to 2018. It is at its

most stable for decades but he is right, I would urge the Post Office

to help to make it as easy as possible for shops who want it take

over postal services to be able to do so. . THE SPEAKER: Diana

Johnston. Mrnchts speaker, 2,400 people have died as a result of the

NHS contaminated blood scandal. More than Hillsborough and all the other

disasters over the previous few decades put together. With the excel

effort that the former right honourable member for Leigh

presented to Parliament on April 25th of a criminal cover-up of an

industrial scale, will the Prime Minister now do the right thing and

order a public inquiry for the whole of the United Kingdom? The

honourable lady raises an important issue. I know the thoughts of

members of the House will be with all of those who've been affected by

this terrible tragedy in relation to contaminated blood. Serious

allegations have been made and I would say obviously information that

has been brought forward to the House will be looked at bhinsteres

at the Department of Health but if any honourable member has further

information or evidence they believe would be important that should go to

ministers, so they can properly investigate T we are providing more

compensation than any previous Government and committed ?125

million of extra funding for those affected for the contaminated blood

tragedy last July. But the Department of Health will look at

any new evidence that is brought forward. Mr Speaker, rather than

celebrating the NHS, the party opposite rather shamelessly have

tried to weaponise the NHS with the political campaigning tools. Will

the Prime Minister assure me that services like the 999 service will

be decided upon, based on clinical decision, not those of politicians

that are trying to weaponise our public services? My honourable

friend is absolutely right. In relation to the services that are

provided by the NHS, it is so important that decisions are taken

on a clinical basis by those who understand the needs and

requirements of people and in different areas. And that's why we

have set up NHS England which has a plan for developing services in the

NHS, over a five-year period. It's important that politicians allow

clinicians and others in the NHS to make the decisions they need to. I'm

thinking of my constituents Konnie and Chris Guard and Charlie at this

difficult time. It's clear that if Charlie remains in the UK there is

no further treatment available and that life support will be switched

off. There are differing views about the charges of the by pass therapy

that other children, albeit with less swear forms of Charlie's

condition have benefited from. I understand the chances of

improvement for Charlie are low but that doctors would be able to say

within three months whether Charlie is responding and whether the change

is clinically beneficial. If there is any room for discretion within

the court ruling for Great Ormond Street to allow Charlie to leave and

to transfer his care to doctors at Columbia University and he is

sufficiently stable to receive treatment, would the Prime Minister

do all she can to bring the appropriate people together to try

to make this happen? Can I first of all say to the honourable lady she

is right to raise the concerns of her constituents in this matter and

I'm sure the thoughts of all members of the House are with the familiar

lane Charlie at this exceptionally difficult time. It's an unimaginable

position for anybody to be in and I fully understand and appreciate that

any parent in these circumstances would want to do everything possible

and explore every option for their seriously illchild but I also know

that no doctor ever wants to be placed in the terrible position

where they have to make such heart-breaking decisions. The

honourable lady referred to the fact that we have the court process here.

I'm confident Great Ormond Street hospital have and always will

consider any offers or new information that has come forward

with the consideration of the well-being of a desperately ill

child. Mr Speaker, when the Prime Minister and I left our

comprehensive schools to go to university, we entered into a

privileged elite. Can my right honourable friend confirm that as a

result of a tuition fee, introduced by Labour, improved by the

coalition, there are now more young people from working class and poor

backgrounds staying at university than ever before, because come

people say it is fewer. Are they right or are they wrong? I'm very

happy to join my honourable friend in relation to this issue. Issue in

recognising she and I went to comprehensive schools and

universities at a time when the number of people going to university

was significantly lower than it is today. And I'm also grateful to her

for reminding the House that actually it was the Labour Party

that says they would not introduce tuition fees and when they got into

Government introduce tuition fees. But what we are seeing - what we are

seeing under the current... What we are seeing under the current system

is more young people than ever going to university, and crucially, to

address the point she raised, disadvantaged 18-year-olds are 40% o

% more line e likely to go to university now than they were in

2009. The Prime Minister herself

commissioned ship Jones to the port on the Hillsborough families. Even

-- given what is before us that the state still does not know how to

deal with the victims of tragedy, will she give me the date on when

this report will be published? I have not seen the report yet and I

cannot give her a date, but she raises an important point. The

reason why I asked Bishop James Chester undertake this work was

because I was concerned about the ways the bereaved families at

Hillsborough had been treated over far too many years and we have seen

the result of the CPS decisions last week. This is why we have committed,

in the Queen's speech, to introducing an independent and

public advocate who will be able to act on the behalf of bereaved

families in cases of public disaster, because I think it is

important that they are able to have that support alongside them. Too

many families just have too, as we have seen in Hillsborough, have two

over many years fight to get justice will stop I want to ensure they have

help and support in doing that. Given the government's record in

freezing fuel duty, will she resist recent calls to raise the duty

because it hurts the lowest paid the most? Will she do every thing

possible to make sure that when the international oil price falls, this

is reflected properly at the pumps so that we can have a Britain that

works for every motorist? Can I first of all commend my honourable

friend who has been championing this issue for all the years that he has

been in the House. And the work that he has done as a great campaigner on

this and other issues has been recognised in changes the government

has made. I'm pleased that we have been able to do what we've done in

relation to holding down the issue on fuel duty, he struggled to tempt

me down a path which I will not go down because he knows decisions at

these matters are time of fiscal events.