22/11/2017 Prime Minister's Questions

delayed until October. All decisions

on the chair and other things that

need to be decided will be made to

this House before the Christmas

recess.

Order. Questions to the Prime

Minister.

I am sure members across

the House which the

to join me in congratulating Sarah

Clark inherited when as Lady Usher

of the Black Rod. She will be the

first woman to hold this role in its

650 year history and we offer her

our best wishes.

This morning I had meetings with

ministerial colleagues and others.

In addition to my duties, I will

have further such meetings today.

Mr Speaker, the BBC are currently

broadcasting Drugsland, filmed in my

constituency, showing the

catastrophic impact of drugs laws on

innocent bystanders. We'll be Prime

Minister commit to watching

Drugsland and Royal commission on

our drugs laws which are plainly

failing?

I'm pleased to say that the

Home Office under my right

honourable friend the Home Secretary

launched the drugs strategy only a

matter of weeks ago. We recognise

the importance of this issue. Drugs

significantly affect people's lives,

and sadly we also see people driving

as a result of taking drugs but also

the criminal activity that takes

place around drugs. We take this

very seriously, that is why we have

launched our strategy.

Divorce and family breakdown takes

an emotional toll on all those

involved, but the finally dynamic

often overlooked is that between

grandparents and their

grandchildren. If access to

grandchildren is removed or blocked,

some grandparents call this a form

of living bereavement. Will the

Prime Minister join me, Dame Esther

Rantzen, and thousands of

grandparents across the country, to

call for a change in the law to give

access rights to grandchildren as is

the case in France?

My honourable

friend is absolutely right that of

course grandparents do play an

important role in the lives of their

grandchildren. We can all I'm sure

sympathise with those who suffer

anguish when they are prevented from

seeing their grandchildren. When

making decisions about a child's

future, the first consideration must

be the child's welfare. The law

already allows family courts to

order that a child should spend time

with their grandparents and I

understand my honourable friend has

recently seen the Minister for the

state of justice and I'm sure they

will consider the points carefully.

Jeremy Corbyn.

Thank you, Mr

Speaker. I joined the Prime Minister

in congratulating the new Usher of

the Black Rod and I am pleased it is

a woman who has got that position at

last. I hope the whole house will

join me in sending solidarity

following the atrocious suicide

bombing which killed 50 people in

eastern Nigeria. We should speak

with sympathy for those who have

lost loved ones and the obvious

trauma they are all going through.

Mr Speaker, the Irish Prime Minister

who has discussed Brexit with the

British government says sometimes it

doesn't seem like they have thought

all this through. So can the Prime

Minister reassure him by plainly

outlining the Government policy on

the Irish border?

First of all, I am

glad the right honourable gentleman

has welcomed the new Lady Usher of

the Black Rod. I hope it will not

take 650 years before the Labour

Party has a female leader.

On the second issue... On the second

issue that he raised, he referred to

the issue of the attack that had

taken place in eastern Nigeria, and

of course I'm sure the thoughts and

condolences of the whole House will

be with those affected by it. He

also asked me to outline our policy

between the border of an end and the

Republic of Ireland. I'm very happy

to do so. We have done so on a

number of occasions. We are very

clear first of all in relation to

the movement of people, the Common

travel area will continue to operate

as it has done since 1923, and on

trade and movement of goods and

services across-the-board, we will

not see a hard border being

introduced. We have been very clear.

Jeremy Corbyn.

Mr Speaker,

yesterday, the Foreign Secretary

said there can be no border, that

will be unthinkable. Maybe, but they

have had 17 months to come up with

an answer to this question, and

there is still no answered the

question because they have not

engaged with the negotiations

properly. There is another person

who doesn't think the negotiations

are going to and that is the right

honourable member for Woking, who it

was an ecclesiastic campaign for

Brexit, but also finds time to be

the chief global strategist for

Charles Stanley investments. And he

recently advised clients to invest

elsewhere as the UK is hitting the

brakes. Does the Prime Minister take

advice from the member for Woking

and does she agree with him? --

Wokingham.

We have been engaging

fully in the negotiations in

relation to Northern Ireland and

other issues with the negotiations,

and indeed, significant progress has

been made. That is why I have said

we have got agreement on the

operation of the Common travel area

for the future. He says we have not

put any ideas about the board out, I

have to say to him, we published a

paper back in the summer on the

hospital customs arrangements which

could take place -- the possible

customs arrangements which could

take place. We are happy to move to

further discussions of the customs

and trading relationship we will

have not just between Northern

Ireland and the Republic, but

between the United Kingdom and

European Union. That does mean

moving on to face two and the

question for the right honourable

gentleman, if he thinks it is so

important, why do his MEPs vote

against it?

Mr Speaker, the EU's

chief negotiator said this week the

UK financial sector will lose its

current rights to trade with Europe.

It seems neither EU negotiators or

the Government have any idea where

this is going. Last week, the Brexit

secretary said he would guarantee

free movement for bankers post

Brexit. Are there any other groups

to whom the Prime Minister believes

freedom of movement should apply,

nurses, doctors, teachers,

scientists, agricultural workers,

care workers?

I'm very interested

that the right honourable gentleman

has found that his appearances at

prime ministers questions have been

going so well, he has had to borrow

a question from the leader of the

Liberal Democrats, which he asked me

last week. Perhaps the Leader of the

Opposition should pay more attention

to what happens in prime ministers

questions. We have been absolutely

clear that we will be introducing

new immigration rules and as we

introduce them we will take account

of the needs of the British economy

in doing so. That is why the Home

Secretary has asked the migration

advisory committee to advise on base

areas where we need to pay the

killer attention to migration coming

into the United Kingdom. We want to

get on to deal with the question of

the future trading relationship, but

I am also optimistic about the

opportunities that will be available

to this country and about the deal

we can get from the negotiations we

are having. The right honourable

gentleman cannot even decide if he

wants to be in the customs union,

out of it, in the single market, out

of it. He needs to get his act

together.

In April, the Brexit

secretary was confident the European

banking authority would be staying

in London. Now he can't even

guarantee banks having a right to

trade with Europe. Last week, the

Government voted down Labour's

amendments to protect workers'

rights. The Foreign Secretary

described employment regulation as

and I quote: backbreaking. And

repeatedly promised to and I quote

again: scrap the social chapter. Why

when she guarantee workers' rights

order she agree with the Foreign

Secretary on these matters?

We have

guaranteed workers' rights. We have

introduced a bill in the House of

Commons to guarantee workers' rights

and the Labour Party voted against

it.

Mr Speaker, The Record is clear,

this government voted down our

amendment to protect workers'

rights. The Environment Secretary

said he wanted a green Brexit. Yet

again, Conservative MPs voted down

Labour's amendments to guarantee

environmental protection. On the 5th

of December, Mr Speaker, the

European financial summit takes

place to address the issue of tax

dodging as exposed by the Paradise

papers. There are three proposals on

the table, to blacklist tax havens

like Bermuda, nude transparency

rules to tax intermediaries, and

mandate three country by country

reporting for profit. Will the Prime

Minister back these proposals, or is

she is still threatening to turn

Britain into a tax haven?

I will

take no lectures from the Labour

Party on dealing with tax avoidance

and tax evasion. £160 billion more

taken as a result of action taken by

Conservatives in government. 75 new

measures to deal with tax avoidance

and tax evasion. And I am pleased to

say, recently, HMRC won an important

case on tax avoidance in the Supreme

Court, which means a further one

point £1 billion coming to the

United Kingdom. He may talk about

tax avoidance and tax evasion, it is

this government which takes action

and makes sure we collect it.

Her

predecessor block EU wide proposals

for a public register of trust and

again, the Conservative MPs have

voted down Labour's amendments to

deal with tax avoidance. Mr Speaker,

when it comes to Brexit, this

government is a shambles.

Order!

Order! Far too many members are

gesticulating on both sides of the

House in a frenetic and frankly,

outlandish fashion. I say to the

honourable member, he should seek to

imitate the Zen like calm and

statesmanship of the Father of the

House. Mr Jeremy Corbyn.

I have much in common with the

venom, Mr Speaker. -- I have much in

common with zen, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker. 17 months after the

referendum, they say there can be no

hard border but haven't worked out

how. They say they will protect

workers' rights and then vote

against it. They say they will

protect environmental rights and

then vote against it. They promised

action on tax avoidance and then

vote against it time and time again.

And, Mr Speaker, once again the

Foreign Secretary offers his

opinions, as does the Environment

Secretary saying, there is

insufficient energy going into these

Brexit negotiations. Their words, Mr

Speaker, not mine. Is it the truth

this government has no energy, no

agreed plan and no strategy to

deliver a good Brexit for Britain?

Can I say to the right honourable

gentleman, he talks about voting

against tax avoidance measures, it

was the Labour Party which refused

to allow tax avoidance measures to

go through in a bill before we

called the general election. So he

should look at his own record and he

talks about people taking different

opinions. I might remind him that on

Monday, and perhaps the Shadow

Chancellor would like to listen to

this? On Monday, when we were

putting through that important piece

of legislation in relation to

customs and taxation and Europe, 76

Labour MPs voted in a different

lobby than his front bench.

The party has no clue on Brexit in

this Commons is the Labour Party.

Week in and week out the right

honourable gentleman comes to this

House and talks down our country and

is pessimistic about our future. Let

me tell him, I am optimistic about

our future. I am optimistic about

the success we can make a Brexit and

I am optimistic about the well-paid

jobs that will be created, I am

optimistic about homes we will

build, that conservatives are

building a Briton fit for the

future. All he offers is a blast

from the past.

With the Prime Minister reassure

people this Conservative government

is committed to maintaining the

United Kingdom's strong commitment

to the highest standards of animal

welfare now and post Brexit.

I am

happy to give that commitment. We

already have some of the highest

animal welfare standards in the

world and as we leave the EU we

should enhance those standards. We

have set out proposals to introduce

mandatory CCTV in slaughterhouses

and increase sentences for animal

cruelty, ban microbeads that damage

marine life and banned the ivory

trade to bring an end to elephant

poaching and we recognise animals

are sentience beings and should be

treated accordingly. The animal

welfare act 2006 provides protection

for all animals capable of

experiencing pain or suffering under

the control of man. I reaffirmed to

my honourable friend we will ensure

we maintain and enhance animal

welfare standards when we leave the

EU.

Can the Prime Minister tell the

House how many jobs have been lost

this week with the departure of the

European medicines authority and

banking authority from London?

We

are seeing those two agencies leave

the United Kingdom and go elsewhere

in the European Union that when he

talks about the number of jobs being

created we have seen under this

government 3 million jobs created.

That is a record I would have

thought even he would welcome.

Of course, the Prime Minister

refused to answer the question. Let

me tell her, so she is aware of the

cost of the hard Tory Brexit, losing

the EMA and EBA means losing over

1000 jobs and the Bank of England

have told us the city will lose

75,000 jobs, jobs are already gone

and jobs are going, Brexit is

already biting. Will the Prime

Minister recognise that exiting the

EU is losing jobs and centres of

excellence from the United Kingdom?

I recognise that those agencies are

leaving the United Kingdom but the

right honourable gentleman talks

about numbers of jobs lost. Since

the Conservatives came into

government, 3 million jobs, 3

million more people in work, 3

million more people able to provide

an income for themselves and their

families.

Last year housing associations

generated 5.5 billion in cash

surplus which could be used to build

48,000 new homes. The accumulated

reserves or housing associations

come to 42 billion which would mean

36,500 properties a year for the

next ten years could be built. Would

my right honourable friend look at

ways we can make sure housing

associations use the money to build

the new homes people want rather

than having them sitting in the

bank.

He raises an important point

and the issue of housing and

homelessness is something he has

been a campaigner on. This is

already the approach taken by

housing associations. They are

nonprofit organisations and

surpluses of reinvested in the

business and in 2015, investment in

new and existing property was more

than double the surpluses they

generated. I have announced an

additional 2 billion funding for

affordable homes including social

rent and last week housing

associations were reclassified to

the private sector which takes 70

billion of debt off the balance

sheet which means greater certainty

for housing associations to get on

with the job of building more homes.

My thoughts are with the many

constituents who have friends and

family in Nigeria. The SNP has asked

140 times that the VAT paid by

police and Fire Services Amber

hundred and £40 million to be

refunded. The Chancellor said only

last month legally we would not be

able to recover that and the UK

Government is constrained by the

rules in place.

Was he misleading

us? The SNP may have answered a

number of questions but the SNP knew

when they took the decision to

create a single police and fire

authority this would be the VAT

treatment.

Given the revised housing proposals

that would force unprecedented

numbers to the equivalent of a new

town will the Prime Minister give me

and my constituents reassurances

unnecessary large-scale investment

which will need to be made to boost

public service infrastructure that

will have to cope with up to 100,000

more people?

This is of course an

important point for people. We want

to see more homes built because I

want young people to have the

prospect they are going to have the

future their parents and

grandparents had to own their own

homes and we will go further in

building more homes but she is

right, as we do that we need to make

sure the infrastructure is in place

and we are putting in billions for

economic infrastructure up to 2021

including issues like transport,

fibre broadband, but we recognise

the importance of making sure homes

are supported by the right

infrastructure.

I am proud the last Labour

government lifted more than 1

million children out of poverty.

This government seems committed to

doing the opposite. With the

Institute for Fiscal Studies

predicting an additional 1.2 million

children will be pushed into poverty

by 2021. That is on top of the

4,000,020 15-16. Is the Prime

Minister proud of her government's

record of failure on this and does

she think the worrying forecast is

acceptable?

Far from the way in which she has

portrayed the situation we have seen

since 2010 600,000 fewer people in

absolute poverty, a record low,

300,000 fewer working age adults in

absolute poverty, and 200,000

children fewer in absolute poverty.

200,000 fewer children in absolute

poverty. We have also seen families

getting into work, 1 million fewer

work less households.

As the Prime Minister is aware

Scotland is lagging behind the rest

of the UK in terms of superfast

broadband roll-out and in my

constituency even further behind. A

huge volume of my casework... A huge

volume of my casework from one of my

largest towns where 20,000

constituents reside, it is hardly

what you would deem a remote area,

can the Prime Minister confirm the

next generation of funding to

support the roll-out in Scotland

will bypass that... For businesses

and residents in my constituency get

the ball band a desire?

-- broadband

they desire. I am happy to confirm

that to my honourable friend and she

will know we are making progress in

Scotland but we need to go further.

So programmes such as five G will

allocate funding directly to local

projects based on the quality of

bids and my honourable friend the

minister for digital has confirmed

that their next generation of

technology, we will deliver it

directly to local authorities in

Scotland. Rather than going through

the Scottish Government because we

want to make sure that Scotland is

not left behind.

In 2014 and enquiry was set up to

look into a drug given to millions

of pregnant women in the 60s and 70s

that caused deformities and

documents showing a cover-up. Last

week a report was published

condemned by MPs in the house is

being white wash and misleading.

Will the Prime Minister meet the

victims and order a public inquiry

so justice can be done for these

people?

I know this is an issue number of

members have been concerned about

and recognise the result of the

review was not what some families

were hoping for. It was a

comprehensive independent review of

the available evidence by experts

and all the meetings of the working

were attended by an invited

independent expert at the request of

the patient group and the overall

conclusion is that the scientific

evidence does not support a causal

association but that does not

attract from the real suffering

experienced by the families and I

recognise these conclusions are hard

to accept. The Department of Health

is focused on implementing the

recommendations.

Does my right honourable friend

agreed the right revised offer to

the European Union far from throwing

money away would be worthwhile to

secure the future trading

relationship with our European

neighbours?

I say he raises an important issue

and I set out in my speech in

Florence the UK will honour

commitments we have made during our

membership. We do not want European

partners fearing they will receive

less or pay more. We can only

resolve the financial implications

of withdrawal finally as part of the

settlement of all issues I spoke

about in Florence but once that is

done in the days of Britain paying

vast sums of money to the EU every

year will end.

Every Prime Minister

since 1946 has successfully

appointed a British judge to the

international Court of Justice.

Why

has she not? Can I say to the

honourable gentleman the British

Prime Minister does not appoint

judges to the international Court of

Justice. There is a process

undertaken in the United Nations and

we wish all the judges who have been

appointed by votes through the UN to

the international Court of Justice

well.

My right honourable friend might be

aware in a debate last week members

of the Scottish National Party

declared if the Scottish Government

did not agree with the final Brexit

deal they would push for another

independence referendum. This

obsession with breaking up our

United Kingdom is damaging the

Scottish economy and causing

uncertainty. Will she Jomni in

asking the SNP to drop their

obsession with a second independence

referendum? -- will she join the?

The point raised is important.

Scotland had a referendum in 2014

that was legal and fair and the

result was decisive. The people of

Scotland voted to remain part of the

United Kingdom. I think that the

election they sent a second message

they didn't want a second referendum

on this issue so I say to the

Scottish Government, as we prepare

to leave the EU, they should work

with the UK Government to get the

right deal for the whole of the UK,

not taking Scotland back to these

divisive constitutional debates of

the past and I agree the SMP should

take the unwanted proposal off the

table once and for all.

Will the

Prime Minister support steel jobs in

Scunthorpe and elsewhere by

guaranteeing if the current

flexibility within the emissions

trading scheme is not retained until

2019, she will act immediately to

ensure British industry is not

financially penalise?

The honourable

gentleman raises an important point

and this government has done a

considerable amount to support the

steel industry in the United

Kingdom. I was pleased to be able to

earlier in the year make a visit and

meet with steelworkers and talk

about the prospects for steel in the

UK. We will look carefully to ensure

the arrangements in place of those

right for the national interest and

we have supported steel in the past.

Can I take my right honourable

friend back to the first question

asked by the honourable lady for

Bristol West and apart from

commending the quality of the BBC

programme she referred to, on the

issue of Prohibition of drugs

globally can I draw her attention to

the fact global policy is beginning

to change and in the face of the

evidential failure of policies since

the 1961 UN single convention on

prohibition of narcotics drugs, and

will she look at the evidence that

will emerge in the United States and

Canada on the legalisation of

cannabis markets there as well as

decriminalisation in Portugal and

elsewhere?

We are grateful. Quite

enough, we are grateful.

I can say to my honourable friend

that when I was Home Secretary a

piece of work was undertaken which

looked at the experience in a number

of countries and the ways they

approach this issue of drugs. I do

say to my right honourable friend

that I take a different opinion to

him in relation to drugs. I think

those who are dealing with those who

are affected by drugs would also do

so. I think of my constituent

Elizabeth Burdon Phillips who set up

Drug Fam after the suicide of her

son who was a drug addict. The work

she is doing because a member of the

family is on drugs and the

incredible damage that can do to

families and the individual

concerned. I'm sorry I say to my

honourable friend I take a different

view. I think it is right that we

continue to fight the war against

drugs.

The honourable member for

Chesterfield has migrated a

considerable way from his usual

place but we look forward to hearing

from him.

People with the most

serious disabilities find when they

move on to Universal Credit they are

£100 a week worse off, this is

because there is no severe

disability component in the payment.

Does the Prime Minister realise that

Universal Credit will continue to

shame had government, whilst it

pushes the most disabled into the

worst poverty?

I say to the

honourable gentleman that we spend

over £50 billion a year on benefits

to support disabled people and

people with health conditions. That

is increased by more than £7 billion

since 2010. Spending on disability

benefits will be higher in every

year to 2020 than it was in 2010.

And as regards Universal Credit, as

I have said in this chamber before,

Universal Credit is a simpler, more

straightforward system. But

crucially, Universal Credit is

helping people get into the

workplace and making sure they keep

more of the money that they earn.

So

David Amess.

Will my right

honourable friend join me in

congratulating the Lyon Sea branch

of the British Legion, local artist

Beth Hooper and Mary Lister, I'm

using a lottery grant for

schoolchildren in Southend to make

7500 Saran poppies and display them

on Southend's letters? And would she

agree with me it is a further good

reason to make Southend-on-Sea a

city?

IE congratulate the Leon C

branch of the British Legion and the

work they have done in

congratulating young people in

recognising the sacrifices made by

previous generations for our safety.

As for the last bit that is

interesting. I know he champions

Lee-On-Sea all the time and his bid

will be looked at carefully.

My constituent Haley Crawley is

having palliative care for bowel

cancer and she needs a specialist

drug. She waited months to hear that

her case for funding was rejected by

NHS England and we are now waiting

again to hear a reply for her

appeal. Please will be Prime

Minister right to NHS England and

ensured that her case is treated as

I priority.

Obviously, I wear this

will be causing distress to Haley

while she is waiting for this appeal

decision to come through and I am

sure the Secretary of State for

Health will look carefully at the

case the honourable lady has raised.

We were able to bring in the Cancer

Drugs Fund which has enabled some

patients to get access to drugs

which otherwise would not be

available, but I recognise the

concern and distress that her

constituent will be suffering from

while she awaits for this decision.

The Prime Minister will be aware

that under President Mugabe, British

citizens living in Zimbabwe,

especially land overs, suffered

considerably. Can she give an

assurance to the House that as we

seek a new regime coming into

Zimbabwe, the British government

will do all it can to persuade the

new regime to treat British citizens

living lawfully in that country,

treat them with respect and the

safety and security they should have

along with all other Zimbabwean

citizens.

My honourable friend does

raise an important point, as we see

this change taking place in

Zimbabwe. I have to say the

resignation of Robert Mugabe

provides Zimbabwe with an

opportunity to forge a new path,

free from the depression which has

characterised the past. We want to

see a democratic free secure

Zimbabwe, where people across

communities, and from communities

across Zimbabwe are able to

carry out their lives without fear,

without oppression and we want to

see that country rejoining the

international community. We have

obviously provided some support to

Zimbabwe in terms of UK aid, and as

their oldest friend, we will do

everything we can to support