10/01/2018 Prime Minister's Questions

the Cabinet office to the Home

Secretary's work.

Thank you Mr Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you Mr Speaker. I hope it is

not too late to wish all members and

staff in the house a very happy New

Year. Mr Speaker this morning I have

meetings with ministerial colleagues

and others in addition to my duties

in this house I will have further

such meetings later today.

I too

would like to wish members of staff

a happy New Year. At least 1.4

million households across the UK

have been victims of unfair

practices in the leasehold market

including my constituent Emily

Martin. In advance of intended

legislation what commitment will be

Prime Minister make to ensure Emily

and thousands of people tied into

this scandal are compensated by

developers now?

I say to the

honourable gentleman that we are

concerned when we hear of unfair

practices taking place. I am sure

the Housing Secretary will be happy

to hear of the particular case as an

example of this. We are looking to

see what action the government can

take to ensure people are secure in

their homes and that they are not

subject to practices they should not

be subject to.

Thank you Mr Speaker, Mr Speaker, in

December when the Brexit secretary

met Michel Barnier they hugged. In

that spirit would my right

honourable friend the Prime Minister

passionately embrace, not me Mr

Speaker, but would she passionately

embraced the agenda she set out last

year to build a Briton fit for the

future, to encourage home ownership,

to encourage education and life

chances and leave this country in a

better place than when we find it?

I

have to say to my honourable friend

he talks about passionate embraces

but I do not think he has ever had

the kiss he once asked for! But if I

may say he's absolutely... He's

absolutely right. We are determined

to deliver Britain which is fit for

the future and that does mean we

need to get Brexit right but it

means we need to do a lot more. He

references house-building and we are

committed to building the homes this

country needs. That is why we have

put 15 billion of new financial

support available over the next five

years and why we scrap stamp duty

for 80% of first-time buyers. We are

also improving school standards, 1.9

million more children in good or

outstanding schools today and we are

protecting our natural environment.

We are building a Briton which can

look to the future with optimism and

hope.

Mr Speaker could I wish you

and all the house and all the staff

a very happy New Year. Everyone is

agreed, yeah? Thank you.

CHUCKLES

.

Mr Speaker, I know it seems a long

time ago, I know it seems a long

time ago but just before Christmas I

asked the Prime Minister about the

12,000 people left waiting more than

half an hour in the back of an

ambulance at accident and emergency

departments. She told the house the

NHS was better prepared for winter

than ever before. So what words of

comfort does the Prime Minister have

two the 17,000 patients left waiting

in the back of and allowances in the

last week of December? Is it that

nothing is perfect by any chance?

I

fully accept that the NHS is under

pressure over winter, it is

regularly under pressure at winter

times. I have been very, I have been

very clear, I apologise to those

people who have had operations

delayed and those people who have

had admissions to hospital delayed.

But it is indeed the case that the

NHS was better prepared this winter

than ever before and it might be

helpful... Yes...

Order!

It might be

helpful if I let the house now some

of the things which were done in

order to ensure that preparedness.

More people than ever before having

flu vaccines, 2700 more acute beds

being available since November. For

the first time ever, for the first

time ever, we have seen GP, urgent

GP appointments are available across

the Christmas period across this

country. More doctors specialising

in treating the elderly in accident

and emergency. The right honourable

gentleman mentions the last exchange

we had in this house. In our last

exchange he said mental health

budgets have been cut. That is not

right. Simon stevens from the

national health service has made

clear that mental health spending

has gone up both in real terms and

as a proportion of the overall

spending. So will he now apologise

for what he previously said?

Mr

Speaker, the Prime Minister knows

full well that budgets have been

raided and that many people who need

help are not getting that help. And

Mr Speaker we saw on ITV news the

other night that nurses are spending

the entire shift treating people in

car parks because of backed up

ambulances. We know the Prime

Minister recognises there is a

crisis in our NHS because she wanted

to sack the Health Secretary last

week but was too weak to do it. And

if the NHS is so well resourced and

so well-prepared, why was the

decision taken last week to cancel

the operations of 55,000 patients

during the month of January?

I say

to the right honourable gentleman...

Well, from the front bench the

Labour Party say apologise but

actually, listen to the answer I

gave to his right honourable friend

the Leader of the Opposition I have

made clear that I have already

apologised to those whose operations

have been delayed and we will make

sure that those operations are

reinstated as soon as possible. We

are putting record funding into the

NHS and record funding into mental

health. But he keeps on about the

preparations from the national

health service, I was very pleased

last week to be able to go and say

in person thank you to the staff at

Frimley health trust from both

Frimley Park and webs Park hospitals

for the work that they have been

doing to deliver for patients across

this period of pressure across the

winter. Our NHS staff, and that is

not just doctors and nurses, it is

support staff, administrative staff,

porters, it is everybody working in

our national health service, they do

other than plastic job every day and

they particularly do that when we

see these winter pressures -- they

do a fantastic job every day. This

is what NHS providers said only last

week. Preparations for winter in the

NHS have been more extensive and

meticulous than ever before.

Mr

Speaker we all bank all NHS staff

are what they do. But the reality is

that the 55,000 operations cancelled

means that those 55,000 people join

the already 4 million waiting for

operations within the NHS. Perhaps

the Prime Minister could listen to

the experience of Vicky. Her

82-year-old mother spent 13 hours on

a trolley in a corridor, that was on

top of the three hours between her

first calling 999 and arriving at

hospital. Vicky says, and I quote,

"Is a volunteer first responder from

Warwickshire heart service whose day

job is in the army kept mum safe and

tell paramedic arrives". Her mother

then suffered a heart attack just a

week before. This is not an isolated

case. Does the Prime Minister really

believe the NHS is better prepared

than ever for the crisis it is now

going through?

First of all can I

say to the right honourable

gentleman that nobody wants to hear

people having to experience what

Vicky and her mother experienced.

And of course, we need to ensure

that we learn from these incidents.

That's exactly what we do in the

national health service. I am very

happy to ensure that that particular

case is look that if you would like

to provide me with the details of

that particular case. But a week in

and week out in the run-up to

Christmas and now today what the

right honourable gentleman is doing

is giving the impression of a

national health service which is

feeling everybody who goes to use

the NHS. The reality and our NHS is

we are seeing 2.9 million more

people now going to accident and

emergency. We are seeing over 2

million more operations taking place

each year. Our national health

service is something we should be

proud of. That is why it is a first

class... It is a first-class

National Health Service that has

been identified as the number-1

health system in the world. That

means it's a better health system

than Australia, the Netherlands, New

Zealand, Canada, Switzerland,

Sweden, France, and the United

States of America!

We are all proud on this side of the

house of the principal of the NHS,

health care as a human right about

in the last year 565,000 people have

spent time on trolleys when they

should be treated. The number of

elderly people being rushed into A&E

from care homes has risen by 62%

since the Tories took power. Care

Quality Commission figures suggest

that nearly a quarter of homes need

improvement. Not only is this

robbing older people of their

dignity, but it's putting pressure

on A&E and Ambulance Services. So

why, instead of dealing with the

social care crisis, as the Prime

Minister rewarded Health Secretary

with a promotion and a new job

title?

Can I say to the right

honourable gentleman that I think

there are many voices across the

house, including those from his own

party, who have been encouraging me

to ensure that we see better

integration between health and

social care. I am pleased that we

have recognised this by making the

Department of Health the Department

of Health and social care, and that

has been recognised by Age UK, who

has said that this is a welcome and

long overdue recognition of the

interdependence of health and social

care but I saw for myself last week

at Ferney Park the good week that is

being done by some hospitals up and

down the country, working with GPs

and care homes and the voluntary

sector to ensure that elderly people

can stay at home safely and do not

need to come into hospital, with all

of the consequences of them coming

in to hospital beds. That is the way

forward. That is what we want to do,

ensuring that we think that

integration of health and social

care at the grassroots level. But

the way right honourable gentleman

talks, you would think that the

Labour Party had all the solutions

for the NHS. If the Labour Party...

If the Labour Party have got all the

answers, why is it that we see

funding being cut, targets not being

met in Wales, where the Labour Party

is responsible?

Mr Speaker, the

Prime Minister leads a government

that is responsible for the funding

of national governments, such as in

Wales. She knows full well what has

been cut from Wales. But she is, Mr

Speaker, directly responsible, she

is directly responsible for the NHS

in England, and giving the Health

Secretary a new job title will not

hide the fact that 6 billion has

been cut from social care under the

Tories. Part, Mr Speaker, part of

the problem with the NHS is that its

funds have been increasingly

siphoned off into private companies,

including in the Health Secretary's

area of Surrey foot

order! Calm

yourself, Mr Sheldon. You are

supposed to be auditioning to become

an elder statesman, but there are

many more auditions to come, on

present evidence. Calm yourself, it

will be good for your health.

Even

more money is being siphoned out of

NHS budgets and into private health

companies. Even in the Health

Secretary's area of Surrey, the

clinical commissioning group was

forced to pay money to Virgin Care

because it didn't win a contract.

Will the Prime Minister sure

patients that, in 2018, less NHS

money intended for patient care will

be feathering the nests of

shareholders in private health

companies?

First of all, an Wales,

this government has given more money

to the Welsh government. It is a

decision of Labour in Wales to

de-prioritise funding for the NHS in

Wales and, on the issue of the

private sector and its role in the

health service, under which

government was it that private

access and private use of the

private sector in health sector no,

it wasn't. Iron order!

-- order! I

say to the shadow secretary of state

for health, he is also supposed to

be auditioning for something.

LAUGHTER

He is normally a very amiable

fellow, but he is gesticulating in a

very eccentric fashion. He must calm

himself. It isn't good for his

image.

I say to the right honourable

gentleman, first of all, we have put

more money into Wales, but the

Labour government in Wales has

decided to de-prioritise funding for

the NHS, and the increase that was

seen in private sector companies

working in the health service wasn't

under the Conservative government

but under a Labour government, of

which the right honourable gentleman

was a member.

My honourable friend,

the Shadow Health Secretary, is

auditioning to be Health Secretary,

and he shows real passion for our

NHS. Mr Speaker, under this

government, virgin Care got £200

million worth of contracts in the

last year alone. 50% up on the year

before. Mr Speaker, the Prime

Minister needs to understand that it

is her policies that are pushing our

NHS into crisis. Tax cuts for the

super-rich and big business are paid

for... Yes, Mr Speaker, they are

paid for by longer waiting lists,

ambulance delays, staff shortages

and cuts to social care. Creeping

privatisation is dragging our NHS

down. He Health Secretary... The

Health Secretary, during his

occupation of her office to keep his

job, said, he won't abandon the

ship. Isn't an admission that, under

his captaincy, the ship is indeed

thinking? -- sinking?

This

government is putting more money

into the NHS, we have more doctors

and nurses in the NHS, more

operations taking place on more

people being treated in accident and

emergency. But we can only do that,

we can only do that if we have a

strong economy. What would we see

from the Labour Party? We have

turned the economy round from the

recession that the Labour Party left

us with. What do we know... What do

we know about the Labour Party's

economic policies? We were told all

about them from the description from

the Shadow Education Secretary, icy

isn't in her place on the front

bench today. -- who icy isn't in her

place oh, I do apologise. No, I

didn't realise, Mr Speaker. I did

not realise the Shadow Education

Secretary was herself undergoing

medical treatment, and I apologise

unreservedly for that comment. But I

have to say that she did describe

the economic policies of the Labour

Party in unparliamentary terms,

including the word bust, but she did

say that the Labour Party's economic

policy was high risk, which means

high risk for taxpayers, high risk

for jobs in high risk for our NHS,

and that's a risk we will never let

them take.

On a positive note on the

NHS, my NHS Trust, Morecambe bay, is

turned around from being one of the

worst trusts in the country to one

of the best. That was because of

injections of huge amounts of cash,

but the staff there were amazing.

They turned that hospital round.

Jackie Daniels...

Can I gently

invite the honourable gentleman to

be sensitive to time. What we want

is a long spiel but a short question

with a question mark at the end.

Jackie Daniels received a game hood

for turning around Morecambe bay

trust, very positive, along with the

staff -- received a damehood. Could

the Prime Minister wish Jackie well?

I'm happy to join my honourable

friend in paying tribute to the work

of the staff at the Morecambe Bay

trust, and in particular to wish

Dame Jackie well and to pay tribute

for the work she has done in turning

that trust around. It's another

example of the huge gratitude we owe

to the NHS staff who worked so

tirelessly on our behalf.

Can I wish

you, all staff and members a good

New Year. The government's EU

Withdrawal Bill is simply not fit

for purpose, and it must be changed.

These are not my words, these are

the words of the honourable member

for East Renfrewshire. Does the

Prime Minister agree with her

colleague that we must amend clause

11, which is nothing more than a

power grab from Scotland?

The

honourable gentleman knows full well

that we have said we will look to

improve clause 11. Indeed, if he was

in his place when my right

honourable friend, the Chancellor of

the Jack Stephens Ashbrook of the

Chancellor of the Duchy of

Lancaster, answered questions

earlier, he made it clear that we

would continue to look to amend

clause 11. We are however, as we

discussed before Christmas, we are

looking to work with the devolved

administrations to ensure we put the

right frameworks in place so that,

when we come to bring any amendment

forward, it is done in the best

possible way, in the interests of

all concerned. I thought that has

been accepted by the SNP, but we

will be looking to bring forward

amendments in the Lords.

That simply

isn't good enough. The Secretary of

State for Scotland promised a power

bonanza for Scotland and, crucially,

amendments would be tabled ahead of

next week's debate. Yesterday it was

revealed that no amendments would be

launched. The Tories always promised

Scotland everything and deliver

nothing. The Prime Minister has one

last chance. Will she assure the

house that these amendments will be

tabled ahead of next week, as

promised?

The SNP say they want to

work with us on the frameworks, the

future frameworks, and we are doing

exactly that. They say they want

clause 11 amended, and we are doing

exactly that. My right honourable

friend is intensifying his

discussions with the Scottish

Government and, indeed, with Wales,

as part of this. We will be bringing

forward amendments. At the

honourable gentleman says this is a

government that never delivers for

Scotland. £2 billion extra as a

result of the budget? That is

delivering for Scotland.

Speaking of

delivering for Scotland, Eastleigh

and Clackmannanshire city regime

deal is a massive investment in

Scotland's economy. -- Stirling and

Clackmannanshire. With projects like

the UK institute for art and

culture, and a national centre which

will have a UK wide impact. Will the

Prime Minister confirmed to me today

now that the UK Government is ready

to sign off the agreement with the

Scottish Government and the local

councils so that we can get to work?

I am very happy to give that

commitment to my honourable friend

and to say this is another example

of this is a government delivering

for Scotland. I know the importance

of this particular deal, Stirling

and Clackmannanshire. It will be

transformative. My honourable friend

has transformed this cause --

championed this cause since he was

elected, he is doing a great job for

his constituents and we are working

to get agreement as quickly as

possible.

I have been contacted by

11 constituents who are frightened

and many of them suicidal because

they have been told by Ivor Hull or

East Riding CCG that they're

desperately needed pain infusion

treatment will be stopped. This is

the cruel reality of the NHS having

to Russian treatment due to funding

cuts. Will the Prime Minister

personally intervene to ensure that

Hull and East Riding CCG review

their decision and guarantee them

the additional funding to allow them

to deliver it?

We are putting extra

money into the NHS. We are not

cutting funding for the NHS. CCGs

will be taking individual decisions

about how they apportion their

funding, but to stand up and suggest

we are cutting funding to the NHS is

plain wrong.

Telford is a rapidly

growing new town, where thousands of

new houses are built every year, and

people come to Telford to buy their

home on a new build estate and live

their dreams. But, for far too many,

the reality is unfinished communal

areas, an adopted roads,

non-compliance with section 106,

developers failing to take

responsibility, and the local

passing the buck. Colleagues across

the health see similar problems in

their constituencies. Will the prime

ministers agree to strengthen the

rights of homeowners on new build

estate so that people can come to

Telford or any other new-build area

and by a new-build home, confident

they can live their dream?

Yes, I am

happy to say to my honourable

friend, of course, we recognise the

concern that she has raised. I think

it was a similar issue that the

honourable member for Weaver Vale

was racing in the first question he

asked. I understand it is Telford's

50th anniversary, I congratulate

Telford on that. We are committed to

legislating in relation to the

factors she has identified, because

it is only fair that freeholders

should have the same rights as

leaseholders to challenge the

service charges they are submitted

to.

On a scale between one to ten,

how does the Prime Minister think

that Brexit is going, with ten being

purposely, we know what we want to

achieve and how to get it, and one

being chaotic cluelessness? I know

what I would give the Prime

Minister, but what would she give

herself?

Can I say to the honourable

gentleman...

Order! Let me just say

to the honourable gentleman, who I

have known for a long time, I think,

when he comes to reflect on his

conduct, he will know he can do

better than that. Prime Minister.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Can I say to

the honourable gentleman that I

think anybody who saw the success we

had in negotiating phase one of

Brexit and getting that sufficient

progress will say that actually this

is a government that knows what it

is doing, it's getting on with the

job and it's doing well.

Environmentalists across the UK were

absolutely delighted with the

announcement of cooperation with the

Woodland Trust to develop the new

northern forest. Will the Prime

Minister give assurances that plans

to create new landscapes will not

obscure the need to protect existing

areas of outstanding natural beauty,

come and will she confirm her

commitment to protect the Chilterns

AOM B as we pursue the government's

economic and housing development

plans?

I would like to congratulate

my honourable friend on becoming a

game. It is very well deserved. I

can assure her that we are

continuing to commit to root AONBs

and, as regards the Chilterns, I

enjoy walking in the Chilterns, I

recognise the value of that

particular environment, and we are

committed to protecting AONBs.

Thank

you, Mr Speaker. I was a teacher and

a head teacher for 34 years, so know

that I speak on behalf of thousands

of teachers and support staff when I

ask, Prime Minister, in light of the

recent announcement of a falling

teacher training applications by a

third, will the government listen to

professionals and fully and fairly

fund our schools and colleges, and

the toxic culture of targets and

tests, deliver a broad and balanced

curriculum, and most of all, return

the joy of teaching and learning

back to our classrooms?

Can I say to

the honourable lady that we are

putting record sums of money into

our schools. We are ensuring... More

than that, we are ensuring that we

are seeing increasing standards in

our schools. That is why today their

1.9 million more children in good or

outstanding schools than in 2010 and

I hope she would welcome that.

The

Prime Minister will be aware there

was great potential in the

south-west to increase prosperity

and productivity, and would she

confirm how her government will be

backing the south-west, in

particular, the need to invest in

roads, rail and digital

infrastructure?

My honourable friend

is right, and he is a great champion

for the needs of the south-west, and

we want to increase prosperity of

productivity there and across the

country, but we are taking some

particular steps. Obviously, across

the country, we are committing

significant sums of money in

relation to infrastructure

investment, road investment

strategy, and we are committed to

creating an expressway to the

south-west. I think this will be

part of an important development,

investing more than 400 million into

the rail network in the area, and

over 600,000 homes and businesses in

the south-west now have access to

superfast broadband, as a result of

our programme. There is more we can

do for the region and I look forward

to working with my honourable friend

in doing that.

The Health Secretary

said that the government wanted to

be the best in the world for cancer

diagnosis, treatment and care.

Today, according to a memo from the

head of chemotherapy at Oxford

Churchill hospital, terminally ill

cancer patients will have their

chemotherapy cut because of a

massive shortfall in specialist

nurses. Would the Prime Minister

apologised to cancer patients and

their families for this appalling

situation?

I say to the honourable

lady that the trust has made clear

there are no plans to delay the

start of chemotherapy treatment or

reduce the number of cycles given to

cancer patients. What Simon seasons

Leeds Stevens has said is happening

is that, over the past three years,

the highest cancer survival rates

ever, and latest figures show an

estimated 7000 more people surviving

cancer, after successful NHS cancer

treatment compared to three years

prior, and we see 3200 more

diagnostic and therapeutic

radiographers than in 2010, so we

will continue to look at this and we

will continue to put the funding in

that enables us to improve treatment

for cancer patients.

With record

funding, our NHS is doing more than

ever, but when the UK is in the

bottom third of countries for heart

attack deaths, when we have

significantly worse survival for

strokes and in France and Germany,

and when our closest match for

cancer survival is Poland, isn't it

time to act across this house, back

this week by the Centre for Policy

Studies, to establish a royal

commission on health and social

care, in the 70th anniversary year

of our most cherished national

institution?

My honourable friend is

right that we need to continue to

look at the NHS and ensure that we

are continuing to improve the

performance in a variety of areas.

The independent Commonwealth fund

has been clear that the NHS is the

best health service in the world,

it's better than systems in Germany

and France in a list of other

countries that I quoted earlier, but

of course we need to do more to look

at what we can do, and that is why

we are putting in more funding and

looking at the better integration of

health and social care underground.

It's about making sure we make a

change now and doing that

integration now, because that is

when it will make a difference to

people.

The Prime Minister said

she'd reshuffled her ministers so

they looked more like the country

they seek to represent. I am not

quite sure about that, but in that

spirit, would she acknowledge the

massive problems we have with the

private rented sector, with absentee

private landlords? And will she

commit to come and visit Easington

to give her an appreciation of the

scale of the problems facing many

working-class communities? In the

spirit of goodwill, would she

support and give free passage to the

bill on homes fit for habitation

being promoted by my honourable

friend for Westminster North?

I say

to the honourable gentleman that I

have fond memories of the time I

spent in the north-east when I was a

candidate, but we do need to ensure

that we have a good private rented

sector in this country. I have to

say to him that the one set of

policies which would damage the

private rented sector is the set of

policies put forward by his Leader

of the Opposition.

I was delighted

to hear the Environment Secretary

last week confirming this

government's commitment to

supporting farmers after we leave

the EU. Can my right honourable

friend assure me that, when

designing a future system, the

unique needs of Scottish farmers and

crofters will be taken into account

in any such new system?

My

honourable friend is right that, as

we leave the European Union, we will

be able to put in place our own

policy of support for farmers. We

want that to be a policy that

recognises the particular needs of

farmers across all parts of the UK,

and that will include the needs of

farmers in Scotland. My constituency

office and local citizens advice

bureau are receiving ever-increasing

complaints about Pip claims.

Assessments are being refused and

65% of claims are overturned at

tribunal. This means that tribune is

taking longer, anything between four

seven months. Can I ask the Prime

Minister if she agrees that the

assessment service is flawed, and

what she can do to help avoid

unnecessary stress and hardship

being caused to my constituents and

those across the country?

I

understand the point the honourable

gentleman is taking about ensuring,

as we want to, that these

assessments are conducted as well as

they can be, and that people are

getting the awards that they in fact

should be getting and are entitled

to. In fact, since we introduced the

personal independence payment, we

have carried out around 2.9 million

assessments. 8% of those have been

appealed, but only 4% of those

decisions are changed following an

appeal, and in the majority of cases

it's because new evidence is

presented at the Peel than was

presented when the original case was

put forward. -- presented at the

appeal. The DWP continues to look at

ensuring that, when assessments are

made, they are done properly and

people get the right results.

My

constituent Justin Bartholomew was

just 25 when he committed suicide

late last year. His family are

convinced is intake of high energy

drinks over 15 cans a day, increased

his anxiety and contributed to his

death. Given the increased safety

concerns around the high energy

drink market and the actions of

people like Jamie Oliver and

Waitrose, would the Prime Minister

consider introducing a national ban

on the sale of these energy drinks

for the under 16 's?

My honourable

friend has raised a tragic case, and

I know the thoughts and sympathies

of the whole house will be with

family and friends of Justin

Bartholomew. We have introduced the

soft drinks industry levy and

recognise that the issues around

drinks that are high in sugar, and

we know that those drinks can be

damaging to children's health. We

are supporting schools and parents

to make healthier choices and to be

able to identify those through

clearer labelling and campaigns, but

this is an issue that the Department

of Health and social care will

continue to look at, and they will

continue to look at the scientific

evidence in relation to these

drinks.

I have a constituent that

escaped an abusive relationship and

has been passed from pillar to post

between a support agency and new

child maintenance service. After

four and half years, she has been

told by the CMS that she has to

start the process all over again

and, on top of that, they are

insisting she passes on a personal

and bank details to her ex-partner

to receive payment. We were promised

agreed to help me resolve this

problem, -- will the Prime Minister

agree to help me resolve this, and

look at the system that is allowed

this situation to develop?

I

recognise that there are

arrangements in place which would

ensure that an individual would not,

as I understand it, have to pass

their bank details on directly. The

fact that her constituent has been

asked to do that should be looked

into, and I'm sure that if she

passes those details to the

appropriate department they will

look into it.

Does the Prime

Minister welcomed the findings of

the social research survey that the

majority of Scots believe the rules

on trade and immigration should be

the same in Scotland as in the rest

of the UK? It looks like they agree

we are better together.

I think my

honourable friend has raised an

important point. People across the

UK want to see controlled

immigration, and that is people in

Scotland as well as the rest of the

UK. As we leave the we will be able

to introduce our own immigration

rules and control that immigration

to Britain from Europe. The only

point of differentiation is that we

have a Scotland only shortage

occupation list to recognise the

particular labour market needs in

Scotland but, for the most part,

that has matched the UK wide

shortage occupation list, and I

think that shows this is an issue

for the whole UK and we need the

same policy approach.

In March 2005

in an interview, the Prime Minister

said, not getting things done and

seen people's lives hurt by

government bureaucracy makes her

depressed. In light of this comment,

can the Prime Minister tell me

whether she considered it reasonable

and acceptable for the DVLA to

withhold my constituent, Mr Coleman

toss license for over 18 months, is

despite evidence showing he was fit

and able to drive, as she has not

responded to my letter the 5th of

December?

I will ensure that the

honourable lady receives a response

to that letter. She has raised a

particular case in this house and

I'll need to look at the details,

and I will respond to the letter.

Last week, 230 job losses were

announced in my constituency, which

is devastating for Loftus and the

community, where the mine is the

largest employer. Local members are

agreed it would be incredibly

helpful if some of the funds

remaining for the 2015 SSI rescue

package could be we furnished to

support people here? Will the Prime

Minister agreed to look into this

with the Business Secretary and will

she commit that agencies will do

everything they can to support

people affected?

My honourable

friend is right to raise this case

and it's obviously a worrying time

for the workers affected by the

announcement for Cleveland potash,

and I say to him that we will be

helping people find other work in

supporting people affected through

the DWP's rapid response service,

and we will coordinate with the Tees

valley combined authority to ensure

that we are working together to get

the best possible support and make

sure that support is aligned. The

department for business, energy and

industrial strategy will look at the

situation is the specific issue he

has raised.

Ava has been a foster

carer for years. When her privately

rented home failed the electrical

certificate needed to continue

fostering, a landlord evicted her

because he didn't want to do the

repairs. So now she and the kids are

living in council temporary

accommodation in a converted

warehouse in the middle of a working

industrial estate in Mitcham, and

the same council who plays her there

are going to withdraw her right to

foster because her accommodation

isn't good enough. Can the Prime

Minister tell Ava, kids in care who

need foster carers and the

overworked British taxpayer how this

makes sense?

As the honourable lady sets it out,

it doesn't appear to make sense we

will be losing somebody who has been

a foster carer. I would pay tribute

to the work her constituent has done

in foster caring. We owe a debt of

gratitude to those who care as

foster parents and I'm sure has she

has raised this, the local council

will want to look at this again.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. While most of

us were celebrating over New Year,

the crews of Poole-based tug and the

lifeboats were battling seas and

70mph winds off the coast of Dorset

to prevent a cargo ship from being

blown on to the rocks. Thanks to the

skill of the tug's crew and the tow

was fixed. Will she join me in

praising those involved, not least

the volunteers.

I'm happy to do

that. Both the tug crews and those

in the RNLI. Those volunteers in the

RNLI do a fantastic job around the

coastlines and we owe them a huge

debt of gratitude.