14/03/2018 Prime Minister's Questions

investment is taking place across

the north Wales network, signalling,

but I also think any addition to the

debate is interesting and we look at

those in due course.

Questions to the Prime Minister.

Members will also have seen reports

of a number of suspicious packages

targeting Muslim members. I am sure

the whole house will join in

condemning this app horror and

behaviour that has no place in our

society. I can tell the House an

investigation is under way and steps

are being taken to bring the

perpetrators to justice. I will make

a statement following PMQs updating

the house on the Salisbury incident.

This morning I had meetings, in

addition to my duties in this House

I will have further meetings today.

I want to thank the Prime Minister

for agreeing to meet with me to

discuss the work of the cross-party

use violence commission. Youth

violence is complex and needs

long-term solutions but some things

can be done now, such as legislating

to ensure all knives and sharp

instruments in shops are knocked

away or stored behind counters,

ensuring no one can steal them and

use them.

Will she do this? The honourable

lady raises an important issue. This

is a complex problem and we need to

ensure we have long-term solutions.

The Home Secretary will publish a

strategy that will put emphasis on

interventions early with young

people. It is important we have

tough legislation, but we need to

work in partnership with retailers.

We have consulted on measures

including restrictions on knives

sold online and in 2016 we reached a

voluntary agreement with major

retailers about how knives were

displayed and training given to

staff to support action to tackle

knife crime. She is right to raise

this as a concern.

On the subject of Northern Ireland,

does the Prime Minister stand-by

commitments made in the joint report

of December and will she confirm we

will accept nothing that will

undermine the integrity of the

United Kingdom.

Can I confirm that we stand by all

commitments we made in December. We

have been clear our preferred option

is to deliver them through the new

partnership with the EU with

solutions to address the unique

circumstances in Northern Ireland if

needed. The work we are undertaking

will include that on the final

so-called backdrop that will form

part of the agreement. I cannot

approve the text the commission

proposes. We stand ready to work

with commission and Irish

governments to ensure all

commitments are included in the

withdrawal agreement.

I along with the Prime Minister

absolutely condemn the vile messages

and threatening packages that have

been sent to Muslim members of the

house. Also the rise in Islamophobia

and abusive messages sent to Muslim

families all over the country. It

has to be condemned by all, as we

condemn anybody who attempts to

divide our country by racism or

extremism. We have to stand united

with any community under threat at

any time. I am sure the house will

join me in supporting what the Prime

Minister said about Stephen Hawking,

one of the most acclaimed scientists

of his generation who helped us to

understand about the world and

universe and was also concerned

about peace and the survival of the

world, and also a passionate

campaigner for the NHS. He said, I

have received excellent medical

attention in Britain. I believe in

universal health care and I am not

afraid to say so. If we believe in

universal health care, how can it be

possible someone lives and works in

this country, pays taxes, but is

denied access to the NHS for

life-saving cancer treatment?

Can the Prime Minister explain? I

join with him in saying there is no

place in society for hate crime or

racism. We should stand united

against such behaviour and

activities. Can I say to him that we

do ensure, and I am pleased we have

a good record on cancer provision we

make. We see more people surviving

cancer as a result of changes and

developments in the NHS, than ever

before. We works to ensure the

situation we are... The treatments

we are making available of the best

we can. I am not aware of the case

the right honourable gentleman

raises. But we do want to ensure all

those who are entitled to service

and treatment through the NHS are

able to achieve it. There are

questions around particular drug is

made available to individuals, which

we continue to look at.

I will be

writing to the Prime Minister about

the case. It is a man who has lived

in this country for 44 years, worked

and paid his taxes. He is an older

gentleman and is now denied cancer

treatment. I suspect he is not alone

and I urge her to discuss this with

the Home Office and others. I

received a letter from Hillary, a

British pensioner, and it goes to

the point the Prime Minister just

said, and she says, I am now having

to pay for my thyroid medication

because the CCG needs to save money.

I have worked all my life, paid

National Insurance and this is not

fair. Last March the Health

Secretary said it is essential we

get back to the 95% target for

accident and emergency waiting times

and he said it should happen, I

quote, in the course of the next

calendar year. The calendar year is

up, can she explain why this is no

longer possible?

On the individual

case I look forward to receiving

details from the right honourable

gentleman. May I take the

opportunity of reminding him I think

he raised a case about Georgina with

me last October and has not written

to me about that.

So... As I say, I look forward to

receiving the details of the case he

has just set out. What we have done

in relation to cancer treatment is

ensure there are more tests taking

place. We see more people being seen

by specialists for suspected cancer

and more people starting treatment

for cancer which is why I say we

have seen an improvement in cancer

treatment available in this country,

and in relation to accident and

emergency, we have more doctors

working in accident and emergency

and we have put more money in, for

winter pressures and to ensure

accident and emergency departments

can provide treatment right for the

patient before them, because for

some, they do not need to be

admitted to hospital, they need to

see a GP. We are working with the

NHS to ensure the treatment patients

receive is right for them.

My

understanding is Georgina's case was

resolved before. Following my

raising it here. If nothing else, Mr

Speaker, it proves the power of

Parliament. Key A&E waiting targets

have not been met since 2015. NHS

managers say they will not be met

until 2019, and February was the

worst ever month for accident and

emergency performances. The NHS

providers director said, this is the

first time we have had to accept the

NHS will not meet its key

constitutional standards, if we want

to provide quality of care, we need

the right long-term financial

settlement. The NHS is clearly in

crisis, so why was there not a penny

extra for the NHS in yesterday's

statement by the Chancellor?

We did

not wait until yesterday's Spring

statement to announce more money, we

announced it in the budget last

autumn. As a result of that the NHS

is getting £2.5 billion more in the

forthcoming financial year and more

to fund the nurses' pay settlement

when resolved.

Under Labour, the 18

week target for nonurgent operations

was in place. The target has been

abandoned by the Prime Minister.

When will it be reinstated? The

right honourable gentleman talks

under Labour things were being

delivered, perhaps he might look to

see what Labour are doing in Wales.

The latest annual data shows when

looking at 12 hour waiting times in

A&E that 3.4% of patients waited

over 12 hours in Wales, compared to

1.3% in England. If he wants to talk

about meeting targets he should talk

to a Labour government in Wales.

NHS

England abandoned the A&E targets

until April 20 19. It is a bit rich

for the Prime Minister to be

scaremongering about Wales when she

has abandoned targets in England. A

recent...

Order. Lots of questions

to get through.

A recent report

states NHS funding will fall by 0.3%

in 2019. People'slives are at stake.

Is the Prime Minister really saying

A&E doctors are wrong, NHS managers

are wrong, Royal colleges are wrong,

health unions are wrong, and

actually it is only she who knows

best about the NHS?

Can I point out

to the right honourable gentleman,

he talks about scaremongering in

Wales, I was pointing out the facts

about what is happening in the NHS

in Wales. That is why we do see

people in Wales often trying to get

treatment in England, rather than in

Wales. Can I also say, we are

putting more money into the NHS, but

what you need in order to be able to

do that is to ensure you have a

strong economy to provide the money

for the National Health Service.

What we know about Labour's

policies, it would cause a run on

the pound, cause a crash on the

economy and there would be less

money for the NHS.

When people are

dying because of overcrowding and

long waiting in hospitals I think

the Prime Minister should get a grip

on it and ensure the NHS now has the

money it needs to deal with the

patient demands. In a recent

interview the Health Secretary said

of NHS staff, when they signed up to

go into medicine, they knew there

would be pressurised moments. What

they also expected was a

recognition, annual pay rise,

without cuts in paid leave, proper

funding for the NHS. When there are

100,000 unfilled posts, clearly not

enough staff around them to share

the burden. We started with

Professor Stephen Hawking who said a

few months ago, there is

overwhelming evidence that NHS

funding and the number of doctors

and nurses are inadequate, and it is

getting worse.

Does she agree with

Professor Hawking? I am very happy

to point out facts. We have 14,900

more doctors in the NHS, we have

almost 13,900 more nurses working on

our wards, why did we put an

emphasis on nurses working in our

awards? Because of what we saw under

the Labour government in Mid

Staffordshire. And I say this, what

we need to do to ensure we can

provide the funding for the NHS, and

we are providing record levels of

funding for the NHS, is to ensure we

take a balanced approach to the

economy, an approach that deals with

debts, keeps taxes low on working

families, and puts more money into

public services like hospitals and

schools. Labour's approach would

increase debt and mean less money

for schools and hospitals, and it

would mean higher taxes for ordinary

working people because what we know

about the Labour Party, it is always

ordinary people who paid the price

of Labour.

Last week's launch of a consultation

on all aspects of domestic violence

will be widely welcomed in

Gloucester and across the country,

so will the Prime Minister, who has

done so much on these issues,

confirmed today that the Government

intends to increase spending, bed

provision and, when Cesare, women's

refuges so that those who have

survived get the help and save haven

they deserve?

My honourable friend

has raised a very important issue,

which I have not only given

considerable attention to but my

right honourable friend the Home

Secretary continues to follow. It is

a very important point. We are

entirely committed to developing a

sustainable funding model for

refugees. -- refugees. I can

guarantee that funding will continue

to refuges at a similar level to

today because I know how important

it is to people at a time of crisis.

We will increase the funding for

short-term supported housing overall

including Refuges indefinitely,

which means no refuge should worry

about closing or have any doubts

about our commitment to ensuring we

find a sustainable model for them.

Thank you, Mr spigot it can I

associate myself with the remarks of

the Prime Minister and the Labour

Party leader about Islam phobia and

our thoughts are with the family and

friends of doctor Steven Holker in.

Mr Speaker, four months the devolved

administrations have been waiting

for the devolved straight to table

amendments to close 11. On Monday

bees long awaited amendments were

published but without the agreement

of the devolved governments. Can the

Prime Minister Talbot House why

these amendments have been forced on

the devolved administrations?

Can I

say to him, in one sentence he says

he was waiting for this amendment,

and the reason we were taking time

is because we were talking with the

Scottish Government and the Welsh

Government, and when we do publish,

we -- he complains that we have

published it. You need to get his

sorry state it

I would encourage the

Prime Minister to listen to the

question because it was a about

agreement. The Prime Minister

famously claimed that the UK was

made up of equal partners. What an

irony, now that she is overseeing

the demolition of the demolition

settlement. In 1997, the Tories were

happy to oppose the re-establishment

of the Scottish Parliament. Things

haven't changed. Now in 2018 they

are happy to systematically

destroyed the settlement that the

parliament provides for. Can I call

upon the Prime Minister once again -

stop this attack on devolution and

redouble your efforts in working

with the devolved administrations

and finding agreement.

This is a

government that has given more

powers to the Scottish Government,

this is a government that will be

giving more powers to the Scottish

Government, significant extra powers

will be devolved to the Scottish and

Welsh Government as a result of the

decisions we are taking around

Brexit. But we have given more

powers, including, of course, the

tax-raising powers. It is just a

pity that the Scottish Nationalists

have chosen to use their tax-raising

powers on people earning £26,000 or

more.

Horsham last week held an

apprenticeship there, hailed as a

success. Since 2010 there has been a

70% reduction in youth unemployment.

Nationally we see increasing

exports, increasing productivity,

increasing real wages. Were right

honourable friend remind the House

that it is that sustained economic

performance that underpins our

investment in our value public

services?

Can I commend Horsham for

holding an apprenticeship there. It

is important we give young people an

opportunity for those

apprenticeships but he is right, we

can only fund those public services

if we have the strength and our

economy providing the income to

enable us to do that. In the last

few weeks we have seen money factory

output which has grown for several

months for the first time since

1968. We have seen the best two

quarters of productivity growth

since the financial crisis and the

lowest year-to-date net borrowing

since 2008 and employment near a

record high. That is what

Conservatives are doing, delivering

a strong economy, new jobs,

healthier finances, an economy that

is really fit for the future. Mr

Speaker, last week GKN workers came

to Parliament, typically 2530 years'

service, their mums and dads before

them working for a British

engineering icon 259 years old. Sat

opposite were the three fabulously

wealthy owners of Melrose,

determined to stage a hostile

takeover of their company, break it

up and sell it off. Can I ask the

Prime Minister this - she told

parliament she would at a national

interest. The next ten days will

decide the future. Wushu use the

powers she has two intervened to

block this hostile takeover in the

British national interest?

I say to

the honourable gentleman, as he

knows, the Business Secretary has

been speaking to both of these

companies on an impartial basis. We

will always act in the UK national

interest. Actually, it is under this

government that we've seen the

changes introduced to the takeover

code to provide greater transparency

to give target firms more time to

respond. There are a narrow range of

scenarios where ministers can

intervene on mergers on public

interest grounds but we will always

act in the national interest.

3157

medical students are going into

general practice this year, which is

excellent news. But we are still

losing too many experienced GPs in

their mid-50s due to the tax

penalties on their old pension

scheme. Would be Government look at

a targeted, time-limited exemption

on this dedicated group of

commissions who do so much for the

health of us all?

This is an

important point. As he will know,

experienced senior hospital doctors

and GPs who become a member of the

National Health Service pensions

scheme benefit from one of the best

defined benefit occupational health

schemes and we provide generous tax

relief stoop allow everyone to build

up a pension pot worth just over £1

million tax-free but the issue he is

raising is that GPs are not

penalised if they work after age 55

but many may have exhausted the

generous allowance for tax relief

that is available by that time. But

I can say to the honourable friend

that the Chancellor of the Exchequer

was listening to a question that he

raised.

The 13th of April this year

represents the 99th anniversary of a

massacre in India, in which more

than 1000 peaceful protesters were

murdered by soldiers under the

command of general Dire. Will the

Prime Minister join me in

commemorating the massacre and meet

with me and others campaigning for

this shameful episode to be

remembered across the UK?

The

honourable gentleman has raised a

very specific issue and a very

specific point and I will be happy

to look at the question he has

raised with me and respond in

writing.

In my constituency,

Farnborough in the borough of

Rushmore, is the birthplace of

British aviation and now home to a

thriving range of aviation,

aerospace and other businesses. Will

the Prime Minister join me in

extending our best wishes to the

Zephyr team as they look forward to

making a world record breaking

attempt for high altitude unmanned

aviation?

I'm very happy to join

with my honourable friend in wishing

all the very best to the Zephyr team

in the attempt they are making but

he is right that his constituency

plays a very crucial role in the

aerospace industry and I am pleased

to say that we are continuing to

work with that industry through the

aerospace growth partnership, to

ensure that we can further enhance

that industry and we wish the Zephyr

team well.

UK has the lowest growth

in the G7, so why is the Government

's answer to this to give hand-outs

to the wealthiest bankers to fund an

already lavish lifestyle, paid for

by taking the crumbs off the table

of those on Universal Credit, whose

children depend on free school

meals?

First of all, the honourable

gentleman might not have noticed

that the wealthiest 1% people in

this country are now paying the

biggest share of tax, 28%, than they

ever did under a Labour government.

If he is referring to the bank levy,

can I also say to him, it was the

Conservative Party that introduced

the bank levy that has raised £15

billion and is predicted to raise a

further £11 billion that we can

spend on public services. It is the

Conservative government that is

changing the way we do it so we do

it in a better way, so in future we

will be raising nearly £19 billion

extra from the banks over the next

five years. That is £3 billion more

money from the banks to be spent on

public services.

Great British food

is produced by hard-working farming

families in this country. As we

produce the new British agricultural

policy, does my right honourable

friend agree with me that supporting

food production in this country is a

public good?

I'm very happy to agree

with my honourable friend. The

importance of food production in

this country... I am also happy to

commend the work of hard-working

farmers up and down the country, but

also all those who work in our food

production industry and we now have,

as he will know, a historic

opportunity as we leave the EU to

deliver a farming policy that is

going to work for the whole

industry.

Just minutes ago, Facebook

announced that they will be taking

down several pages associated with

the extremist group Britain First.

Does the primaries to join me in

welcoming that, but does she not

also accept that Benny is to be a

clear rule provided by government to

give guidance to social media

companies on how they operate in our

democracy

I certainly welcome at

announcement by Facebook and I'm

pleased to say that my right

honourable friend the Home Secretary

has been working with these

companies to ensure that they do do

more, act more clearly in taking

down material of an extremist

nature, but I'm very pleased to

welcome the announcement that

Facebook has made and I hope other

companies will follow.

May I first

congratulate the Prime Minister on

her pioneering work in fighting

modern day slavery. However, has she

been advised that the central plank

of her law enforcement policy is not

working? With 65 prosecutions of

traffickers abandoned last year

because of victim fear as to their

safety and no reparations orders to

compensate victims for the ordeal is

made against convicted traffickers?

I thank the raising what is a very

important issue. In fact, at the

meeting that I chaired recently in a

matter of two weeks ago, I think it

was, of the Modern Slavery Bill task

force that I have brought together

to bring people from across

government but also from law

enforcement, from the judiciary...

Sorry, from criminal justice more

generally, and from others to look

at how we are working on this, we

are looking at prosecutions and how

we can ensure that more prosecutions

go ahead in future and perpetrators

are brought to justice.

Shockingly

in this country, in 2017, there were

2120 children who were identified as

being a potential victims of child

slavery. I know the Prime Minister's

personal commitment to tackling this

issue but surely we ought to have

more data. We have no idea how many

of those children go missing, we

have no idea how many are deported

and we have no idea how many are

trafficked again. In this country in

2018, a modern democracy, that isn't

to not good enough. Can the Prime

Minister tell us what she will do

about that?

He has raised a very

important issue and it has for a

long time where children identified

as the victims of slavery and human

trafficking, and when sometimes we

do see them, sadly, being in a

position where they are then able to

be taken out by traffickers and

resubmitted to the horrible

circumstances that that brings to

them. Just on the point that he is

making about asylum and deportation,

we don't return unaccompanied

children who don't qualify for

asylum or humanitarian protection

unless we can confirm that there are

safe and adequate reception

programmes and arrangements in place

in their home country, and if we

can't confirm such arrangements we

grant temporary leave up until the

child is 17.5. We confirmed our

commitment to roll out independent

child trafficking advocates across

the country. This is a system we

piloted previously, which will give

support to those child victims to

ensure they are given the support

they need and they don't fall back

into the hands of traffickers.

Like

many towns and cities across the

country, Telford has had some

experiences of distressing cases of

child sexual exploitation. The

authorities in Telford have now

agreed to conduct an independent

inquiry to find out what happened

and to give victims answers. Will my

right honourable friend join me in

congratulating two brave women,

campaigner Holly archer and Sunday

Mirror journalist Geraldine McKelvey

for their working bringing this

about and will she do everything

possible to ensure this inquiry

starts without delay and leaves no

stone unturned?

I think we have all been shocked by

the horrific case we have seen in

Telford or some of the most

vulnerable being preyed upon by

ruthless criminals.

Sadly this is

not the first example we have seen

taking place across our country. I

am happy to join my honourable

friend in congratulating Holly and

Geraldine for their work. It is not

easy but it is right they have

brought this to light and action can

be taken and I am pleased the

authorities will conduct an enquiry.

It is important it begins its work

in order to get to the truth does it

as quickly as possible. I understand

my honourable friend will meet

Parliamentary Under Secretary for

crime, safeguarding and

vulnerability to discuss this.

Shortly after the Prime Minister

took office she said she wanted to

put the government on the side of

the poorest in society. She even

stood in front of a crumbling sign

that said she wanted a country that

works for everyone, but with the

recent IFS report stating 37% of

children are set to live in poverty

by 2022, what went wrong, Prime

Minister?

We have seen 200,000 fewer

children living in absolute poverty

under this government. We continue

to take action to ensure we are

helping families get a regular

income by helping people into work,

we are ensuring the lowest paid get

that pay increase, through

increasing the national living wage,

and ensuring we help people with the

standard of living by cutting taxes

for 31 million people.

Is she aware

the inspirational music man project

in Southend that works with people

who have learning difficulties has

now set a world record for tinkling

of the most number of triangles

ever? Does my right honourable

friend agree that is yet another

reason why Southend should be made a

city, and will she please now

organise a contest with her

honourable friends so that Southend

becomes the first post Brexit city?

I am very happy to congratulate the

music man project in Southend for

the record achieved in tinkling

triangles. I am sure he has heard

his bid for Southend to become a

city. I have to say that of course

there will be a number of members of

the house who will put forward their

own towns for that accolade. I knew

a city had to have a cathedral, I

did not know it had to have tinkling

triangles and!

The Prime Minister

will be aware the notorious rapist

John Worboys was released from high

security prison. One of my

constituents who gave evidence at

his trial as a victim wants to know

why he was not tested first in open

prison conditions, and why the

parole board is not required to

publish the reasoning behind its

release decisions, including

evidence of contrition?

There is a

case before the courts at the moment

and I understand as part of the case

the parole board will be required to

explain the reasons why they took

the decision but in terms of the

overall issue of parole board

decisions, when this decision became

clear, my right honourable friend

the then Justice Secretary called

for work to be done which is being

continued under the current Justice

Secretary to look at the question of

decisions and transparency around

them.

Thank you. I am immensely

proud to have the world's leading

teaching hospital of Adam Brookes in

my constituency. Their excellence

means they rely heavily on doctors

from overseas but of late have

struggled to bring doctors in

because of restrictions on visa

numbers and with applications

reducing, it is a problem. Can you

reassure me and Adam -- the

hospital?

I am aware of that

particular issue. In the longer

term, one of the things we are doing

is to ensure we can train more

doctors in the UK but I am aware of

the issue she has raised.

I will

look into it. Last year the Prime

Minister acknowledged our social

care system is broken and promised

to fix it. Since then two care

providers in Crewe and Nantwich have

been placed in special measures and

another is worried it may close

because of a lack of funding. What

do she say to providers whose state

the local government settlement does

not go far enough and they cannot

afford to wait for the government

green paper?

I would say that as she

will know, I have always said there

were short-term measures that needed

to be taken in terms of pressure on

social care and medium and long-term

measures. In the short-term we have

provided more funding, 2 billion

extra was announced by the

Chancellor. We are seeing more money

going into social care in local

authorities. In the medium term we

need to assure best practice is

spread across the country and we

also need to ensure we can develop a

long-term sustainable funding model

and that is what we continue to work

on.

It is sadly a matter of public

record that RBS and HBOS

deliberately asset stripped

thousands of potentially viable

businesses to benefit their own bank

or bankers. Evidence before the High

Court indicates Lloyds might also

beat guilty of the same. Would she

considered the cause of the

all-party group for their business

banking, which has been endorsed by

the chief executive Andrew Bailey

for a public inquiry into this

disgraceful scandal?

This is an

issue of concern to many. Small

businesses the backbone of the

economy and we need to ensure we

learn lessons from what happened at

RBS and HBOS. The SCA has reported

areas of widespread inappropriate

treatment of firms by RBS, who

apologised and set up a compensation

scheme for victims. There an

investigation conducted by the SCA

into RBS and also they are

undertaking separate investigations

into HBOS but we will continue to

work with the regulator and industry

to ensure small and medium

businesses get the support they

need.

Since Christmas there have

been five high-profile gun crimes in

Haringey, including last Thursday

when a 19-year-old young man was

shot in the head with the Marx man

on the back of the mopeds, to the

entrance of the cinema inward green.

We know our streets are plagued by

knife crime, now the intent to kill

with a gun takes the epidemic to a

new level. It cannot go one. Will

the Prime Minister meet with me and

community leaders to put an end to

this epidemic of gun crime?

I

suggest she meets with the Home

Secretary who will publish a

strategy in relation to this issue

of serious violence that takes

place. We are concerned about... The

use of mopeds has been used for

snatching amasses what we have been

looking at and working on with the

police but on the issue of gun

crime, I am sure my right honourable

friend will meet her.

Could I agree

entirely with what the member said,

the Prime Minister has done more

than anyone to end the terrible

modern day slavery but we have one

problem and that is the treatment of

child victims. They are put in the

care of local authorities. They are

then trafficked again. Could we have

a system like we do for adults when

safe homes all provided Sentry, not

by local government, so that

trafficking again can not occur? He

follows up on an important point

about child victims of trafficking.

I will look at the issue he has

raised. The Independent child

advocates I referred to was one way

where we can give greater support to

child victims to ensure we do not

see them being lost to the local

authorities and trafficked again

because it is a scandal when a

victim goes into the care of the

local