:01:23. > :01:28.Here in the east, well though watered down planning reforms allow
:01:28. > :01:38.the growth we so desperately need a is it still a developer's's
:01:38. > :01:38.
:01:38. > :32:57.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1879 seconds
:32:58. > :33:07.charter? And EU plans to help I think what worries people,
:33:08. > :33:21.
:33:22. > :33:29.political donations are very big in Of �8 million and 11 years. You get
:33:29. > :33:34.millions from private health care providers. The fact of the matter
:33:34. > :33:39.is, I had been our party's spokesman on health for her years
:33:39. > :33:47.and that no state, in no time, in no way, has anybody secured any
:33:47. > :33:54.influence of our polity -- our policy by giving donations. Because
:33:54. > :34:00.you are expanding their business. There is nothing in their
:34:01. > :34:05.legislation. It is perfectly possible that NHS hospitals
:34:05. > :34:14.actually are not to stem a -- that are not discriminated against in
:34:14. > :34:17.the way that Labour debt, are able to get the benefits. NHS hospitals
:34:17. > :34:25.will be in a stronger place to provide the services that patients
:34:25. > :34:32.need. Let me ask you two questions about where we go from the best in
:34:32. > :34:36.terms of legislation. Other be no more major organisation of the NHS?
:34:36. > :34:41.In my point of view, the legislation is very clear. I am not
:34:41. > :34:47.asking you about that. Can you give a pledge, I do not think that you
:34:47. > :34:52.can or want to, that there will be no more legislation? The point of
:34:52. > :35:02.this legislation was to deal with all of their issues that where
:35:02. > :35:02.
:35:02. > :37:49.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1879 seconds
:37:49. > :37:54.Welcome to Sunday politics. After the volcanic ash cloud, more help
:37:54. > :38:01.from the youth of passengers who were disrupted, delayed or disabled.
:38:01. > :38:07.Let us meet our guests this week. The Lib Dem MEP for the eastern
:38:07. > :38:12.region and the Conservative MP for North Essex. Let us begin with a
:38:12. > :38:17.brief word about a difficult week for the Government, particularly
:38:17. > :38:23.for the Conservatives. Last week we had the dinners, David Cameron's
:38:23. > :38:28.funding story. Then we had the pasty saddle which is continuing.
:38:28. > :38:33.All self-inflicted, is it not? large extent it is. You never quite
:38:33. > :38:41.know when a storm is going to golf and government and two Cawthray
:38:41. > :38:45.stance have engulfed it this week. It is very perplexing and you get
:38:45. > :38:50.very angry with the way things are being handled are not handled, or
:38:50. > :38:54.mistakes that have obviously been made. A certain amount of it is
:38:54. > :39:01.hysteria and it remains to be seen whether it has a lasting effect.
:39:01. > :39:06.Let us talk about the past the gate. There is a serious side to this. It
:39:06. > :39:15.has shown that this coalition is out of touch with everyone else.
:39:15. > :39:25.have been asked by people in Brussels to explain... What is a
:39:25. > :39:28.
:39:28. > :39:33.pasty? That is quite hard. The truth of the tax laws is that they
:39:33. > :39:43.are chaotic. I think it is absolutely sensible to rationalise
:39:43. > :39:44.
:39:44. > :39:54.them. It has been a bad week though, and I have to say that I had been
:39:54. > :39:58.
:39:58. > :40:05.watching with astonishment and to return at the weekend to find
:40:05. > :40:10.people queuing up for petrol is really quite scandalous. Now to
:40:10. > :40:13.another area where the coalition has suffered a backlash. After a
:40:13. > :40:18.series of concessions, this week our revised version of the planning
:40:18. > :40:26.rule book has been published. It seems to have satisfied to critics
:40:26. > :40:31.who said that the original was a developer's's charter.
:40:31. > :40:37.We fear that it will give carte blanche to developers to build in
:40:37. > :40:43.the countryside, regardless of its impact. It has been retracted and
:40:43. > :40:50.anything that can Shurton that -- it has been protracted and anything
:40:50. > :40:53.that can shorten that will be good for businesses. We do need to get
:40:53. > :40:57.development and growth but we should do that sympathetically not
:40:57. > :41:03.cause problems to our great heritage. Aim is to make it easier
:41:03. > :41:13.for companies to grow and for developers to build more houses.
:41:13. > :41:22.
:41:22. > :41:26.Find -- from now on, it will Creaser big change in the east.
:41:26. > :41:32.More land has been developed in Colchester in the last 30 years
:41:32. > :41:37.than in the 2,000 years after the Romans settled and made it their
:41:37. > :41:43.first capital. In Corby, the population is set to
:41:43. > :41:50.rise by 9,000, an increase of 19 per cent in eight years. At a time
:41:50. > :41:54.when we all know that the country death sprit late -- desperately
:41:54. > :42:00.needs growth, it is time to wrap up the red tape and allow these
:42:00. > :42:05.serious to start growing. If you look at the countryside around
:42:05. > :42:10.rocking ham, it used to be a forest. It is not a forest any more, and we
:42:10. > :42:14.have core be standing on what was that Forest.
:42:14. > :42:19.Owners of historic properties and English Heritage say that they will
:42:19. > :42:24.be watching what impact this new legislation has and if safeguards
:42:24. > :42:29.are not honoured they will be calling on the governments to act.
:42:29. > :42:32.Joining us from Oxford is the chairman of Northamptonshire's
:42:32. > :42:39.campaign to protect rural England. What is your reaction to these
:42:39. > :42:48.changes? I am glad to be able to get them a guarded welcome. Sense
:42:48. > :42:52.be aimed -- since the aim of our grit is to enhance their beauty and
:42:52. > :42:56.vitality of the countryside for the benefit of all, we actually think
:42:56. > :43:02.that what is proposed is simplified the planning framework must be a
:43:02. > :43:08.good thing. By reducing more than 1,000 pages of guidance to a more
:43:08. > :43:12.manageable 60, it is now possible to see what the conditions are that
:43:12. > :43:19.must be met in order to produce the right kind of development for the
:43:19. > :43:22.county. As we wish to have an economy in the county which is
:43:22. > :43:28.vibrant, we do except that there has to be development in the
:43:28. > :43:31.country as well as in the city. Northamptonshire is not fool of
:43:31. > :43:35.protected sites. They understand what were saying about a vibrant
:43:35. > :43:40.economy, but is there a school of thought which says that this could
:43:40. > :43:43.it be county under a lot of extra pressure? The county is already
:43:43. > :43:50.under great deal of pressure because of its position in what has
:43:50. > :43:53.been known as Greater Milton Keens. That has been true for some years.
:43:53. > :43:58.We have a singular difficulty in that there is no land in
:43:58. > :44:07.Northamptonshire that his death -- that is designated. We have no
:44:07. > :44:11.green belts, no place is of outstanding natural beauty. All the
:44:11. > :44:15.land is open to development if the conditions are wrong. What is your
:44:15. > :44:19.view of how this change has come about by the government, because
:44:19. > :44:24.there was a backlash, was there not? There is a view that the
:44:24. > :44:28.government has given way to that. There certainly was a backlash, we
:44:28. > :44:37.were part of it. I wrote to ministers identifying things that
:44:37. > :44:41.were wrong with their draft. I am very pleased to say that they seem
:44:41. > :44:44.to have listened to what has been said. But given the strength of
:44:44. > :44:48.opposition from all the environmental bodies I am not
:44:48. > :44:52.altogether surprised, but I am grateful. I think what has been
:44:52. > :44:59.achieved is something which is very much more manageable and something
:44:59. > :45:02.which could be a workable -- which could be workable for the future.
:45:02. > :45:09.Is this a way to make policy? The reaction by the government was to
:45:09. > :45:13.denounce the opposition as a smear campaign by left-wingers. I think
:45:13. > :45:16.they are about to become excessively heated. We're dealing
:45:16. > :45:23.with very controversial matters. The fact is that we produced
:45:23. > :45:27.something like 50,000 -- we have reduced 50,000 pages of planning
:45:27. > :45:32.laws to 50 pages. It is to make it easier for people to understand
:45:32. > :45:36.planning position, to get it if they are entitled to it... But is
:45:37. > :45:44.it a weight to conduct its business, by enthusing the people of being
:45:44. > :45:50.left-wingers? I am not accusing people in those terms. I think we
:45:50. > :45:56.have the right policy now. It has been moderated and we have made the
:45:56. > :46:02.planning was much simpler. Can I correct one thing, Col Chester has
:46:02. > :46:07.volunteered for large amount of housing planning. If Colchester
:46:07. > :46:17.wants to change its planning -- changed his plans and have less
:46:17. > :46:21.
:46:21. > :46:29.grow -- less growth, they can do so. Did we not need to take up the
:46:29. > :46:34.planning will be it down to 50? Will thus not get building going?
:46:34. > :46:43.think that with respect to the process, that he criticised, I
:46:43. > :46:50.think that this exercise proves that it has worked. There has a
:46:50. > :46:59.been a consultative period which has worked. I was strongly opposed
:46:59. > :47:09.to the first plan, where there was an imperative on growth, green
:47:09. > :47:10.
:47:10. > :47:19.field, a green belt was clearly a risk and the pressure was listened
:47:19. > :47:25.from brownfield sites in places like Cambridge. In Norwich. I am
:47:25. > :47:29.pleased that the government has changed its approach. Do you feel
:47:29. > :47:36.that the safeguards are going to work? Can you do anything if you
:47:36. > :47:41.are unhappy about the way that things are going? I think that the
:47:41. > :47:46.safeguards ought to be capable been made to work. Provided that two
:47:46. > :47:50.things do not happen. First, that we do not get speculative building
:47:50. > :47:55.without the proper infrastructures, something which we have always felt
:47:55. > :48:00.very strongly about. We must get the infrastructure in place before
:48:00. > :48:04.we build houses. Secondly, I am extremely alarmed and
:48:04. > :48:09.Northamptonshire about the frequency with which the government
:48:09. > :48:14.is over ruling local planners, to allow the construction of wind
:48:14. > :48:24.farms in the county. We now have 25 wind farms approved are in the
:48:24. > :48:26.
:48:26. > :48:31.pipeline and it makes the argument almost small beer.
:48:31. > :48:35.Plans for any air passenger charter moved a step closer this week after
:48:35. > :48:38.a vote in the European Parliament. A report was approved which said
:48:38. > :48:42.that airlines should give more help to passengers whose flights are
:48:42. > :48:47.delayed or cancelled and the more open about their pricing. The new
:48:47. > :48:52.charter, which could become law next year, is particularly aimed at
:48:52. > :48:56.the low-cost airlines. Many which operate from Luton and Stansted
:48:56. > :49:00.Airport. The world of the air travel has
:49:00. > :49:06.changed considerably. Low-cost airlines have paid flying within
:49:06. > :49:09.the reach of everyone. It should have happened many years ago so
:49:09. > :49:16.that everyone could have taken advantage of it. I would be a bit
:49:16. > :49:22.dubious about it, with it being that cheek. Ryanair has been
:49:22. > :49:31.offering a good fair since 1991. We are determined to take the law fair
:49:31. > :49:37.competition to British Airways. charged extra for anything but
:49:37. > :49:41.Spock than -- but the essential services. These carriers need to
:49:41. > :49:46.offer a standard of service, and that is not an unreasonable request
:49:46. > :49:54.to expectation. The EU's transport and tourism committee think it is
:49:54. > :50:04.times that of -- think it is time that all of their lines, but
:50:04. > :50:09.
:50:09. > :50:12.particularly a low-cost airlines need to change. Just because you
:50:12. > :50:22.have the time Rini are EasyJet does not mean to say that you're happy
:50:22. > :50:28.to pay 40 quite -- �40 or her �50 to take hand-luggage on a Alter
:50:28. > :50:32.Abbey King. This is wrong, this is not in their customer's interests.
:50:32. > :50:36.This is about customer right, not get the right of the airlines to
:50:36. > :50:41.make more money out of their customers. Most of their passengers
:50:41. > :50:50.are fine, they do not need help. My mum, for example, would need help
:50:50. > :50:54.in finding her way attack -- finding her way around. A I suspect
:50:54. > :51:03.that they will pick the prices up accordingly, but we as with all
:51:03. > :51:08.things I expect they will pit -- you get what you pay for.
:51:08. > :51:14.This man was once left on a plane at 1am after his wheelchair was
:51:14. > :51:19.sent through to baggage reclaim. There are disabled people who just
:51:19. > :51:22.go there, biting their nails, feeling second their stomach,
:51:22. > :51:29.because of the fear that if something goes wrong, what will
:51:29. > :51:33.they do? How will I get out of it, he will listen to me? May King
:51:33. > :51:40.asserted changes that you want would be very expensive for the
:51:40. > :51:44.airlines. We are still human beings. Cost will be the main argument
:51:44. > :51:51.which airlines were used. Ryanair refused to comment, but EasyJet
:51:51. > :52:00.says it would welcome an even playing field. As for those wet
:52:00. > :52:05.fares, they said... We have always been fair in our pricing. We picked
:52:05. > :52:12.our admin fee right at the top of the baking process. As soon as you,
:52:12. > :52:16.on the website you see it. Detailed legislation is now being drawn up.
:52:16. > :52:20.The passenger lapel of like -- passenger bill of rights could be
:52:21. > :52:24.drawn up by next year. Is this something that needed doing,
:52:24. > :52:34.why is it likely to put prices up both for the airlines and
:52:34. > :52:35.
:52:35. > :52:40.consumers? A it is always a trade- off. Regulation generally increase
:52:40. > :52:45.-- increases costs. Transparency and rights of access for disabled
:52:45. > :52:49.people are important issues. The aviation sector is a fantastic
:52:49. > :52:55.industry, it has grown enormously and gives people opportunities at a
:52:55. > :53:00.price... It is fantastic if that is working well. People you are
:53:00. > :53:04.stranded are needed extra help have rights to... I am all in favour of
:53:04. > :53:08.regulation if that is really going to improve things. We do not throw
:53:08. > :53:14.babies out with Bath Watters and create more problems than we are
:53:14. > :53:18.seeking to resolve. It cannot be right, as you head there, that
:53:18. > :53:25.people with disabilities are suffering from so much stress.
:53:25. > :53:35.is quite wrong. I get piles of complaints from passengers,
:53:35. > :53:45.primarily from the low-cost airlines, but not exclusively. The
:53:45. > :53:48.
:53:48. > :53:52.present directive is weak and be agreed this week to strengthen it.
:53:52. > :53:56.The Conservative MEPs either opposed it and -- are abstained and
:53:56. > :54:05.I have not quite understood why, but I am certain that they have
:54:05. > :54:11.explanations. What we must now do is to pitch the thing into law as
:54:11. > :54:21.fast as we can. It is time for her weekly political
:54:21. > :54:27.
:54:27. > :54:37.round-up. The death of former her sick social
:54:37. > :54:40.
:54:40. > :54:46.security secretary Lord Newton prompted heartfelt comments this
:54:47. > :54:51.week. I think we should give a premium
:54:51. > :54:57.for our students studying maths to the school to enable them to afford
:54:57. > :55:02.to recruit new maths teachers. you wingspan is larger than your
:55:02. > :55:08.height, are you going to be a monkey?
:55:08. > :55:15.It was numbers at the polls on the Green Party's lines now that the
:55:16. > :55:22.election campaign is under way. Record highs at the pumps did not
:55:22. > :55:31.dampen drivers's desires to fill up. Maths as certainly teens since my
:55:31. > :55:36.day. Your recollections of Lord Newton
:55:36. > :55:42.of, there have of course the many tributes paid to end this week.
:55:42. > :55:49.was a real battering. He devoted his entire life to public life --
:55:49. > :55:55.are real veterans. He was a very close friend of John Major and said
:55:55. > :56:00.that he knew the secret of Edwina Currie throughout their entire term
:56:00. > :56:06.of John Major's government. What a loyal friend that is to have had.
:56:06. > :56:10.He was active right to the end. just wanted to touch on the fuel
:56:10. > :56:15.crisis. Was there any sense in the advice that people have been given
:56:15. > :56:25.this week? I think it is absolutely scandalous that ministers have said
:56:25. > :56:25.
:56:25. > :56:32.that people should fill up their tanks. The fact is that there is so
:56:32. > :56:42.I conciliation process that is now proceeding between the union and
:56:42. > :56:42.
:56:42. > :56:45.the employers and the emphasis ought to have been on that.
:56:45. > :56:54.Scaremongering is terribly dangerous and we have had an
:56:54. > :56:59.experience of it before. They agreed and the selfishness of
:56:59. > :57:04.people at the petrol pumps, from time to time, is absolutely
:57:04. > :57:12.outrageous. A comment from year about what has
:57:12. > :57:17.happened this week. This has taken people's mind of the donors, the
:57:17. > :57:23.past days, and the government added to the heat on this. There has not