18/03/2012 Sunday Politics North East and Cumbria

In the North East: the Government's health reforms are being piloted

here. Yet we cannot get GPs to tell us why they are working or why they

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1713 seconds

Coming up in North East and Cumbria: government health service

changes are being piloted here. Yet doctors seem to have taken a vow of

silence. What do people who used it NHS make of the tall? And looking

ahead to the Budget are in North Tyneside MP, and Conservative peer.

Businesses and holidaymakers would like to see the chance will scrap a

plan to raise taxes on flying. Passenger duty is due to increase

next month, a further hike in as many years. In fact it has trebled

on some flights since 2007. Campaigners say it is damaging

attempts to revive the North East economy. The rise will see the tax

on economy flights to Europe -- increase. A bigger increase for

flight to the US. And the larger one to Australia. -- largest.

Horrendous. But it is the taxes which are the bulk of an air fare.

It is quite something. If the Government want to get money out of

Oz they will do. Everything has to be paid for but we do all want

cheaper flights if we can. Travelling the world the way I do I

can assume you this is one of the best country still have an. Some

may be the taxes to don't do harm. -- the best country to live and.

The greatest burden is on airlines and who may not come into the North

East. If they put their airlines and other locations rather than

hear that will weaken our competitiveness. Some argue that a

tax is a small price to pay to help planet. It is a carbon tax designed

to discourage a high carbon emitting form of transport.

Although the medicine is painful the illness of climate change does

far more damage to our national and global economy than a carbon tax.

Of course if you run an airport you do not like these taxes and I'm

sure that it director of Corporate Affairs at Newcastle Airport is

about to tell me that! But surely you accept it helps the environment.

The aviation industry has to work hard to move forward with environ

mental performance and it is in its best interests to do so. So I think

there will be action on fuel- efficient aircraft going forward.

But are you really arguing that people will be put off flying by

what is on paper a few Pounds extra? We find it has had a bigger

impact on the regions. People have less money and are more price

sensitive. Therefore demand has been impacted. That is why we're

asked the Government to look particularly at the impact

regionally. In effect you want an advantageous deal? Heathrow may

have one type of tax and here, another? Yes. The most congested

airports should have a higher rate of tax and then the less congested

airports, I e, the regional airports, law. We think that will

help to rebalance the economy. Coming back to be environmentally

argument, that is not good. There must be action from a global point

of view. All governments, on the environ mental issues of all forms

of transport. That should be global, not a UK level. Are you telling me

that airlines are not coming to Newcastle because of this barrier?

It is a barrier. It is not a case of their planes queuing at the door

to come to Newcastle, we knock at their door and then try to argue

that the economy is large enough to support those services. Michael

Bates, I know you have just written to from Greece. How should we look

at this tax? It is a very environmentally friendly way to get

from Athens, to walk! It is easy to say, let's not raise passenger

duty... But we all say... It is about helping the environment and

cutting the deficit. The key thing is that Newcastle is a terrific

airport expanding its services. But last year we froze air passenger

duty for the year. Unlike other countries there is no VAT on

domestic flights. So I think that airlines can be helped but also we

must have to take some of the pain to pay for the deficit. A study

this week, albeit by the travel industry I admit, so that you scrap

these taxes you can create 90,000 jobs. That outweighs the money

going into the Treasury and makes economic sense, doesn't it? This is

the balance. That is why the Labour government introduced this tax and

we have only inherited it. We must balance goes to demands. But that

is not happening. Newcastle Airport has additional services. It is

dying on its feet. It is doing remarkably well and getting

international trade. I think it is all there. Listen, it is not easy

and there is never any popular way to help the environment of cut the

deficit but I think we have got the balance about right. Do you agree?

Record export levels so it does seem that the one thing these air

passenger duties is not affecting as export. -- es export. And other

tax -- this is another tax that. People doing things on their lives.

�1 per flight to Europe? There are variations depending on where

people are travelling. You referred to the report that has come out

from the travel industry. It seems ludicrous that we could have over

�4 billion worth of money in the economy as opposed to �2 billion in

tax. The two things just do not weigh up. And the job as you, that

is at an important one. But I feel strongly that we should import a

world -- support our local airport. It is really important. The Green

Party make the point that it is far more damaging to our economy to not

have a decent air taxes. The end result will be climate change and

disaster. We mentioned before improving the green credentials of

air flights and putting money into that. But what message does it send

out if you cut their duty just as soon as the travel industry put

pressure on you? You are saying that ordinary people should not be

able to use their planes to fly away on their holidays. How would

they reach Australia or New Zealand? Trying to use this excuse

of saying it is about the environment when there are things

that can be done, and especially when it has been proven that we

could make more money for the region by reducing the tax - it

just does not add up. Thanks for that very much. The state of the

economy locally is the subject of a special programme tomorrow evening

on BBC One in which a studio audience will talk about how the

crisis has affected them. There will also be details of new

research into the prospects for economic growth in the region. That

is tomorrow evening at 11:05pm. Now, GP commissioning will see family

doctors handed picks laces of the NHS budget. Cumbria is already

piloting the scheme. -- Devon large slices. You would think that

doctors would be falling over themselves to tell us how good it

is. As we report, they seem to be strangely silent. Doctors and

nurses are familiar territory for these toddlers. Plans for a radical

overhaul the NHS will almost certainly affect their future lives.

But do parents know any more than the toddles do? If something is

broken, you fix it. But if it is not broken there is no need to

change something completely. Really silly. Personally I am happy. I

suppose they will do whatever they are going to do anyway. Family

doctors hearing Cumbria have already been piloting the proposals.

GPs control most of the local NHS budget and decide on where to spend

the money to buy care for their patients. This GP was keen to talk

last year about why the system works so well. He even went to

London to meet David Cameron for the launch of the reforms. But now

our requests for an interview are being turned down. The primary care

trusts say that he will not be available until the outcome of the

bell is more clear. Other GPs who have approached say that they will

not speak either. But one senior professional has spoken out about

his opposition. What is very disturbing is that this paves the

way for private health insurance and to have two tears of healthcare

side by side in the same hospital. Private beds and public beds.

Cumbria doctors and nurses who have declared their support for the

changes are now proving hard to track down. But the Government is

bullish about their silence. They have given strong support in the

past. I am not sure where you're coming from. I believe that the GPs

in North Cumbria at the forefront of these reforms. I cannot comment

on what the Primary Care Trust are saying but that doctor was a strong

supporter of our proposals. these mothers remain aware that

changes to the NHS are on the way but how they will affect day-to-day

access to doctors and hospitals is Let's deal with the fact that we

cannot talk to these doctors. I do not expect you to have a detailed

idea of why not. But surely it is a sign the reforms are not

progressing as well as hoped. not know why oh why people will not

speak. But I am looking at the big picture. Everybody appreciates that

the health service needs to be reformed. The number of people over

the age of 85 is going to double in the next number of years. Clearly

we are seeing an number of things - the Labour Party already recognised

there had to be reform and introduced a private contribution

to the health service in the last parliamentary term. The realised

you need to cut bureaucracy and give more power to doctors to

commission services. So many ways we're saying, there is reform, but

there is also an element of protecting funding and we want to

make sure that things are free at the point of access. You say

everybody accepts the need for reform. But does mother's did not.

Why fix it if it is not broken? Because we had a ridiculous

situation where bureaucracy was expanding. Six managers for of the

doctor. We today money to the people in need it, like the people

in your film. These people will not benefit from this wealthy? Your

scaremongering is irresponsible. -- they will not benefit, while they?

These are scarce resources and should be directed to actually

doing things that improved people's health. But when you think about it,

what Labour did was improve the health service and -- enormously.

We cut waiting times. We had more staff in hospitals. New hospitals.

And whatever people say about Labour there was a commitment. Yes,

we know that reform must continue but the way the Government are

doing it, a few years' time, those same women may be ruing what the

Government has done. But all that happened with Labour reforms - and

you cannot put privatisation back in the box - you introduced it.

is probably the opposite. When we brought in the opportunity for

privatisation it was not on the same scale. It was to help of the

capacity Barton of the health service. That reduced when the

capacity built under Labour created a completely different ball game. -

- the capacity warden. The point is that you have not taken the medical

profession of patients with you. Why not, if things are so good?

Speaking as a member of the House of Lords it is always difficult to

see the need for reform from the inside. We have put a cap of 49% on

it. We are crucially taking money away from administration and

bureaucracy and giving it to people know how it ought to be spent. That

is something that Labour supported and did before the last election

and now they are opposing it. was different circumstances. Not an

unlimited cap. There were Foundation trusts. And the issue

about the private patients money being more for the opportunity of

private treatment, it was about 2%, the cap at the time. So Labour did

not actually going to privatisation in the same way that the

opportunities being created now. will not get you to agree so we

will leave it at that. Thank you. Time for my colleague to cram the

political week into 60 seconds. It was bad news for the 450 workers at

this pharmaceutical company Newcastle whip -- coup were told

that the company was closing. Gateshead and Middlesbrough failed

in their attempt to win city status. The Conservatives are widening the

net in their search for Durham Police Commissioner candidates. But

it was the policing of the Liberal- Democrat conference that helped put

Nick Clegg on the spot. I sincerely hope that the Deputy Prime Minister

enjoyed our famous North East hospitality. Could he now tell the

House when the 3,000 extra police he promised at a general election

will be in their posts? And this new earth sculpture has been

The search for police commissioner of candidates - his membership of

the Conservative Party so bad that you have to drag people off the

streets? We're just trying to open it up to people with no background

in politics. People want a breath of fresh air. These are new posts

in a new system which will connect policing with the local community.

As we have seen with elected mayors, sometimes having people who are

fresh, come from a new perspective, can bring dynamism to the post.

Labour-run the other hand seemed to be clinging to a former MP and lots

of councillors. We want people with a knowledge of their region and to

think we conserve their region in a different way. Giving people a

choice of somebody who is absolutely new and has no political

links is fair enough. In the end people will make a vote, let's just

hope that the party's produce good candidates. Budget next week, what

is what the one thing the Chancellor should do for the North

East and Cumbria? Corporation tax and keeping the success we are

having in manufacturing. Something that people are asking me about is

the cost of fuel. People are concerned and would like to see it

go down. Especially a lot of our businesses. Do you think either of

you will get you wish? I think I might have a bit more luck! I would

hope so, as part of the Government! 50% tax rate? To yes or no. Wealth