20/01/2013 Sunday Politics North East and Cumbria

His uncertainty over Europe putting thousands of jobs at risk? When

will Cumbrians get their say on whether the county is suitable to

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2302 seconds

Be very warm welcome to your local part of the show. Coming up, as

councils prepare Fourie crucial decision, what if Cumbria says no

to Bering nuclear waste underground?

Discussing the that I am joined by the MPs for Stockton North and

Stockton South. Let's start with Europe. David

Cameron's speech has been delayed, but the debate about whether to be

in or out will not go away. You want the Prime Minister to commit

to a referendum. Which way would you go? It depends what is on the

table when the referendum takes place. I think there should be a

clear plan to repatriate powers to the UK, to get a better deal from

Europe. The British people have to have their say. The option of

leaving should be on the table and people should be given a clear say.

Alex, what could be wrong with giving your constituents as say

over this? I do not think constituents want a say over this,

they are more concerned with the issues of jobs and growth. They are

more interested in jobs and when you think 51% of our trade is with

the European Union, we cannot walk away from that. Look at Nissan, we

have had had she come into this area, my constituents want jobs in

these areas. -- had had chief. North East export more than a they

import. Europe is one of the key markets for goods made here. What

sort of relationship to those manufacturing businesses want with

Europe? Massive metal structures covered in

snow. These bits of kit had been through worse because normally

their hundreds of metres under the ocean. This is used by the oil and

renewable industries on the seabed. The firm that makes it does

business worldwide but Europe is the crucial market. About 50% of

what we do is in the EU markets. It has allowed us to grow and

diversified to make the contract for the firm a more stable. They

are concerned about a referendum on Europe, a vote we might not get for

at least five years. We are worried it will bring uncertainty to were

business partners and make us less attractive to work with. If we play

loud, it would leave uncertainty in terms of future costs, tariffs,

taxation. If we are looking at long-term contracts, we need long-

term security. Around �6 billion worth of exports in the region pass

through here. The North East is the only part of England which exports

more than it imports. Where do all those exports go? Despite all the

talk this week about the EU, it is not Europe. The number one that

export market is the United States, nearly 16% of our exports end up

their. The Netherlands is next, followed by Russia and France. This

doctor and engineering firm gets most of his foreign orders from the

United States. European contracts are important but the firm would

gladly do without the EU. There are a lot of course so associated with

being in Europe. A lot of our trading partners are not actually

in Europe so as a consequence the impact would be minimal. We find a

lot of regulation coming in on environmental law, health and

safety and employment lob that add substantial costs to our business

and we have to go through a lot of red tape to comply. Union leaders

say pulling out of Europe would cost the region thousands of jobs.

Trade with the European Union is responsible for thousands of jobs

in the North East and Cumbria's. We are starting to see companies, even

with the discussion on our future with Europe, think again about

investments in the North East and thinking they came about investing

in the current businesses. Producing stuff and then selling it

overseas, we are good at it in the North East but is being in the EU

driving us forward or holding us back?

We no-one party, UKIP, definitely want out. We will find out what

Ahmed Dogan things. 137,000 jobs in the North East dependent on the EU.

I disagree they are dependent on the EU. We would of course still

maintain a trading relationship with the youth. The EU sells more

to us than we sell to them, so it would be madness if they were to

say we are not going to trade with the UK. It has been reported that

the Europeans would probably use more jobs as a result of a trade

war than we would lose. I do not think it stacks up. The fact we

have to be a member of a political union to be able to do trade with

them. You are creating a potential uncertainty. You heard the concerns

of one of the companies in that film. They said they would lose

investment business outside the EU. They wants to ability. I was

talking to some people yesterday, they have a parent company in Japan

which has invested �20 million in increasing the production

facilities there. They have no qualms about the potential of

leaving the EU. We're in the EU at the moment. But you were saying

people are hesitant because of the discussion of the possibility of

leaving. It has not prevented them from investing. The Prime Minister

has the right approach, he favours keeping the good bits of the EU and

renegotiating to get rid of some of the bits people do not like. That

would be fine in an ideal world, but I cannot see the EU letting us

cherry-pick which parts we want to keep. The EU is going towards a

federal state. 17 nations have already mentioned this. It is a

centralised political and economic union. Do we want to be part of

that, the answer is no. Alex, for all talk of open markets, we had

the frustration of that interviewees saying all they get

from the EU is red tape and hassle. That company, at their biggest

market is the United States. The United States are giving us a clear

message that we need the European market. And that company does not

like what is coming from the EU. think he was making a comment on

employment law. We need considerable change in Europe and

the Prime Minister needs to do that to move forward. The common

agricultural policy, for example, so much money going to very few

places. More than half the trade in the North East is outside the EU.

America is the biggest trading partner. We might be able to expand

that and keep the EU business as well. There might be a possibility

to expand but are we going to keep the jobs? Will Nissan pay

additional tariffs or are we going to sit outside like Norway. We need

a place at the table where we can argue in the interests of the

people of Britain. James, the uncertainty created by a Prime

Minister is jeopardising jobs and investment by saying this

referendum may happen some time in the future. That is not credible.

This is an issue which has come to the fore very recently. It is

causing people to say we're not going to invest, I have not seen

evidence of that. Europe is changing, we will not have the same

European Union in five years' time. What business wants is stability.

There is nothing more unstable than the idea of whether we will be in

or out of the EU for. Businesses think there are good things about

being in the EU and some bad things. What the Prime Minister's hopefully

going to set out his we will get the best possible deal to get as

many of the good things and has few of the bad things. Richard's. Is

right, you cannot pick and choose. We should try to renegotiate for a

better deal in the British interest. The end result should be put to

people so they can choose to stay in or go wide. Alex, if you're so

sure my constituents will be persuaded on the benefits of the EU,

why not have a referendum? I do not see the value in going through a

long process. We need a settlement in Europe which is the best for our

region and the UK. Not just thinking about what will happen in

a few years' time, we need to think about what is happening now with

jobs and growth. People may go elsewhere rather than the North

East or the UK. We have got to take action now for growth. We would

like to see a growth Commissioner in Europe to encourage growth

across the opinion. Richard, the Liberal Democrat MPs said this week

that investments people are very proud of, the idea they will come

when we're outside the European Union, is just ridiculous.

disagrees. People come to the North East because of the excellent

labour force here. They also know they will get the same trading

conditions they have always had. Yes, but as I said earlier, it is

almost impossible to consider the EU will not grant some sort of free

trading arrangements with us when we leave because they currently has

three trading arrangements with up to 50 other countries worldwide,

many not anywhere near as owners as the ones Alex referred to it in

Norway. In ten days' time councillors in Cumbria will be

making a decision vital to the county and the whole of Britain.

They will decide whether to press ahead looking for a site to bury it

the UK's nuclear waste. This will prove controversial to the Lake

District tourism industry. Here is our political reporter.

Described as tranquil and beautiful in the guidebooks, there is concern

that a decision to search for a nuclear repository site could

unsettle this rural scenes. We're told no side has been officially

identified, but experts have described this area as potentially

suitable and that is enough to cause concern. We feel it is

important that before the council's make their decision that the views

of this community are made known to them. The whole basis of democracy

is our politicians carry out the wishes of the people. He and to

have their views heard, at the Campaign Group here have organised

their own postal ballot. 94% voted against a waste facility here or

anywhere else in the parish. But even campaigners admit that the

postal votes carry more symbolism than power. The key decision will

be taken by Cumbria County Council. They must all agree to proceed to

the next stage or the whole process will come to a halt. The weight of

the decision has not gone unnoticed by the county council. I am not

sure there has been another issue which has had so much debate as

this one has. Asking every single question, at turning it over and

looking at the evidence. Councillors are keeping their views

guarded, but there is hope that public involvement could be even

more crucial in the future for. would be a pretty stupid government

that tried to impose a facility on an area. I have always believed

people should have a vote, whether that is the referendum or whatever

it is. Whatever the decision, one thing is certain. The UK need

somewhere to store its high-level nuclear waste. If a repository is

not stored here, what is the Government's Plan B? If the

decision does not go the way we wanted to go, we will have to go

back and think about how we will make sure we look after our nuclear

waste. This process is open to other communities across the

country to also be in for. No other communities have come forward yet,

so while national policy is usually made in Parliament, this time the

Government is looking to Cumbria for a decision on the Gulf --

country's nuclear future. Getting Cumbrians to agree to this

is critical to your policies. this goes ahead, it will provide a

neat solution to a problem of which is what you do with waste product

after the production of nuclear power. At the moment this waste is

stored, some of it is treated. This is a particularly neat solution

which is being pursued. It will raise additional questions in the

future because we will have to find another way of dealing with it.

Should this really rest with councillors. When it is such a big

decision for the country, shouldn't the Government decide? When we're

talking about people's communities, a decision that will affect large

numbers across Cumbria, it is right they have a significant role of

cross the process. Although it would be a solution if it goes

ahead, it is not the end of the story. It is right to local people

have some say. Alex, should be local a decision be final? Labour

made a commitment that it had to resolve this high-level waste

problem before building nuclear power stations. This has been an

ongoing problem for some decades. I remember as a reporter writing

about the decision, or the proposal from a previous Conservative

government to bury waste under Bellingham. The community one that

time. The Cumbrian people have a difficult decision to make,

Government should be taking a lead, but the science has yet to be

proved that berrying and forgetting about it is the right policy.

Nobody has actually designed are anything to last 10,000 years yet.

The this is a tough sell. There are jobs and investment and Bob but it

is difficult to sell it to anybody. It is. If we cannot grapple with

the problem of nuclear energy, we should not press ahead with nuclear

power stations. Nuclear is essential. Nobody will take the

waste, but we do not have to bury it underneath Cumbria. We also have

to think about the knock-on effect. What will it mean to the tourism

industry. Will people avoid the Lake District? We will see what

happens with that decision. Some ambulance have been waiting

for two hours before patients could be admitted. Hospitals are under

increasing pressure and could worsen as winter increases its grip.

Here is the news in 60 seconds. Ambulances are queuing for up to it

two hours outside hospitals before patients can be admitted. 113

patients have been affected since December. An MP has written to the

Health Secretary calling for action to tackle chronic underfunding of

care in North Yorkshire. Phil Wilson has backed a campaign

to erect a memorial to the Durham light Infantry in the North East.

Will the Minister suit -- support of that campaign? Cumbria's new

police commissioner wants to put up council tax. He says an increase of

just under 2% would allow the forced to retain existing levels of

police. Finally a �20 charge for collecting garden waste is to be

scrapped six weeks after it was introduced.

I will resist making a joke about recycling policies. What is going

on with these ambulance delays? There is a wider problem and the

number of different factors. The hospitals are running on as tight a

budget as they possibly can. There are also issues about how they are

managing patients coming in. They need to create some more capacity

in order to do with that. It boils down to funding at the end of the

day. They are working with a very tight budget and are suffering as a

result. No coincidence this is happening at a time of great change

within the NHS. NHS spending is going up year-on-year. One of the

key factors is the reorganisation we have seen in the NHS over the

last decade. A lot of accident and emergency facilities have closed.

Doctors have to decide whether or not have a concentrated accident

and emergency, or spread it out over a number of hospitals. Some of

the designs of hospitals are not up to coping with the new levels of

ambulance traffic. A hospital designed to take 60,000 patients a

year in Casualty are finding -- are having to cope with 125,000.

Hospitals are being used in a different generation. You need

fewer centres of excellence to give the best standard of treatment.

These are difficult decisions. you have patience turning up and

sitting in an ambulance before two solid hours before been seen by

clinician is totally unacceptable. We need to look at the reasons

behind it. One of the reasons is because of the tremendous savings

these hospitals are expected to make. That it is it right. There is

�40 million from our own hospitals. Do we need to change our behaviour?

A lot of people turning up to casualty with things that could be

treated by a GP. That is very much the case. We saw a tremendous

service in Hartlepool where people can go instead. Increased capacity

in GPs' surgeries. Walk-in centres. All these things could be in

jeopardy because of funding constraints. This all sounds a bit

1980s. Patients waiting outside hospital. It is all reminiscent of

when the Conservatives were last in charge of the NHS. NHS spending is

going up. The NHS changes to meet clinical needs. Buildings are not

designed for the modern way we do medicine. Tomorrow evening's Inside

Out programme looks at the state of the health service. That is at