13/01/2013 Sunday Politics South East

And in the South East, after a year of extreme weather and poor

harvests, as the Government planning could pile more misery on

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2538 seconds

He hello, this is Sunday politics and the South East. Later, how much

should we pay for old-age care? Joining us in the studio to be, the

Conservative MP for Tunbridge Wells and Treasury minister, Greg Clark,

and Sussex-based commentator Paul Richards. We will hear their views.

Benefits cost money, and people in Kent, Sussex and Surrey make a

massive contribution to the port. No research suggests the South East

is responsible for a third of the country's tax revenue, so do we get

value for money or are we propping up the rest of the country? Do you

think we should get more? To own forget in the South East

there are plenty of poor people and people in need of work. As a nation,

of course some regions have more than others, that is the point of

being a nation. We will come to benefits and old

age care later on, but one cannot help looking at Scotland, which

takes more from the pot and be put in, and they get free here and

tuition fees, as well. That cannot help but seem a bit unfair.

Different regions contribute different amount, but in the

Victorian age it was the north that was the powerhouse of the economy.

It has no Adie's gone the other way as we have read balanced towards

financial services. A in the constituency like yours, Greg Clark,

often perceived to be one of the wealthiest parts of the country, a

new story this week about a food Bank of Russia would estate.

People do not think about the poor in areas like this.

People get the wrong idea about parts of Tunbridge Wells. There are

pockets of deprivation where people really struggle. When costs are

higher, as they are here, it is even more difficult. On the

question of whether we get our fear Shea, in the past this was too

political. Under the last Government there was something

called a heat map, where they looked for NHS Investment according

to how marginal the constituency was. I think that is completely

wrong, we suffered from that because we had to wait for years to

get a new hospital here. What you can invest in here, road schemes,

for example, can contribute to the success of the local economy and to

the national economy. Everyone knows that the A21 is something

that deserves investment and can help pay its way. We will come back

to the money paid by us later on. Last year, many of our farmers

struggled with drought and floods and poor harvests. Our food bills

could rise steeply as a result. Amidst these difficulties, the

Government is making noises about it reallocating EU subsidies many

farmers rely on. What is the new year are likely to print for the

beleaguered agricultural industry in the South East. -- likely to

To 1012 was the year farmers in the South East was -- were glad to see

the back of. Drought gave way to some of the wettest summer months

on record. The worst harvest and a generation for arable and fruit.

Livestock farmers battled rising feed prices and the spread of the

Schmallenberg virus, which led to stillborn and performed lambs.

Instability here and abroad has already begun to push up food

prices, but could the real effect At this arable farm in

Sittingbourne, they are having to sift through the week they

harvested last year and probably many greens that did not develop

properly in the poor weather. Is this normal?

No, we have not done it since 1985, and it is a function of the lack of

sunlight giving shrivelled greens. With fields walk -- waterlogged

since September, Kevin has fully planted two thirds of his crops. It

has been a long, hard slog so far. We are short of autumn crops.

He is not alone. More than 80% of the South East is rural. We have

more than 4,500 farms and a supporting agricultural industry

employing 18,000 people. Two-thirds of British apples are grown in this

region. It is the UN certain to of the weather that challenges farmers.

- Matt the uncertainty. This time of year there is that

subsidy payment funded by the European Union. It is a significant

part of their income not dependent on market forces, and for most

farmers it can mean the difference between being profitable and not.

Now its future is uncertain. It is crunch time for the UK's

relationship with Europe. Agriculture is afford to -- 40% of

the EU budget and David Cameron Watt's that reduced. He wants to

channel funding away from farmers into rural development projects.

When we have a year like this, it focuses the mind on why capped

payments are there, and it is to build resilience into our industry.

A Government report in 2010 shows it would be farmers in the UK that

would suffer more than any other European state from the withdrawal

of European payment. If they do lose out, how would farmers cope?

It would be a disaster. What would happen is that the farmers that

would survive would survive by being leaner, meaner, getting rid

of all the good things we love about the countryside, the

hedgerows, and reverting to prairie farmers. World praises means

farming in the way they do in the plains of Russia are, of the

Midwest of America. -- world prices. He this month, the Government put

genetically modified food back on the agenda. Other types of

innovation are already being used, but Professor Chris Atkinson, who

has worked in agricultural research in Kent for 20 years, says the

Government is not doing enough to support innovation. The Government

has to take the attitude that the model we have for funding research

does not work in the sense of delivering strategic and applied

science. We need to change that and put money back into doing strategic

research so that ultimately applied science will have something to

delivered to growers to improve UK plc to make sure we can actually

move with the times. We have this 48-70% increase in food production

that will be required in the not- too-distant future. They need to

put money behind the rhetoric. the new year begins, farmers face a

nervous wait for the weather to improve. Indies Testing Times, is

the Government making it harder for farmers to cope? -- in these

testing times. Joy any of us now is the Conservative Leader in deep

European Parliament, Richard Ashworth.

You were a farm are for 13 years, your family is an farming, he must

have had it bad? Even the most business savvy will need -- SFA

will need help? Or all the evidence we have is for the average farm in

the UK the single payment accounts for about half of the farm income,

so it is vital. So are you planning and changing that? There seems to

be a suggestion David Cameron want to channel these payments away from

farmers towards a general rule development project. What does he

mean by that? Firstly, there is a principle of the Common

Agricultural Policy, meaning there is a level playing field in

agriculture or. I do not think it is a question of our Farm has been

disadvantaged. Secondly, there is a clear message, we have a growing

world population and climate change threatening food supply, and the

demand for agriculture to double output within 30 years. This is not

the time to threaten incomes. You're not planning to be in charge

or supervise any cuts in terms of subsidies to farmers at all? At the

at -- are you seeing the Baltic of repayment they get, including

people like the Queen and Prince Charles, who receive subsidies for

their land, as well? What you have to understand is the common

agricultural policy is not just a food policy. It is also off -- and

environmental, regional and social policy. We are seeing should all

those things necessarily be paid for out of the EU budget? The

Budget will shrink, there was no doubt about that, and agriculture

are demanding 40% of the Budget will take quite a hit. About 7% is

the perceived average at present. But that reduction, it is important

that reduction is not taken away from formers' incomes, but we have

to look hard at expenditure, regional aid and social policy. Why

can't the national governments meet that bill themselves? Why can't

they have the ability to meet their own priorities? Provided it does

not impact the single market, that is the way forward. Thank you very

much. Let us talk to our guests today in the studio, Greg Clark and

Paul Richards. The BBC uncovered evidence last year there were

nearly 900 landowners in this country receiving more than

�250,000 in subsidies. There were 130 who got more than �500,000.

There were even 50 odd land borders record more than �1 million. --

landowners. How can that be justified when we are seeing

essential public services cut across Europe?

How I think we should bring down the cost of the Common Agricultural

Policy. It should be reformed. There are two ways that could be

done. Trust double, from it being just about subsidising food, it

should be more a boat investing in the economy and diverse are buying.

-- about diversifying. Also, at the EU level, if we have priorities to

help rural communities, different countries can make different

decisions. The 40% going on the common agricultural policy is too

much. We missed the chance to reform it when Tony Blair was the

president of the EU. We could have afforded, but we missed the chance

and we are still dealing with the problems that have done for years.

Lot of people talk about things like local produce and organic

produce. People want cheap food. Is it time to look at genetically-

modified food? Per it is time to look at it again. It is not quite

the same common agricultural policy, it has been reformed, but David

Cameron has to play to the right on this, to the Euro-sceptic part of

his own party and the UK porters hammered at -- haemorrhaging from

the Conservatives... But UKIP does not seem to understand the farmers'

position. Nigel Farage Today said farmers would be better off if we

let Europe. I put that to the National Farmers' Union and they

said in no uncertain terms they would be much worse off. You heard

of the farmers saying how much they value the EU because they get the

subsidies they need when times are tough, like the last couple of

years, but you cannot have ministers negotiating from a

weakened position. If the going with one hand tied behind their

back because they are noising off about scaling down. The Americans

were warming -- warning about that the speed.

I had experience of this going to Brussels and been part of

negotiations, but that is a possible to find her range of

countries to recognise that they have to make cuts at home and want

to make improvements to the EU budget. The Netherlands, for

example. The Netherlands, Sweden, lots of like-minded countries who

supported us in the negotiations we have been having. Of course, it

makes sense. I think everyone in the European countries having to

make cuts at home, should be aware of the fact that the EU should not

be exempt from the taint of economies that the EU it sylphs is

saying member states should practice. -- itself.

One to another question, how much should we pay for all-age care? In

some communities more than 20% of the committee is retired. Many

people sell their own houses to pay for fees. It is money they would

probably like to leave to their families. The leader of Kent County

Council says it is time the Government announced a review into

personal care. He joined us now. You would be did at the lower end,

the end that came out in the report. You want a cap at �35,000. Be think

that is affordable? Any one individual and a family, it

was costed about �1.7 billion. The leader of Hampshire,

Buckinghamshire and myself have written to the prime ministers

suggesting that �1.7 billion should be found in difficult times with

public expenditure and a raft of other areas. Three of those areas

would be in freezing foreign aid budgets, and at local Government we

have taken massive cuts in our grant to fund local Government

services, putting foreign aid back to 2010 levels would three -- free

up �3.5 billion. We have been talking about European grants to

support community budgets. Another area, if they were frozen, would

release amount of money. -- as significant a bag of money. The

Government should re-prioritise. There are far too many families

that have been having their hard- earned wealth lost and diminished,

selling their houses because they are the unfortunate few who get

themselves, through no fault of their own, in that position.

are a wealthy man. If you end up in all -- and a sitcom, is it fear the

taxpayer pays a massive bill and you only pay �35,000? Let us talk

about a wealthy people, is that fair in the current climate, to say

that you can keep your wealth? The word that nobody ever puts into the

debate here his inheritance. There is nothing wrong with wanting to

pass things on to your grandchildren, but that is what

this is a boat, is it not? There is 40% of the population below the

means tested threshold that get state aid in their domiciliary care

package. Below �23,500 worth of assets they get that paid for.

There is a raft of families to have modest savings, never dependent on

state aid at any time in their life, and are unfortunate enough to lose

everything because the cap has not set at a sensible level. We are

trying to introduce that. We had the Deputy Prime Minister and Prime

Minister at this week talking about introducing this, but the debate

leads to be had as to what level of cap can help those hard learning --

hard-working families from losing that there are modest savings that

they wish to leave as a modest inheritance. So we are talking

about inheritance, because that has been missing in this debate, often

the ill and in the room, and people strive and aspire and want to leave

something for their families. We should be clear this is what it is

about, should we not? At it is about fairness.

You have a 25% chance of needing long-term residential care when you

get older. Most people who need it actually habit for a short space of

time. There is a small but significant minority who needed for

a long time, and it is difficult to plan for order at -- in advance for

that. Almost randomly, people are given a huge bill that they would

like to prepare for, but it is true random. How do you defend the

Government postponed a decision on this? This was commissioned, the

report came back with an answer, and two years later nothing has

happened. The review has been commissioned, and the Deputy Prime

Minister said that later in the spring we will have a detailed

response saying how to implement it. We accept the principles and that

it is important to provide this degree of fairness...

Will definitely be a cab? Are we will announce how difficult

it will be. At a time when we're having to pay down the biggest

deficit we have had since the Second World War, it is not easy to

find these sums of money. The fact that we are determined to try and

make progress on this so's that our heart is in it, but we have to be

practical, as well. -- shows that we supported.

This idea of paying for it by the means of the war means tested

winter fuel allowance. We are moving towards means-testing in

this country, we are just interested for child benefit, why

not means test some of the pension support? The more it important

thing is to get people back to work. It is the generation in work now

paying for the care of people who need the care now. As long as there

are more people in work, we can afford the things we are talking

about. It is fascinating, you are a Treasury minister as well as an MP,

and you cannot tell us what the cap will be. The Tories are saying it

should be around 30,000, but if you come up with something around

70,000, the report says that some of that will not help the poorest

people. We should have cross-party consensus on this. Get people back

to work. That is a big they'd, is it not? -- that is a bit faded.

at all. He have to be responsible. Very quickly, if you'd -- if the

price that you pay for putting a cap on contributions to care home

fees is means testing, it will be a hollow victory, will it not?

law, the report also suggested that means testing level should go up

from �23,500 worth of assets in property your savings to 100,000.

That was included in the �1.7 billion annual cost of introducing

of the recommendations and raising the threshold. That would take an

enormous number of people out of this. 30,000, 35,000 - how much?

For whatever is affordable. We have waited two years, why do we have to

wait longer? Were it a few more weeks and the

Prime Minister says that in the spring we will have an announcement.

75,000 was mention... Sensible debate has to be had. When you look

at pensionable benefits like heating allowances, there needs to

be a debate about making the best use of those funds. Many people

approaching pensionable age would love to see this recommendation

introduced and there is give and take on it. Many people want to see

our sixty-second review, here is Anti-road protesters continue their

fight against the building of the Hastings-Bexhill link road. The

council says it is a vital economic boost to a deprived area. There was

scathing comment on the benefit cap. This is a mean and miserable piece

of legislation from a mean and miserable Government. Are you

annoyed by a charity mothers? Charlie Elphicke is. He wants

tougher regulations. There is a sharp difference between the person

holding the tenth and may be battling that in, and the person

who are wrasses you in the street? Sunk -- a local council made the

most money from parking charges outside of London last year, a one.

-- hopping �1.3 million. And Damian Green was pushed off a bridge into

a river by the Attorney General. It was not a parliamentary spat, but a

night out at University 35 years ago. They have very little time

left for this, Caroline Lucas, said Amin and miserable piece of

legislation from the Government. She is talking about capping

benefits at 1%. Paul Richards, isn't this political suicide

defending and above inflation increase in benefits? Two-thirds of

the people being clobbered by this Bill are in work. They are not the

so-called shuckers, but are working hard. Walking people will benefit

by �250 from the raising of the personal allowance. You cannot