:01:10. > :01:13.Private firms will get access to NHS patient records. Does that come
:01:13. > :01:23.with the risks? And what Meryl Streep strike a
:01:23. > :01:23.
:01:23. > :31:32.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1808 seconds
:31:32. > :31:36.Hello, I'm Marie Ashby. And in the East Midlands, we look into the
:31:36. > :31:38.past AND the future. Fasten your seat belts - we hit the road to get
:31:38. > :31:43.contrasting verdicts on the new Iron Lady film. Does Meryl Streep
:31:43. > :31:45.cut the mustard as Margaret Thatcher? We'll be hearing from
:31:45. > :31:48.striking miners and the Tory faithful.
:31:48. > :31:56.And we reveal how Conservative MPs have been caught barracking the
:31:56. > :31:59.First: The future - the country's biggest credit checking agency,
:31:59. > :32:05.Experian, has won a major Government contract to crackdown on
:32:05. > :32:09.benefit fraud. The Government is hoping it makes a better job of
:32:09. > :32:12.nailing people who falsely claim tax credits. Experian, who are
:32:12. > :32:19.based in Nottingham, say they believe they can save the taxpayer
:32:19. > :32:22.as much as �800 million. In a moment, I'll be asking our
:32:22. > :32:25.politicians what they make of the news. But first, just how is it
:32:25. > :32:34.going to work? A little earlier, I spoke to Bruno Rost, who is
:32:34. > :32:44.Experian's head of public relations. Who are you after? This is a
:32:44. > :32:45.
:32:45. > :32:52.contract with two government departments. What we are doing is
:32:52. > :33:01.taking Greece greened files from the two departments, and looking at
:33:01. > :33:07.them. -- Prix screamed. -- preach screened. What makes you think you
:33:07. > :33:12.can do a better job than the government? Experian has got a
:33:12. > :33:18.private information. The Prime Minister made it clear that he
:33:18. > :33:27.wants to use private sources of information to help combat fraud,
:33:27. > :33:34.which is growing. The government can save around �800 million.
:33:34. > :33:38.a bold claim to make. These are the government claims. What we are
:33:38. > :33:45.saying is, we have looked at the trials, and we think these figures
:33:45. > :33:50.are definitely achievable. What kind of savings did the pilot show?
:33:50. > :33:54.It was very localised. But we showed we could save around �60
:33:54. > :34:01.million from that pilot alone, so we are confident that these figures
:34:01. > :34:05.can be realised. There is a great opportunity to cut down tax credit
:34:05. > :34:11.fraud. Records aren't always accurate, of course. That is a
:34:11. > :34:18.concern, isn't it? It is a concern you have got to get into relative
:34:18. > :34:25.context. It is a tiny proportion of any particular amount of data that
:34:25. > :34:35.has got air is. We would always rectify that immediately. -- got
:34:35. > :34:39.areas. -- errors. What does Experian get out of this? It has
:34:39. > :34:45.been working in the public sector for over 20 years, and we have got
:34:45. > :34:53.a big unit in Nottingham but is concentrating on combating all
:34:53. > :35:00.sorts of different fraud. We have been working in local government,
:35:00. > :35:10.he saving tens of millions of pounds for local authorities. We
:35:10. > :35:11.
:35:11. > :35:18.look at social housing, for example. What we are doing with these
:35:18. > :35:22.departments is, we are not looking for cases, we are taking
:35:22. > :35:31.information that is sent to ours, and simply going through that and
:35:31. > :35:36.identifying which is high risk cases. -- sent to us. The
:35:36. > :35:44.government can then focus on high- priority cases. What it is this
:35:44. > :35:49.contract worth? We don't disclose that confidentiality, but what we
:35:49. > :35:52.can say is that in terms of what we are delivering is going to be
:35:52. > :36:00.massively valuable to the government and taxpayers in terms
:36:00. > :36:04.of savings. Well this create new jobs for Experian? Yes, I think we
:36:04. > :36:08.are a very successful business. We are doing a range of different
:36:08. > :36:18.things with local government in preventing fraud, and central
:36:18. > :36:23.
:36:23. > :36:26.government. So it is a growing business. Good luck with it.
:36:26. > :36:28.Well, I wonder if our politicians welcome the fact that the
:36:28. > :36:34.Government has asked Experian to track down people suspected of
:36:34. > :36:36.committing benefit fraud. Gedling MP, Vernon Coaker, is a former Home
:36:36. > :36:40.Office minister, and Bruce Laughton was the constituency's Conservative
:36:40. > :36:43.candidate at the general election. The fact that the Government has
:36:43. > :36:45.asked Experian to take this on is like calling in the cavalry because
:36:45. > :36:55.neither Labour nor the Conservatives were able to tackle
:36:55. > :36:57.
:36:57. > :37:07.it on their own. It is a priority per any government to try to
:37:07. > :37:11.prevent as much abroad as possible -- priority for any government.
:37:11. > :37:19.Anything that helps him respect to that is something that is important
:37:19. > :37:26.and worth exploring. There are issues that arise with it. There
:37:26. > :37:31.are issues where mistakes are made. Also, we need to think about
:37:32. > :37:36.whether it is of value for money. But all of us want to see benefit
:37:36. > :37:45.fraud tackled, and if this helps, then that will make the difference
:37:45. > :37:49.we want. We need to sort out fraud. It is the taxpayer's money,
:37:49. > :37:56.effectively, that is being spent on benefits. I have reservations that
:37:56. > :38:06.we need to make sure that the details they are getting are
:38:06. > :38:08.
:38:08. > :38:10.protected. It is essential they are protected. We've had an email from
:38:10. > :38:13.Colin Hampton, who is co-ordinator of Derbyshire Unemployed Workers
:38:13. > :38:17.Centre. He insists this is going to mean more innocent people being
:38:17. > :38:20.hounded: "Anyone looking at their own credit rating will see the
:38:20. > :38:30.numerous mistakes and out-of-date information being held on company
:38:30. > :38:32.
:38:32. > :38:39.records." that is a difficult issue. I cannot comment on how a credit
:38:39. > :38:45.rating agency operates. But one would hope that the situation is in
:38:46. > :38:52.place, and again, the checks and balances, those processes necessary
:38:52. > :38:57.to weed out those claimants, are dealt with properly. But why aren't
:38:57. > :39:02.they transparent? We have heard the representative of Experian come on.
:39:02. > :39:06.He could have been transparent. Those are the safeguard people want
:39:06. > :39:09.to hear about. We all know that Experian has been involved with
:39:09. > :39:19.issues in the past and have made mistakes. What have they learned
:39:19. > :39:23.
:39:23. > :39:26.from that? And the other side of the benefits coin is that many
:39:26. > :39:28.millions of pounds in tax credits and benefit payments are going
:39:28. > :39:34.unclaimed - people entitled to benefits who aren't claiming them.
:39:34. > :39:42.We do have a process is in place, people at there, who give people
:39:42. > :39:45.advice on how to claim benefits. But we are in the most difficult
:39:45. > :39:55.financial times, and we have to save every penny we can to make
:39:55. > :40:00.
:40:00. > :40:08.sure that it is spent in those areas in need. I think that
:40:08. > :40:12.sometimes, people hide behind commercial sensitivity. Sometimes,
:40:13. > :40:22.people want benefit fraud tackled, but the concerns we heard, they
:40:23. > :40:43.
:40:43. > :40:48.need to be addressed. They cannot just be fobbed off. People do not
:40:48. > :40:56.believe that they will remain anonymous. How can we remain
:40:56. > :41:03.anonymous? There are huge issues with this. It is a very sensitive
:41:03. > :41:13.area. If we start to get social profiling, that might be the food
:41:13. > :41:20.
:41:20. > :41:27.in the door. -- though for it. -- beat third to. You have got to look
:41:27. > :41:37.at why people are reticent about accessing GP records. That is
:41:37. > :41:44.
:41:44. > :41:50.because of this mismanagement of record over a number of years. But
:41:50. > :41:54.what we have also got a look at is the positive so that will come out
:41:54. > :42:04.over this data being analysed properly. If people's health will
:42:04. > :42:04.
:42:04. > :42:11.benefit, there is a halt host of different people suffering who are
:42:11. > :42:20.receiving treatment. -- a whole host. They would benefit from good
:42:20. > :42:25.work going on. It goes back to the issue of transparency. The way
:42:26. > :42:29.these contracts are put together, there is no proper information that
:42:29. > :42:36.goes alongside it. There are just assertions made that you have
:42:36. > :42:45.nothing to worry about. That is not sufficient for people. Of course,
:42:45. > :42:52.people want the idea of research to try and find cures. Everyone
:42:52. > :43:02.supports that. But they also want to know that the security of
:43:02. > :43:05.information is safe. Finally, the Government had made a big deal this
:43:05. > :43:08.week of giving new powers to England's eight core cities, one of
:43:08. > :43:13.them Nottingham. They are going to get extra powers to raise their own
:43:13. > :43:23.funds and decide what to spend them on. This is just a smokescreen for
:43:23. > :43:24.
:43:24. > :43:32.cuts. They will also seek millions of pounds taken away in terms of
:43:32. > :43:39.grants. The raising of the business rates will not replace that.
:43:39. > :43:44.Nottingham will lose a lot of money. When you lose out as a city?
:43:44. > :43:48.Rubbish! This is about allowing local people and politicians to be
:43:49. > :43:58.able to do with the money coming in from industry, and directed where
:43:59. > :44:00.
:44:00. > :44:06.it is most needed. But business rates would be disastrous! At the
:44:06. > :44:14.end of the day, it is absolutely essential that we allow people to
:44:14. > :44:24.know where people -- money is spent best. I am worried in parking
:44:24. > :44:27.
:44:27. > :44:29.charges. Coming up shortly: Tory MPs caught
:44:29. > :44:32.heckling Maggie Thatcher - would you believe it?! First, Meryl
:44:32. > :44:35.Streep has been getting plenty of plaudits for her portrayal of the
:44:35. > :44:39.Iron Lady, and the film's not even out yet. Our political editor, John
:44:39. > :44:41.Hess, has been giving a sneak preview to two sets of voters with
:44:41. > :44:45.very different memories of our former Prime Minister.
:44:45. > :44:48.The mere mention of her name still provokes strong feelings. Margaret
:44:48. > :44:54.Thatcher, once described as having the "eyes of Caligula and the lips
:44:54. > :45:04.of Marlyn Monroe". Now the Iron Lady is back - not to dominate the
:45:04. > :45:20.
:45:20. > :45:28.Starring Meryl Streep, the movie has a touch of Cinema magical stop
:45:28. > :45:34.-- magic. These coalminers do not need a movie to shake their
:45:34. > :45:39.memories of Margaret Thatcher. will be remembered for decimating
:45:39. > :45:43.communities. But she did a fantastic job. The Politics Show
:45:43. > :45:48.went to a former pit village. We brought together these striking
:45:48. > :45:53.miners, and some of the women who supported them to view the trail.
:45:53. > :46:00.don't know if that or go out as a science fiction or horror! It is
:46:00. > :46:06.definitely not a documentary. experience of the pit strike is
:46:06. > :46:14.still raw. What doesn't come through his ideology. Her ideology
:46:14. > :46:22.was against any public services. That ideology is now throughout our
:46:22. > :46:32.country. She was a class warrior. She was a powerful class warrior. I
:46:32. > :46:44.
:46:44. > :46:53.He this is a world away. For the women memos, -- members, that he is
:46:53. > :47:03.probably their only link. -- their tea is probably their only lend.
:47:03. > :47:05.
:47:05. > :47:11.have only one thing to say: U-turn if you want to! The ladies are not
:47:11. > :47:19.turning. We were the laughing stock of Europe, and the legacy is that
:47:19. > :47:27.we were forced -- a force to be reckoned with. She gave us back a
:47:27. > :47:36.sense of pride, and they sensed that they druidism was not wrong. -
:47:36. > :47:43.- and a sense. -- and a sense of paid should isn't. She was on the
:47:43. > :47:49.right lines. It was that the dominating style of leadership that
:47:49. > :47:54.was part of her undoing, as Ken Clarke once told me. She was
:47:54. > :48:02.getting to convince of her own competence. She refused to listen
:48:02. > :48:06.to anybody. Her political judgment had gone. She should have retired
:48:06. > :48:13.on the 10th anniversary of becoming Prime Minister, and could have
:48:13. > :48:18.required -- retired with dignity and honour, but they never do.
:48:18. > :48:23.is 21 years since Mrs Thatcher was forced out of Downing Street, and
:48:23. > :48:28.three younger people she is a political figure from the past.
:48:28. > :48:36.People either love her or hate to have. Everybody knows about her.
:48:36. > :48:40.Then the age, her you want to go and see it. She has become less of
:48:40. > :48:50.a political figure and more of a historical character of. I don't
:48:50. > :48:58.
:48:58. > :49:05.support all of her views, so I would see the film. Now we are to
:49:05. > :49:10.get Hollywood's take on the Iron Lady. It is just glorifying a
:49:10. > :49:20.person who has got no right to be glorified! She was forceful, and
:49:20. > :49:32.
:49:32. > :49:35.We have also been speaking to another veteran MP with very
:49:35. > :49:38.definite views on Mrs Thatcher. We were particularly intrigued when he
:49:38. > :49:40.told us he was an extra on the movie as they rehearsed a
:49:40. > :49:45.confrontation in the House of Commons! The most interesting thing
:49:45. > :49:49.about the extras was that there were half a dozen Tory whips down
:49:50. > :49:56.there, and they were excellent, but they had to sit on the same side as
:49:56. > :50:06.me, shouting insults at Mrs Thatcher! Tory whips are shouting
:50:06. > :50:09.
:50:09. > :50:15.at her! Mrs Thatcher was a very divisive characterful stop and she
:50:15. > :50:21.is a mainly responsible for the demise of British manufacturing.
:50:21. > :50:28.People talk about where has British manufacturing gone? It went, most
:50:28. > :50:36.of it, over 30 years. We had 700 pits when I went to work than there
:50:36. > :50:41.in 1949, and now, they are about three or four, and that is what
:50:41. > :50:50.Thatcher was responsible for. She destroyed the shipbuilding industry,
:50:50. > :50:56.the steel industry, and the pits. She finally smashed the print
:50:56. > :51:01.unions with Murdoch. Looking at the film as a whole, what do you make
:51:01. > :51:09.of Meryl Streep's portrayal of Margaret Thatcher? I spoke to her
:51:09. > :51:14.after she had done one of the scenes. It is clear she made a good
:51:14. > :51:20.job. She has always been meticulous in her preparation for films, and