:00:33. > :00:39.In the Midlands, we will remember them. Bob Ainsworth reveals their
:00:39. > :00:49.heavy responsibilities and frustrations of high office. And
:00:49. > :00:49.
:00:49. > :32:13.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1884 seconds
:32:13. > :32:18.Hello again. Later we will be asking why MPs are giving their
:32:18. > :32:23.backing to high-speed rail. First, �6.7 million was raised in this
:32:23. > :32:30.region alone last year by the Royal British Legion's Poppy Appeal, to
:32:30. > :32:36.help and support the armed forces. That was nearly one-fifth of the UK
:32:36. > :32:42.total. What sort of shape are the defence forces in? Peter Luff
:32:42. > :32:50.should know, he is responsible for equipment and technology. Steve
:32:51. > :32:52.McCabe, Labour MP for Birmingham Selly Oak. That constituency
:32:52. > :32:55.borders the internationally renowned Centre for Defence
:32:55. > :32:59.Medicine in Queen Elizabeth Hospital. We also have a Dawn
:32:59. > :33:04.Turner from Rubery in Worcestershire. She is a very proud
:33:04. > :33:09.mother, who has two sons that you are serving in the military. Tell
:33:09. > :33:19.us about them. One is in the Royal Artillery, the other is in the
:33:19. > :33:23.Royal Horse Artillery. They both joined at 16. The eldest has done a
:33:23. > :33:30.tour in Iraq, the younger one has done a tour in Afghanistan. We are
:33:30. > :33:36.no rating -- we're waiting for my eldest son to go back to
:33:36. > :33:40.Afghanistan. You must be extremely proud of them. As a family, you are
:33:40. > :33:46.just perfectly committed to the cause they are engaged in?
:33:46. > :33:55.course. I am very proud. Pride always comes with a price, and that
:33:55. > :34:01.is the worry of the knock on the door. The ringing phone. I am
:34:01. > :34:08.extremely proud. All of us can identify with that. Plenty to talk
:34:09. > :34:13.about today. I have been talking to Bob Ainsworth, the former Secretary
:34:13. > :34:18.of State for Defence. He joined me in the Westminster studio to
:34:18. > :34:25.reflect on his period at the men and -- his period at the Ministry
:34:25. > :34:29.of Defence. There was a lot of debate about equipment. When you
:34:30. > :34:33.have people in harm's way, Afghanistan is about the most
:34:33. > :34:43.difficult operation the British forces have done since Korea, there
:34:43. > :34:43.
:34:43. > :34:47.can never be enough. Just the other night, I spent some time with the
:34:47. > :34:52.brigade that have just come back, and they are getting the benefit of
:34:52. > :34:57.decisions that were taken a very long time ago. To talk about the
:34:57. > :35:06.delay like that, that is difficult if you think about the love one's
:35:06. > :35:14.of soldiers who are right there. One reason problem was getting
:35:14. > :35:17.ballistic protection for small vehicles. -- one reason problem. We
:35:17. > :35:27.now have it. It has been built in the Midlands but it was designed
:35:27. > :35:31.
:35:32. > :35:35.from scratch in order to get that dynamic. The military covenant is
:35:35. > :35:38.something that you and other ministers have spoken of in strong
:35:38. > :35:48.support. It enshrines the obligation from the state to be
:35:48. > :35:55.able to put their way -- from the State for people who put their
:35:55. > :36:00.lives on the line. You have put it in a document. I did, it put
:36:00. > :36:10.obligations on every department of government to deliver for around
:36:10. > :36:12.
:36:12. > :36:16.forces. We had it in our manifesto. -- are our own forces. But we
:36:16. > :36:26.should have read in a legal document. David Cameron said he
:36:26. > :36:31.
:36:31. > :36:38.would. The Colonial Service gives us good value for money. --
:36:38. > :36:48.coronial service. But there is no good standard that runs throughout
:36:48. > :36:48.
:36:48. > :36:58.it. They teach the other departments lesson, but at worst
:36:58. > :37:07.they are dreadful. Does it surprise you there might be to -- and
:37:07. > :37:11.jealousy that creeps in. There is a resentment that other people feel
:37:11. > :37:18.the service community are getting preferential treatment? Nobody else
:37:18. > :37:24.is asked to put their lives on the line and take orders to walk into
:37:24. > :37:28.extreme danger. When people are injured in those circumstances, it
:37:28. > :37:33.is absolutely appropriate. The overwhelming majority of civilians
:37:33. > :37:39.if they think about it, support that. It is not special treatment.
:37:39. > :37:45.Is his return for sacrifice and for services given to the nation. -- it
:37:45. > :37:55.is a return. Bob Ainsworth giving us a sense of the extreme pressure
:37:55. > :37:56.
:37:56. > :38:01.on any Secretary of State. Peter Luff, can you identify with that
:38:01. > :38:08.frustrations he felt. There is the delay, night time goggles, body
:38:08. > :38:13.armour, getting them out to the front. I can, and there is to
:38:13. > :38:20.sources of that delay. Political will and technical issues. -- two
:38:20. > :38:25.sources. There is no point having new equipment taken out to
:38:25. > :38:31.Afghanistan if they cannot use it. Training is important. It does take
:38:31. > :38:37.a long time. The troops have never been better equipped than they are
:38:37. > :38:46.now. So would you say to Dawn Turner, whose sons are out there,
:38:46. > :38:54.that the situation is now resolved. I can. Like all, I met three
:38:54. > :38:59.Commando last week. They are delighted with the equipment. They
:38:59. > :39:05.say it is performing better than expected. I can say that our boys
:39:05. > :39:13.and girls have exactly what they need. You are benefiting from a
:39:13. > :39:22.hard work that Bob Ainsworth put in? He did. He did a lot of good
:39:22. > :39:27.work. But we inherited a financial mess and we kept the process going.
:39:27. > :39:35.I am very happy that the people in Afghanistan have that equipment now.
:39:35. > :39:39.Steve, you will be keeping watch on this issue. I think where they are
:39:39. > :39:43.taking measures to protect the troops, we will give them our total
:39:43. > :39:49.support. People do not want to see political parties squabbling about
:39:50. > :39:54.the treatment of the armed services. Obviously some areas we have
:39:54. > :39:59.reservations, we want to know what has happened to the dedicated wards
:39:59. > :40:03.but the Prime Minister promised. We do not think the decision on
:40:03. > :40:12.pensions is correct. We think a number of people who stand to lose
:40:12. > :40:18.out quite heavily. -- will lose out. So we will push them in those areas.
:40:18. > :40:22.Those issues resonate very strongly in this part of the country. We are
:40:22. > :40:27.told that one in eight of all new recruits are from the West Midlands.
:40:27. > :40:33.There is a real affinity in this part of the country, is there not?
:40:33. > :40:41.There is. It is important these guys keep contact with your family.
:40:41. > :40:46.I must agree with Peter, my sons have commented on what an
:40:46. > :40:52.improvement has been made on the equipment. The helmets bit better,
:40:52. > :40:59.the lights do not fall down. These things make the difference. -- fit
:40:59. > :41:09.better. Are you satisfied that the armed forces covenant is been taken
:41:09. > :41:11.
:41:11. > :41:18.seriously? To a certain degree. There is
:41:18. > :41:23.obviously areas that need to be looked at. For example? A few weeks
:41:23. > :41:27.ago there was a young soldier who lost his life, and his family were
:41:27. > :41:33.absolutely devastated when his wages came through, and he was
:41:33. > :41:38.docked 10 days because he died 10 days before the pay-day. We know
:41:38. > :41:41.all politicians do not discuss individual cases, but the Ministry
:41:41. > :41:50.of Defence does need to look into this to make sure that that is
:41:50. > :41:56.prevented in the future. Peter Luff, that does seem particularly bad.
:41:56. > :42:03.was wrong and should not have happened. The overall picture is
:42:03. > :42:13.encouraging. The principles are now in lot. We can be held to account
:42:13. > :42:13.
:42:13. > :42:21.for anything. -- now in law. It is very good. Given the proximity for
:42:21. > :42:28.the centre of defence medicine deer -- the Centre for Defence Medicine
:42:28. > :42:34.to your constituency, what you say to the people who say armed forces
:42:34. > :42:41.are getting special treatment? have not encountered that myself.
:42:41. > :42:46.When I have spoken to civilians, they have been quite proud of what
:42:46. > :42:52.goes on there on behalf of our troops. There will always be one or
:42:52. > :42:56.two people, it is always possible to find someone like that, but the
:42:56. > :43:02.general feeling is everyone is benefiting because some of these
:43:02. > :43:06.young people were very badly injured but it tests the doctors to
:43:06. > :43:11.the limits in terms of the work they are doing. The civilian
:43:11. > :43:16.population benefit as a result of these medical advances. Your son
:43:16. > :43:22.received some treatment there himself, did he not? He did, when
:43:22. > :43:30.it was based in Selly Oak. He broke his ankle. Where did he get his
:43:30. > :43:40.injury? Afghanistan. We found out it was his cousin that flew them
:43:40. > :43:43.home. Obviously, Dawn Turner is reassured, but the difficulty as
:43:43. > :43:53.Bob Ainsworth said is that this defence cover and we have been
:43:53. > :43:53.
:43:54. > :44:03.talking about evolves all the time, so that next service and the next
:44:03. > :44:10.service will continue. You cannot keep up with that. -- defence
:44:10. > :44:19.covenant. I happen to disagree with Bob Ainsworth about the top --
:44:19. > :44:25.about the chief coroner. It is about a whole service. We believe
:44:25. > :44:30.the reforms we need to make to make it better for military families can
:44:30. > :44:40.be made more rapidly. It has been very good to talk to you Dawn
:44:40. > :44:42.
:44:42. > :44:48.Turner, and for the moment, thank you very much indeed.
:44:48. > :44:53.There is a good case to build a high-speed rail line, so says the
:44:53. > :44:57.Transport Select Committee. They have been examining plans for a new
:44:57. > :45:03.generation of bigger, faster trains, starting with a link between
:45:03. > :45:13.Birmingham and London. As Andrew Adonis once said, everybody wants a
:45:13. > :45:13.
:45:13. > :45:17.station, nobody wants the line. Our transport correspondent found the
:45:17. > :45:23.project is not yet a done deal. Believe the spin and you would
:45:23. > :45:33.think the committee had given HS2 a ringing endorsement. Go through the
:45:33. > :45:34.
:45:34. > :45:38.report and you find a different story. Although the concept gets a
:45:38. > :45:45.thumbs-up, there is doubt. The Transport Select Committee are
:45:45. > :45:48.asking very deep questions. They have been misgivings about HS2.
:45:48. > :45:53.information they are asking for work will completely devastate the
:45:53. > :45:55.case for a chest do. The committee is concerned about not only the
:45:56. > :46:03.strength of the business case but also investment levels on the
:46:03. > :46:07.existing network. MPs want to know how a test to fit into the
:46:07. > :46:17.transport strategy. This will go through a long parliamentary
:46:17. > :46:18.
:46:18. > :46:23.process, and we suggest the key questions that need to be asked.
:46:23. > :46:27.For those affected by a Test do, last week's report says they are
:46:27. > :46:34.not the only ones with misgivings. It will become more heated next
:46:34. > :46:38.month when the public consultation results are printed. Ministers
:46:38. > :46:41.certainly seem to have their work cut out if they are going to have a
:46:41. > :46:51.considered response ready in time for the big announcement, following
:46:51. > :46:54.
:46:54. > :46:59.public consultation. Steve McCabe, in common with most Labour MPs, all
:46:59. > :47:05.the big centres, you are a supporter. But these are not just
:47:05. > :47:14.idle criticisms. The environmental impact, financial, damage to rural
:47:14. > :47:21.economies, this is substantial staff. There -- substantial stuff.
:47:22. > :47:26.That is why we have select committees. My view is this country
:47:26. > :47:33.does not have a great history in dealing with these major
:47:33. > :47:40.infrastructure transport projects. This one has tremendous potential.
:47:40. > :47:44.The benefits to the Birmingham economy are enormous. It is quite
:47:44. > :47:49.right that before you embark on a project like this, some of the
:47:49. > :47:53.questions and criticisms are addressed. Peter Luff, a final word,
:47:53. > :47:59.you are very knowledgeable on the railway industry, should we not
:47:59. > :48:03.take on these criticisms? We will listen to the criticisms, that is
:48:03. > :48:10.what the select committee does. It is the right idea to build this
:48:10. > :48:12.line. We must get the detail right. Will this be on the statute book
:48:12. > :48:22.What links Crawshawbooth in Lancashire, Congelton in Cheshire
:48:22. > :48:27.
:48:27. > :48:33.and Knowsley Safari Park on -- the statute book?
:48:33. > :48:40.There are many beneficiaries of Children In Need. Each year, the
:48:40. > :48:45.fund-raising campaign swings into action. We have been to see how one
:48:45. > :48:51.minibus has been delivering a healthier way of living for some
:48:52. > :48:56.Staffordshire children. It is lifestyle and lack of exercise that
:48:56. > :49:06.is the major cause of obesity. Youngsters play computer sport
:49:06. > :49:08.
:49:08. > :49:15.rather than doing it. I was the class clown. Just silly comments.
:49:15. > :49:20.They would all add up. Now at 15, he is a boxing champion and is
:49:20. > :49:22.totally dedicated. His father cannot believe the turnaround.
:49:22. > :49:28.transformation has been unbelievable. He is not interested
:49:28. > :49:37.in going out with his friends any more. He wants to be at the
:49:37. > :49:44.gymnasium. His attitude is completely different. He is a
:49:44. > :49:51.different person. Tamworth Amateur Boxing Club, established 1969. Part
:49:51. > :49:56.of the big society before it started. It punches well above its
:49:56. > :50:02.weight in a poor community. Although it has had lottery funding,
:50:03. > :50:06.people feel it has had one hand tied behind its back. I do not know
:50:06. > :50:12.when the big society will happen. It has not changed anything for us.
:50:12. > :50:18.We are struggling for space. If it was to work, we would have that
:50:18. > :50:23.space. Without BBC children In Need funding this minibus, pupils would
:50:23. > :50:31.struggle to get here. Some of these teenagers could have been expelled.
:50:31. > :50:39.They are now tot by boxing coaches, and have landed 150 GCSEs. It is a
:50:39. > :50:45.lot more fun. They make the lessons more fun. I am not in school so I
:50:45. > :50:54.come here and it makes me feel better. It is better than school.
:50:54. > :51:04.The budget has have for alternative courses. -- halved. Some doctors
:51:04. > :51:06.
:51:06. > :51:16.are worried about health inequality. I would agree nationally we have
:51:16. > :51:16.
:51:16. > :51:22.got to make certain we do not lose healthily quality -- health
:51:22. > :51:28.inequality. The best way out of poverty is education, and people
:51:28. > :51:33.who are educated quite simply live longer. In parts of the West
:51:33. > :51:40.Midlands, a quarter of children are obese. More than a third live in