:00:47. > :00:56.Hello from the West. Another week and another apology from the North
:00:56. > :01:06.Somerset MP Liam Fox. Disability campaigners say changes could force
:01:06. > :01:06.
:01:06. > :30:52.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1786 seconds
:30:52. > :30:57.Hello. The former Defence Secretary admitted he made mistakes but could
:30:57. > :31:01.other MPs be at risk because of their links with lobbyists?
:31:01. > :31:07.The local disabled campaigners who fear cuts to their benefits will
:31:07. > :31:17.mean they cannot afford to live. High levels of suicide, situations
:31:17. > :31:17.
:31:17. > :31:22.where people will find themselves Welcome. He pledged his loyalty to
:31:23. > :31:25.north Somerset and Liam Fox will now have more time to serve his
:31:25. > :31:29.constituents but his first appearance on the backbenches did
:31:29. > :31:34.little to calm the controversy surrounding his departure coming
:31:34. > :31:41.just hours of a pretty damning report into his actions as Defence
:31:41. > :31:47.Secretary. What are the lessons? Dr Liam Fox.
:31:47. > :31:54.For the first time in 18 years, he is just a backbencher. Liam Fox,
:31:54. > :32:01.his voice charged with emotion, was not going quietly. Last week's
:32:01. > :32:05.media frenzy was not unprecedented. I believe there was, from some
:32:05. > :32:12.quarters, a personal vindictiveness and even hatred that should worry
:32:12. > :32:16.all of us. But it was the revelations that forced an official
:32:16. > :32:21.investigation and some chastening Commons. Report said there had been
:32:21. > :32:24.an inappropriate blurring of lines and overall a failure of judgment
:32:24. > :32:31.by the Secretary of State for Defence who had ignored warnings
:32:31. > :32:36.from civil servants. One who has worked closely with him is south-
:32:36. > :32:42.west will share MP and another former doctor involved in military
:32:42. > :32:48.matters. I can tell you he valued this job enormously. He always
:32:48. > :32:53.wanted to do it and was doing extremely well. Perhaps, he told me,
:32:53. > :32:59.civil servants could have done more. It is a Minister's responsibility
:32:59. > :33:03.and officials simply advise but one wonders also whether those warnings
:33:03. > :33:08.were sounded loudly enough and a suspect we might hear more of that
:33:08. > :33:12.in the weeks to come. At the root of his downfall was the big private
:33:12. > :33:17.money paid so that Adam Werritty could accompany him around the
:33:17. > :33:23.world. Was it cash for influence? David Cameron has spoken out about
:33:23. > :33:29.that. There is a big issue we can no longer ignore - the next big
:33:29. > :33:35.scandal waiting to happen. It is an issue that crosses party lines and
:33:35. > :33:42.has treated our politics for too long. It exposes the far too cosy
:33:42. > :33:49.relationship -- tainted our politics - between business and
:33:49. > :33:54.money. The Coalition agreement to me to does to introduce a statutory
:33:54. > :34:00.register of lobbyists introducing greater transparency. Remember the
:34:00. > :34:05.man's defiance when the story first hit the headlines? I asked the
:34:05. > :34:08.Cabinet secretary to see if there has been any breach. I have asked
:34:08. > :34:13.the Permanent Secretary to look into any of these wild allegations
:34:13. > :34:18.and I am very happy to stand by that. His seeming reluctance to
:34:18. > :34:23.admit the truth made things worse. It is often the case that not
:34:23. > :34:27.coming out with an answer straight away leads to more trouble and
:34:27. > :34:31.relatively small things then become very damaging and it is a less than
:34:31. > :34:36.those of us in politics need to learn and relearn and remind
:34:36. > :34:41.ourselves of. It doesn't make the original offence any more or less
:34:41. > :34:47.serious. At least there is one thing Liam Fox does not need to
:34:47. > :34:53.worry about. In his constituency this week, I found no realistic
:34:53. > :34:59.moves by local Tories to unseat him. The association is 100% supportive
:35:00. > :35:07.of him and I think he has a lot of support around here. Most people,
:35:07. > :35:14.after a couple of weeks, will support him as their local MP.
:35:14. > :35:20.will be no small comfort as a Liam Fox gets used to more time at home.
:35:20. > :35:28.Joining me today is the Conservative MP for Stroud, Neil
:35:28. > :35:33.Carmichael and that local MP. Any sympathy with Dr Fox? I certainly
:35:33. > :35:38.think he had to resign and I think there are a lot a lot - much awful
:35:38. > :35:46.lot of questions to answer. His resignation should not draw a line
:35:46. > :35:50.under them investigation. At the heart of it is the issue he may
:35:50. > :35:55.have breached security by taking his friend on these trips but the
:35:55. > :36:00.key thing is there were very wealthy people prepared to fund
:36:00. > :36:04.these travels and people who had perhaps a vested interest in
:36:04. > :36:11.foreign policy outcomes and interests in the defence industry.
:36:11. > :36:17.We need to get to the bottom of that. It might be that his friend
:36:17. > :36:24.had that sort of power? I suspect he personally did not have that
:36:24. > :36:28.much influence. I don't really know what kind of influence he had but
:36:28. > :36:35.the fact that people were prepared to fund this to the tune of
:36:35. > :36:38.hundreds of thousands of pounds, we need to get to the bottom of that.
:36:38. > :36:44.Do you agree with the Prime Minister that the relationship was
:36:44. > :36:50.perhaps too cosy between MPs and business and cash? That has been
:36:50. > :36:54.the case in the past. He has now resigned and everyone has
:36:54. > :36:59.understood he accepts, perhaps belatedly, that he made mistakes
:36:59. > :37:04.and the matter has been dealt with. George Young told parliament what
:37:04. > :37:08.would happen next and that is quite comforting I think. More regulation
:37:08. > :37:17.about the role of lobbyists? Certainly what we want is a proper
:37:18. > :37:21.list or register, a statutory register. I have called for that in
:37:21. > :37:27.Parliament and we need to be reminded that we need to get on
:37:27. > :37:31.with this. Why? I we do not want this situation to happen again.
:37:31. > :37:37.you think There others in your party doing it? I very much hope
:37:37. > :37:44.not but the public needs to be assured we have a grip on this.
:37:44. > :37:52.have recently been promoted. Are the lobbyists circling and get some
:37:52. > :37:56.favours from you? Lobbying covers a huge range. I have always worked
:37:56. > :38:00.closely with the organisations like Save the children, World Vision on
:38:00. > :38:05.issues to do with child poverty. They are lobbyists in the sense
:38:05. > :38:09.that they have a cause they want you to espouse but I don't think
:38:09. > :38:16.anyone would say I shouldn't be associated with them. Then you get
:38:16. > :38:19.commercial lobbyists or corporate affairs people. So why it is -- is
:38:19. > :38:27.it OK to listen to for vested interests from a charity but not
:38:27. > :38:33.others? Not all lobbying is bad. The key issue is transparency.
:38:33. > :38:39.Recently I met with Gatwick Airport because they wanted me to lobby on
:38:39. > :38:44.air passenger duty but a think the danger isn't so much about those
:38:44. > :38:50.sort of meetings. A register of lobbyists would only go a certain
:38:50. > :38:53.way towards covering that. The danger is the informal contacts
:38:53. > :38:56.like dinners with chief executives and that will not be reported in
:38:56. > :39:02.the register and that is where the real influence over government
:39:03. > :39:06.policy happens. When they have been five Defence Secretary's in six
:39:06. > :39:15.years, you would spend a lot of money lobbying one and then he is
:39:15. > :39:21.off! Liam is the 7th since we went to Afghanistan, which is a bit too
:39:21. > :39:25.frequent eight turnover. I hear the point about informal contacts. A
:39:25. > :39:29.register is going to be difficult because we have to have definitions
:39:29. > :39:36.and you have touched on that because they will be some people
:39:36. > :39:44.who think themselves as a lobbyist but others will be less Clear.
:39:44. > :39:50.Friends? Absolutely, so we have to think very carefully about that.
:39:50. > :39:55.That's why political reform is necessary. It will be difficult but
:39:55. > :40:04.we will be contacted all of the time as that is what is happen --
:40:04. > :40:10.happens when you are an MP. Michael Gove's private office being funded
:40:10. > :40:16.by donors has been in the news this week. And trade union funding for
:40:16. > :40:26.Labour? That is very public. Let us have a balanced discussion. We have
:40:26. > :40:27.
:40:27. > :40:31.Disabled people living here have told us they fear changes to their
:40:31. > :40:35.benefits will force many below the poverty line leaving them unable to
:40:35. > :40:41.afford to live and work. The Government's Welfare Reform Bill
:40:41. > :40:45.will be voted on in the coming weeks and it proposes a 20% cut to
:40:45. > :40:50.the disability living allowance. Disability groups say they are the
:40:50. > :40:58.forgotten poor and the changes must be stopped.
:40:58. > :41:04.Meet Magritte young. Four years ago her life changed for ever. My right
:41:04. > :41:10.I began to lose sight. In hospital, my right eye was OK but my left eye
:41:10. > :41:13.was practically gone. A white stick his head new companion. She has to
:41:13. > :41:18.wear a badge because of her visibility and now has extra costs
:41:18. > :41:24.for things she took for granted before paid for through her
:41:24. > :41:29.disability living allowance. I am unable to do my hair. I also need
:41:29. > :41:35.my nails cutting. I cannot do things like that. She says she
:41:35. > :41:41.cannot afford to lose with any less money. I feel so frightened and
:41:41. > :41:45.scared that I go to bed thinking about the allowance and how my life
:41:45. > :41:52.has been affected and how it might be affected from now on. Could you
:41:52. > :41:57.cope without the money? No, I really couldn't. For many disabled
:41:57. > :42:02.people, simply getting to a shopping High Street involves
:42:02. > :42:07.getting a taxi or bus so the dilemma for politicians is how to
:42:07. > :42:12.cut 20% of the budget whilst protecting the most vulnerable.
:42:12. > :42:16.Iain Duncan Smith has said he wants to clamp down on those cheating the
:42:16. > :42:24.benefits system and to make it cheaper and fairer. DLA is a
:42:24. > :42:30.lifeline for many but it isn't just a lifeline. It isn't working
:42:30. > :42:35.effectively enough in its current form. So it will be cut by 20% and
:42:35. > :42:39.simplified to only to tears of our wards. Disabled people's needs will
:42:39. > :42:43.be reassessed as their circumstances change. The living
:42:43. > :42:46.allowance is meant to be a contribution towards the extra
:42:46. > :42:53.costs of disability. They are not scroungers, they are in genuine
:42:53. > :42:56.need. The level of fraud of this benefit is under 1%. That is
:42:57. > :43:01.according to the governments themselves. There is a lot of
:43:01. > :43:06.misrepresentation of that issue in the press but the reality is, all
:43:06. > :43:10.the people who receive the benefit, it needed. Those who will lose out
:43:10. > :43:17.will be in genuine hardship as a result. With a reduction in money,
:43:17. > :43:22.disabled groups like this one Fiat those with severe physical
:43:22. > :43:28.impairments will get more than those with less obvious needs.
:43:28. > :43:37.Hoop around the table gets disability living allowance? All of
:43:37. > :43:44.year. Andy all get the highest rates? I get the Middle rate.
:43:44. > :43:48.someone took your money away, how would you manage to live? David
:43:48. > :43:58.Cameron said, when he had a daughter with cerebral palsy like
:43:58. > :43:58.
:43:58. > :44:06.me, he said that people with this at -- disabilities, why can't they
:44:06. > :44:11.have more money and he has gone back on his word. You are cutting a
:44:11. > :44:16.bit of money to say it 20% but the impact on a person is 50% of their
:44:17. > :44:23.income. In two or three years will we be at crisis point with people
:44:23. > :44:27.unable to pay bills, been isolated and lonely. We are talking about
:44:27. > :44:31.going into big institutions. government had promised those who
:44:31. > :44:37.are disabled and genuinely in need will not suffer but their promises
:44:37. > :44:43.have not reassured all. I would like to think we would not see
:44:43. > :44:50.anything but in reality, I think we will see, and I hate to say this,
:44:50. > :44:55.higher levels of suicide, people in real neglect, effectively the
:44:55. > :44:59.emergency End of social care will suddenly burgeoned. There will be
:44:59. > :45:02.more hospital admissions because lots of things which have enabled
:45:02. > :45:07.people to keep going, keep a job and their health, those things
:45:07. > :45:13.we'll go. There will be a cumulative negative impact on the
:45:13. > :45:19.emergency End of health and social care.
:45:20. > :45:23.Still with me are art to MPs. It is obvious looking at the internet and
:45:23. > :45:30.talking to disabled people that there is a lot of genuine fear
:45:30. > :45:35.about this. Are they right to be frightened? No, they are not. As
:45:35. > :45:43.Iain Duncan Smith said, lots of people to benefit from delay and
:45:43. > :45:47.the transition to the new rate, the personal independence allowance,
:45:47. > :45:53.will get support if they need it and some will get more support and
:45:53. > :46:03.that is a point to get across. the budget is being cut by 20% or
:46:03. > :46:06.
:46:06. > :46:10.�2 billion? Yes, so there will be losers, when they? Some people have
:46:11. > :46:17.not been assessed for a very long time. It is important to get a fix
:46:17. > :46:22.on who needs it and he doesn't. did it happen that, over an eight-
:46:22. > :46:26.year period, the number of recipients increased by over a
:46:27. > :46:31.million? I think there was a recognition that people with
:46:32. > :46:34.disabilities need additional financial help and that is what the
:46:34. > :46:40.disability living allowance is about. The fact that there was
:46:40. > :46:46.take-up of that is good. As the report said, the fraud rates on
:46:46. > :46:52.this are not 0.5%. So if the government is cutting the payments,
:46:52. > :46:56.they have to be losers, as you say. Will there be some people who were
:46:56. > :47:01.getting this payment and entitled to it and then they find they will
:47:01. > :47:07.have to make ends meet without it? That is with all the other cost-of-
:47:07. > :47:15.living rises going through the roof. Everyone will have to be reassessed
:47:15. > :47:20.from 2013. That might be quite frightening for a disabled or sick
:47:20. > :47:24.person but, on the other hand, if they are getting �6,000 a year tax-
:47:24. > :47:32.free, the taxpayer is entitled to say if that person is entitled to
:47:32. > :47:35.it? There are two issues with that. It is difficult to assess some
:47:35. > :47:40.people on a short-term basis because, if you are blind, you will
:47:40. > :47:43.be blind until the end of your life in all likelihood. There is a
:47:43. > :47:48.question as to where the need to carry out assessments on everybody.
:47:48. > :47:53.But there is real concern about the way assessments are carried out at
:47:53. > :47:58.the moment for work capability and whether disabled people can go to
:47:58. > :48:02.work. That is working badly and there are some horror stories about
:48:02. > :48:05.some people being assessed as fit to work when they are terminally
:48:05. > :48:15.ill. We need to make sure the assessments are working properly
:48:15. > :48:25.and are not penalising people. many people will go back into work
:48:25. > :48:29.and are there the jobs around? Gerrard jobs around. I note the
:48:29. > :48:33.circumstances... We have had disappointing unemployment figures
:48:33. > :48:37.but if people who want to work can work they should be allowed to so
:48:37. > :48:44.we want to remove the false ceiling to remove people going into work.
:48:44. > :48:48.But the assessments have received consultations to make sure the
:48:48. > :48:53.assessments are fair and that they consider all aspects and that the
:48:54. > :49:01.person feels comfortable about them. The consultation has just finished
:49:01. > :49:08.and the new process for the new rates will be more reasonable and
:49:08. > :49:14.that is right. If someone is assessed and they feel aggrieved....
:49:14. > :49:18.I assessing 2.5 million people will cost a lot of money, won't it? Yes,
:49:18. > :49:23.but they will not all happen at once and people don't need to feel
:49:23. > :49:27.worried because the package is all about being considerate and
:49:27. > :49:33.incorporating all the aspects of a person's lifestyle and conditions.
:49:33. > :49:37.Thank you both very much indeed. Finally, David Cameron has said he
:49:37. > :49:42.wants more women in top jobs and this week there was good news for
:49:42. > :49:49.one of the West's rising stars. Claire Perry, the Conservative MP
:49:49. > :49:53.for Devizes has been promoted to be the Parliamentary Private Secretary
:49:53. > :49:59.to the new Defence Secretary. A step up for the MP who was only
:49:59. > :50:02.elected in 2010. There are lots of people who are
:50:02. > :50:09.never permanent secretaries and go on to great things but it is a nice
:50:09. > :50:13.step. I'm very happy to do the job. Even the 10,500 troops to live in
:50:13. > :50:16.the constituency and their families it is great to think I can serve
:50:16. > :50:21.them even better by being involved in the MoD.