:00:13. > :00:16.Welcome to The Record. The headlines:
:00:16. > :00:18.The Government says it won't bail out the troubled care homes company,
:00:18. > :00:21.Southern Cross. Following the financial system
:00:21. > :00:22.meltdown, the Government publishes its proposed changes to the banking
:00:23. > :00:25.system. Labour attacks the Education
:00:25. > :00:35.Secretary after it emerged that some academy schools have wrongly
:00:35. > :00:36.
:00:36. > :00:39.received too much public funding. Why should any parent have
:00:40. > :00:43.confidence in him running the education system when he cannot
:00:43. > :00:46.even on his own department? But first, the UK's biggest care
:00:46. > :00:48.homes operator, Southern Cross, has four months to find a solution to
:00:48. > :00:51.its financial problems after reaching an agreement with
:00:51. > :00:53.landlords and creditors. Responding to an urgent question, the Care
:00:53. > :00:58.Minister insisted the welfare of the residents was the Government's
:00:58. > :01:01."paramount" concern and no-one would be left homeless. On
:01:01. > :01:03.Wednesday, the struggling care homes provider reached a deal to
:01:03. > :01:09.guarantee the welfare of its elderly residents. The company says
:01:09. > :01:12.it will continue to run all of its 751 care homes. Southern Cross
:01:12. > :01:19.recently revealed it had made losses of more than �300 million in
:01:19. > :01:22.the six months to March, and has announced 3,000 redundancies. The
:01:22. > :01:29.Labour MP who called the minister to the Despatch box said the
:01:29. > :01:34.Government had been to slow to "get a grip" on the problem. After
:01:35. > :01:40.yesterday's meeting with the different landlords, the company's
:01:40. > :01:42.suit is uncertain. Residents of Southern Cross, their relatives and
:01:42. > :01:48.the directors of social services will meet further information
:01:48. > :01:52.sooner rather than later. What comes next for the company?
:01:52. > :01:56.Yesterday, a meeting took place between Southern Cross, Landers and
:01:56. > :02:00.landlords in the committee. It be to work together to deliver a
:02:00. > :02:05.solution to the company's current financial problems. They made clear
:02:05. > :02:09.that the continuity and quality of care of all but 1,000 residents
:02:09. > :02:13.will be maintained and every resident will be looked after. This
:02:13. > :02:16.is a welcome development and the Government is encouraged by this
:02:16. > :02:22.positive development. The exact details of the restructuring plan
:02:22. > :02:26.will be set out over the next few days and following weeks. I think a
:02:26. > :02:30.joint statement issued yesterday by the company, landlords and lenders
:02:30. > :02:33.provides for the reassurance that the continuity of care is at the
:02:33. > :02:39.centre of this consensual restructuring. The Government will
:02:39. > :02:44.continue to keep close contact with all involved in this process.
:02:44. > :02:46.people are treated with commodities with no pot to the consequences for
:02:47. > :02:50.them, it is important the Government steps up and does
:02:50. > :02:54.something about it. Southern Cross is not the only company in this
:02:54. > :02:59.Industry to have financial difficulties. We have heard from
:02:59. > :03:02.the Business Secretary that the business model will be looked at by
:03:02. > :03:07.his department. Will the Minister give more details on the timings of
:03:07. > :03:11.this review and her members will be told about his findings? Perhaps
:03:11. > :03:15.the area we might have some agreement is we need to learn
:03:15. > :03:20.lessons from all that is currently occur in with regard to Southern
:03:20. > :03:24.Cross, in respect we have a stable social care sector for the future.
:03:24. > :03:30.That is what the Government is committed to an overhaul of social
:03:30. > :03:34.care and why we intend to bring forward a way pep -- white paper.
:03:34. > :03:39.I'm concerned for the residents of the care homes in my constituency,
:03:39. > :03:43.it would be wrong if anyone tried to use this as a political shield
:03:43. > :03:48.to make cheap political points. But can the Minister tell us, given
:03:48. > :03:52.there will be up to 3,000 job losses, what measures will the
:03:52. > :03:56.Government take to monitor the quality of care and the staff ratio
:03:56. > :04:02.of individual homes to ensure there is no negative impact on the
:04:02. > :04:07.residents? The honourable gentleman asks an important question about
:04:07. > :04:13.quality of care and its impact. That is why, when it became clear
:04:13. > :04:17.the company was posting a figure of 3,000 and more redundancies that I
:04:17. > :04:22.instructed an additional investigation to ascertain any
:04:22. > :04:27.likely impact and make sure there is no impact on the quality of care.
:04:27. > :04:33.Will the Minister be careful not to say what he should say, will he
:04:33. > :04:37.pledge to the House that no final - - vulnerable person who should not
:04:37. > :04:41.be moved if there is a catastrophe of the kind we all want to avoid,
:04:41. > :04:45.will be able to stay in the residential home? That is that that
:04:45. > :04:51.we want here from him, to show some leadership as the Minister
:04:51. > :04:56.responsible. The leads that I can get to the House today is that
:04:56. > :04:59.every local authority with Southern Cross care homes and
:04:59. > :05:03.responsibilities for resonance they have placed their is clear about
:05:03. > :05:08.their duties to guarantee and provide care, not just for the
:05:08. > :05:13.residents who are state funded by also the residents who are self-
:05:13. > :05:15.funding. That is the crews guarantee I can offer.
:05:16. > :05:19.The Government has published details of its planned banking
:05:19. > :05:22.changes, to protect taxpayers from the risk of having to bail out the
:05:22. > :05:24.industry again in any future crisis. It includes forcing them to
:05:24. > :05:28.separate their retail businesses from their riskier investment
:05:28. > :05:31.operations. That proposal was announced by the Chancellor, George
:05:31. > :05:39.Osborne, in his Mansion House Speech, along with the decision to
:05:39. > :05:42.put the nationalised bank, Northern Rock up for sale. When the
:05:42. > :05:50.coalition Government came into office, questions were asked about
:05:50. > :05:52.the future of banking rigid the -- banking Reggie -- regulation. There
:05:52. > :05:55.should be a new settlement between the financial system and the
:05:56. > :06:03.British people. A settlement what the banks support the people so
:06:03. > :06:11.that people make a light the banks. The actions we are taking to
:06:11. > :06:15.complete this settlement, I commend this statement to the House. What
:06:15. > :06:19.utter contempt the Government is showing to Parliament today by
:06:19. > :06:24.announcing he's major proposals first to the bank has in the city
:06:24. > :06:27.yesterday and only today to alight have absented lives. Time and time
:06:27. > :06:30.again, ministers give policy speeches outside this place and the
:06:30. > :06:35.House of Commons is merely an afterthought. Ways the Chancellor
:06:35. > :06:39.himself not here to make these announcements? This disregard for
:06:39. > :06:45.the democratic process is reflected in the draft legislation that we
:06:45. > :06:49.have today before us. It hands vast new powers over the lives of all a
:06:49. > :06:52.constituents to the unelected Bank of England and leaves out
:06:52. > :06:56.accountability deficit and with no mention of parliamentary Eckert
:06:56. > :06:58.ability in all of its pages. Hoban said those comments showed
:06:58. > :07:01."the emptiness" of Labour's thoughts on banking and Mr Osborne
:07:01. > :07:11.hadn't revealed the full paper on reform, which was the centrepiece
:07:11. > :07:20.of the announcement. Drawing on my 19 years as a banker, can I tell
:07:20. > :07:24.you... I was far more popular then and I am now! Mr Deputy Speaker,
:07:25. > :07:28.drawing on that experience, can I say that the Minister has rightly
:07:28. > :07:32.identified some deep structural problems which the UK banking
:07:32. > :07:37.system. Although all over the coming weeks and months there will
:07:37. > :07:41.be howls of protest from so it -- certain sections of the banking
:07:41. > :07:46.community, the principles he has outlined will lead to a safer and
:07:46. > :07:51.more stable UK banking system. will not up our financial services
:07:51. > :07:57.industry employs several million people and generates over �50
:07:57. > :08:04.billion a year in tax revenue. Can he assure me that these proposals
:08:04. > :08:08.will strike the right balance between protecting the consumer and
:08:08. > :08:13.that the same time maintaining our leading place in the global
:08:13. > :08:17.financial marketplace? Before the general election, the Chancellor
:08:17. > :08:22.and Business Secretary got into of her office fight about fooled the
:08:22. > :08:28.toughest on the backs. Neither of them are here today. If the last
:08:28. > :08:32.Government was charged with light touch regulation, this Government's
:08:32. > :08:35.is guilty of like touch reform. Hoban said the Government's
:08:35. > :08:38.proposals struck the right balance and would create a more sustainable
:08:38. > :08:41.and safer banking system. Labour are concerned about the sale of
:08:41. > :08:43.Northern Rock, which they would like to see turned back into a
:08:43. > :08:45.building society, owned by its members. The bank has its
:08:45. > :08:53.headquarters in the Shadow Business Minister, Chi Onuwarah's
:08:53. > :08:59.constituency in Newcastle. Could the Minister explain to me how
:08:59. > :09:04.these option will be structured so as to promote Northern Rock's
:09:04. > :09:08.mutualisation? Could he also say what guarantees he will offer on
:09:08. > :09:15.the name, headquarters, jobs and the community contribution of
:09:15. > :09:19.Northern Rock? I think she raises some important points about how a
:09:19. > :09:25.potential bidder would seek to maintain employment in the North
:09:25. > :09:30.East. How they would use the Northern Rock name. Whether, how
:09:30. > :09:33.their headquarters would be structures. That is something that
:09:33. > :09:38.bidders will need to consider. I would encourage all those who have
:09:38. > :09:43.an interest in Northern Rock to engage with people in the North
:09:43. > :09:46.East to present to them why they a deal gives the best future. Can the
:09:46. > :09:50.Secretary get an assurance to the House and to the country that the
:09:50. > :09:54.sale of Northern Rock will not proceed unless there is absolute
:09:54. > :09:59.certainty that every penny of taxpayers' money put into it will
:09:59. > :10:02.be recouped plus interest, and can he also give an assurance that the
:10:02. > :10:08.transformation of the banking system that is being proposed will
:10:08. > :10:13.begin to give people some trust in the banking system again?
:10:13. > :10:20.honourable friend makes some important points and we will seek
:10:20. > :10:24.to do through the sale process to get the best possible deal for the
:10:24. > :10:27.taxpayer. Mr Hoban said trust in banks had taken a knock and the
:10:27. > :10:29.best thing they could do was get on with helping families and
:10:29. > :10:31.businesses by ensuring a flow of credit.
:10:31. > :10:34.Labour are questioning Government plans to create more "academies"
:10:34. > :10:39.after the disclosure that some schools in England have been given
:10:39. > :10:44.too much public money. 200 of the worst-performing primaries are to
:10:44. > :10:47.be taken out of council control in an effort to improve standards. But
:10:47. > :10:51.it's been revealed that some academies will have to repay
:10:51. > :10:54.funding after being given too much. Called to the Commons to make a
:10:54. > :11:02.statement, the Education Minister said Labour needed to look at the
:11:02. > :11:08.bigger picture. Does he agree that we should raise the bar on
:11:08. > :11:14.secondary schools from and 35% achieving five good GCSEs to 40%
:11:14. > :11:18.next year, and does he agree that we should further raise it to 50%
:11:18. > :11:23.by the end of this Parliament? Does he agree with our announcement
:11:23. > :11:29.today... I do not know why the opposition do not want to hear this.
:11:29. > :11:34.Does he agree with our announcement today to extend the Academy's
:11:34. > :11:36.programme to underperforming primary schools? And in particular,
:11:36. > :11:41.to the 200 worst performing primary schools, many of which were in that
:11:41. > :11:43.state for a decade while his party was in Government. The Shadow
:11:43. > :11:49.Education Secretary wondered how many schools had been overpaid and
:11:49. > :11:52.if the money would be clawed back. Isn't it the case that the
:11:52. > :11:56.Secretary of State repeatedly finds himself in his position because he
:11:56. > :12:05.rushes ahead and fails to consult people on changes? We have been
:12:05. > :12:10.here before. The only way people can make him listen to them is to
:12:10. > :12:15.launch it legal action, that is no way to run a department. We year he
:12:15. > :12:18.will pay the council's legal costs. In the past year, the Secretary of
:12:19. > :12:23.State has spent more money on solicitors' fees than Brian Jacques
:12:23. > :12:29.and Fred Goodwin put together. should remind him that these
:12:29. > :12:32.problems occur every year. It occurred every year under the last
:12:32. > :12:36.Labour Government. The difference to Jean his former Government and
:12:36. > :12:40.this is that we are taking action to sort out this problem. That is
:12:40. > :12:44.why we announced a fundamental review of the school funding system.
:12:44. > :12:49.We will be making further announcement and consultation on
:12:49. > :12:52.the details of that review later this year. We have as Secretary of
:12:52. > :12:57.State botched the building schools for the future programme, who had
:12:57. > :13:02.to do a U-turn on schools' Sports partnerships, who cannot spot
:13:02. > :13:05.errors in the funding programmes of his own department, why should any
:13:05. > :13:13.parent have confidence in him running the education system when
:13:13. > :13:23.he cannot even run his own department? I see the honourable
:13:23. > :13:23.
:13:23. > :13:27.lady is trying to create a theme here. But there is no theme. This
:13:27. > :13:31.is a particular problem, reported in the Financial Times today, that
:13:31. > :13:35.occur every year and arises out of the complexity of the funding
:13:35. > :13:39.system that we are trying to simplified. It is extraordinary for
:13:39. > :13:43.the party opposite to be quibbling about accounting errors. Is it a
:13:43. > :13:48.smokescreen to distract attention from the Commons that Tony Blair
:13:48. > :13:51.has recently made, supporting this Government's policies on academies
:13:51. > :13:54.and primary schools? The Education Minister said that was a point he'd
:13:54. > :13:57.been "too sensitive" to raise, but Government policies had been
:13:57. > :13:59.endorsed in The Sun, by Tony Blair. You're watching The Record here on
:13:59. > :14:02.BBC Parliament, with me, Alicia McCarthy. The main news again:
:14:02. > :14:05.The Government's welcomed a deal which could ease the financial
:14:05. > :14:08.crisis at Britain's largest care home company, Southern Cross. The
:14:08. > :14:13.firm says it's reached an agreement with its landlords to guarantee the
:14:13. > :14:17.welfare of its 31,000 elderly residents. Still to come:
:14:17. > :14:24.Anger in the Lords as Peers are told to come back from their summer
:14:24. > :14:34.break one week early. But their complaints get little sympathy.
:14:34. > :14:36.
:14:36. > :14:39.my dear old Aunt would say, my lord But before that. The Labour peer
:14:39. > :14:42.Alan Sugar has suggested that newspaper editors and proprietors
:14:42. > :14:45.should go to jail if their publications are found guilty of
:14:45. > :14:47.phone hacking. The issue was raised by the former Conservative Cabinet
:14:47. > :14:51.minister Lord Fowler, who called phone hacking a "massive conspiracy
:14:51. > :14:54.against the public". Lady Rawlings said she could only answer for the
:14:54. > :15:00.Culture department not the Home Office and couldn't comment on
:15:00. > :15:07.newspaper editors. Does he recognise that in the last two
:15:07. > :15:11.weeks alone, News Corporation have paid out damages of �100,000 to get
:15:11. > :15:17.traced Siena Miller and admitted misuse a private information and
:15:17. > :15:20.harassment. News International have set up what they call a
:15:20. > :15:25.compensation fund for the victims of phone hacking and evidence has a
:15:25. > :15:29.move that News Of The World is not the only newspaper involved. Does
:15:30. > :15:33.she agree that all of this represents a massive conspiracy
:15:33. > :15:37.against the public which the police and the Press Complaints Commission
:15:37. > :15:43.have been powerless to prevent and will she give an assurance that
:15:43. > :15:52.once the criminal proceedings are complete, then the government will
:15:52. > :15:56.set up an independent inquiry to find out where responsibility lies?
:15:56. > :16:01.My noble friend is extremely knowledgeable and experienced on
:16:01. > :16:04.this subject and I have read the details that he mentioned but I
:16:04. > :16:09.need to make it clear from the start that my answers will only
:16:09. > :16:13.cover press regulations and not the criminal aspects. I know your
:16:13. > :16:19.Lordships are well aware that the criminal aspects of hacking are
:16:19. > :16:24.covered by the Home Office. We do fully understand by noble friend's
:16:24. > :16:29.request for a further inquiry to be set up after the present cases are
:16:29. > :16:33.resolved. We are witnessing a revolution in the information and
:16:33. > :16:38.communications world, as in technology in general, of such
:16:38. > :16:43.galloping speed that I can any agree with my noble friend that
:16:43. > :16:48.constant monitoring is essential in case further action is needed.
:16:48. > :16:54.Would the noble Baroness agree with me when I say that it is ludicrous
:16:54. > :16:59.to suggest that an editor of a national newspaper is not aware of
:16:59. > :17:04.where the information came from? And in the past, as I believe one
:17:04. > :17:10.of my noble friend has mentioned, a journalist was actually given a
:17:10. > :17:14.custodial sentence for phone- tapping. Isn't it the case that the
:17:14. > :17:20.editor is responsible as to what goes in the newspaper and therefore
:17:21. > :17:25.he also should be given a custodial sentence and indeed the proprietor
:17:25. > :17:28.and the board of directors? Lady Rawlings said she could any answer
:17:29. > :17:33.for the culture department and not the Home Office and could not
:17:33. > :17:37.comment on newspaper editors. Is it time for the politicians to leave
:17:37. > :17:41.the Health Service alone? Lots of people think so. And that was the
:17:41. > :17:44.view of Steve Field, the leader of the body called the NHS Future
:17:44. > :17:46.Forum, which recently looked in detail at the Government's radical
:17:46. > :17:50.reforms to the NHS in England and recommended some alterations.
:17:50. > :17:52.Ministers this week accepted those changes. When Professor Field and
:17:52. > :17:55.other experts came before the Commons Health Committee, the
:17:55. > :18:04.chairman quoted from a report written by the ex-Labour Health
:18:04. > :18:09.Secretary Alan Milburn. He writes the U-turn, as he describes it,
:18:09. > :18:13.slows the pace of reform and dramatically reduces its impact.
:18:13. > :18:19.GPs' ability to drive more services at of hospital and into the
:18:19. > :18:26.community has been severely compromised. I wonder if you agree
:18:26. > :18:30.with Mr Milburn. I think the whole article, he is wrong, and this is a
:18:30. > :18:35.time for politicians to get out of the NHS, to a some space to get on
:18:35. > :18:39.and run the service. I would like to see the bill passed through as
:18:39. > :18:45.quickly as possible, amended to make it work, but actually the plea
:18:46. > :18:49.is that I want to get on of my patients. What was your few before
:18:49. > :18:53.the health bill, we you having discussions with all the political
:18:53. > :19:01.parties by one used to be done with the NHS? Did you think there was a
:19:01. > :19:09.need for reorganisation? Of the NHS? Yes. Absolutely. We are record
:19:09. > :19:14.any contract might speeches back. We need to health system which is
:19:14. > :19:18.more integrated around the needs of the patients. We need to integrate
:19:18. > :19:24.health and social care. We do need competition in the system in order
:19:24. > :19:29.to free up some of the poor quality services that are provided. We have
:19:29. > :19:35.too many hospital services in some areas. I know there are huge
:19:35. > :19:40.concerns and I'm sure the Forum have been listening to them from
:19:40. > :19:45.staff, stake holders, Patients, political parties, about the
:19:45. > :19:49.introduction of American-style commercial competition in two-hour
:19:49. > :19:54.National Health Service. I am slightly disappointed over the
:19:54. > :19:59.message in there has been over the role of competition since we
:19:59. > :20:02.reduced our report. If you read reports of my panel there is no
:20:02. > :20:06.suggestion in their that competition does not have a role to
:20:07. > :20:13.play in health service. We heard concerns but also heard evidence
:20:13. > :20:17.and saw evidence, studies by the LSE and Bristol, that showed that
:20:17. > :20:23.the confident -- competition introduced by the last a month had
:20:23. > :20:27.driven up quality and, in one case in the LSE, had saved lives. So
:20:27. > :20:32.competition does have a role to play. I am very clear that that
:20:32. > :20:37.competition has to be managed properly. I am every three clear
:20:37. > :20:41.that despite what some have said, there was no attempt to introduce
:20:41. > :20:45.American-style privatisation in the health service. One of the things
:20:45. > :20:51.that disappoints be about this debate is that it proceeds on the
:20:51. > :20:54.basis of are you on oppose -- in favour of privatisation or not, as
:20:54. > :21:03.opposed to thinking about how competition could be used
:21:03. > :21:07.effectively. I know that the health service needs more work from
:21:07. > :21:13.charities and social enterprises. think competition does have a place
:21:13. > :21:18.but it think we need to think a bit wider about it. Information is the
:21:18. > :21:23.key. We should have competition between hospitals, we should
:21:23. > :21:26.compare results a look at how we can driver performs in that way. My
:21:26. > :21:32.concerned about competition is that health is not just to business, it
:21:32. > :21:36.is part of our national infrastructure. I have a
:21:36. > :21:40.responsibility as a major trauma centre, I must have every service
:21:40. > :21:46.in a hospital to support that. As members will know, we treat the
:21:46. > :21:50.military coup in back from winded overseas and on occasion we have
:21:50. > :21:55.had 11 separate specialities working on one person and is one of
:21:55. > :22:00.those was contracted out it would weaken my ability to do that.
:22:00. > :22:03.should allow the commissioners to be innovative and trust them as the
:22:03. > :22:11.people best place to balance to protect what Julian has been talked
:22:11. > :22:16.about and the need for innovation. D thing that is the way forward?
:22:16. > :22:25.mental health, 20% of mental health is provided by eight none NHS
:22:25. > :22:30.providers. Turning point provides brilliant services for Scotland,
:22:30. > :22:35.which is not meant to have private services. At the moment, we don't
:22:35. > :22:40.know what good or bad is. Most citizens have not got a clue and
:22:40. > :22:46.told something horrible happens whether it was bad. And also they
:22:46. > :22:50.don't know what is good at the moment, based people. I have been
:22:50. > :22:56.on the receiving end of fantastic care for our family, and the most
:22:56. > :22:59.appalling care, and I'm absolutely determined to do something about
:22:59. > :23:02.improving the quality of care in this country. The Government is
:23:02. > :23:06.insisting that the Libyan leader, Colonel Gaddafi, will not be able
:23:06. > :23:10.to attend the London Olympics next year, because of a European Union
:23:10. > :23:13.travel ban. Preparations are well under way for the 2012 games due to
:23:13. > :23:18.start next summer. But the allocation of tickets has provoked
:23:18. > :23:22.a row, with thousands of members of the public being left disappointed.
:23:22. > :23:25.It was revealed earlier in the week that the Libyan Olympic Committee
:23:25. > :23:28.has been allocated a few hundred tickets for sports groups and
:23:28. > :23:30.athletes. In a rather roundabout way, the Shadow Olympics Minister
:23:31. > :23:39.asked about the allocation of tickets to Libya and sought
:23:39. > :23:43.reassurance that members of the regime wouldn't be coming to the UK.
:23:43. > :23:47.Will he recognise the limited scope for the International Olympic
:23:47. > :23:52.Committee to do more than issue invitations to countries around the
:23:52. > :23:58.world, to the national Olympic committees of countries around the
:23:58. > :24:05.world? And will he, given the sensitivity of what we would
:24:05. > :24:10.describe as pariah regimes, a short the House that all necessary and
:24:10. > :24:18.relevant diplomatic intervention will be taken at the appropriate
:24:18. > :24:26.time to prevent participation in the games of heads of such states?
:24:26. > :24:32.The short answer is I entirely agree with the right honourable
:24:32. > :24:38.lady. What was apparent is that it is much easier to deal with the
:24:38. > :24:42.situation did they have the subject of EU planning sanctions. Would the
:24:42. > :24:46.minister of sport agree that the E Olympics as a celebration of world
:24:46. > :24:53.sport and has country should be very careful about trying to ban
:24:53. > :24:57.people coming to this country for the Olympics? I would certainly
:24:57. > :25:01.agree they are a celebration of world sport. It is an issue we
:25:01. > :25:06.touched on with the question, it is really important aware there are
:25:06. > :25:10.regimes that we do not wish to invite to this country that the
:25:10. > :25:14.relevant international sanctions are in place to back that up. It is
:25:14. > :25:20.one of the ironies of the current process that the band that was put
:25:20. > :25:24.in place at the 1980 Olympics produced into people who did not
:25:24. > :25:28.abide by that ban, Lord Coe and Lord Moynihan who are central to
:25:28. > :25:37.the livery of the games. Another Conservative wanted to know where
:25:37. > :25:40.any government tickets were going. Will my right honourable friend
:25:40. > :25:48.assure the House that none of those tickets will be provided as free
:25:48. > :25:53.perks either to government employees in general or took UK
:25:53. > :25:58.politicians in particular. I am happy to assure my honourable
:25:58. > :26:03.friend about those tickets. The tickets will be purchased and are
:26:04. > :26:10.available through the ballot. 2400 of the tickets are being made
:26:10. > :26:16.available to host towns and cities. Again, they will be purchased. 2900
:26:16. > :26:22.tickets will be made available to guests of the government, including
:26:22. > :26:27.business guess, to ensure we gain an economic legacy to the Olympics
:26:27. > :26:30.and others will be allocated as prizes in the school games.
:26:30. > :26:34.Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt. There was consternation in the
:26:34. > :26:38.Lords at the news that they will be coming back a week early from the
:26:38. > :26:40.summer break - to deal with a backlog of business. Labour's
:26:40. > :26:46.spokesman Lord Bassam said it was an "unprecedented" move and
:26:46. > :26:53.complained that there was "real and genuine anger" among Labour peers.
:26:53. > :27:00.Anger because it disrupts long-term arrangements and anger because it
:27:00. > :27:04.treats this place with contempt. The truth is, and in saying this by
:27:04. > :27:09.apportion no blame to the noble lady, that the government is trying
:27:09. > :27:14.to force through a programme it is overlong, over programmed and
:27:14. > :27:20.overblown. In short, it is too long and they know it and the House, and
:27:20. > :27:24.the process of scrutiny, is the sufferer. This is a crisis of
:27:24. > :27:31.timetabling not caused by your Lordship's right full desire to
:27:31. > :27:35.scrutinise bills. As my dear old and brose would say, the noble Lord
:27:35. > :27:44.has a bit of a brass neck. And she implied Labour peers only had
:27:44. > :27:49.themselves to blame. This is a self-regulating house and scrutiny
:27:49. > :27:55.can only be curtailed by the House itself. The corollary is that
:27:55. > :27:59.whether House chooses to do well on a particular bill, as it did on the
:27:59. > :28:04.parliamentary voting systems and constituencies bill, add bill on
:28:04. > :28:10.which we spent 17 days in committee, more than double the usual maximum
:28:10. > :28:14.for the very largest bills, more time must then be found elsewhere,
:28:15. > :28:20.if the scrutiny of the other bills in a cover's that is slated
:28:20. > :28:24.programme is not to suffer in consequence. And that's it for now,
:28:24. > :28:27.but do join me on Friday night at 11 for The Record Review, our look