21/03/2014 The Week in Parliament

Now on BBC News ` The Week in Parliament.

Hello and welcome to The Week In Parliament. Was it an election`

winning Budget? It was certainly one that ruffled a few feathers in the

pensions industry. The message from this Budget is this. You have earned

it, you have saved it and this Government is on your side. Living

standards down, month after month, year after year. Looking for that

all`important present for the five`year`old Wannabe MP? We found

the very thing in the Parliamentary Gift Shop. And we asked no less a

person than the Deputy Commons Speaker to road test it. We bring

George on, years there, he is ready to go, he has himself lined up and

we start. The Chamber of the Commons, a perfect model of

democracy. Well, a model, anyway. But first, it was the fifth Budget

of Chancellor George Osborne, and it was almost certainly the one he most

enjoyed delivering, as the economy slowly climbs towards the sunlit

uplands from its years in the doldrums. Budget day started on

Wednesday in traditional fashion, with the Chancellor and his Treasury

team posing for photographs in Downing Street. Then on to the

Commons, and a roar of delight from the Conservative benches.

Mr Deputy Speaker, I can report today that the economy is continuing

to recover and recovering faster than forecast.

And so on to his announcement, firstly on income taxes. There will

be no income tax on the first ?10,500.

10,500 pounds tax`free. ?800 less in tax every year for the typical

taxpayer. News for savers and pensioners.

So we will launch the new pension bond. It will be issued by national

savings and investments, open to everybody aged 65 and over and

available from January next year. The exact rate will be set in the

autumn to insure the best possible offer but our assumption is 2.8% for

a one`year bond and 4% on a three`year bond. The ?15,000 new

ISA. The message from this Budget is

this. You have earned it, you have saved it and this Government is on

your side. And it is goodbye to the old pound coin. One in ?30 coins are

counterfeit and that costs businesses and taxpayers millions

each year. So I can tell them we will move to a new highly secure ?1

coin. It will blend the security features of the future with the

inspiration from our past. In honour of our Queen, the coin will take the

shape of one of the first point she appeared on, with a more resilient

pound for a more resilient economy. And to sum it all up... The

forecasts are presented show growth up, jobs up, the deficit down. Now

we are secure in Britain's economic future with manufacturing promoted,

working toward it, saving supported, with the help of the British people,

we're turning our country around. We are building a resilient economy.

This is a Budget for the makers, the doers and the savers, and I commend

it to the House. It The opposition leader said Mr

Osborne had ignored something. He spoke for nearly an hour but he did

not mention one central fact. The working people of Britain are worse

off under the Tories. Living standards down, month after month,

year after year. 2011, living standards down. 2012, living

standards down. 2013, living standards down. And since the

election, working people's living standards, ?1600 a year down. You

are worse off under the Tories. All the Prime Minister needs to do is

nod his head if he is going to rule out cutting the 45p tax rate down to

40p in the next Parliament. Just nod your head. Come on, come on! There

you have it! There you have it, Mr Deputy Speaker. There they go again!

They won't rule it out. Doesn't it say all about them? They really do

believe that the way you make the rich work hard is to make them

richer and the way you make everyone else were card is by making them

poorer! So that was Wednesday in the Commons. There's on odd technicality

about the Budget. It's not chaired by the Speaker. He hands over to his

deputy, who has the additional title of Chairman of Ways and Means. That

ancient post is now occupied by the MP Lindsay Hoyle, for many years a

foot soldier on the Labour backbenches. He took a particular

interest in the Post Office. Here's a reminder of his inquisitorial ways

in a committee session back in 2008. Had you written to us, we would have

responded to you directly. You really don't want to make matters

worse. Let's go through it. Why does it take at least two to three weeks

for you to answer him that you manage to answer on the day he

closed the Post Office? You have to feel embarrassed by that yourself,

surely? Or have you no shame whatsoever?! You don't know the

upset this has caused. You don't care. I care and it is time you have

a conscience as well. Lindsay Hoyle, a man in charge of our miniature

Commons Chamber. Welcome to the programme. A fairly lively backbench

MP. Did you find it fairly easy to make the transition to being a

Deputy Speaker of the Commons? Well, people keep saying, we remember you,

and of course it is a different transition but you make your choice

and I've made my choice. And I'd have to say, I am very happy with

doing this job. I love this job and it is an absolute privilege. Why

were you so keen to be Deputy Speaker? I knew nobody would tap me

on the shoulder and ask me, would you like to be Deputy Speaker? But

when they created elections for it, I thought, I am pretty good at

winning marginals, I could have a go at this. It was now time for a

change because they had done the marginals and Select Committees for

years. And I've got support from both sides of the House. This

historic title, it doesn't mean a lot to everybody. Why is it called

that? Obviously it is about the ways and means of gathering taxation, the

raising of it and the spending of it. So it was Chairman of ways and

Means and supply, and the supply being how it is then spent, and that

is where it comes from. It was about the House saying to the speaker and

the King, we are going to be in charge of this, and then they

sidelined the speaker and the King. Let's see you in action during

Wednesday's debate. Order! The gentleman needs to get to

the end of his speech without myself... Without anybody having to

intervene. Chancellor of the Exchequer. I think the deputy chief

whip knows better and I hope he will calm down a little bit more. We have

not even got started! There may be an influence of the Wolves in the

pack building around. It won't be used in this chamber. It can be used

in the zoo but not here! I won't tell you again. I am sure he will be

better off giving a little bit of meat rather than what he is giving

at the moment! Well, that is something! You don't

want to be too heavy`handed. It is trying to bring some humour and keep

it at a level. What you cannot have is a sterile chamber. I've recognise

that. So it is about control without being too heavy`handed. We got

through it. Lots of people came up from different sides of the House

and said, well done, not easy. Other people seem to be pleased with my

performance but it is very hard judging yourself. You look back and

it seems to go OK. Easier than last year. It wasn't as rowdy as last

year, so from that point of view, that is good. What is your formula

for dealing with a rowdy and from bust years House of Commons? Do you

have an approach that you think is the secret? It is always about

knowing where the trouble is going to come from. The groupings. I had a

look out and when I came in, had a quick peep around and look where to

see whether potential noise would come from. It is trying to work out

where the noises coming from and trying to assess the mood of the

House and then you can begin to use the House in the best way possible

to get it through the Budget, making sure everyone can be heard and

giving some leniency and allowing some to come back. You have to allow

the excitement, the thing to breathe and people enjoy it without it going

too far. So the temperature rising nicely without reaching boiling

point. OK. In the studio, we have this splendid new addition from the

Parliamentary gift shop. The replica, the miniature replica House

of Commons chamber. It is not exactly hi`tech, is it?! No, but

some might say the House of Commons still has to come forward to the

modern age. I think it is good as it is and maybe this reflects the

House. I have the speaker here and I want you to take him and pretend he

is the Deputy Speaker. Can you pretend this is Budget day, we are

waiting for the Chancellor, so here we go. This is me? My word! I have

lost some weight! I come in and have look where the potential noise could

come from. I have a quick peek spot where the MPs are and as we are

coming towards the last Prime Minister's Questions, Islip around,

and we work of 18 so Mr Speaker slips out and Islip straight into

the chair. `` I slip around. `` we work as a team. I shout out, order,

order, the Chancellor, George Osborne.

He comes on and is ready to go and he has himself lined up. We have the

opposition side there, the Leader of the Opposition, the Chancellor with

the dispatch boxes. As well as the Mace! It is fantastic! This is

superb! This is the kit to have. I think my grandkids will love this

when I'd buy it! Thank you so much for coming in. You were the Deputy

Speaker of the Commons. `` are. Do you fancy the top job? Like

everything, I worked as a team. We have a speaker and I'm happy to work

with him. Obviously, I love the job and it is an absolute privilege to

be the Deputy Speaker. It is a great job have already so let's worry

about the job I've got. Thank you very much indeed.

September the 18th is gradually getting closer. Yet the race for and

against Scottish independence is still too close to be called with

absolute certainty. We're currently mid`way through the Scottish party

conference season. Last week, it was the Conservatives, this weekend

Labour, and coming up soon, the Lib Dems, and the SNP. The first three

of those parties are firmly on the pro`unionist side, and they're

planning the post`referendum future of Scotland, assuming of course

there's a No result. The Lib Dems are pushing for a Federalist UK with

Scotland responsible for virtually all domestic decision`making. The

Scottish Conservatives have announced increased control for the

Scottish Parliament over income tax raising, with an inquiry by Lord

Strathclyde to come up with further initiatives. As for Labour, Holyrood

would get control over housing benefit and be able to vary tax by

up to 15 pence in the pound. And I'm joined now by BBC Scotland's

Westminster correspondent David Porter. Welcome. We saw three policy

statements from the main UK political parties. Do you detect

anything like a unified approach from them? We are inching towards a

consensus for those parties who want Scotland to remain part of a United

Kingdom. If they win the vote, the status quo will not be the situation

that they will have to offer the Scottish Parliament and Scotland

more powers. Who knows what happens after September? They may have the

equivalent of a new constitutional question but what they will want to

do, at least initially, is then come up with policies for their

individual manifestoes, but each would end up giving Scotland more

power. Do you find it more surprising that the Conservatives

have an initiative or Labour's proposals are quite modest and

cautious? It's hard to get total agreement within all the parties.

There are some who want to go further than others, which means

they are having to go at a fairly slow pace. The Conservatives have

decided that they are having to look at thinking afresh, embracing

devolution more than they have ever embraced it before. As far as Labour

is concerned, this is a pragmatic approach. They know there are

different shades of opinion. Some favour more devolution, some never

really wanted to embrace in the first place. Gordon Brown has made

an intervention but is not part of the campaign. He seems to have a

different campaign. It is not a terribly co`ordinated

approach. That is a criticism people have made. Gordon Brown has made a

few interventions. He made an intervention a couple of weeks ago

and the document Labour has come up with is very similar to the one he

was putting forward but so far, he has not been willing to stand under

the campaign. He has wanted to ally his view to that of the Scottish

Labour Party. That is partly tribal. She feels more at home in that

environment. `` He. He probably also calculates as well that the key part

of the electorate they have to achieve, some people in the West of

Scotland. If he speaks to them directly, he may have more success.

Opinion polls still suggesting the most popular option is for Devo Max,

greater devolution for Scotland. It will be, should Scotland be an

independent country? People think if opinion polls are correct and the

people of Scotland vote no to independence, the other parties will

come forward with their own plans. You could get Devo Max by the back

door but that will take a few years to come. Thank you for joining us.

And you can watch live coverage of labour's conference.

And now a look at some of the other stories around Parliament in the

last seven days. Following the Russian annexation of Crimea, David

Cameron has condemned what he described as "the land grab" by

President Putin. The Prime Minister told MPs the forthcoming meeting of

the G8 group of leading industrial nations should consider expelling

Russia. We should be absolutely clear about what has happened here.

This is the annexation of one country's territory by another

country. We need to move together with our allies and partners and we

should be discussing whether or not to expel Russia permanently from the

G8. The Prime Minister should know that from this side of the House, he

will have our support for the toughest possible diplomatic and

economic measures against the Russian Federation.

What's the future of teaching assistants? Are they all needed?

After suggestions that teachers could start doing the tasks that

assistants do, an Education Minister says their jobs are safe. Are there

plans to axe them? There is a misconception, which I want to

address. There are claims that many will lose their jobs. I can assure

the honourable gentleman and his colleagues that neither the

Department of Education nor the government has any plans or powers

to do this. Can we rely on what it says on the tin or are there Trading

Standards problems surrounding much of our food? A Labour peer questions

if we actually know what we're eating. Call me old`fashioned, but I

like my ham to actually be ham! And not poultry dyed pink or meat

emulsion, whatever that is! I want fruit juice to be just that and not

laced with vegetable oil that is used in retardants. I agree with

much of the sentiment behind this question. In his interim report,

Professor Elliott recognises that the United Kingdom has access to

some of the safest food in the world but we should not be complacent. We

are working to improve our intelligence gathering and sharing.

It's 20 years since women were first ordained into the priesthood in the

Anglican Church. No women bishops yet but they're coming soon. MPs

mark two decades of female priests. One figure has described the role of

women priests as transformational, both for the church and work of the

churches in the local community. It fills me with great joy to be here,

20 years on, and to celebrate something which is so unremarkable

and look forward to a time this year when we may get our first woman

consecrated as a bishop. And tributes are paid to the man whose

parliamentary career spanned 50 years: Tony Benn. Speech`maker,

campaigner, crusader, one of Parliament's finest. His son recalls

his wicked sense of humour. On one occasion, as part of a group of

Labour MPs, they decided to delay a division because they wanted to make

trouble for the government. The sergeant was dispatched to

investigate and told them if they didn't move, he would have to take

their names. My father looked at him and said, but that would be

completely contrary to Mr Speaker's ruling of 1622! After the sergeant

had departed, dad turned to his fellow conspirators, and with that

mischievous twinkle in his eye, admitted he had just named that. ``

made that up. But it seemed to have done the trick. Hilary Benn

recalling the mischievous side of his father, Tony. Now, following the

stories of, shall we say, "creative" tax arrangements by companies such

as Amazon and Google, the Fair Tax Mark was launched earlier this year

to reward companies judged to have demonstrated good practice in their

tax payments. In the Budget on Wednesday, the Chancellor announced

further measures to crack down on avoidance. Earlier, the Green MP

Caroline Lucas had led a debate on how to give greater recognition to

companies which achieve high standards. Amidst the Budget day

security helicopters, she explained to Kate Whannel exactly what the

Fair Tax Mark is. It is very similar to the Fair Trade mark in the sense

that it is a simple given to companies who are paying their fair

share of tax. It has a group of academics, professionals,

accountants behind it who will monitor companies and award this

mark to those that are paying a fair share of tax and we are hopeful that

will give consumers and other companies information they need when

they are making decisions about how to use their money. Do consumers

have the power to change companies' behaviour? We know that tax

avoidance and evasion is the number one issue that people care about

when it comes business relations. It would be a complacent company that

didn't take account of the fact this is an issue more and more people are

aware of. They are asking questions. If government wanted to change

loopholes, they should, so why should companies act when government

won't? I don't know why the government won't act more

ambitiously on this. It's a matter of pressure to try and persuade them

to do so. If we get more companies signing up to be Fair Tax mark, that

might send a signal to government. Caroline Lucas. You're watching The

Week In Parliament, after a week when the Budget debate was again

chaired, impeccably, by the Deputy Speaker of the Commons.