20/11/2015 The Week in Parliament

Hello and welcome to the Week In Parliament.

Westminster voices its sympathy and unity with France

But what should Britain's response be to the new terror threat?

It's vital not to be drawn into responses that feed a cycle of

violence and hatred. I will set out a comprehensive strategy for dealing

with Isil. The Stormont Assembly

returns to normal working. It has been a long ten weeks, a

pretty gruelling process. Or are 16-year-olds mature enough

to be given the right to vote? Whether it is about the transport

links, these are all political issues that are affecting 16 and

17-year-olds are everybody has an interest in politics.

"The kaleidoscope has been shaken, the pieces are in flux".

Tony Blair's reaction to the 9/11 terror attacks 14 years ago hasn't

seemed entirely out of place in the last seven days at Westminster.

The political temperature slowly changed, as MPs and peers thought

through what Britain's response should be to the carnage of last

Friday night when 129 innocent Parisians lost their lives at

President Hollande announced France was "at war" with the terror group,

Questions were asked by the politicians about intelligence,

about the security of borders, about resources for the police, about

The Commons was in solemn mood on Monday.

The terrorists seek to divide us and to destroy our way of life but

theirs is an empty, perverted and murderous ideology. They represent

no one, and they will fail. France Greaves but she does not grieve

alone. Through is this strategic defence review, we will make new

funding available to the security agencies to provide for 1900 new

officers. To better respond to the threat posed by international

terrorism. The name of Isil is to divide our communities, to divide us

politically, and to divide us from our European partners with whom we

share common values. The message goes out today that we will not let

them prevail. Let us state clearly today that they won't succeed, that

we will stand as one in our communities, in our country and

united with our European partners. Events in Paris have expose the

truth about Isis and their fellow jihadists, and that truth is they

hate us not because of what we do but because of what we are. They

hate our history, our identity and our values. Does Mike Right

Honourable friend agree that those who say if we leave them alone they

will leave us alone are peddling a Aintree 's and deadly deception? I

think my friend Mike makes a very important point. I'm sure the

Secretary of State will join me in stressing that Europe's response to

the actions of a small group of fanatical motorist terrorist 's must

not be to pull up the drawbridge of thousands of Syrian refugees who are

fleeing terror summit of that which was inflicted on Paris on Friday. I

also applaud the fact the Home Secretary seems determined not to

make an ill considered response to these atrocities and is approaching

matters with her good fashion. On behalf of all of those that love

France in this place, I expressed our solidarity with our French

colleagues today. We stand shoulder to shoulder. May I speak directly to

them and say... SPEAKS IN FRENCH.

I think I can only respond to my honourable friend by saying. Mac

SPEAKS By Tuesday, the focus was shifting,

and the possibility of RAF air strikes in Syria was

being openly discussed. The UK has been taking part

in air strikes against Isis only But David Cameron told MPs the Paris

attacks had strengthened the case for tackling Isis, sometimes called

Isil, beyond the Syria-Iraq border. and it is in Syria that Isil has its

headquarters and it is from there that some of the main threat against

this country are planned and orchestrated. It is the head of the

snake. I will set out our comprehensive strategy for dealing

with Isil, our vision for a more stable and peaceful Middle East.

This strategy should include taking the action in Syria I've spoken

about and I hope that in setting out the arguments in this way, I can

build support right across this house for the action that I believe

is necessary to take. In next week was Mac strategic defence and

Security review, we will make an additional investment in our

world-class intelligence agencies which will include over 1900

additional staff, and more money to increase our network of

counterterrorism experts. While we welcome the sensible measures to

make more funding available for security services, to gather

intelligence and expose and prevent plots, can he confirmed these will

be balanced with the needs to protect our Civil Liberties, which

was so hard won in this country and so stoutly defended by many of us?

It is vital at such time of tragedy and outrage not to be drawn into

responses which beta cycle of violence and hatred. President Obama

has said that Isis grew out of our invasion of Iraq and it is one of

its unintended consequences. Jeremy Corbyn initially said

he didn't support a shoot to The Prime Minister is right that the

police and security services need our full support at this time. But

shouldn't it be immediately obvious to everyone that the police need the

full and necessary powers, including the proportionate use of lethal

force, if needs be, to keep our communities safe? As a foreign

affairs committee has concluded, there doesn't seem to be a strong

case for so extending air strikes, that it will achieve little or

nothing, and make us simply feel good and that we are doing something

as a result of the atrocities. I don't agree with that view.

So, to Wednesday, and Prime Minister's Questions.

Policing plays a vital role in community cakey shin. Gathering

evidence on those that might be a risk to all of us. This is surely

undermined if we cut the number of police officers by 5,000. Does the

prime ministers agree with Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe who said," I

genuinely worry about the safety of London if the cuts go through on

this scale." We have also, because we have cut bureaucracy, put the

equivalent of an extra 2000 police on the streets. I'll tell the Leader

of the Opposition something. As well as wanting resources, the police

want the appropriate powers. Hasn't it come to something when the leader

of her Majesty's opposition thinks the police, when confronted by a

Kalashnikov waving terrorist, isn't sure what the reaction should be.

The SNP's Westminster leader said during the recent Syrian peace talks

an agreement was made to involve the United Nations.

Will the Prime Minister confirmed that he will support the UN Security

Council resolution on this before seeking to intervene militarily in

Syria? What matters most of all is that any action we would take would

both be legal and help protect our country and our people right here.

What is the right age at which people should be allowed to vote?

45 years ago, the UK voting age went down from 21 to 18,

But the Lib Dems and Labour believe that society has

changed, and that the voting age should fall by a couple of years.

Indeed, 16 and 17-year-olds were allowed to vote in last year's

In a moment, we'll talk to two people with

On Tuesday night the Commons decided to keep the voting age at 18

But on Wednesday the Lords did the opposite, backing the idea

of 16 and 17-year-olds voting in the referendum on Britain's

If we change the voting age based on maturity, I suspect all the

behavioural experts would give the vote to girls aged ten and two men

aged 25. So, trying to make a judgment on who is mature enough to

vote is much more subjective than picking an arbitrary age. There is a

huge advantage here. The advantage is that we know exact clear where

these young people are. They are in school. So, most schools have their

own data controls, and the government could easily request that

electoral registration officials should be given access to this

information. Does the noble lady believe that 16-year-olds should be

allowed to drink, drive and smoke? Look, I'm not getting into this

debate now. There is a much broader discussion. I think the whole

situation of what 16-18 -year-olds are allowed to do is a dogs

breakfast, and in fact you can have sex, but can't watch sex, which is

completely ridiculous. So, obviously, we need a broader debate

on these issues. I don't think this is the place to have that. I ought

to explain to the house that I am a convert to the idea of 16 and

17-year-olds being able to vote. At least many of them, not because

there are as many as I would wish, but many of them will have benefited

from citizenship education in school which is more than can be said for

the vast majority of the population. There are only four countries in the

world which allows 16-year-olds a vote. Austria, Nicaragua, Brazil,

where it is voluntary for 16-year-olds but compulsory for

older voters, and Cuba. Now, I don't think that Castro, although with the

current leadership of the Labour Party, I can see the attraction, is

a great symbol of democracy. My Lords. Content is, 293. Not content

is, 211. So, the contents have it. So peers there voting in favour

of lowering the voting age The issue will now go back to

the Commons. I was joined in the studio by

Philip Cowley, professor of politics He was part of the Youth Citizenship

Commission that studied the voting age issue, and by Yasmin

Rufo, who's a member of the Youth Parliament and a current trustee

of the British Youth council. I asked Professor Cowley

if his commission had found much public enthusiasm

for lowering the voting age. There is enthusiasm amongst a small

group of people but amongst the population as a whole, you have

opposition, really quite clear position in poll after poll and even

among 16-17 -year-olds, you find an ambivalence. There's no great

support there. The thing that struck me most wasn't just support or

opposition. It was that went a few years ago they were asked about a

range of political issues, they could find only one bit of the

Constitution that a majority of the public both supported and understood

which was the voting age being at 18. So there wasn't much

acknowledgement this was a whole argument? It isn't just there isn't

any acknowledgement or there is a problem, it is the only bit of the

Constitution that the majority of people understand and support. It is

very bizarre as an attempt to try to reinvent democracy that we take the

one bit that people like and change it against their will. OK, Yasmin, I

sense that you are a pent-up tiger, you want to get stuck in. I think

the point about 18-year-olds wanting to change this, everyone understands

the current aquatic process, why change it? A lot of people said this

when we looked at changing the voting age from 21 to 18 and when

votes are women were introduced. Everyone always brings up the idea

of it is in the democratic process, why do we need to change it? There

is a group of people in the current Democratic process. Young people

should be able to vote. We have to just look over at Scotland where we

had a huge turnout. 80% of 16 and 17-year-olds registered to vote. You

are passionate about bringing the voting age down to 16, but in the

main, are a lot of 16 and 17-year-olds, are then large numbers

of them that are passionate, or are some of them not interested in

politics? I think everyone is interested important ticks. If you

ask a 16-year-old which political party they support, they wouldn't

perhaps be able to tell you. Whether you're looking at your local youth

services, the transport links of how to get to school, six for more

university, these are political issues affecting 16 and 17-year-old

so everyone has an interest in politics. Maybe not partied

politics, but politics is definitely. Every single person in

the UK is interested. Do you think that is on the rise? Are you

confident more and more people are getting involved? There is a trend

to say there is an increase. If you look at the youth Parliament, which

I am part of, 965,000 people voted in the make your mark ballot, up

from half a million last year. So there is a rising trend in young

people engaging in politics, having a voice.

Philip Cowley, since you say things have moved on, not least in

Scotland? There was able debtor turnout for -- a better turn out

there for young people than in the 20s. This was a polarising event,

not like a general election. My argument with the idea that

everybody has a stake in politics, everybody does, ten-year-olds do,

but there has to be a cut-off point somewhere. Wherever you cut that

divide you will have people on the wrong side of it who feel it is

unfair but we have to find one age that people are agreed on. The

cut-off point? I agree there needs to be a cut-off point that currently

under 16-year-old a 16-year-old can pay National Insurance and income

tax. They can join the Armed Forces... No, they can't. They can

only join with parental consent and that very phrase, with parental

consent, tells you something about the way the state sees a 16 or

17-year-old. The same applies to marriage in England and. We have

now, since your commission sat, there is a far greater use of social

media and people are talking about climate change or whatever on

Twitter and Facebook. People are far more involved than a decade ago.

They are far more involved on Twitter because it didn't exist ten

years ago. I have seen no evidence that people are far more involved in

politics. Philip Cowley, history is probably in the favour of lowering

the voting age. The 1970s, we saw it go down from 21 to 18, is arguing

for it to go to 21 again. That age, 21, was way out of line with all

other rights and responsibilities. In recent years in Britain we have

seen quite a lot of age related responsibilities and move from 16 to

18, you can't buy cigarettes any more at 16 or go into a tanning

booth or a firework. These were things you could do at 16 until very

recently and the age has moved up. If you want to ask if it is coming,

I would say probably. Cigarettes and fireworks, these things actually

harm people. There is no medical evidence to suggest that voting

harms a 16 or 17-year-old, if anything it engages them more and

helps them feel accepted in society. I think we can agree that there is

no harm in voting at all. Thank you both very much for joining us.

Now a look at some of the other stories in Parliament

The Government has said it intends closing down all of the UK's

The news comes just ahead of the United Nations Climate

The Commons welcomed the announcement.

The announcement yesterday to phase out coal with gas is equivalent to

doubling the amount of renewables in our system, possibly the biggest

reduction of carbon ever announced by the Secretary of State. I thank

the honourable member for pointing out the announcement I made

yesterday which shows such strong leadership in reducing carbon

emissions in Europe and the world and it is interesting he draws

attention to asking me whether other European countries will do that. I

am not sure they will and we don't lecture our European friends but I

have had a lot of congratulations and comments about it positive

nature internationally. Almost 44 years after the day

in Londonderry that became known as Bloody Sunday, when 14 civilians

died, there's anger in the Commons What about the families of the 1441

soldiers who died in Northern Ireland. It is immoral for the state

to seek nearly half a century after the event to put these men on trial

while others who deployed bombs and bullets in the Shadows are now in

government or received royal pardons. The government is not above

the law and neither should it be. It is the difference between us and the

terrorists. Junior doctors vote

for strike action over what they see as worse terms of employment,

as the Health Secretary aims He's fearful about the effects

of a doctors' strike. Something like delaying a cancer

clinic that means somebody gets a late diagnosis than they otherwise

would, these are things it will be very hard to avoid an impact on

patients. Proposals to give housing

association tenants the right to buy their homes prompts

deep concern at a committee session We were very disappointed and angry

and dismayed by the deal that was done. So I can watch all of my

painstakingth built up and then under these proposals sold off, who

knows? Replacement stock won't relate to the place the stock has

been lost from, is the fear. That the replacement stock will not be of

the same size. A couple of months back,

the future of devolution in Northern Ireland looked decidedly dodgy,

because of disagreements over the welfare budget and over fears of

continuing paramilitary activity. But a breakthrough came

on Wednesday. A deal was struck between the DUP

and Sinn Fein. A financial arrangement will help

those affected by welfare reforms and tax-credit

cuts, and a new watchdog to stop It means the

Northern Ireland Assembly The agreement places new obligations

on elected ministers to work together in ridding society of all

paramilitary groups and challenging such activity in all of its forms.

It has been a long ten weeks, many meetings, pretty gruelling, but I am

very conscious that whilst I have only been in gauge ten cross-party

talks for a couple of years there are many fine men and women in

Northern Ireland who have been engaged in this for 25 years.

Without devolution we would be back to direct rule, joint rule with

Dublin as far as Unionists are concerned. What we have now is a

fresh start which allows us to move forward. There are over 105,000

low-paid families in Northern Ireland who will be grateful that

their tax credits will not be cut in the way they would have been under

direct real. She said publicly and consistently that there would not be

an agreement on the past without an agreement on welfare reform. We have

an agreement on welfare reform and still no agreement on the past. I

will continue to strive to find a way to get these legacy bodies set

up, it is crucially important for victims and survivors that we do.

Now with a brief round-up of some of the other events

around the political world this week, here's Sam Francis.

This is the 1st call for Cameron Airways. The Prime Minister is set

to get his own plane for official trips. The government says refitting

a plane will be cheaper than chartering flights. A new poll from

northern England says George Osborne may have to work a bit harder

promoting the northern powerhouse plan.

The BBC commissioned survey said almost two thirds of people had not

heard of the scheme or knew nothing about it.

Surprise surprise, Scotland's First Minister in the -- Nicola Sturgeon

has revealed a childhood passion for Cilla Black songs. She chose stepped

inside Love is one of her favourite tracks.

Stella Creasy was seeking a personal assistant for her concern in

Walthamstow. She said that choosing East 17 is not enough to get the job

done. Four peers have joined the House of

Lords this week. Two other peers have retired in the same period so

the grand total is now 808 and counting.

And there should be even more peers introduced this week.

There'll be intense interest on Wednesday when the Chancellor

George Osborne reveals all the secrets of his Autumn Statement

So, do join Georgina Pattinson for the next Week In Parliament.

But for now, from me, Keith MacDougall, goodbye.