0:00:36 > 0:00:36And
0:00:36 > 0:00:37And then
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Hello and And then welcome to Thursday in Parliament,
0:00:39 > 0:00:42our look at the best of the day in the Commons and the Lords.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45On this programme, the government says it will fight a court ruling
0:00:45 > 0:00:46that changes to housing benefit discriminate
0:00:46 > 0:00:47against vulnerable people.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49There is anger on the Labour benches.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51How much of this government wasting of public money
0:00:51 > 0:00:52to defend the indefensible?
0:00:52 > 0:00:55As the migrant crisis continues, a plea in the Lords
0:00:55 > 0:00:56for more understanding.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58When will the government stopp giving the oppression that asylum
0:00:58 > 0:01:00When will the government stop giving the oppression that asylum
0:01:00 > 0:01:04seekers are a problem to be palmed off on other countries at all costs,
0:01:04 > 0:01:05and start treating them as vulnerable people
0:01:06 > 0:01:06in desperate need?
0:01:06 > 0:01:08And it is farewell, Shirley.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10Lady Williams of Crosby bowed out of Westminster after a long
0:01:10 > 0:01:11and distinguished career.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14I believe this country has a long and great tradition of leadership.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17Increasingly one where we realise it has to be not just national
0:01:17 > 0:01:20but global, where we are part of a larger group of human beings,
0:01:20 > 0:01:22seeking a better world and a better life.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24But first, it's either the spare room subsidy removal,
0:01:24 > 0:01:27if you are a government supporter, or the bedroom tax,
0:01:27 > 0:01:28if you support the opposition.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30Some even call it the under-occupancy penalty.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32Whatever it is, is controversial.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35This week, the Court of Appeal ruled the policy,
0:01:35 > 0:01:38cutting a benefit for those in social housing with a spare room,
0:01:38 > 0:01:40discriminated against a victim of domestic violence,
0:01:40 > 0:01:44and against a disabled teenager's family.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46Ministers have said the government will appeal
0:01:46 > 0:01:49against the court ruling.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52In the Commons, the shadow work and pension secretary
0:01:52 > 0:01:53said his opposite number Iain Duncan Smith faced
0:01:54 > 0:01:56a clear choice.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58Politics is about choices, and the choice which faced
0:01:58 > 0:02:01the Secretary of State today was very clear.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04He could have come to this house, he could have admitted that this
0:02:04 > 0:02:08is a rotten policy that is punishing poor people across this country,
0:02:08 > 0:02:11and he could have scrapped it.
0:02:11 > 0:02:16Instead, he could sit on the front bench before going back to Caxton
0:02:16 > 0:02:20house to consult with his lawyers in order to defend this policy
0:02:20 > 0:02:24against victims of domestic violence and parents of disabled children.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27We know the choice he took.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30Minister Justin Tomlinson.
0:02:30 > 0:02:31Thank you, Mr Speaker.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34And just to be clear, this is about whether it is possible
0:02:34 > 0:02:37to define such exemptions, or whether direct housing payments
0:02:37 > 0:02:40through local authorities give the right flexibility to help a wide
0:02:40 > 0:02:43range of those in need, and we will be appealing this
0:02:43 > 0:02:45to the Supreme Court.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48Now, this is to be clear - if you try to set strict categories,
0:02:48 > 0:02:52people, especially with unique circumstances and issues,
0:02:52 > 0:02:55they could fall just below an artificial line.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57That means they would miss out.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01What about the 1.7 million people on the social housing waiting list?
0:03:01 > 0:03:05What about the 241,000 people in overcrowded accommodation?
0:03:05 > 0:03:08There is absolutely scant regard for those.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10These are the people we are talking for.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13It is right to provide flexibility, a coordinated approach.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15This is the right thing to do.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22Does the Minister agree with me that this is an issue of fairness,
0:03:22 > 0:03:26and helps people who are stuck in overcrowded accommodation,
0:03:26 > 0:03:30and those who are waiting on social housing list?
0:03:30 > 0:03:34We will end the bedroom tax when we have the powers to do so.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37If the Secretary of State will not heed the warnings of the SNP,
0:03:37 > 0:03:39will he at least listen to the rulings of some
0:03:39 > 0:03:42of the highest courts, and scrap this unfair
0:03:42 > 0:03:45and discriminatory tax, and think again about the pursuance
0:03:45 > 0:03:49of some of those most damaging cuts to vital support for some of
0:03:49 > 0:03:51the most disadvantaged in society?
0:03:51 > 0:03:54Parliament in London did not stop this disastrous policy.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56Thank heavens the courts are intervening.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58It is, Mr Speaker, little wonder that the Tories
0:03:59 > 0:04:00are so unpopular in Scotland.
0:04:00 > 0:04:09They have returned to being monastic party they were under Thatcher.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12They have returned to being the nasty party they were under
0:04:12 > 0:04:13Thatcher.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16How much public money so far has been wasted on defending this cruel
0:04:16 > 0:04:22policy in terms of legal fees?
0:04:22 > 0:04:25It is not cruel to provide support to the most vulnerable in society,
0:04:25 > 0:04:26and it is also sensible...
0:04:26 > 0:04:29It is a ?2.5 billion extra cost if the party opposite
0:04:29 > 0:04:30was to abandon this policy.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33We have now had, Mr Speaker, over half an hour of non-answers
0:04:33 > 0:04:35from this hapless minister, when actually, we wanted his boss,
0:04:35 > 0:04:38the Secretary of State, to come to this dispatch box
0:04:38 > 0:04:41to defend this disgusting and pernicious policy.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45Will he now answer the question set out by my honourable friend,
0:04:45 > 0:04:47the member for Hull North?
0:04:47 > 0:04:50How much is this government wasting of public money
0:04:50 > 0:04:54to defend the indefensible?
0:04:54 > 0:04:58That level of anger pretty much matched some of the families I met
0:04:58 > 0:05:02waiting on the waiting list that you wish to turn a blind eye to.
0:05:02 > 0:05:07If it were not out of order, would my honourable friend not agree
0:05:07 > 0:05:10with me that, given that the party opposite introduced this very
0:05:10 > 0:05:16principle for the private sector, their outrage now is hypocritical?
0:05:16 > 0:05:19I thank my honourable friend.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22I hope it isn't out of order, because I fully agree.
0:05:22 > 0:05:23Well, it is out of order.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27If it were, I would have ruled bus, and it wasn't, so I didn't.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30If it were, I would have ruled thus, and it wasn't, so I didn't.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32Speaker John Bercow, making one of his favourite rulings.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35A Foreign Office minister has told MPs that the government will take
0:05:35 > 0:05:39seriously a report by a United Nations panel of experts
0:05:39 > 0:05:43on the conflict in Yemen, when it officially receives it.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46Tobias Ellwood was responding to an urgent question from Labour,
0:05:46 > 0:05:49following the leaking of the document.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52The report alleges that a Saudi led coalition is involved
0:05:52 > 0:05:54in bombing civilians.
0:05:54 > 0:05:59That would be in breach of the rules, under which the UK
0:05:59 > 0:06:01export arms to Saudi Arabia.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05The Shadow Foreign Secretary sat out the allegations.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08Yesterday, it came to light that the United Nations panel
0:06:08 > 0:06:14of experts on Yemen's final report has, and I quote, documented
0:06:14 > 0:06:19that the coalition has conducted air strikes, targeting civilians
0:06:19 > 0:06:26and civilian objects in violation of international humanitarian law.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29It refers to weddings, civilian vehicles, residential
0:06:29 > 0:06:33areas, schools, mosques, markets and factories.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37I understand that the government received this report on Monday.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40Can the Minister set out what specific action, if any,
0:06:40 > 0:06:42has been taken since receiving it?
0:06:42 > 0:06:44It is a leaked report.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48It was received to the UN on Monday, not to us.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50We haven't officially received a report.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52Yes, of course I've got it.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55But I haven't received it, and haven't had time...
0:06:55 > 0:06:56LAUGHTER.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59I haven't received it officially.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02But Hilary Benn wanted to know if the government was implementing
0:07:02 > 0:07:04its own arms control rules.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08The panel documented 119 coalition sorties relating to violations
0:07:08 > 0:07:13of humanitarian law, and we know that UK armaments
0:07:13 > 0:07:16and planes sold to Saudi Arabia are being used in this conflict,
0:07:16 > 0:07:19as they can legitimately.
0:07:19 > 0:07:24However, our arms export licensing criteria state clearly
0:07:24 > 0:07:29that the government will not grant a licence if there is a clear risk
0:07:29 > 0:07:32that the items might be used in the commission of a serious
0:07:32 > 0:07:35violation of international humanitarian law.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38He mentions the potential breaches, and I'm pleased that he used
0:07:38 > 0:07:41the word "alleged", and indeed, the word "potential",
0:07:41 > 0:07:44because it is important that this is evidence based.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46You need to see evidence.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50We need to see the details in order to make firm judgments,
0:07:50 > 0:07:55rather than just on hearsay, or indeed, photographs.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57The actual people who wrote this report didn't visit Yemen.
0:07:57 > 0:07:58They didn't actually go there.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01They are basing this on satellite technology.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03That does not mean to say that we dismiss it.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07We take it very seriously indeed, and I commit myself to sitting down
0:08:07 > 0:08:10with the Saudi Arabians to make sure that we go through this
0:08:10 > 0:08:11with a fine tooth comb.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15It is worth remembering that last year, this government gave just ?75
0:08:15 > 0:08:20million in aid to Yemen, while at the same time,
0:08:20 > 0:08:25raking in ?5.5 billion in profits from arms sales over
0:08:25 > 0:08:27the last five years.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31Mr Speaker, it is now time for an immediate ban on arms sales
0:08:31 > 0:08:35between the UK and Saudi Arabia.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39Could he also say, ask him to resist any attempt to boycott arms sales
0:08:39 > 0:08:42to Saudi Arabia before the evidence is looked at, because all that
0:08:42 > 0:08:47would happen is, that gap would be filled by countries exporting arms
0:08:47 > 0:08:50which would not have the robust regulation that we have.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53The Minister has told us he has got the report, but he
0:08:53 > 0:08:54hasn't received it.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57He has told us that he is going to take it seriously,
0:08:57 > 0:09:00he will read it, judge on evidence, but he has also told us that he's
0:09:00 > 0:09:03going to sit down with the Saudis and go through this
0:09:03 > 0:09:04with a fine tooth comb.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06Does he not understand that he sounds as though
0:09:06 > 0:09:10he is readier to offer observations on international public relations
0:09:10 > 0:09:14than he is to ensure that there is all observation
0:09:14 > 0:09:18of international humanitarian law?
0:09:18 > 0:09:20Would the Minister confirm the strength and presence
0:09:20 > 0:09:25of militant organisations such as Al-Qaeda and Daesh in Yemen?
0:09:25 > 0:09:29Well, my honourable friend raises a very important point,
0:09:29 > 0:09:32and it shows the complexity of the situation here.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36Very sadly, the governor of Aden was killed, not by the Houthis,
0:09:36 > 0:09:41but indeed, by Daesh, who are developing a presence there.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44As we know, extremists take advantage of a vacuum
0:09:44 > 0:09:45of governments.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48The port of Mocha, which is further down the East Coast,
0:09:48 > 0:09:53is entirely run, Mr Speaker, entirely run by Al-Qaeda.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57This shows you that the extremists are based there, and Al-Qaeda
0:09:57 > 0:10:00in Yemen, they are the ones that are allegedly responsible
0:10:00 > 0:10:03for the Charlie Hebdo attack, for the print bombing attack,
0:10:03 > 0:10:05for the underpants bombing attack.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09They are exactly what we are trying to defeat, but they are embedding
0:10:09 > 0:10:12themselves in a country where governance is missing.
0:10:13 > 0:10:14Tobias Ellwood.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17Earlier this month, the Prime Minister announced a ?20
0:10:17 > 0:10:21million fund to help Muslim women in the UK to learn to speak English.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25He said that would tackle segregation and help women resist
0:10:25 > 0:10:27the lure of extremism.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31But in the Lords, one peer was far from happy at David Cameron's
0:10:31 > 0:10:36linking of extremism to core language skills among Muslim women.
0:10:36 > 0:10:42The evidence I've seen that applies to this country, to France
0:10:42 > 0:10:45and to Belgium, is that the alienation of young Muslim
0:10:45 > 0:10:48people, tempted to find a communal identity
0:10:48 > 0:10:51in radical Islam, is a third-generation problem.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53Not a second-generation problem.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57And I find it very implausible that the temptation should be
0:10:57 > 0:11:02greater if the grandmother can't speak English.
0:11:02 > 0:11:03Somebody in Number 10, writing this article
0:11:03 > 0:11:06in the Prime Minister's name, telling people who are entitled
0:11:06 > 0:11:15to be here, who married here, who are bringing up children here,
0:11:15 > 0:11:18that, "If you don't improve your fluency,
0:11:18 > 0:11:20"that could affect your ability to stay here".
0:11:20 > 0:11:21Shocking.
0:11:21 > 0:11:27And it wasn't just a slip of the pen.
0:11:27 > 0:11:35The Number 10 briefing note makes clear that there will,
0:11:35 > 0:11:38from October, be a new language test for those seeking a Visa extension
0:11:39 > 0:11:39after 13 months here.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42Do we really envisage breaking up families, deporting mothers,
0:11:42 > 0:11:44because they talk Urdu or Bengali at home?
0:11:44 > 0:11:45Now, that really might radicalise their children.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48It is no good saying everybody should learn wish without thinking
0:11:48 > 0:11:52how it is to be done.
0:11:52 > 0:11:58It's not easy to teach a woman English who probably is barely
0:11:58 > 0:12:01literate in her own language, not only the fact that she is barely
0:12:01 > 0:12:04literate, but she is very frightened of having to cope
0:12:04 > 0:12:05with this new language.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07I'd like to say that English should be taught to people
0:12:07 > 0:12:09of all faiths and cultures.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11It's a language that will unite them, and they should share
0:12:11 > 0:12:13in the learning of it.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16We must also remember that whilst a lack of English can act
0:12:16 > 0:12:19as a barrier to integration, so can many other factors,
0:12:19 > 0:12:22for example, labour market inequalities,
0:12:23 > 0:12:26and especially deprivation.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30Unfortunately, almost half of all Muslims in Britain live
0:12:30 > 0:12:34in the 10% of most deprived local districts.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36I think it is important for all migrants of all backgrounds,
0:12:36 > 0:12:40faiths, creeds and religions to learn English for themselves,
0:12:40 > 0:12:42and for society as a whole.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46I don't think anyone in this chamber is going to argue with that.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50Where my jaw fell open, and I think many others' did,
0:12:50 > 0:12:54was linking the fact that there are some women,
0:12:54 > 0:12:58Muslim women who can't speak English, somehow they become,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01and I quote the words of the Prime Minister,
0:13:01 > 0:13:03"That you could be more susceptible to the extremist message
0:13:03 > 0:13:05"that comes from Daesh".
0:13:05 > 0:13:09Now, where's the evidence?
0:13:09 > 0:13:11I just want to tell a story about,
0:13:11 > 0:13:19well, for me, it was one of the most harrowing things
0:13:19 > 0:13:21that I ever had to witness, it was in a domestic refuge,
0:13:21 > 0:13:23which particularly provided for South Asian women
0:13:23 > 0:13:25and some of those women had arrived at the refuge,
0:13:25 > 0:13:27God knows how they got there,
0:13:27 > 0:13:31because they could not speak English,
0:13:31 > 0:13:33they were isolated in their homes
0:13:33 > 0:13:36and they lived in fear of doing anything
0:13:36 > 0:13:38that might be against their husbands.
0:13:38 > 0:13:45Their plea to learn English touched me more than anything
0:13:45 > 0:13:48I have ever heard, because I saw this and the noble lady,
0:13:48 > 0:13:51Lady Flather, brought it up, as almost their ticket to freedom.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54Just booking a doctor's appointment or just ringing up a domestic refuge
0:13:54 > 0:14:02really would have been able to help them.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04You are watching our round-up of the day
0:14:04 > 0:14:05in the Commons and the Lords.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07Still to come, praise for those
0:14:07 > 0:14:11who worked to keep the trains running in the recent bad weather.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17Last week, it was red doors.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20This week, it's brightly coloured wristbands.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24It was reported that asylum seekers living in houses in Cardiff have
0:14:24 > 0:14:27been issued with the wristbands that they have to wear at all times,
0:14:27 > 0:14:33a move that, it was claimed, had resulted in the asylum seekers
0:14:33 > 0:14:35being abused by the public.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37The wristbands entitle the asylum seekers, who can't work and are not
0:14:37 > 0:14:45given money, to three meals a day.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47In the Lords, a Labour peer took up the issue
0:14:47 > 0:14:48with a Home Office minister.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51Why have Government ministers failed to carry out their responsibilities?
0:14:51 > 0:14:53Since, firstly, it was only after national newspapers exposed
0:14:53 > 0:14:56what was going on with red doors in Middlesbrough and wristbands
0:14:56 > 0:14:59to access food in Cardiff that action was taken,
0:14:59 > 0:15:02and, secondly, because as the noble Lord and Minister has now said,
0:15:02 > 0:15:09are only now busily trying to find out what is happening
0:15:09 > 0:15:11with the delivery of other similar contracts they have approved.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13Government ministers can outsource the provision of accommodation
0:15:13 > 0:15:14and food for asylum seekers,
0:15:14 > 0:15:16but they cannot outsource their own direct responsibility
0:15:16 > 0:15:21and accountability for those contracts being delivered
0:15:21 > 0:15:23and their failure to monitor them properly.
0:15:23 > 0:15:24Does the Government agree?
0:15:24 > 0:15:26The asylum seekers were in initial accommodation in Cardiff
0:15:26 > 0:15:31and in that accommodation,
0:15:31 > 0:15:33there were those people whose asylum claims had been assessed
0:15:33 > 0:15:34and their financial needs assessed,
0:15:34 > 0:15:38and those people then received a financial contribution for food.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40And there were those people who have just arrived, where they actually
0:15:40 > 0:15:43get full board and three meals a day.
0:15:43 > 0:15:52The wristbands were used to identify those people who were eligible
0:15:52 > 0:15:53for the three meals a day.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57Now, I am not asking the House to accept that is the way it should be,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00the practice has stopped, but that is the explanation for it
0:16:00 > 0:16:02and certainly our position is that safety and security and the dignity
0:16:02 > 0:16:05and humanity with which we treat asylum seekers should be paramount.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08As you recall, red front doors, wristbands and now refusing to take
0:16:08 > 0:16:13any unaccompanied asylum seeking children from Europe.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16When will the Government stop giving the impression that asylum seekers
0:16:16 > 0:16:19are a problem to be palmed off on other countries at all costs
0:16:19 > 0:16:21and start treating them as vulnerable people in desperate need
0:16:21 > 0:16:25of our help, including sanctuary in this country?
0:16:25 > 0:16:27SHOUTS OF AGREEMENT
0:16:27 > 0:16:31Well, listen, I think this country - we can all be proud of the record
0:16:31 > 0:16:34this country has in offering asylum to people who are in need.
0:16:34 > 0:16:41The Prime Minister said in September,
0:16:41 > 0:16:44we will have 1,000 people from the region here by Christmas
0:16:44 > 0:16:46and we had more than a thousand here by Christmas.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48The Prime Minister has announced today that there will be
0:16:48 > 0:16:53a further review with UNHCR to identify unaccompanied children
0:16:53 > 0:17:01from conflict regions and how they can be helped further.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03Would the noble Lord and Minister tell the House when
0:17:04 > 0:17:05the Home Office inspections were,
0:17:05 > 0:17:09because if the Home Office were inspecting regularly,
0:17:09 > 0:17:15surely they would have noticed the red doors, the wristbands?
0:17:15 > 0:17:20It's either a fault in the contract and the conditions,
0:17:20 > 0:17:24or a failure of inspection.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26Could the Minister, who is characteristically sensitive
0:17:26 > 0:17:30and careful in his use of language in referring to vulnerable people
0:17:30 > 0:17:34coming to the country, have a quiet word with the Prime Minister
0:17:34 > 0:17:37about his language when he described these people yesterday
0:17:37 > 0:17:41as a "bunch of migrants"?
0:17:41 > 0:17:44Well, sometimes the Other Place isn't quite the same
0:17:44 > 0:17:49civilised debating forum...
0:17:49 > 0:17:50LAUGHTER
0:17:50 > 0:17:55..as we are on most occasions.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57But I have to say, you know, people can choose phrases -
0:17:57 > 0:18:01and I have done it myself - in the heat of the moment,
0:18:01 > 0:18:02but what is more important
0:18:02 > 0:18:04is what are the actions behind the words.
0:18:04 > 0:18:05Lord Bates.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08Transport ministers have paid tribute to Network Rail for getting
0:18:08 > 0:18:12lines working again after the recent storms and floods.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15The Commons' newest MP, Labour's Jim McMahon,
0:18:15 > 0:18:17who won his seat in December,
0:18:17 > 0:18:20raised the impact of rail disruption on the economy
0:18:20 > 0:18:24during Transport Question Time.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26Just days after the honourable gentleman's election,
0:18:26 > 0:18:29he will have seen himself the impact of the transport disruption
0:18:29 > 0:18:32caused by this winter's unprecedented winter conditions.
0:18:32 > 0:18:38I am sure he would join me in actually paying tribute
0:18:38 > 0:18:39to Network Rail's orange army,
0:18:39 > 0:18:41who managed to get the West Coast Mainline
0:18:41 > 0:18:44open within four days of it being flooded with eight feet of water
0:18:44 > 0:18:47and we remain absolutely committed to getting all these lines back up,
0:18:47 > 0:18:50able to run a full service safely and as soon as possible
0:18:50 > 0:18:52and I would also like to thank passengers
0:18:52 > 0:18:57for their patience during this time.
0:18:57 > 0:18:58Thank you.
0:18:58 > 0:18:59Absolutely, I share that appreciation
0:18:59 > 0:19:01for staff and for passengers for their patience, of course,
0:19:01 > 0:19:03but I think the point perhaps is being missed,
0:19:03 > 0:19:06which is because money is being taken away from routine maintenance
0:19:06 > 0:19:09and flood defences, there is a massive effect on our local economy.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11If there has been an assessment carried out,
0:19:11 > 0:19:13surely that should be made public?
0:19:13 > 0:19:15I'm afraid I have to disagree with the honourable gentleman's facts.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18I hate to do that on his first Transport Questions,
0:19:18 > 0:19:20but the Government has announced that overall,
0:19:20 > 0:19:23its flood spending in the next period will be 1.7 billion higher
0:19:23 > 0:19:27than it was in the previous period and within our own transport budget,
0:19:27 > 0:19:32around ?900 million is specifically dedicated to things like making sure
0:19:32 > 0:19:35that the banks and cuttings are safe, the thing that often
0:19:35 > 0:19:38is first to go when there was heavy flooding.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40But actually, improving the resilience of the rail network,
0:19:40 > 0:19:43making sure it is fit for a 21st century climate,
0:19:43 > 0:19:46is absolutely at the heart of this record level of investment
0:19:46 > 0:19:49that this Government is putting into the railways.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51Two years ago, the Prime Minister
0:19:51 > 0:19:55stood on the ruins of the Dawlish sea wall and he said, and I quote,
0:19:55 > 0:19:57"If money needs to be spent, it will be spent.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01"If resources are required, we will provide them."
0:20:01 > 0:20:04But now we learn that Network Rail cannot even afford to fund a report
0:20:04 > 0:20:07on improving the south-west rail lines,
0:20:07 > 0:20:09putting millions of pounds of investment at risk.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12Yesterday, the Prime Minister could not say
0:20:12 > 0:20:13where that money would come from,
0:20:13 > 0:20:18so I want to give the rail minister chance.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20so I want to give the rail minister a chance.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22Will she honour her right honourable friend's commitment
0:20:22 > 0:20:23and commit to funding that study?
0:20:23 > 0:20:26Can I pay tribute to my honourable friend for Torbay,
0:20:26 > 0:20:29who actually raised this question with the Prime Minister.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32Look, the honourable lady really needs to sort out her facts on this.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35This Government spent ?35 million on the Dawlish repair,
0:20:35 > 0:20:36it opened in record time.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38This Government is spending over ?400 million
0:20:38 > 0:20:40on transport investment in the south-west,
0:20:40 > 0:20:44unlike her party, who wanted to can two major roads
0:20:44 > 0:20:47and I am looking very carefully, if she would like to listen,
0:20:47 > 0:20:50if she would like to listen rather than chunter,
0:20:50 > 0:20:53at how we fund a very small amount of money
0:20:53 > 0:20:56that in no way inhibits the overall report
0:20:56 > 0:20:58that we are looking forward to seeing
0:20:58 > 0:21:00from this very important organisation in April.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03The people of the West Country well remember the repeated promises
0:21:03 > 0:21:07made by the Transport Secretary, by the Prime Minister
0:21:07 > 0:21:10and by the Chancellor, of billions of pounds of investment
0:21:10 > 0:21:14in rail in the south-west, and she has just a moment ago failed
0:21:14 > 0:21:17once again to confirm the Government
0:21:17 > 0:21:20will commit a paltry half a million pounds
0:21:20 > 0:21:23for the feasibility study that Devon and Cornwall needs
0:21:23 > 0:21:25after the Dawlish disaster
0:21:25 > 0:21:30into improved resilience and rail transport times.
0:21:30 > 0:21:31Don't the people of the south-west feel, rightly,
0:21:31 > 0:21:35completely betrayed by this Government?
0:21:35 > 0:21:38You know, Mr Speaker, month after month,
0:21:38 > 0:21:39the honourable gentleman gets here
0:21:39 > 0:21:42and seems to be in complete denial about the fact that his Government
0:21:42 > 0:21:45did nothing for the people of the south-west
0:21:45 > 0:21:50and his party wanted to cancel the vital A358 road scheme
0:21:50 > 0:21:53that helps people directly in his constituency.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56I have already set out - and I'm happy to discuss this further
0:21:56 > 0:22:00- that the very small amount of money that is required to do
0:22:00 > 0:22:04one technical feasibility study, a tiny part, a tiny part
0:22:04 > 0:22:05of the south-west peninsula task force study,
0:22:06 > 0:22:08I am looking at ways to fund,
0:22:08 > 0:22:11and we expect that report to come out in April and deliver
0:22:11 > 0:22:16a real strategic uplift of what this region requires.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18Claire Perry.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21Now, this time last year, a series of BBC TV programmes
0:22:21 > 0:22:27gave a view of Parliament not seen before.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29Inside The Commons was a fly on the wall documentary
0:22:29 > 0:22:33and one of its surprise stars was the Principal Doorkeeper,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36Robin Fell, who has now announced his departure from Westminster.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38Mr Fell has in fact worked at the House of Commons
0:22:38 > 0:22:41as a police officer and a doorkeeper since 1969.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44He is currently the acting Deputy Serjeant at Arms.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47Also leaving after 46 years
0:22:47 > 0:22:50is the Deputy Deliverer of the Vote, Owen Sweeney.
0:22:50 > 0:22:55The Speaker paid tribute to both men.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58I am sure that the whole house will join me in wishing these two
0:22:58 > 0:23:04very long serving members of staff the very best for their retirements
0:23:04 > 0:23:10and in thanking them, as I know I do, extremely personally,
0:23:10 > 0:23:13for their quite outstanding contributions to this House
0:23:13 > 0:23:18and to public service over nearly five decades.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22They have helped most magnificently
0:23:22 > 0:23:24in contributing to the smooth running of the House.
0:23:24 > 0:23:30Thank you, both.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32John Bercow.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34And that wasn't the only farewell of the day.
0:23:34 > 0:23:35Shirley Williams has said goodbye to Westminster
0:23:36 > 0:23:38with a valedictory speech.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41She was first elected to Parliament in 1964
0:23:41 > 0:23:45and it's certainly been an eventful 50 years.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47As Education Secretary, she oversaw the arrival
0:23:47 > 0:23:51of comprehensive schools in place of selective education.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55And in the early 1980s, she was famously a founding member
0:23:55 > 0:23:59of the Social Democratic Party, or SDP.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02In more recent years, she had been a leading Lib Dem peer.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Lady Williams said people have been asking her why
0:24:05 > 0:24:09she was retiring from the Lords.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12Well, I'm retiring partly because I have in front of me
0:24:12 > 0:24:16my right honourable and noble friend Lord Steele, who managed to pass
0:24:16 > 0:24:20a recent, you may remember, reform of the House of Lords
0:24:20 > 0:24:23which enables someone like me to retire.
0:24:23 > 0:24:24It wasn't intended.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28LAUGHTER
0:24:28 > 0:24:30He says it wasn't intended.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33I have to say that at least it has the advantage of me not having
0:24:33 > 0:24:36to actually lose my capacities entirely before I departed
0:24:36 > 0:24:37from the House of Lords.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40And I still have to say to my fellow politicians,
0:24:40 > 0:24:44why can't you get together and propose, regardless of party,
0:24:44 > 0:24:47ways in which we can sustain the NHS over many years?
0:24:47 > 0:24:50Because it is one of the great institutions of the world and
0:24:50 > 0:24:55one that is based on a commitment to public service
0:24:55 > 0:24:58which is quite extraordinary.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01So in concluding, I hand over to my colleagues here,
0:25:01 > 0:25:05I hope, careful and very, I think, cherishing support
0:25:05 > 0:25:09for the great public sector institutions I have spoken about,
0:25:09 > 0:25:13which are part of the woof and the weft of this country's whole being
0:25:13 > 0:25:16and whole textile and whole quality,
0:25:16 > 0:25:20and also ask them to think very hard before allowing the United Kingdom
0:25:20 > 0:25:24to withdraw from what I believe to be its major duty to the world,
0:25:24 > 0:25:26and that one it will encounter
0:25:26 > 0:25:31and then deliver through the European Union.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34Lady Williams taking a well earned retirement.
0:25:34 > 0:25:35The Lords will miss her.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37That is it for this programme.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39Do join me for The Week in Parliament,
0:25:39 > 0:25:41when we not only look back at the last few days
0:25:41 > 0:25:43in the Commons and the Lords,
0:25:43 > 0:25:46but also try to assess what sort of campaign we could be in for
0:25:46 > 0:25:50as the EU referendum draws ever closer.
0:25:50 > 0:25:56Until then, from me, Keith McDougall, goodbye.
0:25:56 > 0:26:02Until then, from me, Keith MacDougall, goodbye.