:00:14. > :00:15.Hello there and welcome to Thursday In Parliament.
:00:16. > :00:18.MPs warn changes to the British steel pension fund risk setting
:00:19. > :00:25.The Defence Secretary tells MPs the aim of UK air strikes in Syria
:00:26. > :00:29.is not to kill as many extremists as possible.
:00:30. > :00:33.And in the Lords there are calls for some clarity on healthy eating.
:00:34. > :00:36.We used to be told we shouldn't eat fatty foods,
:00:37. > :00:41.We used to be told that one glass of red wine a day was good for us,
:00:42. > :00:43.then we were told we should have none.
:00:44. > :00:46.Now we are being told we can have two.
:00:47. > :00:48.But first, the Government is to carry out a consultation
:00:49. > :00:51.on the future of the pension scheme for steel workers.
:00:52. > :00:53.Paying for pensions is seen as an obstacle
:00:54. > :00:58.to the sale by Tata Steel of its British steel-making operations.
:00:59. > :01:03.In total, the British Steel pension scheme has around 130,000 members
:01:04. > :01:07.with a deficit running into hundreds of millions of pounds.
:01:08. > :01:11.One option under consideration is to base the scheme's annual increase
:01:12. > :01:15.on the Consumer Prices Index or CPI inflation,
:01:16. > :01:18.a measure which is usually below the Retail Prices Index
:01:19. > :01:25.But many MPs are worried about the precedent that might set.
:01:26. > :01:28.The Business Secretary made a statement to MPs.
:01:29. > :01:30.This remains, Mr Speaker, quite rightly,
:01:31. > :01:35.It is not the Government's job to pick a winner
:01:36. > :01:41.What we can do is listen to Tata, listen to bidders
:01:42. > :01:43.and work with everyone involved to remove potential
:01:44. > :01:49.For example, we are today launching a consultation
:01:50. > :01:52.on options to deliver clarity and security
:01:53. > :01:55.for British steel pension scheme members.
:01:56. > :01:58.This follows representations from the trustees of
:01:59. > :02:01.the scheme itself and also from Tata.
:02:02. > :02:04.The Shadow Business Secretary wanted more detail about
:02:05. > :02:09.The British steel pension scheme, especially the liabilities
:02:10. > :02:13.it now brings with it, is clearly an issue
:02:14. > :02:18.Any resolution must protect the pensions
:02:19. > :02:23.of the scheme's 130,000 beneficiaries, but it must also,
:02:24. > :02:27.Mr Speaker, ensure that it avoids setting a potentially dangerous
:02:28. > :02:31.precedent for the millions of other occupational pensioners
:02:32. > :02:36.who currently enjoy RPI indexation rights.
:02:37. > :02:38.What assurance can the Secretary of State give me that this
:02:39. > :02:43.in the future to other occupational schemes?
:02:44. > :02:48.Can this change be sensibly and safely ring-fenced,
:02:49. > :02:51.because if not, it's very, very difficult.
:02:52. > :02:54.I think one of the first important points to make is that
:02:55. > :02:57.it is the scheme's trustees that have come forward
:02:58. > :03:00.and asked us to look at current legislation
:03:01. > :03:03.because they believe that it would lead to better outcomes
:03:04. > :03:06.for their members, so this is a product of the scheme
:03:07. > :03:13.Under the scheme's current rules, they do have the ability
:03:14. > :03:18.to make all the changes that they have proposed but
:03:19. > :03:24.they are prevented, rightly so, by legislation, the 1995 Pensions Act
:03:25. > :03:27.and they have asked us if we would consider
:03:28. > :03:33.in the case of their scheme and their scheme only.
:03:34. > :03:35.The SNP spokesman said the statement raised more
:03:36. > :03:41.How will pensioners currently in the scheme be affected?
:03:42. > :03:45.Will there be a disadvantage for future scheme members?
:03:46. > :03:48.And will he commit to set aside more time in this House
:03:49. > :03:51.so that all of these issues can be teased out and
:03:52. > :03:54.discussed in a timeous fashion to support the industry but also to
:03:55. > :03:58.ensure that there aren't any wider, unintended consequences?
:03:59. > :04:00.He is absolutely right, as the honourable gentleman said,
:04:01. > :04:04.that we don't set any precedents where the House
:04:05. > :04:07.At the same time as saying that though,
:04:08. > :04:11.I think it is also right that we listen to the trustees and indeed
:04:12. > :04:16.the unions and Tata itself about this proposal and we consider it
:04:17. > :04:20.There has been some speculation in the media
:04:21. > :04:24.that Tata Steel may in fact decide to retain the business.
:04:25. > :04:26.Could the Secretary of State explain,
:04:27. > :04:29.if that were to happen, what role Tata Steel
:04:30. > :04:35.would play in this issue of dealing with the pension scheme?
:04:36. > :04:38.Mr Speaker, there is all sorts of speculation on this issue
:04:39. > :04:44.But what I can tell the honourable gentleman, who I know has
:04:45. > :04:46.been very committed to this process,
:04:47. > :04:48.we have discussed it in person a number of times,
:04:49. > :04:51.that Tata itself remains committed and very focused
:04:52. > :04:55.As I mentioned earlier, there are seven potential bidders.
:04:56. > :04:58.The next step is to narrow the field, which is important
:04:59. > :05:02.so we can all focus along with Tata on the most credible bids
:05:03. > :05:05.and the Government stands ready to work with those bidders.
:05:06. > :05:08.Later, the Chancellor and Shadow Chancellor clashed
:05:09. > :05:11.over the state of the economy, as the week-long debate
:05:12. > :05:15.on the contents of the Queen's Speech finally drew to a close.
:05:16. > :05:18.George Osborne said his opposite number, John McDonnell,
:05:19. > :05:21.was living in a parallel universe with plans to raise taxes
:05:22. > :05:26.while Mr McDonnell accused Mr Osborne of failing
:05:27. > :05:29.to meet his own financial targets and achieving
:05:30. > :05:33.the slowest economic recovery in living memory.
:05:34. > :05:35.It's useless to preach to us in quotes
:05:36. > :05:39.about a stronger economy when by his actions
:05:40. > :05:42.in office for six years, the Chancellor has methodically
:05:43. > :05:50.Austerity was a political choice, not an economic necessity.
:05:51. > :05:52.We have a department for tax collection
:05:53. > :05:55.that doesn't believe in collecting taxes,
:05:56. > :05:59.not at least from major corporations.
:06:00. > :06:02.That was demonstrated when they struck the deal
:06:03. > :06:06.with Google which reflects an effective tax rate
:06:07. > :06:11.And the Chancellor called it a major success.
:06:12. > :06:16.Home ownership has fallen to its lowest level in decades
:06:17. > :06:23.Rough sleeping has risen in London by 30% in the last year.
:06:24. > :06:27.Of course, it's not just in London where this phenomenon is happening,
:06:28. > :06:32.but actually in the streets of Manchester, we now have tents.
:06:33. > :06:37.Isn't that a shocking indictment on this Government's housing policy?
:06:38. > :06:45.I have possibly 200 families tonight living in bed-and-breakfast.
:06:46. > :06:50.I have individuals sleeping in our parks along the canals.
:06:51. > :06:54.We have reinvented in my constituency the back-to-back
:06:55. > :06:56.where a family rents the front of a house
:06:57. > :07:01.We have beds in sheds rented to families.
:07:02. > :07:05.This Government has been in power were six years
:07:06. > :07:13.I listened in complete incredulity to yet another speech
:07:14. > :07:15.from yet another Shadow Chancellor promising yet more
:07:16. > :07:20.billions of pounds of spending and borrowing and extra taxes.
:07:21. > :07:24.It is as if the scorching experience of the financial crash
:07:25. > :07:27.eight years ago and the crippling deficit
:07:28. > :07:31.they saddled this country with never happened.
:07:32. > :07:33.Indeed, most of the time when he was
:07:34. > :07:34.quoting the record of the Labour Government,
:07:35. > :07:41.as if he had forgotten that then was the biggest crash in
:07:42. > :07:46.modern history while the Labour Party was in office.
:07:47. > :07:49.It's a bit like saying to Mrs Lincoln,
:07:50. > :07:52."Apart from the assassination, did you enjoy the play?"
:07:53. > :07:55.I want this country and the people living in it
:07:56. > :07:58.to be the greatest success story of the 21st-century
:07:59. > :08:01.and to make that happen, there will be controversy,
:08:02. > :08:05.Making change, confronting vested interest
:08:06. > :08:09.is always difficult, but this Queen's speech demonstrates
:08:10. > :08:13.It shows that when it comes to standing up for the
:08:14. > :08:15.hard-working people of Britain, we are up for the fight.
:08:16. > :08:18.My right honourable friend the Chancellor
:08:19. > :08:22.knows that I have said this to him again and again, I just hope with
:08:23. > :08:27.every budget that he introduces, he tries to simplify the tax
:08:28. > :08:30.and benefits system, tries to strip away allowances,
:08:31. > :08:35.tries to converge taxes so that we do not need to employ
:08:36. > :08:40.these armies of accountants simply trying to advise people
:08:41. > :08:45.Within the world of multinationals, it is aggressive tax avoidance
:08:46. > :08:48.hidden behind corporate walls which is denying Britain
:08:49. > :08:51.and many other countries the taxes they are due.
:08:52. > :08:55.That is why I believe tax transparency is the single
:08:56. > :09:03.The counter-productive decision to close 137 HMRC offices
:09:04. > :09:06.will strip local businesses and individuals
:09:07. > :09:10.throughout the UK of the support they need to ensure
:09:11. > :09:16.In order to tackle tax avoidance at all levels and to continue
:09:17. > :09:20.to provide local support when it is needed, the UK Government
:09:21. > :09:25.must place a moratorium on HMRC office closures.
:09:26. > :09:27.You're watching Thursday in Parliament, with me,
:09:28. > :09:34.The aim of UK air strikes in Syria is not to kill
:09:35. > :09:38.as many Daesh as possible but to undermine their will
:09:39. > :09:42.to fight, the Defence Secretary, Michael Fallon, has told MPs.
:09:43. > :09:45.He was answering questions from the Defence Committee
:09:46. > :09:47.about the disparity between the number
:09:48. > :09:52.of RAF air strikes being carried out in Iraq compared to Syria.
:09:53. > :09:56.It's estimated that over 1500 fighters allied to the so-called
:09:57. > :10:00.Islamic State group have been killed in Iraq since December
:10:01. > :10:05.while the death toll among IS fighters in Syria is 22.
:10:06. > :10:08.In Iraq, my understanding is that there have
:10:09. > :10:22.been over 760 air strikes in Iraq against 1349 targets in Iraq.
:10:23. > :10:25.Over the same period from the beginning of December
:10:26. > :10:32.when we began in Syria, there have been 43 air strikes
:10:33. > :10:41.Isn't this pretty much what we would expect
:10:42. > :10:47.when we are working closely in cooperation with active fighting
:10:48. > :10:52.forces on the ground in one theatre, Iraq,
:10:53. > :10:56.but the same cannot be said of the other theatre, Syria?
:10:57. > :10:58.And just to complete the set of statistics,
:10:59. > :11:04.my understanding is that our estimated number of enemy combatants
:11:05. > :11:09.killed, which I am assured can only be an estimate for that period,
:11:10. > :11:13.beginning of December to the end of April,
:11:14. > :11:22.in Iraq is 518, a sizeable number, but in Syria it is only 22.
:11:23. > :11:25.I think it is extremely misleading to look at the statistics
:11:26. > :11:30.We are only able to estimate enemy killed in action.
:11:31. > :11:33.These are very crude estimates because we don't have obviously
:11:34. > :11:40.people on the ground where we can't investigate every single attack.
:11:41. > :11:43.The aim of these missions is not to kill
:11:44. > :11:49.as many Daesh as possible, it is of course to degrade them on occasion
:11:50. > :11:57.But in the end, to try to undermine the will to fight
:11:58. > :11:59.by attacking their command and control,
:12:00. > :12:04.So it is far too simplistic simply to measure
:12:05. > :12:07.the mission by the number of people that are killed.
:12:08. > :12:10.I'm sorry that the Secretary of State thinks that I'm trying
:12:11. > :12:12.to extrapolate too much from the numbers of people killed.
:12:13. > :12:15.I only added that as an afterthought.
:12:16. > :12:17.The question I'm trying to put to you,
:12:18. > :12:24.Secretary of State, is that in Iraq, we are having something like
:12:25. > :12:30.15 times as many air strikes as we are in Syria
:12:31. > :12:34.and I don't think that is open to dispute.
:12:35. > :12:37.As well as trying to get rid of so-called Islamic State,
:12:38. > :12:40.the Coalition is opposed to Syria's President Assad.
:12:41. > :12:44.Should we be pleased or sorry that the Syrian Government,
:12:45. > :12:57.with Russian and other outside help, have regained Palmyra from Daesh?
:12:58. > :13:03.I don't think I'm pleased or sorry, but would you like to add to that?
:13:04. > :13:09.Well, I mean, I would say that if it means that what remains
:13:10. > :13:14.of the historic site of Palmyra is preserved,
:13:15. > :13:17.then that is probably a net benefit.
:13:18. > :13:24.I think the strategic advantage to Palmyra would
:13:25. > :13:28.be control of the associated gas fields and it is important that that
:13:29. > :13:34.A former army captain, who served in Afghanistan,
:13:35. > :13:38.saw a lack of political will over the last 15 years.
:13:39. > :13:40.The feeling that we have certainly come
:13:41. > :13:42.across in witnesses to this committee
:13:43. > :13:48.and in visits to Baghdad saw that we need to fundamentally
:13:49. > :13:51.rethink how we go about these things.
:13:52. > :13:57.And we need to have the stomach and the will to really
:13:58. > :14:04.How do you think we can do that better both
:14:05. > :14:09.The Defence Secretary replied that they were "big questions"
:14:10. > :14:13.and speculated that the Chilcot report, to be published next month,
:14:14. > :14:18.may provide further guidance in answering them.
:14:19. > :14:21.A seven-year-old boy and his family who live in the Highlands,
:14:22. > :14:23.face no immediate threat of deportation, according
:14:24. > :14:30.was raised at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday.
:14:31. > :14:36.His parents came to the UK in 2011 when his mother was studying
:14:37. > :14:39.but are now facing the possibility of being returned to Australia.
:14:40. > :14:48.The family's MP called a minister to the Commons.
:14:49. > :14:50.I'm meeting the honourable member for Ross, Skye and Lochaber
:14:51. > :14:53.to further discuss this matter, but he can be assured
:14:54. > :14:55.that the family does not face imminent risk of
:14:56. > :15:04.More broadly, it is important we recognise
:15:05. > :15:19.There are no limits on the number of international graduates who
:15:20. > :15:21.can remain in the UK to take up graduate
:15:22. > :15:22.level work, provided they
:15:23. > :15:26.can secure a graduate job paying an appropriate salary.
:15:27. > :15:37.writing and reading in
:15:38. > :15:44.he does not write and read in English,
:15:45. > :15:46.he speaks English, but it is a different thing
:15:47. > :15:49.to be able to be educated in a different language and the thought
:15:50. > :15:51.of deporting that young boy back to Australia,
:15:52. > :15:53.where he will be two years behind his peer group, is
:15:54. > :15:58.All of us should be judged by the actions that we take.
:15:59. > :16:00.For goodness' sake, Minister, today, do the right
:16:01. > :16:04.Mr Speaker, the honourable gentleman will know that I have met
:16:05. > :16:07.him on previous occasions to discuss this case and he says that I should
:16:08. > :16:15.He will know that I have already exercised discretion not once, but
:16:16. > :16:17.twice in relation to this case on the basis of representations
:16:18. > :16:20.that he has made on behalf of of the family.
:16:21. > :16:24.And so, I will obviously listen very carefully to what he said and I look
:16:25. > :16:29.forward to meeting him later on to hear more of the details
:16:30. > :16:34.that he has related to the House this morning
:16:35. > :16:36.and reflect further in relation to the representations
:16:37. > :16:39.This may be a case where the Government
:16:40. > :16:43.is being overly harsh on people outside of the European Union
:16:44. > :16:51.as a direct consequence of having free movement of people
:16:52. > :16:57.Their case is yet another that highlights the
:16:58. > :16:59.chaos of the immigration system under this Government.
:17:00. > :17:02.The Brains' situation will be familiar to many
:17:03. > :17:05.members in this House who will have seen their own constituents faced
:17:06. > :17:08.with deportation owing to changes in immigration rules.
:17:09. > :17:11.Mr Speaker, let's be clear about what is involved here.
:17:12. > :17:15.This is a family that came to the UK on a Government scheme
:17:16. > :17:21.specifically designed to attract people to relocate here.
:17:22. > :17:24.They have integrated into their community and
:17:25. > :17:28.That they should now be faced with deportation due to Government
:17:29. > :17:30.changes shows the problem caused by the constant chopping
:17:31. > :17:36.and changing of the immigration rules by the Home Office.
:17:37. > :17:39.Young Lachlan Brain is in a Gaelic school in Dingwall.
:17:40. > :17:41.You cannot get a more Scottish name than
:17:42. > :17:51.Yet the Westminster government wants to throw him out. Has the minister
:17:52. > :17:55.identified a school in Australia where he can continue his education?
:17:56. > :17:57.The minister repeated that he was listening
:17:58. > :17:58.to the representations that were being made.
:17:59. > :18:01.A health minister has accepted that the advice on healthy eating
:18:02. > :18:03.has become very "muddied" over the last five days.
:18:04. > :18:05.The UK is facing a growing problem with obesity.
:18:06. > :18:08.At the start of the week, a row broke out in the
:18:09. > :18:11.after the authors of a controversial report challenged government
:18:12. > :18:13.dietary advice on fatty foods and carbohydrates.
:18:14. > :18:18.In the Lords, peers wanted to know how the Government was going to help
:18:19. > :18:31.My Lords, I would like to declare an interest as somebody who has been
:18:32. > :18:35.technically obese. I am aware of how difficult it is not only to lose the
:18:36. > :18:40.weight, but to keep it off. Would my noble friend not agree that the
:18:41. > :18:45.solution is simple, but not easy, which is that we should eat less and
:18:46. > :18:50.healthily, and move more, and if we don't do this and the government
:18:51. > :18:52.doesn't grip it, both the NHS and a substantial number of the
:18:53. > :18:59.population's lives will collapse under the weight of the problem? My
:19:00. > :19:08.noble friend looks far from obese today. She looks positively svelte!
:19:09. > :19:14.But I agree with her that obesity is a massive problem in this country.
:19:15. > :19:19.The chief executive of the NHS even referred to it as the new smoking.
:19:20. > :19:24.Nor does because it causes diabetes, but also cancers and heart disease.
:19:25. > :19:28.It is critical that we address it, and it is critical that we address
:19:29. > :19:31.it with people at a young age, as it is much more difficult to lose
:19:32. > :19:37.weight later in life. Aaron S Jenkin is right that it is individual
:19:38. > :19:46.responsibility that the government must encourage -- Baroness Jenkin is
:19:47. > :19:50.right. Of course my noble friend is right, individual responsibility is
:19:51. > :19:56.critical. But we have to make it easy for people to make the right
:19:57. > :19:58.choices by providing the right information and by making,
:19:59. > :20:02.particularly for children, making it easier for them and their parents to
:20:03. > :20:06.make the right was. We used to be told we should not eat salt, now we
:20:07. > :20:10.are told we should. We used to be told we should not eat fatty foods,
:20:11. > :20:14.now we are told we should. We used to be told one glass of red wine a
:20:15. > :20:19.day was good for us, then we were told we should have none. Now we are
:20:20. > :20:23.being told to have two! Can my noble friend tell us which of these items
:20:24. > :20:30.should exit our diet and which should remain? My noble friend makes
:20:31. > :20:36.a good point. He is as confused about this as most of us are in this
:20:37. > :20:38.house. I think it will be an important part of the obesity
:20:39. > :20:49.strategy when it is announced later in the summer that we address it
:20:50. > :20:52.clearly. All the evidence from 600 studies reinforces the advice that
:20:53. > :20:56.is already out there from Public Health England, but it has been very
:20:57. > :21:01.muddied over the last five days. Does the noble Lord agree that this
:21:02. > :21:05.is not a matter just of individual responsibility? Many meals are eaten
:21:06. > :21:11.in places where people have no choice. They are provided by public
:21:12. > :21:15.institutions, hospitals, hospital canteens, schools, prisons, the
:21:16. > :21:23.armed services. Should not all those meals be designed not to further
:21:24. > :21:26.obesity? My Lords, I was not saying it was exclusively individual
:21:27. > :21:28.responsibility, but we have to recognise that individuals must take
:21:29. > :21:36.some degree of responsibility for their actions. Of course the noble
:21:37. > :21:42.lady is right. That is why the last government did introduce free school
:21:43. > :21:47.meals at all infant schools. It is why the proceeds of the levy will be
:21:48. > :21:51.ploughed back to increase sport and PE facilities in schools, and why we
:21:52. > :21:57.have the fruit and vegetable schemes for schools. We do take diet and
:21:58. > :21:58.food seriously. And where we have direct control as in schools, we
:21:59. > :22:00.take action. The death of a man who died
:22:01. > :22:03.after eating a take-away curry containing nuts was "needless
:22:04. > :22:05.and avoidable", according Lady Kennedy raised the death
:22:06. > :22:09.of Paul Wilson at Question time. Restaurant owner Mohammed Zaman
:22:10. > :22:14.was this week jailed for six years for the manslaughter of Mr Wilson,
:22:15. > :22:17.who had an allergic The court heard he cut corners
:22:18. > :22:31.by using cheaper ingredients I know the whole House will join me
:22:32. > :22:37.in offering our condolences to the family and friends of Paul Wilson,
:22:38. > :22:39.who died after a severe allergic reaction from food containing
:22:40. > :22:45.peanuts from his local restaurant despite him specifically requesting
:22:46. > :22:49.no nuts. Paul's death was needless and avoidable. I would like to ask
:22:50. > :22:53.the government to agree to a review of how food businesses can be better
:22:54. > :22:57.monitored, how staff training can be improved and how we can work better
:22:58. > :23:03.with the third sector to raise awareness and develop consumer
:23:04. > :23:07.focused resources. Finally, as any assessment of the impact of cuts on
:23:08. > :23:12.the capacity of local trading standards services to monitor and
:23:13. > :23:19.force food labelling legislation taken place, and if not, but this
:23:20. > :23:24.now be commissioned? My Lords, there were a lot of questions there and I
:23:25. > :23:32.would like to join the noble lady in sending my best wishes to Paul
:23:33. > :23:38.Wilson's family. The tragic accident occurred in January 2014, and the
:23:39. > :23:44.new regulations came into effect in December 2014. Research since then
:23:45. > :23:49.by the FSA has shown that there has been great improvements with food
:23:50. > :23:54.allergies since this law came in. Can I declare my presidency of the
:23:55. > :23:58.royal Society of Public health? The noble Baroness referred to the FSA's
:23:59. > :24:03.review of the success of the new regulations, but is she aware that
:24:04. > :24:09.the RSP H did a mystery dining investigation a year after its
:24:10. > :24:12.introduction and found that 70% of takeaways were flouting the law by
:24:13. > :24:19.not providing information they are required to provide, 54% not knowing
:24:20. > :24:22.at all whether any of the 14 major allergens were in the food? Could
:24:23. > :24:27.she go back to the FSA to suggest that they need to take greater
:24:28. > :24:33.enforcement action? There is still a lot of work to be done. The FSA are
:24:34. > :24:37.aware of this. That is why they are training food officers in a better
:24:38. > :24:45.way to make sure that when they go to these restaurants, they can make
:24:46. > :24:48.sure they are following the rules. Also, one of the key messages for
:24:49. > :24:52.the businesses is that there would be much more burden than cost to
:24:53. > :24:58.them if they do not follow the regulations. They can be persecuted
:24:59. > :25:02.or closed down. It is beneficial to them to make sure the allergen
:25:03. > :25:03.information they provide is displayed clearly and provided
:25:04. > :25:05.verbally. The SNP's John Nicolson has
:25:06. > :25:07.won the annual The MP for East Dunbartonshire
:25:08. > :25:10.was the last name announced by the deputy speaker Lindsay Hoyle,
:25:11. > :25:14.who carried out the draw Some 458 MPs put their name forward
:25:15. > :25:19.to be in the ballot, all fighting for just
:25:20. > :25:23.20 available slots. Those who are drawn are able
:25:24. > :25:27.to introduce their own draft legislation, which is debated
:25:28. > :25:30.on Fridays during the session. The bills nearest the top
:25:31. > :25:34.of the list stand the best chance of making their way
:25:35. > :25:35.through parliament, And that's it from us for now,
:25:36. > :25:42.but do join me on Friday night at 11 for The Week In Parliament,
:25:43. > :25:45.when we'll look back at the