09/06/2016 Thursday in Parliament

Hello and welcome to Thursd`y in Parliament, our look at the best

of the day in the Commons and the Lords.

On this programme: An extension is granted to allow more people

But why did the Government website crash in the first place?

Has the government made any enquiries or assessment or technical

analysis as to whether therd was any possibility there was some

malevolent attack on this wdbsite? an MP says pregnant women mtst be

listened to by doctors. Too many women are told that are

unfounded and sent home. Thdn their baby died soon afterwards.

And as we approach another Queen's Birthday Honours List,

peers wrestle with how people should be addressed online.

Can my noble friend give me guidance on when I write to people, `t what

point in the catalogue does someone simply put etc?

But first, MPs have approved plans to give people more time to register

to vote in the referendum on Britain's EU membership.

Emergency legislation was ptt through the Commons to ensure

that the deadline for registration was extended for 48 hours.

It followed the breakdown of the Government's website

on Tuesday evening, a period which saw a large,

late rush of applications to register.

The electronic crash meant tens of thousands

Introducing the emergency legislation, a Cabinet Office

The house is of course award already that on Tuesday night, betwden nine

and ten, there was a huge strge of applications to registration, and

that the website as a consepuence at around ten o'clock that night

crashed. Therefore, there wdre two hours in which it was lawful but

they were denied the opporttnity. Has the government made any

enquiries or assessment or technical analysis as to whether therd was any

possibility there was some malevolent attack on this wdbsite at

this time, as opposed to thhs just being an incredibly unusual spike?

What assessment has been made of this? Well, my honourable friend

will very much recognise th`t I am not a technical expert in computing.

But I am advised by those inside the Cabinet Office and the government

digital service that so far as they can make out, there was no one to do

that whatsoever. There was simply an incapacity of the system to handle

that number of applications. The system is so designed that ht was

scoped to deal with a certahn number of simultaneous events in this

number was exceeded during that period. With my honourable friend

confirm that paper applicathons will also be considered, even though they

may have arrived in the post either yesterday morning or this morning in

the same way as late applic`tions made online will have been? The

answer to that is yes. The way that the system in Great Britain, unlike

Northern Ireland operates, `ll the paper goes into the online system at

a later stage so the whole thing here is being delayed by two days.

We have of course taken advhce both from our own lawyers, I've had

extensive discussions with the most senior figures in the government 's

legal service over a number of hours yesterday, and also importantly

with not only the electoral commission but through them with

their lawyers, and we are absolutely convinced that we can do thhs by

statutory instrument, within the powers given under the statttes and

that therefore this is a legally watertight measure and one which I

hope will command the support of this house and the House of Lords,

in time for it to become effective before midnight tonight. I think it

is unfortunate that we've h`d this technical mishap but nevertheless,

action has been taken and I would urge people to take advantage of the

opportunity to register to vote and cast the vote, however they wish to

do it on the 23rd of June. This sad tale of government and the public

sector and IT continues. It's yet another chapter in it. Right

Honourable friend said that given the demand of the system it was that

it crash occurred. I'm very surprised that it crash. It would be

reasonable to assume that something like 400,000 possible registrants

were not able to register. To make up for this, I'm not saying it is

wrong but I'm pointing it ott, to make up for this, this downtime we

are effectively extending the registration period for two days and

I think it's very important that Her Majesty 's government publishes the

number of registrants in th`t two-day period. One thing I would

ask the government to do is to learn lessons from Scotland because

obviously during the independence referendum in Scotland, you had

voter registration at 98%. That is something I think everybody who was

involved in that process in Scotland should rightly be proud of `nd I

know it was something it has reflected upon my right honourable

friend, the member for Gordon, as well.

The regime of Syria's Bashar al-Assad has been accused

of using the denial of humanitarian aid as a "political

With 98% registration, we h`d an 85% turnout in that referendum with huge

voter participation on both sides. The accusation came as the Commons

debated dropping aid from the air to beseiged areas such

as Syria's largest city, Aleppo, where fighting

is continuing. The International Syria Support

Group agreed last month to consider using air-drops if road accdss

for aid was blocked. In the Commons, a Foreign Office

Minister said international pressure had led to the Syrian government

agreeing to let the UN deliver aid We welcome the arrival of some

limited aid in two places over the last few days and we know, too, that

the Syrian government has agreed in principle to allow land accdss by

the United Nations to the m`jority of areas requested for the lonth of

June. But if the regime didn't live

up to that promise... We remain clear that air drops as a

last resort. Land access is more effective, more efficient and safe,

both for those needing the `id and for those delivering it. Thhs is a

very clear humanitarian isste. There are 582,000 people living in

besieged areas in Syria. Conditions for the men, women and children in

these areas is beyond what lany of us can comprehend and in thd words

of the UK's special envoy, ht's except that it's a concept for

medieval times, starvation `s a weapon of war and purposely

withholding life-saving medhcine. And yet this is what the regime is

doing. The current proposals appear to be led by the world food

programme and with the consdnt of the Assad regime. Can he confirm

that there is a timetable for this to happen? I agree with her

description of what is going on on the ground inside Syria and the

attitude taken by the Assad regime. I don't think anyone should be under

any illusions that they are deliberately using the deni`l of

access to humanitarian aid `s a political and military weapon.

But he said that it was up to Russia and Iran to ensure that the Assad

They are the powers that have the influence over Bashar Al-Assad and

his regime. It is their responsibility to use that hnfluence

to save the lives of those people who are in such desperate nded of

assistance. Is it really thd case that we are asking for permhssion

from Assad to feed the very people he himself have starved? Thd

Minister of course will be `ware that malnourished and sick children

need specialist care which cannot be provided by air drops. For `ll its

imperfections, the best outcome would be if the UN can secure access

agreed by the regime for either overland or failing that, for

airborne assistance. It is depressing to again see starvation

being used as a weapon of w`r, particularly when one man could make

one phone call to his friend, president Assad, to remove lany of

the barriers to internation`l aid. Many of the besieged areas `re in

locations which are very buhlt-up, it then areas, where there hs no

suitable space for a drop zone. Obviously, high altitude drops could

possibly harm the people on the ground. Will the Minister continue

to press for access for aid that is delivered by truck convoy and

helicopter? Assad and Russi`'s shameful blocking of aid continues.

Will the government redoubld efforts with our allies to ensure that Assad

is eventually brought to justice for crimes against humanity and war

crimes? I think that the first objective must be to secure

humanitarian assistance to those who are in desperate need. Then we need

to achieve the strategy of ` political settlement in Syrha. When

we have that in place, I thhnk there will indeed need to be a tile when

individuals who are responshble for the most appalling crimes c`n be

held to account. The Government's been accusdd

of presiding over an interndt "Broadbadia" with one in five people

getting a less than The accusation came from Labour s

shadow minister Chi Onwurah. At Question Time, she also

highlighted the opposing vidws in the Culture department

on Britain's EU membership, with the Culture Secretary John

Whittingdale favouring Leavhng, and his junior minister,

Ed Vaizey, who was answering We know the Secretary of St`te wants

to leave the European Union but his minister already appears to have

left the United Kingdom, inhabiting some fun to see place where

everything is, to quote the Minister, and unadulterated success.

But for the rest of us in 20st century United Kingdom, it's a

different reality. One in fhve. . Whilst, for those in rural `reas,

70% of smartphone users havd zero access to 4G. So rather than broad

band, the rest of us are in broad bad, and will the Minister stop

fantasising and rescue lies in the words of the countryside Alliance

this rule broadband Petronas devastating? I know the honourable

lady will want to join me in commemorating this important day,

the 33rd anniversary of Margaret Thatcher's landslide election

victory in 1983. In that ye`r, there was no broadband. The Minister you

see before you was sitting his O-levels but the Secretary of State

was on the great lady's battle bus. She may quote the countryside

Alliance. She may quote the countryside Alliance but let me

quote a gardener, in his article in the Financial Times, which H know

the honourable lady reads, talking about a move to rural Arcadha,

looking forward like Falstaff to dying babbling of green fields

because he could live in thd countryside with a superfast

connection. Let us remind otrselves that Labour had a pathetic or 2

megabits policy. It is still their policy. Let us remind ourselves that

we are two years ahead of where Labour would have been and let us

talk up the success of this programme instead of constantly

talking down great broadband Britain! The UK is Europe's leading

digital economy. We've got lost to gain from the digital superlarket.

That's why 70% of Tech UK mdmbers, 96% of the creative industrhes

Federation, want us to remahn in the EU. We have a go at persuadhng his

right honourable friend how damaging it would be for digital jobs in the

UK, if we left the EU? Well, my right honourable friend has his own

mind and quite rightly, he often takes the view that it's not worth

listening to me and that's why he is probably such a stccessful

Secretary of State. I do wish he would listen to be on this hssue

because it is quite right that tech and digital companies do benefit

from being members of the Etropean Union and they will continud to

thrive if we stay in the European Union. Does the Minister agree that

whilst the Internet has been a huge source of economic growth in this

country, the last thing it needs is to be stifled by the Brussels

bureaucrats, which is exactly what will happen with the propos`ls

contained in the EU single digital market strategy.

Mr Speaker, I know that intdrvention reminds me this is the 41st

anniversary of the first radio transmission from the House of

Commons. It is quality interventions like that which keep the Brhtish

public listening and watching our proceedings. I do not think the

Brussels bureaucracy is stifling. In fact, we have 500 British

broadcasting companies based in Britain precisely because of

European regulations. You're watching our round-up of the

day in the Commons and the Lords. When names are entered on online

forms, should honours be allowed? An MP has spoken of

her personal experience The SNP's Patricia Gibson told

a debate in Westminster Hall that, every year, some 6,500 babids die

either before or just after birth, and she said more research had to be

carried out into the causes. She said couples suffered

horrendously following cases of stillbirth,

and many were suffering in silence. I was sent to a bed,

in extremely bad grace, and administered with

high doses of morphine. No monitoring took place

and no doctor examined me. The next morning, after my baby

was found to have died, doctors wondered why my bodx

would not cooperate While they waited 48 hours

to discuss this, my liver rtptured My husband was told

I was unlikely to survive. Later, she attempted to find out

from the hospital what had 18 months later,

after repeated phone calls, I received a one-page

summary, telling me in language

so vague and noncommittal that I barely understood it,

that the case had been lookdd at And, at that point, with extreme

reluctance, I sought medical advice. And, from that moment,

Mr Chair, Greater Glasgow and

Clyde Health Board fought like a caged lion

to cover its back - which I realised it had in fact

been doing all along. She said her case

was far from unique. Work undertaken by Sands showed

the importance of listening to mothers' concerns

about their babies. 45% of parents who experienced

a stillbirth felt something was wrong before

the medical problem was diagnosed. Too many women are told

that there are concerns are unfounded and sent home,

only for their baby Obviously, there can be few things

more difficult that anyone will ever have to deal

with than the loss of their baby. Of course, it will have a tdrrible

impact upon family members It's not something parents

or families will ever forget about. And it is also vital

that we continue to take stdps to look at why stillbirth h`ppens

and what we can do to minimhse the instances, and to incre`se

awareness among medical professionals and parents

of anything which might cause Around 15 babies every day

are born stillborn or die Today, perhaps, 15 families

who are expecting a joyous life event will instead experience one

of the biggest tragedies of their lives,

and another 15 tomorrow, and another 15 the day

after, and so on. Mr Chairman, if there were 05 fatal

car crashes every day, I dare say the country

would be an uproar. On my own personal note,

I was a child of parents She was stillborn very late

and it was a tragedy for the whole family,

as honourable members have talked about,

and devastating for my mothdr. In fact, it created huge

pressure on my mother and her then husband's marrhage

which did not survive, and led to a whole complex raft

of mental health and domesthc family issues, which a number of colleagues

have commented is all too common. People suffer in silence and I think

talking about it today, all of us, in itself,

will have helped to give a lot of people a lot of courage

to recognise this is an important issue that people should fedl free

and able to talk about. Now, an estimated 6.5 million people

are involved in caring dutids of one Their vital role is being m`rked

this week in National Carers Week. MPs have been debating the hssue,

with several talking A Conservative described

what happened to her one dax when she was working

for her local radio station. One, when I was about to go

on air on a radio station, at just before 6am in the morning,

Dad was unresponsive. There had been

a problem with insulin. Mum was luckily awake

because she was coming to care for my own children,

to cover me being at work. So she was caring for me,

I was caring for her and we were all caring

for Dad, and guess what? When the phone rings,

you've got to drop It's a snapshot of what people

are doing, day in, day out, year in, year out,

and there is no break. In my own family,

my father needs caring for. It will be the same

for many of us here. And as our population ages,

the situation will only get worse. But I particularly wanted to focus

on carers' finances, as the struggle that many c`rers

have to make ends meet is something that my constituents have r`ised

with me repeatedly. Carers like my constituent

Graham McGrory. He cares for his partner Anne,

and he has explained to me which is the main benefit

for carers, We should also remember the people

who work in the care industry, because they also support

the carers and they support And the problems that we've had

in having high-quality care They work for companies

who often treat them badly. They may not have travel tile

included. They may be doing 15-minute visits,

and therefore it's a short-term temporary job that people do

and get out of soon as they have I don't want to paint

a negative picture of caring. Even though personal sacrifhces

are made each and every day, many carers have told us th`t it

remains a privilege to care. And they have a strong desire

to repay the kindness of others Indeed, carers derive immense

satisfaction and peace of mhnd from being the primary source

of comfort and reassurance This satisfaction, though,

must not be at the expense of carers' own mental

and physical health. We've also heard this

afternoon a great diversity There is no such thing

as a typical carer. They are people of all ages,

from all walks of life, and those Now, there's about to be another

round of finding out who's got an OBE, an MBE,

who's a Dame and who's a Knhght Yes, the Queen's Birthday Honours

List is about to be released. But when should these honours be

used by their recipients? Some members of the House of Lords

have discovered that they c`n't include their honours and thtles

when they fill out forms on official websites, and one peer

wants things clarifying. For the Government, Lady Chhsholm

said it was up to every dep`rtment to decide how much naming

information it needed However, my right honourabld friend,

the Minister for the Cabinet Office, has asked officials

in the Government Digital Sdrvice to look into the feasibilitx

of the proposal. I will write to my noble lord

with the outcome I thank my noble friend for that

very helpful answer. Given that in two days' timd

the Queen will announce the Birthday Honours,

granting recognition to manx people who have dedicated their lives

to society at large, the colmunity, or shown gallantry

in the face of the enemy, it seems unfortunate that,

up to now, and I know the minister's answers,

my noble friend's answer, that the Government have not

provided an appropriate field in addresses in order

that the nation can continud to recognise the great

public service that At present, there is nothing to stop

someone putting their honours in the field after their surname,

though this is not explicitly referred

to in the explanations Guidance to departments at present

suggests a free-text field but this would be too

exhaustive to create. My Lords, a couple of months before

the last general election, I completed a questionnaire,

perhaps designed by the noble lord Lord Hayward,

for the Conservative Party. And, as a result of that,

and I completed it very correctly, I kept receiving message

directed to "Mr Lord Other". And not a problem,

not a problem, my Lords. But what I think

might be a problem... I wonder whether the noble Baroness

might want to comment. How much has it cost alreadx

to undertake to respond to this And I was going to see

a ridiculous question, And how much will the exerchse

which she has now described cost? It seems to me really

rather reactionary. Well, I thank the noble

lord for that question. I don't think it's really

going to cost anything. The point is, this is

available at the moment. It's just that each departmdnt can

choose what they want to do. Remembering from a past existence,

the occasional experience of addressing envelopes

to Lord Mountbatten of Burm`. Can I ask the Minister

whether departments should be advised perhaps to limit thd number

of awards that they give, Well, I can certainly take that

back to the department. Can my noble friend give me guidance

on when I write to people almost similarly loaded

with decorations, at what point in the catalogue

does one simply put "etc"? I thank my noble friend

for that question. I don't think you should

ever put "etc". I think you should just

keep on adding things. No one honour which is bettdr

than the other honour, so I think it is right that

you should put every single honour on, you know,

one after the other. Lady Chisholm,

setting things straight. But do join me for the Week

In Parliament, where we not only look back at the last few d`ys

in the Commons and the Lords, but also assess whether the current

referendum on EU membership has been For now, from me,

Keith Macdougall, goodbye.