:00:19. > :00:21.Hello and welcome to Thursday in Parliament.
:00:22. > :00:25.Council tax bills are to go up in order to boost
:00:26. > :00:30.Opposition MPs say the measure will penalise disadvantaged areas.
:00:31. > :00:33.This is an unfair way to raise additional money which will increase
:00:34. > :00:38.inequalities between rich and poor areas.
:00:39. > :00:40.The former Labour Cabinet Minister Peter Mandelson weighs
:00:41. > :00:43.into the arguments about Brexit - warning of a severe deterioration
:00:44. > :00:49.It will be a gradual, inexorable worsening
:00:50. > :00:57.of the conditions for business in the UK.
:00:58. > :00:59.And hats off to Peter Bone for getting round the rules
:01:00. > :01:03.With the minister be able to say how those charities
:01:04. > :01:09.I've indulged the honourable gentleman for the duration of this
:01:10. > :01:15.question, but I'm glad that he's now taken that hat off.
:01:16. > :01:17.But first, the Local Government Secretary Sajid Javid has announced
:01:18. > :01:20.measures to boost social care funding in England by ?900 million
:01:21. > :01:23.It follows weeks of pressure on ministers over
:01:24. > :01:30.There's a pot of cash - funded from savings elsewhere -
:01:31. > :01:35.But the main change is that local authorities will now be allowed
:01:36. > :01:40.to increase council tax by up to 6% over two years - instead of three.
:01:41. > :01:43.I am sure that all Members on both sides of this House agree
:01:44. > :01:47.on the need for action to meet the growing cost of caring for some
:01:48. > :01:52.Every year councils spend more than ?14 billion
:01:53. > :02:00.It is by far the biggest cost pressure facing local government.
:02:01. > :02:05.The spending review put in place up to ?3.5 billion of additional
:02:06. > :02:11.funding for adult social care by 2019-20, allowing local
:02:12. > :02:14.government to increase its spending on this service in real terms
:02:15. > :02:20.by the end of this Parliament, but more needs to be done.
:02:21. > :02:23.Over recent months we have listened to, heard and understood calls
:02:24. > :02:27.from across the board saying that funding is needed sooner in order
:02:28. > :02:36.Today I can confirm that savings from reforms to the new homes bonus
:02:37. > :02:40.will be retained in full by local government to contribute
:02:41. > :02:48.I can tell the House that we will use these funds
:02:49. > :02:53.to provide a new dedicated ?240 million adult social care
:02:54. > :02:57.support grant in 2017-18, to be distributed fairly according
:02:58. > :03:03.Last year the Government announced that councils would fund social care
:03:04. > :03:07.via a new social care precept of 2% a year.
:03:08. > :03:11.In recognition of the immediate challenges faced in the care market,
:03:12. > :03:13.we will now allow local councils to raise this funding
:03:14. > :03:19.Councils will be granted the flexibility to raise the precept
:03:20. > :03:23.by up to 3% next year and the year after.
:03:24. > :03:30.This will provide a further ?208 million to spend on adult
:03:31. > :03:40.social care in 2017-18 and ?444 million in 2018-19.
:03:41. > :03:44.These measures, together with the changes we have made
:03:45. > :03:49.to the new homes bonus, will make almost ?900 million
:03:50. > :03:51.of additional funding for adult social care available over
:03:52. > :03:58.Labour said there was a postcode lottery for social care.
:03:59. > :04:00.In the most deprived areas of the country,
:04:01. > :04:06.social care spending fell by ?65 per person, but it rose by ?28 per
:04:07. > :04:12.Will he not accept that the rising social care precept will only
:04:13. > :04:19.I gently ask of him, is this really the best time to be
:04:20. > :04:22.choosing to cut corporation tax on Amazon, Sports Direct
:04:23. > :04:32.Since the Prime Minister came to office, there has been much talk
:04:33. > :04:36.of help for those who are only just about managing their finances.
:04:37. > :04:44.That seems to have gone out of the window today.
:04:45. > :04:47.This is, surely, a truly feeble response to a national crisis.
:04:48. > :04:51.The LGA would be entitled to reject the proposal and put the ball firmly
:04:52. > :04:54.back in the Government s court, for them to think again.
:04:55. > :04:58.This is an unfair way to raise additional money -
:04:59. > :05:01.it will increase inequalities between rich and poor areas.
:05:02. > :05:03.When will the Government come forward with plans to work
:05:04. > :05:09.There have been two suggestions about that already in this
:05:10. > :05:12.question-and-answer session, but the Secretary of State has not
:05:13. > :05:16.When will he work with others to come up with a genuine
:05:17. > :05:24.solution to what is now a real national crisis?
:05:25. > :05:27.As the right honourable gentleman will know,
:05:28. > :05:30.any funding provided to a local authority is raised through taxes,
:05:31. > :05:33.either locally or, when that funding is in the form
:05:34. > :05:43.He used the word unfair about this funding, but he should be aware -
:05:44. > :05:47.I know he has experience in this area - that when we allocate
:05:48. > :05:51.billions of funding from the better care fund, we take into account
:05:52. > :05:56.the council tax raising power of each area.
:05:57. > :06:01.That is the basis used, and it is the fairest way to do it.
:06:02. > :06:05.In his constituency of Bromsgrove, the older adult weekly rate
:06:06. > :06:11.in social care homes is ?100 less than in the constituency
:06:12. > :06:15.of the Secretary of State for Health in Surrey.
:06:16. > :06:19.Will the Secretary of State stand here in front of me
:06:20. > :06:24.and tell me that it is okay that his constituents already get
:06:25. > :06:29.?100 a week less than those of his frontBench colleagues
:06:30. > :06:45.In rightly referring to her constituency in Birmingham,
:06:46. > :06:48.the honourable lady mentioned my constituency of Bromsgrove,
:06:49. > :06:52.I think that she was somehow trying to demonstrate that Bromsgrove gets
:06:53. > :07:04.I am comparing Bromsgrove with Birmingham and it gets
:07:05. > :07:06.on average a lot less per head than Birmingham.
:07:07. > :07:11.I assure the honourable lady that that is noticed locally.
:07:12. > :07:15.Now, the former Labour Cabinet Minister Lord Mandelson has told MPs
:07:16. > :07:20.that Brexit represents the same danger to the British
:07:21. > :07:24.economy as the global financial crisis of 2008-09.
:07:25. > :07:27.Lord Mandelson, who campaigned for Remain during the referendum,
:07:28. > :07:29.was giving evidence to the Business Committee
:07:30. > :07:33.about the Government's industrial strategy.
:07:34. > :07:36.You are risking a very severe deterioration of the UK
:07:37. > :07:43.Now, this deterioration is not going to happen straightaway.
:07:44. > :07:50.That was the mistaken impression, in my view, given the referendum.
:07:51. > :07:53.It would be a gradual, inexorable worsening
:07:54. > :07:59.of the conditions for business in the UK and that's why those
:08:00. > :08:02.who say, it all seems to be going OK so far are completely
:08:03. > :08:13.Could I suggest to you that you might feel that your
:08:14. > :08:19.project would be complete when the Government learns to love
:08:20. > :08:25.and understand a modern and industrial strategy?
:08:26. > :08:31.Good adaptation of the well-known quote.
:08:32. > :08:35.My view, as I said at the beginning, is that Britain is facing a massive
:08:36. > :08:44.It has had a result and now we have to get on with it and making sure
:08:45. > :08:50.that it has the least negative impact on the UK economy.
:08:51. > :08:53.You will be well aware I am sure that Sir Ivan Rogers,
:08:54. > :08:58.the British ambassador to the EU, in a leaked memo today been revealed
:08:59. > :09:00.as saying that a trade deal would take ten years
:09:01. > :09:24.Lord Mandelson said that sort of timetable was "realistic"
:09:25. > :09:36.if the Government wanted a bespoke trade deal with the EU.
:09:37. > :09:39.While an agreement on the exit terms will come earlier, because this
:09:40. > :09:41.is because the negotiation will come first and can be approved
:09:42. > :09:44.by a majority of the EU's member states, the separate,
:09:45. > :09:45.quite separate negotiation on what trade arrangement
:09:46. > :09:49.replaces our membership of the EU will be harder, it will be longer
:09:50. > :09:51.and it will require the approval of all member states
:09:52. > :09:55.and their parliaments, not just a majority of them.
:09:56. > :10:00.If we get Brexit wrong, industrial strategy will not be big
:10:01. > :10:04.enough and strong enough to correct its consequences.
:10:05. > :10:06.I have absolutely no doubt at all about that.
:10:07. > :10:13.But, please, I do underline that it is possible to get,
:10:14. > :10:22.It has been an aspiration of successive governments
:10:23. > :10:24.and successive ministers to try and get a joined up
:10:25. > :10:33.And if this industrial strategy is going to succeed,
:10:34. > :10:35.what needs to happen in terms of cooperation and collaboration
:10:36. > :10:39.Heads of departments, secretaries of state
:10:40. > :10:47.become very possessive, very protective of their policies
:10:48. > :10:52.and their resources, and often if they have to share them
:10:53. > :10:56.they think either that they are going to be less well executed
:10:57. > :11:01.or that they as individuals are going to get less credit.
:11:02. > :11:08.Now, welcome to the world of Westminster.
:11:09. > :11:10.What is the timescale to evaluate the success of an appropriate
:11:11. > :11:14.How will we know that Theresa May has carried that off
:11:15. > :11:17.and in the meantime, what are the things that we can be
:11:18. > :11:20.looking at, the metrics to see whether that's coming off
:11:21. > :11:26.We can judge it by, in a sense, the story it tells now
:11:27. > :11:31.and the narrative that offers, whether it makes sense.
:11:32. > :11:35.We can judge it too by the policy instrument and levers that
:11:36. > :11:40.are being harnessed to it, and the sorts of decisions
:11:41. > :11:44.and judgments that are being taken in use of policy instruments.
:11:45. > :11:50.How will we be able to judge eventually what is being done now?
:11:51. > :12:01.The same length of time, coincidentally, as I suspect it
:12:02. > :12:05.will take to negotiate an alternative trade
:12:06. > :12:06.agreement between Britain and the European Union
:12:07. > :12:11.to replace our existing membership of the EU.
:12:12. > :12:13.We heard Lord Mandelson being asked there about remarks
:12:14. > :12:16.made by Sir Ivan Rogers, the UK's ambassador to the EU.
:12:17. > :12:21.He's reported as saying that the European consensus is that
:12:22. > :12:23.a Brexit deal might not be reached until the early-to-mid-2020s.
:12:24. > :12:32.Sir Ivan's remarks were also raised with ministers.
:12:33. > :12:39.we are told it could take up to ten years to reach a trade agreement
:12:40. > :12:44.with the EU after we leave. While research suggests that a drop in
:12:45. > :12:47.trade of fudge to 16% of we are outside the customs union. Foreign
:12:48. > :12:50.investors are vital to the British economy so will he give those
:12:51. > :12:56.investors some of the certainty database pretty need and that we
:12:57. > :13:00.also need as well? Will he tell them whether he wants Britain to be
:13:01. > :13:06.inside the customs union and whether he wants to free access to the
:13:07. > :13:11.single market will not? It has been very clear that the Government is
:13:12. > :13:22.not giving running commentary and I would also stress that the comments
:13:23. > :13:27.of Ivan Rogers are the opinions from taking... It is not necessarily
:13:28. > :13:32.defined how long will take. It's worth looking in mind that while
:13:33. > :13:35.looking at some trade deals around the world, it's worth bearing in
:13:36. > :13:40.mind that the US Jordan trade deal took four months so it is difficult
:13:41. > :13:43.to establish how long it will take. Shouldn't we be thanking our
:13:44. > :13:47.ambassador to the European Union but the reality check he has given about
:13:48. > :13:51.the decade-long period of time it will take to extricate ourselves
:13:52. > :13:57.from this particular process? Shouldn't we be doing, not rushing
:13:58. > :14:00.so headlong into this timetable? Yes there are a number of bureaucratic
:14:01. > :14:03.challenges that we face but the people that we should be thinking of
:14:04. > :14:05.the British people are forgiving as such clear instructions to leave the
:14:06. > :14:06.European Union. Questioning then turned
:14:07. > :14:08.to the controversial subject of British arms sales to Saudi
:14:09. > :14:09.Arabia. Although the tie being worn
:14:10. > :14:26.by the Labour spokesman appeared Love the time. It is to arms sales
:14:27. > :14:31.particularly to the Middle East. In July the Committee on arms export
:14:32. > :14:35.control heard evidence there was an imbalance between promotion of arms
:14:36. > :14:42.sales at the expense of the regulation of arms sales. I quote,
:14:43. > :14:45.such that in UK practice these things are at odds. Does the
:14:46. > :14:50.Secretary of State recognised that imbalance? If he does what does he
:14:51. > :14:54.propose to do about it and if he does not, what representations has
:14:55. > :15:00.he made to the White House to chastise them for their remarks this
:15:01. > :15:05.week that, I quote, the systemic endemic problems in Saudi Arabia's
:15:06. > :15:09.targeting true the US decision to hold a future weapons sale which is
:15:10. > :15:10.that the Secretary of State and British policy in this area looking
:15:11. > :15:36.so callous and so threadbare? I first of country has one of the
:15:37. > :15:39.strictest arms sales restrictions in the world and it is thought that
:15:40. > :15:44.with great scrutiny and they simply don't accept the picture he paints
:15:45. > :15:52.of the UK's attitude. I believe that the honourable gentleman's tie is
:15:53. > :16:00.absolutely beautiful. It is tasteful and interesting, not the boring like
:16:01. > :16:05.all too many. By insulting my wife's taste and ties the Secretary of
:16:06. > :16:08.State must await have reprimand but she must wait in line because there
:16:09. > :16:13.are others who wish to reprimand him. The Secretary of State was told
:16:14. > :16:17.off going to Brussels and agreeing the comprehensive economic trade
:16:18. > :16:20.agreement between the EU and Canada without first bringing it to the UK
:16:21. > :16:26.Parliament for scrutiny. He undertook to the scrutiny committee
:16:27. > :16:31.he would bring it forward for debate by the end of November, a deadline
:16:32. > :16:34.which he missed. The European scrutiny committee actually city
:16:35. > :16:41.more generous deadline but that deadline expired two days ago on the
:16:42. > :16:44.13th of this month. Can he tell us, does he actually believe in taking
:16:45. > :16:51.back sovereignty from Brussels or doesn't he? If he does, repeatedly
:16:52. > :16:55.denying the UK Parliament the rights to properly scrutinise such an
:16:56. > :17:00.important trade agreement is a very odd way of going about it. Will he
:17:01. > :17:03.now committed to bringing a debate and they bought to the floor of this
:17:04. > :17:12.house before the European Parliament finally votes on second February?
:17:13. > :17:20.The member, who I hold in high esteem, in due course his Ph.D.
:17:21. > :17:21.Thesis will be published. I am grateful to the honourable
:17:22. > :17:29.forgiving way before Christmas. We forgiving way before Christmas. We
:17:30. > :17:32.did not go against procedure due to parliamentary timetable constraints
:17:33. > :17:37.and we could not offer a debate in the House before signalling protocol
:17:38. > :17:40.agreement on 18th October. We have continued to commit to holding a
:17:41. > :17:44.full parliamentary debate as soon as possible and were working with
:17:45. > :17:49.The European Parliament has changed The European Parliament has changed
:17:50. > :17:52.the date of the expected vote on the agreement to second February 2017
:17:53. > :17:53.and we hope to have a debate well within that timetable.
:17:54. > :17:55.You're watching Thursday in Parliament with me,
:17:56. > :18:00.Ministers have been discussing the child sex abuse scandal
:18:01. > :18:02.in football with the police, sports bodies and the NSPCC.
:18:03. > :18:05.The Culture Secretary Karen Bradley told MPs it was crucial to give
:18:06. > :18:15.the police time to investigate all the allegations fully.
:18:16. > :18:22.The government takes these matters seriously. Yesterday I chaired the
:18:23. > :18:26.meeting with my right honourable friend with sports bodies, law
:18:27. > :18:29.enforcement and the NSPCC to ensure sports are able to deal effectively
:18:30. > :18:33.with allegations of non-recent abuse and that they have the most robust
:18:34. > :18:39.in place today. Does the Secretary in place today. Does the Secretary
:18:40. > :18:42.of State believe that wealth the allegations currently under
:18:43. > :18:47.investigation, which involve over 100 clubs, are truly shocking, but
:18:48. > :18:51.she agreed that the vast majority of coaches and volunteers play a
:18:52. > :18:53.crucial role in our constituencies? And also agree that it is vital that
:18:54. > :18:57.we do not put off or discourage we do not put off or discourage
:18:58. > :19:03.potential volunteers who would never dream of betraying the trust placed
:19:04. > :19:06.upon them. I agree, we want to make sure that parents and young people
:19:07. > :19:12.have the confidence to participate in sport. We need to know what
:19:13. > :19:16.happened and need to make sure the victims, come former band the police
:19:17. > :19:21.have time to carry out investigations, and that they is
:19:22. > :19:25.confidence in the system. The round table I chaired yesterday was
:19:26. > :19:29.incredibly helpful in flushing out where we can do more, because we can
:19:30. > :19:35.always do more, but also to give the assurance that so much is being
:19:36. > :19:40.done. I am sure we are all appalled by the allegations of horrific abuse
:19:41. > :19:46.that have come out, that have this much the game that many of us love
:19:47. > :19:49.so much, in recent weeks. We are aware that the helpline that is
:19:50. > :19:53.available for people to phone up and relate what has happened to them,
:19:54. > :19:57.has the Secretary of State had conversations with football
:19:58. > :20:00.authorities about what more can be done proactively to identify those
:20:01. > :20:06.involved with the abuse of the past and have had contact, and assist
:20:07. > :20:10.them in every way to come forward and assist them with a very
:20:11. > :20:15.difficult position. I can confirm I have had those discussions with the
:20:16. > :20:19.FA, the Premier League and the PFA to ensure we add identifying those
:20:20. > :20:30.who do not yet have the confidence who do not yet have the confidence
:20:31. > :20:35.to come forward. The Secretary of State is right, there has to be
:20:36. > :20:38.reflection on what went wrong and how we can maximise safeguarding.
:20:39. > :20:41.Can she detailed the House what individual sporting body she has met
:20:42. > :20:46.with recently to have these discussions? Not wishing to the
:20:47. > :20:49.Tenby house, perhaps it would be helpful if I were to write to the
:20:50. > :20:52.honourable gentleman with the full list of the bodies both myself and
:20:53. > :21:01.my honourable friend have spoken to. Dennis Skinner. Isn't it remarkable
:21:02. > :21:07.that the people making statements or those that went to football clubs
:21:08. > :21:13.are amongst the major two teams in the football leagues of Britain.
:21:14. > :21:20.However, most people like me, used to be coached at the miners welfare.
:21:21. > :21:25.Nobody has been brought forward that was helping that the miners welfares
:21:26. > :21:33.all over Britain, and there were 700 of them. The truth is, it is about
:21:34. > :21:37.the money as well, and so when you are digging into this, remember
:21:38. > :21:43.there is a class argument about it. It is about the people making money,
:21:44. > :21:49.and the Tories know a lot about that. I am sorry, Mr Speaker, I
:21:50. > :21:54.don't think trying to bring party politics into this matter is at all
:21:55. > :21:56.appropriate. It is a matter of vulnerable young people who
:21:57. > :22:01.been abused by predatory individuals been abused by predatory individuals
:22:02. > :22:02.and all walks of life and I think it belittles this house to suggest
:22:03. > :22:03.various party politics involved. Now, the Government has toughened up
:22:04. > :22:07.the penalties for using a mobile Under new rules expected
:22:08. > :22:11.to come in next year, drivers will get six points
:22:12. > :22:13.on their licence Ministers are also looking
:22:14. > :22:16.at introducing life sentences for drivers convicted of causing
:22:17. > :22:18.death through dangerous Labour's Lord Campbell-Savours has
:22:19. > :22:20.been conducting his own investigations into drivers
:22:21. > :22:22.using mobile phones. But there was some
:22:23. > :22:36.opposition to new offences. Recently, I was standing on a corner
:22:37. > :22:46.waiting for the lights to change near Maidenhead. In the phasing of
:22:47. > :22:52.the lighting, discounting 12 of the first vehicles that went through,
:22:53. > :22:58.out of 37 vehicles that passed me, 11 rural using mobile phones. I
:22:59. > :23:06.believe what I saw is an indicator of a national problem. The estimates
:23:07. > :23:11.are grossly underestimated. There is clear support for the proposed
:23:12. > :23:17.change in the law, to increase the fixed penalty notice from 100 to
:23:18. > :23:24.?200, and to double the points added to a license from three to six. This
:23:25. > :23:27.means that novice drivers would automatically have their licenses
:23:28. > :23:32.revoked, which should hopefully act as a strong deterrent. I also
:23:33. > :23:39.welcome new laws that would see drivers who kill other road users,
:23:40. > :23:45.because of mobile phone distraction be given life sentences. Penalties,
:23:46. > :23:51.bands, prison sentences, all well and good, but to my mind that this
:23:52. > :23:53.is too late. We need to stop these incidents happening in the
:23:54. > :24:00.place. But there was some opposition place. But there was some opposition
:24:01. > :24:05.to the new offences. You don't want to create specific offences of a
:24:06. > :24:09.different sort. The existing offences are totally adequate for
:24:10. > :24:15.the purpose of dealing with those who drive dangerously. I would say
:24:16. > :24:19.the penalties that are below in those fences are sufficient to act
:24:20. > :24:20.as a deterrent. And finally, from colourful
:24:21. > :24:21.ties to crazy hats. There's definitely an end of term
:24:22. > :24:24.mood in the House of Commons. The Conservative Pete Bone donned
:24:25. > :24:38.a hat in honour of a breast cancer Tomorrow is local charities day and
:24:39. > :24:45.we also have very good local charities and constituencies. One of
:24:46. > :24:51.mine is crazy hats and it is run by a group of dedicated volunteers.
:24:52. > :24:59.They have raised over ?2 million, by people wearing crazy hats. They
:25:00. > :25:03.spent that money on breast cancer in Northamptonshire, and with the
:25:04. > :25:08.minister be able to say how those charities could be further
:25:09. > :25:11.supported? I have indulged the honourable gentleman for the
:25:12. > :25:16.duration of his question but I am glad he has taken it off and I
:25:17. > :25:22.sincerely hope you once put it on again, preferably at any time but
:25:23. > :25:24.certainly not in the chamber. I thought one moment that my
:25:25. > :25:26.honourable friend was auditioning for a real role in some remake of
:25:27. > :25:30.the film Elf. Festive season or not,
:25:31. > :25:32.the Speaker was reminding everyone that wearing hats in the Commons
:25:33. > :25:35.is out of order! That's it from me for now,
:25:36. > :25:38.but do join me on Friday night at 11pm for a round-up of the week
:25:39. > :25:41.here in Westminster. But for now from me,
:25:42. > :25:49.Kristina Cooper - goodbye!