0:00:12 > 0:00:15Hello and welcome to Tuesday in Parliament.
0:00:15 > 0:00:16On this programme:
0:00:16 > 0:00:19The Chancellor's accused of teeing up Project Fear
0:00:19 > 0:00:22when it comes to the economic impact of Brexit, but George Osborne
0:00:22 > 0:00:27insists he's only repeating what big independent institutions think.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31British exit would both cause an immediate economic shock
0:00:31 > 0:00:34and have longer economic costs.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37MPs hear from a former sex worker who says the laws on
0:00:37 > 0:00:40prostitution need to change.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43And there's a call to allow the Welsh to decide how to mark
0:00:43 > 0:00:45St David's Day.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48This Saint David's Day report did put the village of Llandewi Breffi
0:00:48 > 0:00:51on the map long before the contemporary Daffyd
0:00:51 > 0:00:54of Little Britain fame.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57But first, once again, it was a day when the referendum
0:00:57 > 0:01:01on our membership of the EU featured heavily in Parliament.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03At the start of the day, at Treasury Questions,
0:01:03 > 0:01:06the Chancellor announced he'd publish a document weighing up
0:01:06 > 0:01:09the costs and benefits of Britain's membership.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12It'll be put together by the Treasury and released
0:01:12 > 0:01:13sometime before the referendum,
0:01:13 > 0:01:17which is to be held at the end of June.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19The Chancellor insists it'll be a "sober" assessment.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22Both George Osborne and the Government are strongly
0:01:22 > 0:01:25campaigning for the UK to stay in.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27My responsibility as Chancellor is for jobs, livelihoods
0:01:27 > 0:01:29and living standards.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33It is clear to me that a UK exit from the EU would be a long,
0:01:33 > 0:01:39costly and messy divorce that would hurt all of those things.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43We have already seen the sterling fall and HSBC yesterday predicted
0:01:43 > 0:01:44a further 15-20% slump in the event of
0:01:45 > 0:01:45a vote to leave.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47The finance ministers and central bank governors
0:01:47 > 0:01:50of the G20 concluded at the weekend that a British exit would cause
0:01:50 > 0:01:52an economic shock, not just to the UK,
0:01:52 > 0:01:54but to Europe and the world.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58Mr Speaker, what people are asking for in this referendum campaign
0:01:58 > 0:02:02is a serious, sober and principled assessment from the Government,
0:02:02 > 0:02:04setting out the facts, and I can announce today
0:02:04 > 0:02:07that the Treasury will publish, before the 23rd of June,
0:02:07 > 0:02:10a comprehensive analysis of our membership of a reformed EU
0:02:10 > 0:02:12and the alternatives.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15It will include the long-term economic benefits and costs of
0:02:15 > 0:02:18EU membership and the risks associated with an exit.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22Mr Speaker, isn't it extraordinary that the Chancellor asked the G20
0:02:22 > 0:02:25to make that statement, and is not the case that he did
0:02:25 > 0:02:27in fact make the request to them in order that they
0:02:27 > 0:02:30could tee up this element of Project Fear?
0:02:30 > 0:02:31Chancellor...
0:02:31 > 0:02:34The idea that the US Treasury Secretary or the head
0:02:34 > 0:02:37of the IMF, or indeed the central bank governor of China,
0:02:37 > 0:02:42dances to a British tune, I'm afraid, is a bit fanciful.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45The central bank governors and the finance ministers of the G20
0:02:45 > 0:02:50are saying what, frankly, every major
0:02:50 > 0:02:53independent economic institution is saying,
0:02:53 > 0:02:56at the moment, which is that a British exit would both cause
0:02:56 > 0:03:01an immediate economic shock and have longer economic costs.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04Wouldn't there be a double whammy if Britain left the EU?
0:03:04 > 0:03:07First you've got that risk of depreciation,
0:03:07 > 0:03:10widely predicted, which leads to higher inflation and interest
0:03:10 > 0:03:14rates, but second, any notion that our exporters
0:03:14 > 0:03:17are going to benefit from a cheaper pound is more than offset
0:03:17 > 0:03:19by those additional tariff barriers that those firms
0:03:19 > 0:03:24will encounter worldwide.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28If my right honourable friend's rather apocalyptic view
0:03:28 > 0:03:32of our leaving the European Union is correct, was it not both either
0:03:32 > 0:03:36irresponsible or inaccurate of the Prime Minister to say
0:03:36 > 0:03:39he ruled nothing out, prior to the completion of the most
0:03:39 > 0:03:44unsatisfactory renegotiation?
0:03:44 > 0:03:46Well, we have secured a renegotiation which I think
0:03:46 > 0:03:49addresses the principal British concerns about our membership
0:03:49 > 0:03:52of the European Union.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55Now we can advocate membership of this reformed EU and I think
0:03:55 > 0:03:57we will be stronger, safer and better off
0:03:57 > 0:03:59in that European Union.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01Those who wish us to stay in the European Union say,
0:04:01 > 0:04:04on one hand, that we are an insignificant and too
0:04:04 > 0:04:07small an economy to stand on our own, but on the other hand,
0:04:07 > 0:04:10if we leave the European Union, it will cause an economic meltdown
0:04:10 > 0:04:11around the world.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14They both can't be true, Chancellor.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18Well, our argument is that we will be stronger,
0:04:18 > 0:04:22better off, inside a European Union.
0:04:22 > 0:04:27And that is the sort of positive choice we face as a country,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30and I don't think this is the right time.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33I mean, I, personally, don't think we should
0:04:33 > 0:04:35leave the EU, but even those who contemplate leaving the EU
0:04:35 > 0:04:36should think about this.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39With the economic situation the world faces at the moment,
0:04:39 > 0:04:46with the geopolitical situation we face in Europe,
0:04:46 > 0:04:49with Putin on our doorstep and the crisis in the Middle East,
0:04:49 > 0:04:50is this the right moment to leave?
0:04:50 > 0:04:51George Osborne.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Well, a little later in the day, the UK's top civil servant
0:04:54 > 0:04:56defended his decision to stop ministers who back Brexit
0:04:56 > 0:04:58from receiving some official referendum-related documents.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00Sir Jeremy Heywood was appearing in front of
0:05:00 > 0:05:01the Public Administration Committee.
0:05:01 > 0:05:06He explained exactly what the rules were.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09The area where the civil service is not going to be providing advice
0:05:09 > 0:05:13to ministers in that position is very specific and set out
0:05:13 > 0:05:14in the Prime Minister's letter
0:05:14 > 0:05:16and set out in my guidance to principal secretaries.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19That is the provision of briefing material,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22speech material, because we don't think it is appropriate.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24I don't think it is appropriate either -
0:05:24 > 0:05:27it didn't happen in 1975, very much the same precedent -
0:05:27 > 0:05:30to provide material to ministers who want to argue
0:05:30 > 0:05:33against the Government's position so that they can make that case
0:05:33 > 0:05:34against the Government.
0:05:34 > 0:05:35Can you give me an example,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38a practical example, of what material may have a bearing
0:05:38 > 0:05:40on the referendum question?
0:05:40 > 0:05:42You know, pick a department at large, say...
0:05:42 > 0:05:43Well, if...
0:05:43 > 0:05:44It's not happened,
0:05:44 > 0:05:47because the guidance is very clear on the subject.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50But if a minister wanted to argue against the Government position
0:05:50 > 0:05:56commissioned a brief of the facts that would stand up
0:05:56 > 0:05:59that position or a line of argument, that would be ruled out
0:05:59 > 0:06:00by the guidance,
0:06:00 > 0:06:02because that is exactly the sort of information
0:06:02 > 0:06:04which would have a bearing on the referendum question.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08This sounds much more reasonable and I very much welcome that.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12Can I just clarify, why, in your letter, you said,
0:06:12 > 0:06:17it will not be appropriate or permissible for the civil service
0:06:17 > 0:06:20to support ministers who oppose the Government's official position
0:06:20 > 0:06:22by providing briefing speech material on this matter.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25This includes access to official departmental papers,
0:06:25 > 0:06:28excepting papers that ministers have previously seen, on issues relating
0:06:28 > 0:06:31to the referendum question,
0:06:31 > 0:06:33prior to the suspension of the collective agreement.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35What papers do you not intend them to see?
0:06:35 > 0:06:37Briefings and speech material.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39So, only briefings and speech material?
0:06:39 > 0:06:41That's the basic principle, yes.
0:06:41 > 0:06:42When you say, OK...
0:06:42 > 0:06:43In the...
0:06:43 > 0:06:49In the Q and A, they can see or commission any papers produced
0:06:49 > 0:06:52by the departments in the normal way, except those that
0:06:52 > 0:06:56have a bearing on the referendum question or are intended to be used
0:06:56 > 0:06:59in support of their position on the referendum.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01That only applies to briefings and speech material?
0:07:01 > 0:07:03That is the material we are talking about, yes.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06So, any material facts are available?
0:07:06 > 0:07:08Facts are dealt with in a different paragraph.
0:07:09 > 0:07:10I mean, this is marvellous.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12What a breath of fresh air.
0:07:12 > 0:07:17I couldn't agree more.
0:07:17 > 0:07:18This is so straightforward(!)
0:07:18 > 0:07:20We might be able to shorten this whole session.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22That would be a pleasure.
0:07:22 > 0:07:23It would.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26Will there ever be a case where the paper does relate
0:07:26 > 0:07:29to the question of the EU referendum and yet it is passed to a minister
0:07:29 > 0:07:34who is pro-leaving the EU?
0:07:34 > 0:07:36I am not really going to get into hypothetical cases here.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38The spirit of this is very clear.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40These are situations which are going to happen and people
0:07:40 > 0:07:41will have to make decisions.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44It will only go so far, that is all I can say.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47All I can say is, the spirit of this is very clear.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49There is an official Government position.
0:07:49 > 0:07:50There is official Government business and anybody
0:07:50 > 0:07:53who is supporting that official Government business will get
0:07:53 > 0:07:54the same civil service support as usual.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57In one area alone, in those cases where ministers have decided
0:07:57 > 0:07:59they want to oppose the Government's official policy,
0:07:59 > 0:08:01the civil service will not be effected to provide
0:08:01 > 0:08:04briefing material or speech material
0:08:04 > 0:08:06to support that case against the Government,
0:08:06 > 0:08:09and I think it would be quite wrong if the civil service
0:08:09 > 0:08:10was involved in that.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13It would be a very significant change in the civil service's role
0:08:13 > 0:08:15in our country, to be actively briefing ministers
0:08:15 > 0:08:16against the Government policy -
0:08:16 > 0:08:19it would be a very significant change.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22I wouldn't support it and I don't think anybody in the Cabinet
0:08:22 > 0:08:24is asking for that, to be honest.
0:08:24 > 0:08:25Sir Jeremy Heywood.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27Back in the Commons, a senior Conservative argued
0:08:27 > 0:08:29that the Foreign Office should prepare for
0:08:29 > 0:08:32a UK vote to leave the EU.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35Crispin Blunt, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee,
0:08:35 > 0:08:39said that so far there was little sign of contingency planning.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43If the country votes out on the 23rd of June,
0:08:43 > 0:08:46a huge effort will be needed to disentangle the United Kingdom
0:08:46 > 0:08:48from its existing commitments
0:08:48 > 0:08:51and to work on new trade arrangements,
0:08:51 > 0:08:53to name but one element of the work that will need
0:08:53 > 0:08:55to be undertaken.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59A very large part of that effort will fall on the Foreign Office.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03Yet, the committee has found little or no evidence that the British
0:09:03 > 0:09:07civil service is making any sort of contingency plan
0:09:07 > 0:09:09in the event of Brexit.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11Brexit is not a remote possibility -
0:09:11 > 0:09:13it is a very real prospect in the hands
0:09:13 > 0:09:17of the electorate and the competing campaigns.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20And so, I urge ministers and their officials to begin
0:09:20 > 0:09:23planning, not just an outline, for the consequences of a decision
0:09:23 > 0:09:26by the British people to leave the European Union.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29The debate looked at how much money was being allocated to
0:09:29 > 0:09:30the Foreign Office.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33Crispin Blunt argued it wasn't enough.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36The Office remains overstretched and underfunded for
0:09:36 > 0:09:38the tasks it faces.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41Its actual funding base is dysfunctional
0:09:41 > 0:09:44and, if it does not actually distort policy decisions,
0:09:44 > 0:09:48it certainly means that resource allocation is
0:09:48 > 0:09:52no longer allowed with actual British interests.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55We know that, since 2010, the Government has repeatedly
0:09:55 > 0:09:58cut the budget for the Foreign Commonwealth Office.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00And now we have a Foreign Office that is not only
0:10:00 > 0:10:04the smallest office of any one department but one which has already
0:10:04 > 0:10:08had its budget slashed by 16% in real terms.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10According to the report, mentioned several times
0:10:10 > 0:10:14in the debate today, by the House of Commons Foreign
0:10:14 > 0:10:17Affairs Committee, we spend less on diplomacy than Canada,
0:10:17 > 0:10:20France, the United States and even New Zealand.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22While I welcome and support the announcement
0:10:22 > 0:10:25that the FCO's budget will be protected in real terms,
0:10:25 > 0:10:28this comes after five years of cuts that have
0:10:28 > 0:10:31reduced the workforce to an all-time low and risked
0:10:31 > 0:10:35undermining its ability to have influence in the world.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38The threats to our security from Daesh cannot be effectively
0:10:38 > 0:10:40addressed by solely dropping bombs in Syria, Libya
0:10:40 > 0:10:42or, indeed, Iraq.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44The effects to our economy from events in China
0:10:44 > 0:10:46and the Eurozone cannot simply be washed away
0:10:46 > 0:10:49by the Treasury.
0:10:49 > 0:10:50We need to equip the FCO,
0:10:50 > 0:10:52not only to meet the challenges of today,
0:10:52 > 0:10:58but to be able to rise to meet the unknown challenges of tomorrow.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01The minister insisted there had been cuts under Labour,
0:11:01 > 0:11:03leading to cutting of jobs and the closure of the language
0:11:03 > 0:11:07school, and he defended the current settlement.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10We would all like to feel that the budgets available
0:11:10 > 0:11:12to us were unlimited.
0:11:12 > 0:11:18In the real world, the budgets are finite and are constrained to...
0:11:18 > 0:11:21By the Government's overall need to bring
0:11:21 > 0:11:27down the deficit and address a long history of this country
0:11:27 > 0:11:29living beyond its means,
0:11:29 > 0:11:32in terms of the public finances.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35The overall resource departmental expenditure
0:11:35 > 0:11:37limit for the FCO will rise in line with inflation.
0:11:37 > 0:11:42That is in each of the four years covered by the spending review,
0:11:42 > 0:11:49increasing our funding from ?1.1 billion in 2015-16
0:11:49 > 0:11:53to ?1.24 billion by 2019-20.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55We believe that this settlement will enable the department
0:11:55 > 0:11:58to maintain our world-class diplomatic service,
0:11:58 > 0:12:01including our network of posts around the world,
0:12:01 > 0:12:05which host not only the FCO but also 32 other
0:12:05 > 0:12:09Government departments and agencies.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11The Foreign Office Minister, David Lidlington.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13You're watching Tuesday in Parliament,
0:12:13 > 0:12:16here on BBC Parliament, with me, Alicia McCarthy.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22The Home Affairs Committee is investigating whether it's time
0:12:22 > 0:12:26to change the laws on prostitution.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29Some of the activities around prostitution are illegal,
0:12:29 > 0:12:31such as kerb-crawling or soliciting on the streets,
0:12:31 > 0:12:36but the act of exchanging money for sex is legal.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40Campaigners say the people who buy sex should be criminalised.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43MPs heard some powerful testimony from a woman who was a sex worker
0:12:43 > 0:12:45for six years.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49The rape and violence is horrendous.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53My own experience...
0:12:53 > 0:12:59You know, three rapes, one gang rape which happened inside.
0:12:59 > 0:13:00My friend did not survive.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03I can't...
0:13:03 > 0:13:09I can't fathom how any Government would sanction an industry that...
0:13:10 > 0:13:11And the only way to...
0:13:11 > 0:13:14You know, I was beaten and abused and raped by buyers.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18Removing them or making them a smaller amount,
0:13:18 > 0:13:19do you know what I mean?
0:13:19 > 0:13:22It does not make it more dangerous.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Prostitution is one other form of violence against women
0:13:25 > 0:13:28but the problem is that our laws do not yet
0:13:28 > 0:13:31reflect that because, at present, overwhelmingly,
0:13:31 > 0:13:36the burden of criminality falls on those who sell sex and I think
0:13:36 > 0:13:38we are all agreed that that is wrong.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40Women who are exploited through prostitution should not be
0:13:40 > 0:13:42punished for that.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44Nobody selling sex should be criminalised for it.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48But what we need to do, as a society, is send a message
0:13:48 > 0:13:51to the minority of men in this country, because most
0:13:51 > 0:13:54men do not pay for sex, but we need to send a message
0:13:54 > 0:13:58to that minority that it is not an acceptable way to treat another
0:13:58 > 0:14:01person, and we know that the threat of criminal sanctions
0:14:01 > 0:14:06are a key method for discouraging paying for sex.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09But an alternative view was offered by another witness.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13Do you believe that we should change the law on prostitution?
0:14:13 > 0:14:15Do you think it is ready to be changed?
0:14:15 > 0:14:18Yes, I do believe that the law on prostitution should be changed,
0:14:18 > 0:14:20but perhaps not in the manner in which the committee
0:14:20 > 0:14:21is considering it at present.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24We, as sex workers, are seeking the right to
0:14:24 > 0:14:26work together for safety
0:14:26 > 0:14:30and, in doing so, to increase our labour rights,
0:14:30 > 0:14:33as well, as workers.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37At present, the sex industry is the only industry in the UK that
0:14:37 > 0:14:43I can think of which compels me, as a woman, to work alone,
0:14:43 > 0:14:47and leaves me wide open to attack from predators and attackers.
0:14:47 > 0:14:52I speak from 22 years of experience across a vast range of activities
0:14:52 > 0:14:57within the sex industry, from on-street selling to
0:14:57 > 0:15:00webcam work to lap-dancing to escorting.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02It is my view that when two consenting adults come together
0:15:02 > 0:15:05behind closed doors, then the state does not have any
0:15:05 > 0:15:08right or a role to intervene.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10The state should intervene when harm occurs.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13And we can debate the "harm" all day.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17I should just say, at this point, that I witnessed first-hand,
0:15:17 > 0:15:20whilst I was working on the street, the effects of further
0:15:20 > 0:15:24criminalisation in 1993, and precious police resources
0:15:24 > 0:15:27were driven away from looking after us to chasing down our
0:15:27 > 0:15:29clients, and the levels of violence against sex workers
0:15:29 > 0:15:33went through the roof.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35In Ipswich in 2006, five prostitutes were murdered by Steven Wright
0:15:35 > 0:15:39in the space of a few months.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41Leading the police investigation was
0:15:41 > 0:15:44Detective Superintendent Alan Caton.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47Now retired, he thinks buying sex should be illegal.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50We don't, in this country, send a clear single or principle
0:15:50 > 0:15:53to what our view is around prostitution.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57I formed my view after the very tragic events in 2006,
0:15:57 > 0:15:59where all of the women who were murdered and all
0:15:59 > 0:16:02of the other women who were working on the streets of Ipswich
0:16:02 > 0:16:03at the time were drug-addicted.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06When we spoke to those women, they were using drugs before
0:16:06 > 0:16:08they went out onto the streets so that they could face
0:16:08 > 0:16:11what they were doing.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14None of the women I spoke to, certainly, would have said
0:16:14 > 0:16:16that was their choice.
0:16:16 > 0:16:17They would want to get out.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21Most of the men, when we spoke to the men, why did they do it?
0:16:21 > 0:16:24It was because they could do things that they can't do at home.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27These are not disabled individuals, as the discussion went earlier,
0:16:27 > 0:16:29these were primarily married men, men with partners,
0:16:29 > 0:16:31men with children, who feel that they can go out and exploit
0:16:31 > 0:16:33women for payment.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37Alan Caton concluded that prostitution cannot be made safe.
0:16:37 > 0:16:43It was, he said, an inherently dangerous activity.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46Russia has an important role to play in maintaining a partial truce
0:16:46 > 0:16:49in Syria, the Foreign Office Minister Tobias Ellwood has
0:16:49 > 0:16:51told the Commons.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54But at the same time he and many MPs condemned Russia's military
0:16:54 > 0:16:57involvement in the country.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00Violence has reduced since the cessation of hostilities
0:17:00 > 0:17:03was implemented on the 27th February, although there have been
0:17:03 > 0:17:06reports of violations.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09The agreement excludes attacks on so-called Islamic State
0:17:09 > 0:17:14and the al-Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17The Syrian conflict is now almost in its sixth year and as a result
0:17:17 > 0:17:20of that, and the brutality and the terror of Daesh,
0:17:20 > 0:17:23over 250,000 people have lost their lives, half
0:17:23 > 0:17:27the population have been displaced and over 13 million people
0:17:27 > 0:17:31are in need of humanitarian aid.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35Russia's military intervention last autumn has compounded
0:17:35 > 0:17:40the violence and Russia's claims to be targeting terrorists has
0:17:40 > 0:17:44carried out strikes on moderate opposition groups and on civilians.
0:17:44 > 0:17:49Over 1,300 civilians have been killed and over 5,800 have been
0:17:49 > 0:17:53injured by Russia or regime air strikes since the start
0:17:53 > 0:17:56of Russia's campaign.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00The cessation of hostilities is an important step towards ending
0:18:00 > 0:18:02the terrible violence in Syria and bringing
0:18:02 > 0:18:06a lasting political settlement.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10The cessation came into force on the 27th of February.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13Since then, we have seen a reduction in violence,
0:18:13 > 0:18:16which is of course, a huge step forward.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20But we need to see this sustained and to see a reduction in the number
0:18:20 > 0:18:24of reported violations.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28We have received reports of a number of violations which we have passed
0:18:28 > 0:18:33on to the UN and ISSG co-chairs in Vienna.
0:18:33 > 0:18:39We need swift action to reduce these violations and we look to Russia
0:18:39 > 0:18:43in particular to use its influence with the regime to ensure
0:18:43 > 0:18:49that the cessation endures and that there are no further violations.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51Can the Minister address how it is even conceivable
0:18:51 > 0:18:54that the monitoring of this agreement is being jointly conducted
0:18:54 > 0:18:57by Russia, the same party that is responsible for the vast
0:18:58 > 0:19:01majority of recent civilian deaths?
0:19:01 > 0:19:05If the reports of Russian and regime violations are verified,
0:19:05 > 0:19:08what measures will the UK pursue to force a change in
0:19:08 > 0:19:11the calculations of both Putin and Assad?
0:19:11 > 0:19:15The UK has a critical role, Mr Speaker, to play in giving
0:19:15 > 0:19:19everybody confidence in the system, in particular, the violations
0:19:19 > 0:19:22will be called out and the agreement protected.
0:19:22 > 0:19:27Russia has absolutely no desire to bring hope or humanitarian
0:19:27 > 0:19:30relief, I'm sure, to many areas Syria.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33What they want is to increase fear, despair and the collapse
0:19:33 > 0:19:42of the opposition.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45I am sure they also hope that the peace period will bring
0:19:45 > 0:19:47a greater influx of refugees fleeing from Syria towards the West.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49It isn't simply just about Syria here.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52It's about the wider strategic implications of what is happening
0:19:52 > 0:19:56not just here, but also the role Russia is playing
0:19:56 > 0:19:59on the international stage, not least with Ukraine and indeed
0:19:59 > 0:20:04Crimea, and the consequences of the influx of refugees and that
0:20:04 > 0:20:07political impact that it is having across Europe as well.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10And we are not blind to that, whatsoever.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13The most credible and consistently effective ground forces
0:20:13 > 0:20:18against Daesh in both Syria and Iraq are our friends the Kurds and yet
0:20:18 > 0:20:23again and again, our Nato ally Turkey uses any excuse,
0:20:23 > 0:20:29including the present ceasefire, to attack them and degrade them.
0:20:29 > 0:20:35When is Her Majesty's government going to take this issue seriously?
0:20:35 > 0:20:38My honourable friend articulates the complexity of the challenge
0:20:38 > 0:20:41that we face in Syria with so many moving parts and so many
0:20:41 > 0:20:47organisations and indeed entities pursuing quite separate agendas.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49That makes it very, very difficult indeed.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53Asked about aid drops, he said these were not ideal.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56Their destination could be affected by the weather and they were likely
0:20:56 > 0:20:59to be taken away by the strongest people who found them.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03Aid convoys, though slower, would do a better job.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07Now, are too many claims for whiplash injuries being made
0:21:07 > 0:21:11by people involved in minor road accidents?
0:21:11 > 0:21:13At Lords Question Time, a Conservative peer said Britain
0:21:13 > 0:21:18was now "the whiplash capital of the world" and accused insurance
0:21:18 > 0:21:22companies of taking a cavalier approach to claims.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25First, a former surgeon explained more about the nature
0:21:25 > 0:21:35of the injury.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38The whiplash phenomenon is thought to occur usually when a vehicle
0:21:38 > 0:21:40is struck heavily from behind with the
0:21:40 > 0:21:42result that the passenger or the driver in the vehicle
0:21:42 > 0:21:44that is hit has a sharp flexion of the neck
0:21:44 > 0:21:46followed by a sharp hyperextension.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48Now, if it happens that the individual in question has
0:21:48 > 0:21:50already got disc degeneration in the neck,
0:21:50 > 0:21:55there is no doubt at all that this may on occasions result in actual
0:21:55 > 0:22:00damage to the spinal cord with significant physical results.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02The noble Lord, with his experience as a neurologist, of course
0:22:02 > 0:22:06highlights the complicated nature of this injury
0:22:06 > 0:22:10and the fact that the injury is not detectable usually on scans.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12He also makes the point about pre-existing degenerative
0:22:12 > 0:22:15injury, which can exist.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18When he next meets the industry, ask them to explain
0:22:18 > 0:22:21cases such as that of Mr John Elven of Watford.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25He was involved in a negligible traffic incident where
0:22:25 > 0:22:29there was no apparent damage to either vehicle.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31And at the first opportunity, he notified his insurers,
0:22:31 > 0:22:36Esure, that he was subject to what he believed was going to be
0:22:36 > 0:22:40a false whiplash and damage claim.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42Despite a series of requests,
0:22:42 > 0:22:44Esure have given no indication that they
0:22:44 > 0:22:47have investigated this case in any way.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51Is this not an example of the reason that the industry is known in this
0:22:51 > 0:22:55country as the whiplash capital of the world and it's the consumer
0:22:55 > 0:23:00that ultimately pays for this cavalier attitude?
0:23:00 > 0:23:02Hear, hear.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04My noble friend is quite right to draw the House's attention
0:23:04 > 0:23:07to this very major problem with the significant increase
0:23:07 > 0:23:11in the number of claims and our large number of claims
0:23:11 > 0:23:13in comparison with other European countries.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16Anyone who is notified of what sounds suspiciously
0:23:16 > 0:23:20like a fraud should not do anything to encourage it.
0:23:20 > 0:23:25If individuals are invited to take part in such an endeavour,
0:23:25 > 0:23:29they are potentially committing a criminal offence.
0:23:29 > 0:23:30Will my noble friend the Minister
0:23:30 > 0:23:35accept, and I'm declaring my interest as set out in the register,
0:23:35 > 0:23:39that there is serious concern not only in this House,
0:23:39 > 0:23:42but also in the insurance industry, at the way
0:23:42 > 0:23:45in which we have allowed to happen a situation
0:23:45 > 0:23:50where 80%, 80% of all personal injury claims are said to be
0:23:50 > 0:23:53whiplash claims.
0:23:53 > 0:23:58And will he find some way of stopping these cold callers?
0:23:58 > 0:24:02One of my colleagues as had a cold call from a claims management
0:24:02 > 0:24:07company calling itself the Department of Compensation!
0:24:07 > 0:24:12LAUGHTER.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14Individuals can have a telephone preference service installed
0:24:14 > 0:24:16on their telephones and we are also exploring the possibility of
0:24:16 > 0:24:19call-blocking devices for vulnerable consumers.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22When somebody rings you, as they ring me from time to time,
0:24:22 > 0:24:27inviting me to take part in a fraud, I endeavour to extract details
0:24:27 > 0:24:32from them without revealing the particular position I hold.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36Unfortunately, my voice appears to cause them only to put
0:24:36 > 0:24:41down the phone.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43A Liberal Democrat is calling for the Welsh Assembly
0:24:43 > 0:24:46to have the power to set bank holidays in Wales.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49It's not the first time the case has been made to devolve the power
0:24:49 > 0:24:50to Cardiff Bay.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53Mark Williams argued it was time for Wales to have a power that
0:24:53 > 0:24:55Scotland already has.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58He set out the case on the feast day of Wales' national saint.
0:24:58 > 0:25:03It was in the village of Llanddewi Brefi in 550 AD,
0:25:03 > 0:25:06at a raucous meeting of the Synod of the Welsh Church,
0:25:06 > 0:25:09that David, finding it difficult to make himself heard,
0:25:09 > 0:25:13placed a cloth on the ground and earth rose to form a mound
0:25:13 > 0:25:17on which he could stand and preach.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21So, this St David's miracle did put the village of Llanddewi Brefi
0:25:21 > 0:25:25on the map long before the contemporary Daffyd
0:25:25 > 0:25:27of Little Britain fame.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31It should therefore be of no surprise that the calls
0:25:31 > 0:25:33for the possibility of St David's Day becoming a bank holiday
0:25:33 > 0:25:36in Wales are particularly strong in my constituency.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39Mr Williams won the right to take his bill forward
0:25:39 > 0:25:42but without government support, it won't become law.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46And that's it for now, but do join me at the same time
0:25:46 > 0:25:48tomorrow for another round-up of the day at Westminster,
0:25:48 > 0:25:51including the highlights of Prime Minister's Questions.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55But until then, goodbye.