Browse content similar to 19/04/2016. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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Hello there and welcome to Tuesday in Parliament. | 0:00:14 | 0:00:17 | |
On this programme: A Treasury assessment of how much it would cost | 0:00:17 | 0:00:20 | |
the UK to leave the EU is attacked by Conservative Eurosceptics. | 0:00:20 | 0:00:23 | |
The Foreign Secretary says British troops are not expected to be | 0:00:23 | 0:00:25 | |
involved in frontline fighting against Islamic extremists in Libya. | 0:00:25 | 0:00:33 | |
And a call for clearer food labelling in supermarkets. | 0:00:33 | 0:00:40 | |
The consumer absolutely has the right to know if a cheap cut of | 0:00:40 | 0:00:43 | |
pork on a supermarket shelf has been reared in banned conditions. | 0:00:43 | 0:00:47 | |
But first, to Treasury questions in the Commons, where Conservative | 0:00:47 | 0:00:50 | |
MPs lined up to attack a Government document warning that the economy | 0:00:50 | 0:00:53 | |
would shrink if the UK left the EU. | 0:00:53 | 0:00:56 | |
The analysis was published by the Treasury | 0:00:56 | 0:00:59 | |
on Monday and warned that an EU exit would hit the public | 0:00:59 | 0:01:02 | |
finances by ?36 billion, with families being ?4,300 a year | 0:01:02 | 0:01:09 | |
worse off. | 0:01:09 | 0:01:12 | |
In a bleak assessment, it also stated that the UK economy | 0:01:12 | 0:01:16 | |
would be 6% smaller than it would otherwise be by 2030. | 0:01:16 | 0:01:20 | |
The document did get support from the Labour benches. | 0:01:20 | 0:01:22 | |
Doesn't he agree that those Leave campaigners shouldn't just cross | 0:01:22 | 0:01:26 | |
their fingers and dismiss reality and that all of us on all sides of | 0:01:26 | 0:01:30 | |
this House have the duty to spell out the facts that leaving the | 0:01:30 | 0:01:33 | |
European Union would put real jobs at a real risk? | 0:01:33 | 0:01:41 | |
Well, the honourable gentleman will be aware of the | 0:01:41 | 0:01:44 | |
Treasury analysis, published yesterday, but that shows the | 0:01:44 | 0:01:46 | |
consequences were we to leave the European Union and the various | 0:01:46 | 0:01:49 | |
models that involve a permanent reduction | 0:01:49 | 0:01:53 | |
to our GDP and damage to | 0:01:53 | 0:01:57 | |
productivity growth that would be significant | 0:01:57 | 0:02:01 | |
and yes, I think the | 0:02:01 | 0:02:02 | |
honourable gentleman is right to make that point. | 0:02:02 | 0:02:05 | |
The impact of the EU membership on jobs is obviously | 0:02:05 | 0:02:08 | |
significant. | 0:02:08 | 0:02:09 | |
Could the Minister pass my congratulations to the officials | 0:02:09 | 0:02:11 | |
who have done such a very useful analysis. | 0:02:11 | 0:02:16 | |
On page 65, there is a regional breakdown which suggests | 0:02:16 | 0:02:18 | |
that 800,000 jobs in the north-east are dependent on EU exports. | 0:02:18 | 0:02:21 | |
I had previously thought the figure should | 0:02:21 | 0:02:23 | |
be 140,000. | 0:02:23 | 0:02:31 | |
Could you ask him to look at it with a view to | 0:02:31 | 0:02:33 | |
revising it up? | 0:02:33 | 0:02:35 | |
But a series of Conservative MPs stood up to criticise | 0:02:35 | 0:02:37 | |
the Treasury's publication. | 0:02:37 | 0:02:40 | |
The disgraceful, dodgy document published... | 0:02:40 | 0:02:43 | |
Which, frankly, is worthy of the children's programme, | 0:02:43 | 0:02:45 | |
Jackanory. | 0:02:45 | 0:02:49 | |
The immigration figures suggest there will be 3 million | 0:02:49 | 0:02:52 | |
immigrants to this country by 2030, placing my honourable friend in | 0:02:52 | 0:02:57 | |
clear breach of the Conservative manifesto to reduce immigration to | 0:02:57 | 0:02:59 | |
tens of thousands per year. | 0:02:59 | 0:03:07 | |
How is having a net migration of an additional | 0:03:07 | 0:03:09 | |
3 million people going to | 0:03:09 | 0:03:12 | |
help first-time buyers find a home? | 0:03:12 | 0:03:16 | |
Well, as I say, we have the products to help first-time buyers in this | 0:03:16 | 0:03:20 | |
country afford housing. | 0:03:20 | 0:03:21 | |
But I make this observation on migration, | 0:03:21 | 0:03:24 | |
you cannot have access to the single market without accepting free | 0:03:24 | 0:03:26 | |
movement of people. | 0:03:26 | 0:03:29 | |
I remember the good old days, Mr Speaker, when the | 0:03:29 | 0:03:31 | |
Chancellor regarded Treasury predictions as so discredited that | 0:03:31 | 0:03:33 | |
he established the OBR instead. | 0:03:33 | 0:03:34 | |
I can't think what could have changed. | 0:03:34 | 0:03:36 | |
The GDB predictions in his dodgy dossier | 0:03:36 | 0:03:40 | |
are predicated on breaking our | 0:03:40 | 0:03:43 | |
manifesto commitment on immigration. | 0:03:43 | 0:03:47 | |
The cost implications of a new policy of mass migration in areas | 0:03:47 | 0:03:52 | |
like school places, housing, health and transport | 0:03:52 | 0:03:54 | |
are not explicit in | 0:03:54 | 0:03:55 | |
the document. | 0:03:55 | 0:03:58 | |
Why is that? | 0:03:58 | 0:04:01 | |
We're having a referendum and people are | 0:04:01 | 0:04:02 | |
going to take different views on the prospects | 0:04:02 | 0:04:04 | |
of the United Kingdom going forward. | 0:04:04 | 0:04:06 | |
But the public want facts and information. | 0:04:06 | 0:04:07 | |
We have set that out in the analysis produced by the | 0:04:07 | 0:04:10 | |
Treasury and what we think what the likely impact | 0:04:10 | 0:04:12 | |
on the economy will be and that analysis has been supported | 0:04:12 | 0:04:15 | |
now by the London School of Economics, it is giving a similar | 0:04:15 | 0:04:18 | |
message to that given by the Bank of England about the economic shock | 0:04:18 | 0:04:25 | |
that will come if we leave and of course | 0:04:25 | 0:04:29 | |
you have bodies like the | 0:04:29 | 0:04:32 | |
International Monetary Fund and others saying a similar thing. | 0:04:32 | 0:04:37 | |
In his documents published yesterday, | 0:04:37 | 0:04:38 | |
the Chancellor posed the question, "Is our national | 0:04:38 | 0:04:40 | |
"security best served | 0:04:40 | 0:04:41 | |
"by retreating from the world?" | 0:04:41 | 0:04:43 | |
I do hope my right honourable friend is | 0:04:43 | 0:04:44 | |
not foolish enough to suggest that those of us who wish the United | 0:04:44 | 0:04:48 | |
Kingdom to leave the EU want to retreat from | 0:04:48 | 0:04:50 | |
the world, because the | 0:04:50 | 0:04:51 | |
truth is far from that. | 0:04:51 | 0:04:53 | |
We want the UK to break free from the | 0:04:53 | 0:04:55 | |
shackles of the EU and its superstate and embrace the exciting | 0:04:55 | 0:04:58 | |
state out there which befits the world's fifth largest economy, | 0:04:58 | 0:05:00 | |
nuclear power and a permanent member of the United Nations Security | 0:05:00 | 0:05:03 | |
Council. | 0:05:03 | 0:05:06 | |
Well, of course, I respect my right honourable friend's views, | 0:05:06 | 0:05:08 | |
we're having a referendum and his vote and my vote count equally. | 0:05:08 | 0:05:11 | |
I would make the point that our membership of the European Union | 0:05:11 | 0:05:17 | |
does enhance our national security. | 0:05:17 | 0:05:21 | |
That is a point made by the Secretary General of Nato last week | 0:05:21 | 0:05:24 | |
as well. | 0:05:24 | 0:05:26 | |
And I would just observe that not a single one of this | 0:05:26 | 0:05:29 | |
country's allies or friends abroad are recommending that we leave the | 0:05:29 | 0:05:32 | |
EU. | 0:05:32 | 0:05:35 | |
George Osborne. | 0:05:35 | 0:05:36 | |
British troops are not expected to be on the front line in Libya, | 0:05:36 | 0:05:39 | |
the Foreign Secretary has told the Commons. | 0:05:39 | 0:05:41 | |
Philip Hammond was returning from a meeting with | 0:05:41 | 0:05:45 | |
the country's new Government of National Accord, | 0:05:45 | 0:05:52 | |
or GNA. | 0:05:52 | 0:05:53 | |
He said there was "no appetite" in Libya for foreign combat troops | 0:05:53 | 0:05:56 | |
fighting in the country. | 0:05:56 | 0:05:59 | |
But he said it was quite possible air and naval support would be | 0:05:59 | 0:06:02 | |
requested by Libya, although no request has yet | 0:06:02 | 0:06:04 | |
been made. | 0:06:04 | 0:06:05 | |
I am clear that there is no appetite in Libya for any | 0:06:05 | 0:06:08 | |
combat troops on the ground. | 0:06:08 | 0:06:11 | |
We do not anticipate any requests from the | 0:06:11 | 0:06:16 | |
GNA for ground combat forces to take on Daesh or any armed groups | 0:06:16 | 0:06:19 | |
and we have no plans to deploy troops in such a role. | 0:06:19 | 0:06:24 | |
I will of course keep the House informed of | 0:06:24 | 0:06:26 | |
any plans we develop in the future in response to requests from the | 0:06:26 | 0:06:31 | |
Libyan Government. | 0:06:31 | 0:06:33 | |
But the type of mission that we currently envisage | 0:06:33 | 0:06:37 | |
will be focused on providing training and technical support away | 0:06:37 | 0:06:40 | |
from any front-line operations. | 0:06:40 | 0:06:43 | |
On this side, we welcome the establishment of the Libyan | 0:06:43 | 0:06:46 | |
Government of National Accord led by their Prime Minister. | 0:06:46 | 0:06:49 | |
As the Foreign Secretary said, it faces a | 0:06:49 | 0:06:51 | |
formidable task in assuring security, restoring public services, | 0:06:51 | 0:06:54 | |
building up the economy and tackling the threat from Daesh. | 0:06:54 | 0:06:59 | |
But does the Foreign Secretary agree, that his | 0:06:59 | 0:07:04 | |
ability to do so will be determined by the extent to which the new | 0:07:04 | 0:07:08 | |
Government is able to gain support and consent right across Libya | 0:07:08 | 0:07:12 | |
as it faces the task of re-establishing Government, indeed | 0:07:12 | 0:07:17 | |
governance, in all parts of the country? | 0:07:17 | 0:07:19 | |
The Foreign Secretary said the House would be invited to give | 0:07:19 | 0:07:22 | |
a view if there was a possibility of a combat deployment in the area, | 0:07:22 | 0:07:25 | |
but not in the case of a training deployment. | 0:07:25 | 0:07:27 | |
The chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee felt the line | 0:07:27 | 0:07:32 | |
between the two was pretty slim. | 0:07:32 | 0:07:37 | |
A coherent British contribution will be easier with the | 0:07:37 | 0:07:39 | |
consent and understanding of this House. | 0:07:39 | 0:07:42 | |
It may need to include, for | 0:07:42 | 0:07:45 | |
example, air strikes on Daesh targets as the training commission | 0:07:45 | 0:07:49 | |
he has alluded to and I would counsel him that he is dancing on | 0:07:49 | 0:07:53 | |
pretty thin ground with his differentiation between the training | 0:07:53 | 0:07:56 | |
mission in a combat zone and not seeking to carry this House with | 0:07:56 | 0:08:00 | |
him. | 0:08:00 | 0:08:03 | |
I noticed the language he has used talks about being away from the | 0:08:03 | 0:08:07 | |
front line of operations, I wonder whether there is anything more he | 0:08:07 | 0:08:10 | |
can say about that? | 0:08:10 | 0:08:15 | |
We are very clear that we can make that | 0:08:15 | 0:08:18 | |
distinction. | 0:08:18 | 0:08:20 | |
I would draw his attention for example to | 0:08:20 | 0:08:22 | |
Afghanistan, a kinetic theatre if ever there was one. | 0:08:22 | 0:08:25 | |
We have a training mission there, which has | 0:08:25 | 0:08:28 | |
been successfully conducted for the last 15 months | 0:08:28 | 0:08:32 | |
with great effect. | 0:08:32 | 0:08:35 | |
Libya has been an unmitigated disaster for this Government. | 0:08:35 | 0:08:37 | |
We even have a sitting president criticising a sitting UK Prime | 0:08:37 | 0:08:40 | |
Minister and a humanitarian side where a UN official | 0:08:40 | 0:08:42 | |
said "It is paltry | 0:08:42 | 0:08:43 | |
"bone-throwing from a European country whose | 0:08:43 | 0:08:49 | |
"bombers wreaked so much | 0:08:49 | 0:08:51 | |
"destruction." | 0:08:51 | 0:08:53 | |
We do not have a good record on Libya, Mr Speaker. | 0:08:53 | 0:08:56 | |
It is very easy to sit over there hurling stones. | 0:08:56 | 0:09:00 | |
The world is an untidy place and we have | 0:09:00 | 0:09:04 | |
to deal with the situations that present themselves. | 0:09:04 | 0:09:08 | |
And he talks about humanitarian. | 0:09:08 | 0:09:11 | |
I would remind him that when we intervened in 2011 | 0:09:11 | 0:09:15 | |
in Libya, it was to prevent an imminent genocide. | 0:09:15 | 0:09:19 | |
That was a successful intervention that saved | 0:09:19 | 0:09:22 | |
countless thousands of lives. | 0:09:22 | 0:09:26 | |
Libya is a rich country, we should not | 0:09:26 | 0:09:27 | |
forget that. | 0:09:27 | 0:09:29 | |
There are $70-odd billion worth of Libyan | 0:09:29 | 0:09:32 | |
assets outside the country, currently frozen by | 0:09:32 | 0:09:34 | |
the UN Security Council | 0:09:34 | 0:09:37 | |
Resolution. | 0:09:37 | 0:09:38 | |
The Foreign Secretary, | 0:09:38 | 0:09:39 | |
Philip Hammond. | 0:09:39 | 0:09:43 | |
You're watching Tuesday in Parliament, with me, | 0:09:43 | 0:09:45 | |
Alicia McCarthy. | 0:09:45 | 0:09:50 | |
Peers have urged a rethink on new rules on how charities | 0:09:50 | 0:09:53 | |
spend government grants which, it's claimed, | 0:09:53 | 0:09:55 | |
amount to making them take a vow of silence. | 0:09:55 | 0:09:58 | |
From May, charities and other organisations will no longer be | 0:09:58 | 0:10:00 | |
allowed to spend taxpayers' money on lobbying ministers. | 0:10:00 | 0:10:02 | |
The Cabinet Office said the new clause in grants would mean | 0:10:02 | 0:10:07 | |
funds will go to good causes, not political campaigns. | 0:10:07 | 0:10:10 | |
But at question time in the Lords, many peers were sceptical. | 0:10:10 | 0:10:19 | |
Does not the minister believe it is an healthy open society | 0:10:19 | 0:10:29 | |
which not just allows us to actively | 0:10:32 | 0:10:35 | |
encourage the use of public monies given out | 0:10:35 | 0:10:37 | |
as grants to question the | 0:10:37 | 0:10:38 | |
status quo, challenge the Government over the policy when it | 0:10:38 | 0:10:40 | |
felt necessary and indeed make constructive recommendations for new | 0:10:40 | 0:10:43 | |
policy? | 0:10:43 | 0:10:43 | |
Is this an essential aspect of the national public debate? | 0:10:43 | 0:10:46 | |
This clause threatens that, will damage | 0:10:46 | 0:10:47 | |
democracy and should be scrapped. | 0:10:47 | 0:10:49 | |
I'd say there is a fundamental point of principle on | 0:10:49 | 0:10:52 | |
which I cannot agree with you on, though I know | 0:10:52 | 0:10:54 | |
holds passionate views on this | 0:10:54 | 0:10:55 | |
subject. | 0:10:55 | 0:10:56 | |
This is about making sure that the many billions of pounds | 0:10:56 | 0:10:59 | |
that the taxpayer's money that goes to grant | 0:10:59 | 0:11:01 | |
recipient is spent on the | 0:11:01 | 0:11:02 | |
original allocation of that grant and does not find its way into | 0:11:02 | 0:11:05 | |
political lobbying and campaigning. | 0:11:05 | 0:11:07 | |
Should we not remember that this public money has come from taxation | 0:11:07 | 0:11:10 | |
from people, well-off people, poor people and other people throughout | 0:11:10 | 0:11:15 | |
the kingdom? | 0:11:15 | 0:11:18 | |
The money is there to be granted for useful purposes. | 0:11:18 | 0:11:21 | |
It is not there to pay for campaigning | 0:11:21 | 0:11:26 | |
and lobbying with public money, if people want that. | 0:11:26 | 0:11:30 | |
And I've lobbied | 0:11:30 | 0:11:32 | |
and given money for lobbying, but that was not public money. | 0:11:32 | 0:11:36 | |
Is it not important we are on the side of | 0:11:36 | 0:11:38 | |
freedom? | 0:11:38 | 0:11:41 | |
And is it not true that almost universally, what the | 0:11:41 | 0:11:45 | |
Government intends to do is seen to be a bar to the freedom of | 0:11:45 | 0:11:48 | |
expression? | 0:11:48 | 0:11:51 | |
This anti-lobbying cause is going to have a serious impact on | 0:11:51 | 0:11:54 | |
research, since most people do research in order to influence | 0:11:54 | 0:11:59 | |
policy and have policy more evidence-based. | 0:11:59 | 0:12:01 | |
And is it not odd that this does not apply in any way to restrict | 0:12:01 | 0:12:06 | |
Government-funded lobbying and not to commercial lobbying at all? | 0:12:06 | 0:12:11 | |
Should not its real emphasis be on the | 0:12:11 | 0:12:15 | |
control of abuse of funds, like Kids Company? | 0:12:15 | 0:12:20 | |
Would it not be wise in the present circumstances to | 0:12:20 | 0:12:22 | |
postpone the application of this new agreement until after the 1st | 0:12:22 | 0:12:26 | |
of May so that further consultation could | 0:12:26 | 0:12:31 | |
take place on this very important threat to the freedom of research | 0:12:31 | 0:12:34 | |
and speech? | 0:12:34 | 0:12:37 | |
I hear what the Noble Lord is saying and I have certainly | 0:12:37 | 0:12:39 | |
received the other ministers and their | 0:12:39 | 0:12:43 | |
concerns over research and the | 0:12:43 | 0:12:44 | |
academic community and let me tell you, | 0:12:44 | 0:12:46 | |
clearly, the implementation of | 0:12:46 | 0:12:47 | |
this particular clause as regards science and research is a matter for | 0:12:47 | 0:12:50 | |
the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. | 0:12:50 | 0:12:53 | |
And let me tell you that this is not | 0:12:53 | 0:12:55 | |
the department's nor the Government's intention for research | 0:12:55 | 0:12:58 | |
councils the higher education funding councils | 0:12:58 | 0:13:01 | |
or the National academies | 0:13:01 | 0:13:02 | |
to be covered by this clause. | 0:13:02 | 0:13:04 | |
Ministers are continuing to exchange with | 0:13:04 | 0:13:06 | |
the National Research Council, they will outline the detail | 0:13:06 | 0:13:08 | |
by the 1st of May. | 0:13:08 | 0:13:13 | |
Staying in the Lords, the Government has announced a concession over | 0:13:13 | 0:13:15 | |
Trade Union funding. | 0:13:16 | 0:13:19 | |
Ministers were planning to end the collection | 0:13:19 | 0:13:22 | |
of union subs directly from employees' pay packets, | 0:13:22 | 0:13:24 | |
known as check-off. | 0:13:24 | 0:13:27 | |
Now the practice will continue if the employer and the union agree. | 0:13:27 | 0:13:31 | |
Lord Bridges made the concession at the start of the day's | 0:13:31 | 0:13:33 | |
debate on the bill. | 0:13:33 | 0:13:34 | |
I've been a member of your lordship's house | 0:13:34 | 0:13:36 | |
for a little under a year. | 0:13:36 | 0:13:40 | |
One of the many lessons I've learned is that when ministers stand | 0:13:40 | 0:13:44 | |
at this Dispatch Box and face cannons to left of them, | 0:13:44 | 0:13:47 | |
cannons to the right and cannons in front of them... | 0:13:47 | 0:13:49 | |
LAUGHTER | 0:13:49 | 0:13:51 | |
..and maybe even behind them, it is usually best to pause | 0:13:51 | 0:13:56 | |
and to ask the reason why. | 0:13:56 | 0:13:59 | |
And, uncomfortable though this may be, | 0:13:59 | 0:14:02 | |
it is nothing like as uncomfortable as charging on. | 0:14:02 | 0:14:07 | |
Arguments have been made with considerable vim and | 0:14:07 | 0:14:10 | |
vigour that by ending check-off and moving | 0:14:10 | 0:14:13 | |
to direct debit, those on low pay and, | 0:14:13 | 0:14:17 | |
especially those who have payday loans, might have to cease | 0:14:17 | 0:14:21 | |
being trade-union members or have to pay extra bank charges. | 0:14:21 | 0:14:26 | |
Again, my lords, this is not our intention and | 0:14:26 | 0:14:28 | |
never has been. | 0:14:28 | 0:14:34 | |
And to show that the Government means this and to avoid | 0:14:34 | 0:14:37 | |
further acrimony on this issue, the Government will support the | 0:14:37 | 0:14:39 | |
principles behind Lord Balfe's Amendment. | 0:14:39 | 0:14:44 | |
Amendment 21 would allow check-off to remain where there is | 0:14:44 | 0:14:47 | |
an agreement with the employer to provide check-off. | 0:14:47 | 0:14:51 | |
It sets out how the administration of this would be | 0:14:51 | 0:14:53 | |
paid for and allows that employees can be paid by other means | 0:14:53 | 0:14:56 | |
should they wish. | 0:14:56 | 0:14:57 | |
So, my lords, this amendment ticks three boxes. | 0:14:57 | 0:14:59 | |
Cost - which will be borne by the unions, | 0:14:59 | 0:15:01 | |
not the taxpayers - consistency across all | 0:15:01 | 0:15:03 | |
sectors and control. | 0:15:03 | 0:15:07 | |
Individuals will be able to choose how to pay their union. | 0:15:07 | 0:15:10 | |
The change of heart was warmly welcomed by Labour. | 0:15:10 | 0:15:14 | |
My lords, check-off is trusted by trade-union members, it | 0:15:14 | 0:15:18 | |
helps them manage their finances. | 0:15:18 | 0:15:21 | |
As the noble Lords have stressed, thousands of low paid members across | 0:15:21 | 0:15:25 | |
the public sector, who need the choice to opt | 0:15:25 | 0:15:27 | |
for check-off, will be greatly | 0:15:27 | 0:15:28 | |
relieved that it is to continue and that they won't stand to lose their | 0:15:28 | 0:15:31 | |
eligibility to workplace representation and for | 0:15:31 | 0:15:35 | |
key trade-union benefits, such as those detailed | 0:15:35 | 0:15:36 | |
so fully in committee by the | 0:15:36 | 0:15:38 | |
noble Lord Balfe, including professional-indemnity insurance, | 0:15:38 | 0:15:40 | |
legal representation for accidents at work and unemployment issues. | 0:15:40 | 0:15:43 | |
Lady Wheeler. | 0:15:43 | 0:15:47 | |
Next week, MPs will consider a call from the Lords for the UK to take | 0:15:47 | 0:15:51 | |
in 3,000 unaccompanied child refugees. | 0:15:51 | 0:15:54 | |
In a short debate, MPs from all sides urged ministers | 0:15:54 | 0:15:57 | |
to act with compassion, particularly in respect | 0:15:57 | 0:16:00 | |
of children in the Jungle, the refugee | 0:16:00 | 0:16:02 | |
camp near Calais. | 0:16:02 | 0:16:06 | |
One MP spoke of the nightmare her four-year-old experienced recently. | 0:16:06 | 0:16:10 | |
He had all of his favourite toys around | 0:16:10 | 0:16:13 | |
him, he had his own pyjamas on, he was in his own bed and he knew | 0:16:13 | 0:16:17 | |
that his mum and dad were just along the corridor | 0:16:17 | 0:16:20 | |
able to come in and give him the comfort | 0:16:20 | 0:16:22 | |
and support he needed. | 0:16:22 | 0:16:23 | |
The horror and terror that unaccompanied children must | 0:16:23 | 0:16:25 | |
experience is unimaginable. | 0:16:25 | 0:16:28 | |
Refugee children are waking from their | 0:16:28 | 0:16:30 | |
nightmares and finding that real life is worse. | 0:16:30 | 0:16:32 | |
If the British people are | 0:16:32 | 0:16:34 | |
there, then so should be this Government. | 0:16:34 | 0:16:37 | |
This is not France's problem. | 0:16:37 | 0:16:39 | |
Our compassion, our Dunkirk spirit and geographical proximity | 0:16:39 | 0:16:41 | |
have made it our problem as well. | 0:16:41 | 0:16:44 | |
So I urge the Minister to do everything | 0:16:44 | 0:16:46 | |
in his power, find those children before it is too late and bring them | 0:16:46 | 0:16:50 | |
home for good. | 0:16:50 | 0:16:51 | |
We're in a situation today where there are children | 0:16:51 | 0:16:53 | |
being... | 0:16:53 | 0:16:55 | |
Failing to be supported in Europe. They are all over the place. | 0:16:55 | 0:17:01 | |
In Lesbos they are being fed by sandwiches being thrown | 0:17:01 | 0:17:03 | |
over a fence. It is unacceptable. | 0:17:03 | 0:17:06 | |
I spoke to a mother who had put her two | 0:17:06 | 0:17:09 | |
young children, aged two and seven, on the back of a truck with | 0:17:09 | 0:17:13 | |
the hope that they would make it to the UK. | 0:17:13 | 0:17:16 | |
I don't know if they did, she will never know | 0:17:16 | 0:17:19 | |
where these children are. | 0:17:19 | 0:17:21 | |
This is the emotion of the debate and this is the reality. | 0:17:21 | 0:17:24 | |
Keeping people in squalor is no deterrent, it merely dehumanises. | 0:17:24 | 0:17:28 | |
The French authorities need to speed up decision-making, ensure | 0:17:28 | 0:17:30 | |
reunification happens swiftly, if appropriate. | 0:17:30 | 0:17:33 | |
To do the right thing should be possible in Europe. | 0:17:33 | 0:17:37 | |
It is being recognised that we, in this country, | 0:17:37 | 0:17:39 | |
are making decisions more swiftly, | 0:17:39 | 0:17:41 | |
that is to be welcomed but I, | 0:17:41 | 0:17:43 | |
like many other members here, want to see more. | 0:17:43 | 0:17:46 | |
The target that Save The Children and others and my | 0:17:46 | 0:17:49 | |
honourable friend, the member for Westmorland and Lonsdale, has | 0:17:49 | 0:17:54 | |
advocated in his blueprint for 3000, that is 3000 children, is an | 0:17:54 | 0:17:57 | |
attainable target. | 0:17:57 | 0:17:58 | |
I think it would make a very substantial contribution | 0:17:58 | 0:18:04 | |
at an EU level towards dealing with the many thousands, 30,000 or so, | 0:18:04 | 0:18:07 | |
unaccompanied children who are already in the United Kingdom. | 0:18:07 | 0:18:09 | |
The Government must offer these children | 0:18:09 | 0:18:12 | |
not just a temporary safe haven but a lasting solution and the | 0:18:12 | 0:18:16 | |
opportunity to make the UK a safe and secure childhood home. | 0:18:16 | 0:18:19 | |
But there were words of caution too. | 0:18:19 | 0:18:22 | |
It would be, I think, no justice to those who | 0:18:22 | 0:18:25 | |
need the support and the help and the friendship of this country to | 0:18:25 | 0:18:28 | |
bring them here without those adequate | 0:18:28 | 0:18:30 | |
support mechanisms in place. | 0:18:30 | 0:18:32 | |
So I hope that the Government will take the opportunity not only | 0:18:32 | 0:18:35 | |
to formulate its plans but to seek and receive the endorsement of | 0:18:35 | 0:18:38 | |
Save The Children and the UNHCR. | 0:18:38 | 0:18:41 | |
The minister focused on the calls for the UK | 0:18:41 | 0:18:43 | |
to resettle more children. | 0:18:43 | 0:18:46 | |
I do intend to follow through on the statement | 0:18:46 | 0:18:50 | |
that I made at the end of January and come forward with a clearer | 0:18:50 | 0:18:53 | |
statement to Parliament in the coming days. | 0:18:53 | 0:18:56 | |
I recognise the call for the Government | 0:18:56 | 0:18:57 | |
to take more action. | 0:18:57 | 0:19:02 | |
The UK has been working with the UNHCR around this issue and we | 0:19:02 | 0:19:05 | |
will be doing more. | 0:19:05 | 0:19:08 | |
James Brokenshire. | 0:19:08 | 0:19:13 | |
Only 10% of dogs bought in the UK are from registered breeders. | 0:19:13 | 0:19:17 | |
The Environment Food and Rural Affairs committee | 0:19:17 | 0:19:21 | |
heard that the vast majority come from abroad | 0:19:21 | 0:19:23 | |
or from unlicensed operators. | 0:19:23 | 0:19:26 | |
The demand for fashionable breeds, such as French bulldogs, | 0:19:26 | 0:19:31 | |
was driving a demand that could not be easily met and that meant many | 0:19:31 | 0:19:34 | |
animals were suffering ill health. | 0:19:34 | 0:19:37 | |
We estimate that 70,000, which is only 10% of the | 0:19:37 | 0:19:42 | |
puppy market, are born to registered British breeders and the remainder | 0:19:42 | 0:19:45 | |
come from either imports or unlicensed breeders and we can't be | 0:19:45 | 0:19:49 | |
specific again in the numbers there other than we do have an idea that | 0:19:49 | 0:19:53 | |
the unlicensed breeders is circa 400,000. | 0:19:53 | 0:19:56 | |
Can you describe how the | 0:19:56 | 0:19:58 | |
pet-travel scheme is being exploited? | 0:19:58 | 0:20:03 | |
And perhaps what remedies there might be to prevent the abuse | 0:20:03 | 0:20:05 | |
that is existing? Absolutely. | 0:20:05 | 0:20:07 | |
What we're finding is that there are clearly | 0:20:07 | 0:20:10 | |
some breeds of puppies that | 0:20:10 | 0:20:11 | |
are desirable in the UK. | 0:20:11 | 0:20:14 | |
Those breeds are being bred in Eastern | 0:20:14 | 0:20:16 | |
European countries, for example Hungary, Lithuania, Romania. | 0:20:16 | 0:20:19 | |
The conditions are shocking. | 0:20:19 | 0:20:23 | |
The provenance of the parents is not good. | 0:20:23 | 0:20:27 | |
For example, I saw some papers not long ago of puppies where it had | 0:20:27 | 0:20:30 | |
actually been sibling mating. | 0:20:30 | 0:20:32 | |
They are being transported by road across | 0:20:32 | 0:20:35 | |
to the UK, a trip of some 40 hours. | 0:20:35 | 0:20:38 | |
And they are actually being brought into the country under the | 0:20:38 | 0:20:40 | |
pet-travel scheme, which is non-commercial | 0:20:40 | 0:20:41 | |
movement rather than commercial movement. | 0:20:41 | 0:20:46 | |
The worry with that is passports are actually being | 0:20:46 | 0:20:48 | |
falsified, so obviously the minimum age of entry to the UK | 0:20:48 | 0:20:50 | |
should be 15 weeks. | 0:20:50 | 0:20:52 | |
Frequently these puppies are coming in at | 0:20:52 | 0:20:53 | |
eight and ten weeks of age. | 0:20:53 | 0:20:55 | |
Last year, we received 3500 calls with regard puppy-farm issues, | 0:20:55 | 0:20:58 | |
which was a 122% increase. | 0:20:58 | 0:21:03 | |
The sad fact is that 80% of these puppies were | 0:21:03 | 0:21:05 | |
sold through an internet advert of some description. | 0:21:05 | 0:21:13 | |
The dreadful fact that comes out of ir is over 20% | 0:21:13 | 0:21:16 | |
of those puppies then actually die. The mortality is incredibly high. | 0:21:16 | 0:21:18 | |
Puppies are often sick at the point of sell, | 0:21:18 | 0:21:24 | |
--Puppies are often sick at the point of sale, | 0:21:24 | 0:21:26 | |
which people don't know. | 0:21:26 | 0:21:27 | |
And I think some of the points that the chairman and others have raised | 0:21:27 | 0:21:30 | |
today, when the animal gets home, the impact | 0:21:30 | 0:21:32 | |
to the family is dreadful. So the consumer rights are affected. | 0:21:32 | 0:21:35 | |
Of course, there is the welfare of the | 0:21:35 | 0:21:37 | |
animal, which is clearly not good and it leads to very, very high | 0:21:37 | 0:21:40 | |
levels of euthanasia. | 0:21:40 | 0:21:41 | |
How is the demand for pedigree or designer dogs | 0:21:41 | 0:21:43 | |
driving the puppy trade? | 0:21:43 | 0:21:45 | |
It is an issue of supply and demand, obviously. | 0:21:45 | 0:21:49 | |
In many breeds, the demand for puppies is about right. | 0:21:49 | 0:21:53 | |
Where it becomes a problem, is where the demand for | 0:21:53 | 0:21:58 | |
certain breeds outstrips supply and the fact is that puppy buyers | 0:21:58 | 0:22:01 | |
don't know where to go to find a good breeder. | 0:22:01 | 0:22:09 | |
You heard some examples earlier on of the popularity of | 0:22:09 | 0:22:12 | |
breeds and I can add something to that, perhaps. | 0:22:12 | 0:22:14 | |
French Bulldogs, for example, which we heard about | 0:22:14 | 0:22:16 | |
a little earlier, in 2006 the kennel club were registering | 0:22:16 | 0:22:18 | |
526 in that year. | 0:22:19 | 0:22:21 | |
Last year we registered 14,500, over 14,500. | 0:22:21 | 0:22:26 | |
So there has been an enormous increase in | 0:22:26 | 0:22:29 | |
demand for those dogs. Consequently, the price has gone up. | 0:22:29 | 0:22:34 | |
The price of a French Bulldog ten years ago was roundabout ?800. | 0:22:34 | 0:22:39 | |
We saw peaks of around ?3000, ?4000. | 0:22:39 | 0:22:43 | |
These days it is fair to say the biggest | 0:22:43 | 0:22:46 | |
drivers for popularity of breed are other factors. | 0:22:46 | 0:22:48 | |
Celebrity influence, for example. | 0:22:48 | 0:22:49 | |
We believe that is what is happening | 0:22:49 | 0:22:51 | |
with French Bulldogs. | 0:22:51 | 0:22:53 | |
Even going back many years, if you take the corgi, | 0:22:53 | 0:22:55 | |
for example. | 0:22:55 | 0:22:57 | |
In 1960, the kennel club was registering 8000 corgis a | 0:22:57 | 0:23:00 | |
year, now we register less than 300. | 0:23:00 | 0:23:05 | |
And we believe that is probably due to, in the '60s, the Queen had | 0:23:05 | 0:23:09 | |
a celebrity status. | 0:23:09 | 0:23:11 | |
You were seeing pictures of her with her dogs and | 0:23:11 | 0:23:13 | |
her children and that has perhaps been overtaken | 0:23:13 | 0:23:15 | |
by other celebrity factors. | 0:23:15 | 0:23:18 | |
Do you know where the meat you buy in the supermarket comes from? | 0:23:18 | 0:23:22 | |
Well, a Conservative MP is calling for clearer mandatory labelling. | 0:23:22 | 0:23:28 | |
Animal welfare standards are set across the EU | 0:23:28 | 0:23:30 | |
and apply to all sorts of farm livestock. | 0:23:30 | 0:23:33 | |
But it's claimed that, unlike the UK, not all | 0:23:33 | 0:23:35 | |
countries enforce them. | 0:23:35 | 0:23:39 | |
A Conservative MP argued that a lack of labelling meant consumers | 0:23:39 | 0:23:43 | |
couldn't buy British in confidence and could even be | 0:23:43 | 0:23:45 | |
misled by supermarkets. | 0:23:45 | 0:23:48 | |
What I'm arguing for today, Mr Speaker, is more transparency. | 0:23:48 | 0:23:50 | |
So that the British consumer can make a | 0:23:50 | 0:23:52 | |
more informed decision about what they are buying. | 0:23:52 | 0:23:54 | |
Farm-to-fork traceability. | 0:23:54 | 0:23:58 | |
Our current situation is a confusing mixture of voluntary | 0:23:58 | 0:24:00 | |
standards bolted onto EU legislation, with some products | 0:24:00 | 0:24:03 | |
offering greater clarity of origin and | 0:24:03 | 0:24:04 | |
production standards than others. | 0:24:04 | 0:24:14 | |
Consumers do care about how their animals in the food chain have been | 0:24:15 | 0:24:18 | |
cared for during their short lives. | 0:24:18 | 0:24:19 | |
There are specific EU requirements on keeping of calves, pigs, | 0:24:19 | 0:24:22 | |
laying hens and broilers. | 0:24:22 | 0:24:23 | |
The EU banned conventional cramped cages for | 0:24:23 | 0:24:24 | |
laying hens in 2012 and specifically phased out the use of individual | 0:24:24 | 0:24:27 | |
stalls for pregnant sows in 2013. | 0:24:27 | 0:24:30 | |
These are appallingly stressful stalls keep pregnant sows caged, | 0:24:30 | 0:24:32 | |
usually on concrete, so they cannot move about. | 0:24:32 | 0:24:34 | |
They cut farmers' costs but were banned for cruelty reasons | 0:24:34 | 0:24:36 | |
in the UK in 1999. | 0:24:36 | 0:24:39 | |
They were specifically banned in the rest of | 0:24:39 | 0:24:41 | |
the EU from the start of 2013. | 0:24:41 | 0:24:43 | |
But, shockingly, more than two years on | 0:24:43 | 0:24:46 | |
from the ban of these stalls on cruelty grounds, six EU countries | 0:24:46 | 0:24:49 | |
are still officially noncompliant with their | 0:24:49 | 0:24:51 | |
own key welfare standards. | 0:24:51 | 0:24:54 | |
The consumer absolutely has the right to know if a | 0:24:54 | 0:24:57 | |
cheap cut of pork on a supermarket shelf has been reared | 0:24:57 | 0:25:00 | |
in banned conditions. | 0:25:00 | 0:25:00 | |
Anne Main. | 0:25:00 | 0:25:03 | |
Finally, it's congratulations to parliamentary veteran John Thurso. | 0:25:03 | 0:25:08 | |
The Liberal Democrat hereditary peer quit the Upper House to stand | 0:25:08 | 0:25:13 | |
as an MP and was a member of the Commons from 2001 | 0:25:13 | 0:25:16 | |
until he lost his seat last year. | 0:25:16 | 0:25:21 | |
But the former member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross will now | 0:25:21 | 0:25:24 | |
return to the Lords. | 0:25:24 | 0:25:25 | |
He's won a by-election to take a seat as | 0:25:25 | 0:25:27 | |
a Lib Dem hereditary peer. | 0:25:27 | 0:25:29 | |
It's not perhaps the toughest poll he's ever faced, | 0:25:29 | 0:25:32 | |
with only three people entitled to vote to decide who | 0:25:32 | 0:25:35 | |
should fill the vacancy. | 0:25:35 | 0:25:39 | |
And that's it for now but do join me at the same time tomorrow when, | 0:25:39 | 0:25:43 | |
among other things, we'll have the highlights from prime | 0:25:43 | 0:25:45 | |
minister's questions. | 0:25:45 | 0:25:46 | |
Until then, from me, Alicia McCarthy, goodbye. | 0:25:46 | 0:25:49 |