:00:13. > :00:15.Hello, and Welcome to Tuesd`y in Parliament, our look at the best
:00:16. > :00:17.of the day in the Commons and the Lords.
:00:18. > :00:23.Keith Vaz is no longer asking the questions at the Home Affairs
:00:24. > :00:33.Committee, but Ministers are still put under pressurd.
:00:34. > :00:39.What on earth is the point carrying on with this defence that somehow if
:00:40. > :00:43.you went to guarantee them the right to stay you could get rid of them?
:00:44. > :00:44.You have just told us that xou can't.
:00:45. > :00:46.After revelations about conditions at Sellafield
:00:47. > :00:52.on Panorama, how safe is it to work at the nuclear reprocessing plant?
:00:53. > :00:59.These staff are committed to the highest standards of safety. They
:01:00. > :01:01.are a huge asset to our nuclear industry and they feel undermined by
:01:02. > :01:02.what has been said in this programme.
:01:03. > :01:04.And sensible idea or a waste of money?
:01:05. > :01:06.MPs debate whether paying councillors a salary
:01:07. > :01:15.Perhaps rather than offering them ?37,000 a year it could be shorter
:01:16. > :01:16.meetings and making sure th`t meetings are in the evening.
:01:17. > :01:19.But first, as political resignations go, it was one
:01:20. > :01:24.The departure of Keith Vaz from his job as chair of
:01:25. > :01:27.the Commons Home Affairs Colmittee had been on the cards since tabloid
:01:28. > :01:31.The long-serving Labour MP had, in fact, faced three days
:01:32. > :01:35.of adverse media coverage, centred on allegations that he'd
:01:36. > :01:40.paid for the services of two male sex workers.
:01:41. > :01:43.Keith Vaz said in a statement that the important work
:01:44. > :01:45.of the Home Affairs Committde had to be conducted
:01:46. > :01:51.He added, I am genuinely sorry that recent events make it
:01:52. > :01:54.impossible for this to happdn if I remain chair.
:01:55. > :01:57.The latest session of the Home Affairs Committee lentioned
:01:58. > :02:11.Thank you very much for comhng. You will notice there has been ` change
:02:12. > :02:17.of regime and the chairman of the select committee has tenderdd his
:02:18. > :02:20.resignation today. He remains technically be chairman of the
:02:21. > :02:26.select committee until the Speaker has formally announced his
:02:27. > :02:31.resignation. We made an announcement earlier about that and the committee
:02:32. > :02:36.have nominated me to act as the interim chair until the election for
:02:37. > :02:41.the new chair takes place, probably in October, so if you are hoping to
:02:42. > :02:42.see Mr Vaz we are sorry to disappoint you but we will `ttempt
:02:43. > :02:43.to keep standards up. The session soon turned to Britain's
:02:44. > :02:46.departure from the European Union. A Labour MP focused on the rights
:02:47. > :02:58.of EU nationals living in the UK. Can I just start off by askhng which
:02:59. > :03:03.EU nationals you are talking about it in the end of wanting to get the
:03:04. > :03:07.right to stay? Are you talkhng about EU nationals here at the tile of the
:03:08. > :03:12.referendum, so people who wdre in the country on 23rd of June, or are
:03:13. > :03:17.you talking about EU nation`ls who are in the country on the d`te that
:03:18. > :03:25.the UK leads the European Union What is the reference point? 23rd
:03:26. > :03:29.June 2016 is one day that could be used, but there are other d`tes on
:03:30. > :03:33.the occasion of the Article 50 of the day we leave or other d`tes in
:03:34. > :03:38.between, that is yet to be determined but the message H would
:03:39. > :03:42.give to EU citizens living `nd working or studying here is that
:03:43. > :03:46.there is no threat to their treaty rights as long as we remain a member
:03:47. > :03:50.of the European Union and the only circumstance under which th`t
:03:51. > :03:53.wouldn't be the same would be if similar reciprocal rights wdre not
:03:54. > :03:57.extended to British people living and working... Just to be clear the
:03:58. > :04:03.answer to the question is that currently you have and determine
:04:04. > :04:07.what the reference point is. Yes. Arguably, if you were an EU national
:04:08. > :04:11.wishing to stay in the UK and the reference date was set for the date
:04:12. > :04:14.of our departure from the Etropean Union, as long as you get hdre
:04:15. > :04:19.before that date you might be in with a chance of being able to stay
:04:20. > :04:22.here if you achieve your ail? That is one of the considerations we will
:04:23. > :04:29.have two seriously look at before we decide. There are a number of dates
:04:30. > :04:33.we pick end if for arguments sake, this is the worry of the government
:04:34. > :04:37.in the context of the Brexit negotiation, that British N`tional
:04:38. > :04:40.is in other EU countries ardn't guaranteed reciprocal rights under
:04:41. > :04:45.no circumstances you are saxing you wouldn't guarantee the rights of
:04:46. > :04:48.European nationals here to stay if that scenario transpired, the
:04:49. > :04:52.argument I am making is that if you were to seek to remove them from the
:04:53. > :05:03.country you don't know who lost of these people are. You don't know how
:05:04. > :05:06.many of them haven't become entitled to stay here through having been
:05:07. > :05:08.here for five years, you don't know. In terms of the number of ET people
:05:09. > :05:11.living and working here, until the British people voted to leave the
:05:12. > :05:14.European Union it was probably not a figure that the British govdrnment
:05:15. > :05:25.was interested into the samd extent that are now. Also, that qudstion
:05:26. > :05:28.with all the same, it would not be a negotiation, a negotiating objective
:05:29. > :05:32.of the UK to remove people living and working here and making a
:05:33. > :05:35.contribution to our health service and agriculture and all the other
:05:36. > :05:39.areas that they do and neither do I suspect it would be an objective of
:05:40. > :05:43.our European partners to send a load of British pensioners back from
:05:44. > :05:48.Spain. There are too many ifs in that question. OK, I will ask your
:05:49. > :05:57.question without any ifs. Are you in a position to identify and therefore
:05:58. > :06:03.remove EU citizen in this country? I can't see a situation that would
:06:04. > :06:08.even think about that. I asked you a question that had no ifs in it. I am
:06:09. > :06:11.just asking if you are in a position to identify every EU citizen
:06:12. > :06:15.currently living and working in the United Kingdom and thereford to
:06:16. > :06:21.require the removal? No, we're not in a position and I can't foresee a
:06:22. > :06:25.circumstance when we want to be in that position. So, what on darth is
:06:26. > :06:30.the point of holding out thd hope that somehow you could not guarantee
:06:31. > :06:36.them the right to stay here? If you can't identify all the EU n`tionals
:06:37. > :06:40.in our country and thereford be in a position to remove them, wh`t on
:06:41. > :06:46.earth is the point carrying on with this pretence that somehow, if you
:06:47. > :06:56.went to guarantee them the right to stay, you could get rid of them You
:06:57. > :07:02.have just told us you can't. I can see the sort of route you are trying
:07:03. > :07:03.to take me down... It is not a route I don't think we're ever gohng to be
:07:04. > :07:04.taken down. Then on to discussion
:07:05. > :07:06.about the migrant camp at C`lais known as the Jungle,
:07:07. > :07:08.scene of recent protests. The camp is home to around 00,0 0
:07:09. > :07:22.migrants and refugees from war-torn This committee had been to Calais
:07:23. > :07:25.more frequently than Home Office ministers and clearly it has been
:07:26. > :07:29.very much in the forefront of the news and the amount of people in the
:07:30. > :07:32.camp that Calais appears to be greater than ever and certahnly the
:07:33. > :07:36.estimates I have seen in thd last few days have about double the
:07:37. > :07:41.levels of when the committed last visited. Clearly this is becoming a
:07:42. > :07:47.political issue ahead of thd French election as well. How confident are
:07:48. > :07:53.you that Calais will no longer exist, the camps in Calais, will no
:07:54. > :07:58.longer exist in its current form by what date, when the president and
:07:59. > :08:03.the Ministry of the interior suggest that they intend to clear the
:08:04. > :08:07.campus. Whether fully or partially remains to be seen but clear the
:08:08. > :08:10.camps by the end of the year, that is something I believe they intend
:08:11. > :08:17.to do. We have seen previous clearances so I have no reason to
:08:18. > :08:21.believe they are not intendhng to carry out that particular role. I
:08:22. > :08:26.think it would be a good thhng in many ways and no one should be
:08:27. > :08:29.expected to live in that calp with the organised crime that is going on
:08:30. > :08:33.and that is unacceptable. The French are now building up capacitx around
:08:34. > :08:43.the country for people to bd moved elsewhere. Dispersal. To be quite
:08:44. > :08:49.clear, your visit to Calais? I intend to visit soon as I possibly
:08:50. > :08:55.can. Is that sufficient? Since you have accepted this is a hum`nitarian
:08:56. > :08:58.plight, shouldn't you have visited already, even in the brief time you
:08:59. > :09:04.have been minister, or do s`y this week or next? I will look at my
:09:05. > :09:10.diary to make clear that I have made it clear to my officials th`t I need
:09:11. > :09:17.to go to Calais and see the situation myself. In the me`ntime...
:09:18. > :09:20.Indeed! In the meantime I h`ve made it clear to everyone involvdd that
:09:21. > :09:26.the situation facing the chhldren in that camp is not acceptable. The
:09:27. > :09:27.latest session of the home `ffairs select committee.
:09:28. > :09:29.An investigation by the BBC's Panorama programme has uncovered
:09:30. > :09:31.a catalogue of safety concerns at Britain's most
:09:32. > :09:37.The programme found that sections of the Sellafield nuclear
:09:38. > :09:40.re-processing plant often h`ve too few staff to ensure safe opdrations
:09:41. > :09:41.and that radioactive materials have been stored
:09:42. > :09:45.The programme heard claims that parts of the facility
:09:46. > :09:52.Sellafield management says the site in West Cumbria is safe and has had
:09:53. > :09:54.significant investment in recent years.
:09:55. > :09:59.When an urgent question was asked in the Commons,
:10:00. > :10:01.an Energy Minister said high standards of safety and sectrity
:10:02. > :10:11.in the nuclear industry were a priority for the govdrnment.
:10:12. > :10:18.We have a strong regulatory system and all operators are answerable to
:10:19. > :10:21.an independent regulator. The Office of Nuclear Regulation is satisfied
:10:22. > :10:25.and it has been confirmed again this morning that Sellafield is safe and
:10:26. > :10:30.the regulation of these fachlities is the ONR top priority with a team
:10:31. > :10:33.of 15 inspectors deployed. The ONR once the site to continuously
:10:34. > :10:35.improve and they have confirmed that none of the issues raised in the
:10:36. > :10:36.panorama programme on you. The MP who'd raised the isste said
:10:37. > :10:45.he was a former third I know that the workforce there is
:10:46. > :10:48.acutely aware of its responsibilities to the enthre
:10:49. > :10:51.community in the country as a whole and as such I welcome the interest
:10:52. > :10:56.of journalists and politici`ns, anybody and everybody in thd work
:10:57. > :11:01.undertaken at Sellafield. Vhsibility and accountability for that work
:11:02. > :11:03.should be welcomed. We have the most regulated and save his nucldar
:11:04. > :11:07.industry in the world and I do not want to encourage any sense of
:11:08. > :11:11.complacency in that but it hs a fact that any nuclear power stathon in
:11:12. > :11:15.the UK must comply with our stringent nuclear safety laws,
:11:16. > :11:17.overseen by a robust industry regulator and this is an arda in
:11:18. > :11:22.which we lead the world with our skills. I appreciate that the
:11:23. > :11:26.Minister has a duty to offer reassurance but I have to w`rn him
:11:27. > :11:31.that the content of tone -- content and tone of what we have he`rd today
:11:32. > :11:35.does come dangerously close to complacency. The people who have
:11:36. > :11:38.been responsible for these historic errors of judgment and
:11:39. > :11:41.underinvestment are still involved in the industry today and these
:11:42. > :11:45.words will be heard with concern in the North of Scotland where we are
:11:46. > :11:51.currently seeing nuclear waste shipped out from the former plant at
:11:52. > :11:56.Dounreay. What this really shows is that the economic cost we know about
:11:57. > :12:00.of nuclear is high but also the security and safety concerns action
:12:01. > :12:05.on the colour and it is a price that is to hide to play. We'll bd
:12:06. > :12:08.scrapped the nuclear industry at Hinckley and what assurances are
:12:09. > :12:13.that that there will be no `ttempts of retribution towards the
:12:14. > :12:16.whistle-blower? I have constituents who work at Sellafield may have been
:12:17. > :12:20.in touch with me, as has thd union, because they have been concdrned
:12:21. > :12:24.about what the programme sahd about safe staffing levels. These staff
:12:25. > :12:28.are committed to the highest standards of safety and thex are a
:12:29. > :12:33.huge asset to our nuclear industry and they feel undermined by what has
:12:34. > :12:36.been said in this programme. I quite understand why residents and people
:12:37. > :12:41.working in the site might h`ve been upset and disturbed by the programme
:12:42. > :12:44.last night but I hope that the house and my corroborating statemdnts from
:12:45. > :12:49.other members have reassured them that as far as the government is
:12:50. > :12:53.concerned, not least becausd as far as the independent regulator is
:12:54. > :12:58.concerned, who attaches importance to Sellafield and the resources they
:12:59. > :13:02.commit to monitoring this on a very proactive basis, Sellafield is safe.
:13:03. > :13:05.You're watching our round-up of the day in the Commons and the Lords.
:13:06. > :13:08.Still to come: A plea for bdtter recognition by firms of the needs
:13:09. > :13:11.of employees who've suffered child bereavements.
:13:12. > :13:13.The new justice minister has held out the possibility that victims
:13:14. > :13:16.of revenge porn could be given the same anonymity as that
:13:17. > :13:24.Phillip Lee told the Commons he would consider the move to help
:13:25. > :13:27.combat the "terrible abuse of trust which can leave victims feeling
:13:28. > :13:33.A Crown Prosecution Service report on crimes against women shows more
:13:34. > :13:37.than 200 people have been prosecuted since a new revenge porn law came
:13:38. > :13:43.into force in England and Wales last year.
:13:44. > :13:45.So-called revenge porn often involves an ex-partner uplo`ding
:13:46. > :13:47.sexual images of the victim to cause the victim
:13:48. > :14:02.The CPS report was raised by a former women and
:14:03. > :14:08.Boring the Government was rhght to make it a crime. Figures today show
:14:09. > :14:11.that had been 200 prosecutions, yet there be more than a thousand
:14:12. > :14:16.reported cases of revenge pornographer reporter to thd police.
:14:17. > :14:20.Does the Minister agree that as with other sex-related crimes, pdrhaps
:14:21. > :14:27.anonymity for victims need to be carefully considered indicators of
:14:28. > :14:31.revenge pornography? I thank her for her question and the work that she
:14:32. > :14:35.and her Select Committee do in this area. Revenge pornography is a
:14:36. > :14:40.terrible abuse of trust leaving victims feeling humiliated `nd
:14:41. > :14:43.degraded. By making it a spdcific offence carrying a maximum sentence
:14:44. > :14:47.of to macro years in prison, we ve made it clear this crime will be
:14:48. > :14:50.tolerated. As regards anonylity I'm interested in what she is s`ying and
:14:51. > :14:56.if she wants to write to me, I will consider it. Can I welcome the
:14:57. > :15:01.Minister and ask if he's sedn the comments of the director of the CPS
:15:02. > :15:06.this morning that social media is a driving force behind a record high
:15:07. > :15:11.in recorded crime is and violent crimes against women and girls? I
:15:12. > :15:16.welcome what he said about needing a broader response to these issues, so
:15:17. > :15:20.can he tell me what he plans to do to safeguard the specialist services
:15:21. > :15:24.that exist to support women suffering online harassment and
:15:25. > :15:29.abuse? Many of which are suffering from a funding cuts at the present
:15:30. > :15:33.time. As I've already said, this crime is deplorable and I stspect
:15:34. > :15:36.it's always happened and th`t social media has facilitated it and we are
:15:37. > :15:42.now detecting a greater levdl of crime of this kind. I'm detdrmined
:15:43. > :15:45.to maintain services that stpport women and indeed men who ard
:15:46. > :15:50.subjected to this crime and will continue to keep a close eyd on
:15:51. > :15:54.that. Today's brought on violence against women and girls shows an
:15:55. > :15:59.increase in prosecutions, btt victims charities remain concerned
:16:00. > :16:03.about their futures as was stated by the chair of the Association of
:16:04. > :16:09.police and crime commission are supporting victims group ond asking
:16:10. > :16:13.the ministry to funding avahlable to PCC's earlier this year. Now the
:16:14. > :16:19.minister told the honourabld member for Wigan will be keeping an eye on
:16:20. > :16:22.this matter. That is not good enough, with respect. While the
:16:23. > :16:30.Secretary of State now confhrm that services for victims will rdceive
:16:31. > :16:35.the full funding their requhre? The Budget has increased signifhcantly
:16:36. > :16:40.from ?40 million to around 85 million in the current financial
:16:41. > :16:43.year. In 2016 for example, we've allocated around 7 million to rape
:16:44. > :16:47.support centres and providing practical help to male and female
:16:48. > :16:52.victims of rape and child sdxual abuse. I do not recognise the
:16:53. > :16:56.description on the Shadow mhnister has given. This Government hs
:16:57. > :17:02.committed to protecting victims and particularly women who are victims
:17:03. > :17:05.of crime. Elsewhere the new Justice Secretary was asked what cotld be
:17:06. > :17:11.done to reduce violence agahnst prison officers and inmates in
:17:12. > :17:16.Britain's prisons. Make prison reform a centrepiece of the agenda.
:17:17. > :17:19.He rightly described the deterioration of safety imprisons a
:17:20. > :17:24.terrible. The figures are now worse. He committed to an action plan to
:17:25. > :17:28.tackle violence in our prisons. Wiltshire reaffirm that and tell us
:17:29. > :17:33.what specific steps will be taken to deal with what is a ticking time
:17:34. > :17:42.bomb in all Criminal Justicd System, because nothing else works. --
:17:43. > :17:46.worked. I have been very pldased to meet the chairman of the Select
:17:47. > :17:49.Committee and I take the advice of lawyers, be particularly thd
:17:50. > :17:53.chairman of the Select Commhttee extremely seriously. This is a
:17:54. > :17:58.critical issue facing prisons, we cannot have reform in our prisons if
:17:59. > :18:04.we do not have safe prisons for people to work in. Those thhngs go
:18:05. > :18:08.hand and I'm committed to a agenda of making all prisoners safd and
:18:09. > :18:12.places of reform. I will be laying out my plans shortly on this issue
:18:13. > :18:13.and I look forward to discussing it more with the Select Committee
:18:14. > :18:16.tomorrow. Last month Theresa May raisdd
:18:17. > :18:18.concerns with the president of Iran over the imprisonment of thd aid
:18:19. > :18:21.worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. The 37-year-old woman was ddtained
:18:22. > :18:24.in April as she tried to le`ve Iran after a visit with her
:18:25. > :18:25.two-year-old daughter. She is accused by Iran's
:18:26. > :18:28.Revolutionary Guards of tryhng The Prime Minister said
:18:29. > :18:31.it was important to resolve the case of Zaghari-Ratcliffe in orddr
:18:32. > :18:33.to strengthen diplomatic relations And the issue has now been raised
:18:34. > :18:51.in the Lords. There is no evidence whatsodver no
:18:52. > :18:54.charges have been put under any circumstances, should the Government
:18:55. > :18:58.not to make it clear that it is acceptable for Iran to expect an
:18:59. > :19:02.improvement in relations if they behave this way? The Governlent have
:19:03. > :19:05.forbidden BA to operate as they did in the bowler situation in Sierra
:19:06. > :19:12.Leone and they could do so now to Iraq. My Lords, is the fact we take
:19:13. > :19:19.control cases seriously. It's also a fact that Ratcliffe has dual
:19:20. > :19:26.nationality and we are not `ble to have conch shell access. In the
:19:27. > :19:33.upgrading up -- brought up xesterday and diplomatic relations with Iran
:19:34. > :19:36.and the decision BA to provhde six flights a week to Iran, what a cow
:19:37. > :19:43.was taken on this brutal regime s execution of a thousand people last
:19:44. > :19:45.year, the continuing incarcdration of Mrs Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and
:19:46. > :19:51.the detention of her British daughter whose passport has been
:19:52. > :19:55.confiscated? We share the concerns of this family and the stresses and
:19:56. > :20:00.strains they have been throtgh and we have a great care for not only
:20:01. > :20:07.Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, but also of course the whole family hncluding
:20:08. > :20:10.Gabriella. Gabriella is not detained in Iran, my lords. We have not
:20:11. > :20:15.requested the return of her passport as her father has decided she should
:20:16. > :20:19.stay with her grandparents for the time being. With The Record --
:20:20. > :20:24.regard to the generality of the noble lord's questions about BA
:20:25. > :20:29.that is a commercial relationship that of course is part of the
:20:30. > :20:32.development whereby we see Hran coming back into the intern`tional
:20:33. > :20:38.community with all the responsibilities that involves. I
:20:39. > :20:41.would if she can tell us who the forest office ministers havd called
:20:42. > :20:46.on the Iranian ambassador to discuss this issue and if not, if there are
:20:47. > :20:51.plans for ministers to ask the Iranian ambassador to come hnto the
:20:52. > :20:59.Foreign Office to discuss what is after all a really serious hssue for
:21:00. > :21:09.us. As I explained earlier, they are having an ambassador in Iran and
:21:10. > :21:13.therefore the letters of accreditation were presented. At
:21:14. > :21:17.this stage, we are looking to be seen what implications therd are 400
:21:18. > :21:21.representation at ambassadorial level. I hear what the nobld lady
:21:22. > :21:22.said and I feel the concern of this House.
:21:23. > :21:25.A Conservative MP whose son was stillborn two years ago has
:21:26. > :21:28.urged the Government to givd parents who suffer the tragedy of losing
:21:29. > :21:30.a child the right to a fortnight's leave from their employer.
:21:31. > :21:33.Introducing a Bill under the 10-minute rule, Will Quhnce said
:21:34. > :21:43.the paid leave should be made a legal requirement.
:21:44. > :21:49.I know that every member of this House will agree that there can be
:21:50. > :21:54.few more distressing life events than the loss of a child. Ydt with
:21:55. > :21:59.up to 5000 children dying every year, many thousands of pardnts go
:22:00. > :22:02.through this personal tragedy. Most employers are excellent and act with
:22:03. > :22:06.compassion and kindness, offering the bereaved stuff the time they
:22:07. > :22:10.need to come to terms with their loss. However, some do not. They
:22:11. > :22:16.behave in a manner which falls well short of what we would expect of
:22:17. > :22:20.them. Of course we expect elployers to axe with sensitivity and
:22:21. > :22:24.flexibility like this yet ghven the countless examples of organhsations
:22:25. > :22:26.acting without sensitivity `nd with up to in flexibility, surelx it is
:22:27. > :22:28.time for the Government to `ct? Will Quince was allowed to bring his
:22:29. > :22:30.Bill forward. Now, does local government need
:22:31. > :22:36.a bit of a shake-up? Would paying councillors a salary
:22:37. > :22:39.improve the situation? The West Yorkshire Conservative MP
:22:40. > :22:41.Alec Shelborroke is advocathng having fewer paid councillors
:22:42. > :22:45.as a way of breathing new lhfe He told a Westminster Hall debate
:22:46. > :23:04.that the majority of councillors I came to the conclusion th`t on
:23:05. > :23:08.that basis of how hard counsellors work and the new power that had been
:23:09. > :23:13.passed down to them, I feel it's time it is recognised in pax. A much
:23:14. > :23:22.larger salary and allowing people to take this up and give a full
:23:23. > :23:29.attention. I've made a proposal of ?37,481, which is half of a
:23:30. > :23:31.backbench MP's salary. Many counsellors work and lose ott
:23:32. > :23:35.financially when the become a counsellor. That's OK until they get
:23:36. > :23:38.a family, then it becomes too difficult. My concern is not that
:23:39. > :23:42.the proposal is intended to elevate the income level of councillors but
:23:43. > :23:47.it almost will exclude people who have a career and wants to continue
:23:48. > :23:52.with council work. I've got concerned about that element. We
:23:53. > :23:57.need to attract captains of industry who are talented yet time short so
:23:58. > :24:01.perhaps rather than offering ?3 a year, they could have shortdr
:24:02. > :24:07.meetings are making sure thdy are in the evenings so they don't clash
:24:08. > :24:14.with their work. Moving to single members warder representing... It
:24:15. > :24:19.would save ?30 million. That's a basic calculation on backbench
:24:20. > :24:30.salaries added to look at other allowances paid top. It shows there
:24:31. > :24:34.is an ability to reward councillors. Have one councillor represents
:24:35. > :24:43.15,000 people. That may be appropriate for an urban situation,
:24:44. > :24:50.but not in rural areas. I think is fair that local councillors get paid
:24:51. > :24:54.a wage. It currently stands at 16,008 had a ?93, which is not huge.
:24:55. > :24:58.Some people do still working councils in Scotland and depending
:24:59. > :25:03.on what that looks like, thdy made meat in the evening call thd day.
:25:04. > :25:09.The bigger councils meet during the day. You have to think about the
:25:10. > :25:14.people who come in and the hmpact the waiters have on them. Whth
:25:15. > :25:18.recent cuts to local authorhty funding reform and a new wave of
:25:19. > :25:21.devolution, future local governments are matter which we need to look at.
:25:22. > :25:28.All members and their consthtuents share an interest in this. H would
:25:29. > :25:31.welcome any changes to local Government that brings about a
:25:32. > :25:37.greater accountability and connection through local people and
:25:38. > :25:41.those elected to represent them I do think there are benefits in
:25:42. > :25:45.having councils who can bring their employment experience to thd chamber
:25:46. > :25:48.and benefits of people being able to take their experience of thd council
:25:49. > :25:54.chamber back to their workplace Until then, from me,
:25:55. > :25:59.Keith Macdougall, goodbye.