0:00:18 > 0:00:19Hello and welcome to Tuesday in Parliament.
0:00:19 > 0:00:24Coming up in the next half hour:
0:00:24 > 0:00:28As Theresa May sets out her Brexit plans, in the Commons MPs are told
0:00:28 > 0:00:31both houses will have a vote on the final deal.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33The Northern Ireland Secretary calls for a respectful election
0:00:33 > 0:00:37following the breakdown of the Stormont Assembly.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41And is it time for an overhaul of business rates?
0:00:41 > 0:00:42When you look at High Streets around
0:00:42 > 0:00:45the country, they are full of charity shops, estate agents
0:00:45 > 0:00:50and the odd coffee shops.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52But first, the Prime Minister has confirmed that the UK will leave
0:00:52 > 0:00:56the European Union's Single Market as a result of Brexit.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59Theresa May made the announcement during her first major speech
0:00:59 > 0:01:03outlining her strategy for taking Britain out of the EU.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05Mrs May said she wanted to build a stronger Britain
0:01:05 > 0:01:09in charge of its own laws, in control of immigration
0:01:09 > 0:01:12and pursuing free trade and she warned Europe's leaders
0:01:12 > 0:01:18that no deal for Britain was better than a bad deal.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21In the Commons, the Brexit Secretary set out the proposals to MPs.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24It's a plan to build a strong, new partnership with our European
0:01:24 > 0:01:27partners while reaching beyond the borders of Europe
0:01:27 > 0:01:29as well, forging deeper links with old allies and new
0:01:29 > 0:01:33ones.
0:01:33 > 0:01:39Today we set out 12 objectives for negotiation to come.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42They answer the questions of those who ask what we intend while not
0:01:42 > 0:01:46undermining the UK's negotiating position,
0:01:46 > 0:01:49we're clear what we seek is new partnership not a partial
0:01:49 > 0:01:52EU membership - not a model adopted by other countries,
0:01:52 > 0:01:56not a position that means half in and half out.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59So our objectives are clear, to deliver certainty
0:01:59 > 0:02:03and clarity where we can, to control our own laws, to
0:02:03 > 0:02:06protect and strengthen the Union, to maintain the common travel area
0:02:06 > 0:02:09with the Replublic of Ireland, to control immigration,
0:02:09 > 0:02:12to protect the rights of EU nationals in the UK and UK
0:02:12 > 0:02:19nationals in the European Union, to
0:02:19 > 0:02:21protect worker's rights, to allow free trade with the EU markets,
0:02:21 > 0:02:23to forge new trade deals with other
0:02:23 > 0:02:24countries, to boost science and innovation,
0:02:24 > 0:02:26to protect and enhance cooperation over crime,
0:02:26 > 0:02:27terrorism and security,
0:02:27 > 0:02:30to make our exit smooth and orderly.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32It is the outline of an ambitious new
0:02:32 > 0:02:36partnership between UK and the countries of the European Union.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39We are under no illusions, agreeing terms which
0:02:39 > 0:02:43works for both the UK and the 27 nations of the EU will be
0:02:43 > 0:02:45challenging and no doubt there will be bumps
0:02:45 > 0:02:51on the road once talks begin.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53We must embark on negotiation clear however that no
0:02:53 > 0:02:56deal is better than a bad deal.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58The Prime Minister knows setting out ambitions
0:02:58 > 0:03:03is the easy bit, delivery is more difficult, much more difficult.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06The Prime Minister has taken a precarious course of taking the UK
0:03:06 > 0:03:09out of single market membership and changing
0:03:09 > 0:03:13the customs arrangements.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16This will cause concern to businesses as the Secretary of State
0:03:16 > 0:03:19knows and to trade unions and the Prime Minister should have
0:03:19 > 0:03:20been more ambitious.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22I think we should loyally support the government.
0:03:22 > 0:03:27Hear, hear.
0:03:27 > 0:03:35Will the Secretary of State confirm this, that insisting on patrolling
0:03:35 > 0:03:37our own borders and insisting on doing
0:03:37 > 0:03:39international trade deals is
0:03:39 > 0:03:41inconsistent, not just with membership
0:03:41 > 0:03:43of the EU but also the
0:03:43 > 0:03:48customs union and the single market?
0:03:48 > 0:03:52So I agree, after the speech today, it is not hard Brexit, it is full
0:03:52 > 0:03:53Brexit.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55The Prime Minister made a welcome commitment in the first
0:03:55 > 0:03:57part of her speech to enhance and protect
0:03:57 > 0:03:59workers' rights but at the
0:03:59 > 0:04:02end was threatening to take them away and to undercut the rest of
0:04:02 > 0:04:06Europe and rip up the British economic model if we don't get what
0:04:06 > 0:04:10we want.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13Can he now withdraw that threat and be clear that Britain
0:04:13 > 0:04:17will not do that because otherwise if the government is prepared to rip
0:04:17 > 0:04:21up workers' rights as soon as a negotiation gets difficult,
0:04:21 > 0:04:23how can we trust them to ensure that the
0:04:23 > 0:04:26rest of Britain's interests are protected if the negotiations get
0:04:26 > 0:04:29difficult as well?
0:04:29 > 0:04:36I will say to her what I said to the head of the TUC,
0:04:36 > 0:04:38there is no circumstance under which we will rip up
0:04:38 > 0:04:39the workers' rights.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41My right honourable friend made clear that
0:04:41 > 0:04:42no deal is better than a
0:04:42 > 0:04:46bad deal.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49In the unlikely I'm sure event that we were likely to get a
0:04:49 > 0:04:52bad deal in the House were to vote against it,
0:04:52 > 0:04:54what would be the impact in terms of status with the European
0:04:54 > 0:04:55Union?
0:04:55 > 0:04:57The referendum last year set in motion
0:04:57 > 0:05:01a circumstance where the
0:05:01 > 0:05:03UK is going to leave the European union and it
0:05:03 > 0:05:05will not change that.
0:05:05 > 0:05:11We want to have a vote so that the House
0:05:11 > 0:05:18We want to have a vote so that the House can support the
0:05:18 > 0:05:28policy which we're quite sure they will approve of.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32What I do not understand when listening to his
0:05:32 > 0:05:35statement or listening to my right honourable friend is which country
0:05:35 > 0:05:38in the world is going to enter to trade agreement with this country
0:05:38 > 0:05:40on the basis that the rules are
0:05:40 > 0:05:43entirely what the British say they are going to be on any
0:05:43 > 0:05:45to particular day and if that is any dispute about
0:05:45 > 0:05:47the rules, it will be sorted out by the British Government.
0:05:48 > 0:05:49LAUGHTER.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51Those on that side have a very short memory.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53I can't forgive my right honourable friend.
0:05:53 > 0:05:58He did not hear
0:05:58 > 0:06:00the first point and I will answer
0:06:00 > 0:06:03like this, of course there will be disagreements and
0:06:03 > 0:06:06they will be arbitrated by an organisation we agreed
0:06:06 > 0:06:08between us, not normally the European Court of
0:06:08 > 0:06:11Justice.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14Once the UK has left the EU, there will be a 9
0:06:14 > 0:06:20billion hole in EU finances, given reduced resources wide as the
0:06:20 > 0:06:27-- why does the government believe that the EU will prioritise
0:06:27 > 0:06:29the good seating a deal
0:06:29 > 0:06:33with the UK when a more lucrative market such as the US or China?
0:06:33 > 0:06:35I'm afraid she is wrong about the lucrative market bit.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37We are the largest market for the European union.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40EU workers in Scotland contribute ?7.5 billion to the
0:06:40 > 0:06:42economy, not to mention the huge contribution they make to our social
0:06:42 > 0:06:44fabric, what will he do to protect their rights
0:06:44 > 0:06:46and Scotland's place in
0:06:46 > 0:06:48Europe as they voted for by a majority in the EU vote?
0:06:48 > 0:06:52We will not be managing the immigration or migration policy
0:06:52 > 0:06:55in a way which harms the national interest and that means not causing
0:06:55 > 0:06:58labour shortages or shortage of talent.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01That applies not just globally but to each nation state of
0:07:01 > 0:07:06the United Kingdom as well.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08The Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire is hoping that
0:07:08 > 0:07:10campaigning in next month's Assembly elections do not "exacerbate
0:07:10 > 0:07:17tension and division".
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Northern Ireland is going to the polls on March the 2nd
0:07:19 > 0:07:21following the collapse of the Executive in Belfast.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness,
0:07:23 > 0:07:25resigned last week in protest at the handling
0:07:25 > 0:07:26of a renewable energy scheme.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28That meant the First Minister,
0:07:28 > 0:07:32the Democratic Unionists' Arlene Foster, was out of a job too,
0:07:32 > 0:07:38bringing the Northern Ireland Executive to a halt.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40Elections by their nature are hotly contested.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42This is part of the essence of our democracy.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46Nobody expects the debates around the key
0:07:46 > 0:07:49issues in Northern Ireland to be anything less than robust.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52I would however like to stress the following,
0:07:52 > 0:07:55this election is about the future of Northern Ireland and
0:07:55 > 0:07:57its political institutions.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00Not just the Assembly, but all the arrangements that have
0:08:00 > 0:08:02been put in place to reflect relationships
0:08:02 > 0:08:05throughout these islands.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08That is why it will be vital for the campaign to
0:08:08 > 0:08:11be conducted respectfully and in ways that do not simply exacerbate
0:08:11 > 0:08:17tensions and division.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21I have personally been involved for almost
0:08:21 > 0:08:30three decades in Northern Ireland's issues and I have learned one thing
0:08:30 > 0:08:33that political vacuum should be avoided at all costs so I say
0:08:33 > 0:08:34this to the Secretary of
0:08:34 > 0:08:38State today, you must make sure that you are not only willing to fill
0:08:38 > 0:08:41that vacuum but work for all parties to seek a way forward so we avoid
0:08:41 > 0:08:43the nightmare scenario of six weeks of increasingly bitter campaigning
0:08:43 > 0:08:48which will leave us in the same place when it started with no
0:08:48 > 0:08:52solution in place to heal the divide and bring
0:08:52 > 0:08:54together those elected to
0:08:54 > 0:08:59represent all the people of Northern Ireland.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02Laurence Robertson has just returned from Londonderry.
0:09:02 > 0:09:08I did detect and witnessed a great sense of frustration about
0:09:08 > 0:09:11what is happening and a great sense of disappointment that the assembly
0:09:11 > 0:09:14yet again was under threat and indeed this time has fallen.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17Does the Secretary of State therefore
0:09:17 > 0:09:27agree with me and indeed the proposal made by the shadow
0:09:27 > 0:09:36secretary of State that the coming weeks should perhaps be used to
0:09:37 > 0:09:39want to say a retturn to
0:09:39 > 0:09:40direct rule?
0:09:40 > 0:09:42The DUP says Sinn Fein did not opt out
0:09:42 > 0:09:44because of the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme, or RHI.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46We are deeply disappointed, frustrated and indeed
0:09:46 > 0:09:49angry by the decision of Sinn Fein to walk away and cause the
0:09:49 > 0:09:50election.
0:09:50 > 0:09:51What is this about?
0:09:51 > 0:09:53It is not about the RHI issue because if
0:09:53 > 0:09:59it had been we could have sorted it out.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01This election serves to delay those issues being sorted out.
0:10:01 > 0:10:07It is about Sinn Fein seeking opportune
0:10:07 > 0:10:09political advantage and seeking to overturn the election results
0:10:09 > 0:10:17held just a few months ago and hoping to
0:10:17 > 0:10:19gain concessions from the government, on legacy issues,
0:10:19 > 0:10:21such as rewriting the past and putting more soldiers in the
0:10:21 > 0:10:24dock, and other concessions from the DUP.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27Let us be clear, we will work through this election and afterwards
0:10:27 > 0:10:28to create devolved government that
0:10:28 > 0:10:31is stable in Northern Ireland but let this
0:10:31 > 0:10:37House know the people of
0:10:37 > 0:10:40Northern Ireland all know that just as we have not given into Sinn Fein
0:10:40 > 0:10:43demands in the past, we will not bow down and give
0:10:43 > 0:10:45into Sinn Fein's unreasonable demands going forward
0:10:45 > 0:10:47because that is what this election is all about.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49The SDLP is urging the Northern Ireland Secretary
0:10:49 > 0:10:52to support an inquiry into the energy scheme.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55Without a public inquiry, Mr Speaker, public confidence in a
0:10:55 > 0:10:58political settlement will sink even lower
0:10:58 > 0:11:03and make restoration of the
0:11:03 > 0:11:08executive even more difficult and that is what people are telling me
0:11:08 > 0:11:11on the streets over the last few days and the last week that they
0:11:11 > 0:11:13basically need to see clarity that we're having
0:11:13 > 0:11:14an election here in a fog.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16James Brokenshire replied that the issue was critical
0:11:16 > 0:11:20in re-establishing the public's trust and confidence.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23MPs have been told that staffing is the biggest problem facing
0:11:23 > 0:11:26maternity services in England.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29The Health Committee heard that enough midwives
0:11:29 > 0:11:32are being trained but they are not necessarily being employed.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36The committee's hearing followed a report from
0:11:36 > 0:11:39the National Childbirth Trust which blamed a shortage of midwives
0:11:39 > 0:11:42for women feeling like they had been treated "like cattle".
0:11:42 > 0:11:47The NCT study of two and half thousand women found half had
0:11:47 > 0:11:51experienced a "red flag" event such as not getting timely access to pain
0:11:51 > 0:11:59relief due to a lack of staff.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01There are clearly workforce pressures on all the health
0:12:01 > 0:12:03disciplines associated with maternity care and I would add
0:12:03 > 0:12:06health visitors who are extremely important women in the postnatal
0:12:06 > 0:12:07period.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09Half of the women you surveyed experienced clinically
0:12:09 > 0:12:15unsafe care.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17Yes, we looked at the events which are defined by NICE in
0:12:18 > 0:12:22guidance as red flag events.
0:12:22 > 0:12:27They are identified as those that do in
0:12:27 > 0:12:29most cases mean there is a staffing shortage.
0:12:30 > 0:12:35In this case, mostly in midwifery.
0:12:35 > 0:12:42So it was mainly care processes that were delayed
0:12:42 > 0:12:43- including medication being given which might
0:12:43 > 0:12:48have been pain relief or
0:12:48 > 0:12:50antibiotics or other drugs needed by women which was obviously should
0:12:50 > 0:12:56have been given in a timely fashion either because the woman was in
0:12:56 > 0:13:03great pain or with antibiotics, obviously they need to be taken as a
0:13:03 > 0:13:05course and it is very important they're taken on time.
0:13:05 > 0:13:15One woman reported that the bed she had given birth
0:13:18 > 0:13:21in, she was not helped to washed or sheets changed for 12 hours
0:13:21 > 0:13:24which I imagine is really unpleasant and distressing for her and
0:13:24 > 0:13:25certainly the risk of greater infection.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27While we're training enough midwives and enough midwives
0:13:27 > 0:13:30are coming out into the system, the difficulty is that not enough of
0:13:30 > 0:13:33them are being employed.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37Although we have been seeing increases in
0:13:37 > 0:13:39midwifery numbers over the last few years, we are now seeing
0:13:40 > 0:13:45flat-lining.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47The number of midwives is actually starting to look as
0:13:47 > 0:13:55though it's reducing in our services.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58The number has been quoted around 2500 up to 6000 as a gap,
0:13:58 > 0:14:06would you support that?
0:14:06 > 0:14:08Our figure is that we are 3500 mid-range short.
0:14:08 > 0:14:09You feel it is worse?
0:14:09 > 0:14:11Yes.
0:14:11 > 0:14:12There are various issues, one is we're seeing
0:14:12 > 0:14:15a rapidly increasing number of midwives retiring from the service
0:14:15 > 0:14:21so the number of midwives now aged over 50 is very significant so
0:14:21 > 0:14:24there's a need to replace midwives when they leave and the number going
0:14:24 > 0:14:31out is pretty much equating to the number coming
0:14:31 > 0:14:34out is pretty much equating to the number coming in,
0:14:34 > 0:14:35so you are getting flat-lining.
0:14:35 > 0:14:40The National childbirth trust talks about findings from
0:14:40 > 0:14:43their recent survey that half of the women in their survey
0:14:43 > 0:14:46received clinically unsafe care because of
0:14:46 > 0:14:51staffing shortages, how do you respond to that?
0:14:51 > 0:14:55My understanding of what that assessment is is that you
0:14:55 > 0:15:04have the NICE guidelines and we have been able to be clearer than ever
0:15:04 > 0:15:13before about whether we are safe or the optimum guidelines which are set
0:15:14 > 0:15:17for the units saw a red flag which essentially
0:15:17 > 0:15:22means that the director
0:15:22 > 0:15:25of midwifery has got sight of the fact that there is a staff
0:15:25 > 0:15:28issue within a unit which is a positive because previously we did
0:15:28 > 0:15:30not have that information about the red flag People event.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32We are able to respond accordingly.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34By and large our units remain very safe places
0:15:34 > 0:15:36but that is not a position we would want to be
0:15:36 > 0:15:40but that is not a position we would want to be in the longer term and
0:15:40 > 0:15:43that is why challenging ourselves going forward about the workforce
0:15:43 > 0:15:45and having the right staff is absolutely critical.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47It is also the reason that whilst the national
0:15:47 > 0:15:50figures are very useful, we need to better understand what is driving
0:15:50 > 0:15:52local scenarios because some places are finding it hard to recruit and
0:15:52 > 0:15:56we need to understand why some places have models that are working
0:15:56 > 0:16:02and learn from some of that practice as well.
0:16:02 > 0:16:03You're watching Tuesday in Parliament,
0:16:03 > 0:16:08with me, Alicia McCarthy.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11At the same time that Theresa May was on her feet
0:16:11 > 0:16:13making her big speech, the Chancellor, Philip Hammond,
0:16:13 > 0:16:15was answering Treasury questions.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19He explained that the UK could not stay in the single market
0:16:19 > 0:16:22following Brexit because EU leaders made it clear they would not allow
0:16:22 > 0:16:25curbs on the free movement of people.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29Does my right honourable friend agree with me that the resilience
0:16:29 > 0:16:34of our economy will be best served by what the Prime Minister has said
0:16:34 > 0:16:37today, that Britain will be leaving the single market
0:16:37 > 0:16:40with no ifs and no buts?
0:16:40 > 0:16:45Well, Mr Speaker, for six months, we've kept open as many options
0:16:45 > 0:16:49as possible while we review the way forward in this negotiation
0:16:49 > 0:16:51with the European Union.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55We've heard very clearly the views and the political red lines
0:16:55 > 0:16:58expressed by other European leaders.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00We want to work with them,
0:17:00 > 0:17:03we want to recognise and respect their political red lines.
0:17:03 > 0:17:08And that is why the Prime Minister is setting out right now
0:17:08 > 0:17:14the position that she is, which is that we will go forward,
0:17:14 > 0:17:19understanding that we cannot be members of the single market
0:17:19 > 0:17:23because of the political red lines around the four freedoms
0:17:23 > 0:17:26that other European leaders have set.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28In the seven years to 2014, Scotland's trade with
0:17:28 > 0:17:31the EU rose by 20%.
0:17:31 > 0:17:36Twice the rate of growth in trade to the rest of the UK.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39Vital for a resilient economy.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43Today's hard Tory Brexit puts that at risk.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47But is this not also a kick in the teeth to many of those
0:17:47 > 0:17:50who voted leave, believing there would be an EEA/EFTA-type
0:17:50 > 0:17:56arrangement in place, to mitigate the damage done?
0:17:56 > 0:18:00Mr Speaker, I reject the honourable gentleman's analysis.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04I think what this is is engaging constructively with the real world.
0:18:04 > 0:18:09Recognising the political red lines of our European Union partners.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11If we don't recognise them, frankly,
0:18:11 > 0:18:14we are banging our heads against a brick wall.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16They have to recognise our political red lines,
0:18:16 > 0:18:17we have to recognise theirs.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20Then we have to work together to find pragmatic solutions that
0:18:20 > 0:18:23works for all the people of the UK within those red lines.
0:18:24 > 0:18:25That is what we're doing.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28What we now know from what the Prime Minister's saying now,
0:18:28 > 0:18:30she is intent on pulling up the drawbridge,
0:18:30 > 0:18:34leaving the single market and possibly the customs union.
0:18:34 > 0:18:35We will be cutting ourselves off
0:18:35 > 0:18:38from one of the largest markets on the entire planet,
0:18:38 > 0:18:40threatening jobs and public finances.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44This is not a clean Brexit, it is an extremely messy Brexit,
0:18:44 > 0:18:47with the consequences we already see in terms of the rise
0:18:47 > 0:18:50of the rate of inflation.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53Now, with real living standards squeezed by this policy
0:18:53 > 0:18:56announcement so far, isn't it time...?
0:18:56 > 0:18:59I appeal to the Chancellor, he has the opportunity then
0:18:59 > 0:19:02to reconsider his cuts to in-work benefits
0:19:02 > 0:19:07and, in the Budget in March, withdraw them in full.
0:19:07 > 0:19:08No, Mr Speaker.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12What the Prime Minister is setting up today is ambitious agenda
0:19:12 > 0:19:14for a Britain engaged with the world,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17and a Britain engaged with the European Union.
0:19:17 > 0:19:22What she's setting out is a broad-based offer for future
0:19:22 > 0:19:25collaboration in trade and investment, insecurity,
0:19:25 > 0:19:28an education, in technical and scientific collaboration,
0:19:28 > 0:19:31and many other areas.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33We want to remain engaged with the European Union,
0:19:33 > 0:19:36and I'm confident that the approach the Prime Minister is setting up
0:19:36 > 0:19:39today will allow us successfully negotiate a future relationship
0:19:39 > 0:19:44with the European Union.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46Philip Hammond.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48Well, let's stay with Brexit because later in the Commons,
0:19:48 > 0:19:51MPs debated the impact of leaving the EU on the rural economy.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54The National Farmers Union says UK farmers' contribution to the economy
0:19:54 > 0:19:56grew to almost ?10 billion in 2014.
0:19:56 > 0:20:05And that the food and farming sector as a whole is worth ?108 billion.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07The debate had been called by the SNP -
0:20:07 > 0:20:11its spokesman worried about the future.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13Under the Government's current direction of travel,
0:20:13 > 0:20:18Brexit will not be a clean break for the sheep farmers
0:20:18 > 0:20:22in my constituency, whose produce could face prohibitive tariffs
0:20:22 > 0:20:26and whose direct support payment could be wiped out.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30It will not be a clean break for the fish processors in Shetland,
0:20:30 > 0:20:33where more fish was landed
0:20:33 > 0:20:35than in the entirety of England and Wales in 2015,
0:20:35 > 0:20:38but whose access to the largest seafood market
0:20:38 > 0:20:41in the world is now under question.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44Nor will it be a clean break for the soft fruit farmer in Angus
0:20:44 > 0:20:48when the plug is pulled on the seasonal labour
0:20:48 > 0:20:50his business needs to function.
0:20:50 > 0:20:56And it will not be a clean break for the most remote Highland
0:20:56 > 0:20:58communities that are now contemplating the loss of hundreds
0:20:58 > 0:21:03of millions of pounds in European regional development funding.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06We find ourselves facing a combination, once again,
0:21:06 > 0:21:09of Tory indifference to the needs of the Scottish economy
0:21:09 > 0:21:16and a dramatic democratic deficit.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18Yes, I will give way.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20I am grateful to the honourable gentleman for giving way.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22He and his party are optimistic people,
0:21:22 > 0:21:24and rays of sunshine in this House.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27I wonder if he cannot see any possible benefit
0:21:27 > 0:21:29to the Scottish rural economy, particularly fisheries,
0:21:29 > 0:21:31the European policy of which decimated
0:21:31 > 0:21:34the Scottish fishing industry?
0:21:34 > 0:21:36I thank the honourable member.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38Actually, if you come and spend a little bit more time
0:21:38 > 0:21:41with us, you will find that we are optimists at heart.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44But what this debate is about, Madam Deputy Speaker,
0:21:44 > 0:21:47is the realities.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49Incomes falling and debts are rising.
0:21:49 > 0:21:55Incomes were down by a shocking 29% last year.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57A fifth of farmers are struggling just to pay their bills.
0:21:57 > 0:22:04The average debt for a farming business is now ?188,500.
0:22:04 > 0:22:05Too many have gone out of business altogether,
0:22:05 > 0:22:09including more than 1,000 dairy farmers in the last three years.
0:22:09 > 0:22:14So not all farmers are thriving or even surviving.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18I'm determined that we secure a deal and leaving the EU
0:22:18 > 0:22:26that works for all parts of the UK, and recognises the contribution
0:22:26 > 0:22:29that all corners of this country make to our economic success.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31Will she also make it a priority to publish proposals
0:22:31 > 0:22:34to have a British fishing industry where we can catch
0:22:34 > 0:22:39more of our own fish and protect our fishing grounds for the future?
0:22:39 > 0:22:41Well, I'm grateful to my right honourable friend.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43He makes a very good point about the potential
0:22:43 > 0:22:46for all UK fishing, and I do hope that our policies,
0:22:46 > 0:22:49when we come to them after consultation,
0:22:49 > 0:22:57will enable us to deliver exactly has he asks for.
0:22:57 > 0:22:58Andrea Leadsom.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00Finally, Ministers have faced calls for a "root-and-branch re-appraisal"
0:23:00 > 0:23:03of business rates after warnings about the impact of revaluation
0:23:03 > 0:23:05on high-street shops.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08The Communities and Local Government Minister, Lord Bourne,
0:23:08 > 0:23:11told peers business rates were based on independent valuations,
0:23:11 > 0:23:15and that most would see no change or a fall in their bills from April
0:23:15 > 0:23:18due to a revaluation.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21Business rates are based on evaluations carried
0:23:21 > 0:23:25out independently by the Valuation Office agency,
0:23:25 > 0:23:28and it is right that ministers do not intervene in that process.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31Nearly three quarters of all businesses will see no change
0:23:31 > 0:23:34or a fall in their rates will from April,
0:23:34 > 0:23:39thanks to the 2017 revaluation, with 600,000 businesses
0:23:39 > 0:23:41set to pay no business rates at all.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44Nevertheless, the core of the High Street is badly affected
0:23:44 > 0:23:49in many parts of our country.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52There was an article in Saturday's Times about Southwold.
0:23:52 > 0:23:53Not a huge place.
0:23:53 > 0:23:54The local baker's rates
0:23:54 > 0:23:59are going up from 4,000, or just over, to 14,000.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01And, against that background, will my noble friend
0:24:01 > 0:24:04look at the possibilities of revising the proposals
0:24:04 > 0:24:09where an increase is up to 15%?
0:24:09 > 0:24:13The rules at the moment suggest that there can be no appeal.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16Secondly, where there is a small reduction or any reduction,
0:24:16 > 0:24:22that reduction is paid in April, and not phased in?
0:24:22 > 0:24:25Many peers thought Lord Naseby's question had gone on too long,
0:24:25 > 0:24:27but he had one final suggestion to make.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31Finally, my Lords, is it not time for a whole
0:24:31 > 0:24:37root and branch reappraisal of this form of business?
0:24:37 > 0:24:39My Lords, most businesses, as I've indicated,
0:24:39 > 0:24:42will be seeing a fall in their business rates.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46Those that are subject to increases, of course,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49it's phased in over a period of time,
0:24:49 > 0:24:51to take just one area which my noble friend touched upon.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54That is paid for by those that are seeing a reduction
0:24:54 > 0:24:57also seeing that phased in over a period of time,
0:24:57 > 0:25:01as is required by law under the 1988 Local Government Finance Act.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04As a simple sailor, there must be something wrong when you look
0:25:04 > 0:25:07at high streets around the country - they are full of charity shops,
0:25:07 > 0:25:09estate agents and the odd coffee shop.
0:25:09 > 0:25:10They seem to be falling apart.
0:25:10 > 0:25:18There must be something wrong with what is going on.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20My Lords, I would certainly not call the noble lord
0:25:20 > 0:25:22a simple sailor for one minute.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25But, my Lords, it's true that many high streets are thriving.
0:25:25 > 0:25:26I visited many high streets that are thriving.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28In essence, my Lords, what is important is
0:25:28 > 0:25:31that we seek to protect small and medium-sized businesses.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35We've been doing that, my Lords, and that is the way forward.
0:25:35 > 0:25:36Lord Bourne.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38And that's it from me for now,
0:25:38 > 0:25:41but do join me at the same time tomorrow, when among other things,
0:25:41 > 0:25:43we'll have the highlights from Prime Minister's Questions.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45But for now from me, Alicia McCarthy, goodbye.