0:00:16 > 0:00:18Hello, welcome to Tuesday In Parliament,
0:00:18 > 0:00:22our look at the best of the day in the Commons and the Lords.
0:00:22 > 0:00:23On this programme:
0:00:23 > 0:00:25Labour accuses the Government of paying for tax cuts
0:00:25 > 0:00:28by reducing benefits.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30What this Government is all about is forcing
0:00:30 > 0:00:33Government departments to meet the Chancellor's spending targets
0:00:33 > 0:00:37so he can pay for further tax giveaways.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Threatened industrial action by prison officers in England
0:00:39 > 0:00:43and Wales is condemned by a Justice Minister.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45We are clear that action of this nature by the POA
0:00:45 > 0:00:51poses a risk to the safety of prisons and prison staff.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55And a car chief lists his Brexit requests.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57That we remain in a free-trade agreement, that we've got access
0:00:57 > 0:00:59to the customs union, that technology is harmonised
0:00:59 > 0:01:03across Europe, and so "stay as we are" is the ideal
0:01:03 > 0:01:05solution for Nissan.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09But first, Labour has described as "brutal" a Government decision
0:01:09 > 0:01:12to restrict disability benefits.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14In the Commons, the Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell,
0:01:14 > 0:01:17claimed Ministers were cutting spending to fund tax "giveaways".
0:01:17 > 0:01:21The Government wants to reverse the effects of court rulings
0:01:21 > 0:01:25which have increased the number of people who can claim the higher
0:01:25 > 0:01:27rate of disability benefit,
0:01:27 > 0:01:30now called "Personal Independence Payments", or PIPs.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34The Government says the rulings would add nearly ?4 billion
0:01:34 > 0:01:37to the benefits bill.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39At Treasury Questions, Mr McDonnell described the kind
0:01:39 > 0:01:42of people the Government now wanted to exclude from PIPs payments.
0:01:42 > 0:01:47This was brutal.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50Last year, when the Government was forced to halt cuts to PIP
0:01:50 > 0:01:52payments to disabled people, the previous Chancellor
0:01:52 > 0:01:53absorbed the costs.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56In this case, are these disabled people being denied benefits
0:01:56 > 0:02:01because the Chancellor has refused to absorb these costs
0:02:01 > 0:02:03of the Upper Tribunal decision?
0:02:03 > 0:02:07Mr Speaker, what we are doing here is restoring Parliament's
0:02:07 > 0:02:11original intention around these payments, ensuring that they go
0:02:11 > 0:02:14to the people that they were intended to go to,
0:02:14 > 0:02:17and making sure that the benefits cap that's in place,
0:02:17 > 0:02:21as part of our fiscal rules, is able to be met.
0:02:22 > 0:02:22John McDonnell.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24One of those people contacted us.
0:02:24 > 0:02:29She has Type II diabetes, myalgia, depression and anxiety,
0:02:29 > 0:02:33and, as a result of the action taken by the Government, will not now
0:02:33 > 0:02:35be extended to support the courts have ordered her.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38It's clear, isn't it, that after last night's announcement
0:02:38 > 0:02:40of further austerity measures by individual departments,
0:02:40 > 0:02:43what this Government is all about is forcing
0:02:43 > 0:02:46Government departments to meet the Chancellor's spending targets
0:02:46 > 0:02:50so he can pay for further tax giveaways to the wealthy?
0:02:50 > 0:02:53The honourable gentleman, I'm afraid, will have to wait till
0:02:53 > 0:02:56next week to find out what my proposals are,
0:02:56 > 0:02:57but let me be clear -
0:02:57 > 0:03:00we have said we have no plans for further welfare
0:03:00 > 0:03:03reforms in this Parliament.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06Later, the Work and Pensions Secretary faced more
0:03:06 > 0:03:09questions from Labour about the latest benefit changes.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12Will the minister confirm, as stated in the impact
0:03:12 > 0:03:15assessment published with the regulation,
0:03:15 > 0:03:18that people suffering from schizophrenia,
0:03:18 > 0:03:20learning disability, autism and dementia will be among
0:03:20 > 0:03:26the worst-affected by these cuts?
0:03:26 > 0:03:29And, Mr Speaker, the cut is being achieved by taking benefit
0:03:29 > 0:03:33away from people whose mobility impairments are the result
0:03:33 > 0:03:35of psychological distress.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38They will no longer be entitled to benefit,
0:03:38 > 0:03:40according to the wording of the regulation.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42Doesn't that directly contradict the Prime Minister's commitment
0:03:42 > 0:03:46to treat mental health on a par with physical health?
0:03:46 > 0:03:51Hear, hear.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54I want to be clear what this is not, that this is not a policy
0:03:54 > 0:03:56change, nor is it intended to make new savings.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59I'd like to reiterate my commitment that there will be no further
0:03:59 > 0:04:02welfare savings beyond those already legislated for.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06This will not result in any claimant seeing a reduction in the amount
0:04:06 > 0:04:10of PIP previously awarded by the DWP.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13Mental health conditions and physical disabilities which lead
0:04:13 > 0:04:15to higher costs will continue to be supported,
0:04:15 > 0:04:18as has always been the case.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22But if everything is working so well, why are my advice surgeries
0:04:22 > 0:04:27full of people who are waiting for their PIP assessments
0:04:27 > 0:04:29for a very long time,
0:04:29 > 0:04:33who are being denied them when they've been
0:04:33 > 0:04:35long-term disabled,
0:04:35 > 0:04:40who are being caused massive amounts of distressed by the process,
0:04:40 > 0:04:46and who feel utter despair at having to have anything to do with it?
0:04:46 > 0:04:48It's clear that different medical conditions will have
0:04:48 > 0:04:51different impacts on people's living and mobility.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Does my right honourable friend agree that we must recognise this
0:04:54 > 0:04:56simple fact if we are continuing to target resources
0:04:56 > 0:05:00on those who are most vulnerable and most in need?
0:05:00 > 0:05:02A constituent, Catherine, contacted me, and was very concerned
0:05:02 > 0:05:04about how the amendments will impact on her
0:05:04 > 0:05:08when she is transferred from DLA to PIP.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11She currently receives low-rate mobility and suffers from ADHD,
0:05:11 > 0:05:14depression, generalised anxiety and social phobia.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16Her life is severely affected by her mental health.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19She cannot plan the route of a journey and she cannot follow
0:05:19 > 0:05:21the route of a familiar journey.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23Why does the Government want to deny Catherine
0:05:24 > 0:05:27the mobility component of PIP?
0:05:27 > 0:05:30Well, she is not having any of the...
0:05:30 > 0:05:36any changes to the rules that have been put, that she's been applying
0:05:36 > 0:05:39under in the past...
0:05:39 > 0:05:42And I should gently point out to the honourable gentleman that
0:05:42 > 0:05:44these are rules that were passed by a Government of
0:05:44 > 0:05:46which he was a member.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49I have some constituents who are unable to leave their homes
0:05:49 > 0:05:51without assistance due to a physical disability,
0:05:51 > 0:05:54and others who are unable to leave their homes
0:05:54 > 0:05:56because of a mental disability -
0:05:56 > 0:06:00why should one be entitled to receive support via PIP
0:06:00 > 0:06:04and not the other?
0:06:04 > 0:06:07They both will be entitled to PIP, at the level
0:06:07 > 0:06:12as it will be assessed, and, indeed, the only difference...
0:06:12 > 0:06:15Clearly, each individual is different and has different
0:06:15 > 0:06:17levels of difficulty.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20It is often the case that visual or cognitive impairments,
0:06:20 > 0:06:24people who are blind, are not going to have a fluctuating
0:06:24 > 0:06:27condition, which is clearly less amenable to treatment,
0:06:27 > 0:06:29than some other conditions, so it's the level of the difficulty
0:06:29 > 0:06:32in someone's daily life, whether they've got a physical
0:06:32 > 0:06:39or mental health problem, that matters in terms
0:06:39 > 0:06:41of the PIP assessment.
0:06:41 > 0:06:42Damian Green.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45Well, earlier at Treasury Questions, MPs took the opportunity to appeal
0:06:45 > 0:06:48for help in the Budget next week to deal with the acute funding
0:06:48 > 0:06:52problems facing social care in England.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56One Conservative suggested that use be made of National Insurance
0:06:56 > 0:07:01to help pay for the care of elderly and vulnerable people.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04Can I ask the Minister, with a view to long-term sustainable
0:07:04 > 0:07:07financing in health and social care, to look into this as a means
0:07:07 > 0:07:13of depoliticising the debate, and ensuring long-term funding,
0:07:13 > 0:07:17not just today, but for decades to come for health and social care?
0:07:17 > 0:07:19We are mindful of the long-term challenges.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23If you look at the issues recently highlighted by the Office
0:07:23 > 0:07:24for Budget Responsibility in their latest
0:07:24 > 0:07:30fiscal sustainability report, they are laid out quite starkly.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33And in terms of depoliticising, I would say that backing the NHS's
0:07:33 > 0:07:36own plan for its own future in the way that we've done
0:07:36 > 0:07:38is the best way of doing that.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42Back in 2010, to meet the rising costs of social care,
0:07:42 > 0:07:45I proposed a compulsory care levy on all estates.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48From memory, the Conservatives produced an election poster
0:07:48 > 0:07:50with gravestones on it and called it a "death tax".
0:07:50 > 0:07:54I read in today's Times that ministers are now
0:07:54 > 0:07:56considering exactly the same proposal.
0:07:56 > 0:08:01Can this possibly be true?
0:08:01 > 0:08:03No.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07Sir Hugo Swire.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09Thank you, Mr Speaker, but there is an emerging consensus
0:08:09 > 0:08:11that we do need to better integrate our social care
0:08:11 > 0:08:13and health system.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16Given the fact we have already the Better Care Fund
0:08:16 > 0:08:19and the Chancellor's prudent management of our economies,
0:08:19 > 0:08:21if he does have any wriggle room in the forthcoming budget,
0:08:21 > 0:08:25can I ask him if we cannot have some transitional relief for social care
0:08:25 > 0:08:29until we can work out the best model?
0:08:29 > 0:08:32Well, Mr Speaker, the Government has been very clear on a number
0:08:32 > 0:08:38of occasions that we recognise that the pressures in the system,
0:08:38 > 0:08:40additional money has been made available
0:08:40 > 0:08:42through the social care precept...
0:08:42 > 0:08:45How can it be right that those local authorities that are under the most
0:08:45 > 0:08:49pressure in terms of social care can actually raise the least amount
0:08:49 > 0:08:53through the council tax precept that this Government's policy around
0:08:53 > 0:08:54social care has introduced?
0:08:54 > 0:08:57The Better Care Fund, which we have already referred to,
0:08:57 > 0:09:00actually adjusts for that, and, you know, it is...
0:09:00 > 0:09:03There are a range of ways in which we are responding to these
0:09:03 > 0:09:06pressures, which we acknowledge in the social care system.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09Jane Ellison.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13The human rights record of North Korea has been condemned
0:09:13 > 0:09:14in the House of Lords.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16The Government was asked if it had plans to call in
0:09:16 > 0:09:19the North Korean ambassador, following the killing
0:09:19 > 0:09:23of Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of the country's leader.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27The 45-year-old was at an airport when he was smeared
0:09:27 > 0:09:29with the nerve agent VX.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31Two women have been arrested -
0:09:31 > 0:09:33they say they were told it was a television prank.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37A Foreign Office Minister said the ambassador had
0:09:37 > 0:09:39been spoken to recently.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41On the 14th of February, we summoned the Ambassador
0:09:41 > 0:09:45of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in response
0:09:45 > 0:09:48to its ballistic missile test on the 11th of February.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51We made clear that such actions were in violation of
0:09:51 > 0:09:53UN Security Council resolutions,
0:09:53 > 0:09:57a threat to international security, and that such
0:09:57 > 0:10:00destabilising activity must stop.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04We continue to be deeply disturbed by their actions, including reports
0:10:04 > 0:10:10that they are responsible for the killing of Kim Jong-nam.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14My Lords, doesn't the horrific use of VX, the toxic nerve agent,
0:10:14 > 0:10:17to assassinate Kim Jong-nam, serve to remind us of North Korea's
0:10:17 > 0:10:20total disregard for international law, whether through the use
0:10:20 > 0:10:25of banned chemical weapons, of which it has some 5,000 tonnes,
0:10:25 > 0:10:28its nuclear and missile tests, or the execution and incarceration
0:10:28 > 0:10:32of hundreds of thousands of its own citizens?
0:10:32 > 0:10:35Lord Alton asked whether the UK Government supported referral
0:10:35 > 0:10:39to the International Criminal Court or a tribunal.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43With regard to the alleged use of VX, Malaysia has
0:10:43 > 0:10:45gathered its own information.
0:10:45 > 0:10:50We have no reason not to believe their conclusions,
0:10:50 > 0:10:54that it is VX, a highly toxic nerve agent, nor that it is DPRK
0:10:55 > 0:10:57that is responsible.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00They have the capacity to, erm, to produce it.
0:11:00 > 0:11:05My Lords, until there is an international awareness
0:11:05 > 0:11:08of that information from Malaysia, we can't take an action
0:11:08 > 0:11:12internationally to condemn what has happened and to provide
0:11:12 > 0:11:18that evidential link between DPRK and the murder of Kim Jong-nam.
0:11:18 > 0:11:23My Lords, China is the key player in relation to North Korea,
0:11:23 > 0:11:28and their action appears to complete the isolation of that country.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32How does the Government interpret their sanctions?
0:11:32 > 0:11:41Is this temporary or can we expect a sea change in China policy?
0:11:41 > 0:11:44The noble lord is right to point to the fact that China has
0:11:44 > 0:11:48indeed now made it clear that they are compliant with
0:11:48 > 0:11:51the UN Security Council resolution on the sanctions on the coal trade
0:11:51 > 0:11:55between DPRK and China.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57It's an important step forward.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00On the position of sanctions, it is all the more significant,
0:12:00 > 0:12:02having regard to the previous ambivalence of the Chinese
0:12:02 > 0:12:03Government towards North Korea.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05Should not these sanctions be warmly welcomed, not only
0:12:05 > 0:12:08here but in the White house, so that whatever their differences,
0:12:08 > 0:12:11China and the United States can make common cause in the containment
0:12:11 > 0:12:12of North Korea?
0:12:12 > 0:12:13Hear, hear.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16The noble lord is absolutely right, and, as the new Trump administration
0:12:16 > 0:12:22has taken office, I think it's important that they and China find
0:12:22 > 0:12:23accord on this matter.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26Has my noble friend any information about the number of Christians
0:12:26 > 0:12:29who are now incarcerated for the sake of their religion
0:12:29 > 0:12:32in North Korea, which is one of the countries where
0:12:33 > 0:12:36they are most harassed?
0:12:36 > 0:12:40My honourable friend is right to raise the plight
0:12:40 > 0:12:43of Christians in North Korea, and it is a fact that,
0:12:43 > 0:12:45although the constitution in DPRK does provide the right to have
0:12:45 > 0:12:47freedom to believe, those who practice religion outside state
0:12:47 > 0:12:49control find themselves subject to appalling persecution.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52It's a matter that we raise frequently with the North Korean
0:12:52 > 0:12:54Government through our embassy in Pyongyang and also
0:12:54 > 0:13:00through the United Nations and the human rights Council,
0:13:00 > 0:13:02but, my Lords, it is a continuing,
0:13:02 > 0:13:04appalling, flagrant breach of international norms.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07The Foreign Office minister, Lady Anelay replying there.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10You're watching our round-up of the day in the Commons and the Lords.
0:13:10 > 0:13:11Still to come:
0:13:11 > 0:13:19The Westminster Pancake Race marks another Shrove Tuesday.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23The Government has won a High Court injunction stopping industrial
0:13:23 > 0:13:27action by prison staff in England and Wales from going ahead.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30Members of the Prison Officers' Association were planning
0:13:30 > 0:13:32to withdraw from voluntary duties in a long-running dispute
0:13:32 > 0:13:36over pay and pensions.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38The action follows the rejection by the association members
0:13:38 > 0:13:41of a new pay and conditions package.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43A Justice Minister was called to answer an urgent
0:13:43 > 0:13:50question in the Commons.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52I am grateful for the chance to update the House
0:13:52 > 0:13:54on this important issue.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56Strike action is unlawful and we have said so to
0:13:56 > 0:13:58the Prison Officers' Association.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02It will seriously disrupt normal operations in prisons
0:14:02 > 0:14:05and whilst we will, of course, take any actions that we can
0:14:05 > 0:14:08to mitigate the risks, we are clear that action of this
0:14:08 > 0:14:10nature by the POA poses a risk to the safety
0:14:10 > 0:14:15of prisons and prison staff.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18The duties that the Prison Officers' Association referred
0:14:18 > 0:14:23to in their bulletin are not voluntary duty.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26These are duties that are a fundamental part of a prison
0:14:26 > 0:14:36officer's role and essential to running a safe and decent prison.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38Mr Speaker, this situation could have easily been avoided.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40Ministers could have spoken to the POA before imposing a pay
0:14:40 > 0:14:44policy which has proven to be so divisive and so unpopular.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48Ministers need to sit down and talk with the POA rather than threaten
0:14:48 > 0:14:51legal action and claim the action is unlawful before any court has
0:14:51 > 0:14:57made any such determination.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59To turn around this mess, Mr Speaker, we need
0:14:59 > 0:15:04a Justice Secretary who is serious, serious about working with prison
0:15:04 > 0:15:07officers and we need a prisons bill which will deliver serious reform.
0:15:07 > 0:15:17Sadly, at the moment, we have neither.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30Can I congratulate him for the excellent work he's doing with
0:15:30 > 0:15:31a difficult pack of cards.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34Would he agree me that a prison officer joins to serve,
0:15:34 > 0:15:36that means you serve in whatever guise without striking?
0:15:36 > 0:15:38I certainly agree with my honourable friend and, in fact,
0:15:38 > 0:15:40the legislation was introduced by the last Labour Government,
0:15:40 > 0:15:43which is why I'm surprised that the Shadow Minister would not
0:15:43 > 0:15:44condemn this unlawful strike action.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47I've listened to the Minister carefully and earlier he said
0:15:47 > 0:15:49he thought that this action was designed to disrupt safe
0:15:49 > 0:15:50and decent running of prisons.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53Does the Minister understand that the whole reason why prison
0:15:53 > 0:15:56officers are withdrawing from these tasks is because we do not have
0:15:56 > 0:15:57safe and decent prisons?
0:15:57 > 0:15:58We have intolerable and dangerous prisons.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01Prisons that I wouldn't want to work in and, I'm sure,
0:16:01 > 0:16:02that the minister wouldn't either.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05How the fight against organised crime will be tackled, once Britain
0:16:05 > 0:16:08has left the EU, has been looked at by the Commons Brexit Committee.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10David Armond, of the National Crime Agency, spoke about the importance
0:16:10 > 0:16:15of cross-border police co-operation.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19Being members of Schengen and having access to the Schengen information
0:16:19 > 0:16:23system, that's linked to the Police National Computer.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27So a policeman, on the streets in Birmingham, can stop a car,
0:16:27 > 0:16:30do a check on it, find it's stolen in France and that the occupants
0:16:30 > 0:16:33are wanted for serious offences.
0:16:33 > 0:16:40Now that, in itself, is an amazing additional protection
0:16:40 > 0:16:44for the UK and the access that we've obtained through Europol
0:16:44 > 0:16:50and the influence that we excert through having a British director
0:16:50 > 0:16:55who's implemented, since 2008, a whole load of systems that
0:16:55 > 0:16:57are really British intelligence management systems, we would have
0:16:57 > 0:17:00quite a steep hill to climb if we were to lose access
0:17:00 > 0:17:09to all of them.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11If you look at the EU agencies, for example, Europol
0:17:11 > 0:17:13then there are a number
0:17:13 > 0:17:15of countries with operational agreements with Europol, which I'm
0:17:15 > 0:17:17sure is the least we would want - US, Australia, Canada,
0:17:17 > 0:17:22I think Columbia, Norway and Switzerland - well,
0:17:22 > 0:17:24those took between five to 12 years to negotiate.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26On the other hand, if you look...
0:17:26 > 0:17:27Five to 12 years?
0:17:27 > 0:17:28Yes, I believe that's right.
0:17:28 > 0:17:29Yeah.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31On the other hand, if you look at Eurojust,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34which is the prosecutorial co-ordination body, I believe the US
0:17:34 > 0:17:36were a admitted to some sort of status within Eurojust
0:17:36 > 0:17:38within about a year of 9/11.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40There will be some great difficulty from the point
0:17:40 > 0:17:41of view of data protection.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43I think that is going to be the single biggest difficulty.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46The challenge is not so much convincing the EU institutions
0:17:46 > 0:17:49to go along with it, as I think it's quite right
0:17:49 > 0:17:53to say that the ministers and the authorities are quite happy
0:17:53 > 0:17:57to continue with the UK, co-operation with the UK,
0:17:57 > 0:17:59but I think the problem is the activists who are going
0:17:59 > 0:18:01to go to court and bring these legal challenges.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04They can't easily be negotiated away because they're based
0:18:04 > 0:18:05on the EU Charter of Rights.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07Of course, as a primary law of the European Union,
0:18:07 > 0:18:10it can't easily be negotiated away.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12They're not going to agree an amendment to the charter
0:18:12 > 0:18:15for the sake of a departing member state.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17So that really is the biggest problem by far,
0:18:17 > 0:18:21I think, in this area.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24Meanwhile, the carmaker Nissan has repeated its request for there to be
0:18:24 > 0:18:27"as little change as possible" when Britain leaves the EU.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30Nissan's senior vice-president, Colin Lawther, told
0:18:30 > 0:18:33the International Trade Committee that his company
0:18:33 > 0:18:41wanted the UK to remain in the customs union.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44You know, we made our position very clear that, before the Brexit vote,
0:18:44 > 0:18:46that Nissan's position was, from a business point of view,
0:18:46 > 0:18:50from assurity point of view, from a stability going forward,
0:18:50 > 0:18:52remaining in the customs union was definitely the best -
0:18:52 > 0:18:54And were you given any promises for the customs union?
0:18:54 > 0:18:55From a...
0:18:55 > 0:18:59No.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01So Nissan's point before the vote was, clearly,
0:19:01 > 0:19:04it is better for us to stay in.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06However, even though we explained that to all of our staff,
0:19:06 > 0:19:07we didn't take a political view.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11So we said to our staff - look, you know, you guys have
0:19:11 > 0:19:13to vote for yourselves and for your families,
0:19:13 > 0:19:14so we didn't take a view.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16So you're quite comfortable out with the customs union?
0:19:16 > 0:19:19No, our position is the same as it was before the vote.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22It would be better to stay in a status quo so that we have
0:19:22 > 0:19:24assurity of business going forward.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27So that would be the best outcome for us at the end
0:19:27 > 0:19:29of the Brexit process, that we remain in a free-trade
0:19:29 > 0:19:31agreement, we've got access to the customs union,
0:19:31 > 0:19:33technology is harmonised across Europe.
0:19:33 > 0:19:43So stay as we are is the ideal solution for Nissan.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53We made a decision it was better to replace Qashqai in the UK
0:19:53 > 0:19:56and bring a car from Japan and produce it in the UK.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58So we have a base business situation which is based
0:19:58 > 0:19:59on a set of circumstances.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02As those circumstances change, and we won't wait until the end
0:20:02 > 0:20:04of the process, we will continually review the decisions
0:20:04 > 0:20:06that we take based on anything that materially changes.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09So at the moment, we've got a set of circumstances that we're quite
0:20:09 > 0:20:12happy with and we've made our decision and we'll honour
0:20:12 > 0:20:13that decision and go forward.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15But if anything materially changes, then we'd review constantly.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17Now, motorists could be facing sizeable increases
0:20:17 > 0:20:18in their insurance premiums following changes brought
0:20:18 > 0:20:21in by the Government to personal injury compensation payments.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23Young drivers have been warned that their annual car premiums
0:20:23 > 0:20:25could rise by as much as ?1,000 a year.
0:20:25 > 0:20:35Drivers aged over 65 could be facing paying an extra ?300 a year.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38The compensation changes and the effect of them were raised
0:20:38 > 0:20:40at a session of the Transport Committee.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42Yesterday, the Justice Secretary announced a reduction in insurers
0:20:42 > 0:20:48discount rates on compensation from 2.5% to minus 0.7%.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50It's been reported that's going to have a very negative
0:20:50 > 0:20:52impact on young drivers.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55Can you tell us what that impact will be and what they can expect
0:20:55 > 0:20:56to pay in the future?
0:20:56 > 0:20:59Yes.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03So that change is affecting the cost of paying out a large claim and
0:21:03 > 0:21:06if you build a model of large claims cost,
0:21:06 > 0:21:09the single biggest factor that's driving the higher large claim,
0:21:09 > 0:21:14compared to other drivers, is age, and it's been widely reported by PwC
0:21:14 > 0:21:21that young drivers, 18 to 22, would expect an ?1,000 increase
0:21:21 > 0:21:24in their premium, just from a single stroke of the Lord Chancellor's
0:21:24 > 0:21:25pen.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27?1,000.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29So of the people paying ?4,000, you're saying that
0:21:29 > 0:21:30could go up to ?5,000?
0:21:30 > 0:21:32That was the estimate made by PwC.
0:21:32 > 0:21:33So, yes.
0:21:33 > 0:21:34Do you think that's acceptable?
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Isn't this going beyond the bounds of reasonableness?
0:21:36 > 0:21:39Can I take that?
0:21:39 > 0:21:41Yes, please, do.
0:21:41 > 0:21:47The Lord Chancellor's decision yesterday is absolute madness.
0:21:47 > 0:21:56As you have rightly pointed out, it will add significant cost
0:21:56 > 0:21:59to the cost of the young driver's car insurance premiums.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02As Simon's articulated, the PwC estimate was around ?1,000.
0:22:02 > 0:22:09It's really important that this group of MPs,
0:22:09 > 0:22:12and I would urge you to grasp this issue and make it very clear
0:22:12 > 0:22:15to the Lord Chancellor the significant impact that this
0:22:15 > 0:22:19is going to have on young drivers.
0:22:19 > 0:22:25You've got a petition of 180,000 people who indicated their concern
0:22:25 > 0:22:35at the cost of car insurance, I think all of the market estimates
0:22:40 > 0:22:42that have been put out over the last 24-hours, would indicate
0:22:42 > 0:22:44that the Lord Chancellor's decision yesterday is going
0:22:44 > 0:22:46to make car insurance for young drivers skyrocket.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48Now, we could possibly describe them as something
0:22:48 > 0:22:49of a Westminster dynasty.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52A member of the latest generation of the Hogg family, Charlotte Hogg,
0:22:52 > 0:22:55has just been appointed a Bank of England deputy governor.
0:22:55 > 0:22:56Her father was the former Agriculture Minister,
0:22:56 > 0:22:57Douglas Hogg, now Lord Hailsham.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59Her mother, Sarah Hogg, was a Downing Street
0:22:59 > 0:23:00adviser to John Major.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02And her grandfather, the previous Lord Hailsham,
0:23:02 > 0:23:05was Lord Chancellor.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07At the Commons Treasury Committee, Charlotte Hogg, who's an economist,
0:23:07 > 0:23:10was asked about her suitability to serve on the Bank of England's
0:23:10 > 0:23:17Monetary Policy Committee or MPC.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24Have you ever had a job which requires you to think
0:23:24 > 0:23:26through how the MPC is arriving at its decisions?
0:23:26 > 0:23:33Well, when you make, both in the credit card business
0:23:33 > 0:23:35and in the retail banking business, you're constantly making
0:23:35 > 0:23:36pricing decisions.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38What price shall we set on mortgages?
0:23:38 > 0:23:40what price should we set on credit cards?
0:23:40 > 0:23:41What's the right rate for our savings products?
0:23:41 > 0:23:44And all of those factor in a range of things,
0:23:44 > 0:23:47including what the interest rate is going to be and how we're going
0:23:47 > 0:23:57to fund ourselves as a bank as well.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01The reason that I ask that question, is it the majority of people
0:24:01 > 0:24:04who gravitate to the MPC job are people who have done that?
0:24:04 > 0:24:05That's right.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07And have been thinking professionally for a long time
0:24:07 > 0:24:09about that factors that go to make those decisions.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11You haven't got that experience?
0:24:11 > 0:24:14I don't and I think it's a plus because the MPC is made up,
0:24:14 > 0:24:16as we know, of nine people, all with independent votes,
0:24:16 > 0:24:20and everything one learns about decision-making,
0:24:20 > 0:24:23is you want a difference of views and a difference of experience
0:24:23 > 0:24:24coming into this decision...
0:24:24 > 0:24:26So we can look to you to break down groupthink?
0:24:26 > 0:24:29I think groupthink is not alive and well at the bank anyway,
0:24:29 > 0:24:32but I think it certainly helps to have a different set of cognitive
0:24:32 > 0:24:38experiences and a different set of careers serving the same
0:24:38 > 0:24:40objective and the same mission.
0:24:40 > 0:24:41Charlotte Hogg.
0:24:41 > 0:24:42Finally, it's been Shrove Tuesday.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44And, yes, the annual Pancake Race alongside the Palace of Westminster
0:24:45 > 0:24:51has been taking place.
0:24:51 > 0:24:55This year it was a keenly fought contest between MPs,
0:24:55 > 0:25:01peers and the Westminster press.
0:25:01 > 0:25:013-2-1
0:25:01 > 0:25:013-2-1 -
0:25:01 > 0:25:043-2-1 - GO!
0:25:04 > 0:25:10The race was a relay around 10 laps of part of Victoria Tower Gardens.
0:25:10 > 0:25:15It was all in aid of the disability charity, Rehab.
0:25:15 > 0:25:16And the winner was...
0:25:16 > 0:25:19I hope I get it right.
0:25:19 > 0:25:28..a decisive win for the MPs.
0:25:29 > 0:25:30CHEERING
0:25:30 > 0:25:32Naturally enough, there were scenes of wild delight
0:25:32 > 0:25:33at the finishing post.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36And, no, I'm not going to say that's the end of this flipping programme!
0:25:36 > 0:25:39But do join me again for our next daily round-up.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43Until then, from me, Keith Macdougall, goodbye.