:00:23. > :00:26.Coming up: As the Prime Minister urges her Cabinet to stop leaking,
:00:27. > :00:31.over his comments on public sector pay.
:00:32. > :00:33.Ministers are told a free child care scheme is full of holes
:00:34. > :00:38.And: calls on the government to do more over reports
:00:39. > :00:48.of the imminent execution of 14 men in Saudi Arabia.
:00:49. > :00:55.When will this government decide that it is time to publicly condemn
:00:56. > :00:59.these abuses of human rights? Our silence is deafening.
:01:00. > :01:03.Theresa May has told her Cabinet ministers to show "strength
:01:04. > :01:05.and unity" as she attempts to stem a series of leaks
:01:06. > :01:08.The Prime Minister said "open discussion" was important
:01:09. > :01:10.but it was vital for it to stay private.
:01:11. > :01:12.Newspaper reports over the weekend claimed
:01:13. > :01:17.that the Chancellor Philip Hammond had said in a Cabinet meeting that
:01:18. > :01:19.public sector workers were "overpaid".
:01:20. > :01:22.On the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Mr Hammond defended his stance,
:01:23. > :01:27.saying public sector pay had "raced ahead" of the private sector
:01:28. > :01:32.after the economic crash and while, in terms of salary, that gap had now
:01:33. > :01:34.closed, there was a 10% disparity when pension contributions
:01:35. > :01:44.The Shadow Chancellor raised the remarks at Treasury Questions.
:01:45. > :01:48.Does the secretary agree that it ill becomes a multimillionaire,
:01:49. > :01:53.earning ?145,000 a year, admittedly in a temporary job,
:01:54. > :01:58.and living in two grace and favour properties at taxpayers' expense
:01:59. > :02:02.to attack public sector workers, our hospital cleaners, nurses,
:02:03. > :02:06.teachers and firefighters, as being "overpaid"?
:02:07. > :02:10.Public sector workers' pay has fallen, on average,
:02:11. > :02:13.by ?4,000 in the first six years of this government.
:02:14. > :02:18.One in five NHS staff are forced to take a second job.
:02:19. > :02:22.Teachers are facing a further cut of ?3,000 in their salaries by 2020.
:02:23. > :02:25.Doesn't he think the Chancellor should just do the right
:02:26. > :02:31.Yet again the honourable gentleman is not giving the House the full
:02:32. > :02:36.picture of what is happening with public sector wages.
:02:37. > :02:40.Last year teachers' pay went up 3.3%.
:02:41. > :02:43.More than half of nurses and other NHS workers saw
:02:44. > :02:54.The armed services saw a pay rise of 2.4%.
:02:55. > :02:57.And the cleaner that he talked about was not employed
:02:58. > :02:59.by the public sector. They are employed by Serco.
:03:00. > :03:12.The government privatised their jobs.
:03:13. > :03:16.And I note, I note that the Chief Secretary did not refute the fact
:03:17. > :03:22.that the Chancellor said that the staff were overpaid.
:03:23. > :03:24.John McDonnell turned to the disparity
:03:25. > :03:28.between public and private sector pensions.
:03:29. > :03:30.Is she aware that the supposedly generous pensions across these
:03:31. > :03:32.professions pay on average the princely sum of
:03:33. > :03:38.And that low pay has lost many public sector workers to opt out
:03:39. > :03:49.11% of NHS staff have opted out of their pension scheme, a figure that,
:03:50. > :03:53.if it continues to rise will potentially undermine the whole
:03:54. > :03:56.scheme. Bobby Chief Secretary recognise the damage the Chancellor
:03:57. > :04:00.is causing and lift the pay cap so that public sector staff can have
:04:01. > :04:05.some hope of a fair wage settlement and a decent future pension? The
:04:06. > :04:10.onward gentleman hasn't acknowledged the truth of the figures that I have
:04:11. > :04:16.just talked about, the 3% rise for nurses over half of them, the
:04:17. > :04:22.teachers' rise of 3.3%. He simply won't look at the facts. The reality
:04:23. > :04:25.is that, at the moment, we have a situation where public sector
:04:26. > :04:29.workers are paid in line with the private sector, which is right, to
:04:30. > :04:34.allow the public sector and private sector to flourish, so be can create
:04:35. > :04:40.wealth in this country and, in addition, public sector workers have
:04:41. > :04:44.a 10% premium on their wages in pension contributions, and that is
:04:45. > :04:49.in the OBR report. The Treasury response today to the questions of
:04:50. > :04:54.the 1% pay cap are profoundly disappointing. This is the single
:04:55. > :04:58.biggest thing ensuring that inflation is eroding living
:04:59. > :05:02.standards. It is impoverishing workers and driving consumer debt.
:05:03. > :05:09.When will the Treasury at agree with the Foreign Secretary, that the time
:05:10. > :05:12.has come to end cap? I would point out to the honourable gentleman that
:05:13. > :05:18.in fact public sector workers like teachers have seen a 3% pay rise,
:05:19. > :05:23.nurses, many nurses get progression pay, those in the Armed Forces get
:05:24. > :05:27.an ex back to supplement which is worth 2.4% a year. And their
:05:28. > :05:30.salaries are in line with private sector salaries. What would be wrong
:05:31. > :05:33.is to have a significant differential between the public and
:05:34. > :05:38.private sectors, because we need businesses to thrive at the same
:05:39. > :05:40.tame as needing well funded public services.
:05:41. > :05:43.Parents in England could be missing out on government help
:05:44. > :05:50.with childcare costs because the application
:05:51. > :05:52.scheme is over-complicated and "full of holes",
:05:53. > :05:55.Latest figures show childcare costs are rising rapidly.
:05:56. > :06:02.A part-time nursery place for one pre-school child costs on average
:06:03. > :06:07.?6,000 a year, and in London the average
:06:08. > :06:10.Working parents who employ nannies face much higher costs.
:06:11. > :06:12.The Government scheme provides parents with, in effect,
:06:13. > :06:16.30 hours of free childcare a week from September.
:06:17. > :06:20.Parents whose applications are successful receive
:06:21. > :06:23.a 30 hours eligibility code to take to their provider
:06:24. > :06:26.As of today, over 145,000 codes have been generated
:06:27. > :06:31.Increasing numbers of parents are successfully applying.
:06:32. > :06:32.It's great news that so many families will
:06:33. > :06:41.Of course, as we seen from our early implementer and early roll-out
:06:42. > :06:45.areas, this support can make a real positive
:06:46. > :06:51.Let's face it, as some may be reading in their end of year report
:06:52. > :06:53.due this week, good effort, but just not good enough.
:06:54. > :06:55.The process for applying for free childcare is
:06:56. > :06:59.confusing for both parents and nurseries.
:07:00. > :07:01.As members in this House will attest, setting up
:07:02. > :07:03.two-factor authentication on our phones was difficult
:07:04. > :07:06.enough and we have a well resourced IT department.
:07:07. > :07:09.Who is helping the parents at home who are
:07:10. > :07:11.juggling this with jobs and caring for their young children?
:07:12. > :07:16.As a result, parents haven't been able to
:07:17. > :07:19.open accounts to pay for the nursery care or preschool and even some
:07:20. > :07:24.providers, particularly in the voluntary sector, cannot register.
:07:25. > :07:28.What a shame it is that when we could be weeks away from a great
:07:29. > :07:31.breakthrough for providers, parents and most importantly children,
:07:32. > :07:34.we are instead discussing a policy that is riddled with holes.
:07:35. > :07:37.And, my word, are there are questions to answer?
:07:38. > :07:41.Just yesterday the Minister's colleagues in the Treasury admitted
:07:42. > :07:45.in response to one of my written questions that it is not possible
:07:46. > :07:47.to provide a definitive number of applications not completed
:07:48. > :07:53.Could the Minister give us his estimate of just how
:07:54. > :07:57.many parents suffered these technical issues?
:07:58. > :08:02.What steps are being put in place to fix
:08:03. > :08:05.the system, and what guarantees can he make to parents that,
:08:06. > :08:08.as the August deadline approaches, the system will work for them?
:08:09. > :08:11.I have to say, she is very much a glass half full person.
:08:12. > :08:15.Yesterday morning, I was in the city of York meeting with
:08:16. > :08:17.providers and parents who were benefiting,
:08:18. > :08:22.I heard from people who said, this is a great offer.
:08:23. > :08:25.It means that no longer do I have to pass my
:08:26. > :08:29.husband in the hallway as I go out to my evening job as he comes in
:08:30. > :08:32.We have ironed out the glitches in the software.
:08:33. > :08:47.People are registering. We are on track for 200,000.
:08:48. > :08:49.Given the amount of my time that was taken
:08:50. > :08:51.and the amount of time that my
:08:52. > :08:53.constituent had to give up, and indeed the technical support people
:08:54. > :08:56.from his department, all as a consequence of the fact
:08:57. > :08:58.that she had an apostrophe in her name, can he
:08:59. > :09:01.speculate as to why on earth we weren't told that there
:09:02. > :09:04.Certainly, I have made that clear, today.
:09:05. > :09:09.There have been a number of outages, some of which were to fix
:09:10. > :09:11.some of the issues that my Right Honourable Friend
:09:12. > :09:16.recent one was due to a power supply issue
:09:17. > :09:21.That has now been fixed and the system is up
:09:22. > :09:35.MPs will hold an emergency debate on proposals to increase tuition fees
:09:36. > :09:38.in England. The Speaker, John Bercow, agree to a request from the
:09:39. > :09:41.Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner. The three-hour debate will
:09:42. > :09:47.take place after Prime Minister's Questions. Angela Rayner said time
:09:48. > :09:50.had been set aside on the 18th of April. But then, Mr Speaker, the
:09:51. > :09:55.Prime Minister announced her plans to go to the country in an early
:09:56. > :10:01.general election. That meant the debate was cancelled. Audley, Mr
:10:02. > :10:05.Speaker, they have been determined not to grant the House about since
:10:06. > :10:11.that election, and it was the First Secretary of State who called only
:10:12. > :10:16.two weeks ago for a national debate on tuition fees and student debt,
:10:17. > :10:19.but apparently that national debate will not include this House. Both
:10:20. > :10:23.universities and thousands of students across the country are now
:10:24. > :10:29.uncertain about the rate of tuition fees that can be charged with
:10:30. > :10:35.neither government or opposition time being provided, we have no
:10:36. > :10:41.choice but to use standing order 24. So, Mr Speaker, 109 days since it
:10:42. > :10:44.was first promised by ministers, I ask leave the House for an emergency
:10:45. > :10:50.debate on their plans to raise tuition fees. The Speaker accented
:10:51. > :10:56.that argument. I have listened carefully to the application from
:10:57. > :10:59.the honourable member. I am satisfied that the matter raised by
:11:00. > :11:06.the honourable member is proper to be discussed under standing order
:11:07. > :11:14.number 24. As the honourable member the leave of the House? -- has the
:11:15. > :11:21.honourable member. The honourable member has obtained believe of the
:11:22. > :11:25.House. MPs on the opposition side showing their support for Angela
:11:26. > :11:29.Rayner's motion for an emergency debate, but a second motion from Lib
:11:30. > :11:36.Dem leader Tim Farron was unsuccessful. He wanted MPs to
:11:37. > :11:39.discuss unaccompanied child refugees. He explained why. I feel
:11:40. > :11:43.strongly that this issue must be debated before the House rises for
:11:44. > :11:47.the summer recess. The summer months mean that more troops are being made
:11:48. > :11:53.to Europe by migrants on unsuitable votes and I feel that all over again
:11:54. > :11:57.we are likely to see an increase in the news about people drowning,
:11:58. > :12:01.attempting desperately to reach safety. Put bluntly, by the time
:12:02. > :12:06.October comes around there will be many more children alone and sadly
:12:07. > :12:10.orphaned lending a hand to mouth existence in continental Europe. We
:12:11. > :12:14.must examine our consciences. The government made an unambitious
:12:15. > :12:17.commitment that had to be dragged out of it, it then cancelled that
:12:18. > :12:23.agreement before even managing to meet half of those terms. I ask this
:12:24. > :12:28.House to take the opportunity to address this outrage and to help
:12:29. > :12:33.those desperate children. The right onward gentleman asks leave to grant
:12:34. > :12:37.the debate on a specific and important matter that should have
:12:38. > :12:39.important consideration, namely accepting unaccompanied child
:12:40. > :12:44.refugees into the UK. I have listened carefully to the
:12:45. > :12:47.application and I am not persuaded that this matter is proper to be
:12:48. > :12:52.discussed under standing order number 24. John Bercow said that it
:12:53. > :12:56.was open to Tim Farron to raise the issue in other ways, saying that he
:12:57. > :12:57.could ask an urgent question and bring the matter to the Chamber,
:12:58. > :12:59.that way. You're watching Tuesday
:13:00. > :13:01.in Parliament with me, Photographers and film-makers
:13:02. > :13:05.love them, but, to many in the airline
:13:06. > :13:08.industry, they are a modern menace. Airborne drones can have all sort
:13:09. > :13:10.of uses, but there is increasing concern about their potential
:13:11. > :13:16.danger to aircraft. There was disruption at
:13:17. > :13:18.Gatwick Airport earlier this summer when a drone was spotted
:13:19. > :13:22.flying too close. It led to a runway being closed
:13:23. > :13:26.and five flights being diverted. The incident prompted
:13:27. > :13:29.a Conservative MP to call a debate in Westminster Hall,
:13:30. > :13:32.although he stressed There has been enormous growth
:13:33. > :13:36.in the ownership of drones. 530,000, so I understand,
:13:37. > :13:40.were bought in 2014 alone, and of course the vast majority
:13:41. > :13:43.are for leisure use. When used responsibly,
:13:44. > :13:46.they're a great asset. They encourage interest
:13:47. > :13:49.in aviation and aerodynamics, But there is also responsible
:13:50. > :13:53.or downright dangerous use, which poses a risk to
:13:54. > :13:56.aircraft and passengers. The key is to have regulation
:13:57. > :14:00.and enforcement which protects what is becoming an important
:14:01. > :14:06.sector of the economy. Laws are already in place
:14:07. > :14:09.governing the use of drones. They must not put people
:14:10. > :14:12.or property in danger, and the person controlling one must
:14:13. > :14:16.be able to see it at all times. Jeremy Lefroy suggested
:14:17. > :14:19.an additional rule - compulsory registration
:14:20. > :14:23.so that owners could be traced. There is a story -
:14:24. > :14:26.perhaps apocryphal, perhaps not - that quite recently a drone
:14:27. > :14:31.was flown into the Shard in London, and the only way people found
:14:32. > :14:34.out who owned the drone was when the owner went
:14:35. > :14:36.to try to retrieve it which sounds to me a slight
:14:37. > :14:41.example of chutzpah. The minister said it was an emerging
:14:42. > :14:43.technology with potential benefits. It is a growing market and offers
:14:44. > :14:49.the UK opportunities, An example of positive ways
:14:50. > :14:54.in which drones could be used was well illustrated when,
:14:55. > :15:01.as many here will know, the firefighters at Grenfell Tower
:15:02. > :15:04.used drones after the incident to inspect some of the top floors,
:15:05. > :15:08.when these were deemed too unsafe Shakespeare said in Henry V, all
:15:09. > :15:19.things are ready if our mind be so, and our mind is ready
:15:20. > :15:26.to take further action. And Tennyson, the great
:15:27. > :15:31.Lincolnshire poet, said, dream not that the hour
:15:32. > :15:36.that was will last, and by that he meant
:15:37. > :15:38.that there is a period of time when you need to act,
:15:39. > :15:41.you shouldn't dream that this So, notwithstanding my sunny
:15:42. > :15:52.disposition, my eternal summer, it is important that we do act
:15:53. > :15:59.swiftly, proportionately, Last week the Government set
:16:00. > :16:07.out its strategy on drugs, specifically targeting psychoactive
:16:08. > :16:13.substances to cut illicit drug use. Fewer than a tenth of adults
:16:14. > :16:16.in England and Wales now take drugs, according to the Home Office,
:16:17. > :16:19.but drug-related deaths In the Commons, MPs held
:16:20. > :16:24.a general debate on the issue. One of the most pressing questions
:16:25. > :16:29.was decriminalisation. I do very much accept that there
:16:30. > :16:32.are some members of this house, and some people in our country,
:16:33. > :16:35.that think what we should be doing because we are evidence-based
:16:36. > :16:43.policy makers. All the evidence shows
:16:44. > :16:47.of the awful harms of the drugs that we ban and restrict,
:16:48. > :16:52.and it's our job, it's our primary job to keep people safe,
:16:53. > :16:57.and the way to keep people safe is to prevent them from taking
:16:58. > :17:02.drugs in the first place. I note the point about
:17:03. > :17:07."evidence-based", but it's clear on the evidence that the most
:17:08. > :17:10.dangerous drug in terms of harm is alcohol, so could she explain
:17:11. > :17:14.the different approach that the Government
:17:15. > :17:16.takes to alcohol, the most dangerous drug,
:17:17. > :17:19.and, for example, cannabis? I wouldn't agree with the honourable
:17:20. > :17:26.gentleman that, you know, If you look at the substances
:17:27. > :17:34.which we are restricting... Of course, there are those people
:17:35. > :17:40.who take alcohol to such a harmful degree that it is devastating
:17:41. > :17:43.for them, and it is devastating to their family members
:17:44. > :17:46.and to the wider community. as we do in the Modern Crime
:17:47. > :17:51.Prevention Strategy, that misuse of alcohol does have
:17:52. > :17:56.very dramatically harmful effects, but, actually, alcohol taken
:17:57. > :18:05.in moderation is not a harmful drug. The Government's recognition
:18:06. > :18:06.of evidence-based treatment in recovery and harm reduction
:18:07. > :18:09.is welcome, but what stakeholders want to know, and what families
:18:10. > :18:14.and communities suffering from drug abuse up and down the country want
:18:15. > :18:18.to know, is whether this strategy isn't just old methods
:18:19. > :18:23.in a shinier package. We frequently use the term "war
:18:24. > :18:27.on drugs", so I ask the minister, how exactly do we expect to win
:18:28. > :18:33.a war with reduced forces We desperately need a new approach,
:18:34. > :18:40.a completely different strategy, and whilst I welcome the emphasis
:18:41. > :18:44.that the Government strategy puts on improving treatment
:18:45. > :18:46.and recovery for users, the strategy rehearses
:18:47. > :18:49.the same failed arguments for prohibition and criminalisation
:18:50. > :18:53.which have patently failed. The measure of that failure is
:18:54. > :18:56.spelt out in the strategy itself, which tells us that in England
:18:57. > :19:00.and Wales the number of deaths from drug misuse registered in 2015
:19:01. > :19:06.increased by 10.3% to 2,479, and this follows an increase
:19:07. > :19:09.of 14.9% in the previous year In 1971, we had fewer
:19:10. > :19:19.than 1,000 addicts to heroin and cocaine in this country,
:19:20. > :19:23.and virtually no deaths, because they were receiving their
:19:24. > :19:27.heroin from the Health Service. After 46 years of the harshest
:19:28. > :19:33.prohibition in Europe, Isn't it true that prohibition
:19:34. > :19:41.creates the drug take, creates the gangsters
:19:42. > :19:47.and creates the deaths? I'm extremely grateful
:19:48. > :19:49.to the honourable gentleman. I know that he has a long history
:19:50. > :19:53.of campaigning on this subject, which I respect, but I'm afraid
:19:54. > :19:57.I must disagree with him, because a lot...a very great deal
:19:58. > :20:02.has changed since 1971. We have criminal gangs
:20:03. > :20:08.from all over the world coming to the United Kingdom
:20:09. > :20:11.because we have a high population, and we are much more densely
:20:12. > :20:15.populated than other countries, and they come to this
:20:16. > :20:18.country to sell drugs. I am sure there are colleagues
:20:19. > :20:23.that would like, sometimes, to turn the clock back to 1971 -
:20:24. > :20:27.I don't think we can. The former barrister
:20:28. > :20:30.Victoria Atkins. Over in the Lords, the Government's
:20:31. > :20:33.been urged to use the depth of the UK's relationship
:20:34. > :20:36.with Saudi Arabia to do more than just condemn the country
:20:37. > :20:41.over its use of the death penalty. Ministers say they're seeking
:20:42. > :20:44.clarity over reports that 14 men, including two juveniles,
:20:45. > :20:46.could be facing execution for attending protests in eastern
:20:47. > :20:53.Saudi Arabia in 2012. My Lords, we have a close
:20:54. > :20:55.relationship with Saudi Arabia. Could the minister now
:20:56. > :20:58.explain what they are doing We have a precedence in the past,
:20:59. > :21:05.when David Cameron, as Prime Minister, personally
:21:06. > :21:10.intervened to stop the execution The Minister said the Government
:21:11. > :21:15.was urgently seeking clarification over the situation from
:21:16. > :21:16.the Saudi leadership, The week the Foreign Secretary
:21:17. > :21:24.visited Saudi Arabia, eight people were executed
:21:25. > :21:28.on one day - beheaded. Now, when will this Government
:21:29. > :21:33.actually decide that it's time to publicly condemn these abuses
:21:34. > :21:38.of human rights? It is known domestically
:21:39. > :21:45.within the United Kingdom. We do exhort Saudi Arabia to
:21:46. > :21:54.have respect for human rights. The threat to stability
:21:55. > :21:56.is extremism. The ultimate battle
:21:57. > :22:03.against extremism is one How can this sordid,
:22:04. > :22:12.uncivilised behaviour possibly help The minister said it was
:22:13. > :22:18.a question of balance - the UK condemned human rights abuses
:22:19. > :22:22.and the use of the death penalty, but there were other areas
:22:23. > :22:26.where it was better to have a dialogue, and she had backing
:22:27. > :22:29.from a Conservative colleague. Should we not just have a thought
:22:30. > :22:32.to what the implosion of Saudi Arabia would mean to
:22:33. > :22:37.world peace and stability? We only have to take
:22:38. > :22:40.the example of Syria and Iraq I thank my noble friend, I think,
:22:41. > :22:48.for a very helpful observation, because it is indeed the case that
:22:49. > :22:52.Saudi Arabia is in a position to influence, is in a position
:22:53. > :22:58.to assist with stability in the Gulf area, and is in a position to help
:22:59. > :23:01.in the fight against Daesh. Surely the depth of our relationship
:23:02. > :23:06.with Saudi Arabia in trade, in finance, in the presence of many
:23:07. > :23:10.Saudi Arabians in this country, the long-standing way
:23:11. > :23:14.in which we have been together through war and peace, would
:23:15. > :23:17.indicate that we have the options for significantly more leveraged
:23:18. > :23:21.than mere condemnation. And I wonder what other measures
:23:22. > :23:24.the Government is taking which involve action
:23:25. > :23:28.as well as condemnation, At the end of the day,
:23:29. > :23:33.Saudi Arabia is a sovereign state, and it is not possible for us
:23:34. > :23:37.to interfere either with its judicial system
:23:38. > :23:38.or its constitutional approach our profound disapproval
:23:39. > :23:45.and our profound opposition to abuses of human rights
:23:46. > :23:52.and deployment of the death penalty. Finally, the 2017 intake of MPs
:23:53. > :23:56.are continuing to make their first The new MP for Slough said he felt
:23:57. > :24:03.the weight of expectation on his shoulders as the first
:24:04. > :24:09.turban-wearing Sikh in the Commons. Slough, Mr Speaker,
:24:10. > :24:12.is a town of firsts. It elected the UK's
:24:13. > :24:18.first-ever black lady mayor, and now, more than three decades
:24:19. > :24:21.later, it has elected the first-ever turbaned Sikh in
:24:22. > :24:25.the British Parliament. Indeed, I believe the first-ever
:24:26. > :24:32.to any European Parliament. A glass ceiling has truly been
:24:33. > :24:38.broken, and I sincerely hope that many more like me will follow
:24:39. > :24:44.in the years and decades to come. I was most overwhelmed
:24:45. > :24:47.during a recent trip up north, when an elderly gentleman walked up
:24:48. > :24:52.to me with tears streaming down his eyes and said, I'm proud,
:24:53. > :24:59.son, because I didn't think that But, he said, being distinctive
:25:00. > :25:06.could have advantages. I for one, Mr Speaker,
:25:07. > :25:10.and very much hoping that these brightly-coloured turbans
:25:11. > :25:15.will act as a magnet, as you repeatedly point
:25:16. > :25:17.towards the member for Slough to make his invaluable contribution
:25:18. > :25:24.to proceedings in this House. The new MP for Slough
:25:25. > :25:26.making his first speech Do join me at the same time
:25:27. > :25:32.tomorrow, when, among other things, we'll have highlights from
:25:33. > :25:37.the last Prime Minister's Questions But, for now, from me,
:25:38. > :25:44.Alicia McCarthy, goodbye.