0:00:16 > 0:00:19Hello, and welcome to Tuesday In Parliament,
0:00:19 > 0:00:22our look at the best of the day in the Commons and the Lords.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25Coming up: The Government is to review the maximum stake
0:00:25 > 0:00:27for fixed-odds betting terminals.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29It could be reduced to £2.
0:00:29 > 0:00:39MPs hear the terrible toll of gambling.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42450,000 children who gamble at least once a week.
0:00:42 > 0:00:43Otherwise it was an especially hectic day
0:00:43 > 0:00:45on the committee corridor.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47I have reports from five committees for you, including
0:00:47 > 0:00:48International Development, where witnesses described
0:00:48 > 0:00:50the horrors of Hurricane Irma.
0:00:50 > 0:00:56But among the misery, one uplifting moment.
0:00:56 > 0:01:01Even though we lost the roof of our prison, I believe our prisoners sat
0:01:01 > 0:01:03tight and waited for it to be put back on.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05But first, the maximum stake for a fixed-odds betting terminal
0:01:05 > 0:01:08could drop to as little as £2 under a government review.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11Currently, people can bet up to £100 every 20 seconds
0:01:11 > 0:01:14on electronic casino games, FOBT machines, as they're known.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16But ministers are considering a new limit of somewhere
0:01:16 > 0:01:18between £2 and £50.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22The idea is to reduce the risk of people suffering big losses
0:01:22 > 0:01:27and to tighten up advertising rules.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29But Labour's spokesman declared that the announcement was a victory
0:01:29 > 0:01:30for the gambling industry.
0:01:30 > 0:01:37He set out the scale of the problem.
0:01:37 > 0:01:44430,000 people addicted to gambling. Up one third in three years. A
0:01:44 > 0:01:50further 2 million problem gamblers at risk of developing an addiction.
0:01:50 > 0:01:56£1.8 billion lost on FOBTs each year. An increase of 79% over the
0:01:56 > 0:02:02last eight years. The gambling industry who have the amount they
0:02:02 > 0:02:10win in debts increasing by billions of pounds and yet they only paid £10
0:02:10 > 0:02:14million for education and treatment services on a voluntary levy this
0:02:14 > 0:02:25year. Worst of all, 450,000 children who gamble at least once a week.I
0:02:25 > 0:02:29appreciate his concerns about the fact that this is a consultation,
0:02:29 > 0:02:35but it is clearly the fact that the Labour government in 2005 rushed
0:02:35 > 0:02:38through the gambling act, without paying proper focus on the issue of
0:02:38 > 0:02:44these machines that have led to the proliferations of these machines.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48These machines didn't exist in 1997 when the Labour Party came into
0:02:48 > 0:02:52power. It is this government who has recognised the harm that is being
0:02:52 > 0:02:58caused and is taking action on this issue. There is a consultation, it
0:02:58 > 0:03:03is due process and I expect people to contribute to that process.By
0:03:03 > 0:03:06announcing yet another consultation we are attentive to keep this
0:03:06 > 0:03:11further into the long grass. The move to cut the maximum stake, while
0:03:11 > 0:03:18welcome, doesn't go far enough. In Scotland £4 billion is spent every
0:03:18 > 0:03:21year on 2000 gaming machines and this is at a time when more people
0:03:21 > 0:03:28are being identified as being problem more at risk gamblers.
0:03:28 > 0:03:33Action is needed now and if this parliament is unwilling to act, then
0:03:33 > 0:03:38the Scottish parliament is. Will the Minister start today the process of
0:03:38 > 0:03:46devolving all gambling powers to the Scottish Parliament.Mr Speaker, we
0:03:46 > 0:03:49have already devolved a number of powers to the Scottish Parliament
0:03:49 > 0:03:54and they haven't yet taken up those powers.The gambling commission over
0:03:54 > 0:03:56the summer published a report into problem gambling and found the
0:03:56 > 0:04:01highest levels were in spread betting, then through betting on a
0:04:01 > 0:04:05betting exchange, then through playing poker in pubs or clubs, then
0:04:05 > 0:04:08betting online on events other than sports all horse racing greyhound
0:04:08 > 0:04:12racing and only then followed by playing gaming machines and
0:04:12 > 0:04:17bookmakers. Given that the much higher levels of problem gambling
0:04:17 > 0:04:22all come with unlimited stakes and unlimited potential winnings, if the
0:04:22 > 0:04:25government is so focused on evidence why is it focusing so much betting
0:04:25 > 0:04:28machines and bookmakers or is it just playing to the gallery as most
0:04:28 > 0:04:32of us know it is really all about? Would my honourable friend agree
0:04:32 > 0:04:37with me that bookmakers do actually provide considerable employment,
0:04:37 > 0:04:44they contribute to the economy, and for the vast majority of gamblers a
0:04:44 > 0:04:50bit of enjoyment and light fun and we should not forget that.The scale
0:04:50 > 0:04:53of harm being inflicted by these appalling machines in my area
0:04:53 > 0:04:58prompted Newham Council to lead calls for a £2 maximum stake. We
0:04:58 > 0:05:02have heard fears today that if that happens a number of betting shops
0:05:02 > 0:05:06could be almost halved across the country but could I reassure my
0:05:06 > 0:05:10minister that if the number of betting shops in East Ham high
0:05:10 > 0:05:14Street was halved there was still be too many of them. Can we still
0:05:14 > 0:05:24introduce this £2
0:05:31 > 0:05:33maximum stake as quickly as possible.It was a mistake to
0:05:33 > 0:05:35introduce these machines to the high Street in my view, a complete
0:05:35 > 0:05:38mistake. It is not just a reduction in stake, could she say a bit more
0:05:38 > 0:05:40about the proliferation of betting shops across our country and our
0:05:40 > 0:05:42high streets?The issue proliferation of bookmakers in our
0:05:42 > 0:05:45high streets is one of those we looked at in the call for evidence
0:05:45 > 0:05:47and we conclude that the local authorities have the powers to
0:05:47 > 0:05:50address this issue. I think when we take the whole thing, the whole
0:05:50 > 0:05:53package of measures, I am sure that there is something that will be a
0:05:53 > 0:05:59reduction in if the stakes are reduced significantly in the future.
0:05:59 > 0:06:04This goes way beyond addicted gamblers and affects children
0:06:04 > 0:06:08desperately. Can I implore the Minister to suggest that a reduction
0:06:08 > 0:06:14of £50 will not resolve the issue for those?I am grateful for my
0:06:14 > 0:06:17honourable friend 's comments and it is clear that actually we have
0:06:17 > 0:06:20listened to all the public concerns about the risk of high-stakes
0:06:20 > 0:06:24gambling which is why we have published this overall package of
0:06:24 > 0:06:29gambling measures today. I would like others to make their views
0:06:29 > 0:06:31known as part of the consultation.
0:06:31 > 0:06:32The minister, Tracey Crouch.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35Now, was Britain's rescue effort good enough when a succession
0:06:35 > 0:06:36of hurricanes struck the Caribbean?
0:06:36 > 0:06:38At the start of September, Hurricane Irma battered several
0:06:38 > 0:06:39small island states.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43It was said to be the most powerful Atlantic storm in a decade,
0:06:43 > 0:06:45recording winds of 180 miles an hour.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47It caused a trail of destruction, with many islanders made
0:06:47 > 0:06:50homeless and thousands left without power for days.
0:06:50 > 0:06:56The lessons of Hurricane Irma are now being examined
0:06:56 > 0:06:58by a committee of MPs.
0:06:58 > 0:06:59Representatives from Britain's Caribbean territories
0:06:59 > 0:07:03spoke about the destruction.
0:07:03 > 0:07:08We were engulfed by the eye of the storm which was some 23 miles in
0:07:08 > 0:07:16width. The island being a mere 3.5 miles in width. As a consequence we
0:07:16 > 0:07:20suffered a fatality, very sadly, and a great deal of injury. It was a
0:07:20 > 0:07:26huge strain on the 32 bed hospital, bearing in mind that our population
0:07:26 > 0:07:37is some 17,000 permanent people.The islands post Irma assessment report
0:07:37 > 0:07:42said that the island suffered nearly 80% damage to its buildings across
0:07:42 > 0:07:45the entire chain of islands. Approximately 400 homes were
0:07:45 > 0:07:50completely destroyed and there was a need to shelter approximately 1000
0:07:50 > 0:07:55persons before both Harry Kane 's Irma and another hurricane.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57Neighbouring islands
0:07:57 > 0:08:03experienced widespread looting.
0:08:03 > 0:08:09Social distressed and armed looting did kick-off. There was no
0:08:09 > 0:08:13lawlessness at all, even though we did lose the roof of our prison. I
0:08:13 > 0:08:17believe our prisoners sat tight and waited for it to get put back on.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21A journalist who'd been to the area, summed up the mood of the residents.
0:08:21 > 0:08:28They felt that, I think there was an issue of contrast. One person used
0:08:28 > 0:08:32the phrase third class citizens, if you like, third class citizens,
0:08:32 > 0:08:38because seeing the contrast with the French and the Dutch. That feeling
0:08:38 > 0:08:45did persist, yes. It took a week for the first aid plane to land, and
0:08:45 > 0:08:53that was the one the Foreign Secretary went on, and that brought
0:08:53 > 0:08:59more millenary personnel but not much more aid, I understand. --
0:08:59 > 0:09:02military personnel. The power was out for a long time, much longer
0:09:02 > 0:09:05than it was represented to be and that was a source of anguish and
0:09:05 > 0:09:07communications were very difficult.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09Her colleague described what had been found
0:09:09 > 0:09:12by a journalist who was observing the military efforts.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16She wrote a summary that said from the few conversations I was able to
0:09:16 > 0:09:20help with local people it appeared that while shifting boxes of aid
0:09:20 > 0:09:24from the backs of trucks and planes made good pictures for PR purposes
0:09:24 > 0:09:28but they were not the resources required at the time. The main issue
0:09:28 > 0:09:34faced by Leland 's was the lack of power, communications and transport.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38The box of aid was regarded as a drop in the ocean and all in all it
0:09:38 > 0:09:41seems that the most positive thing to come out British efforts in the
0:09:41 > 0:09:47region was to have a presence the streets. In the eyes of the island
0:09:47 > 0:09:50is this appeared to be the bulk of the British contribution.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54A military chief defended the British rescue effort.
0:09:54 > 0:10:00We had the military moving ahead of the Cobra meetings, based on our own
0:10:00 > 0:10:05appreciation of the situation as it was unfolding, so even though our
0:10:05 > 0:10:11forces were at 48 hours notice to move, the Marines were at Aria Brize
0:10:11 > 0:10:17Norton within eight hours on the first night. Three left on that
0:10:17 > 0:10:22Friday, aircraft. They all moved very quickly against the 48-hour
0:10:22 > 0:10:29timeline. That is the speed with which we responded.Going back to
0:10:29 > 0:10:32the lessons, I think a key lesson is that we are concluding this from the
0:10:32 > 0:10:36process of preparing for this hearing, is that we lost the media
0:10:36 > 0:10:43war. When we have looked at all of the objective indicators we have a
0:10:43 > 0:10:47military assessment there from the US. We have looked at the amount of
0:10:47 > 0:10:51aid in terms of tonnage and money spent by other partners on
0:10:51 > 0:10:56neighbouring islands. The UK responds far exceeds what other
0:10:56 > 0:10:57countries have done.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59Richard Montgomery.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01You're watching Tuesday in Parliament, with me, Mandy Baker.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03If you want to catch up with all the news
0:11:03 > 0:11:06from Westminster on the go, don't forget our sister programme
0:11:06 > 0:11:09Today in Parliament is available as a download via the BBC Radio 4
0:11:09 > 0:11:12Website.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15The Brexit Secretary David Davis is a busy man.
0:11:15 > 0:11:21Not only is he negotiating the UK's withdrawal from the European Union,
0:11:21 > 0:11:24but he's regularly appearing before Parliamentary committees.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27Last week it was the Commons Brexit Committee, this week, The Lords'.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30He was asked whether the UK or the EU would benefit
0:11:30 > 0:11:34most from an agreement.
0:11:34 > 0:11:39The withdrawal or agreement on balance would probably favour the
0:11:39 > 0:11:48union in terms of things like money and so on, where as the future
0:11:48 > 0:11:52relationship will favour both sides and will be important to both of us
0:11:52 > 0:11:57and, of course, in Article 50, as you know, it says taking into
0:11:57 > 0:12:01account the ongoing relationship. Well, it seems to us you cannot take
0:12:01 > 0:12:05something into account until it exists, you know. So we see those
0:12:05 > 0:12:10things separately.What does no deal mean in practice? What will be the
0:12:10 > 0:12:14consequences for the United Kingdom if there were to be no deal under
0:12:14 > 0:12:21Article 50? Following on from that, all at what point in the
0:12:21 > 0:12:26negotiations, if all goes well, will you be able to confirm that no deal
0:12:26 > 0:12:32is no longer an option?Well, the first thing to say is that right at
0:12:32 > 0:12:38the beginning no deal is not what we are seeking. I may sound like a
0:12:38 > 0:12:41cracked record on this but unfortunately every time we do not
0:12:41 > 0:12:45say people assume that somehow you want no deal. I am not one of those
0:12:45 > 0:12:51people who think that no deal is the best deal. I think that is to be
0:12:51 > 0:12:58plain from the beginning. In terms of answering the end of your
0:12:58 > 0:13:03question, because we are, precisely because we are seeking a good deal,
0:13:03 > 0:13:07a deep and special partnership, to use the words of the Prime Minister,
0:13:07 > 0:13:11we will be trying to do that right to the end so that I would expect.
0:13:11 > 0:13:23That is where I think the answer is. Now, in terms of what does no deal
0:13:23 > 0:13:27con cyst of? Well, firstly I think no deal is improbable but if we end
0:13:27 > 0:13:35up with no deal, in my mind that tends to mean no free trade deal,
0:13:35 > 0:13:39and no customs arrangements go with that. That is the primary thing you
0:13:39 > 0:13:43lose. What I don't think is that we will end up with a circumstance
0:13:43 > 0:13:50where there is no agreement over a number of fairly fundamental issues,
0:13:50 > 0:13:54I do know, take aviation for one. I think whatever happens we will have
0:13:54 > 0:13:59some sort of basic deal, so my view of no deal is when there is a basic
0:13:59 > 0:14:07deal without the bits we really want. The reason I say that is that
0:14:07 > 0:14:12it is so painterly in everybody's interest that we have, let's say, an
0:14:12 > 0:14:16aviation deal, not just for us, not just for our holiday-makers but what
0:14:16 > 0:14:20would it give the economy of Spain or Italy or the countries that have
0:14:20 > 0:14:24heavily dependent regions on tourism? Formally do to Poland if
0:14:24 > 0:14:27the million polls in Europe could not go backwards and forwards
0:14:27 > 0:14:35between them? I think what is commonly of as no deal is almost,
0:14:35 > 0:14:38not impossible, but very, very, very improbable.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41David Davis.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43The household appliance manufacturer Whirlpool has told MPs that
0:14:43 > 0:14:46a million faulty tumble dryers could still be in use.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48The firm started on a repair programme after discovering
0:14:48 > 0:14:50a fault in 2015.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52In August 2016, a tumble dryer awaiting repairs caused a fire
0:14:52 > 0:14:55in a tower block in west London.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58The Business Committee asked safety experts if the firm should have
0:14:58 > 0:15:07replaced the machines instead.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11In 2015 the decision to initiate a repair programme on tumble dryers,
0:15:11 > 0:15:16which was agreed by Peterborough Trading Standards, rather than a
0:15:16 > 0:15:25full product recall, was this the right decision, and if not, why not,
0:15:25 > 0:15:32and how does the system work? Who decides whether a recall or a repair
0:15:32 > 0:15:40programme is necessary?It wasn't the right decision and we are very
0:15:40 > 0:15:43frustrated that Whirlpool continued to refuse to do a full recall.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45Safety issues came to light in 2014, prompting Whirlpool to start
0:15:45 > 0:15:49a repair programme.
0:15:49 > 0:15:56Our concern is that by 2016, 750 fires had been reportedly linked to
0:15:56 > 0:16:00these tumble dryers, and of course in August of that year, you had the
0:16:00 > 0:16:06Shepherd's Bush fire, where a tower block burned down and tragically...
0:16:06 > 0:16:10Well, it left 50 people unable to return to their homes. Throughout
0:16:10 > 0:16:14that process we consistently saw Whirlpool docking its
0:16:14 > 0:16:16responsibilities to customers.
0:16:16 > 0:16:21He criticised Whirlpool's advice to consumers.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24Where they were saying it was effectively still safe to use those
0:16:24 > 0:16:27machines was concerning as well, and following the Shepherd's Bush fire
0:16:27 > 0:16:36they didn't change that advice until a judicial review by Peterborough
0:16:36 > 0:16:38Trading Standards, and our advice has been changed and people are
0:16:38 > 0:16:42being advised not to use those machines. So there's a whole range
0:16:42 > 0:16:45of things Whirlpool have failed to do. The critical one is they have
0:16:45 > 0:16:50failed to recall these machines.In quite an unprecedented move, wrote
0:16:50 > 0:16:54to the company before the Shepherd's Bush fire, six months before, and
0:16:54 > 0:16:58expressed my concern about the advice being given that they were
0:16:58 > 0:17:01safe to use, and regrettably, subsequently six months later we had
0:17:01 > 0:17:05all those people displaced in what we would certainly regard as a near
0:17:05 > 0:17:08miss, because had that fire at night-time, it could have been a
0:17:08 > 0:17:13different picture.The work we did with Trading Standards identified
0:17:13 > 0:17:17the risk, identified what the action plan was and the guidance to
0:17:17 > 0:17:20consumers, and that was consistently applied in all of the communications
0:17:20 > 0:17:26as well. And it was a clear definition of not using the product
0:17:26 > 0:17:29unattended, and what that meant was not to go out of the house or when
0:17:29 > 0:17:33you go to sleep at night. That's quite common advice for a number of
0:17:33 > 0:17:38white goods.People have quite busy lives these days, haven't they?
0:17:38 > 0:17:42They've got new products and digital products, smart, automatic. Do you
0:17:42 > 0:17:48think that in this period this is sound advice? That everybody has to
0:17:48 > 0:17:55stay in when they are doing their washing on a Monday? Washing day?
0:17:55 > 0:17:58The advice we would give is not to use the product unattended, whether
0:17:58 > 0:18:02it be a product subject to this action or not, with something like
0:18:02 > 0:18:09that.I'm getting even more scared now as somebody who owns one of your
0:18:09 > 0:18:10products.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13Rachel Reeves wondered how many appliances were left to repair.
0:18:13 > 0:18:21How many are left in Britain today? We think 1 million as the estimate.
0:18:21 > 0:18:27If you think of the life cycle of this type of appliance, which is
0:18:27 > 0:18:31typically 7-8 years.And you are satisfied with that? That this
0:18:31 > 0:18:35modification programme, which still sees 1 million tumble dryers with
0:18:35 > 0:18:43potentially that fault in our homes. I mean, from a reputational
0:18:43 > 0:18:47respective and also a company who, in a letter from your managing
0:18:47 > 0:18:56director, says having safety is priority. Having 1 million with this
0:18:56 > 0:18:59tumble dry with his faults, it doesn't seem safety is your number
0:18:59 > 0:19:05one priority.What I would point out is that the number of resolutions so
0:19:05 > 0:19:08far that we've achieved through this programme, and it has been
0:19:08 > 0:19:10recognised that that is a very significant number.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13And he told MPs he was still using his tumble dryer,
0:19:13 > 0:19:17even though it hasn't been modified yet.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19The Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has already announced
0:19:19 > 0:19:22that the public sector pay cap, limiting rises to 1% a year,
0:19:22 > 0:19:25is to be abolished for staff in the NHS in England and Wales.
0:19:25 > 0:19:32But where is the money to pay for it going to come from?
0:19:32 > 0:19:34Appearing on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show at the weekend
0:19:34 > 0:19:36Mr Hunt appeared to suggest the Chancellor Philip Hammond
0:19:36 > 0:19:39was proposing to link extra money to better productivity.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41When Jeremy Hunt appeared before the Health Committee,
0:19:41 > 0:19:48MPs were keen to press him on what exactly he meant.
0:19:48 > 0:19:53So any sort of pay increase, will that come with efficiencies within
0:19:53 > 0:19:58the NHS or will that come from extra money that may come from the
0:19:58 > 0:20:00Chancellor?Well, what the Chancellor has said is that he will
0:20:00 > 0:20:09consider providing extra money if I am able to secure some productivity
0:20:09 > 0:20:11improvements in the contractual arrangements that we have with staff
0:20:11 > 0:20:19members.OK, thank you.Just to clarify, is he saying it all has to
0:20:19 > 0:20:24come out of that or that there will be some kind of mixture of the two?
0:20:24 > 0:20:27He hasn't given me any more detail than I've given you on this matter.
0:20:27 > 0:20:37He will consider finding extra funding so that any pay rise, all or
0:20:37 > 0:20:41in part, wouldn't have to come out of savings in the NHS, but he would
0:20:41 > 0:20:45like to see some productivity improvements as part of those
0:20:45 > 0:20:47contractual changes.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50The Secretary of State was also asked about newspaper reports that
0:20:50 > 0:20:52some GPs were threatening to break away from NHS and set up
0:20:52 > 0:20:53a private alternative.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57I think we have to look at the underlying reason why those kind of
0:20:57 > 0:21:02motions are being debated, and I think it is that GPs feel their
0:21:02 > 0:21:09workload is too high, their job has become too stressful. Sometimes they
0:21:09 > 0:21:18feel they are on a sort of hamster wheel of between 13 and 14 minute
0:21:18 > 0:21:22appointments a day. The long-term solution is to get more capacity in
0:21:22 > 0:21:29the solution, which is why we have our plan to approved 5000 GPs, which
0:21:29 > 0:21:33we are in the middle of trying to deliver. Some bits of that plan
0:21:33 > 0:21:36going well, others less well, but I'm determined to deliver that and
0:21:36 > 0:21:39that is the long-term solution, I think.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44Jeremy Hunt.
0:21:46 > 0:21:51The Paralympic gold medallist, Tanni Grey-Thompson,
0:21:51 > 0:21:53has agreed that the classification of Paralympic athletes
0:21:53 > 0:21:54is being manipulated.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56She was speaking to the Commons Sport Committee,
0:21:56 > 0:21:59which is looking at whether some athletes are being given an unfair
0:21:59 > 0:22:00advantage by being grouped with competitors more
0:22:00 > 0:22:01disabled than themselves.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04In your position, based on what you know and have experienced, you
0:22:04 > 0:22:07believe more needs to be done because the current system isn't
0:22:07 > 0:22:12working?We should be gold standard, we should have this at the heart of
0:22:12 > 0:22:16everything we do, there should be independents, and I think we can
0:22:16 > 0:22:20achieve that.You believe the system is being abused. You believe that is
0:22:20 > 0:22:23happening now?Yes.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25Also giving evidence was the father of paralympian, Olivia Breen.
0:22:25 > 0:22:31He was asked why athletes were afraid to speak out.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34I think they are really frightened. I think they've been intimidated and
0:22:34 > 0:22:41bullied over many years. And part of that intimidation relates directly
0:22:41 > 0:22:42to classification.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44It's the International Paralympic Committee that sets
0:22:44 > 0:22:45the classifications.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48No-one from the IPC gave evidence in person, but it issued
0:22:48 > 0:22:50nine pages of evidence about its classifications.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53But the British Paralympic Association did talk
0:22:53 > 0:23:00to the committee, and tried to calm the concerns.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03I don't believe where we're at now is in a position where we are
0:23:03 > 0:23:08looking at something that can be considered not fit for purpose. I
0:23:08 > 0:23:12don't believe that. I think there are absolutely areas, and I'm sure
0:23:12 > 0:23:16will touch on them, where this process and the underpinning nature
0:23:16 > 0:23:21of classification can and must be approved. But that is not to say
0:23:21 > 0:23:24that the sport as a whole and the athletes as a whole are being failed
0:23:24 > 0:23:29by the process that we have in place currently.Do you feel power
0:23:29 > 0:23:32athletes that have been failed by the system in the way they have are
0:23:32 > 0:23:39owed an apology either movement for the failures in the process so far?
0:23:39 > 0:23:46-- are owed an apology by the movement?I have not... There has
0:23:46 > 0:23:50not been any proven case of intentional misrepresentation. There
0:23:50 > 0:23:55has not been any proven case of misrepresentation. There has not,
0:23:55 > 0:23:59indeed, been any evidence that has been presented that has gone beyond
0:23:59 > 0:24:08the circumstantial and the anecdotal. If I were to say that, it
0:24:08 > 0:24:12would be to not defend the right of those athletes who are otherwise
0:24:12 > 0:24:13being accused.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16Asked if an apology was owed, Tim Holingsworth, said that
0:24:16 > 0:24:20in the absence of evidence, his answer was No.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23In the Lords, the Government suffered a defeat after peers backed
0:24:23 > 0:24:26a cross party proposal to make sure anyone who transfers out
0:24:26 > 0:24:27of a pension gets financial advice.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30The change to the Financial Guidance and Claims Bill, approved
0:24:30 > 0:24:32by a majority of 82 votes, requires members of pensions schemes
0:24:32 > 0:24:36to be asked if they've received information or guidance before
0:24:36 > 0:24:38transferring out of the scheme or withdrawing their assets.
0:24:38 > 0:24:45The debate on the Bill continues.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48A former minister has called for a ban on the use of tyres
0:24:48 > 0:24:51which are more then ten years old on buses and coaches.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53Labour's Maria Eagle described how three people were killed
0:24:53 > 0:24:56when a tyre burst on the coach they were travelling in.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58One of the victims was her 18-year-old
0:24:58 > 0:25:00constituent, Michael Molloy.
0:25:00 > 0:25:08The tyre on the coach was older than he was.
0:25:08 > 0:25:13His mother Frances is heartbroken. She thought coach travel was a safe
0:25:13 > 0:25:17form of public transport. Yet the coach to which she entrusted her son
0:25:17 > 0:25:24turned out to be a death trap because of a 19 and a half year old
0:25:24 > 0:25:28tyre that no one could see was going to burst because of the
0:25:28 > 0:25:35deterioration caused by its age. So, let those of us now in this House
0:25:35 > 0:25:41take steps to ensure that no other family has to endure what Francis
0:25:41 > 0:25:50has endured. Mr Speaker, these old tyres kill. Let's get them off our
0:25:50 > 0:25:54coaches and buses. Let's get them off our roads.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56Maria eagle.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58And that's it for this programme.
0:25:58 > 0:26:04So for now, from me Mandy Baker, goodbye.