:00:11. > :00:12.Hello and welcome to Wednesday In Parliament,
:00:13. > :00:15.our look at the best of the day in the Commons and the Lords.
:00:16. > :00:18.Labour teases the Government's attempt
:00:19. > :00:21.to win a better deal for Britain in Europe.
:00:22. > :00:24.I have to tell him, many of his own backbenchers
:00:25. > :00:27.are pretty unimpressed with how it is going so far.
:00:28. > :00:30.Most opposition parties are trying to get momentum,
:00:31. > :00:35.The Government faces fresh calls to release confidential files
:00:36. > :00:38.about a trade union dispute more than 40 years ago.
:00:39. > :00:40.This series of documents puts beyond any reasonable doubt
:00:41. > :00:44.the fact that the Shrewsbury trial was politically driven
:00:45. > :00:51.And an MP speaks about his own battle with depression.
:00:52. > :00:55.I know how it feels to be unable to function normally,
:00:56. > :01:01.to be unable to perform the most basic everyday tasks.
:01:02. > :01:05.at the weekly Prime Minister's Question time.
:01:06. > :01:09.Standing in for David Cameron was the Chancellor, George Osborne.
:01:10. > :01:13.Deputising for the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, was Angela Eagle.
:01:14. > :01:16.The Prime Minister was out of the country, once again talking
:01:17. > :01:20.to European political leaders, as part of his mission to try to win
:01:21. > :01:23.improved terms for Britain's membership of the EU
:01:24. > :01:26.ahead of the coming In/Out referendum.
:01:27. > :01:29.And it was David Cameron's attempts at re-negotiations
:01:30. > :01:34.that Angela Eagle focused on at PMQS.
:01:35. > :01:37.Mr Speaker, I see that the Prime Minister cannot be with us
:01:38. > :01:42.because he is visiting Poland and Romania
:01:43. > :01:44.on the latest leg of his seemingly endless
:01:45. > :01:54.Mr Speaker, he has been jetting all over the place.
:01:55. > :01:59.No wonder we had to buy him his own aeroplane!
:02:00. > :02:08.So can the Chancellor tell us, please, how was it all going?
:02:09. > :02:16.Well, the good news is we have a party leader
:02:17. > :02:34.The Prime Minister is in central and Eastern Europe
:02:35. > :02:36.because we are fighting for a better deal for Britain.
:02:37. > :02:37.Something that never would have happened
:02:38. > :02:41.if there had been a Labour government.
:02:42. > :02:49.Well, Mr Speaker, I have to tell him that many of his own backbenchers
:02:50. > :02:51.are pretty unimpressed with how it is going so far.
:02:52. > :02:53.Mr Speaker, the Chancellor is well-known
:02:54. > :02:55.for cultivating his backbenchers.
:02:56. > :02:59.And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
:03:00. > :03:07.So can I ask the question his own side wants answering.
:03:08. > :03:11.Given that the Prime Minister has pre-resigned, does he really aspire
:03:12. > :03:20.to be Britain's first post-EU Prime Minister?
:03:21. > :03:23.Not sure I'd be quoting the views of backbenchers
:03:24. > :03:27.if I was speaking for the Labour Party at the moment.
:03:28. > :03:29.Most opposition parties are trying to get momentum.
:03:30. > :03:42.We are fighting for a good deal for Britain in Europe.
:03:43. > :03:45.I notice he didn't answer the question about his own
:03:46. > :03:49.He might be worried about somebody a few places down on the bench,
:03:50. > :03:56.Oh, she's looking cross! Looking very cross!
:03:57. > :03:59.A reference to the Home Secretary, Theresa May.
:04:00. > :04:15.Mr Speaker, if he won't listen to the comments of his own
:04:16. > :04:18.backbenchers, perhaps he will listen to someone who has written in.
:04:19. > :04:43.Meaning Donald Tusk, president of the European Council.
:04:44. > :04:48.And he wrotes, "Uncertainty about the future of the UK
:04:49. > :04:50.in the European Union is a destabilising factor."
:04:51. > :04:59.Since the Conservative party announced its policy
:05:00. > :05:03.on the referendum, we have received the lion's share of investment
:05:04. > :05:09.It is because we have built a strong economy,
:05:10. > :05:11.that's because we stand up for Britain's interests abroad
:05:12. > :05:15.and we have made this a competitive place to grow and build a business.
:05:16. > :05:16.But, look, while we are quoting missives,
:05:17. > :05:19.there is someone called Tony who has been writing today.
:05:20. > :05:22.Happens to be the most successful Labour leader in history,
:05:23. > :05:24.and he is describing the Labour Party
:05:25. > :05:31.Can I suggest that she asks some serious questions about...
:05:32. > :05:39...the Health Service, the economy, social care.
:05:40. > :05:46.We all know that the Chancellor is so preoccupied
:05:47. > :05:52.with his on leadership ambitions that he forgot about the day job.
:05:53. > :05:55.And that is why he ended up trying to slash working families'
:05:56. > :06:00.Isn't it about time he focused on the national interest
:06:01. > :06:08.We are fighting for a better deal for Britain in Europe.
:06:09. > :06:12.And the truth is this, we have shown that we have an economic plan
:06:13. > :06:16.Whether it is well-funded flood defences or putting money
:06:17. > :06:19.into our National Health Service, or backing our teachers
:06:20. > :06:22.in the schools, or introducing a national Living Wage,
:06:23. > :06:27.we are delivering security for the working people of Britain.
:06:28. > :06:31.The latest outspoken comments by Donald Trump,
:06:32. > :06:34.the front-running Republican candidate in the US presidential
:06:35. > :06:38.race, have caused plenty of anger, not to say disbelief.
:06:39. > :06:41.Mr Trump declared there should be a block on Muslims
:06:42. > :06:46.He also said police officers were scared
:06:47. > :06:52.The remarks led to calls in some quarters for Mr Trump
:06:53. > :06:59.Will the Chancellor take this opportunity to correct
:07:00. > :07:02.the bizarre claim made yesterday by Donald Trump
:07:03. > :07:08.about parts of London being no-go for the Metropolitan Police?
:07:09. > :07:11.Will he point out to Mr Trump there are in fact excellent
:07:12. > :07:13.relationships between the Muslim communities of London
:07:14. > :07:18.I think the honourable gentleman speaks for everyone in this House.
:07:19. > :07:22.The Metropolitan Police do a brilliant job and, of course,
:07:23. > :07:25.they have fantastic relations with British Muslims
:07:26. > :07:29.and British Muslims make a fantastic contribution into our country.
:07:30. > :07:38.Frankly, Donald Trump's comments fly in the face
:07:39. > :07:40.of the founding principles of the United States,
:07:41. > :07:43.and is one of the reasons why those founding principles
:07:44. > :07:45.have proved such an inspiration to so many people
:07:46. > :07:46.over the last couple of hundred years.
:07:47. > :07:50.I think the best way to defeat nonsense like this is to engage
:07:51. > :07:52.in robust democratic debate and make it very clear
:07:53. > :07:55.It is my understanding that the Home Secretary
:07:56. > :07:57.has banned 84 hate preachers from entering the UK.
:07:58. > :08:04.in considering making Mr Donald Trump number 85?
:08:05. > :08:09.I think the best way to confront the views of someone
:08:10. > :08:13.like Donald Trump is to engage in a robust democratic argument
:08:14. > :08:17.with him about why he is profoundly wrong about the contribution
:08:18. > :08:20.of American Muslims and, indeed, British Muslims.
:08:21. > :08:24.That is the best way to deal with Donald Trump and his views,
:08:25. > :08:29.rather than trying to ban presidential candidates.
:08:30. > :08:32.Labour's Andy Burnham has produced new documents,
:08:33. > :08:35.which he says reveal political interference in the trial
:08:36. > :08:39.of striking building workers in the 1970s.
:08:40. > :08:43.24 men were prosecuted in 1973 for an array of offences
:08:44. > :08:51.Six of the men were jailed, including the actor Ricky Tomlinson,
:08:52. > :08:53.who attended the debate in Westminster Hall.
:08:54. > :08:57.The Shrewsbury 24, as the group are now known,
:08:58. > :09:00.are campaigning to clear their names and for all Government documents
:09:01. > :09:08.who say the men are the victims of a miscarriage of justice.
:09:09. > :09:12.Andy Burnham read out a note from the Home Secretary
:09:13. > :09:16.at the time, Robert Carr, to the then-Prime Minister Edward Heath.
:09:17. > :09:21.It reads, "Thank you for your minutes
:09:22. > :09:22.of the 29th of January about picketing.
:09:23. > :09:25.I have taken a close personal interest in this problem
:09:26. > :09:29.I have myself discussed it with the chief officers
:09:30. > :09:31.of those police forces which have had to deal
:09:32. > :09:34.I believe the Chief Constables are now fully aware
:09:35. > :09:36.of the importance we attach to this matter."
:09:37. > :09:39.So, from this, there is no doubt at all that
:09:40. > :09:45.the Home Secretary was heavily interfering in operational police
:09:46. > :09:49.matters and, just over a week after his memo was sent
:09:50. > :09:51.to the Prime Minister, the Shrewsbury picketers
:09:52. > :09:53.were picked up by police and charged.
:09:54. > :09:57.A full five months after the strike had ended.
:09:58. > :10:01.This series of documents put beyond any reasonable doubt
:10:02. > :10:04.the fact that the Shrewsbury trial was politically driven
:10:05. > :10:09.The Home Secretary should have been concerned.
:10:10. > :10:13.At that time, the nation was bedevilled by strikes.
:10:14. > :10:15.We had not had the legislation that Lady Thatcher,
:10:16. > :10:20.It seems to me that if the case is making
:10:21. > :10:22.is that the Home Secretary should not have been involved,
:10:23. > :10:24.that is a fundamental misreading of the situation
:10:25. > :10:28.The Home Secretary was right to have been concerned
:10:29. > :10:31.because the British people were concerned at the way in which
:10:32. > :10:38.trade unionists were running rampant across the country.
:10:39. > :10:40.Perhaps the honourable gentleman should have been here
:10:41. > :10:42.at the start of the debate to hear the whole case,
:10:43. > :10:46.It was a political campaign against the trade unions.
:10:47. > :10:51.Mr Burnham said he had new information about a TV programme
:10:52. > :10:54.about communist infiltration of unions,
:10:55. > :11:04.to a senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office official.
:11:05. > :11:06.From the head of the Information Research Department,
:11:07. > :11:10.a covert propaganda unit operating within the FCO.
:11:11. > :11:15.It says, I quote, "Mr Woodrow Wyatt's television programme,
:11:16. > :11:19.Red Under The Bed, was shown on national commercial television
:11:20. > :11:22.on Tuesday 30th of November at 10:30pm.
:11:23. > :11:28.We had a discreet but considerable hand in this programme."
:11:29. > :11:30.The Government stand by their decision not to release
:11:31. > :11:34.those documents on the basis of national security.
:11:35. > :11:37.I know that is perhaps not the answer that the honourable
:11:38. > :11:39.members on the other side wanted me to say,
:11:40. > :11:41.but that is the position of Her Majesty's government.
:11:42. > :11:45.I will be every thing I can to assist this case...
:11:46. > :11:48.Sorry, to assist the campaign as much as possible.
:11:49. > :11:51.If I was one of the members for the constituency
:11:52. > :11:54.of the campaigners, I would be sitting there today,
:11:55. > :11:59.as the right honourable ladies and gentlemen know,
:12:00. > :12:06.You're watching our round-up of the day in the Commons
:12:07. > :12:10.Reaction in both houses to the widespread flooding
:12:11. > :12:21.Once again, an MP has used a debate in the Commons to talk personally
:12:22. > :12:22.about his own battle with depression.
:12:23. > :12:29.Labour's Kevan Jones and Conservative Charles Walker -
:12:30. > :12:34.spoke openly about the different mental health battles
:12:35. > :12:37.Their frank admissions were welcomed by health campaigners.
:12:38. > :12:40.Now, an Opposition Day debate on mental health has prompted
:12:41. > :12:43.I have my own personal experience of mental ill-health.
:12:44. > :12:50.and I think there are a number of us, I have suffered from depression.
:12:51. > :12:53.As a result of those depressive episodes,
:12:54. > :12:58.I know how it feels to be able to unable to function normally,
:12:59. > :13:02.to be unable to perform the most basic everyday tasks,
:13:03. > :13:06.because the weight of the depression is so overwhelming.
:13:07. > :13:13.I know how debilitating depression and other mental ill health can be.
:13:14. > :13:16.It is quite difficult to explain it to people
:13:17. > :13:18.who have not experienced it, just how debilitating it can be.
:13:19. > :13:21.I really am heartened that, increasingly, mental health
:13:22. > :13:26.is not only being recognised but acknowledged and spoken about.
:13:27. > :13:29.Increasingly, people accept that this is an illness
:13:30. > :13:32.that should be without stigma or taboo.
:13:33. > :13:34.I think the more that mental health is discussed
:13:35. > :13:37.as an issue, the clearer it becomes that this is something
:13:38. > :13:40.that affects people in huge numbers from all walks of life,
:13:41. > :13:44.The culture of our society often makes it very difficult for men
:13:45. > :13:48.to admit that they are unable to deal with the stresses of life,
:13:49. > :13:54.And the statistics relating to the worst manifestation
:13:55. > :13:56.of that, suicide, are deeply worrying.
:13:57. > :14:00.British men are three times as likely to die by suicide
:14:01. > :14:04.Suicide remains the most common cause of death
:14:05. > :14:11.And over a quarter of the 24-34 males who die take their own lives,
:14:12. > :14:19.That is a huge, Madam Deputy Speaker, national scandal.
:14:20. > :14:28.And success or failure in dealing with mental illness
:14:29. > :14:31.in the world's fifth richest country,
:14:32. > :14:34.is not just a judgment on the Government or the NHS,
:14:35. > :14:38.but our society as a whole, and our basic humanity.
:14:39. > :14:42.Millions of people in North-West England and the Scottish Borders
:14:43. > :14:43.are not quickly going to forget Storm Desmond.
:14:44. > :14:46.Thousands of houses were flooded and one person died
:14:47. > :14:50.when a record-breaking amount of rain fell in the space
:14:51. > :14:55.In Cumbria, some of the flooding was the worst in the county's
:14:56. > :15:01.Particularly hard hit was the city of Carlisle,
:15:02. > :15:05.where scenes of rescues of trapped householders were numerous.
:15:06. > :15:08.The nearby main rail line was blocked, roads became
:15:09. > :15:12.impassable, and in one case the rising waters caused a main road
:15:13. > :15:17.In addition, thousands of homes in Cumbria and Lancashire were hit
:15:18. > :15:24.The situation was raised at Prime Minister's Questions.
:15:25. > :15:28.Our hearts go out to all those suffering the consequences
:15:29. > :15:31.of the severe flooding in the north-west this week.
:15:32. > :15:36.With thousands of families and businesses affected,
:15:37. > :15:39.the priority has got to be for the Government to get immediate
:15:40. > :15:50.Yet, one year on from the 2013/2014 floods, it emerged that only 15%
:15:51. > :15:52.of those affected had received payments from the Government's
:15:53. > :15:56.So does the Chancellor agree with me that this cannot possibly be be
:15:57. > :16:06.So will the Chancellor today give the house a guarantee that people
:16:07. > :16:08.will receive the help they need and quickly?
:16:09. > :16:11.The update is that we have just one severe flood warning still in place
:16:12. > :16:15.and power has been restored to 168,000 homes and the West Coast
:16:16. > :16:19.main line is open, but we have got to be there for the long term
:16:20. > :16:23.So first of all we continue to support the immediate rescue
:16:24. > :16:27.efforts, of course, the military have deployed.
:16:28. > :16:31.On recovery, the question she asks, I can today announced a ?50 million
:16:32. > :16:33.fund for families and businesses affected in the area.
:16:34. > :16:38.This will be administered by the local authorities to avoid
:16:39. > :16:44.some of the administrative problems that she alludes to in her question.
:16:45. > :16:46.And, when it comes to rebuilding the infrastructure of Cumbria
:16:47. > :16:48.and Lancashire and other areas affected, we are assessing now
:16:49. > :16:51.the damage to flood defences and the damage to the roads
:16:52. > :16:56.One of the benefits of having a strong and resilient economy
:16:57. > :17:11.I thank him for that answer. You wouldn't think from listening to him
:17:12. > :17:16.that he has cut flood dispense spending by ?115 million this year.
:17:17. > :17:22.-- flood defence. After visiting the floods in the Somerset levels in
:17:23. > :17:27.2014, the Prime Minister said that money is no object in this relief
:17:28. > :17:31.effort and whatever money is needed will be spent. I welcome the
:17:32. > :17:37.announcement that the Chancellor has just made, but will he confirm that
:17:38. > :17:41.the same will apply this time? Absolutely. Money will be made
:17:42. > :17:46.available to those affected and the communities that have seen the
:17:47. > :17:49.infrastructure damage. Up to ?5,000 will be made available to individual
:17:50. > :17:59.families to repair their homes and protect them against future
:18:00. > :18:12.flooding. Thank you. Carlisle and Cumbria have experienced a traumatic
:18:13. > :18:19.few days. I thank him for considering the direct effect of the
:18:20. > :18:23.floods on families. A charitable organisation has launched a flood
:18:24. > :18:26.appeal. I wrote to the Prime Minister asking for support for the
:18:27. > :18:30.appeal as it would help many affected people across the county.
:18:31. > :18:36.With the Chancellor be able to offer such support from the government
:18:37. > :18:40.towards this much-needed fund? First of all, I think everyone would pay
:18:41. > :18:43.tribute to the people of Carlisle and the extraordinary resilience
:18:44. > :18:49.they have shown in the acts of friendship neighbours had shown. The
:18:50. > :18:53.Prime Minister this morning before he left for Central Europe asked me
:18:54. > :18:58.to make sure that we would be able to help on the specific point that
:18:59. > :19:02.my friend raises. And the one he raised with the Prime Minister. And
:19:03. > :19:06.I can say that we will support the work that the Cumbrian foundation
:19:07. > :19:08.does and we will match by up to ?1 million the money they are raising.
:19:09. > :19:11.Meanwhile, members of the House of Lords were also reflecting
:19:12. > :19:15.on the weekend's serious flooding in the North West.
:19:16. > :19:26.My Lords, would not my friend agree that the priority must first be to
:19:27. > :19:28.get relief to those who have been so unfortunately unhappily and
:19:29. > :19:34.disastrously affected and to make sure that any additional rain that
:19:35. > :19:41.is threatened doesn't exacerbate existing problem? He makes a good
:19:42. > :19:46.point. And that is precisely what the initial response is designed to
:19:47. > :19:50.do. To make people safe and get them to temporary accommodation. And
:19:51. > :19:54.clear some of the devastation that has been caused. Is she aware there
:19:55. > :20:02.is another emergency service that has not been recognised? That is
:20:03. > :20:07.radio Cumbria. They went on for 24 others for two full days. Without
:20:08. > :20:13.their assistance, the county would not have done as well. Will she join
:20:14. > :20:19.me in paying tribute to them? And also, while it is too early to make
:20:20. > :20:25.an analysis, will she perhaps tell the house today whether there is any
:20:26. > :20:29.truth in the assertion that the ?4 million scheme for Kendall was
:20:30. > :20:35.actually delayed by the Coalition Government and will she give the
:20:36. > :20:42.house insurance that this government will not delay it any further? --
:20:43. > :20:46.give the house assurance. I will join him. I am sure that Radio
:20:47. > :20:50.Cumbria just like all the other members of the community pulled
:20:51. > :20:56.together over the last few days to help in quite a devastated area. So
:20:57. > :21:00.Radio Cumbria, I am sure like every other person that could play their
:21:01. > :21:06.part, I am sure has added to mitigating some of the agony of the
:21:07. > :21:11.people that live there. In terms of the Kendall scheme, we are looking
:21:12. > :21:18.at a potential scheme to reduce the risk of flooding in Kendal. But
:21:19. > :21:22.because it is at an early stage of planning, the proposed scheme is
:21:23. > :21:26.scheduled for 2021. We are considering with other funding
:21:27. > :21:32.partners how we can bring the scheme forward to improve protection for
:21:33. > :21:39.440 properties at a cost predicted at ?3.95 million. Could the minister
:21:40. > :21:48.tell us what cognizance has been taken by the government regarding
:21:49. > :21:57.the insurance industry. And the matter of 100 year events. I
:21:58. > :22:03.appreciate this is probably a matter for God. Every time we try to
:22:04. > :22:07.predict, and even worse event has occurred. We are constantly
:22:08. > :22:09.reviewing the flood defences and how we can respond.
:22:10. > :22:12.Now, does the law need strengthening on the keeping of exotic animals?
:22:13. > :22:15.The range of animals now kept as pets in the UK has increased
:22:16. > :22:18.dramatically over the last ten years.
:22:19. > :22:21.The advent of the internet has meant more people have been able
:22:22. > :22:24.to acquire such creatures as meerkats, macaws,
:22:25. > :22:31.A Conservative MP highlighted just some of the many species now
:22:32. > :22:45.There are many examples, which colleagues will know about. Boa
:22:46. > :22:55.constrictors, numerous amphibians. African pygmy hedgehogs and the list
:22:56. > :23:01.goes on. The pet food manufacturers association estimate that the exotic
:23:02. > :23:04.population has got to 42 million and that is staggering. The number of
:23:05. > :23:09.reptiles and amphibians alone kept in this country is now anywhere
:23:10. > :23:15.between two million and 7 million. There has been a huge increase in
:23:16. > :23:20.numbers. There was a badly neglected African pygmy hedgehog which was
:23:21. > :23:25.disposed in a cardboard box in London. It had to be rescued and
:23:26. > :23:29.taken to an animal hospital. There were two bearded Dragons found in a
:23:30. > :23:34.London cemetery. What has happened is these pets, which may be given
:23:35. > :23:40.for Christmas, and children are excited becomes very difficult to
:23:41. > :23:44.manage. None of these issues are original. The thing that has changed
:23:45. > :23:51.is the power of the Internet. That has changed. We have all fought a
:23:52. > :23:55.General Election campaign. As you go canvassing, I one door and I saw a
:23:56. > :24:02.cat with spots on. I thought they are keeping leopards now. The
:24:03. > :24:08.household over the years has kept various animals. We have drawn the
:24:09. > :24:13.line at giraffes. Let's be frank. Those individuals who want a meerkat
:24:14. > :24:21.should stick to collecting the stuffed toys. They should steer
:24:22. > :24:27.clear of the real thing. What is it that drives trends in the pet
:24:28. > :24:34.market? I would suggest one of the drivers is that they are seen as
:24:35. > :24:41.cute and cuddly. Transferrin disease and pathogens and the risk that
:24:42. > :24:47.these animals may be released into the wild. There is legislation that
:24:48. > :24:56.deals with abandonment or non-native species. It is clear that there is a
:24:57. > :25:08.thrive in the exotic pet trade. But it also means a rise in the risk of
:25:09. > :25:15.abandonment. There is much greater prospects for working, with regard
:25:16. > :25:19.to experts. With regard to exotics, we are looking at making it a
:25:20. > :25:26.requirement to have a licence. And making sure care sheets are given to
:25:27. > :25:31.owners before they are allowed to purchase pets. So through the
:25:32. > :25:36.licensing process, you would have a compulsion for that information to
:25:37. > :25:38.be given. We are also looking at whether to look at a more risk based
:25:39. > :25:44.approach. Until then, from me,
:25:45. > :25:49.Keith Macdougall, goodbye.