:01:10. > :01:11.Hello and welcome to Wednesday In Parliament,
:01:12. > :01:15.our look at the best of the day in the Commons and the Lords.
:01:16. > :01:19.On this programme, the Bill that triggers the UK's EU departure
:01:20. > :01:28.process finally clears the Commons and heads for the Lords.
:01:29. > :01:38.The ayes to the right, 494. The noes to the left, 122.
:01:39. > :01:40.As a local authority abandons a large council tax rise
:01:41. > :01:43.to pay for social care, the Labour leader presses Theresa
:01:44. > :01:48.Is the same sweetheart deal on offer to every council facing
:01:49. > :01:59.the social care crisis created by her government?
:02:00. > :02:02.The last thing social care providers need is another one of Labour's
:02:03. > :02:05.bouncing cheques! A minister in the Lords calms fears
:02:06. > :02:08.about those absent vegetables The only shortage will be of iceberg
:02:09. > :02:15.lettuce, which we think will be for about a few months
:02:16. > :02:18.and there is a wonderful variety But first, the Bill that authorises
:02:19. > :02:23.ministers to trigger Article 50, the process by which the UK
:02:24. > :02:25.starts its departure from the European Union,
:02:26. > :02:27.has cleared the House of Commons. The EU Notification
:02:28. > :02:30.of Withdrawal Bill will now move on to the House of Lords,
:02:31. > :02:33.where it will undergo Before the Bill's final day
:02:34. > :02:38.of debate in the Commons, the Brexit process was brought up
:02:39. > :02:41.at Prime Minister's Questions Angus Robertson focused
:02:42. > :02:47.on the decision of the Scottish Parliament to reject the triggering
:02:48. > :02:53.of Article 50. When the Prime Minister
:02:54. > :02:56.was in Edinburgh on the 15th of July last year, she pledged
:02:57. > :03:00.that she would, and I quote," not trigger Article 50 until she had
:03:01. > :03:06.an agreed UK wide approach." So, given the Scottish Parliament
:03:07. > :03:10.has voted overwhelmingly against her approach and all bar one
:03:11. > :03:14.MP representing a Scottish constituency in this House
:03:15. > :03:16.of Commons has voted against her approach, she does not
:03:17. > :03:25.have an agreed UK-wide approach. Now, Mr Speaker, as the Prime
:03:26. > :03:28.Minister knows, a lot of people in Scotland watch primaries this
:03:29. > :03:34.questions so will she tell the viewers in Scotland
:03:35. > :03:37.whether she intends to keep her word The Supreme Court was very clear
:03:38. > :03:49.that the Scottish parliament does not have a veto on the triggering
:03:50. > :03:52.Article 50. The Bill that is going through
:03:53. > :03:54.the House obviously is giving the power to the government
:03:55. > :03:56.to trigger Article 50 and I would also remind him of this
:03:57. > :04:00.point because he constantly refers to the interests of Scotland
:04:01. > :04:05.inside the European Union. An independent Scotland would not be
:04:06. > :04:09.in the European Union. Then came a reference
:04:10. > :04:11.to Kenneth Clarke's speech The Prime Minister's Right
:04:12. > :04:17.Honourable friend the member for Rushcliffe last week pointed out
:04:18. > :04:20.that her aspiration to achieve barrier-free, tariff-free trade
:04:21. > :04:25.with the single market getting all the benefits but paying none
:04:26. > :04:29.of the costs was actually akin to disappearing down the rabbit
:04:30. > :04:36.hole to Wonderland. Mr Speaker, I think she makes a very
:04:37. > :04:42.interesting choice for Alice but if she doesn't manage to achieve
:04:43. > :04:50.that high ambition, would she produce an analysis
:04:51. > :04:53.of what trading on WTO rules would actually mean for our economy,
:04:54. > :04:56.so we can make a proper choice? We believe it is possible
:04:57. > :05:00.within the two-year time frame to get the agreement,
:05:01. > :05:03.not just for our withdrawal from the European Union, but also
:05:04. > :05:06.the trade arrangements that will ensure we have a strong
:05:07. > :05:08.strategic partnership with the European Union
:05:09. > :05:13.in the future. Shortly after PMQs, the Commons
:05:14. > :05:15.moved onto more discussion on the details of the EU
:05:16. > :05:18.Notification of Withdrawal Bill, The co-leader of the Greens,
:05:19. > :05:23.Caroline Lucas, seized on the fact that Theresa May has not expressed
:05:24. > :05:25.any guarantees so far about the rights of EU nationals
:05:26. > :05:34.living and working in the UK. What we talking about
:05:35. > :05:36.here people's lives. People's lives are not
:05:37. > :05:38.simply commodities to be traded at the convenience
:05:39. > :05:43.of some wider bargain. The Prime Minister quite simply
:05:44. > :05:46.could and should guarantee to people who have made their lives
:05:47. > :05:48.here in good faith that of course The idea that it is appropriate
:05:49. > :05:53.to do otherwise I think is quite Will the honourable lady
:05:54. > :06:00.give way on that point? Is she aware as I am of EU nationals
:06:01. > :06:03.in very senior positions in UK institutions who are already leaving
:06:04. > :06:08.the country and people who are EU nationals who are being interviewed
:06:09. > :06:15.for senior positions, who are now asking very searching questions
:06:16. > :06:19.about what does Brexit mean for them I want to make sure that this issue
:06:20. > :06:25.is put into perspective. Out of the 3.5 million EU nationals
:06:26. > :06:30.currently residing in the UK, approximately 64% of them already
:06:31. > :06:38.have the right to stay here. 8% of them are children of an EU
:06:39. > :06:43.National parent and therefore they have a right to reside
:06:44. > :06:49.here and 12% of the 3.5 million people will have accrued
:06:50. > :06:52.there five years of permanent We can't even deport
:06:53. > :07:00.convicted criminals. The truth is that not
:07:01. > :07:03.a single EU national is ever I agree wholeheartedly with that,
:07:04. > :07:11.and that would be against any ideas of natural justice,
:07:12. > :07:14.legitimate expectation and the rule of law if we were to be going down
:07:15. > :07:36.that course of action. The Prime Minister could vote to
:07:37. > :07:39.guarantee those rights for EU nationals working here. She could
:07:40. > :07:45.make clear that they will not be used as a bargaining chip and we
:07:46. > :07:47.could end their uncertainty today. Likewise, we will also want to
:07:48. > :07:55.safeguard the rights for Brits living in Europe too. But, I
:07:56. > :07:58.believe, by adopting a positive approach today, we make it more
:07:59. > :08:01.likely Brits living in the EU will be treated fairly.
:08:02. > :08:04.The issue of EU nationals was once again raised this afternoon.
:08:05. > :08:06.It has been debated also earlier this week.
:08:07. > :08:09.I want to once again state to the House that the government
:08:10. > :08:13.fully recognises that the issue of EU nationals resident
:08:14. > :08:16.in the United Kingdom is an extremely important one
:08:17. > :08:22.and one which we wish to address as a matter of priority,
:08:23. > :08:25.just as we wish to address the issue of the rights of UK nationals
:08:26. > :08:31.This, however, has got to be a matter that is addressed
:08:32. > :08:39.And after the detailed committee stage of the Bill was finished,
:08:40. > :08:42.the legislation entered what's known as its Third Reading stage.
:08:43. > :08:44.And when a final vote of the House took place,
:08:45. > :09:08.The ayes to the right 494. The noes to the left, 122. CHEERING
:09:09. > :09:16.The ayes to the right, 494, the noes to the left 122. The ayes have it,
:09:17. > :09:20.the ayes have it! Claims that the government agreed
:09:21. > :09:22.a behind-the-scenes deal with a Conservative-controlled
:09:23. > :09:23.council over the funding of social care have you made
:09:24. > :09:26.by the Labour leader, Surrey County Council was due
:09:27. > :09:30.to hold a referendum of its residents to gain approval
:09:31. > :09:34.for a 15% rise in council tax to pay for the cost of care in Surrey
:09:35. > :09:39.for elderly and vulnerable people. The vote was called off
:09:40. > :09:43.and the 15% rise was withdrawn. A much smaller increase
:09:44. > :09:49.will be made instead. At Prime Minister's Questions,
:09:50. > :09:52.Jeremy Corbyn said the problems of paying for social care
:09:53. > :09:54.across the country The crisis is so bad
:09:55. > :09:58.that until yesterday, Mr Speaker, David Hodge,
:09:59. > :10:03.the Conservative leader of Surrey County Council planned
:10:04. > :10:06.to hold a referendum for a 15% And at the last minute
:10:07. > :10:14.it was called off. Can the Prime Minister tell
:10:15. > :10:16.the House whether or not a special I recognise the short-term
:10:17. > :10:27.pressures, that's why we have enabled local authorities to put
:10:28. > :10:29.more money into social care. Over the next two years
:10:30. > :10:33.?900 million more will be Mr Speaker, my question was how
:10:34. > :10:37.is there been a special The leaders said they had had many
:10:38. > :10:43.conversations with the government. We know they have because I have
:10:44. > :10:46.been leaked copies of texts sent by the Tory leader David Hodge
:10:47. > :10:49.intended for somebody called Nick who works for ministers
:10:50. > :10:51.in the Department for Communities These texts read, "I'm advised that
:10:52. > :11:01.DCLG officials have been working on a solution and you will be
:11:02. > :11:04.contacting me to agree Will the government now publish this
:11:05. > :11:25.memorandum of understanding? What the Labour Party fail
:11:26. > :11:28.to understand is that this is not just a question of looking at money,
:11:29. > :11:31.it is a question of looking at spreading best practice
:11:32. > :11:34.and finding a sustainable solution and I have to say to him that
:11:35. > :11:38.if we look at social care provision across the entire country,
:11:39. > :11:40.the last thing social care providers need is another one
:11:41. > :11:48.of Labour's bouncing cheques. Mr Speaker, I wonder
:11:49. > :11:50.if it is anything to do with the fact that the Chancellor
:11:51. > :11:53.and Health Secretary both represent But Mr Speaker, there was a second
:11:54. > :12:01.text from Surrey County Council leader to Nick and in the second
:12:02. > :12:08.text it says "the numbers you indicated are numbers that
:12:09. > :12:15.I understand are acceptable for me Now, I have been reading a bit
:12:16. > :12:23.of John le Carr and apparently And he goes on to say
:12:24. > :12:32.it his text to make, "If it is possible for that info
:12:33. > :12:35.to be sent to myself, So, how much did the government
:12:36. > :12:49.offer Surrey to kill this off and is the same sweetheart deal
:12:50. > :12:55.on offer to every council facing the social care crisis
:12:56. > :13:04.created by her government? Yet again, what we get from Labour
:13:05. > :13:07.are alternative facts. What they really need
:13:08. > :13:18.is an alternative leader. What he always fails to recognise,
:13:19. > :13:21.what he fails to recognise, is you can only spend money
:13:22. > :13:24.on social care and the National Health Service if you have a strong
:13:25. > :13:27.economy to deliver the wealth A Labour MP has recently returned
:13:28. > :13:33.to the Commons after going hospital It has been absolutely
:13:34. > :13:39.wonderful, the service I got, but there is a flip side
:13:40. > :13:45.and the flip is what We have dedicated nurses,
:13:46. > :13:48.you call them corridor nurses, and they are in the corridor
:13:49. > :13:51.and looking after To be quite honest with you,
:13:52. > :13:56.Prime Minister, that's not the way we want the health service to run,
:13:57. > :13:59.we want it to run the way Get your purse open and give them
:14:00. > :14:05.the money that they want. Well, as the speaker said,
:14:06. > :14:08.I welcome the honourable gentleman to his place again in this chamber
:14:09. > :14:14.and I commend all those, the surgeon and all those
:14:15. > :14:16.who have treated him in the National Health Service that
:14:17. > :14:19.has enabled him to be here today There are, as we know,
:14:20. > :14:23.surgeons, doctors, nurses, other staff up and down the NHS day
:14:24. > :14:29.in and day out saving lives and we should commend them
:14:30. > :14:32.for all that they do. The north-east actually is a very
:14:33. > :14:37.good example of some of the really good practice that we see
:14:38. > :14:40.in the National Health Service. What I want to see is that good
:14:41. > :14:43.practice being spread across the NHS As we long suspected,
:14:44. > :14:52.the Prime Minister is a keen During Prime Minister's Questions,
:14:53. > :15:02.she told MPs how often should choose It all stemmed from a question put
:15:03. > :15:07.to Theresa May by an SNP MP Does the Prime Minister agree that
:15:08. > :15:10.in a 21st-century Parliament, the rules should not enable any
:15:11. > :15:13.member to speak for 58 minutes Does she agree with me
:15:14. > :15:17.that the rules of the House should be changed to prevent filibustering
:15:18. > :15:19.and to ensure that members on all sides of the House get a fair
:15:20. > :15:27.share of the time available? I have to say I find that
:15:28. > :15:30.a rather curious question Last night as it happens I was out
:15:31. > :15:36.of the House to wean the two votes. I switched on the BBC
:15:37. > :15:39.parliamentary channel and I saw I switched back to the
:15:40. > :15:53.parliamentary channel. I saw the honourable
:15:54. > :15:55.gentleman still speaking. I switched back and the honourable
:15:56. > :16:01.gentleman was still speaking. He's the last person to complain
:16:02. > :16:09.about filibustering in this House. You're watching our round-up
:16:10. > :16:12.of the day in the Commons As overseas veg
:16:13. > :16:17.becomes more scarce in the an appeal for
:16:18. > :16:25.shoppers to buy British. The Government's faced demands
:16:26. > :16:28.for a limit on the amount that high street banks can charge customers
:16:29. > :16:33.who have an unarranged overdraft. The calls follow an investigation by
:16:34. > :16:36.the consumer organisation "Which?" into what it's called
:16:37. > :16:39.the "punitive" charges. It found the cost to borrowers
:16:40. > :16:41.of an unauthorised overdraft was even higher than the cost
:16:42. > :16:46.charged by a payday lender. In a debate in Westminster Hall,
:16:47. > :16:49.MPs joined "Which?" in urging the Government
:16:50. > :16:52.and the watchdog, the Financial Conduct Authority -
:16:53. > :16:56.the FCA, to take action. The major banks currently make over
:16:57. > :16:59.?1 billion per year on charges The majority of whom,
:17:00. > :17:02.says the head of the Competition and Markets Authority,
:17:03. > :17:04.from financially Step Change debt charity has
:17:05. > :17:12.estimated that around 1 million people in the UK are trapped
:17:13. > :17:16.in an overdraft cycle, and are consistently
:17:17. > :17:18.using overdrafts to meet essential found consumers needing as little
:17:19. > :17:31.as ?100 could be charged up to ?156 more by some major high street banks
:17:32. > :17:34.than The Financial Conduct Authority allows payday loan companies
:17:35. > :17:36.to charge when borrowing the same So as an example they compare
:17:37. > :17:41.the cost of borrowing ?100 for 30 days and found that arranged
:17:42. > :17:45.overdraft charges at some high street banks were as much a 7.5
:17:46. > :17:48.times higher than the maximum charge of ?24 on a payday loan
:17:49. > :17:53.on the same period. Sometimes it is in the banks'
:17:54. > :17:55.interest to allow customers to amass massive overdrafts so they can push
:17:56. > :17:59.them on to even higher personal loans and other products
:18:00. > :18:03.which they might not need and may not be the right thing
:18:04. > :18:12.for their circumstances. The Government is committed
:18:13. > :18:14.to doing two things. Firstly, to making sure
:18:15. > :18:17.that we support and encourage competition amongst financial
:18:18. > :18:18.services providers, not only so people have more choice
:18:19. > :18:21.over who to bank with, but because we know more competition
:18:22. > :18:23.inevitably means better options on offer to customers who can vote
:18:24. > :18:27.with their feet. But secondly we want to make sure
:18:28. > :18:31.that British customers are supported in the important financial
:18:32. > :18:42.decisions they make. The FCA, he said, was already
:18:43. > :18:44.investigating high-cost credit, We will, I can reassure honourable
:18:45. > :18:49.members, the Government will be monitoring closely the work
:18:50. > :18:52.of the FCA in looking at this area and I am sure,
:18:53. > :18:55.and I will say it again, that the views expressed
:18:56. > :18:57.by honourable members this morning will be taken into consideration
:18:58. > :18:59.as the Committee We will also be continuing our
:19:00. > :19:02.efforts as a Government, We have taken steps
:19:03. > :19:05.to encourage competition. We have taken steps
:19:06. > :19:08.to support credit unions. We've taking steps to improve
:19:09. > :19:15.financial education. Added to this, approach that this
:19:16. > :19:17.Government will continue to take steps to ensure British customers
:19:18. > :19:19.have the quality choices, good information, and strong
:19:20. > :19:22.protections they need. Voters are to be asked to produce
:19:23. > :19:25.a form of identification at polling stations under new plans
:19:26. > :19:29.being trialled by the Government. It follows a review published last
:19:30. > :19:34.year into tackling electoral fraud. But at question-time in the Commons,
:19:35. > :19:37.a Labour MP said a requirement for ID could lead to some people
:19:38. > :19:42.being denied their right to vote. In December 2008 I was an election
:19:43. > :19:46.observer in Bangladesh, and because of previous voter fraud
:19:47. > :19:49.they actually photographed 18 million people and it was clearly
:19:50. > :19:53.identifiable when the people went Because we need in a democracy
:19:54. > :20:03.as many people to vote as possible but we don't want theft of identity
:20:04. > :20:07.when people vote. My right honourable friend makes
:20:08. > :20:09.a very good point around There are many countries
:20:10. > :20:14.across the world including Canada, Brazil, Austria, that already have
:20:15. > :20:17.photographic ID when it comes to registering in polling stations,
:20:18. > :20:19.including in Northern Ireland The Government is taking
:20:20. > :20:24.forward pilots looking This will take place in local
:20:25. > :20:28.government elections in 2018 and we will be willing to test these
:20:29. > :20:32.forms of identification, photographic ID, non-photographic
:20:33. > :20:35.ID, above all to ensure that no one is disenfranchised
:20:36. > :20:44.when it comes to voting. The Government's talk of voter
:20:45. > :20:46.fraud is a smoke screen They are putting obstacles
:20:47. > :20:54.between people and the polling booth instead of working
:20:55. > :20:59.to boost our democracy. If it is such a problem then
:21:00. > :21:02.they must report how many convictions there has been
:21:03. > :21:05.from voter fraud last year. I am surprised that the honourable
:21:06. > :21:07.gentleman for somehow claiming It was a Labour Government
:21:08. > :21:12.introduced photographic ID The Electoral Commission
:21:13. > :21:16.and all other electoral administrators have called for ID
:21:17. > :21:23.in polling stations. The case of Ched Evans,
:21:24. > :21:26.the Wales international footballer eventually found not guilty of rape,
:21:27. > :21:29.has thrown into the spotlight the issue of how far
:21:30. > :21:31.cross-examinations in court In the Commons, a Plaid Cymru MP has
:21:32. > :21:37.said women are being unfairly subjected to "humiliating"
:21:38. > :21:41.questioning over their sexual history and, even,
:21:42. > :21:44.their choice of clothing. She was introducing a Bill under
:21:45. > :21:47.Parliament's 10-minute rule that would limit the ability
:21:48. > :21:51.of barristers to bring in evidence about an accuser's sexual history
:21:52. > :21:56.in an assault trial. The provisions in this Bill
:21:57. > :21:59.are all based on the distressing experiences of victims
:22:00. > :22:01.of serious sexual claims. Ivy, a rape victim, was told
:22:02. > :22:04.at a ground rules hearing that her sexual history
:22:05. > :22:06.would not be used. But in court she faced
:22:07. > :22:09.questions and allegations Emma was followed by a stranger
:22:10. > :22:16.who attacked and tried to rape her. Her screams were met with a threat
:22:17. > :22:20.of stop or be killed. Fortunately two off-duty police
:22:21. > :22:23.officers heard her screams. The trial fixated on why Emma
:22:24. > :22:27.chose to wear a red dress The humiliation of victims of sexual
:22:28. > :22:31.assault by reference to matters irrelevant to the case cannot be
:22:32. > :22:36.allowed to continue. The Bill won the initial support
:22:37. > :22:39.of MPs, but is not likely to become law without the support
:22:40. > :22:47.of the Government. Now, it's probably not at the top
:22:48. > :22:49.of the Prime Minister's in-tray. But the shortage of items
:22:50. > :22:53.on the fruit and veg shelves of our supermarkets -
:22:54. > :22:55.following recent bad weather in Southern Europe--
:22:56. > :22:57.has certainly led to The absence of courgettes
:22:58. > :23:00.in particular prompted a flurry Some reports have declared that
:23:01. > :23:04.Britain is 'in the grip of a courgette shortage that
:23:05. > :23:07.could last for months'. In the House of Lords,
:23:08. > :23:13.a Minister was keen to calm our You will have seen the news reports
:23:14. > :23:19.of empty shelves in supermarkets, with the crisis expected to last
:23:20. > :23:23.until the spring, and meanwhile prices have trebled,
:23:24. > :23:27.in part because it costs more to fly vegetables from the USA
:23:28. > :23:30.and from Egypt than that does Can I ask, given the public
:23:31. > :23:35.health implications, has the department ensured
:23:36. > :23:37.that there are sufficient alternative sources of vegetables,
:23:38. > :23:40.particularly in schools Can I also ask is the department
:23:41. > :23:45.monitoring the prices to make sure My Lords, my officials have been
:23:46. > :23:55.discussing this matter In point of fact the
:23:56. > :23:58.situation is improving. The climate conditions in Spain
:23:59. > :24:02.and the Mediterranean are enabling the situation to improve,
:24:03. > :24:04.but not only that, there are other sources of supply from the Americas
:24:05. > :24:08.which are coming in. But I would say that this is a time
:24:09. > :24:12.when we should be reflecting about using our own wonderful
:24:13. > :24:17.nutritious British vegetables, and at the moment, all I can say
:24:18. > :24:21.is in the last few years food prices And I think that may
:24:22. > :24:30.deal with what some of the Labour Baroness
:24:31. > :24:32.may have been implying. Would not any rational man or woman
:24:33. > :24:36.think that to describe a shortage of lettuces in the supermarket
:24:37. > :24:40.as a crisis shows a lack of understanding of the meaning of
:24:41. > :24:45.the words in the English language? My Lords, I was seeking to be
:24:46. > :24:58.courteous to the noble Baroness The only shortage will be of iceberg
:24:59. > :25:03.lettuce which we think will be for about a few months,
:25:04. > :25:05.and there is a wonderful variety My Lords, my Lords, my Lords,
:25:06. > :25:10.half of vegetables we eat in this country are imported,
:25:11. > :25:11.including native crops Isn't it time for the Government's
:25:12. > :25:17.forthcoming green paper on food and farming to tackle this decline
:25:18. > :25:22.in home grown veg? My Lords, I thoroughly endorse
:25:23. > :25:25.the wish that we all have It's precisely going
:25:26. > :25:30.to be at the heart of But very much so, in fact
:25:31. > :25:40.I was pleased only this morning to hear that cauliflowers
:25:41. > :25:42.from Cornwall are coming So we have a great opportunity again
:25:43. > :25:49.to buy some British vegetables. I think it is only fair
:25:50. > :25:52.we go with the Greens My huge thanks to the
:25:53. > :25:59.Leader of the House. Back in 2008 at the request
:26:00. > :26:02.of the then mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, I produced a report
:26:03. > :26:05.on how to make London more sustainable in its food supplies,
:26:06. > :26:07.and part of that was actually Would the noble Lord the Minister
:26:08. > :26:11.like me to forward a copy of my report for the Government's
:26:12. > :26:13.use to contribute I am sure the paper,
:26:14. > :26:19.and I would like to see a copy, endorses the importance of having
:26:20. > :26:22.lower food miles, which means But do join me for our
:26:23. > :26:30.next daily round-up. Until then, from me,
:26:31. > :26:41.Keith McDougall, goodbye.