:00:26. > :00:31.Good morning, welcome to the programme. It is a mournful until
:00:31. > :00:41.the Olympics. We have a Westminster Golden hour and the latest news
:00:41. > :00:48.
:00:48. > :00:57.from Cardiff Bay. Feel free to get Before we head off, time for a
:00:57. > :01:01.quick chat with Mike Hedges and Janet Finch Saunders. Let's talk
:01:01. > :01:07.about the wells Government drawing up plans for fines for the parents
:01:07. > :01:14.of children who don't go to school. I fully supported. It is another
:01:14. > :01:16.tool to get local people - my children to school. The more
:01:16. > :01:21.qualification to get, the better it improves your life chances. The
:01:21. > :01:31.more attend -- the more you attend school the better of qualification
:01:31. > :01:35.to will get. I wonder the 20 pets find -- a fine of �120, parents
:01:35. > :01:42.from less than affluent backgrounds may not be able to afford to pay
:01:42. > :01:52.the fine? I do not think parents who take their children to school
:01:52. > :01:54.
:01:54. > :01:59.will be fined. Really what we have got To do Is educate the parents
:01:59. > :02:05.and depth the children into school so they can get education and have
:02:05. > :02:11.better job prospects in the future. Educating the Parents is different
:02:11. > :02:16.to find in them? I agree. A but I agree with the proposals of having
:02:16. > :02:26.a look at the problem of truancy. 800,000 lost schooldays is a huge
:02:26. > :02:27.
:02:27. > :02:31.issue. These youngsters are losing out on a valuable help in schools.
:02:31. > :02:41.You learn at school the skills and benefits that will stay with them
:02:41. > :02:43.
:02:43. > :02:47.for a lifetime. As with the education minister, some of the
:02:47. > :02:51.policies he brings forward, the devil is in the detail. I would
:02:51. > :02:58.rather actually see the entirety of what he brings forward and then I
:02:58. > :03:04.think it is up for discussion. What about the headline, one other than
:03:04. > :03:12.�20 fine? Again, we need to look at the detail as to where that figure
:03:12. > :03:19.has originated from. What the you think about the idea of fining
:03:19. > :03:22.parents? We need to look at the proposals. I think there is merit
:03:22. > :03:30.in making parents responsible for ensuring their children go to
:03:30. > :03:34.school. Clearly the Education Minister feels that we can put this
:03:34. > :03:43.penalty on parents. I would let cars mack I would say, let's look
:03:43. > :03:50.at the report in detail and I will take part in the debate. This is
:03:50. > :03:53.another Tooley and the Army of local authorities. -- another tool.
:03:53. > :04:03.Educational welfare officers would call round and tell them if the
:04:03. > :04:06.
:04:07. > :04:13.children are not attending, they can be fined �120. The situation at
:04:13. > :04:18.the moment his parents can go before the court and get find. It
:04:18. > :04:21.is about getting parents to send their children to school. Everybody
:04:21. > :04:25.is in favour of parents sending their children to school. It is
:04:26. > :04:35.another tool for educational welfare officers to remind parents
:04:36. > :04:47.
:04:47. > :04:51.of their responsibilities. We will Including five from the Royal roach
:04:51. > :04:55.-- y what. They made the ultimate sacrifice for the safety of our
:04:55. > :04:59.nation and we will always remember them. The Army is conducting a
:04:59. > :05:04.study into its future course structure. The outcome of the study
:05:05. > :05:09.will be announced once decisions are made. Until then, it is not
:05:09. > :05:14.possible to comment on which specific units will be affected. I
:05:14. > :05:16.am grateful to her for her answer. Can I urge or on behalf of the
:05:16. > :05:21.number of constituents who have written to me about the Queen's
:05:21. > :05:25.Dragoon Guards, to work very closely with our Right Honourable
:05:25. > :05:35.Friend, the Defence Secretary, to try to ensure this superb regiment
:05:35. > :05:35.
:05:35. > :05:41.is kept. The continuation of a strong military presence in Wales
:05:41. > :05:47.is important to the local community and the country. I proudly
:05:48. > :05:57.displayed the emblem of the Queen's Dragoon Guards. I will continue to
:05:58. > :06:03.
:06:03. > :06:08.give every support to the Welsh regiments. The feet dragging by the
:06:08. > :06:18.Ministry of Defence over the wells cavalry is extremely frustrating. -
:06:18. > :06:18.
:06:18. > :06:24.- Welsh. I have fully supported the Wells Cavalry and the Queen's
:06:24. > :06:27.Dragoon Guards. I will not take any lessons from the party who, when
:06:27. > :06:32.they restructured the Army, consigned more than six wondered
:06:32. > :06:37.years of the military history to the history books when they
:06:37. > :06:40.abolished the Royal Welch Fusiliers. I certainly will always press there
:06:40. > :06:48.case at a highest level on a continuous basis. He should take
:06:48. > :06:58.comfort from that. A policy in the Queen's Dragoon Guards would be
:06:58. > :07:04.
:07:04. > :07:07.almost as bad as abolishing the Welsh Guards. -- abolishing.
:07:07. > :07:12.distinguished member has served himself in the armed forces. I
:07:12. > :07:18.agree entirely with him. On June 2nd I attended the homecoming
:07:18. > :07:22.parade and the reception in Cardiff for the Queen's Dragoon Guards. The
:07:22. > :07:32.morale and the continuation of these units that are so closely
:07:32. > :07:33.
:07:33. > :07:39.associated with Wales, needs to continue. Now first associate
:07:39. > :07:44.myself with the remarks made by the Secretary of State that the
:07:44. > :07:50.sacrifice of Welsh men and women were this country. I wonder if the
:07:50. > :07:54.Secretary of State could bring herself to comment on the very
:07:54. > :07:59.worrying news that the Welsh cavalry may well be saved after a
:07:59. > :08:06.campaign in this house, but we may pay the price of the loss of one of
:08:06. > :08:13.the battalions of the boil Welsh with 700 jobs in Wales? -- Royal
:08:13. > :08:20.Welch. This Government has brought the defence budget by Act into
:08:20. > :08:26.balance for the first time in a generation. -- back into balance.
:08:26. > :08:29.Let me assure him that I will continue to give my undiluted
:08:29. > :08:34.support to Welsh regiments. As I have said before, no decisions have
:08:35. > :08:44.been taken. There is a great deal of speculation. I do not think the
:08:45. > :08:45.
:08:45. > :08:53.Honourable Gentleman should make people feel so insecure. Despite
:08:53. > :08:56.the bluster, the silence will have been helped -- heard in Wales.
:08:56. > :09:03.Would she not agree it would be at Trudy pyrrhic victory for the
:09:03. > :09:12.Queen's Dragoon Guard if the cap badge is saved in Wales but we lose
:09:12. > :09:17.a battalion? I hear what the honourable gentleman say is. I will
:09:17. > :09:21.take no lessons from a party that got rid of the Royal Welch
:09:21. > :09:31.Fusiliers and the Royal Regiment of Wales. I can take advice from a
:09:31. > :09:33.
:09:33. > :09:38.much better people than him. would urge the Secretary of State
:09:38. > :09:41.to make any representations necessary to keep the Royal Welch.
:09:41. > :09:46.There are all very well recruited in their traditional recruitment
:09:46. > :09:56.areas. Any loss of a battalion would limit the opportunities for
:09:56. > :09:56.
:09:56. > :10:00.young Welsh people to join the regiment. He knows them is your age
:10:00. > :10:04.affection for these regiments. have made it my business is to
:10:04. > :10:08.visit as many parts of the armed services as I can in Wales and
:10:08. > :10:14.continue to support them. What I think is important is that we are
:10:14. > :10:20.seeking to recruit people into the reserves and the Territorial Army.
:10:20. > :10:30.The brigades are great recruiting sergeant. Long may they continue. I
:10:30. > :10:40.will always make the case. If you could look in the direction of the
:10:40. > :10:40.
:10:40. > :10:50.has come a we may all here and we would be obliged. The Government
:10:50. > :10:53.has recognises the value of supply chains. Does the minister agreed
:10:53. > :10:58.that a small and medium-size enterprises are a key part of the
:10:58. > :11:02.economy in Wales and in England, and the Government is absolutely
:11:02. > :11:07.right to focus on making sure they can further develop their products
:11:07. > :11:12.and services? My Honourable Friend is entirely right to highlight the
:11:12. > :11:19.mutual dependence of supply chains that emanate in England to watch
:11:19. > :11:25.manufacturing industry and vice versa. In fact, Airbus accounts in
:11:25. > :11:29.directly for 135,000 jobs. The Welsh Government, to whom the
:11:29. > :11:39.economic development is devolve, should be keen to foster those
:11:39. > :11:40.
:11:40. > :11:47.supply chains and working closely with the Department of business.
:11:47. > :11:56.World-class electrical Steel is now being produced in Newport. What
:11:56. > :12:00.more is the Government doing to help steelmaking in Wales? The
:12:00. > :12:04.Government is closely engaged with the steel and making industry.
:12:04. > :12:11.Given the news we heard yesterday, it is extremely important the Welsh
:12:11. > :12:17.Assembly should be working closely to foster that relationship. Would
:12:17. > :12:24.he not agree that one of the major challenges facing the Welsh economy
:12:24. > :12:27.is a deluge of exports? What discussions is the having with
:12:27. > :12:31.Cabinet colleagues and the Welsh Government to expand and diversify
:12:31. > :12:41.the Welsh export base, in particular in relation to
:12:41. > :12:42.
:12:42. > :12:45.manufacturing? What we have in the course of the next few weeks is an
:12:45. > :12:50.enormous opportunity for Welsh industry in the shape of the
:12:50. > :12:55.British business embassy, to which exporters from all over the world
:12:55. > :13:00.and importers, will be attending. I do understand that the Welsh
:13:01. > :13:10.Assembly Government is now engaging with that embassy. I would urge
:13:11. > :13:13.
:13:13. > :13:16.them to do more. I have regular discussions with the Welsh
:13:16. > :13:20.Government ministers about the prospects for the Welsh economy and
:13:20. > :13:25.the need for closer working to create the right environment for
:13:25. > :13:30.jobs, growth and prosperity. Youth unemployment in my constituency has
:13:30. > :13:36.gone up by 16% and the last year, not how it by the Government
:13:36. > :13:40.scrapping of the future jobs Bond. Isn't it time lessons were taken
:13:40. > :13:50.from the Welsh Government by implementing the jobs growth
:13:50. > :13:50.
:13:50. > :13:54.scheme? I absolutely agree with the honourable the ad that if there are
:13:54. > :13:58.lessons to be learned from the wells come and, we learnt them.
:13:58. > :14:05.Unemployment is a matter for bought the UK Government and the Welsh
:14:05. > :14:13.Government. Under the last Government, unemployment in Wales
:14:13. > :14:23.was 73% less than the last Parliament. Is my Honourable Friend
:14:23. > :14:24.
:14:24. > :14:26.aware of figures from the ONS showing that �60 million could be
:14:26. > :14:30.injected back into the world economy this year along following
:14:31. > :14:33.the dropping of fuel duty? Government has shown it has
:14:33. > :14:38.listened and is willing to help motorists further with their cost
:14:38. > :14:44.of living, a buyer acting at a time when the pump prices are still at
:14:45. > :14:48.an historic high, and to disturb that -- did a further increase
:14:48. > :14:51.until January. The Honourable Gentleman has played a great part
:14:51. > :14:54.in this campaign and brought about being part this change of the
:14:54. > :15:03.Government which will be welcomed throughout Wales by businesses and
:15:03. > :15:08.families. I agree with her about creating the right environment. She
:15:08. > :15:12.will also recognise that in North West Wales, Cheshire and the Wirral,
:15:12. > :15:19.there is a common travel to work area. Was she put her support
:15:19. > :15:24.behind the campaign to improve and of great the Wrexham line which
:15:24. > :15:34.will help service that travel-to- work area, and thus help create the
:15:34. > :15:38.We used to sit on the same select committee together. I understand he
:15:38. > :15:44.is a constant champion for improving travel arrangements in
:15:44. > :15:48.and around his career. I have always supported this line but I
:15:49. > :15:55.have prioritised the electrification of the Valley's
:15:55. > :16:02.line and that unfinished business down in Swansea. I think the
:16:02. > :16:10.Wrexham line electrification will be close behind that. Tourism is a
:16:10. > :16:17.critical section of the Welsh economy, not least in Caribbean. --
:16:17. > :16:21.in Mid West Wales. I appreciate her visit to the constituency last week.
:16:21. > :16:27.Will she reiterated the message of the council that it is very much
:16:27. > :16:29.open for business? First, I was delighted to accept the invitation
:16:29. > :16:35.of the honourable gentleman and look at the aftermath of the
:16:35. > :16:40.flooding. I think it is honestly the time when the media has left
:16:40. > :16:45.that it gets most difficult for the people affected. But I was
:16:45. > :16:49.impressed by how the community got back on its feet. They really are
:16:49. > :16:54.open for business. If anybody is listening, they should understand
:16:54. > :17:00.that his constituency is one of the best places to take a holiday and
:17:01. > :17:06.really is open for business. How is the mobility of Welsh Labour
:17:06. > :17:14.improving if young people leave the family home, getting on their bank
:17:14. > :17:19.-- bikes and taking low-paid work elsewhere? We do share the same
:17:19. > :17:24.concern about the level of youth unemployment and certainly, the
:17:24. > :17:28.unemployment rate in Wales remains unacceptably high. But I would have
:17:29. > :17:35.thought he would welcome for the 4th month consecutively the fall of
:17:35. > :17:43.unemployment in Wales. That means we are moving in the right
:17:43. > :17:47.direction and we do have many members still looking for work.
:17:47. > :17:53.have talked about different corporation tax regimes across the
:17:53. > :17:57.border. We have heard about the single economic policies in Wales.
:17:57. > :18:01.I think we have got concerns among the visitors I have talked about
:18:01. > :18:06.about any prospect of there being any changes in corporation tax
:18:06. > :18:10.across the border between England and Wales. But that is the purpose
:18:10. > :18:14.of the commission which I established, looking at areas of
:18:14. > :18:21.taxation and accountability. I hope they will report later this year
:18:21. > :18:25.and we can see their recommendations. Hard-pressed
:18:25. > :18:31.households across Wales will certainly welcome the Chancellor's
:18:31. > :18:35.latest U-turn on the increase in fuel duty. But with borrowing
:18:35. > :18:41.rocketing, because this government has created a double-dip recession,
:18:41. > :18:45.will she speak up for struggling businesses in Wales and the 130,000
:18:45. > :18:55.people looking for work and ask the Chancellor to change his economic
:18:55. > :18:56.
:18:56. > :19:04.plans? I would just like to welcome the new front bench team for Wales
:19:04. > :19:07.to the opposition benches. I would also just like to pay a tribute to
:19:07. > :19:15.the Member for meat, who stepped down from the front bench and will
:19:15. > :19:20.be greatly missed. I did meet the Zamalek at the Wells Committee but
:19:20. > :19:24.I would like to welcome him. -- honourable gentleman at the Welsh
:19:24. > :19:28.committee. I think the decision that has been made on top of
:19:28. > :19:34.decisions announced about cutting fuel duty and scrapping the
:19:35. > :19:39.previous government's fuel duty escalator, ensuring that it will be
:19:39. > :19:49.frozen for 21 months, will help businesses and families and I am
:19:49. > :19:53.
:19:53. > :19:57.surprised she did not acknowledge No. 6, Mr Speaker. I published the
:19:57. > :20:01.green paper on future electoral arrangements on may 21st. I have
:20:01. > :20:08.spoken to all party leaders in the Assembly, including the First
:20:08. > :20:13.Minister, about the paper. First Minister of Wales says that
:20:13. > :20:18.the Prime Minister said to him that he would not take forward changing
:20:18. > :20:26.the Assembly voting system without the consent of the Assembly. Will
:20:26. > :20:32.she confirmed that is the position of the UK government?
:20:32. > :20:38.honourable gentleman had the opportunity to discuss this. If he
:20:38. > :20:44.had been at the committee, he could have done that but I understand it
:20:44. > :20:50.that Labour objected because they have problems getting up in the
:20:50. > :20:58.morning and getting to work by 11:30am on a Monday. I have
:20:58. > :21:05.therefore decided to cancel the Welsh committee and Labour have the
:21:05. > :21:08.opportunity to call a debate in their own time. Can I just say that
:21:08. > :21:12.the Prime Minister has met the First Minister on a number of
:21:13. > :21:20.occasions and I believe many things were discussed. I am not aware of
:21:20. > :21:24.any firm commitments made by the Prime Minister. My Right Honourable
:21:24. > :21:28.Friend and I have frequent discussions with ministerial
:21:28. > :21:33.colleagues about promoting and capitalising the Welsh identity as
:21:33. > :21:39.a constituent nation of the United Kingdom. I thank him for that
:21:39. > :21:45.answer. Nothing promotes the Welsh identity better than the rousing
:21:45. > :21:51.national anthem. But at the same time it is an affront to people in
:21:51. > :21:55.Wales when England wrongly used the United Kingdom national anthem, and
:21:55. > :22:05.does he agree with me that we should be clear on the differences
:22:05. > :22:05.
:22:05. > :22:10.between England and the United Kingdom? As a Welshman, I feel
:22:10. > :22:16.rather worried about intruding on English matters such as an English
:22:16. > :22:24.national anthem. I sing God Save the Queen as enthusiastically and
:22:24. > :22:29.as badly as the Welsh national anthem. We are also British Members
:22:29. > :22:38.of Parliament. Therefore as Welsh Members of Parliament we should be
:22:38. > :22:45.able to speak and vote on matters of the British Parliament. Even, it
:22:45. > :22:51.matters across the border. appears to be referring to the West
:22:51. > :22:56.Lothian question. We currently have a Commission about that. Perhaps it
:22:56. > :23:06.would be a refreshing thing it members wished to debate these
:23:06. > :23:09.
:23:09. > :23:13.issues in committee instead of Mr Speaker, my Right Honourable
:23:13. > :23:16.Friend and I have regular discussions with colleagues and
:23:16. > :23:21.others on a range of issues including the construction industry
:23:22. > :23:27.in Wales. I have written to the Wells government offering
:23:27. > :23:31.discussions with the minister of state of housing and local
:23:31. > :23:35.government to explore extensions of the new scheme to Wales. Does he
:23:35. > :23:39.share my concern that the approach to planning and building
:23:39. > :23:46.regulations by the Labour Welsh government has had an adverse
:23:46. > :23:49.effect on the construction industry in Wales? What I would say is that
:23:49. > :23:54.in Wales we have had an increasingly a rigorous planning
:23:54. > :23:58.and building regulations system developing. Planning and building
:23:58. > :24:03.regulations are important to the development of housing and at a
:24:03. > :24:11.time when England is relaxing that regime, the Assembly Government is
:24:11. > :24:17.making it more repressive. I am disappointed about the situation on
:24:17. > :24:20.Monday. I do not know about alarm clocks or whatever but I would say
:24:20. > :24:26.that they will be opportunities for debate on the floor of the house in
:24:26. > :24:30.due course and this could have been a good first debate. But turning to
:24:30. > :24:35.housing, with regard to the construction industry, this
:24:35. > :24:44.industry employs 100,000 people in Wales. Please, make representations
:24:44. > :24:48.said that renovations are not subject to VAT. New buildings are
:24:48. > :24:53.not and renovations are. Many renovations are carried out by
:24:53. > :25:00.small and medium-sized companies. hear what he has said about the
:25:00. > :25:04.committee and I agree with him. I would say also that what my
:25:04. > :25:13.information tells me is that the owner has building regulations
:25:13. > :25:17.regime is the biggest deterrent to house building in Wales. -- odorous.
:25:17. > :25:23.I had to stand we are discussing the issue of the housing revenue
:25:23. > :25:27.subsidy scheme. That has been done away with in England. It does not
:25:27. > :25:32.exist in Scotland and Northern Ireland. It cost Wales �73 million
:25:32. > :25:38.last year and that money could have been put to better use. Will he
:25:38. > :25:43.further these discussions? Welsh Assembly Government is doing
:25:43. > :25:46.considerably better in financial terms than this government than
:25:46. > :25:56.many other spending departments and he should take that into account
:25:56. > :25:58.
:25:58. > :26:03.The poorest regions and nations of Wales have been affected by this
:26:03. > :26:09.problem. Does he agree that construction companies in north-
:26:09. > :26:16.west Wales should be the same as in Torbay and Buckinghamshire, has
:26:16. > :26:19.should teachers in those areas? What I would say is that
:26:19. > :26:24.increasingly Welsh house builders are leaving Wales in order to build
:26:24. > :26:30.in England. It is good that some companies are at least keeping
:26:30. > :26:35.local employees. We have got too many noisy private conversations
:26:35. > :26:45.taking place in the Chamber. Let's have a bit of order for David
:26:45. > :26:45.
:26:45. > :26:49.Ratcliffe. My Honourable Friend has regular discussions with Welsh
:26:49. > :26:56.government ministers and interested parties on improving broadband
:26:56. > :27:01.infrastructure in Wales. This is an important priority in rural
:27:01. > :27:06.communities just as it is in towns and villages in Wales. Is he
:27:06. > :27:09.disappointed that the Labour Welsh government still does not have a
:27:09. > :27:16.preferred bidder for the next generation broadband project
:27:16. > :27:22.despite having promised to do so last year? Yes, the Welsh Assembly
:27:22. > :27:26.Government has in fact been given double the expected consultation
:27:26. > :27:36.period to develop broadband infrastructure in Wales. I am
:27:36. > :27:42.informed that an announcement will How will he ensure that BT is not
:27:42. > :27:46.the monopoly supplier of broadband in North Wales? I think he had
:27:46. > :27:56.better speak to his colleagues in the Welsh Assembly, who will
:27:56. > :28:00.
:28:00. > :28:04.Combating human trafficking is a key priority for the government and
:28:04. > :28:08.we recognise the importance of the issue in Wales. The Secretary of
:28:08. > :28:13.State has not discussed this issue with the First Minister but has met
:28:13. > :28:18.the anti- human traffic co- ordinator for Wales. Order, these
:28:18. > :28:26.are extremely serious matter is being considered. People should be
:28:26. > :28:30.treating them with some seriousness and listen. I would thank the
:28:30. > :28:35.Minister for his response. The Prime Minister is leading Europe in
:28:35. > :28:39.the fight against human trafficking. But could we not do something in
:28:39. > :28:45.England by adopting the Welsh idea for having an English Commissioner
:28:45. > :28:50.against human trafficking? principal reason that Wales does
:28:50. > :28:55.have a co-ordinator is that while policing and justice are not
:28:55. > :29:00.devolved, issues like child care are devolved. It would make sense
:29:00. > :29:10.to have a co-ordinated in Wales. In England, the question does not
:29:10. > :29:11.
:29:11. > :29:20.The commission expects to report during the current parliamentary
:29:20. > :29:27.session. With the Secretary of State like to tell the House what
:29:28. > :29:32.evidence she has given to the commission? So far I have not been
:29:32. > :29:38.asked to give any evidence to the commission. But I understand that
:29:38. > :29:45.there is going to be a long discussion on this issue. I know
:29:45. > :29:49.that she is particularly keen on giving evidence herself. She would
:29:49. > :29:56.like to provide information to the commission. I am sure she will have
:29:56. > :30:02.the opportunity. On devolution, would she agree that any
:30:02. > :30:05.fundamental changes to the voting system for the Assembly must have
:30:05. > :30:10.inter-party consensus and the agreement of the Welsh government
:30:10. > :30:20.to avoid another referendum which was endorsed by the 1997
:30:20. > :30:22.
:30:22. > :30:27.I do not know is the right honourable gentleman was in the
:30:27. > :30:31.chamber when I paid tribute to him earlier. The legislation which
:30:31. > :30:37.govern the changes to the voting system of the Assembly was put in
:30:38. > :30:43.by his Government. The power for that remains quite clearly here.
:30:43. > :30:50.Had it been different, he might have changed it himself. Order,
:30:50. > :30:54.questions to the Prime Minister. This morning I had meetings with
:30:54. > :31:02.ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this
:31:02. > :31:10.house I shall have further such meetings later today. Isn't it
:31:10. > :31:18.stupid to voter for a House of Lords reform but against the
:31:18. > :31:24.programme motion? I think my Honourable Friend makes a very,
:31:24. > :31:29.very important point. We have been discussing this issue for 100 years.
:31:29. > :31:39.It really is time to make progress. The truth of the matter his there
:31:39. > :31:40.
:31:40. > :31:47.are opponents of Lords reform in every party. Bodde there is a
:31:47. > :31:52.majority in this House for an elected House of Lords. If those
:31:52. > :31:58.who support Lords reform do not Hackett, it will not happen. That
:31:58. > :32:02.is the crucial point. It is absolutely hopeless in life and in
:32:02. > :32:12.politics to do what the right honourable gentleman he is doing,
:32:12. > :32:17.
:32:17. > :32:22.which is to say he is in favour of it and he is against it. Mr Speaker,
:32:22. > :32:31.the Prime Minister said on the 11th April, I will defend every part of
:32:31. > :32:41.that budget. I worked on it very closely with the Chancellor of the
:32:41. > :32:44.
:32:44. > :32:54.Exchequer, line by line. Mr Speaker, of what went wrong? The fuel duty
:32:54. > :33:00.increase was a Labour tax rise. It cannot be a U-turn to get rid of a
:33:00. > :33:05.Labour tax increase. They put in place 12 increases on fuel duty in
:33:05. > :33:14.Government. They left behind six increases in fuel duty. I am proud
:33:14. > :33:20.of the fact we are dealing with them. Mr Speaker, it was all part
:33:20. > :33:23.of a seamless political strategy. Unfortunately, they forgot to tell
:33:23. > :33:29.the Transport Secretary, who defended the increase. They forgot
:33:29. > :33:36.to tell the Cabinet in the morning. And they forgot to tell their own
:33:36. > :33:41.backbenchers. And send them out to defend the old policy. Lex us call
:33:41. > :33:45.it what it is, another case of panic at the Poms. Month after
:33:45. > :33:50.month, every time this side of the House has proposed putting more
:33:51. > :33:54.money in people's pockets to get the economy moving, he has
:33:54. > :33:59.denounced the policy as irresponsible. Yesterday the
:33:59. > :34:06.Chancellor said it was about precisely doing that. Why doesn't
:34:06. > :34:13.he admitted that plan a has failed? Disease support stopping the fuel
:34:13. > :34:17.increased? Yes. Why not get up and congratulate the Government for
:34:17. > :34:23.being on the side of the motorist and people will work hard and do
:34:23. > :34:26.the right thing. I have to say to the Right Honourable Gentleman,
:34:26. > :34:31.ever since we came to whoppers we have been diffusing Labour's tax
:34:31. > :34:35.bombshell. We have diffused their jobs tax, there increases in
:34:36. > :34:39.Council tax and their increases in fuel tax. They should be
:34:39. > :34:45.congratulating us for being on the side of those who work hard and do
:34:45. > :34:50.the right thing. I'm afraid it is back to the bunker after that
:34:50. > :34:55.answer. Even on this Government's all measure of success, borrowing
:34:55. > :35:01.increased yesterday. No wonder they want to change the exams system.
:35:01. > :35:05.The Chancellor cannot get the maths are right. Can he confirm that the
:35:05. > :35:09.reason this Government has had to borrow 3 million more than that
:35:09. > :35:17.this time last year, is because the tax revenues are down and the cost
:35:17. > :35:23.of economic failure is gone up? It is all the result of double dip
:35:23. > :35:27.recession -- recess in made in Downing Street. -- recession. On
:35:27. > :35:32.fuel tax, he is against it but in favour of it. On borrowing, he
:35:32. > :35:39.thinks it is too high but he wants to put it up. I think it is back to
:35:39. > :35:48.school. I know he finds the shadow chancellor irritating, but it was
:35:48. > :35:53.the shadow chancellor who called for the fuel duty cut before he did.
:35:53. > :35:59.The reality is that they're not just economically incompetent, they
:35:59. > :36:05.were one fare as well. He has made six EU turns but not on to
:36:05. > :36:09.particular issues. The tax cut for millionaires paid for by the tax
:36:09. > :36:14.rise on pensioners. He says he has been listening to the electorate.
:36:14. > :36:17.What feedback as he had on those proposals? On the Chancellor --
:36:18. > :36:21.shadow chancellor, the shadow chancellor is the man who put the
:36:21. > :36:27.fuel tax increase into the budget in the first place. We have been
:36:28. > :36:32.getting rid of Labour's tax increases. I think it is wrong to
:36:32. > :36:39.have a top rate of tax than a -- that is higher than France, Germany
:36:39. > :36:46.and Italy. Beath 13 years of a Labour Government in which he
:36:46. > :36:52.served, the top rate of tax was 40p. -- The 13 years. I think a thank
:36:52. > :36:57.you should be in order. He claims to be proud of the way the decision
:36:57. > :37:07.on the fuel tax was made. But the Chancellor refused to defend the
:37:07. > :37:07.
:37:07. > :37:12.decision yesterday. And no wonder... The Chancellor set out the economic
:37:12. > :37:18.Secretary to do all the interviews on this issue. The Member for Mid
:37:18. > :37:25.Bedfordshire said, I did not see Newsnight, however, it was born a
:37:25. > :37:29.cent closely on, he is a coward. There is no change on the tax cut
:37:29. > :37:34.for millionaires. Doesn't the Prime Minister realise that what people
:37:34. > :37:37.hate about this Government is the double standards of them saying,
:37:37. > :37:43.tax avoidance is immoral but it is OK when there so many people are
:37:43. > :37:48.struggling to get by, to give a tax cut to millionaires, including the
:37:48. > :37:52.millionaires in the Cabinet? leader of the opposition says the
:37:52. > :37:59.Chancellor was hiding away. The Chancellor was announcing this tax
:37:59. > :38:04.reduction from the dispatch box. I know, Mr Speaker, the House of
:38:04. > :38:08.Commons does not always get reported, but he was actually here
:38:08. > :38:12.making the announcement. He completely wrong-footed the Serup
:38:12. > :38:20.Chancellor. What we have heard today from the leader of the
:38:20. > :38:26.opposition is a series of arguments about process, process of out of
:38:26. > :38:32.the House of Lords, process about the economy, process of I'd the
:38:32. > :38:35.deficit -- about the deficit. Absolutely hopeless. This is about
:38:35. > :38:41.an economic plan that is failing and it is about the unfairness of
:38:41. > :38:46.this Government. He talks about the tax affairs of Jimmy Carter but he
:38:46. > :38:52.is giving a tax cut to millionaires of �40,000 per year across his
:38:52. > :38:55.country. Including his own Cabinet. When it comes to tax, it is
:38:56. > :39:05.obviously one rule for the comedians on the stage and another
:39:06. > :39:06.
:39:06. > :39:12.rule for the comedians in the Cabinet. The Prime Minister has
:39:12. > :39:17.spent the last week blundering into the tax affairs of Jimmy Carter.
:39:17. > :39:27.His budget unravelling, his economic plan a shambles. It is
:39:27. > :39:34.just another week in the Office. am not surprised, Mr Speaker...
:39:34. > :39:39.Order, order. The Prime Minister will be heard. I am not at all
:39:39. > :39:43.surprised the honourable gentleman is touchy about tax avoidance. Will
:39:43. > :39:47.have they just voted to the top of the list of the National Executive
:39:47. > :39:53.Committee? Ken Livingstone. It is this Government that is cracking
:39:53. > :40:03.down on aggressive and illegal tax avoidance and tax evasion, and it
:40:03. > :40:03.
:40:03. > :40:07.is that party that is voting for them. The International Development
:40:07. > :40:11.Committee spent last week in Afghanistan and would pay tribute
:40:11. > :40:15.to the dedication of the armed forces and civil service working
:40:15. > :40:20.under very difficult conditions. Will the Prime Minister reassure
:40:20. > :40:24.the people of Afghanistan that all the old trouper Jordanne will end
:40:24. > :40:31.in 2014, advice, support, Development and Assistance will
:40:32. > :40:36.continue after that? -- although all troop drawn down. He talks
:40:36. > :40:40.about our armed services and today is the day we encourage people who
:40:40. > :40:44.served to wear their uniform to work, not something that members of
:40:44. > :40:49.this house can do. Nonetheless, we should remember all of those who
:40:49. > :40:52.serve our country. On the issue of support for Afghanistan, we
:40:52. > :40:58.announced we will continue with the generous level of aid and
:40:58. > :41:03.development support we are giving to Afghanistan after 2015. As well
:41:03. > :41:10.as helping to fund the build-up of the Afghan national security forces
:41:10. > :41:17.between now and 2015. Can I ask the Prime Minister, what is the moral
:41:17. > :41:24.difference between celebrities avoiding tax and the Cabinet of
:41:24. > :41:28.millionaires cutting tax to benefit themselves? Perhaps the best way to
:41:28. > :41:32.answer that question is to called her a leader who said at the launch
:41:32. > :41:36.of his local election campaign, tax avoidance is a terrible thing, it
:41:36. > :41:40.must be cracked down on. That, I thought, was the official position
:41:40. > :41:47.of the Labour Party. He should be thanking us for getting on and
:41:47. > :41:52.doing that. In welcoming the decision not to increase in fuel
:41:52. > :41:58.duty, does the Prime Minister think this shows hard-pressed families
:41:58. > :42:02.and businesses that we mean business about refuelling growth?
:42:02. > :42:06.think the Honourable Lady is absolutely right. We have taken 2
:42:06. > :42:10.million of the lowest paid people at of the income tax. We have
:42:10. > :42:15.frozen the Council tax. It got rid of the jobs tax and has repeatedly
:42:15. > :42:24.dealt with fuel duties so it is 10p less than it would be under the
:42:24. > :42:28.plans left to us by the last Government. Can we return to this
:42:28. > :42:31.theme of practicalities and tax avoidance? One way the Prime
:42:31. > :42:41.Minister could put an end to aggressive tax avoidance schemes is
:42:41. > :42:41.
:42:41. > :42:51.to legislate for a general anti- avoidance scheme. Willie make one
:42:51. > :42:52.
:42:52. > :43:01.more U-turn and initiate an antique avoidance legislation? That is
:43:01. > :43:05.exactly what we're doing, exactly what Labour did not do for 13 years.
:43:05. > :43:15.Unemployment in my constituency has reduced by 5.7 per cent in the last
:43:15. > :43:16.
:43:16. > :43:26.year. This Government is focusing on the right things, like the party
:43:26. > :43:28.
:43:28. > :43:32.opposite who have no innovative solution to the economic issue.
:43:32. > :43:36.What part additional growth will come from new businesses? What is
:43:36. > :43:39.this Government doing to encourage enterprise in schools to nurture
:43:39. > :43:44.the next generation of entrepreneurs? It is quite clear
:43:44. > :43:49.the party opposite just want to shout down anyone who wants to talk
:43:49. > :43:57.up what is happening in our macro- economy. In the last quarter we saw
:43:57. > :44:04.Mark Rutte 200,000 new private sector jobs. -- we saw 200,000 new
:44:04. > :44:09.private sector jobs. We are seeing a rebalancing of the economy. 2011
:44:09. > :44:16.was a record year for the creation of Brett -- small businesses. We're
:44:16. > :44:20.in favour of encouraging that. coalition agreement stated the
:44:20. > :44:24.Government would introduce an house business committee by the third
:44:24. > :44:29.year of this Parliament. Will the Prime Minister therefore confirm
:44:29. > :44:36.that he will introduce it within the next 12 months? We are looking
:44:36. > :44:41.carefully at this issue. Let me say to the honourable gentleman that
:44:41. > :44:45.already this Government, by introducing the backbench days of
:44:45. > :44:50.backbench business, has made one of the most fundamental reforms of
:44:50. > :44:59.this place. Backbench members can determine the time and subject of
:44:59. > :45:09.debate. Something that never happened under Labour. No. 6,
:45:09. > :45:11.
:45:11. > :45:15.Gift Aid is an important way to support charitable giving. We
:45:15. > :45:19.understand it is difficult to collect Declarations, when
:45:19. > :45:26.collecting donations in the street. We are introducing a small donation
:45:26. > :45:31.scheme to enable charities to claim a payment on donations when it has
:45:31. > :45:34.not been possible to collect a gift Aid declaration. That will help
:45:34. > :45:40.charities in the country and I am sure it will be welcomed by the
:45:40. > :45:47.house. Hospitals across Britain benefit greatly from gift Aid
:45:47. > :45:51.donations. Can he reassure all the people that give generously, the
:45:51. > :45:56.equipment that they have funded will be guaranteed to remain for
:45:56. > :46:03.the benefit of local health communities? Would he visit a
:46:03. > :46:07.hospital in my constituency to see gift Aid in action? I have visited
:46:07. > :46:13.a community hospital in her constituency while on holiday and I
:46:13. > :46:18.have experience of the excellent service provided. I can absolutely
:46:18. > :46:21.say that they do a brilliant job across the country. The money they
:46:21. > :46:27.provide should remain local but I think what we have announced will
:46:27. > :46:36.be able to work help hospitals like the ones she refers to. -- help
:46:36. > :46:41.hospitals. After passing judgment on the tax affairs of Gary Barlow,
:46:41. > :46:48.he has had years to consider the donations of Lord Ashcroft. Are
:46:48. > :46:55.they morally wrong like Jimmy Carr? Like all members, all members of
:46:55. > :47:00.the House of Lords have to be UK taxpayers. But while on the subject,
:47:01. > :47:08.he might want to look at labour's chief fund raiser. A man called
:47:08. > :47:18.Andrew Rosenfeld. Between 2006 and last year, he lived in which key
:47:18. > :47:25.
:47:25. > :47:29.Would he take this opportunity... Order. The gentleman deserves to be
:47:29. > :47:34.had. We have had far too much noise when members are asking their
:47:34. > :47:38.questions and it is discourteous. Would he take this opportunity to
:47:38. > :47:45.remind the House that debt is a crucial EU summit at the end of
:47:45. > :47:49.this week? Which is more important for growth and jobs? The
:47:49. > :47:56.implication of changes being proposed in the EU, or House of
:47:56. > :48:00.Lords reform? In terms of growth in the UK economy, what is happening
:48:00. > :48:05.in the Eurozone and Europe, it is extremely important and a vital
:48:05. > :48:08.summit that is taking place. The government has a clear view which
:48:08. > :48:14.is the Eurozone countries must do more in the short term to settle
:48:14. > :48:18.the financial instability but they must also take medium and long-term
:48:18. > :48:24.steps to make sense of the Eurozone. That will involve sharing greater
:48:24. > :48:29.powers. That is something we should not be involved in. We have a clear
:48:29. > :48:36.view. We have pushed our arguments with bigger and we will protect the
:48:36. > :48:44.UK economy and political system. Every hour of every day, somebody
:48:44. > :48:49.gets killed by a weapon that has been irresponsibly traded from one
:48:49. > :48:53.country to another. Next week, the arms trade treaty negotiations
:48:53. > :48:59.start in New York. Will he guarantee that the British
:48:59. > :49:02.delegation will fight to include in the treaty, not just police and
:49:02. > :49:09.security apparatus to be used for repression but also ammunition
:49:09. > :49:14.which is vital? It is bullets that killed. We have at the Arms Trade
:49:14. > :49:24.treaty and have done for some time. We will lobby vigorously on that
:49:24. > :49:25.
:49:25. > :49:30.issue. I will look at his point and write to him. Places have been
:49:30. > :49:37.subjected to unprecedented flooding after the river Dart when burst its
:49:37. > :49:40.banks. Will he join me in congratulating the emergency
:49:40. > :49:45.services? Particularly the residents that came out in the
:49:45. > :49:51.morning to clean up their village in order to welcome the Olympic
:49:51. > :49:56.torch less than 12 hours later. joined him in praising the
:49:56. > :50:01.emergency services. These were very dangerous and damaging floods
:50:01. > :50:06.caused by a huge rainfall. The emergency services have performed
:50:06. > :50:11.well and I have seen that myself. But we are in the recovery phase
:50:11. > :50:14.and people are looking at going back to their houses. They will be
:50:14. > :50:20.questions about insurance and how we can help and he will make these
:50:20. > :50:26.arguments in the house and we will do all we can to help. Will he
:50:26. > :50:32.finally answer the question why this year this government has
:50:32. > :50:39.actually borrowed �3.9 billion more than it did this time last year?
:50:39. > :50:49.The deficit that his party left is down by one quarter. The policy
:50:49. > :50:53.that he supports is to spend more, borrow more and put debt up further.
:50:53. > :50:59.17 a year old God when it Lawson from Enfield was so tragically
:50:59. > :51:04.stabbed to death in 2010. Since then, his mother has become a
:51:04. > :51:11.powerful force to challenge the culture of knife crime, by sharing
:51:11. > :51:14.her experiences of her son's death with young people. She and many
:51:14. > :51:19.groups can make an extraordinary contribution to challenging this
:51:19. > :51:23.culture. But some authorities are not getting behind and supporting
:51:23. > :51:31.and offering some funding to achieve this. Will he lent his
:51:31. > :51:34.support and encouragement to those people to get behind them? I will
:51:34. > :51:40.certainly get my support to power and to all others that are playing
:51:40. > :51:47.a heroic part in trying to change the culture of knife crime. It is
:51:47. > :51:51.worth remembering that this year, he would have been aged 21. I pay
:51:51. > :51:55.tribute to all these families and it would be easy for them to turn
:51:55. > :52:00.away from the tragedy that rocked them from their children and
:52:00. > :52:03.brothers and sisters but instead, they are brave and have raised the
:52:03. > :52:08.profile of this issue. The government must make sure that we
:52:08. > :52:12.have got mandatory sentences and we have done that. But a cultural
:52:12. > :52:16.change needs to take place and the bravery of people that have lost
:52:16. > :52:22.loved ones talking about it and the dangers of carrying weapons can
:52:23. > :52:27.play a big part in changing the culture. He may be aware of the
:52:27. > :52:34.horrific explosion that occurred in my constituency yesterday. I am
:52:34. > :52:41.sure the house will want to pay tribute and mourn the deaths of
:52:41. > :52:49.people involved. Will he join me in paying tribute to the work of the
:52:49. > :52:56.emergency services yesterday? As well as the contingency services in
:52:56. > :53:02.Brent Cross? And will he agree we should not take the servicemen and
:53:02. > :53:08.women's bravery for granted? I am sure the house will want to send a
:53:08. > :53:12.message of condolences to the family's involved and our best
:53:12. > :53:19.wishes to victims in hospitals being treated at the moment. The
:53:19. > :53:22.scenes were quite appalling and I joined her in paying tribute to the
:53:22. > :53:26.emergency services and we should speak to the police to get to the
:53:26. > :53:35.bottom of anything that might have happened. We will require answers
:53:35. > :53:41.to what has been an absolute tragedy. The flood victims Facebook
:53:41. > :53:44.page and the charitable giving page shows great community spirit. All
:53:44. > :53:53.of these local events are going ahead this weekend and that shows
:53:53. > :53:57.resilience. It shows that it is open for business. Can he assured
:53:57. > :54:05.me -- tell me about how the negotiations are going so they can
:54:05. > :54:09.get insurance in the teacher at a reasonable price? -- future. I
:54:09. > :54:15.believe that 550 properties in his constituency alone were affected by
:54:15. > :54:19.these damaging floods. On the issue of insurance, we are working hard
:54:19. > :54:26.to deliver widely available household insurance for flood risk
:54:26. > :54:32.areas. I joined him in praising the resilience of people. Having
:54:32. > :54:35.suffered as my constituency did in 27, -- 2007, the resilience of the
:54:35. > :54:42.communities and the amount of community service that comes out of
:54:42. > :54:45.our communities is remarkable and deserves praise. 20 years ago this
:54:45. > :54:52.week, the steel works in my constituency was forced to shut
:54:52. > :54:58.down. Thousands of jobs were lost. Many people are still without jobs
:54:58. > :55:04.and never found work again. 20 years later, will he apologise for
:55:04. > :55:09.his part in the shameful role of the demise of his factory? I am
:55:09. > :55:12.sorry for every job that has been lost but what I would say is that
:55:12. > :55:17.while manufacturing is a share of the economy almost halved under the
:55:17. > :55:21.last government, that is increasing and in terms of the steel industry
:55:21. > :55:31.it is worth recognising that under this government it has started to
:55:31. > :55:32.
:55:32. > :55:37.get on Teesside and that is Hereford is the home of the SAS and
:55:37. > :55:44.we will have the 40th anniversary of a battle in which nine SAS
:55:44. > :55:50.soldiers fought off more than 300 heavily armed guerrillas. During
:55:50. > :55:54.the battle, a man was shot while operating a field gun weapon
:55:54. > :55:58.designed for a six man team. Successive governments have not
:55:58. > :56:02.recognise the extraordinary nature of this sacrifice. They have many
:56:02. > :56:07.heroes but will he put this matter to rest and give his support to the
:56:07. > :56:16.campaign towards the man and his award of a posthumous Victoria
:56:16. > :56:18.Cross? He is right to speak up for the S A S. They are based in his
:56:18. > :56:23.constituency and had an extraordinary fight all those years
:56:24. > :56:27.ago. We are not allowed to speak about what they do on record but it
:56:27. > :56:31.is worth talking about the gratitude of all governments and
:56:31. > :56:36.the British people for the risks they take on our behalf. Thinking
:56:36. > :56:40.of hostage rescues, I would like to do that personally. In terms of
:56:40. > :56:45.what he asks, I did not think these decisions are for politicians to
:56:45. > :56:51.make but I once again paid tribute to the actions of Batman and
:56:51. > :57:01.everybody else involved. Is he bringing back A-levels and CSC
:57:01. > :57:02.
:57:02. > :57:07.style exams? -- O levels. We want to have an absolute gold standard
:57:07. > :57:12.of exams in this country that are about rigour and high standards.
:57:12. > :57:17.But the tragedy is that what we inherited from the last government
:57:17. > :57:22.was a system that was progressively dumbed down, when we were falling
:57:22. > :57:27.down league tables and a GCSE questions included things like, how
:57:27. > :57:37.do you see the moon, through a telescope, or microscope? We want a
:57:37. > :57:41.better system put in place. technology park in my constituency
:57:41. > :57:47.deserves the conditional regional grid farmed approval which will
:57:47. > :57:54.secure a vital jobs and investment into the UK and will harmonise with
:57:54. > :57:59.the government's commitment to growth. Will he use his influence
:57:59. > :58:03.to ensure that there is no further avoidable delay in the yard the
:58:03. > :58:09.mentation of the grant and the launch of this critically important
:58:09. > :58:14.enterprise? I will look carefully at what he says. Almost 60 % of
:58:14. > :58:19.these projects have started. Money has been distributed in many cases
:58:19. > :58:24.but I will look specifically at this project which does sound
:58:24. > :58:32.worthwhile and involves satellite management. These are important
:58:32. > :58:36.jobs for Cornwall which they want and need in Cornwall.
:58:36. > :58:42.healthcare trust deficit is due to the private finance initiative. Is
:58:42. > :58:47.he not wrong to suggest that the deficit is entirely due to bad?
:58:47. > :58:54.Should we not deal with that situation instead of imposing an
:58:54. > :58:57.outside administrator to cut local health services? First, it is this
:58:57. > :59:03.government that is putting more money into the NHS this year, next
:59:03. > :59:07.year and thereafter. Some trusts do have enormous deficits and a big
:59:07. > :59:14.part of that is down to the failed private finance initiative system
:59:14. > :59:19.the last government put in place. We have got hospitals up and down
:59:20. > :59:25.the country where it costs �120 to set an alarm, more than �400 to
:59:25. > :59:29.replace light fittings. These were not Conservative private finance
:59:29. > :59:37.initiatives. They were all put in place under these Labour government.
:59:37. > :59:41.Yet again, time for an apology. -- this Labour government. Does he
:59:41. > :59:47.agree that the way to tackle aggressive tax avoidance is to
:59:47. > :59:52.bring in a flatter and fairer tax system? I certainly support that
:59:52. > :59:57.system and that is why we actually do have 2 million people taken out
:59:57. > :00:06.of income tax, eight there were top rate of tax to make us competitive
:00:06. > :00:11.and it is important to put this on the record. -- 8 lower rate of tax.
:00:11. > :00:13.Some of the tax avoidance schemes that have been put in place in
:00:13. > :00:19.recent years are in my opinion questionable and the government
:00:19. > :00:29.should be clear at the Revenue's task is to close them down and make
:00:29. > :00:31.
:00:31. > :00:36.This House passed a motion calling for a Bill to make urgent reforms
:00:36. > :00:42.to the extradition treaty. There has been no action. What makes the
:00:42. > :00:47.Prime Minister more uncomfortable, ignoring the House were the plight
:00:47. > :00:51.of those facing extradition? held a review and it looked at the
:00:51. > :00:55.extradition arrangements. I would emerge the Honourable Lady to look
:00:55. > :00:58.at some of the cases that have caused concern, but also to look at
:00:58. > :01:04.the overall figures were we are benefiting by able to extradite
:01:04. > :01:08.people who have committed serious crimes, from the US back into the
:01:09. > :01:18.UK. We will do the right thing for our country. It is not a simple
:01:18. > :01:22.issue. Would the Prime Minister congratulate the excellent
:01:22. > :01:27.Secretary of State for International Development for
:01:27. > :01:36.producing Aflac that is going to replace the European Union flag on
:01:36. > :01:42.all of our overseas aid? -- a flag. I'm sure that like myself, my
:01:42. > :01:46.honourable friend and others got the letter from my honourable
:01:46. > :01:50.friend with his excellent new logo, showing that the aid that we send
:01:50. > :01:54.is not on behalf of the British Government, it is on behalf of all
:01:54. > :01:58.the British people, who support the fact that Britain stands for
:01:58. > :02:07.something in the world and stands for helping the poorest even as we
:02:07. > :02:11.have a difficult time in our own country. Order. That is Prime
:02:11. > :02:14.Minister's Questions over for another week. We had some lively
:02:14. > :02:24.exchanges and Olly Smith and Cheryl Gillan went head to head for the
:02:24. > :02:29.
:02:30. > :02:34.Janet, the spat between Cheryl Gillan and Owen Smith. Cheryl
:02:34. > :02:40.Gillan has had to cancel the Wells Committee next week claiming that
:02:40. > :02:44.Labour MPs do not want to get up up in the morning? That is an
:02:45. > :02:49.appalling situation that a grand committee meeting has had to be
:02:49. > :02:59.cancelled. Labour complained when the parliamentary boundaries did
:02:59. > :03:02.not go to the Welsh Grand. They are not going to attend. Minutes ago we
:03:02. > :03:06.were speaking to about truancy levels across Wales, and here we
:03:06. > :03:10.are expecting pupils to be at school for 9 o'clock and Welsh
:03:11. > :03:20.Labour MPs cannot attend for 11:30am. It does not set a good
:03:20. > :03:25.example. I think the position is that this is a matter of such
:03:25. > :03:31.importance it should be debated on the floor of the House of Commons.
:03:31. > :03:40.Time should be made for that to happen. David Jones accused Labour
:03:40. > :03:44.of running scared? Liam birds said consistently and when Smith said he
:03:44. > :03:51.wanted debated on the floor of the House of Commons. It is a major
:03:51. > :03:56.change. We have just decided on the format we have now. That was passed
:03:56. > :04:02.by part of the referendum for the National Assembly for Wales. It is
:04:02. > :04:07.the decision made by the people of Wales. Anything that happens it
:04:07. > :04:12.needs to be debated on the floor of the House of Commons not shunted
:04:12. > :04:19.off to a grand committee. It is a consultation document. There are
:04:19. > :04:26.different options. Your party support first past the post, don't
:04:26. > :04:32.they? My party support but the people of Wales have said. The
:04:32. > :04:36.people of Wales voted for 40 constituency Assembly Members. That
:04:36. > :04:46.went through a referendum. We do not believe it should be changed
:04:46. > :04:47.
:04:47. > :04:54.anywhere. We believe it should be decided in Wales. We have heard
:04:54. > :05:04.often from the Prime Minister. We talk about the Respect agenda, that
:05:04. > :05:05.
:05:05. > :05:09.is just totally gone between the Assembly and Parliament? I will ask
:05:09. > :05:15.you a question. Do you think if they had done that to Scotland or
:05:15. > :05:21.Northern Ireland, do you think they would have changed the voting
:05:21. > :05:31.system by producing a Green Paper? Are they changing at or having a
:05:31. > :05:32.
:05:32. > :05:36.debate? Would they have a debate on it in Scotland and Northern Ireland
:05:36. > :05:41.without the approval of members. The Secretary of State for Wales
:05:41. > :05:44.has made it clear she wants as many people to contribute to that debate.
:05:44. > :05:52.There are no firm proposals coming forward. You have obviously got
:05:52. > :05:57.very clear ideas on it. I think we should wait until the consultation
:05:57. > :06:04.process that Mrs. And then have a debate. It is a matter for the
:06:04. > :06:09.Welsh Grand Committee. It really is disappointing that you're MPs are
:06:09. > :06:19.failing to attend and it has to be cancelled. It may be a consultation
:06:19. > :06:22.
:06:22. > :06:28.paper. What about the point Jarrett makes about MPs not been prepared
:06:28. > :06:35.to turn up? Janet's. They want to discuss it on the floor of the
:06:35. > :06:38.House of Commons. Some naysayer it is a bit churlish? Some might say
:06:38. > :06:46.it is a matter of principle that this be debated on the floor of the
:06:46. > :06:52.House of Commons. Let's move on to the debate involving Ed Miliband
:06:52. > :06:56.and David Cameron. What did you make of their performance today?
:06:56. > :07:03.thought Ed Miliband was very good. It is always very difficult being
:07:03. > :07:07.be questioner. The other person always get the last word. Ed
:07:07. > :07:12.Miliband did very well. David Cameron looked a bit tired. He has
:07:12. > :07:19.had a difficult week. He was roundly attacked for his attack on
:07:19. > :07:23.Jimmy Carter. Did he do enough to divert attention? Yes, I think he
:07:23. > :07:29.has pointed out that the coalition Government have Pat to defuse a lot
:07:29. > :07:34.of the tax bombshells left by Labour. -- have had to defuse. It
:07:34. > :07:38.was interesting yesterday listening to Al macro people. I think there
:07:38. > :07:46.are people all over Wales and the United Kingdom who will be very
:07:46. > :07:50.grateful to the coalition for the U-turn on the 3p on fuel duty.
:07:50. > :07:57.Government can get attacked for not backing down, and where does back
:07:57. > :08:02.down it gets accused of I U-turn? - - when it does. That is one of the
:08:02. > :08:09.big problems in being in Government. Their tax strategy is unravelling.
:08:09. > :08:18.The pasty tax, the petrol fuel duty, which they could have dealt with at
:08:18. > :08:23.the time of the Budget. My memory is that fuel duty started to
:08:23. > :08:27.escalate a long time ago. David Cameron is taking people out of
:08:27. > :08:33.their comfort zones. He is starting to want to debate those difficult
:08:33. > :08:36.issues and topics. When the consultation process comes in, when
:08:36. > :08:41.people are making it clear there are not happy and he is listing and
:08:41. > :08:45.deciding which way to change direction, that is good. --
:08:45. > :08:51.listening. That is strong leadership and I am proud of it.
:08:51. > :08:59.will leave it there now. Comment up, we have just had Prime Minister's
:08:59. > :09:05.Questions. -- coming up. We will look at First Minister's Questions
:09:05. > :09:13.in the Senate from yesterday. What is happening there today?
:09:13. > :09:17.Good afternoon. First of all, we have got ministerial questions.
:09:17. > :09:22.Today those are to the health minister, Leslie Griffiths, and the
:09:22. > :09:26.environment minister, John Griffiths. We then have questions
:09:26. > :09:31.to the Assembly commission, the corporate body responsible for the
:09:31. > :09:37.buildings, the staff, the services of the National Assembly. After
:09:37. > :09:41.that, the first substantive debate of the afternoon. That arises out
:09:41. > :09:46.of work done by the legislative committee. They have been looking
:09:46. > :09:53.at the way in which West -- Welsh ministers are empowered to take
:09:53. > :09:57.forward UK law. Laws that have a particular element that is specific
:09:57. > :10:01.to the way in which they will operate in Wales. The committee
:10:01. > :10:04.have looked at this and considered that there needs to be greater
:10:04. > :10:11.scrutiny of the way in which ministers here in Wales exercise
:10:11. > :10:19.those powers. It is an arcane debate. I would try to get a more
:10:19. > :10:24.light shed on it later. -- I will try. Following that debate we have
:10:24. > :10:27.got one also provoked from work from a committee. The children's
:10:27. > :10:32.committee has been looking at the way in which a particular law was
:10:32. > :10:36.implemented. The Learning and Skills measure. That was about
:10:36. > :10:40.broadening the opportunities in terms of a range of courses
:10:40. > :10:44.available to young people studying at schools and colleges. The
:10:44. > :10:50.emphasis behind the law was to facilitate greater cross working
:10:50. > :10:55.between different organisations, different schools and colleges, to
:10:55. > :10:59.facilitate that wider range of courses. The committee have been
:10:59. > :11:02.looking at the extent to which that has worked. The debate comes out of
:11:02. > :11:07.the work they have done. It is the first time a committee has
:11:07. > :11:12.undertaken this kind of work in relation to a Welsh law. The first
:11:12. > :11:17.of many such debates in future. Following that, a debate nominated
:11:17. > :11:21.by the Welsh Conservatives. Today they are talking about health. They
:11:21. > :11:27.have got all manner of aspects of help they want to cover. First of
:11:27. > :11:31.all, they want to look at the plans as they see it to downgrade a
:11:31. > :11:35.hospital in Pembrokeshire and the opposition to bat. They're
:11:35. > :11:40.expecting a good deal of people to come from Pembrokeshire for that
:11:40. > :11:44.debate. That is quite contentious. Downgrading is their word, not the
:11:44. > :11:50.word of the Welsh Government. They also want to look at the training
:11:50. > :11:55.and the retention of junior doctors, the funding of local health boards.
:11:55. > :11:59.A whole range of things they want to cover. The Djiby Fall and quite
:11:59. > :12:04.interesting. At the end of the afternoon we would normally have a
:12:04. > :12:07.short debate. That will not be the case today. Today's was to have
:12:07. > :12:13.been nominated by Leanne Wood who wanted to look at safety outside
:12:13. > :12:17.schools. Unfortunately, she is not available for that debate this
:12:17. > :12:26.afternoon. She has got other commitments. That will happen at a
:12:26. > :12:30.later date. No short debate this afternoon. Sorry to disappoint you.
:12:30. > :12:36.I think we can be sure Leanne Wood is not a way meeting the Queen. You
:12:36. > :12:46.can find out even more about what was happening and the National
:12:46. > :12:46.
:12:46. > :12:51.As it is Wimbledon fortnight, there was no AM:PM yesterday. We did not
:12:51. > :12:56.bring you First Minister's Questions. Here is a flavour of the
:12:56. > :13:00.three opposition leader's questions to Carwyn Jones.
:13:00. > :13:06.Thank you. First Minister, the UK has been proven to be the most
:13:06. > :13:12.attractive place for inward investment in the European Union.
:13:12. > :13:22.The European Commission confirmed that. Yet Wales regrettably is no
:13:22. > :13:24.
:13:24. > :13:28.at the bottom of the league table. Why is that? Well, we reformed our
:13:28. > :13:33.overseas operation. I spoke personally to all of those staff
:13:33. > :13:37.working overseas. We are beginning to see the fruit of that with the
:13:37. > :13:44.announcement by Tata of investment in Port Talbot. We will be taking
:13:44. > :13:51.advantage of the Olympics. We will be using our new Office in London
:13:51. > :14:00.to attract investment. It is a little concerning when you say you
:14:00. > :14:05.have spoken to everyone around the world. When I have asked questions
:14:05. > :14:12.of the business minister, all well scum and staff are located on the
:14:12. > :14:15.east coast. -- Welsh Government staff. We have no presence. Yet in
:14:15. > :14:20.your area and so you indicated you were happy with the configuration
:14:20. > :14:30.we have. Is it not a consideration for the Welsh Government to be at
:14:30. > :14:34.promoting in the High intensity research industry? I agree. I am
:14:34. > :14:39.looking at placing somebody in California to represent Wales in
:14:39. > :14:43.the western parts of the state. The leader of the opposition is quite
:14:44. > :14:53.right. We do need to ensure we have proper coverage in the US. This
:14:54. > :14:54.
:14:54. > :14:59.will be dealt with pretty quickly. First Minister, at one stage in the
:14:59. > :15:07.last 10 years Wales attracted the highest amount of foreign direct
:15:07. > :15:11.investment of any Regent or nation in the UK. We are now at the bottom
:15:11. > :15:21.of that league table. What has happened to see us go from the best
:15:21. > :15:21.
:15:21. > :15:27.We need to make sure that we have proper representation overseas. It
:15:27. > :15:33.was known what the message was. We needed to work closely with the
:15:33. > :15:38.organisation involved and it is a good relationship. Particularly
:15:38. > :15:42.with the minister but also with the organisation as a whole. In your
:15:42. > :15:45.economic renewal programme due said that securing foreign direct
:15:45. > :15:51.investment and stimulating trade will be integrated into our
:15:51. > :15:58.approach. You have outlined some of the steps that you have taken. But
:15:58. > :16:04.it is clearly not working. Wales has shown the largest UK decline in
:16:04. > :16:12.foreign investment projects, with its share falling to a paltry 1.3 %
:16:12. > :16:19.last year. In 2003, we were punching above our weight at 9%.
:16:19. > :16:26.What has gone wrong with your fridge? Well, we are certainly
:16:26. > :16:30.approve -- what has gone wrong with your approach. In my aim
:16:30. > :16:35.constituency we have attracted more Japanese investment and I think the
:16:35. > :16:38.structure is right for us to be able to compete with other
:16:38. > :16:44.countries worldwide and also to attract investment and we have seen
:16:44. > :16:52.the beginnings of that policy bearing fruit. She questioned the
:16:52. > :17:02.First Minister over his comments from last week with regard to the
:17:02. > :17:03.
:17:03. > :17:07.trial of some greens -- submarines. What effect would it have on
:17:07. > :17:10.attracting other jobs to be area and is it true that your
:17:10. > :17:17.discredited plan would cost Wales more jobs than it would actually
:17:17. > :17:23.create? It is clear from the UK government that it will remain in
:17:23. > :17:30.the fast lane and the issue is entirely academic. I think the
:17:30. > :17:33.issue is to clarify to the people of Wales, does she agree that
:17:33. > :17:40.Martin McGuinness the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland is
:17:40. > :17:44.naive in shaky the Queen's and? Secondly, she knows what is
:17:44. > :17:49.happening with the Argentinian diplomat. Does she supports the
:17:49. > :17:55.role of the people in the Falkland Islands for self- determination?
:17:55. > :17:59.She raises issues of defence. I am sure that there are issues which
:17:59. > :18:09.will be interesting for the people to have clarification with regard
:18:09. > :18:11.
:18:11. > :18:16.to Plaid Cymru. If this is an welcome Trident jobs to Wales last
:18:16. > :18:22.week? The big concern is about your values. It has been 31 years since
:18:22. > :18:28.Wales declared itself a nuclear weapons free country. 31 years
:18:28. > :18:33.since women from this country including your Minister, who began
:18:33. > :18:39.the march. The Welsh bishops of the Catholic and Anglican churches, the
:18:39. > :18:44.leaders of the Free churches, the unite and Unison unions and the
:18:44. > :18:50.majority of people in Wales do not agree with you. They say weapons of
:18:50. > :18:54.mass destruction have no place on Welsh soil and waters. You were
:18:54. > :19:02.meant to speak for Wales. Is it not true on this occasion that you are
:19:02. > :19:09.facing us out? We have seen this time and time again. She has had
:19:09. > :19:13.the chance to clarify how a party's position. She has been offered the
:19:13. > :19:18.chance to clarify her party's position with the Falkland Islands
:19:18. > :19:24.and she has failed to do that. Either, we have got issues which
:19:24. > :19:32.need to be clarified in Wales or not and we need them to gain
:19:32. > :19:38.credibility. We will have a chat about that in a moment. Here is our
:19:38. > :19:44.correspondent. I am joined by the Deputy Presiding Officer, David
:19:44. > :19:49.Melding. We are talking about something that some people might
:19:49. > :19:52.think is quite archaic. The committee report and the debate
:19:53. > :19:58.following that on the powers exercised by Welsh ministers in
:19:58. > :20:06.looking at UK laws. What is that about? It does sound complicated!
:20:06. > :20:10.But it can have a practical effect. Westminster laws that get past in
:20:10. > :20:15.London can have an effect on some devolved functions. When that
:20:15. > :20:22.happens, you can have a big area of public policy coming to ministers
:20:22. > :20:27.here, and they will put a line into that before anybody has really
:20:27. > :20:33.scrutinised how that power might be used. Just to give an example, this
:20:33. > :20:38.can happen a dozen times a year, these powers coming in. It is
:20:38. > :20:47.something that we need to look carefully at. That could be
:20:47. > :20:52.anything, I suppose? Energy? could be something as important as
:20:52. > :20:57.welfare reform. Certain aspects of welfare reform and even council tax.
:20:57. > :21:03.These come to ministers directly from UK legislation sometimes. They
:21:03. > :21:06.might establish a policy and do certain things which that power and
:21:06. > :21:14.Assembly members are able to scrutinise ministers on their
:21:14. > :21:18.attentions. -- intentions. Is that something you need to look at
:21:18. > :21:22.because it was the right thing to do? Or are you aware that things
:21:22. > :21:28.were being passed without scrutiny and people are saying they should
:21:28. > :21:34.have been scrutinised? We have got an issue when ministers are quite
:21:34. > :21:38.about this and that should be scrutinised. If Westminster affects
:21:38. > :21:44.the legislative powers here, we do need to involve Assembly members
:21:44. > :21:49.but we have got an anomaly in Wales that powers coming to ministers did
:21:49. > :21:55.not necessary require Assembly members having an input. --
:21:55. > :22:02.necessarily. Some ministers seem to have a smoother system which allows
:22:02. > :22:07.for a good level of scrutiny and which is not rushed but here, when
:22:07. > :22:10.you do scrutinise some policies, we have got a channel from Westminster
:22:10. > :22:15.and it has to be done very quickly and very last minute and we are not
:22:15. > :22:20.happy about that. Presumably you are learning from the Scottish
:22:20. > :22:25.experience? We do not want to copy them completely. We can adapt
:22:25. > :22:30.things for Welsh services. But in the Scottish parliament they have
:22:30. > :22:33.got an early warning system about what Westminster does having a
:22:33. > :22:37.knock-on effect and stage it in there and influence the debate
:22:37. > :22:46.early and do not get forced into action quickly and that is what we
:22:46. > :22:52.want in Wales. Take me through some of the key recommendations.
:22:52. > :22:55.would like the government, after each Queen's speech to send a
:22:55. > :23:00.letter to the Presiding Officer, saying which laws have been forced
:23:00. > :23:05.by the UK government in Westminster and are likely to have an effect on
:23:05. > :23:12.the Wales, how big that might be and then we can start scrutinising
:23:12. > :23:15.these powers. That is the first part. Secondly, we feel the
:23:15. > :23:20.government has to be a UK government and work more closely
:23:20. > :23:25.together to have warning systems in place. It is clear that in Scotland
:23:25. > :23:30.and in Westminster, they have got a lot of conversations about these
:23:30. > :23:37.laws before they are actually announced in the Queen's Speech. We
:23:37. > :23:41.are not convinced that happens in Wales. Just one more quick question.
:23:42. > :23:45.Clearly a lot more work getting used to having laws to make but is
:23:45. > :23:50.this going to provoke a debate about whether we need more Assembly
:23:50. > :23:55.members? I think the existing structures can cope with demand as
:23:55. > :24:01.long as these reforms deliver the timeliness we need in terms of not
:24:01. > :24:06.having to rush scrutiny. As long as we get robust systems in place, we
:24:06. > :24:12.can plan and effect scrutiny properly. We do not want anything
:24:12. > :24:17.done last minute and that has affected what we have, this system.
:24:17. > :24:22.We want careful deliberation. On the general question about Assembly
:24:22. > :24:27.members, what it is about is the amount of work we do here. We can
:24:27. > :24:33.work with 60, we can work with 80 but it does affect the body in and
:24:33. > :24:39.that is forecast to decide. Thank you for shedding light on an
:24:39. > :24:46.important but difficult project. will take some of that light and
:24:46. > :24:50.share it around the studio. What is your reaction? David is right. We
:24:50. > :24:58.should have scrutiny at the earliest possible opportunity to
:24:58. > :25:03.influence decisions before they are made. We have seen that on things
:25:03. > :25:07.such as communities and local government and housing. We can look
:25:07. > :25:11.at recommendations in the housing white paper and it is important to
:25:11. > :25:15.be involved before something happens instead of later. In terms
:25:15. > :25:19.of scrutiny, members like yourselves are going to have to get
:25:19. > :25:22.the work done at committee level, when you are scrutinising all these
:25:22. > :25:28.new laws the government say that they are going to put before the
:25:28. > :25:35.Assembly. You are going to have to pick through it and see if it is
:25:35. > :25:39.good. Yes, of course. We have been talking up the legislation coming
:25:39. > :25:46.through but we have not had aspirations and ambitions. We have
:25:46. > :25:54.had a lot of apathy. Like waiting for a bus. But when we talk about
:25:54. > :25:58.legislation, we need to talk about full scrutiny. And when the
:25:58. > :26:04.minister for local government... Tell us about that. That was
:26:04. > :26:10.brought crew today and it was basically flawed because of the
:26:10. > :26:16.memorandum which did not contain much explanation. That was lack of
:26:16. > :26:21.scrutiny? It does not actually allow for appropriate and could
:26:21. > :26:25.scrutiny and as I said, we have got 60 Assembly members and we do want
:26:25. > :26:31.to be involved in legislation and bringing forward ideas for Wales
:26:31. > :26:36.but it has got to be under a good process. I think yesterday the
:26:36. > :26:40.Minister for Local Government, he was on the ropes, because other
:26:40. > :26:47.members across the Chamber pointed out that this is not the way to
:26:47. > :26:53.bring forward laws, or anything for Wales. You mentioned other Assembly
:26:53. > :26:58.members. We discussed at length, the Lords on the programme said
:26:58. > :27:03.that there should be more members. What do you think? I think 60 is
:27:03. > :27:08.the number that people voted for. When we have an opportunity to
:27:08. > :27:14.increase it, the Welsh people should decide to increase it. I
:27:14. > :27:18.think 60 is about right. I am not convinced a bigger number will do
:27:18. > :27:26.anything more in the Chamber. We have seen the House of Commons and
:27:26. > :27:29.600 makes a lot of noise. We will not get that many! When you have
:27:29. > :27:35.got all the scrutiny to do, you might be grateful for more Assembly
:27:35. > :27:41.members. People of Wales are waiting for more effective
:27:41. > :27:46.devolution. If we look at health and education and the economy, all
:27:46. > :27:50.aspects are devolved to Wales, we are pretty low in the stakes.
:27:50. > :27:56.Before we start talking about Assembly members and talking about
:27:56. > :28:02.the legislation, we have got to see some effective devolution. That is
:28:02. > :28:09.a reflection on all you, isn't it? Not just the government. Nobody has
:28:09. > :28:15.ever come up to me and said that there is not enough of you. I think
:28:15. > :28:20.Janet is being very unfair on the government. That is her job. She is
:28:20. > :28:26.in the opposition. I think the government has done a very good job
:28:26. > :28:33.in Wales and I think Wales is doing well. Tell that to be people on
:28:33. > :28:37.hospital waiting lists, to children being veiled in schools. The people
:28:37. > :28:44.in hospital waiting lists and the people in schools would prefer to