(11 years ago)
Commons ChamberRead Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Mr Robin Walker (Worcester) (Con)
1. What recent progress has been made on the relief operation in the Philippines.
Graham Evans (Weaver Vale) (Con)
3. What recent progress has been made on the relief operation in the Philippines. 5. What recent steps the UK has taken to send aid to the Philippines.
The Secretary of State for International Development (Justine Greening)
The UK has committed more than £50 million in support to victims of Typhoon Haiyan, helping to get shelter, clean water and emergency supplies to up to 800,000 people. The UK is also expanding the international effort through the deployment of HMS Illustrious, carrying aid and medical assistance to remote communities.
Mr Walker
I am sure that Members across the House can be proud of the UK’s contribution to the relief effort in the Philippines. Alongside the UK Government, UK charities are also playing an enormously important role. Would my right hon. Friend commend the efforts of small local UK charities such as New Hope in my constituency, which has donated all the proceeds of its Christmas party to the typhoon appeal?
Justine Greening
I certainly would. The generosity of the UK public has been astounding. I am particularly touched by small local charities such as New Hope in Worcester that have shown their support to those affected by the devastating typhoon.
Graham Evans
More than £13 million has been donated by the British public, who have once more demonstrated that we are a small nation with a very big heart. Will my right hon. Friend join me in recognising the extraordinary compassion of this country?
Justine Greening
I certainly will. I think that to date the Philippines public appeal has raised well over £65 million, which shows that the British public are incredibly generous in reaching out to people who have been affected by disaster. That generosity is appreciated by people in the Philippines, and when I visited the Philippines its Foreign Minister underlined his heartfelt support to the British people.
Steve Brine
Like Worcester’s New Hope, mentioned by my hon. Friend the Member for Worcester (Mr Walker), the Filipino Association in Hampshire is also making this year’s festive party a fundraiser to send money back home. What is the Department doing to help developing countries build resilience to natural disasters?
Justine Greening
We had already commenced work with the Government of the Philippines, in particular, on disaster resilience. For some time now, the country has done work in preparing itself to cope with these natural disasters, because it is in a part of the world that is particularly prone to them. The size of the typhoon would clearly pose challenges for any country, however prepared it was. There are still lessons to be learned about better preparation, not only at national level but at local level too.
Andrew Gwynne (Denton and Reddish) (Lab)
The transition from temporary shelter to permanent, well-built, robust homes can take time and cause hardship, so what is the Secretary of State doing to make sure that the process is completed as quickly and as efficiently as possible?
Justine Greening
The hon. Gentleman is right to raise that point. It may be some time before homes that are able to withstand such natural disasters are built. In the meantime, the United Nations, working alongside the Government of the Philippines, is co-ordinating an effort to make sure that we can provide shelter for people who need it. I should also say to him, as I have been clear with the House, that this is a real challenge because many of those people live in incredibly remote communities.
Gavin Shuker (Luton South) (Lab/Co-op)
May I begin, Mr Speaker, by conveying the apologies of the shadow Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Renfrewshire (Mr Murphy), who, as he has already informed you, is in the Philippines today? The Government have rightly activated the rapid response facility to commit funding to organisations working to help the population of the Philippines. It is now the 26th day since the typhoon hit, so what proportion of this funding has already been paid out?
Justine Greening
As the hon. Gentleman will be aware, we allocated £8 million to a variety of UK non-governmental organisations who, as part of the facility, quickly responded with what they felt was needed. We have allocated all the money that they have requested so far. Clearly, they will then go through the process of making sure that the supplies that the money purchases get out to people on the ground. At this point, I would expect and anticipate that those supplies are largely there. In fact, as he will also be aware, we have since sent many other cargo flights of supplies which have superseded them.
Gavin Shuker
Turning to another issue related to the Philippines, alarmingly the United Nations has predicted a spike in the trafficking of women and girls for sex in the areas heaviest hit, fuelled by the inevitable collapse of civic society and the widespread displacement of people following a disaster of this magnitude. What is the Secretary of State doing to protect the 65,000 women at risk of sexual abuse?
Justine Greening
First, we are highlighting the risks to women and girls in emergencies, which is why I held an international call to action summit the very week, as it turned out, that Typhoon Haiyan hit. In respect of the particular crisis mentioned, we have sent two of our specialist humanitarian experts who are particularly specialist in this area to work with the UN and the clusters that are providing support on the ground, to ensure that not only direct, but indirect support is provided across all the work that happens.
Sir Malcolm Bruce (Gordon) (LD)
Given the call on British development funds from the Philippines and the Central African Republic, and following the outfall from the conflict in Syria, how will the Department budget for what are, by definition, unpredictable disasters, given that it has now reached its budget ceiling?
Justine Greening
The right hon. Gentleman is right to reflect on the number of different parts of the world facing crises of one form or another that the Department for International Development is trying to play a role in assisting. As he will know, that is just part of the uncertainties we have to deal with as a Department. We have a budget set aside for humanitarian response, and ultimately it is a flexible budget. As the right hon. Gentleman will have seen over recent days, we announced additional support for the Central African Republic, because we felt it was appropriate.
Mr Tom Clarke (Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill) (Lab)
Will the Secretary of State continue to encourage DFID to work with organisations at a national level so that they can benefit from local knowledge and expertise, both in this period of reconstruction and—I am sad to say—in the event of a reoccurrence?
Justine Greening
That is a very important point. To return to the earlier question about protecting women and girls in emergencies, working with local, community-based organisations can be the most effective way of reaching into communities and getting support to them quickly. The right hon. Gentleman is absolutely right to raise that issue, and that is one of the things we look to do.
Paul Uppal (Wolverhampton South West) (Con)
2. What steps she is taking to ensure that the interests of girls and women are central to the UK’s development programmes.
The Secretary of State for International Development (Justine Greening)
I have made girls and women a key priority for the Department. Investing in girls and women, giving them a voice, choice and control, has a transformative impact on poverty reduction and is critical to freer and fairer societies and economies. I also pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Stone (Mr Cash), who is currently taking through the House his private Member’s Bill on gender equality in international development.
Paul Uppal
The Secretary of State has touched on this point already, particularly in her response to the shadow Minister, the hon. Member for Luton South (Gavin Shuker), but will she elaborate further on humanitarian cases and how women and girls in particular can be protected in future?
Justine Greening
That was the subject of the “keep her safe” call to action event that I hosted just a few weeks ago. Pledges of more than £40 million were made to that event. The focus is on going beyond the obvious things we can do to create safe spaces for girls and women, such as making sure that when we deliver food aid we do not increase risk to women. Simple things include lockable toilets so that women are able to go out safely, lit areas and solar panels that also act as mobile phone chargers so that girls can stay in touch with their families. It is a very practical agenda, but unfortunately it is not sufficiently delivered when we respond to crises, and that is why I am highlighting it.
Fiona O'Donnell (East Lothian) (Lab)
The Secretary of State will be aware that the International Development Committee recently visited Burma. I was very concerned about the lack of involvement of women in the peace process there. What is the Secretary of State doing to ensure that women are part of making and keeping the peace in Burma?
Justine Greening
I discussed that subject with Aung San Suu Kyi when she visited the UK a few weeks ago. Clearly, she is an incredibly important woman who can be involved in that peace process. Beyond that, much of the work the Department has done has been to reduce some of the ethnic tensions in various parts of Burma. The role that women play in that is obviously critical.
Mr William Cash (Stone) (Con)
May I congratulate my right hon. Friend and the Under-Secretary of State for International Development, the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone) on all the work they have done in this area? May I also pay tribute to Opposition Members of all parties who have given such enormous support to my private Member’s Bill, which will be debated in Committee on 11 December?
Justine Greening
I am very happy to take that praise. It is an important Bill. It reflects the fact that no country can develop effectively when half of its population is excluded from that development. It is a matter not just of basic rights, but of ensuring that our Department and country have sustainable development approaches.
Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry) (DUP)
We have many cultural differences with some of the nations that are recipients of assistance. What pressure is the Secretary of State applying to them to ensure that females are not systematically disadvantaged, despite getting aid from this nation?
Justine Greening
We can do a variety of things. First, we can pursue grass-roots programmes, as we do in many countries, that are aimed at improving women’s chance to get a job, to be educated through the girls education challenge, and to be able to have control over their sexual and reproductive health. We need to complement that with advocacy at domestic and national Government level, but also at international level, and that is one of the things on which I have worked alongside the Foreign Secretary in raising the issue of women’s rights.
Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham and Amersham) (Con)
In times of disaster, women and girls are particularly vulnerable to exploitation. According to the non-governmental organisation World Vision, in Bangladesh, for example, 62% of marriages of under-18 girls between 2007 and 2011 took place in the 12 months after the disaster there. What is the Secretary of State doing to build that sort of protection into our UK development programmes and disaster planning?
Justine Greening
That is an excellent question, and it is why we have decided to raise this issue more internationally. We need to start from the right basis to respond to crises more effectively. Protecting women and girls should not be an afterthought when a crisis hits, such as Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines; it absolutely should be one of the core priorities considered from day one. If we can do that, I believe we dramatically improve the chances of making sure that we protect girls and women over the course of a crisis as it evolves.
Harriett Baldwin (West Worcestershire) (Con)
4. What assessment she has made of the role of economic development in ending aid dependency.
The Secretary of State for International Development (Justine Greening)
The best way to end aid dependency is through creating jobs, raising incomes and generating tax receipts. Since coming into the Department, I have ramped up our focus in this area and encouraged UK businesses to join the development push. Earlier this month, I took 18 companies to Tanzania to showcase development-focused opportunities for investment, and a number of significant partnerships emerged as a result.
Harriett Baldwin
A key sign of economic development is when a country can afford a mission to Mars. Will the Secretary of State confirm that the important projects that UK aid has funded in India will come to a natural end in 2015?
Justine Greening
My hon. Friend is right to say that countries that are transitioning: development is taking place and, as it does, we too need to develop our approach on how we work with countries such as India. That is why I announced last year that we will move to a new type of development relationship with India, running down financial grants that are under way so that they finish by 2015 and, following on from that, having a relationship based on trade and technical assistance.
Andrew Miller (Ellesmere Port and Neston) (Lab)
What steps is the Secretary of State taking following the Science and Technology Committee’s report on sustainable scientific aid? In particular, what is she doing to support great institutions, such as the Liverpool school of tropical medicine and the London school of hygiene and tropical medicine, that are helping with the aid programme, and to follow up our recommendations?
Justine Greening
We have put substantial investment into research, which is sensible for understanding what works and making sure that the UK can really be at the forefront of understanding how to use technology to drive development. The hon. Gentleman will remember that the G8 particularly focused on nutrition. Many of our best institutions were involved in that event precisely because of the science and technology expertise that they offer.
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden) (Con)
The Secretary of State has done a very good job in putting sustainable development at the heart of her approach to economic development. What steps is the Department taking to promote clean energy in developing countries?
Justine Greening
We work hand in hand with the Department of Energy and Climate Change, and the international climate fund gives us a resource base with which to help countries develop the sustainable energy system and approach they will need in the years to come. We have a real chance to make sure that we start them off on a firm footing, and that is precisely what we intend to do.
Richard Burden (Birmingham, Northfield) (Lab)
Does the Secretary of State agree that it is very difficult to have economic development if it is not possible to import and to export? In Gaza, that has left more than 1 million people on food aid, while fuel shortages mean that 3,000 people are affected by raw sewage running into the streets. What is Britain going to do in practice to end the blockade of Gaza?
Justine Greening
We are deeply concerned about the constraints that have been placed on the Gazan economy that prevent it from creating the wealth and prosperity that would put it in a position to support public services without foreign assistance. The hon. Gentleman will be aware that there will be a Westminster Hall debate on this matter tomorrow evening. I am sure that he will want to debate it more fully with the Minister of State.
Stephen Gilbert (St Austell and Newquay) (LD)
6. What steps she is taking to increase the capacity of developing countries to collect tax.
The Minister of State, Department for International Development (Mr Alan Duncan)
Tax collection is an essential element of any poor country’s development. Last month, DFID announced £6 million of funding for international projects to help poor countries with revenue collection and to combat tax evasion and avoidance.
Stephen Gilbert
It might surprise the House that the British overseas territories and Crown dependencies receive more foreign direct investment than Brazil, Russia, India and China combined. What more can we do to ensure that the former jurisdictions are not helping international companies to avoid paying tax to less developed nations?
Mr Duncan
At the Lough Erne summit, the Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey agreed automatically to exchange tax information on the basis of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act. All the overseas territories have said that they will conclude similar agreements with the UK. A pilot in the EU is developing the practice further. If accounts are more open and less hidden, poor countries will be in a much better position to raise their own taxes.
Anas Sarwar (Glasgow Central) (Lab)
Large multinational companies are avoiding paying tax in developing countries. Having tax transparency here can help to increase the tax receipts in those countries. When will the Government come forward with firm proposals to introduce country-by-country reporting right here in the UK?
Mr Duncan
The UK is leading by example. We are taking action to put our own house in order on this issue. We have announced that the UK will introduce new rules that require companies to obtain and hold information on their beneficial ownership. That information will be held in a central, publicly accessible registry maintained by Companies House.
Nic Dakin (Scunthorpe) (Lab)
7. What progress has been made on the most recent replenishment round for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development (Lynne Featherstone)
I am pleased to say donors have pledged $12 billion, which is an impressive 30% increase on the amount that was pledged at the 2010 replenishment conference, demonstrating global confidence in the fund. The global fund provides excellent value for money and delivers life-saving results on a global scale.
Lynne Featherstone
The significant increase in DFID’s contribution to the global fund to £1 billion will contribute to the scaling up of proven TB REACH programmes that are included in the national strategic planning process. We have reviewed the mid-term evaluation of TB REACH, which shows that it is effective and that it reaches very important populations. However, given that there are so many small projects, there are concerns about sustainability and about the ability to scale up. We will obviously keep that in mind.
Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)
If left untreated, tuberculosis kills 50% of those with an active infection. Will the Minister ensure that as much funding as possible goes to the African and Asian countries where up to 80% of the population carry the latent tuberculin bacteria?
Lynne Featherstone
Yes, we are very keen to help the countries that have such a high burden. We are encouraging the global fund to change its remit to give more than 10% of the support to Nigeria. Interestingly, Nigeria pledged $1 billion to the global fund yesterday at the pledging conference. That is a tremendous move forward for that country.
Jeremy Lefroy (Stafford) (Con)
T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
The Secretary of State for International Development (Justine Greening)
Since the last oral question session in October, I have visited the Philippines, where I witnessed at first hand the impact of Typhoon Haiyan, and to Afghanistan, where I met President Karzai. Earlier this month, I took an 18-company delegation to Tanzania to showcase the opportunities for development-focused investment. On 13 November, I chaired the call to action on protecting women and girls in emergencies. Today, I have issued a written ministerial statement that announces tough new controls on the Department’s programme management. Finally, I returned from Washington this morning, where I saw the successful replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Jeremy Lefroy
I thank the Secretary of State for that.
In the light of the Secretary of State’s decision today to shut the TradeMark Southern Africa programme due to very poor performance, what action is she taking to ensure that all programmes either deliver or, if they do not, are swiftly remedied or closed?
Justine Greening
I have set out today in my written ministerial statement ways in which we have significantly strengthened DFID’s programme and financial management procedures. I am taking further significant steps to strengthen our approach to value for money, including on procurement and ministerial oversight of new business cases. As I inform the House in my statement, weak governance in TMSA resulted in payments amounting to £80,000 via ring-fenced accounts held by the Ministry of Agriculture in Zimbabwe from 2011. That money was used appropriately, but the payments were in contravention of Government policy, so my statement today sets out that I am expanding our internal audit capability and ensuring that when programmes fail to deliver we can spot them, take decisions on them and, if they fail to get better, stop them. [Interruption.]
Mr Speaker
Order. These are extremely serious matters affecting some of the most vulnerable people on the face of the planet. May I appeal to Members on both sides of the House to attend to the exchanges?
Alison McGovern (Wirral South) (Lab)
Last week, the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations described the suffering of the Central African Republic’s population as “beyond imagination”. He said that the use of child soldiers and sexual violence was growing, and that the danger of a full-scale catastrophe was real. Has the Secretary of State met Ministers from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence to plan conflict prevention, and will she look to use resources from the conflict pool’s early action facility to help head off a horrific civil war and the inevitable threat to human life?
Justine Greening
We share the hon. Lady’s concern about what is happening in the Central African Republic. We have worked with the Foreign Office to examine what further steps we can take, and, as I said earlier, we have increased by £10 million the level of humanitarian assistance that we can immediately provide to that region. We will continue to consider what more we can do over the coming weeks. I also discussed the matter in Washington yesterday with the United States Agency for International Development.
Mr Robert Buckland (South Swindon) (Con)
T2. What more can Britain do to improve research into and diagnosis of autism spectrum conditions in developing countries?
Justine Greening
DFID is committed to investing in education in developing countries to support all children’s learning. As our programmes on inclusive education mature, we are looking for new partners to work with us to develop innovative and effective strategies for supporting children with learning disabilities in mainstream education environments.
Ann Clwyd (Cynon Valley) (Lab)
T4. Nearly 3 million civilians are cut off completely from aid in Syria. What is the Secretary of State doing to help those starving and desperate people?
Justine Greening
First, the right hon. Lady will be aware that shortly after the UN General Assembly, there was finally a presidential statement on humanitarian access in Syria. It is incredibly important that we now see those commitments fulfilled. My discussions with Valerie Amos, who heads up the humanitarian arm of the UN, show that we are making progress, but the right hon. Lady is right to point out that it is a continuing challenge. If we cannot reach people in Syria, that is a breach of international humanitarian law.
Mr Aidan Burley (Cannock Chase) (Con)
T3. Many of my constituents are concerned that we still have an aid policy judged by how much we spend rather than by what the money actually delivers. Although I welcome the Secretary of State’s decision finally to end aid to India, a country that has more billionaires than Britain, will she now go further and abandon the arbitrary 0.7% of GDP target, which is equivalent to an increase of £100 a year for every family in Cannock Chase?
Justine Greening
I think the Government have been right to honour their promise on providing 0.7% of gross national income. The challenge that we have is to ensure that it represents 100% of our national interest. That is precisely what I am doing, working with the Home Office and the MOD on stability in countries and with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Foreign Office on economic development. That makes sense to me.
Ian Lucas (Wrexham) (Lab)
T6. In Sierra Leone, good administrative arrangements are in place to combat corruption. What can the Secretary of State do to assist with political momentum to improve governance and root out corruption among politicians there?
Justine Greening
The hon. Gentleman is right to highlight corruption as it is something for which the Department for International Development has zero tolerance. When I was at the World Bank in October I had the chance to meet briefly the Finance Minister of Sierra Leone. We are planning to work together, not least on the corruption agenda, and more broadly to ensure that we increase oversight of public finance management.
Mr David Ward (Bradford East) (LD)
T5. The Government have a commitment to stabilising “fragile and conflict-affected states.” What is the Department doing to support the people of Kashmir in one of the most difficult and long-standing conflicts anywhere in the world?
Justine Greening
The tri-departmental conflict pool funds joint programmes in Pakistan and India-controlled Kashmir that support human rights, conflict prevention and peace building. That is administered by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and the UK also provides aid to Kashmir through national programmes operating in Pakistan and India.
Julie Elliott (Sunderland Central) (Lab)
Q1. If he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 4 December.
The Deputy Prime Minister (Mr Nick Clegg)
I have been asked to reply—[Interruption.] As I was saying, Mr Speaker, I have been asked to reply on behalf of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, who has been visiting China.
I am sure the whole House will wish to join me in offering our condolences to the family and friends of those who were tragically killed following the helicopter crash in Glasgow on Friday evening. Our thoughts must also be with those who are injured at this difficult time. I visited the site yesterday and was able to see the recovery operation at first hand. On behalf of the whole House, I pay tribute to the outstanding response and bravery of all the emergency services involved in what were extremely demanding circumstances.
This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House, I shall have further such meetings later today.
Julie Elliott
May I associate myself with the comments made by the Deputy Prime Minister after the very tragic events in Glasgow?
Under the Government’s proposed new formula for allocating health funding, Sunderland is facing cuts of £42 million. Does the Deputy Prime Minister think it is right to divert NHS funding from areas with higher levels of need to areas with lower levels of need, and how does he think that will impact on the winter crisis?
The Deputy Prime Minister
As the hon. Lady knows, NHS England is now in a position to make some of those big judgments—[Interruption.] We are having questions on what money goes where in the NHS from the party that, if I understand it correctly, still does not agree with our protection of the NHS budget. We are putting £12.7 billion extra into the NHS. I would be interested to know whether the Labour party agrees with that.
Dame Angela Watkinson (Hornchurch and Upminster) (Con)
Will the Deputy Prime Minister join me in congratulating the London borough of Havering, which has rehomed 1,000 previously overcrowded families into larger and more suitable accommodation as a result of the Government’s welfare policy?
The Deputy Prime Minister
I would certainly like to join my hon. Friend to congratulate the borough of Havering on the excellent work it has done. Overcrowding is a real problem, and hundreds of thousands of families are living in overcrowded properties in which children have no space to do their schoolwork. The fact that the Labour party has no answers to some of those fundamental problems that it created in the first place shows a bankruptcy of ideas.
Ms Harriet Harman (Camberwell and Peckham) (Lab)
I join the Deputy Prime Minister in conveying our deepest sympathy to the families of the nine people who lost their lives in the tragic accident in Glasgow, and in paying tribute to the brave work of the emergency services and the quite remarkable response of the people of Glasgow.
Will the Deputy Prime Minister tell the House whether, compared with last winter, this winter’s household energy bills will be lower or higher?
The Deputy Prime Minister
They would be higher if we had not taken the action that we have, and I would simply point out to the right hon. and learned Lady that her party’s economically illiterate policy is to impose—[Interruption.] In fact, her energy spokesperson said on television just two days ago, “Well, you can’t” control energy prices. So there we have it. The right hon. and learned Lady does not need me to point out that her policy is a con; her energy spokesman has done it for her.
Mr Speaker
Order. As always, we will get through, however long it takes. If Members can calm themselves sooner rather than later, so much the better.
Ms Harman
The Deputy Prime Minister has ducked and he has dodged and he has not answered the question I have asked. The truth is that household energy bills are not going down; they are going up. As for the measures—the £50 they have talked about—they are not enough to stop bills rising, but can he tell us exactly how much of the £50 will come from the profits of the energy giants?
The Deputy Prime Minister
I know the right hon. and learned Lady’s piece of paper says I did not answer the question, but I did actually answer the question: bills will on average be £50 lower than they otherwise would be. That is pretty simple. We have done that by adjusting the policies, while adhering to our green commitments, where Government policy has an influence on people’s energy bills. Her party’s policy is pure fantasy—total and utter fantasy. We have got £50; she has a fantasy freeze.
Ms Harman
The Deputy Prime Minister says he has answered the question, but he has not. He has not stood at this Dispatch Box and admitted that, as a result of his Government’s policies, energy bills are going up, not down. He has not admitted that. [Interruption.] He can, next time he answers. What he is trying to hide is that not one penny will come from the profits of the energy giants, who could well afford it. They are tiptoeing around the energy giants, allowing them to put up their bills. When it comes to standing up to the rich and powerful, this Government are weak, but when it comes to hitting the most vulnerable in our society, they have no qualms at all. Last week at the Dispatch Box the Prime Minister said that disabled people are exempt from the bedroom tax. That is not true. Will the Deputy Prime Minister apologise and put the record straight?
The Deputy Prime Minister
The right hon. and learned Lady talks about standing up to vested interests, in the week that we discover that the great courage of the Labour leadership to stand up to its trade union paymasters is—[Interruption.] Guess what? It is mañana, mañana, mañana; all too difficult, an absolute—[Interruption.]
Mr Speaker
Order. This House should be the bastion of free speech. Neither the Deputy Prime Minister nor the right hon. and learned Lady must be shouted down and we will keep going with this session for as long as it takes for proper order to be observed.
The Deputy Prime Minister
And, Mr Speaker, if I may say so, it should be the bastion of political parties free of vested interests, and it is high time that the Labour leadership does what it says and stands up to its trade union paymasters. The right hon. and learned Lady should stand up to her bosses first.
Ms Harman
I suggest the Deputy Prime Minister leaves it to us to worry about our party members, especially as so many of them used to be his. Given that for over 90% of people hit by the bedroom tax, there just is not a smaller property for them to move to, what would he have them do?
The Deputy Prime Minister
Under the right hon. and learned Lady’s Government, for 13 years housing benefit to people in the private rented sector was provided only on the basis of the number of rooms needed. We are applying exactly that same rule, which they administered for 13 years, to those in the social rented sector. For the reasons we heard earlier, we have at the same time many, many thousands of families in overcrowded properties and 1.8 million households still on the housing waiting list. As with so many other things, we are sorting out the mess they left behind.
Ms Harman
The right hon. Gentleman knows there is no comparison between what we did and what he is doing. Our change was for new claimants only. Their bedroom tax hits people who have lived in their property for years. They cannot afford the charges and they have nowhere to go.
The Deputy Prime Minister always says that the Liberal Democrats are making a difference in government. They certainly are: without the Liberal Democrats there would be no bedroom tax; without the Liberal Democrats there would be no trebling of tuition fees; and without the Liberal Democrats there would be no top-down reorganisation of the NHS. He says he is a brake on the Tories, but even I know the difference between the brake and the accelerator. Is he not the very best deputy a Conservative Prime Minister could ever wish for?
The Deputy Prime Minister
Without the Liberal Democrats there would not be a recovery. [Interruption.]
The Deputy Prime Minister
We have our differences on this side of the House, but the one thing that unites us is that we would not have gone on a prawn-cocktail charm offensive sucking up to the banks, which created the problem in the first place. We would not simply say to our children and grandchildren, “You can pay off this generation’s debts.” No one on this side of the House would have broken the British economy in the first place.
Ms Harman
The right hon. Gentleman talks about the recovery: there might be a recovery for the rich, but for everyone else there is a cost of living crisis. He will not stand up to the powerful and he will not stand up for the weak, but when it comes to being a loyal deputy to a Tory Prime Minister he will go to any lengths, break any promises and sell out any principles. The truth is that if people want to freeze energy bills and scrap the bedroom tax, it is not going to be the Tories and it is never going to be the Liberal Democrats—it has got to be Labour.
The Deputy Prime Minister
They are not a Government in waiting; they are not even an Opposition in waiting. It is 18 months before the next general election and we still have no clue from those six questions what the Labour party would actually do. Well, we know a few things: an energy con that would see prices go up rather than down; no apology for crashing the economy in the first place; and a total failure to stand up to trade union bosses. If they cannot manage to come up with some sensible polices and they cannot manage their own party, why should anyone think that they can manage our country?
Henry Smith (Crawley) (Con)
Q2. This weekend is small business Saturday and I will be supporting local firms in my constituency. Companies welcome the reduction in corporation tax and national insurance contributions that this Government introduced, but what more can be done to reduce business rates?
The Deputy Prime Minister
I suggest to my hon. Friend that he waits until the Chancellor makes his autumn statement. Small business Saturday is a brilliant event to encourage everyone to support small businesses in the UK. Of course, the previous Government planned to end more generous small business rate relief. We reversed that decision, saving small businesses on average £2,000—yet another example of this side of the House standing up for small businesses that were let down by that side of the House.
Graeme Morrice (Livingston) (Lab)
Q3. Tenants, councils, housing associations, welfare charities and disabled groups are against it. Liberal Democrat party policy is against it. Even Danny’s dad is against it. So why is the Deputy Prime Minister the last man standing in defending the bedroom tax, a policy as unpopular as Thatcher’s poll tax?
The Deputy Prime Minister
Of course I accept, as everyone does, that, in changing from one system to another, there are hard cases that need to be dealt with compassionately, and that is why we have trebled the discretionary housing payment—to allow local authorities to do that. Will the hon. Gentleman have a word, however, with his welfare spokesperson, who recently declared that the Labour party would be tougher on welfare than the coalition? Despite that, Labour has opposed £83 billion of welfare savings. Is it tough, or is it nothing?
Christopher Pincher (Tamworth) (Con)
Q4. As you will know more than many, Mr Speaker, over the past three years, the leadership of HS2 has shown a lamentable failure to provide clear and consistent information to residents and businesses affected by phase 1 of its proposals. Today in my constituency, it is holding a roadshow to tell my constituents about phase 2 of its proposals. Will my right hon. Friend work with his colleagues in government to ensure that HS2 provides decent information and decent compensation to everyone affected as quickly as possible?
The Deputy Prime Minister
I know that the hon. Gentleman has strong views on this matter, not least because of how HS2 might affect his constituency, and of course I agree that not only should full compensation be available, as it will be, but that the right level of information should be provided. The phase 2 route consultation, which started in October, is due to end in January, and as part of that process, 36 information events will be held near the phase 2 route, including the one he alluded to in his constituency. Those are opportunities for people to make their views known. As he knows, however, I am a staunch supporter of HS2. It is an important part of the wider revamping and modernisation of our national infrastructure, about which the Chief Secretary to the Treasury will be speaking shortly.
Ian Austin (Dudley North) (Lab)
Q5. There are more young people out of work in the black country than in any of the eight areas getting the Deputy Prime Minister’s youth unemployment fund, so will he extend that scheme to the black country, and if he is going to tell me that the city deal is the answer, will he call an urgent meeting to sort that out and get it under way much more quickly too?
The Deputy Prime Minister
I certainly understand the hon. Gentleman’s sense of urgency about getting these city deals and the second wave agreed, and we are working flat out to get that done. As hon. Members can imagine, there are lots of t’s to be crossed and i’s to be dotted, but we are determined to push through, both in his part of the country and elsewhere, the principle of ensuring that less power is hoarded in Whitehall and that more power, resources and freedom to use them are allocated to local communities, local enterprise partnerships and local authorities.
Sir Alan Beith (Berwick-upon-Tweed) (LD)
Given that Northumberland faces more and more onshore wind farm applications on sensitive sites, may I welcome any reduction in the incentive for onshore wind farms, within our total commitment to renewables, which will be maintained, and may I thank my right hon. Friend for his part in this?
The Deputy Prime Minister
As my right hon. Friend knows and as the Chief Secretary to the Treasury will confirm shortly in greater detail, we have adjusted the strike prices for onshore wind and to solar panel installations, because we believe it is now viable to do so, and made more attractive further investment in the offshore wind industry, in which we are already a world leader. We must maintain that leadership for the benefit not only of areas such as the north-east, but for the country, all of which would be blighted by an economically illiterate energy policy.
Lucy Powell (Manchester Central) (Lab/Co-op)
Q6. Is the Deputy Prime Minister aware that on average women working full time have seen their earnings fall by nearly £2,500 since the election, and does he think that the married man’s tax allowance is the best way to help women, who are paying the price for his Government?
The Deputy Prime Minister
The hon. Lady knows the respective views in the coalition on the so-called married tax break, but I would point out that it is this Government who have ended the injustice under Labour of women being short-changed in the pension system; it is this Government who are raising the point at which people pay income tax, which disproportionately benefits women and will leave 1.5 million of them £700 or more better off; and it is this Government who are finally providing the affordable child care places that were not provided in 13 years under Labour.
Mr David Heath (Somerton and Frome) (LD)
Q7. The rural equivalent of waiting for Godot is waiting for high-speed broadband, but we had the really good news in Somerset this week that 82% of premises in my constituency will be connected by the end of 2016. The sad fact, however, is that more than 8,000 properties in the so-called last 10% will not be connected. Will my right hon. Friend now commit to deploying the funds set aside to finish the job? We do not want complex bidding systems or match funding, which will not exist; we just want the job done.
The Deputy Prime Minister
We are investing, as my hon. Friend knows, over £33 million already in extending the coverage of superfast broadband in Devon and Somerset, as part of the current rural broadband programme, and roll-out is finally accelerating. More than 10,000 premises are expected to be covered by the project by the end of the year and 74,000 by next July. On his point about the so-called final 10%, we announced back in June a quarter of a billion pounds of new money to extend superfast broadband coverage further by 2017. I hear what he says, and the plans will be set out in further detail shortly.
Phil Wilson (Sedgefield) (Lab)
Q8. Both Nissan and Hitachi are major investors in the north-east of England, and both have said that if the UK leaves the EU, it will damage future investment. Does the Deputy Prime Minister agree that the Conservative party’s hostility to Europe is bad for business and bad for British jobs?
The Deputy Prime Minister
I agree—and I am sure I speak on behalf of most people in all parts of the House—that it would be a spectacular act of economic suicide for the country to pull itself out of the world’s largest borderless single market. By some estimates, over 3 million jobs in this country are dependent, one way or another, on our membership of the European Union.
Mr Aidan Burley (Cannock Chase) (Con)
Q9. The people of Cannock Chase welcome the Government’s brave decision to introduce a cap on benefits, but when their average earnings are £23,900 a year before tax and the cap is set at the equivalent of an annual salary of £35,000 a year, they understandably still feel that people can be better off on benefits than in work. Will my right hon. Friend look at lowering the overall benefits cap or regionalising it, so that it always pays to work, wherever someone lives?
The Deputy Prime Minister
We have not taken an approach of regionalising the benefit cap—I know that is advocated by the Opposition, although very few details have been provided by them so far. We have taken a national approach, and we have therefore set the cap at a national average of £26,000 after tax, or the equivalent of £35,000 before. The vast majority of people in our country think that is fair: that people should not be able to receive in benefits more than they would gain if they were in work earning £35,000 before tax. As on so many issues, I would be very interested to know whether the Opposition now support or do not support this highly popular measure.
Shabana Mahmood (Birmingham, Ladywood) (Lab)
Q10. The Government have today been pushed into action on business rates by Labour, but just as energy bills will still rise this winter, businesses rates too will still go up by an average of £250 next year? Does the Deputy Prime Minister agree that nothing less than Labour’s plan to cut and then freeze business rates will do?
The Deputy Prime Minister
The only thing that this coalition Government have been “pushed into”—which is what the hon. Lady said—by Labour is rescuing the economy after the disastrous state that it was in. We had to pull the economy back from the brink because that is where Labour left it. We have had to do emergency surgery to the banks because Labour sucked up to the banks. We have had to fill the black hole in the public finances because Labour created it.
Mr David Nuttall (Bury North) (Con)
Q11. As you know, Mr Speaker, I am always anxious to be helpful, so in the spirit of friendly co-operation with our coalition partners, I have given advance notice of my question. Given that the Deputy Prime Minister is at the Dispatch Box today only because the Prime Minister is in China drumming up more orders for British business, can he please tell the House what the Common Market share of world trade was when the UK joined in 1973 and what the EU share of world trade is today?
The Deputy Prime Minister
The EU share of world trade today I think is around 20%. I would merely say to my hon. Friend—in an equally friendly spirit to that in which I know the question was intended—that the Prime Minister has actually been advocating a new EU-China trade deal, precisely because the European Union remains, notwithstanding all the other changes in the world, a very powerful trading bloc on the world scene.
Ann McKechin (Glasgow North) (Lab)
Q12. Last week Goldman Sachs placed the value of Royal Mail shares at 610p each, but just two months ago it advised the Government that investors would walk away if they sold at over 330p. Does the Deputy Prime Minister believe that he has secured value for money for the taxpayer?
The Deputy Prime Minister
As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has explained, this is yet another example of our doing something that was ducked by the Labour Government. The price at which we set the sale was recommended to us independently, and was at the highest point of the range that we were provided with by independent advisers.
Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)
Q13. Two weeks ago, Harrow council officers closed down an unlicensed house in multiple occupation. Eleven unrelated adults were living in a three-bedroom property, each paying £160 a week in rent to a rogue landlord. The council is now investigating a further 100 cases. Does my right hon. Friend not agree that it is time we criminalised rogue landlords to protect the vulnerable?
The Deputy Prime Minister
I am appalled to hear of yet another example of rogue landlords behaving unacceptably. As my hon. Friend knows, local authorities, including Harrow, have strong powers to tackle rogue landlords, and we expect them to make full use of those powers. Last October we announced a package to help hard-working tenants get a better deal when renting a home, including a commitment to look at property conditions in the private rented sector, and we will shortly announce which local authorities will receive a share in £3 million of funding to help them to tackle rogue and criminal landlords.
Mr Nick Raynsford (Greenwich and Woolwich) (Lab)
Q14. When the Deputy Prime Minister signed the coalition agreement, with its commitment to giving parents and pupils more power to choose good schools, did he ever imagine that it would lead to the current situation in which Conservative-controlled Hammersmith and Fulham council is threatening to close the successful and popular Sullivan primary school—which was rated “good” by Ofsted—in the face of overwhelming opposition from parents, governors, pupils and local residents, in order to hand the site over for a free school?
The Deputy Prime Minister
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education is present, and I am sure that he will want to write to the right hon. Gentleman about that specific case. However, one of the things that the Government have done is remove the dead hand of bureaucracy and centralisation from our school system, to ensure that teachers are freer to teach in the way that they judge best in the classroom and parents have a greater role—when they want it—in the running of our schools.
Mr Charles Kennedy (Ross, Skye and Lochaber) (LD)
In the context of the question from the hon. Member for Bury North (Mr Nuttall)—who is, perhaps, not my hon. Friend on this issue—does the Deputy Prime Minister agree that on Europe, where the coalition is concerned, actions speak louder than words? Does he agree that the Chancellor’s decision some time ago to assist the Irish economy, the Foreign Secretary’s very responsible conduct of the internal European governmental review, and, indeed, the Prime Minister’s own statement in China just this week that if we get a referendum he wants to recommend that we stay in, provide a great boost of confidence for people like the Deputy Prime Minister and me who are down-the-line Liberal Democrat pro-Europeans?
The Deputy Prime Minister
It is always a joy to hear the mischievous wit and wisdom of my right hon. Friend. As he knows, we are as one on the European issue. Of course we need to reform the European Union—we need to strip away bureaucracy when that can be done, and to make the EU more transparent and efficient—but we also need to continue to exercise British leadership in the European Union club of which we have been a member for so many years.
Andrew Gwynne (Denton and Reddish) (Lab)
Q15. Figures from the national health service show that 600,000 more people used accident and emergency departments last winter, an increase of 11% since 2010, and it looks as though the situation is set to get much worse this winter. Why?
The Deputy Prime Minister
I do not think that it is very helpful to the millions of people who work in the NHS to talk down their admirable efforts to ensure—[Interruption.] The hon. Gentleman really should stop talking down the NHS. He should also agree with us that it needs more money rather than less. He may be interested to know that while the right hon. Member for Leigh (Andy Burnham) was Secretary of State for Health, the average time for which people waited to be attended to in accident and emergency wards was 77 minutes. We have cut that in half, to 33 minutes.
Paul Uppal (Wolverhampton South West) (Con)
Last week the National Crime Agency arrested six individuals following allegations of match-fixing in the English Football League. Will my right hon. Friend assure the House that every possible measure is being taken by the Football Association, the Gambling Commission and the NCA to uphold the integrity of English football?
The Deputy Prime Minister
Absolutely; I am sure that the hon. Gentleman speaks on behalf of everyone in the House, and certainly of all football fans, when he says that it is important to get to the bottom of this. By the way, this is a rather good example of the excellent early work of the National Crime Agency. It was established precisely to look into these complex cases, and it will work across jurisdictions and with different agencies to ensure that any suspicion or hint of corruption in the great game is removed.
Mr Elfyn Llwyd (Dwyfor Meirionnydd) (PC)
The Deputy Prime Minister will be aware of the case that I am about to raise; it is an urgent matter that I would like him to address. A young constituent of mine fled a violent and abusive relationship in Italy and brought her three and a half-year-old son with her. She is now in Wales, and the High Court has since ruled under The Hague convention that she has to return to Italy on Monday. Will the Deputy Prime Minister use his best endeavours to ensure that the Italian authorities realise that arresting her would be unfair and disproportionate, and that it would be little short of abominable to take that young boy into a care centre pending the outcome of the proceedings?
The Deputy Prime Minister
I am aware of the right hon. Gentleman’s interest in this matter. It is a desperately sad case and on a human level I would love to be able to pronounce on it, but as he knows, Ministers cannot comment on or intervene in cases that are or have been before the courts, whether in this country or abroad. However, I am sure that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will be able to provide consular assistance to the mother as she pursues her case in Italy, including providing details of English-speaking local lawyers and seeking updates from the local court about progress in the case.
Mr John Baron (Basildon and Billericay) (Con)
It might surprise the Deputy Prime Minister to learn that the Liberals have a reputation for advocating an EU in/out referendum at elections but not following that through when here in this place. Will he now put that right by encouraging his Liberal colleagues in the House of Lords to support our European Union (Referendum) Bill?
The Deputy Prime Minister
The hon. Gentleman and I joined forces in the Lobby in July 2011 to legislate for a referendum lock which, for the first time, guarantees in law that there will be a referendum if the rules of the European Union change or if there is a proposal for a transfer of sovereignty from this place to the European Union. That is the position my party believes in, and that is our guarantee in law to the British people: that a referendum will take place when circumstances determine that it should. I understand that his party is now having a debate that is changing that position, but my party will stick to what we legislated for in the summer of 2011.
Ms Gisela Stuart (Birmingham, Edgbaston) (Lab)
My hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow North (Ann McKechin) wanted to know whether the British taxpayer had got value for money in the sale of Royal Mail. Yes or no?
The Deputy Prime Minister
Our judgment is yes. Easy though it might be to make snapshot judgments about the value of the company according to the price on the markets on any given day, we are determined to take a long-term view on this issue, as on so many others, and not to score short-term political points.
Mr Peter Bone (Wellingborough) (Con)
Hasn’t the acting Prime Minister been outstanding today? Anyone listening on the radio would have thought it was my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) at the Dispatch Box. I think that the right hon. Gentleman is turning into a Tory, and I would like to test that theory. New clause 1 of the Immigration Bill has been signed by 60 coalition MPs calling for the transitional arrangements for Bulgaria and Romania to be continued. Does he agree with that?
The Deputy Prime Minister
I am glad that the hon. Gentleman has not raised his morbid obsession with the early demise of the Prime Minister, which I know is the subject of his private Member’s Bill. I also want to thank him for his very mixed, double-edged compliment. On the question of the Bill, he will know that the Prime Minister and I, and the whole Government, made a series of announcements last week. We are tightening up the access to benefits for migrants who come to this country from other parts of the European Union. I believe that we should protect and defend the principle of the freedom of movement, but the freedom of movement to seek work is not the same as the freedom to claim. That is the distinction that this Government are now making.