Oral Answers to Questions

Tessa Munt Excerpts

Wednesday 25th February 2015 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

First, before I answer the hon. Gentleman’s question, may I congratulate him on being appointed as the new chair of the parliamentary Labour party? I hope that in 70 days’ time he will be able to conduct a root and branch inquest into what went wrong.

Let me answer the hon. Gentleman’s question specifically. If he supports the lobbying Act, can he explain why trade unions in Britain have lobbied the Labour party to get rid of the Act? If we want an example of what is wrong with British politics, it is the massive money that goes from the unions to the Labour party that buys their candidates and buys their policies. The only reason their leader is sitting there is because a bunch of trade union barons thought he was more left-wing than his brother. That is what is wrong with British politics and that is what needs fixing.

[Tessa Munt (Wells) (LD)]

When the Prime Minister wrote to my local newspapers heralding the work done to bring superfast broadband to Somerset, was he aware that, according to the Government’s own figures, Somerset has 41% coverage at the moment? BT’s monopoly means that it will be the only organisation able to bid for the next phase of connections. That offers very little hope for the residents and business people in my area who do not have access to superfast broadband. What is he going to do about that?

[The Prime Minister]

What we are going to do is continue spending record sums on broadband roll-out. We have seen across the country that it is almost double from the 40% we inherited. There is more to do in the most rural areas, including the hon. Lady’s constituency. All local councils now have searchable websites so people can see when they expect broadband to get to their area. We need to look at creative solutions to make sure we get to the last 5%. It is a very important part of our long-term economic plan. That can only be secured by a Conservative majority Government.

Oral Answers to Questions

Tessa Munt Excerpts

Wednesday 20th June 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I am sure that Conservative Back Benchers wish to hear from one of their coalition colleagues. I call Tessa Munt.

[Tessa Munt (Wells) (LD)]

Q4. The Department of Health accepts that radiotherapy is the cheapest and most effective way of treating cancer. Despite that, the Department will spend more than £1.5 billion on cancer drugs this year and less than a third of that on radiotherapy. In the south-west, seven of our hospitals rely on charity to fund basic radiotherapy services. The cancer drugs fund is underspent—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I want a one sentence question, and a short one.

[Tessa Munt]

So, will the right hon. Gentleman speak to the Prime Minister about authorising the investment of that unused money into radiotherapy so that hospitals in my region can cure cancer patients?

[Mr Hague]

My hon. Friend is right to point out the importance of radiotherapy. It is also important to stress that decisions on treatments should be made by clinicians on the basis of whatever is most appropriate for their patients. We are investing an additional sum of more than £150 million over the next four years to expand radiotherapy capacity. I know that she will welcome that, as well as the fact that more than 12,500 extra patients have benefited from the £650 million cancer drugs fund that this Government introduced.

Oral Answers to Questions

Tessa Munt Excerpts

Wednesday 9th November 2011 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary will make a full statement to the House on this issue in a few moments, but let me say this: the British Government are fully behind the two-state solution, but I profoundly believe that we will get that not through declarations and processes at the UN, but through the two potential states—Israel and Palestine—sitting down and negotiating. All our efforts should go towards helping to make that happen.

[Tessa Munt (Wells) (LD)]

Q9. If he will make it his policy to endorse the Somerset Community Foundation’s 2011 Surviving Winter appeal.

[The Prime Minister]

The winter fuel payment provides valuable help to millions of people with paying their fuel bills. Individuals are of course free to donate their payment to a charity if they wish, but it must be a decision for them.

[Tessa Munt]

I thank the Prime Minister for that question. I would like him to congratulate Peter Wyman of the Somerset Community Foundation on having the brilliant idea of people donating some or all of their winter fuel allowance to those who need it most. Would the Government consider enabling such donations by including an option in the letter sent out about the allowance to allow an automatic donation to the Surviving Winter appeal?

[The Prime Minister]

I shall certainly look at that suggestion, but it is important to keep the promises that we made to Britain’s pensioners about keeping up the winter fuel payments and cold weather payments. I would not want to see any unnecessary pressure put on people to do something that might not be in their own best interests.

Oral Answers to Questions

Tessa Munt Excerpts

Wednesday 27th October 2010 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I did not know that the right hon. Gentleman, for whom I have considerable respect, was making these arguments all through the past 13 years. This is a revelation. We are saying to councils in Yorkshire and up and down the country, “We’re getting rid of the ring-fences and giving you the power to spend your money in the way that you choose.” We have got rid of the bossy, centralising, interfering approach that I am afraid he was rather part of.

[Tessa Munt (Wells) (LD)]

Is the Prime Minister aware that more than 420 people died in Somerset last winter from causes related to cold and poor living conditions? Will he join me in supporting a local charity, the Somerset Community Foundation, which has a surviving winter appeal whereby all those who can forgo all or part of their winter fuel payment can donate the money for redistribution to those for whom it is not nearly enough?

[The Prime Minister]

I will certainly join the hon. Lady in congratulating the charity on the work it does. It sounds absolutely essential. I know that she will welcome, as I did, the decision by the Chancellor in the spending statement that cold weather payments would be put on the higher level permanently, not just before an election.