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Mr. David Chaytor (Bury, North) (Lab): Millions of parents and students in Britain, including conservatives with a small and a big "C", will appreciate the record investment that the Government have made in Britain's schools and colleges, especially in the past three years. However, my right hon. Friend will be aware that in 16-to-19 provision a funding gap remains between schools and colleges. He might know that next Wednesday, the day of the Budget, the Association of Colleges is launching a parliamentary lobby. If in his Budget the Chancellor makes no reference to closing further the funding gap between schools and colleges, will the Leader of the House find time for a debate on the subject in the near future?

Mr. Hain: First, I do think that there are some decent conservatives—and Conservatives—but there are none on the Opposition Benches at present. The better ones have crossed the Floor and joined the Labour party over the past few years. On the important point that my hon. Friend makes, there is indeed a gap between further education funding and school sixth form funding, and it has been too wide. That is why we saw the largest ever investment in further education funding under this Government. It is set to rise by over £1 billion by the coming year, compared with three years ago—a real-terms increase of 60 per cent. compared with 2002–03. I should like to see the further education sector emerge from having been the Cinderella of the education world to being right at the top of the education sector, because it is so crucial for those who get their education under its roof.

Andrew George (St. Ives) (LD): The leader of the Liberal Democrats supports the hon. Member for Cardiff, North (Julie Morgan) in the campaign for an Equality Bill. The Leader of the House will be aware that in November 2004, in response to a question from me regarding the need to reconvene the Standing Committee on Regional Affairs following the failure of the referendum in the north-east, the Deputy Leader of the House said:

"The hon. Gentleman makes a reasonable point"—[Official Report, 11 November 2004; Vol. 426, c. 935.],

and went on to say that the Leader of the House would want to consider the matter seriously. Given the unacceptable vacuum that has existed since the beginning of November following the failure of the referendum in the north-east of England, will the right hon. Gentleman ensure that the Standing Committee on Regional Affairs is reconvened, and that we have time to debate that important matter?

Mr. Hain: I shall bear in mind the reasonable point that the hon. Gentleman makes and look into it. I am delighted that the Liberal Democrats support the Equality Bill. Does that mean that they also support the new offence of religious discrimination, and the new offence in another Bill of incitement to religious hatred? That is crucial to protecting the interests and rights of
 
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the Muslim community, and I hope that the hon. Gentleman is signalling a change of policy on that matter too.

Mrs. Helen Clark (Peterborough) (Lab): My right hon. Friend will be aware that there is rising concern and anger among doctors, patients, families and carers about the initial National Institute for Clinical Excellence recommendation to deny Alzheimer's disease drugs on the national health service. Will he allocate parliamentary time to debate that devastating and disastrous proposal?

Mr. Hain: I assure my hon. Friend that that is draft guidance for consultation, and I am sure that those responsible will take into account the strong feelings that she and others have expressed. It is important that we trust NICE to make an informed and fully considered recommendation on those drugs, which will provide protection for everybody concerned.

Mr. Eric Forth (Bromley and Chislehurst) (Con): Yesterday, in PMPs—

Mr. John Bercow (Buckingham) (Con): PMPs?

Mr. Forth: Prime Minister's porkies. Yesterday, in PMPs, my right hon. and learned Friend the Leader of the Opposition said that the Prime Minister had said that the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Bill could be used against protesters. The Prime Minister then said that he confessed that he had absolutely no recollection of saying that. He went on later to say that he—the Prime Minister—

"will have to check whatever transcript there is."—[Official Report, 9 March 2005; Vol. 431, c. 1509.]

Can the Leader of the House ensure that the Prime Minister comes to the House as a matter of some urgency with the transcript in his hand, so that we can clarify just what the truth of the matter is? This is yet another case in which the Prime Minister has conveniently forgotten something, dodged the question and denied what he said. Can we please get to the bottom of this? We have had quite enough of these episodes over the past eight years, and it is time we pinned this to the Prime Minister once and for all.

Mr. Hain: On the substance of the right hon. Gentleman's remarks, the Prime Minister was simply making the point that we all, especially when we are in government, read from time to time in the media reports that bear no resemblance to reality, and he suggested that that was one of them. He was also making the important point that legitimate protest, which I have undertaken regularly in my time, and which I will continue to respect and defend the right of people to do, is in quite a different box from the threat of suicide terrorism, the like of which we saw in Madrid a year ago and which we could see in London or elsewhere in Britain at any time. That is why we are determined to introduce the legislation. That is in an entirely different category from legitimate democratic protest, which has
 
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always been an important part of our democracy. By the way, I do not recall the right hon. Gentleman ever going round the streets of Britain to protest about anything.

Chris Bryant (Rhondda) (Lab): I congratulate my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House on finding time for a St. David's day debate, and particularly on his cunning plan of delaying it until after the Welsh rugby team has defeated the Scots and the Irish, as well as the French, the English and the Italians. One of the issues that is particularly keenly felt in the Welsh economy is consumer credit, with many families still taking on debts that they cannot afford. Has my right hon. Friend had further conversations with those in the House of Lords to try to make sure that they see the Consumer Credit Bill through its final stages as soon as possible, before a general election?

Mr. Hain: Like my hon. Friend's constituents, mine are anxious to see the Consumer Credit Bill receive Royal Assent so that they can be protected from loan sharks and other forms of exploitation—and I am sure that the Welsh day debate will provide an opportunity to celebrate a grand slam by Wales, who will have defeated Scotland and Ireland in the meantime.

Mr. John Baron (Billericay) (Con): Will the Leader of the House please make it clear to the Deputy Prime Minister, on behalf of many Members, that the temporary stop notices brought in by the Government to deal with Travellers who break the law are utterly useless and a shambles? All they do is postpone the problem for 28 days. Thereafter our normal ineffective planning laws kick in. Councils need much stronger powers, as outlined in my Greenbelt Protection Bill, to evict those who break the law and to put right any damage. Otherwise, residents who live close to illegal Traveller encampments, such as Hovefields, Crays Hill and Sadlers Farm in my constituency, and in many other constituencies where this is happening, will continue to be discriminated against while uneven and unfair handling of the situation is allowed to continue.

Mr. Hain: I understand the concerns that the hon. Gentleman and others have expressed. There is a shortage of authorised sites for Gypsies and Travellers, alongside a growth in unauthorised development which is causing problems for neighbouring communities and Gypsies and Travellers alike. Local councils need more powers for swift enforcement against development in problem areas, but they also need to do more to identify land for authorised sites. The two go hand in hand. Temporary stop notices provide local planning authorities with an additional enforcement tool to deal with a wide range of planning breaches. I should have thought that in the circumstances and in his own community, the hon. Gentleman would support these tougher measures.

Mrs. Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby) (Lab): Will my right hon. Friend convey my thanks to the Deputy Prime Minister for the work that his Department has done in relation to "competent persons"? We need to tackle cowboy electricians, the vast majority of whom
 
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work illegally in people's homes, in some cases causing death. The competent persons scheme will do that—but the measures taken thus far will not address the bulk of the problem that still exists. I would welcome an opportunity to debate on the Floor of the House the competent persons scheme and further steps that we can take to ensure that people are protected from cowboys operating in their communities.

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