House of Commons
Thursday 28 October 2010
The House met at half-past Ten o'clock
Prayers
[Mr Speaker in the Chair]
Oral Answers to Questions
Transport
The Secretary of State was asked-
Severn Bridges (Tolls)
1. Jessica Morden (Newport East) (Lab): What recent representations he has received on the method of payment of tolls on the Severn bridges; and if he will make a statement. [19912]
The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Mrs Theresa Villiers): The Department for Transport has recently received representations from the Wales Office about the method of payment on the Severn bridges. The Secretary of State has met the Deputy First Minister, and payment methods at the Severn crossings were discussed.
Jessica Morden: The facility enabling people to pay with credit and debit cards-for which I was grateful-was introduced in time for the Ryder cup, only to be whisked away again the minute the event was over. That has caused confusion. My constituents would like to pay by modern methods, which is fair enough. Can the Minister assure me that an end to the situation is in sight?
Mrs Villiers: I can. I know that a long-running campaign has been conducted by a number of Members.
As the hon. Lady says, the system was introduced for the Ryder cup. We considered it important to meet the deadline, given the significance of the event. The temporary scheme has been withdrawn for the moment, but is due to be back in operation on Friday next week. That gives us a chance to do some more work in order to make it more efficient, but there will be further work to make it more efficient still. We hope to introduce a system in the new year that will not require PINs. The temporary system does require them, and that causes delays and adds to congestion.
Rail Network
2. Peter Aldous (Waveney) (Con): What steps he is taking to ensure the economic sustainability of the rail network. [19913]
5. Iain Stewart (Milton Keynes South) (Con): What steps he is taking to ensure the economic sustainability of the rail network. [19916]
10. Jake Berry (Rossendale and Darwen) (Con): What steps he is taking to ensure the economic sustainability of the rail network. [19921]
12. Karl McCartney (Lincoln) (Con): What steps he is taking to ensure the economic sustainability of the rail network. [19923]
The Secretary of State for Transport (Mr Philip Hammond): Recent estimates by the Office of Rail Regulation suggest that the UK railway has costs up to 40% higher than comparable European railways. To secure a fair deal for passengers and taxpayers in the medium term, we must get the cost base of the railway under control. The Rail Value for Money study led by Sir Roy McNulty will report in the spring, and the Government will then respond to its recommendations.
We have recently completed a consultation on passenger rail franchising, and will publish our response in due course.
Peter Aldous: The East Suffolk line has a vital role to play in helping to bring jobs to the east Suffolk and Waveney area. Can the Minister confirm that that will be taken into account when investment decisions are made?
Mr Hammond: I think that my hon. Friend is referring to the so-called Beccles loop, a scheme currently being developed by Network Rail whose implementation is planned for December 2012. Network Rail is expecting a £1 million contribution from Suffolk county council. Subject to that, funds are available for the scheme, and it is expected to proceed on schedule.
Iain Stewart: I welcome the Government's commitment to major rail infrastructure projects between our major cities, but does my right hon. Friend agree that the long-term sustainability of our rail network can be enhanced by smaller projects such as the completion of the east-west rail link between Bletchley and Oxford?
Mr Hammond: I entirely agree. When I surveyed the proposed route of the high-speed railway a few weeks ago, I had an opportunity to examine the alignment of the proposed link. We will shortly begin discussions about the programme of enhancements that the Government wish to secure for the next railway control period, which will begin in 2014-15, and I am sure that the project mentioned by my hon. Friend will be one of those that will be considered carefully.
Jake Berry: The Rossendale to Manchester rail link is vital to economic development in Rossendale. Will the Secretary of State agree to meet representatives of the East Lancashire heritage railway board to explore ways of upgrading this heritage line to a commuter link?
Mr Hammond:
I agree that good transport links with Manchester are vital to the regeneration and economic success of my hon. Friend's area. I know that the local authorities in the area, together with Greater Manchester passenger transport executive, have been working on a
scheme, for which the local sustainable transport fund that we have announced-or, alternatively, the regional growth fund-may be a potential source of funds. However, I or one of my colleagues would be happy to meet my hon. Friend.
Karl McCartney: With regard to the economic sustainability of the rail network, particularly in my constituency of Lincoln, does my right hon. Friend believe that it would be helpful and desirable for Network Rail to act more reasonably and wisely in its economic modelling, and to reconsider its proposal to close the level crossings in our city, including the one that dissects the high street, for over 40 minutes in every daylight hour, a proposal that will decimate my constituency's economy and the wider economy of Lincolnshire?
Mr Hammond: I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that question. I am aware of the impact that the level crossing in Lincoln has on the life of the town. Indeed, I have a similar situation in my constituency. There is an issue about the way scarce and valuable time on level crossings is divided between the railway and the road user. That must be informed by some proper cost-benefit analysis. The good news is that some new barrier technology is under assessment, which might help us, through a technical solution, to reduce the amount of barrier-down time necessary.
Miss Anne Begg (Aberdeen South) (Lab): If the railways are to be economically sustainable, passengers have to be able to get through the stations and on to the trains, and many disabled people still cannot access large numbers of stations and trains are still inaccessible. The Government have decided to abolish the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee. What process will be put in place instead to ensure that the good work that has been done to improve access is not lost and that we do not go backwards?
Mr Hammond: I welcome the hon. Lady's question. The decision to abolish the DPTAC was taken because disability issues have been mainstreamed into the Department's assessment processes and disability factors are brought into the advanced planning of programmes at all stages. As she will know, there is a rolling programme of improving access at stations, which Network Rail is funded to deliver. That programme will continue through this control period and into the next.
Alison McGovern (Wirral South) (Lab): I speak regularly to businesses in Wirral, which tell me that they benefit greatly from the improvements to the west coast main line driven forward by the previous Government, but they are extremely fearful of ticket prices going up by RPI plus 3%-excruciating rises at this fragile economic time. What can the Minister say in response to those concerns?
Mr Hammond:
As I said in my opening remarks, we have a problem with the cost base of our railway and in the medium term there is no doubt that the challenge for us is to get that cost base under control, so that we can ease the pressure on passengers and at the same time ease the pressure on taxpayers. However, in the short term, the decision that had to be taken was simple: do we go ahead with investment in additional
rail vehicles to ease overcrowding and improve the passenger experience or do we not? We have taken the decision that investing for the long term is the right answer for the United Kingdom economy.
Maria Eagle (Garston and Halewood) (Lab): It is good to be facing the right hon. Gentleman across the Dispatch Box for our first Transport questions. He again spent the last week all over the media, from "Newsnight" to "The Daily Politics", pretending to be Chief Secretary to the Treasury, so I apologise to him for dragging him back to his day job. Why did he tell The Times that fares would rise by 10% over the spending review period when commuters are actually facing a hike in fares of 30% plus?
Mr Hammond: I welcome the hon. Lady to her place. Perhaps I cannot tell her and her sister apart and that is why I was responding to the shadow Chief Secretary earlier this week. She refers to a quote. On my arithmetic, RPI plus 3% for the last three years of the spending review period, with RPI plus 1% for next year equates to a 10% real-terms increase in the regulated average fare over the period of the spending review.
Maria Eagle: I have the quote in front of me. The right hon. Gentleman used a figure. He said this; it is in quotation marks, so he can tell me if he was wrongly quoted:
"If you are paying £1,000 for your season ticket now, it could cost you £1,100 at the end of the period".
That is not saying that it is a real-terms increase of 10%. That is saying that it is an increase of 10% in total. His Government's own Office for Budget Responsibility predicts inflation of at least 3.2% from 2012. That will mean a rise of at least 6.2% a year, meaning that by 2014, fares will rise by over 30%. I would have expected better standards of arithmetic from someone who would rather be in the Treasury.
Let me try the right hon. Gentleman on another question. Why has he scrapped the cap on individual fares that we introduced? Does he understand that that will mean many fares rising by more than the 3% above inflation that he has allowed? Therefore, for the sake of hard-pressed rail users, who are already struggling thanks to other measures that the Government are taking, will he now abandon that stealth tax on commuters?
Mr Speaker: Order. This is the hon. Lady's debut. In future, questions must be shorter.
Mr Hammond: I think Members will understand that what matters is the real-terms increase in fares, and that is what I was referring to.
The hon. Lady asked about the average fare cap. She talks as if in the past rail companies were restricted on individual fares. That is not the case. There was always a basket approach until this year-strangely enough, a general election year. For this year only, the previous Government announced that that system would be abolished and that companies would be limited on individual fares. We have gone back to the basket system because it provides the freedom to respond.
Maria Eagle: It's a stealth tax.
Mr Hammond: It is not a stealth tax because companies are only allowed to increase regulated fares by a weighted average of 1% above RPI in the coming year across all the regulated fare pool.
Local Transport Funding
3. Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East) (Lab): What assessment he has made of the likely effects on local transport schemes of the implementation of the proposed reduction in funding for local government resource grants. [19914]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Norman Baker): The majority of transport resource funding will now be paid through formula grant. It is for local authorities to decide how that funding is spent according to their priorities. As the Secretary of State mentioned a few moments ago, I am also establishing a local sustainable transport fund to help local authorities support economic growth and reduce carbon emissions.
Kerry McCarthy: I thank the Minister for that answer. The Government's growth strategy is based on wildly over-optimistic predictions for private sector job creation. How does the Minister think a 28% cut in local government transport funding, the end to ring-fencing across local government funding in general and putting on ice the bus rapid transit scheme will help a city like Bristol, which is plagued by congestion and a lack of transport infrastructure?
Norman Baker: I hardly know where to start with that question. The fact is that 300,000 jobs have been created in the private sector in the last three months. It does not help the economy if Members talk it down as the hon. Lady does. It is also not true that the bus rapid transit system in Bristol has been put on ice. The section from Ashton Vale to Temple Meads in Bristol city centre is in the development pool and the south Bristol link phases 1 and 2 are in the pre-qualification pool. I hope very much that Bristol city council will work on those schemes in conjunction with my Department.
Mr Adrian Sanders (Torbay) (LD): Given this week's disappointing news for south Devon of the Kingskerswell bypass being put into the pool rather than being approved after a 50-year campaign for it, might the local authority be able to reduce the cost of it by taking advantage of tax increment financing and regional growth funding? Will local councils be able to use them to help meet the costs of such important road schemes?
Norman Baker: I know that my hon. Friend is very keen on this scheme, and that he and other local Members have campaigned strongly in favour of it. We are certainly open to innovative ideas to find alternative funding, whether through the regional growth fund or the incremental system to which he referred, and I look forward to examining those options with his local county council.
Mrs Louise Ellman (Liverpool, Riverside) (Lab/Co-op):
In recent years a combination of local schemes and national action has resulted in a very significant reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured
on our roads. Has any assessment been made of the implications of the cut in local funding for the lives of people on our roads?
Norman Baker: The hon. Lady has considerable knowledge of transport issues as a result of her role on the Transport Committee, and I think she understands that what the Government are doing is freeing up local councils to spend their own money rather than determining the number of grant streams centrally. There have been 26 grant streams for transport funding for local authorities, but that will be reduced to four. That will enable local authorities to prioritise matters in their own areas, as they should do as democratically elected bodies.
Andrew Percy (Brigg and Goole) (Con): The A160 scheme has enjoyed the support of local government in north Lincolnshire, but it has now been delayed until 2015. Will the Minister meet me and a cross-party delegation of local MPs to discuss this important scheme in more detail?
Norman Baker: It is my practice always to accede to requests for meetings from Members of Parliament, so I will ask my office to fix that up.
Bus Service Operators Grant
4. Mr Stephen Hepburn (Jarrow) (Lab): What his policy is on the future of the bus service operators grant; and if he will make a statement. [19915]
13. Alex Cunningham (Stockton North) (Lab): What assessment he has made of the likely effects on socially excluded groups of the proposed reduction in bus service operators grant. [19924]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Norman Baker): From 2012-13, the rate at which bus service operators grant is paid will be reduced by 20%. Our assessment is that this level of reduction will, overall, have a low impact on socially excluded groups. I spoke to the Confederation of Passenger Transport UK, which represents the bus industry, following the Chancellor's announcement on 20 October. It was hopeful that, in general, this reduction could be absorbed without fares having to rise.
Mr Hepburn: That is absolute nonsense. The pensioners and the poor people of this country did not create the banking crisis, so why are the Government making them pay with cuts such as this, which will inevitably mean rises in fares and reductions in services?
Norman Baker: With respect to the hon. Gentleman, I do not think that he heard the answer I gave, which was that I have spoken to the Confederation of Passenger Transport UK, which represents the bus industry, and it was hopeful that the reduction in the bus service operators grant was marginal and could be absorbed without fares having to rise. I also draw to his attention the fact that the Government have protected the concessionary fares arrangements.
Alex Cunningham:
My constituent, David Gordon, has told me that he values his bus service, which has improved considerably in recent years, very highly, but
he is worried about its future. Many others depend on the buses to get to work or to search for work across Teesside and beyond. Can the Minister reassure Mr Gordon that bus services really will be protected and that those seeking work and other excluded groups will be able to follow the advice of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and get on a bus in their area to look for work?
Norman Baker: The hon. Gentleman will know that the Tees Valley bus network's improvement scheme is going ahead. The Government have confirmed that only recently, so I hope he will welcome that particular suggestion. It is our intention to get more people on to buses, and we are working with local authorities and the bus industry to achieve that-for example, by the roll-out of smart ticketing. So, yes, his constituents will be able to get on a bus; in fact, there will be even more buses than previously.
Andrew Bridgen (North West Leicestershire) (Con): How does the Minister propose that the local sustainable transport fund will fill the boots of resource grants, with the funding reduced now, especially in counties such as Leicestershire?
Norman Baker: The local sustainable transport fund is a fund of £560 million during the rest of this Parliament. By anybody's standards, that is an enormous sum to spend on prioritising local transport, cycling, walking, bus services-if that is what local authorities want to do-bus lanes and other such traffic management matters. I would have hoped that the hon. Gentleman would welcome that commitment by the Government; it is an enormous sum for those particular objectives.
Andrew Gwynne (Denton and Reddish) (Lab): I thank the Department for responding so quickly to my named day questions, although I do not consider "I will answer this question shortly" to be much of a reply. On the bus service operators grant, the Minister has said:
"The benefits of that grant are clear: it ensures that the bus network remains as broad as possible, while keeping fares lower and bringing more people on to public transport, with the obvious benefits of reducing congestion...in our towns and cities."-[ Official Report, 29 June 2010; Vol. 512, c. 842.]
Given his swingeing 20% cut to the grant, why will he not now accept that fares are likely to go up, passenger numbers will decrease and congestion will worsen?
Norman Baker: First, the stories in the press throughout recent months have been suggesting that the bus service operators grant will be abolished, but they have clearly been completely off tack. Indeed, the cut to the grant has been less than the average for the Department, in recognition of the importance of bus services to local people. I come back to the point made by the Confederation of Passenger Transport UK, which, after all, represents the bus industry and so, with due respect, perhaps knows more about buses than the hon. Gentleman might do. It has said that, in general, the reduction can be absorbed without fares having to rise; that is the view of the industry.
Swindon to Kemble Rail Line
6. Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury) (Con): What plans he has for the future of the Swindon to Kemble rail line; and if he will make a statement. [19917]
The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Mrs Theresa Villiers): The Government recognise that redoubling the railway between Swindon and Kemble could generate important passenger benefits and improve resilience by providing a diversionary route for the Great Western main line to Wales. Unfortunately, the need to address the deficit means that we are not able to commit Government funding to this project at present, but it remains our aspiration to take it forward in the future.
Mr Robertson: I thank the Minister for that response, but my hon. Friend the Member for The Cotswolds (Geoffrey Clifton-Brown) and I have been campaigning on this issue and on the issue of improving the A417/419 road. The absence of either of those schemes impedes travel between Gloucestershire and London, and that is detrimental to Gloucestershire's economy. Will she revisit both those schemes as soon as possible?
Mrs Villiers: I am very much aware of the campaign that my hon. Friend has run, alongside my hon. Friend the Member for The Cotswolds and other local MPs, such as the hon. Member for Cheltenham (Martin Horwood). I have met a number of MPs to discuss this project and we recognise that it is a good scheme. Important work is being done through the Grip 4 study, which is due to conclude shortly. We hope that we will be able to fund this scheme, but at the moment the deficit-the significant crisis in the public finances-that we have inherited means that we cannot take forward all the good schemes that are on the table. There is no doubt, however, that this scheme will be a serious contender when we assess these schemes again in relation to the next railway control period.
High Speed 2 Project
7. Tony Baldry (Banbury) (Con): If his Department will fund (a) tunnelling and culverting work and (b) other mitigation work arising from the construction of any future rail line as part of the High Speed 2 project. [19918]
The Secretary of State for Transport (Mr Philip Hammond): The coalition Government take very seriously the potential impact of a high-speed rail line on line-side communities and property owners. HS2 Ltd's current preferred route utilises a range of mitigation techniques, including tunnelling and culverting where appropriate, practical and economically justifiable.
Tony Baldry: On page 174 of the HS2 proposals, the report states:
"It is difficult to analyse exactly where the benefits of HS2 would accrue."
HS2 is a project that will clearly be expensive in construction costs, mitigation costs and the costs of compensation. Will my right hon. Friend give an undertaking that next year's consultation will include a consultation on the principle of HS2 and on whether the same amount or even less money spent on the existing rail infrastructure could produce similar or even better results?
Mr Hammond:
I can assure my hon. Friend that the option of spending money on enhancing existing rail infrastructure to provide the capacity and the additional
connectivity that a high-speed railway will provide has been examined in detail and has been found not to be a practical option. The consultation next year starts from the premise that the Government believe that a high-speed rail network will be in the United Kingdom's interest, but it will consult on issues to do with the design of that network, the route and the details of the proposals for the London to Birmingham link.
Stephen Timms (East Ham) (Lab): The Secretary of State will be aware of the potentially very important role for Stratford International as a stop for through services from High Speed 1 to High Speed 2. Given the prospect of competitive services on the channel tunnel rail link and developments in east London, as well as the success of the O2 dome and so on, does he agree that there is a growing economic imperative for international trains to stop at Stratford?
Mr Hammond: As the right hon. Gentleman knows, Eurostar services are operated by a commercial company that makes decisions on the basis of its commercial best interest. I think the answer that he should be looking for is more competition and more operators on the line. I am very pleased to hear that Deutsche Bahn intends to start operating services through the tunnel to London. The more operators there are, the more likely they are to seek additional niche markets and to provide additional station stops.
Road Safety (Nottinghamshire)
8. John Mann (Bassetlaw) (Lab): What recent representations he has received on road safety at Elkesley, Nottinghamshire. [19919]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Norman Baker): The Highways Agency has recently received a number of representations on safety on the A1 at Elkesley in Nottinghamshire. These have been made by the local authority, Elkesley parish council and members of the public. In particular, these concerns were raised by local residents and parish councillors to the Highways Agency at Elkesley memorial hall in September.
John Mann: They have been raised for the last 30 years. There was an agreement going ahead before the election, from the previous Government, for the Elkesley bridge, which is a place where many people have died tragically at the most dangerous crossover on the A1. There was a major collision just this summer. Is this vital scheme, recognised as a priority by the Department for Transport, going to go ahead in this Parliament-yes or no?
Norman Baker: It is a little bit unfortunate to blame us for not having taken it forward in six months when the hon. Gentleman's party had 13 years to take the road forward. I do not underestimate the importance of safety. The statistics that I have been given, in fact, suggest that there have been no fatal, one serious and nine slight personal injuries between January 2007 and December 2009. If there is further information, I shall certainly consider that.
As part of the programme to reduce the budget deficit, we are clearly looking at how we spend our money on minor schemes. The initial prioritisation
process for all the minor schemes in the country will be undertaken over the next few weeks by the Highways Agency and an announcement will be made on whether the public inquiry for this improvement scheme will proceed.
Highway Infrastructure (Funding)
9. Miss Anne McIntosh (Thirsk and Malton) (Con): What recent representations he has received on his Department's proposed funding for highway infrastructure; and if he will make a statement. [19920]
The Secretary of State for Transport (Mr Philip Hammond): We have received a number of representations from hon. Members and members of the public regarding investment in major road schemes since the spending review commenced in June. In terms of specific representations, we have received 25 from hon. Members and 73 from members of the public. In addition, I have held meetings with a number of key stakeholders during which the spending review was discussed.
Miss McIntosh: I am grateful to my right hon. Friend. Will he take a further representation from me here and now to review the cancellation of the A1 scheme from Leeming to Barton? It goes to the heart of the economy in the north of England, supporting my constituency and those of my right hon. and hon. Friends, and it is key to the economic growth of north Yorkshire. Will he reconsider the cancellation of that scheme?
Mr Hammond: As I said when I made my statement on Tuesday, we have sought to take some hard decisions, and some of the schemes that were being taken forward by the Highways Agency had no realistic prospect of being funded in this spending review period or the next one. In those circumstances, I have taken the view that it would be wrong to continue to spend money on development of a scheme which is unlikely to be built in the foreseeable future, and therefore the scheme had to be cancelled. I am sorry to have to disappoint my hon. Friend.
Derek Twigg (Halton) (Lab): I am grateful to the Secretary of State and the Chancellor for their support for the Mersey Gateway. However, construction can start only if funding is in place and we know when that will be released. May I ask the right hon. Gentleman the same question that I asked him on Tuesday? Subject to agreement on funding in January, as per his report, can he tell us if construction will begin before 2015? In other words, will the money be released to allow construction to begin before 2015?
Mr Hammond: I can tell the hon. Gentleman that the money will be released for construction to begin before 2015. Of course, this is a local authority-led project, so the local authority will ultimately determine how quickly the project can proceed, but both the capital allocation sum that we have made available and the private finance initiative credits will be released for use before 2015.
John Woodcock (Barrow and Furness) (Lab/Co-op):
I know that many Members in the Chamber and drivers across the country are disappointed with the announcements that the Secretary of State made on Tuesday, but surely
sending his Minister with responsibility for roads to Russia this week was a little steep. Is it not the case that for many of the yet unconfirmed schemes, local authorities are being asked to shoulder more of the burden at a time when they are facing a 28% cut in their funding? Does not the right hon. Gentleman feel a little like a car dealer who says to his customer, "You can drive away with any vehicle you choose," before slashing the tyres of every single car in the showroom?
Mr Hammond: I suppose the simple answer is no. The hon. Gentleman might be interested that the Minister with responsibility for roads has gone to St Petersburg to join in an international conference on road safety. With reference to the local authority schemes in the development pool that I announced on Tuesday, what we have said is that local authorities need to look at ways of improving the benefit-to-cost ratios of the projects that they are promoting. In some cases, that will involve getting in third-party contributions, particularly developer contributions. Some authorities may wish to increase their own contributions. All authorities should be able to reduce cost.
M1-M6 Junction
11. David Tredinnick (Bosworth) (Con): What proposals for improvements to the M1-M6 junction he is considering; and if he will make a statement. [19922]
The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Mrs Theresa Villiers): I refer my hon. Friend to the oral statement made by the Secretary of State for Transport to the House on 26 October, and the supporting documentation. The preferred option for improving the junction is the proposal announced in February 2009 to provide free-flowing traffic links between the A14, the M1 and the M6.
David Tredinnick: Does my hon. Friend agree that that is one of the most dangerous junctions and one of the most important junctions on the motorway network? When does she expect the works there to be completed, and what other projects do the Government have to improve the M1 and M6 motorways?
Mrs Villiers: I agree that that is a very important junction on our strategic road network. That is one of the reasons why we have prioritised funding for the project at a time of intense pressure on the public finances because of the deficit that we inherited. I also agree that road safety is an important issue in this case. The Highways Agency is working hard to manage and mitigate the road safety impact of the current junction, but we believe that the scheme will provide additional long-term road safety benefits. The scheme is not likely to be able to be progressed before 2015, but we are working on a revised timetable, with a view to construction beginning some time after that period.
Barbara Keeley (Worsley and Eccles South) (Lab):
Another important junction that has congestion problems and very poor design is junction 13 on the M60 at my Worsley constituency, but instead of doing something about junction design and improving the safety and other aspects there, Ministers have pushed forward with a white elephant of a scheme to add another lane to the
motorway at that point. I and my constituents have objected to that from the start. The additional lane will blight the lives of people who live near the motorway. Given that they cannot push ahead with the good schemes that Members have put forward this morning, I urge Ministers to cancel that stupid white elephant of a scheme, think again and use the scarce public resources where they are better utilised.
Mrs Villiers: I refer the hon. Lady to the statement that the Secretary of State made earlier this week on the difficult decisions that we have made to prioritise investment in the most significant traffic bottlenecks on our road network. However, she will be well aware that before all those projects proceed to completion, they must pass through the appropriate planning appraisal programme, and full consideration will be given to the local community's views as part of that important process.
Mr Speaker: I call Matthew Offord.
Mr Matthew Offord (Hendon) (Con): Question 17, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker: No, no. I apologise to the hon. Gentleman. I thought that he was seeking to come in on Question 11, which is where we were. I am afraid that we cannot go to Question 17.
Disabled People (Transport Access)
14. Luciana Berger (Liverpool, Wavertree) (Lab/Co-op): What recent assessment he has made of the likely effects of the outcome of the spending review on projects to improve the accessibility of the transport network to disabled people. [19925]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Norman Baker): As part of fulfilling the Government's commitment to promoting equality, my Department has undertaken a robust analysis of its spending proposals and an assessment of the likely effects on the accessibility of the transport network. This work included considering the equalities impacts of proposals on projects that would improve the accessibility of the transport network to disabled people.
Luciana Berger: What assurances can the Minister offer that the reductions in the transport expenditure budget outlined in the comprehensive spending review the other week will not impact on accessibility for disabled passengers?
Norman Baker: First, the Government have prioritised transport expenditure in recognition of the fact that it is very important in helping to grow the economy and in cutting carbon emissions.
Secondly, within that process, there are continuing programmes such as the access for all programme at railway stations, and we are considering how we deal with EU legislation and with other disability issues, which are a key part of my portfolio. I can assure the hon. Lady that the issue will not be lost. Indeed, she may want to know that next week I am meeting a number of groups, such as the Royal National Institute
of Blind People, Scope, the Royal National Institute for Deaf People and so on to ensure that I am fully appraised of their views on the issue.
Topical Questions
T1. [19932] Steve Rotheram (Liverpool, Walton) (Lab): If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.
The Secretary of State for Transport (Mr Philip Hammond): Since I last answered Transport questions, I have agreed the Department's settlement with the Treasury. The settlement that we have achieved shows the Government's commitment to investment in infrastructure and in transport infrastructure, in particular. The announcements that have been made, and that will be made over the next few weeks, will support economic growth and job creation.
Steve Rotheram: I am sure that the Minister is aware of the historical importance of the River Mersey as the lifeblood of the city of Liverpool, the wider sub-region and beyond. Therefore, following the Prime Minister's call for sustainable economic growth, will the Minister meet Merseyside MPs and the leader of the city council to re-examine the economic evidence for a turnaround facility on the banks of our world famous, UNESCO-recognised and iconic waterfront?
Mr Hammond: I think that the hon. Gentleman is talking about a cruise liner terminal and turnaround facility. Cruise liner ports are operated primarily by private sector companies. Public money has been invested in the facility on the Mersey, and that public money was invested on the explicit understanding that it would not be used for turnaround. If it were, issues of state aid and unfair advantage would be raised. I am happy to discuss the matter with the hon. Gentleman, but I hope that he understands that there are European Union competition and legal issues around the matter.
T5. [19937] Mr Peter Bone (Wellingborough) (Con): I recently met the Consular Corps of London, which made it clear to me, in no uncertain terms, that there is a problem at our ports and airports with human trafficking, with people being admitted to this country on clearly forged passports. I wonder what the Secretary of State can say about that, and whether he can talk to the Home Office about it.
Mr Hammond: I am grateful to my hon. Friend. As he will know, inward border controls are primarily a matter for the UK Border Agency, and I shall make sure that his comments are drawn to the attention of my right hon. and hon. Friends in that Department.
T2. [19933] Chi Onwurah (Newcastle upon Tyne Central) (Lab): Bus services are a vital part of Newcastle's economic infrastructure, and, despite the huge cuts to bus subsidies and to local government grants, the Minister is "hopeful" that bus fares will not rise and that bus services will not be cut. Unfortunately, the people of Newcastle cannot get to work on the Minister's hopes. If fares do rise or if services are cut, what will the Minister do?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Norman Baker): I am afraid that the hon. Lady's question contains a number of hypothetical assumptions that are not borne out by reality. It is not my hope, but the hope and the view expressed to me by the Confederation of Passenger Transport UK, which represents the main five bus operators, so I do not think that the terrible scenario she paints will come to fruition. People might also want to use the Tyne and Wear metro, in which the Government are investing £500 million over the next 11 years.
Martin Horwood (Cheltenham) (LD): Although we are expecting rail fares to rise only by 10% over four years in real terms, will Ministers look into changing the basis for the cap calculation from the retail prices index to the consumer prices index-because, after all, what is fair for pensioners ought to be fair enough for profit-making rail companies?
The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Mrs Theresa Villiers): The decision on rail fares has been difficult, but we have had to make it as part of the tough decisions needed to tackle the deficit. Of course we will keep under review the way that the system works, and I am happy to meet the hon. Gentleman to discuss the issue.
T3. [19935] Chris Evans (Islwyn) (Lab/Co-op): Constituents of mine travel on the Ebbw Valley rail line from Cardiff to Islwyn, but they cannot travel to Newport because there are major engineering works at the Gaer junction. Has the Minister had any discussions with the First Minister about providing money for those engineering works so that my constituents can travel to work from Islwyn to Newport?
Mrs Villiers: I have not discussed that specific issue with the Welsh Assembly Government, but I am happy to do so.
Jo Swinson (East Dunbartonshire) (LD): East Dunbartonshire cycle co-operative does excellent work and has enthused hundreds of people into taking up cycling through a local cycle festival, maps, cycle clubs and even a Guinness world record attempt at the number of cycle bells that can be rung simultaneously. This shows what can be done with a group of committed volunteers and a bit of grant funding, but how can we ensure that cycling promotion is not just left to volunteer champions but is done more systematically wherever people live in the country?
Norman Baker: I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that question. She will know that we value cycling; it was set out in the coalition agreement that it is a priority for us in the Transport Department. It has a major role to play in tackling the reduction of carbon emissions in the short term through behavioural change. We have guaranteed that Bikeability will carry on and, as I said earlier, there is a pot of money-£560 million-in the local sustainable transport fund, much of which I am sure will be directed towards activities related to cycling.
T4. [19936] Mark Hendrick (Preston) (Lab/Co-op):
The Chancellor announced with a fanfare in the comprehensive spending review the modernisation and
electrification of a number of lines up and down the country. Can the Secretary of State tell us when the electrification work on the Preston to Blackpool line will commence and when it will be completed?
Mr Hammond: I cannot give the hon. Gentleman a precise date now, but I am happy to talk to Network Rail about where that particular project lies in its current programme and get back to him.
Philip Davies (Shipley) (Con): The Wharfedale and Airedale lines are two of the most congested railway lines in the country, and additional carriages are essential to alleviate that congestion. I am well aware that funds are limited, but will the Secretary of State prioritise additional carriages on those two lines, as that is essential for economic activity in the area, which I know is the Government's priority?
Mr Hammond: I said when I made my statement on Tuesday that a further announcement would shortly be made about rail investment. That announcement will include the provision of additional rail cars to relieve overcrowding. I am afraid that my hon. Friend will have to wait for a few more days until that statement is made.
Ian Lavery (Wansbeck) (Lab): On the rail network and fare increases, is the Minister aware that the proposed formula increase outlined in the CSR-that is, RPI plus three-will mean a cumulative increase of approximately 33.5% by 2015? That means, on the Newcastle to London line, an increase up to £500 for first class and £350 for second class-
Mr Speaker: Order. May I remind Members, both Back Benchers and Front Benchers, because I think they have forgotten, that topical questions and answers are supposed to be shorter? I think the Minister has got the thrust of the question, although the hon. Gentleman is certainly not the only offender, by any means.
Mr Hammond: I can do no better than refer the hon. Gentleman to my earlier exchange with the Opposition Front-Bench spokesman.
Rehman Chishti (Gillingham and Rainham) (Con): May I ask the Minister for special consideration for communities in the south-east that had RPI plus three imposed on them by the previous Labour Government in 2006?
Mrs Villiers: I am well aware of the concerns of users of the Southeastern franchise who have been asked to pay RPI plus three over the past few years. That was linked to investment in rolling stock, and the rest of the country will move on to RPI plus three to even out the perceived inequality from the year after next.
Lilian Greenwood (Nottingham South) (Lab): On Tuesday, the Secretary of State seemed to think me most ungrateful because I did not thank him for the tram extensions. I am sorry to disappoint him, but the people of Nottingham South sent me here to do things, not just to say thanks. Does he accept that the tram on its own will not solve the problems, particularly for freight traffic, caused by congestion on the A453? It really is vital that the widening scheme goes ahead.
Mr Hammond: I hear what the hon. Lady says. I repeat what I said on Tuesday: Nottingham has got a good deal out of the announcements that have been made over the past week or so. The A453 scheme remains in the development pool, which means that we will take it forward with further work. An announcement will be made during the course of 2011 on which of those schemes will be funded.
Martin Vickers (Cleethorpes) (Con): I welcome the reply of the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) to my hon. Friend the Member for Brigg and Goole (Andrew Percy) in connection with the delay to the A160 upgrade on the access road into Immingham docks. The Under-Secretary will be aware that the delay puts increasing pressure on the town of Immingham, and that the A18/A180 link road was given the amber light on Tuesday. Will he agree to meet me and the local authority to discuss how we can bring the work forward?
Norman Baker: I accept the hon. Gentleman's legitimate point about that connection, and I am happy to meet him-perhaps it might be helpful if that happened at the same time as the other meeting that I agreed to earlier.
Bill Esterson (Sefton Central) (Lab): In a letter to me, the Under-Secretary confirmed the good news about the Switch island to Thornton relief road, but he used the phrase "increased local contributions". Can the Secretary of State tell me now what he expects those contributions to be?
Mr Hammond: I believe that the letter the hon. Gentleman refers to talks about the need for discussion to be held with local authorities on the cost of schemes and local contributions. As I said on Tuesday, when we are spending taxpayers' money, we have an absolute duty to ensure that we have explored every opportunity to minimise the taxpayer contribution and the cost. That is what we will do, but he has approval for the scheme and it will go ahead. We will engage with his local authority to ensure that it is as efficient as possible.
Women and Equalities
The Minister for Women and Equalities was asked-
Supporting People Programmes
1. Margaret Hodge (Barking) (Lab): What recent representations she has received on the likely effect on women victims of domestic violence of reductions in funding to Supporting People programmes. [19942]
The Secretary of State for the Home Department and Minister for Women and Equalities (Mrs Theresa May):
We have received no such representations. However, we have been meeting a number of organisations that provide support to women who are victims of domestic violence, and most recently my hon. Friend the Minister for Equalities met the chief executive of Refuge to discuss exactly that issue. I am pleased to be able to tell the right hon. Lady that following widespread consultation
with the voluntary sector, the Government have committed to providing £6.5 billion to the Supporting People programme over the next four years.
Margaret Hodge: That is, of course, a real-terms cut in the supported housing programme. Women's refuges also get their money through housing benefit and, at present, they are allowed to charge rates above the local housing cap, and therefore access more benefit than the cap would allow. Will that exemption continue, given the decisions that have been taken to impose that housing cap across all areas of the country?
Mrs May: I thank the right hon. Lady for her concern in relation to support for refuges. We will consult on welfare reform proposals more widely, and that issue can certainly be considered. In relation to the support that refuges provide for victims of domestic violence, I am pleased to tell her that this Government have been able to extend until the end of this financial year the pilot period of the sojourner project dealing with victims who have no recourse to public funds. That is another matter on which we are considering longer-term solutions to ensure that refuges can provide support for the women who need their services.
Rehman Chishti (Gillingham and Rainham) (Con): Will the Minister ensure that all domestic violence centres have access under one roof to welfare, housing and the criminal justice system so that the victim can access them at one single point as is the case at the Croydon family justice centre?
Mrs May: I am grateful to my hon. Friend for mentioning the very good model at the family justice centre in Croydon, which is based on an experience that was developed in New York. I was pleased to visit a centre in New York a couple of months ago and see the benefits there. The Croydon model is a very good one, but it will not necessarily fit all areas. In more rural communities, for example, a single point might not be the answer. Some very good work has been done by Cherwell district council on how to ensure that there is inter-agency working in rural areas where a single physical centre is not always the answer.
Yvette Cooper (Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford) (Lab): May I press the Minister on her answer to my right hon. Friend the Member for Barking (Margaret Hodge), as there is considerable concern about this issue? The Supporting People budget is being cut by 11% and the ring-fencing is being removed so that refuges and supported housing will have to take their chances among competing areas while local council budgets are being cut by more than 25%. The Minister has not explained what will happen to housing benefit support for those women who are going into refuges and who are badly in need of support and protection. I do not think her answer was sufficient, and I ask her to consider this further and provide the House with some reassurance. She will know that there is great concern that the spending review is already hitting women twice as hard as men. Will she stand up for women who may be affected by domestic violence and will she guarantee that there will be no reduction in help and support for women who badly need it?
Mrs May: I welcome the right hon. Lady to her position. She held the same position before the leadership elections within the Labour party, but I welcome her again now she has been reappointed. I am sure that we will have a number of interesting exchanges on this issue and I hope that we will work co-operatively on many areas of women's issues and equality, as is right and appropriate.
The right hon. Lady asks about ring-fencing and the Supporting People funding, but the decision to remove that ring-fencing was first taken by the Labour Government because it has not been ring-fenced since 2009. On the question that the right hon. Member for Barking (Margaret Hodge) asked, a White Paper will be produced before the welfare reform Bill. It will be possible for people to make representations on specific issues such as the impact of housing benefit changes on refuges and for those representations to be taken into account.
Mr Speaker: The exchanges so far have been rather protracted. We need to do a bit better.
Human Trafficking
2. Alison McGovern (Wirral South) (Lab): What discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on the co-ordination of member states' action against human trafficking of women. [19943]
The Minister for Equalities (Lynne Featherstone): Policy responsibility for human trafficking rests with my hon. Friend the Minister for Immigration. There have been no ministerial discussions with other EU member states on human trafficking. The UK plays an active role in combating this horrendous crime and will co-ordinate activities with our European partners where it is in the UK's interests to do so.
Alison McGovern: Nothing undermines the dignity of women more than human trafficking and this modern-day slavery. Article 10 of the EU directive on trafficking requires all member states to provide necessary medical treatment to trafficking survivors. When will Britain set an example and sign the EU directive?
Lynne Featherstone: We have decided not to opt in to the European directive at the moment, but we are keeping a watching brief. When it is implemented, we might well decide to do so, but we are already doing most of the things required by the directive to a good standard and we do not want to be inhibited by introducing laws in this country. Several things that we do already would need transposing into legislation, but we do not need to make legislation to prove to the Commissioners what we are doing already.
Mr Peter Bone (Wellingborough) (Con): May I urge the Minister not to opt in to the EU directive? I know that human trafficking is one of the Prime Minister's priorities, but before we opt in we must consider whether we can do things better; I urge caution in this matter.
Lynne Featherstone: I thank my hon. Friend for his question. That is exactly the position that we have taken.
Keith Vaz (Leicester East) (Lab): The question is about co-ordination. By which mechanism can the origin, transition and destination countries get together to deal with the problem of human trafficking?
Lynne Featherstone: We do that already without legislation. We have been very involved in Europe in terms of trafficking. Human trafficking is a key area under the Stockholm programme, which sets out the EU justice and home affairs priorities. We also helped to shape the draft EU trafficking directive and helped with the first Schengen evaluation on human trafficking. We are working closely with European colleagues. Quite frankly, it is better that we work in the countries of origin, as the right hon. Gentleman suggests, so that we stop trafficking at source by working with the Serious Organised Crime Agency, after which we should work at our borders and then in-country.
Custodial Sentences (Women)
3. David Mowat (Warrington South) (Con): What recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on the number of women given custodial sentences. [19945]
The Minister for Equalities (Lynne Featherstone): The Government are committed to diverting women who do not pose a risk to the public from custody, and to tackling women's offending. I met the Under-Secretary of State for Justice, my hon. Friend the Member for Reigate (Mr Blunt), who has responsibility for prisons and probation, on 28 July to discuss the community options available to the judiciary, and we agreed to work together on the issue. We noted that the women's prison population has now reached a plateau. We are jointly supporting a holistic approach to diverting women from custody.
David Mowat: The Minister will be aware of the Corston report, which said that women who pose no threat to the public should not go to prison, owing principally to the attendant issues for children and the next generation, yet in the past decade, the number of women going to prison has increased by 100%, which is four times faster than the number of men going to prison. That cannot be right. What will we do to reverse that legacy?
Lynne Featherstone: The coalition is committed to diverting women away from crime and tackling women's offending. We are taking a number of measures on alternatives to custody. There is a £10 million fund for women-only projects that is run by the voluntary sector and that supports community services. The bail accommodation support scheme means that we can support and mentor women on remand outside so that they do not have to go into the prison system. It is important that we move forward on this issue, because as my hon. Friend says, the knock-on consequences of short sentences for women are totally unacceptable and unproductive.
Lorely Burt (Solihull) (LD):
May I urge my hon. Friend to go a little further on the Corston report, which also recommends that we put women in small local centres to tackle the multiple problems that cause
them to reoffend, so reducing the number of women in prison? The previous Labour Government said lots of warm words about the report, but did nothing. What will this Government do?
Lynne Featherstone: The Government broadly support all the Corston recommendations and have looked very closely at the recommendation to create another special sort of accommodation. However, we are committed to women not going to prison at all. We are looking at approved accommodation in the community where women can have a good balance between surveillance and support. The ambition is not to need the centres recommended in the Corston report, but keeping women out of prison is paramount.
Women and Work Sector Skills Pathway Initiative
4. Karen Lumley (Redditch) (Con): What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the effectiveness of the women and work sector skills pathway initiative. [19946]
The Secretary of State for the Home Department and Minister for Women and Equalities (Mrs Theresa May): That initiative is part of a broad range of action to improve equality in the workplace, an issue on which my hon. Friend the Minister for Equalities and I have had a number of discussions with colleagues in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The forthcoming skills strategy will set out our approach to improving skills for everyone.
Karen Lumley: Will the Minister tell the House what the Government are doing to help women to get jobs in sectors in which they are currently under-represented?
Mrs May: We are taking a number of steps to ensure that we encourage women in areas in which they are not currently as highly represented, such as funding the UK Resource Centre for women in science, engineering and technology. The Government are, of course, committed to an additional 75,000 apprenticeship places by the end of the spending review period, and I am sure that we will do all we can to ensure that women take places in areas where they are not properly represented at the moment.
Gender Pay Gap
5. Harriett Baldwin (West Worcestershire) (Con): What recent estimate the Government Equalities Office has made of the gender pay gap. [19947]
The Secretary of State for the Home Department and Minister for Women and Equalities (Mrs Theresa May): In 2009, the gap between the median hourly earnings of men and women working full time was 12.2%. Including men and women working part time raises this figure to 22%. Those estimates are updated on an annual basis and the Office for National Statistics will provide estimates for 2010 in November. The Government are committed to promoting equal pay and taking a range of measures to end discrimination in the workplace.
Harriett Baldwin: I recently enjoyed watching the film "Made in Dagenham" and it struck me that it is now 40 years since the Equal Pay Act was enacted. Will the Secretary of State update us on what she plans to do to narrow the pay gap between men and women?
Mrs May: I had the opportunity of meeting four of the women who were campaigners in Dagenham, and they are as feisty today as they were 40 years ago. We need to address several issues when considering the gender pay gap. It is appalling that we still have such a gap 40 years later, but it is not simply about a legislative approach. Extending the right to request flexible working to all, introducing flexible parental leave and encouraging a wider range of choices in career options, especially for girls and young women, will all play their part in ending the gender pay gap.
Miss Anne Begg (Aberdeen South) (Lab): I represent an area with the widest gender pay gap, where women earn only two thirds as much as men. I am especially concerned about the effects of the comprehensive spending review, including the number of women who will be made unemployed by the decisions taken and the cuts to housing benefit. What will the Government do about the gender income gap, not just the gender pay gap?
Mrs May: The hon. Lady raises the issue of the comprehensive spending review. Of course, we have had to introduce these measures as a result of decisions taken by the last Labour Government, which she supported, which have left this country in a parlous financial condition and meant that we have had to address this significant deficit. As a Government, we have been looking at equality impact assessments of the decisions in the spending review. It is interesting to note that when the Opposition spokeswoman on these matters was Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the then Labour Government did precisely zero equality impact assessments. They made no proper assessment of the equality impact of their decisions.
Flexible Parental Leave
6. Mr David Ruffley (Bury St Edmunds) (Con): When she plans to begin her proposed consultation on a new system for flexible parental leave. [19948]
7. Stephen Mosley (City of Chester) (Con): When she plans to begin her proposed consultation on a new system for flexible parental leave. [19949]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Maria Miller): The Government are committed to encouraging shared parenting and making the workplace more family friendly. We will launch a consultation in due course on the design of a new system of flexible shared parental leave.
Mr Ruffley: There is a Brussels-inspired proposal to hike maternity pay to full pay for the first 20 weeks at a cost of £2.5 billion, according to the British Chambers of Commerce, which would be unaffordable for the British taxpayer and for small and medium-sized businesses. Given that we already have one of the best maternity rights regimes in Europe, will the Secretary of State tell Brussels where to get off and begin to repatriate employment and social legislation back to this place?
Maria Miller: I share my hon. Friend's disappointment at the outcome of the first reading vote in the European Parliament. The measures that have been put forward are highly regressive and we do not support them. They would cost the UK at least £2.4 billion a year.
Stephen Mosley: It is desirable for fathers to be able to play a much larger role in the lives of their young children. However, the Government also need to take into account and support very small businesses, which may face pressures on their work force if key personnel have flexible time off. What discussions has the Minister had with the business community on the implementation of flexible parental leave?
Maria Miller: As my hon. Friend may be aware, one in seven working people now has a caring responsibility and the issue of balancing work and family life is of growing importance. The Government are committed to a strong culture of regulatory restraint so, in looking at the introduction of shared parental leave, we will consult fully with businesses, small, medium and large.
Business of the House
11.34 am
Hilary Benn (Leeds Central) (Lab): Will the Leader of the House give us the business for next week?
The Leader of the House of Commons (Sir George Young): The business for the week commencing 1 November will be as follows:
Monday 1 November-Remaining stages of the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill (Day 1). In addition, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister plans to make a statement on the European Council.
Tuesday 2 November-Remaining stages of the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill (Day 2).
Wednesday 3 November-General debate on the report of the Bloody Sunday inquiry.
Thursday 4 November-General debate on the strategic defence and security review.
The provisional business for the week commencing 8 November will include:
Monday 8 November-Remaining stages of the Finance (No.2) Bill.
Tuesday 9 November-Opposition Day [5th Allotted Day]. There will be a debate on an Opposition motion. The subject is to be announced.
Wednesday 10 November-Consideration in Committee and remaining stages of the Equitable Life (Payments) Bill, followed by motion to approve a European document relating to economic policy co-ordination.
Thursday 11 November-General debate on policy on growth. The subject for this debate was nominated by the Backbench Business Committee.
Friday 12 November-Private Members' Bills.
Hilary Benn: I thank the Leader of the House for his statement. Further to last week's exchange about the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill, and his letter to my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff West (Kevin Brennan), the Government have published in draft a series of statutory instruments for Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. The one for Scotland is 205 pages long, and runs to 97 clauses and nine schedules, but Members will have no opportunity to debate or decide on the statutory instruments before the Report stage of the Bill begins next Monday.
The Government have just tabled 28 pages of amendments for Monday, some of which refer to the orders we have not yet had the chance to discuss, so, for the third time, may I ask the Leader of the House to explain to the House how this treatment of Members squares with what the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office, the hon. Member for Forest of Dean (Mr Harper), who is in charge of the Bill, said would happen? He gave us an assurance that
"on matters to do with elections this House should get to pronounce before the Bill goes to the other place...we will seek to achieve that."-[ Official Report, 18 October 2010; Vol. 516, c. 653.]
The Leader of the House has not achieved that, and the questions are: why and what will he do about it?
I turn to another matter on which there is considerable concern on both sides of the House. May we have a debate on the confusion surrounding the proposed changes to housing benefit? Yesterday, the Prime Minister could not explain why it is fair that someone who has been looking for a job for 12 months, but has not been able to find one, despite their best efforts, will have their housing benefit cut by 10%. Nor could he offer any advice to families who will be affected by this change and by the housing benefit cap. Instead, he simply said that the Government are not for turning.
Meanwhile, also yesterday, the Work and Pensions Secretary was said to be listening to MPs' concerns. Well, there are plenty of concerns on the Government Benches and in City Hall. The hon. Member for Bermondsey and Old Southwark (Simon Hughes) has called the plan for a cap harsh. The hon. Member for Cities of London and Westminster (Mr Field) said that the proposals have ignored some of the huge logistical problems, and the Mayor of London has described them as draconian. Then, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government-the third of yesterday's men, and the person who is actually responsible for housing-told listeners of the "World at One" that they did not need to worry because
"these new reforms don't come in until 2013".
In fact, the housing benefit cap will come into operation next April.
We have a Prime Minister who cannot justify the policy, a Communities and Local Government Secretary who does not understand the policy, and a Work and Pensions Secretary signalling that he might change the policy. In truth, the word "shambles" does not do justice to this mess, but it does make a compelling case for a debate, so may we have one?
As the Leader of the House has just announced, the Backbench Business Committee has chosen a debate on economic growth for 11 November. Will he persuade the Prime Minister to take part, so that he can try to explain how the loss of nearly 500,000 public sector jobs will help the economy to grow; how depriving universities of most of their funding for undergraduate teaching will enable the economy to compete; and how the absence of any central Government support for the new local enterprise partnerships will help them to make use of the regional growth fund? Is it any wonder that Richard Lambert of the CBI said this week:
"The Local Enterprise Partnerships have got off to a ropey start. So far, it has been a bit of a shambles".
All in all, it has been a shambolic week for the Government.
Mercifully-and finally-there is one bright spot. Tomorrow, the House will for the second time extend a very warm welcome to the UK Youth Parliament, which will be debating in this Chamber. We have offered an annual invitation up until the next general election, but does the Leader of the House agree that the House should now make this a permanent fixture in the parliamentary calendar, so that every year henceforth we can celebrate the contribution that young parliamentarians make to the life of this country?
Sir George Young:
I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for his questions. On the first issue, the undertaking given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary has been honoured. On the territorial orders,
the statutory instruments updating the rules for elections to the Scottish Parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly and the National Assembly for Wales were tabled on 25 October. The orders were necessary to update the rules for elections, and they will be debated in the forthcoming weeks. The amendments to which the right hon. Gentleman refers were tabled as we said they would be, and they are required to deal with any consequential changes needed to reflect the new orders in time for debate. Everything we have done on the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill has been to ensure that the House of Commons has the opportunity to debate the referendum rules, and that is what the Bill is about. We tabled the combination amendment a week before it was due to be debated in Committee and we laid the territorial orders in time to ensure that relevant amendments to the combination provisions could be covered on Report.
On housing benefit, we are trying to do what the right hon. Gentleman's former Cabinet colleague, James Purnell. was also trying to do. This is what he said:
"The next issue to consider is housing benefit...so that people on benefits do not end up getting subsidies for rents that those who work could never afford."-[ Official Report, 10 December 2008; Vol. 485, c. 546.]
That is the thrust of our reforms to housing benefit. People who receive housing benefits should have the same choice on housing as people who are not in receipt of housing benefits. That is what is behind the reforms that we are proposing.
On the specific issues that the right hon. Gentleman raises, the housing benefit bill has almost doubled in 10 years, and is now some £20 billion. The caps to which he refers save some £55 million in the first year. That needs to be put in perspective. Of the 700,000 families in London who receive housing benefit, only 2.5% will potentially be affected by the cap.
The right hon. Gentleman will have heard my right hon. Friend the Housing Minister refer on the "Today" programme to £140 million of discretionary payments, available to those in receipt of housing benefit, at the hands of local authorities who need help to cope with the transition to a new regime. Against the background of the need to save public expenditure, the proposals we have introduced-some of which do not come into effect until 2013-are justified.
The right hon. Gentleman asks for a debate on housing benefit. There is a debate in Westminster Hall on the impact of the comprehensive spending review on the Department for Work and Pensions. The Select Committee on Work and Pensions is holding an inquiry into housing benefit, and Lord Freud will give evidence next Tuesday. I have announced an Opposition day the week after next, and it is perfectly open to the right hon. Gentleman to choose housing benefit as a subject in that debate. Indeed, it may come up in the main debate today.
The Office for Budget Responsibility says that unemployment will fall next year and every year after that. Employment is forecast to increase by about 1.4 million over the next five years.
I welcome the arrival of the members of the Youth Parliament in this Chamber tomorrow, and you will welcome them formally, Mr Speaker. I have no objection
at all to the Youth Parliament becoming an annual event, but that will require the approval of the House of Commons.
Mr Speaker: Order. Many right hon. and hon. Members are seeking to catch my eye. We have important business to follow, including heavily subscribed business, so brevity from Back Benchers and Front Benchers alike is essential.
Pauline Latham (Mid Derbyshire) (Con): The Leader of the House may be aware that two large businesses in my constituency are closing or making people redundant. I wrote to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills some time ago, and he promised he would try to fit in a visit to my constituency. Could the Leader of the House give me any advice on how I can impress upon the Secretary of State the urgency of such a visit?
Sir George Young: I understand my hon. Friend's concern about the loss of jobs in her constituency. She will know that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills will shortly make a statement. If she stays in her place, she may have an opportunity to put her question directly to him.
Mr Nick Raynsford (Greenwich and Woolwich) (Lab): On 20 October, the Prime Minister, responding to my question, said that
"house building was lower in every year of the last Government than it was under the previous Conservative Government."-[ Official Report, 20 October 2010; Vol. 516, c. 946.]
That is simply not true. After checking with the Library, I wrote to the Prime Minister on 21 October, providing detailed statistical evidence to demonstrate the error, inviting him to put the record straight. The Leader of the House will be aware that the ministerial code of conduct, the most recent version of which was issued in May this year by the Prime Minister, says that
"it is of paramount importance that Ministers give accurate and truthful information to Parliament, correcting any inadvertent error at the earliest opportunity".
I regret to tell the House that the Prime Minister has failed to correct the error to date and, indeed, despite a reminder, has not even responded to my letter. Will the Leader of the House draw the Prime Minister's attention to this matter and remind him of his obligation to abide by the terms of his own code of conduct?
Sir George Young: I will pass the right hon. Gentleman's comments to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister. I am sure he will get a response to his letter, but I have to say that the last Government's housing record was appalling. House building is at its lowest peacetime level since 1924; waiting lists for social housing have almost doubled; and the average number of affordable housing units built or purchased slumped by more than a third under Labour, compared with under the last Conservative Government.
Duncan Hames (Chippenham) (LD):
I am grateful to the Leader of the House for advance notice of Monday's ministerial statement on the European Council. Although such ministerial statements are welcome, they have a disruptive effect on the agenda for the day's business, so could we be given greater notice of such statements,
including in the "Future Business" section of the Order Paper? That would help to give Members a little bit more time to prepare to participate in the debates.
Sir George Young: I understand the hon. Gentleman's point. When we know statements are happening, we are giving advance notice of them more frequently than has been the case in the past. Inevitably, statements will do some injury to the remaining business of the day, but wherever possible we have given advance notice of ministerial statements to the House, as we have today.
Natascha Engel (North East Derbyshire) (Lab): I welcome the Leader of the House's statement that he supports the annual sitting of the UK Youth Parliament in this Chamber as a permanent fixture, but will he have a look at ensuring that whatever subject the UK Youth Parliament decides at its annual sitting to prioritise for its campaigns finds some traction in this Parliament as well? I am thinking of the issue of votes at 16 last year, which was never debated in this Chamber. Will the right hon. Gentleman look at finding time to debate in this Chamber whatever the Youth Parliament chooses as its campaign priority tomorrow?
Sir George Young: With the greatest respect to the hon. Lady, the solution lies, as she knows, in her own hands, as she is the Chairman of the Backbench Business Committee, which can find time for such topical debates. I very much enjoyed attending her salon on Monday-an interesting new procedure, opening up the House's agenda to all hon. Members. I also welcome her presence tomorrow, when she will conclude the debate and my hon. Friend the Deputy Leader of the House will represent the Government. I am sure that the event will be an astounding success.
Mr Edward Timpson (Crewe and Nantwich) (Con): Today, as on every other day, thousands of severely disabled people and their carers will suffer the unenviable choice of deciding whether to go out in the hope that there will be sufficient toilet facilities to ensure that they can keep their dignity or to stay at home-a choice that they should not face. May we have a debate to discuss how we can do more to ensure that those who want to go out can go out, however disabled they are?
Sir George Young: I am grateful to my hon. Friend. I am aware of the changing places programme, which has been successful in getting more toilet facilities for severely disabled people built in town centres, including, recently, in Crewe. I suggest that my hon. Friend seek an Adjournment debate so that this campaign can receive wider traction.
Joan Walley (Stoke-on-Trent North) (Lab): On 7 July, the Secretary of State for Education told me that
"Stoke-on-Trent, as a local authority that has reached financial close, will see all the schools under Building Schools for the Future rebuilt or refurbished."-[ Official Report, 7 July 2010; Vol. 513, c. 490.]
Given the points of order in the House last Monday, and the media speculation that Building Schools for the Future might be affected by the pupil premium, will the Leader of the House arrange for an urgent debate on
the funding for BSF, so that people in constituencies all across the country, including Stoke-on-Trent, can have some certainty about the multi-million pound programme for schools investment on which they are now negotiating?
Sir George Young: The pupil premium is not being funded out of the schools programme. It is being funded from elsewhere in the Department's budget and from savings in other parts of Whitehall. There is £15 billion- worth of investment going into new schools' capital. On the specific issue of Stoke, I will ask the Secretary of State for Education to write to the hon. Lady.
Richard Fuller (Bedford) (Con): My right hon. Friend might be aware of the recent announcement by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts on establishing the big society finance fund, which will stimulate new ways in which social enterprises can raise capital to support their initiatives in local communities. With local councils up and down the country now facing cuts in much-needed and much-valued local services, will my right hon. Friend consider holding a debate on how we can increase capital and funding for social enterprises?
Sir George Young: I agree with my hon. Friend on the importance of social enterprises having access to funding in order to take forward their initiatives. He will know, for example, of a new initiative on the prisoner discharge programme, which I hope will yield results. I entirely support his attempts to have a debate, either in Westminster Hall or through the Backbench Business Committee or in an Adjournment debate. The big society very much encourages the sort of social enterprises to which he refers.
Sir Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton) (Lab): Has the right hon. Gentleman seen early-day motion 910?
[That this House expresses deep concern about the failure of Adactus Housing Association of Manchester to reply to repeated correspondence, dating back to early July 2010, from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to a constituency case; and reminds Adactus that those seeking to defend social housing at this present crucial time are handicapped if social housing associations fail in their duty of accountability.]
It refers to the failure, after four months, of the Adactus housing association in Manchester to reply to me about the concerns of a constituent of mine. Will he ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to clarify what remedy is available to tenants of social housing, so that they can get the accountability to which they have a right?
Sir George Young: I apologise for any discourtesy to the right hon. Gentleman on behalf of the housing association. He is entitled to a reply on behalf of his constituent, and I will raise this matter with the Secretary of State. I think I am right in saying that there is an ombudsman who can deal with complaints from social housing tenants.
Mr Bernard Jenkin (Harwich and North Essex) (Con):
May I congratulate my right hon. Friend on publishing a very useful card showing the dates of the sitting days
of this Parliament, as well as the recess dates, for many months ahead? I congratulate him on this tremendous innovation. It gives me great satisfaction that this has been introduced not by some manic young moderniser but by a true Conservative who was educated at Eton and Oxford.
Mr Speaker: Order. That question was extremely amusing, but it suffered from the disadvantage of having made no request whatever for a statement or a debate. There will therefore be no reply to it.
Mrs Madeleine Moon (Bridgend) (Lab): As we are approaching Halloween, may I please ask the Leader of the House to send out a plea on behalf of women such as Sally Joseph, one of my constituents and a member of the Women's Food and Farming Union, about the use of Chinese lanterns? These lanterns are marketed as being eco-friendly and biodegradable, but they contain wire frames and bamboo, which can be dangerous to livestock if they land on farmland. Can we please urgently ask our constituents not to use them?
Mr Speaker: Order. The hon. Lady should ask for a debate or a statement.
Sir George Young: I support the hon. Lady's request for a debate or a statement on Chinese lanterns, which I know from farmers in my own constituency can do real damage to livestock. I also understand that alternative components can be used in these lanterns and I will raise with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs the question of whether they could be promoted as an alternative to the ones that cause the damage.
Greg Mulholland (Leeds North West) (LD): From this Saturday, 30 October, to the following Saturday, 6 November, it will be British pub week. This will be a great opportunity to celebrate the British pub, and I urge all hon. Members to join the all-party save the pub group and to visit a pub in their constituency. I include you in that invitation, Mr. Speaker. From memory, I think I still owe you a pint. May I ask the Leader of the House whether we can have a debate on the future of the pub, and a statement from the Government on when they are going to establish a cross-departmental strategy on the future of this important cultural and social institution?
Sir George Young: I commend my hon. Friend for his campaign for the British pub, which has been sustained over many years. I remember attending a meeting, which I think he had convened, during the last Parliament, at which there was an enormous number of Cabinet Ministers, demonstrating the importance of this subject. I am sure that Members need no encouragement to go to their local pub and celebrate British pub week in a traditional way. I will certainly pass on to appropriate colleagues his suggestion for a cross-departmental working party to ensure that this important British institution can flourish.
Stewart Hosie (Dundee East) (SNP): May we have an urgent statement on the decision to increase the interest rate on loans from the Public Works Loan Board by 1%? This will cost public bodies such as local authorities an extra £1.3 billion over the next four years and has the potential to do a huge amount of damage to financial planning, capital investment and jobs. May we have a statement from a Treasury Minister on that specific matter?
Sir George Young: I understand the hon. Gentleman's concern, but we must also consider the other side of the balance sheet-the revenue that comes in. We are shortly to debate the comprehensive spending review. I do not know whether he was planning to intervene, but I imagine that it would be appropriate to raise that matter in the debate and to press the Minister for an answer.
Robert Halfon (Harlow) (Con): In my early-day motion 914, I note Lord Mandelson's recent conversion to becoming a strong supporter of the big society.
[That this House welcomes Lord Mandelson's recent conversion to being a supporter of the Big Society, widely reported in the national press; further welcomes his comments that the Government's welfare and education reforms are 'moving in the right direction'; is glad that Lord Mandelson has wholly rejected his earlier position of April 2010, when he said that the Big Society was 'neither practical nor realistic'; congratulates him on his statement of October 2010 that 'we will have to find more of our solutions from within the communities that make our society'; and therefore calls on the Government to thank Lord Mandelson for his support, and to welcome him into the Big Society tent.]
Does the Leader of the House not agree that it is now more urgent than ever to have a debate on the big society so that we can welcome more Opposition Members to the big society big tent?
Sir George Young: I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that question, and I have early-day motion 914 here in front of me. It is probably the only EDM with Lord Mandelson in its title. We welcome converts to the big society, and I welcome what my hon. Friend has been doing in that regard. If he can persuade more former Members of the House to subscribe to the big society, no one would be happier than me.
Bridget Phillipson (Houghton and Sunderland South) (Lab): May I press the Leader of the House again on the urgent need for a debate on the Government's plans for housing benefit? The Government simply do not appear to appreciate the misery, the poverty and the homelessness that the cuts will cause, not only to those who are seeking work but, because housing benefit is also an in-work benefit, to hard-working, low-income families and pensioners.
Sir George Young: Next Thursday, there will be a debate in Westminster Hall on the impact of the comprehensive spending review on the Department for Work and Pensions. That would be an entirely appropriate forum for the hon. Lady to share her concerns about the impact of the changes, and to get an adequate response from the Minister who will reply to the debate.
Andrew Stephenson (Pendle) (Con): On Friday, I met John Bottomley, managing director of JKB Shopfitting in Nelson. Like a number of other manufacturing firms in Pendle, the firm is currently doing so well that it has outgrown its premises. Sadly, however, the local council and the chamber of commerce tell me that there are no grants available to help the firm to relocate within the borough; nor were there any such grants under the previous Government. As I know of several other firms in the area that are constrained by their old premises, may we have an urgent debate on what more the Government could do to help Pendle businesses to expand?
Sir George Young: My hon. Friend will have heard me announce a debate on the subject of growth, as the choice of the Backbench Business Committee, in the next fortnight, which will provide him with an opportunity to discuss this matter. The Government want to ensure that the financial sector can supply affordable credit to businesses such as the one he describes, and we would like to see more diverse sources of finance for small and medium-sized enterprises, including, where appropriate, access to equity finance.
Mr Wayne David (Caerphilly) (Lab): The Prime Minister misled the House yesterday-[Hon. Members: "Oh!"]
Mr David: I am sure that it was inadvertent, as we all know. He said that Labour MEPs had voted in favour of an increase in the EU budget, but that is not the case. They voted against the increase. When the Prime Minister makes his statement to the House on Monday, perhaps he could correct the inadvertent mistake that he made.
Sir George Young: I refer the hon. Gentleman and the House to amendment 12 of the vote of 20 October, which clearly states the need to take into account the fiscal restraint being shown by member states, and calls for a freeze in the annual budget at 2010 levels. Conservatives and Liberal Democrats voted in favour; Labour voted against.
Julian Smith (Skipton and Ripon) (Con): May we have a debate on the possibility of a freeze on new employment law for 2011 and the inclusion of that idea in the Government's forthcoming growth White Paper, which would enable British business to focus solely on job creation, wealth and growth in 2011?
Sir George Young: I entirely agree with my hon. Friend. He will know of our policy of what we call "one in, one out". In other words, if a new regulation is introduced, an existing one must go. I hope that that and other initiatives will reduce the amount of bureaucracy and red tape that small and medium-sized enterprises have to cope with.
Caroline Lucas (Brighton, Pavilion) (Green): Given the importance of woods and forests to biodiversity, tackling climate change and our quality of life, will the Leader of the House arrange an urgent debate on the Government's shocking plans to sell off to private developers part of the Forestry Commission estate which includes some of our most ancient woodlands?
Sir George Young: The hon. Lady will have an opportunity to raise that with appropriate Ministers on 4 November. I should point out, however, that the Forestry Commission has been buying and selling woodland for some time. I do not think that the concept of more of it being in the private sector is entirely new.
John Hemming (Birmingham, Yardley) (LD): The Leader of the House is aware of my concern about the cases of two of my constituents, Noreen Akhtar-whom I call the secret prisoner-and Andrew France, who have been bullied and threatened in an attempt to stop them talking to me. Having discussed the matter with colleagues, I find that the problem is more widespread than I initially thought. Would the Leader of the House consider arranging a statement or a debate on the issue, so that we can canvass and discover how widespread such instances are?
Sir George Young: I think that my hon. Friend is seeking to draw me into areas related to privilege which are very much above my pay grade, but you, Mr Speaker, will have heard what he has suggested. I have written to him in the last day or so, suggesting other ways in which he might pursue his concerns.
Kate Green (Stretford and Urmston) (Lab): A response from the Government to a consultation on the use of body image scanners at airports is overdue. Will the Leader of the House urge his colleague the Secretary of State for Transport to publish a response as soon as possible, so that concerns about the appropriate balance between the protection of privacy and dignity on one hand and security on the other can be addressed?
Sir George Young: I understand the hon. Lady's point. At its heart is the balance between security and dignity to which she has referred. Transport questions took place earlier today, so the opportunity may not occur again for three or four weeks, but in the meantime I will write to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport and see whether he can shed some light on when the outcome of the consultation will be known.
Tony Baldry (Banbury) (Con): May we have a debate on the timetabling of Bills? In the present Parliament, should it not be much more transparent? If the Government and the Opposition, through the usual channels, agree on periods for timetabling, should that not appear on the Order Paper as a matter of public record?
I am sure that the Government and the Opposition agreed on the amount of time to be allotted to the Committee and Report stages of the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill, but the Opposition have spent more time drifting through the Division Lobbies than diligently debating the detail of the Bill on the Floor of the House, and have then complained-
Mr Speaker: Order. I am sure that what the hon. Gentleman is saying is learned, but I am afraid it is a disquisition. What I want is a one-sentence question to the Leader of the House.
Tony Baldry: My one-sentence question occurred at the beginning of my disquisition, Mr Speaker, and I am sure that the Leader of the House got the drift of it.
Sir George Young: My hon. Friend has raised an issue that is important to the House as a whole. In the 1997 Parliament, when I was shadow Leader of the House, occupying the position now occupied by the right hon. Member for Leeds Central (Hilary Benn), I put my name to timetable motions when we, as an Opposition, were satisfied they provided a sensible way of dealing with a Bill. That got rid of some of the problems identified by my hon. Friend. I hope that, given a new and, I am sure, reforming shadow Leader of the House, we can have sensible discussions about whether we can achieve consensus in relation to at least some Bills, so that we can make the best possible use of the time that is available for the House to deal with important Bills.
Chris Bryant (Rhondda) (Lab): The Leader of the House is a tall man, but we should all look up to him even more if he were not to resort to sharp practice to get the Bill through next week. As was pointed out by my right hon. Friend the Member for Leeds Central (Hilary Benn), the Government have tabled 28 pages of amendments for debate on Monday, not a single one of which was called for during earlier debates on the Bill or by any Back Bencher. Many of those amendments refer directly to the Scottish Parliament (Elections etc.) Order 2010, which will not have been debated by Monday. Does that not constitute gross presumption of what the House may choose to do in the future, and does it not put the cart before the horse?
Sir George Young: The hon. Gentleman said that I was a tall man; I say to the hon. Gentleman that he is, at times, a verbose man.
We have provided five days for the Committee stage of the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill, and two days for Report. I consider that to be a generous provision, and much of that time so far has been spent by the hon. Gentleman speaking at length from the Dispatch Box. [Interruption.] Moreover, some of the time was not used last week when the House rose early. The House has been given adequate notice of the issues on the Order Paper, and we shall have ample time next Monday and Tuesday to deal with the amendments that have been tabled. [Interruption.]
Mr Speaker: Order. The hon. Member for Rhondda (Chris Bryant) gives every indication that he is auditioning to become a football commentator, ensuring that we have the benefit of his narrative on every aspect of the proceedings. It is richly enjoyable, but not altogether necessary.
Mr Peter Bone (Wellingborough) (Con): May I ask my mature, non-manic, well-educated right hon. Friend whether we can have a debate on the House of Commons calendar covering business until 2012? Although it is very useful, it seems to have omitted from the shaded areas the additional days that the Government have promised for private Members' Bills.
Sir George Young: My hon. Friend is right. It does appear from the calendar that the House will not be sitting on any Friday after, I believe, June. He should, however, note the small print at the bottom of the calendar, which states:
"Please note that all dates are provisional".
It is indeed the case that the House will sit on some Fridays beyond June 2011, and the calendar may well be updated at a later date to include extra Fridays. However, they will be within what I might call the "brown envelope" that appears on the calendar. We will not suggest that the House should sit on Fridays in the middle of recesses.
Pat Glass (North West Durham) (Lab): There is now plenty of evidence that children who come from homes in poverty fall behind their peers from the age of 22 months, and a huge body of evidence suggesting that early intervention is incredibly important to vulnerable children and children with special needs. May we have an urgent debate on the issue, given that it is now becoming clear that the pupil premium will not be paid to children under five?
Sir George Young: I am not sure that that is entirely the case. I hope that the hon. Lady will welcome the introduction of the pupil premium, which was designed precisely to target the problem that she has identified: the underachievement of children from poor households. I am sure that the next instalment of questions to the Secretary of State for Education will provide an opportunity for her to raise it, and I will seek to clarify the issue of the extension of the pupil premium to those below the age of five.
Philip Davies (Shipley) (Con): In the light of the comment by the Lord Chief Justice that far too many violent and persistent offenders are getting away with a caution, may we have a statement from the Secretary of State for Justice-as a matter of some urgency-so that we can discover what the Government are doing to address those legitimate concerns, and ensure that those who should be sent to court and to prison are sent to court and to prison rather than getting away with a caution?
Sir George Young: As my hon. Friend will know, my right hon. Friend the Lord Chancellor is planning to issue a White Paper, or possibly a Green Paper, on sentencing policy. I hope that that will provide a framework for the debate on which my hon. Friend has just launched himself.
Mr Andy Slaughter (Hammersmith) (Lab): The cumulative effect of the Government's housing policies on security of tenure, near-market rents and capital expenditure, as well as housing benefit, is the greatest threat to social cohesion for a generation. I would not go as far as the Mayor of London and describe this as Kosovo-style social cleansing for fear of upsetting the Deputy Prime Minister, but may we have a debate-in the Chamber, not in Westminster Hall-on social cleansing and gerrymandering in our inner cities?
Sir George Young: It is important to use careful language in the debate about housing benefit, and the use of phrases and words such as "social cleansing" or "Kosovo" in that regard is not appropriate.
I do not think that it is going to happen. The hon. Gentleman will know that, in many parts of the country, private sector rents are set to hit the cap. It follows that, in many parts of the country, when the cap comes
down, so will the rents. There are discretionary grants, to which I have referred, to help families in his constituency who have difficulty with the social reform. Despite what he says about Westminster Hall, it is an appropriate forum in which to debate these issues. The Opposition have an Opposition day in a fortnight's time and they are entitled to debate housing benefits, if that is their priority.
Kevin Brennan (Cardiff West) (Lab): May we have a debate on teaching George Orwell in our schools and particularly his essay "Politics and the English language", so that pupils might be able to understand the double-speak of a Government who describe what is a real cut in school spending per pupil as a pupil premium?
Sir George Young: If the hon. Gentleman looks at the comprehensive spending review, he will see that there is a flat-cash settlement in terms of pupils, on top of which there is a pupil premium; that is in addition. He should look at what other Departments have had to do and at the plans that his own party had. Had it won the election, he would have found there were real cuts in that budget.
Mr Clive Betts (Sheffield South East) (Lab): May I reinforce the calls for a debate on the housing benefit changes? This is a Government proposal and we should have a debate in this Chamber in Government time for the reasons given. What about a couple in their 50s living in a three-bedroom council property, the family home, which their children have now left? In future, because that couple will be deemed to be under-occupying that property, if they lose their job or go into short-time working, the rent will not be covered by housing benefit. They face the prospect of becoming homeless and will not be covered by the homelessness legislation. The proposal is unfair and unacceptable. We need a debate on it in this Chamber in Government time.
Sir George Young: As I said in response to the right hon. Member for Leeds Central, our policies are seeking to achieve the objectives of Mr Purnell, a former colleague of his, in ensuring that those who are on housing benefit are confronted with the same choices on housing as those who are not in receipt of that benefit. There will be an opportunity to debate the housing changes. Some of them need primary legislation and some need secondary legislation, so the Government will provide time to debate them as the opportunity presents itself.
Valerie Vaz (Walsall South) (Lab): One of my constituents, Andy Brown, has been offered the seasonal flu vaccine but only in combination with the swine flu vaccine. The swine flu vaccine is causing Guillain-Barré syndrome. Can the Leader of the House make urgent representations to the Secretary of State for Health to instruct GPs to offer patients the choice of a separate vaccine?
Sir George Young: I will share the hon. Lady's concerns with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and perhaps ask him to write to her before he takes the rather dramatic action that she has proposed of writing to every GP.
Graham Jones (Hyndburn) (Lab): Will the Leader of the House ask the Secretary of State to make a statement on the Export Credits Guarantee Department strategy on supporting British exports? I have two companies in my constituency trying to export high-value products to Russia-Emerson and Renwick and Grahame and Brown. German Government grants are undercutting the loan value and it is impossible for us to export in those conditions so we do not have a level playing field. I hope that the Secretary of State can give a statement on the issue.
Sir George Young: I am entirely in favour of firms in the hon. Gentleman's constituency winning export orders and providing jobs in his constituency. I will raise with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills the issue of there perhaps being an unlevel playing field and ask him to write to the hon. Gentleman.
Mrs Sharon Hodgson (Washington and Sunderland West) (Lab): May we have a debate on the disproportionate, negative effect that the Government's policies are having on the lives of women and children, particularly the most vulnerable women and children? Can the Leader of the House explain how those policies are fair without blaming the previous Labour Government, because after all these are his Government's choices?
Sir George Young: We have just had questions to my right hon. Friend the Minister for Women and Equalities. I am not sure whether the hon. Lady was in the Chamber, but she would have had an opportunity to raise those issues with my right hon. Friend an hour ago.
Albert Owen (Ynys Môn) (Lab): May we have an urgent debate on port infrastructure and the link to offshore wind development? This week the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department of Energy and Climate Change both announced that the £60 million set-aside for UK ports would go to England only, with the Barnett consequential going to Wales. That is a reserved matter for this Parliament. Surely Welsh and Scottish ports should have a level playing field in applying for that subsidy.
Sir George Young: Of course I understand the hon. Gentleman's concern and I will raise with the appropriate Minister the distribution of grants for assistance to ports within the UK.
Luciana Berger (Liverpool, Wavertree) (Lab/Co-op): A review of dangerous dogs legislation was initiated in March under the previous Government. The review concluded in June and, despite repeated requests from me and others at Business questions and in writing, the Government, four months later, have still to respond. Will the Leader of the House please urge the Secretary of State to update the House on the review of that legislation before, like John Paul Massey, who tragically died in my constituency last December, another child is savaged by a dangerous dog?
Sir George Young: The short answer is yes and I very much regret the incident that the hon. Lady has referred to. There are questions to the Home Office on 1 November, when she may have an opportunity to raise the matter.
Bill Esterson (Sefton Central) (Lab): Will the Leader of the House ensure that Ministers give adequate notice of visits to Members' constituencies? On Tuesday evening, I received an e-mail notifying me of a visit by the roads Minister, the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mike Penning), on Wednesday morning, which gave me inadequate time to be there myself. Sefton council was notified of the visit on Monday morning, two days earlier. Will the Leader of the House investigate why the local authority was given notice 36 hours before I was?
Sir George Young: It is important that Ministers notify Members when they are visiting Members' constituents and give them adequate notice. I will of course raise with my hon. Friend the Minister the incident that the hon. Gentleman has referred to and ask him to write to him.
Mr Speaker: I am grateful to colleagues for their co-operation.
Local Growth White Paper
12.16 pm
The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (Vince Cable): This Government's economic ambition is to build a more balanced economy, driven by private sector growth. Today I am announcing the publication of the Government's local growth White Paper, which sets out what that means for locally driven growth, job creation and the Government's role in supporting that.
The previous Government's policy sought to close the gap between the greater south-east and the rest of England through centrally led, unaccountable development agencies whose boundaries often bore no relation to the real economic geography. Ten years, and £19 billion later, the economy is still as regionally unbalanced as before, if not more so.
It is clear that that policy failed. Our new approach to sub-national growth therefore focuses on three key themes. The first is shifting power to local communities and businesses. Local communities and businesses are in the best position to understand the opportunities and needs of their own economies. Therefore, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and I have asked business and civic leaders to come together with other partners, such as universities and the social and voluntary sectors, to form local enterprise partnerships which reflect natural economic areas.
We received 62 proposals and I am pleased to say that today we are asking 24 partnerships to progress and set up their boards. The list of those partnerships is in annex A of the White Paper, which will be laid in the House today. Together, those 24 partnerships represent more than 60% of the economy of England outside London and cover almost all our major cities. Many of the remaining proposals are well developed and we will welcome further proposals when they are ready. We are undertaking separate discussions with the Mayor and London boroughs on local enterprise partnerships in London.
The White Paper sets out a diverse range of roles which LEPs could take on, such as working with Government to set out key investment priorities, including transport infrastructure and supporting or co-ordinating project delivery; co-ordinating proposals or bidding directly for the regional growth fund; supporting high-growth business, for example through bringing together and supporting consortiums to run new growth hubs; and making representations on the development of national planning policy and ensuring that business is involved in the development and consideration of strategic planning applications.
We will reinforce that at national level by transforming the national Business Link website and establishing a national contact centre. We will provide support to businesses with high growth potential through a network of growth hubs and bring together venture capital and loan funds at the national level. We will support key industry sectors and innovation at national level, including through a network of technology and innovation centres.
UK Trade & Investment will have responsibility for promoting the UK overseas and helping exporters. LEPs will want to help investors to find sites and provide other support such as planning, infrastructure and support for skills.
We are committed to an orderly transition from the regional development agencies to the new delivery arrangements, and we will aim to ensure that all staff are treated fairly. RDA assets and liabilities will be transferred to other bodies through a clear and transparent process that is aimed at ensuring the best possible outcomes for regions and is consistent with achieving value for the public purse. Assets will be transferred with associated liabilities wherever possible. We expect the RDAs to manage down existing financial commitments within the funding envelope agreed in the spending review.
The second key theme is focused intervention. Today we are launching the regional growth fund, which will achieve strong growth and create sustainable private sector jobs. The first bidding round is now open to bids from private bodies and public private partnerships, and first-round bids will be submitted by 21 January 2011.
Some £1.4 billion is being made available over the next three years to encourage private sector investment across England by providing support for projects with significant potential for private sector-led economic growth and sustainable employment. Support will be provided in particular for bids from those English communities that currently are dependent on the public sector to help them to make the transition to sustainable, private sector-led growth. The advisory panel, chaired by Lord Heseltine, will provide an independent strategic view to Ministers on how the fund should be deployed to achieve its objectives. As with all major business investments undertaken under industrial development legislation, interventions will be subject to advice from the Industrial Development Advisory Board. That will ensure the highest possible level of commercial challenge through the process. Final decisions will be made jointly by a ministerial group under the chairmanship of the Deputy Prime Minister. The White Paper sets all this out in detail.
Thirdly, there has to be confidence to invest. An efficient and effective planning system is crucial in enabling growth. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government will soon bring forward policy and legislation to deliver that. In them, the Government will introduce a new duty to co-operate on local authorities, statutory undertakers and infrastructure providers, to ensure that the right people and groups share information and work together to make the best possible decisions for their area.
We will reform the planning system so that it is driven by communities and introduce a presumption in favour of sustainable economic development. We will fundamentally reform and simplify planning policy and guidance, presenting to Parliament a simple national planning framework that will cover all forms of development. This framework will establish economic growth as a Government priority for planning, and will lift many of the complex bureaucratic burdens that have slowed down decision making. The review of framework will be carried out in parallel with the localism Bill.
The Government are also committed to introduce a framework of effective incentives through the local government finance system to help to drive economic and housing growth at the local level. The Government's new homes bonus will be the cornerstone of the new
framework for incentivising growth in housing supply, creating a simple, transparent and permanent incentive that will be more effective than the failed top-down regional targets.
We have also looked at the incentives for business growth and decided that more can be done to give a strong and predictable incentive. We have considered ways of enabling councils to retain locally raised business rates. That means many local councils will be set free from dependency on central funding and it will represent a radical departure from the way in which the existing local government finance system operates. In considering this option, the Government are clear that businesses should not be subject to locally imposed increases in the burden of taxation that they do not support. We have already made it clear that businesses would have the right to hold a binding vote on any local authority proposals to introduce a local supplement on business rates. That is a principle to which we remain firmly committed. Equally, we will ensure that all councils have adequate resources to meet the needs of their local community. Rewarding growth is also about fairness in the local government finance system. Local business rate retention will be considered within the local government resource review, which the Government intend to launch in January after a period of consultation on the proposals in the White Paper.
To support renewable energy, we will be introducing a renewable energy bonus, which will mean that local authorities can keep the business rates from renewable energy projects. Finally, we will bring forward proposals for tax increment financing to allow local authorities to borrow against future increases in business rate revenues to pay for upfront infrastructure and development costs.
The measures set out in the White Paper complement the other measures the Government are taking to support growth and job creation through infrastructure investment; support for education and skills; improvements in competition; and support for research and innovation. This needs to be joined up with locally led action to improve the environment for business, and we are today putting in place the tools for this to happen.
Mr John Denham (Southampton, Itchen) (Lab): I thank the Secretary of State for his statement, and of course I look forward to reading the White Paper when it is made available to the House.
Growth and jobs are of critical importance to every family and every region of the country. They are the best way to cut the deficit and the best way to offer hope to young people. The coalition Government will slash 500,000 public jobs and put 500,000 private sector workers out of work through their reckless cuts, but they claim they will create 2.5 million new private sector jobs over the next four years. There is no sign today that they can live up to that claim.
I do not suppose that the Business Secretary has ever used hair-restoring lotion, but if he had he would have discovered that just because it says "Promotes Growth" on the bottle it does not mean that growth will happen. It is very much the same with his Department and this White Paper. He calls it the Department for growth, but the comprehensive spending review led to its funding being cut by more than that of almost any other Department. Is it not true that just when growth is most important and business needs to be able to invest with
certainty and confidence, this statement confirms deep cuts in growth funding, a shambles of local development organisations that will last for years, broken promises to the English regions, a planning system that will not work and delays in key investments?
This statement cuts the resources for regional development by at least two thirds. RDAs will receive about £1.4 billion this year, but the regional growth fund will have £1.4 billion over three years. Will the Business Secretary admit that the tiny regional growth fund will now have to pay for many activities that RDAs did not have to fund? The Minister for Housing and Local Government says it must pay for housing renewal. The Transport Secretary says it must pay for transport. It will invite national applications as well as those from local and regional schemes. Will the Business Secretary confirm that he expects the money to run out after one round of bids?
The Chancellor of the Exchequer once accused Lord Mandelson of writing cheques before the election, but what happened when the coalition set out to cancel them? They found that the investments made by Labour ensured that Nissan would develop electric vehicles, Ford would produce new engines and Vauxhall would maintain car production, and enabled Airbus to design and develop the A350, secured the next generation of offshore wind blades and supported the video games industry and start-up biotech companies. I am pleased Labour's investments finally went ahead, but is not the truth that the coalition has now completely hamstrung itself in respect of making such investments in the future?
The regional growth fund is a pathetic fig leaf to cover absence of any growth strategy. It is not regional-all the decisions will be taken by two semi-retired politicians in London-and it is not much of a growth fund. As Sir Ian Wrigglesworth, deputy chair of the growth fund, said:
"One billion pounds over two years is not a lot of money and the amount you can do with it is limited."
Will the Business Secretary admit that the Government's reckless cuts mean that growth will be underfunded? Will he admit that if the coalition had adopted the responsible and measured approach to deficit reduction set out by the shadow Chancellor, public spending would have been cut by £30 billion less, allowing us to focus on growth?
Support for growth is not just about the level of public spending; it is about creating business confidence and certainty. What happened to the Business Secretary's promise to the Yorkshire Post:
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