Now on bbc news, tuesday in parliament. Hello there and welcome to tuesday in parliament. As mps and peers gather for a final time before the general election. On this programme, calls for the government to publish a report on allegations of russian interference in uk democracy. Publish this report and let us see for ourselves, otherwise, there is only one question. What have you got to hide . The business secretary reveals the latest shock in the collapse of thomas cook. Thomas cook only took out insurance cover for the very largest personal injury claims. And departing mps make theirfinal speeches in the commons. There have been occasions of the last week since i announced my intention to step down, when i felt that i have been granted the privilege of attending my own funeral arrangements without the need to arrive in a hearse. But first, and peas across the commons have called on the government to publish a report into alleged russian interference in uk democracy. The document from parliaments intelligence and security committee, the isc, is currently with the Prime Minister. Well, mps feared if it wasnt published before Parliament Dissolved for the general election, it was unlikely to see daylight until well into next year. The chair of the Committee Said the security agencies had all agreed the report could be published. My secretary at tell me that it is unprecedented that we should have had no response at all explaining why any further delay is required in this case. Could he confirm that the Prime Minister does not have two alter our reports or remove material from them. And if he wishes to exercise a veto over publication, he must give the committee a credible explanation as to why hes doing this. The minister was adamant there was nothing unusual. The current length of time that this report has been with the government is not unusual. This has averaged around six weeks for reports published in recent years, and 3 4 weeks for a response to be forthcoming from the government. This is nothing less than an attempt to suppress the truth. From the public and from parliament, and it is an affront to our democracy. So we are bound to ask, what is downing street so worried about . Why would they not welcome an unofficial report into attempted russian interference in the 2016 referendum, whether successful or otherwise. And i fear it is because they realise that this report will lead to other questions about the links between russia and brexit and with the current leadership of the tory party, which risks derailing their election campaign. She reckoned the minister would try to dismiss all of this as conspiracy and smears. Prove it. Publish this report and let us see for ourselves, otherwise there is only one question. What have you got to hide . Its rather rich for her to suggest that somehow, the conservative party and this government is linked to russian disinformation, given the way that her own Party Leadership has acted, and the responsibility her own Party Leadership has had down the years. Brexits taught us that this is a government that likes to hide unhelpful reports. Lots of them. Prove me wrong, publish the report. Entitled not to be bullied into accelerating the release of Important National security reports, and wouldnt it be the case that it would be a dangerous precedent to establish that the committee could come to the house and believe the government into releasing what is a very important and sensitive report. I asked the ministers, and i have to say, the response today that he has given is utterly shameful. If the shoe were on the other foot, and he was at that opposition dispatch box, is he denying that he would be asking for publication of the report as we are . Mr speaker, the job of members of parliament is to scrutinise legislation reports not to fantasise. Christopher pincher. Now, ministers are developing plans for a Compensation Scheme for thomas cook customers who face losing out on injury compensation claims because of the compa nys collapse. The firm went out of business in mid september when it failed to raise enough money to finance its debts. Thousands of holiday makers were left stranded abroad. In a common statement, the business secretary said the official receiver had alerted the government to the fact that thomas cook only had insurance cover for the very largest personal injury claims. For agreed claims below this figure, up to a high aggregate amount, they decided to self insure through a provision in their accounts. As thomas cook has entered into liquidation without ensuring any protection for pending claims, the vast majority of claimants who are not covered by the insurance, including customers who have suffered very serious injuries and loss of life, will be treated as unsecured creditors. So she said it was uncertain they receive any compensation. This is an extraordinary situation which should have never risen. While the government cannot and will not step into the shoes of thomas cook, we do intend to develop proposals for a statutory Compensation Scheme. And he scheme must strike a responsible balance here between the moral duty to respond to those in the most serious financial need and our responsibility to the taxpayer. Accordingly, it will be a capital fund, sufficient to ensure there is support for those customers facing the most serious hardship as a result of injuries or illness, for which uk based Thomas Cook Companies would have been liable. Labour repeated its criticism that the government should have stepped in to save the firm. Does she regret her failure to speak to the company, or to intervene to protect the jobs and rights of workers . Had the company continued trading, with the Government Holding a steak, the rights of workers would been protected. And what action is she taking to address these scandalous payment of bonuses to executives who have profited at the expense of workers and customers, and who presumably have direct responsibility for the appalling hardship that she referred to in her statement. He said a £188 million bridging loan would have made a difference. It wouldve allowed profitable parts of the business to be sold, while still trading and for workers rights to be protected. This wouldve supported the wider economy and communities as well. Government should be a partner of business not stand apart from it. That means intervening. It means providing support where intervention stands a chance of succeeding. There is Something Like {1. 9 billion of debt on thomas cooks balance sheet. They did approach government looking for a Loan Facility of up to £250 million, but it is quite clear that had the government put that a significant sum of taxpayers money to thomas cook, we wouldve ended up in the same position we are in today, where we wouldve had to repatriate those customers. We wouldve had to have done exactly as we have done, but the taxpayer would have also been £250 million were soft. He asks about why had the government not forcing this, and what i can say to him is that it was never envisaged that a uk Tour Operator would fail to insure itself fully to cover claims for personal accidents, nor to failed to ensure that it had ring fenced the funds to meet those liabilities. So that they were safe if the company got into difficulty. Will the secretary of state offer us an assurance that there will be safeguards in the future to ensure, not just to investigate what went wrong at thomas cook, but that we ensure that all travel companies or anyone offering travel in this country is properly insured . Well, the honourable lady gives me the opportunity to say again, i call on all similar travel and Tour Operators to ensure that this is covered by them and that they havent got a similar sort of arrangement to the one that thomas cook had. Andrea letson. Mps have fast tracked legislation to compensate victims of historical institutional abuse in Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland secretary urged victims to come forward to make a claim and said around 5000 people could be eligible for compensation. The bill establishes a red dress board to administer a scheme for victims in Northern Ireland and paves the way for a commissioner for survivors of institutional childhood abuse to be appointed. Well, julian smith had only been on his feet for a few seconds when a dup mp intervened. This is a bittersweet moment as well, because anne hunter, who is in the galley, her sister, sadie, died in the Nazareth House in 1974, so while there is celebration to have this forward, its also bittersweet for those who were abused physically and other ways, and who today, cannot be here to see the conclusion of something we have five very hard for. The minister agreed, and he read out part of a letter from a catholic priest, who represented a diocese with two of the childrens homes in it. As children, they arrived at these homes frightened, disorientated, and with the simple hope of every child, that the adults in their lives wouldnt respond to them with affection, understanding, tenderness, and care. Instead, they were met so often with ha rd hearted coldness, harsh regimes adult routine and lovelessness, as well as indescribable sexual and physical abuse. It is difficult to overstate the suffering that the former residents of these homes have endured and continue to endure as a result of their experience. And he ended by paying tribute to the victims. Victims were let down notjust by the perpetrators and institutions but by the churches and the councils and the governments that were meant to look after them. Standing by, ignoring, not checking, turning a blind eye. Child abuse victims, madam deputy speaker, had their full childhood. And were then held hostage by the expenses they have throughout their lives. I hope that this bill goes some way in and providing Northern Ireland victims with redress, and i hope for other victims throughout our country, that their time for redress will come very soon. The shadow minister had also met victims. To sit in the room, opposite someone, describing the most appalling nightmare and a human being could even envisage is an experience that none of us came into politics to undergo. And, yet, it is right that we came into politics to resolve this horror and this agony. The former secretary of state said the report into the abuse had been delivered just at the time power sharing in Northern Ireland had collapsed. If the executive had not collapsed, executive parliament, then we wouldve had at ministerial direction to know what ministers thought of the recommendations. We wouldve had something to work with. And in fact, if the executive had been there, the executive could have delivered committee couldve delivered interim payments without the need for primary legislation. It couldve delivered so many of these things so much sooner. People get into politics because it is these types of issues that they want to change. Issues of education from of health, of public services, but like this issue to try to address great wrongs and great injustice, and i think its such a good thing that we end this parliament on this type of issue, where the very many hundreds and thousands of those who suffered appalling abuse, which the secretary of state has outlined, will finally get the last piece of this process, which is redress. You are watching tuesday in parliament with me, alysia mccarthy, on the last day of this parliament before the general election. The government has come under pressure to repatriate british children stuck in refugee camps in syria. A former cabinet minister told the commons that around 60 children would be living in tents in midwinter. The foreign secretary, dominic raab, said he was willing to see unaccompanied minors and orphans brought back to the uk. Save the children have identified around 60 british children that are stranded in northeast syria. I know the government has said that we have a duty of care to them, no matter what their parents may have done. These are innocent children. Some are now malnourished, some are suffering from life threatening illnesses. What is the government doing to ensure that those british children are repatriated . When we return from the election, when this house resets after the election campaign, it will be midwinter in Northern Syria. There are 60 british children who will be living in tents in midwinter in Northern Syria by then. Can i ask him again to revise as a matter of urgency our policy on their return . Again, i thank my right honourable friend, and we certainly share his concerns about the humanitarian situation. Ive already made clear the uks policy in relation to unaccompanied minors and orphans, which is that we are willing to see them repatriated. We will consider wider requests for consular support and more generally, subject to National Security concerns, the real challenge that weve got, of course, is that we dont have a consular presence in syria accessing the children or anyone else for that matter of uk nationality is very difficult. But we do respond to all cases on a case by case basis. Dominic raab said the uk was also concerned about the effect on the humanitarian crisis of Turkish Military action in syria. A labourmp said ministers should do more. Can i tell him that abandoning the kurds who led the fight against is has seen over 10,000 refugees fleeing to iraqi kudistan on top of the one half million displaced people, its already generously caring for. So will he increase humanitarian work under kurdistan regions ability to defend itself against is, and does he agree with me that this is also strengthened iran and its proxy terror army and israel the middle easts only democracy must be protected from this threat. We are worried and our main concerns are around the humanitarian situation and the stability of Northern Syria, notwithstanding the removal of daesch leader, al bagdadi, which we welcome, we are worried about the impact on the counter dais strategy in the region. So whilst we welcome the cease fire broken by Vice President , mike pence, in relation to Northern Syria, we are also seeing an accommodation between the sdf and the syrian regime, and indeed president erdogan and president putin, and that is both to our counterterrorism efforts, but also to the humanitarian plate that he rightly raises. 0n the conduct of the Turkish Military operation there, there is now pretty incontrovertible evidence, that certainly White Phosphorus has been used as a weapon against civilians, if not other chemical weapons either by the turks or by their sub syrian allies, this is a matter of immense seriousness. Will the United Kingdom government now hold turkey and their allies to account . Hes right to be concerned to make sure that we are engaged with key figures on the ground in Northern Syria. In relation to White Phosphorus, we are very concerned by the reports not yet fully verified, as we said, and we want to see a swift and thorough investigation by the Un Commission of investigations, and thats what we are pressing for. Now, with Christmas Shopping season hurtling towards us, mps have raised the plight of shop workers facing violence and abuse. The government held a consultation on the issue earlier this year, but has not produced a response yet. The labour mp who chairs the Parliamentary Group on retail crime said it was time for ministers to introduce tougher penalties for shoplifting. Today, there will be 115 retail staff attacked as there are every day in their workplace, protecting the shopping offer that they have in the retail premises. This is a traumatic event for members of staff. It puts pressure on their Mental Health, puts pressure on their physical health. And i dont think its acceptable that we have 115 colleagues attacked each day. It would be helpful to understand, should the ministers party be returned to government, what their view is on the use of facial recognition technology. Which has been tried in the traffic centre, but is controversial. It has the potential to help address crime, but we need to know what protections would be in place in relation to personal privacy. David hanson said he also wanted to know if following a recent consultation, ministers intended to legislate to protect shop workers. Can we hear about the consultation . Can we hear about the legislation potentially, can we hear with the government are intending to do, so that we canjudge that and we canjudge again you know, whoever wins this election, thats for the british people, what measures are in place to take this issue forward in the future . A labour mp described the experience of one shop manager. One night, a group of youths came in and were very abusive towards a black security guard. The manager went over, managed it, they left. The following night, they came back, yet more of them, and when the manager went to his aid, because he was being attacked, he was himself was attacked so violently that he died. And had to be resuscitated on the spot, mercifully, by the ambulance service. There were calls to review a law which enables shoplifters, who have taken goods worth less than £200 to avoid a court hearing. I accept to get the prosecution is not easy, it has to go through the police, it has to go through the cps, but the problem now is as ive talked to a number of people, and was said earlier, i face losing shops on the basis that it doesnt sound much, £200, but a succession of £200 is what causes the difficulties, because its the very businesses that get hit time after time. And ive had instances where people taking whatever they take just waving up a cctv camera on the way out. With an estimated 200,000 assaults or threats to retail and wholesale staff sector in the period since the call for evidence closed, the home office really messed up delaying. Show some leadership, and commit to introducing tougher penalties for the perpetrators of these crimes. The minister tried to ease concerns about the £200 threshold. If a chief constable decrees that this is a problem in their area, then its probably possible for them to have a policy of prosecuting thefts of under £200. Im certainly willing to make sure that the chiefs, generally across the country, are aware of that and to raise the issue. Having said that, given the depth of concern thats been raised this morning. If i am returned to this job after, i am happy to look at the data and see what its telling us about the operation of this now that we are 4 5 years in. I dont think theres any problem with us reviewing it internally. And deciding whether its working or not, and then probably getting some kind of best practice. As for the consultation of violence towards shop workers, he said the home office wanted to undertake a thorough analysis of the responses. Now peers have called for an overhaul of the lords to prevent people with autism being detained in secure Mental Health hospitals. The issue has been highlighted by the case of one 18 year old with autism, whos father said shes been locked up around the clock with no human contact. The current Mental Health act defines autism as a Mental Health disorder, which means people with autism who display challenging behaviour can be detained. In the lords, the labour peer lord touig, whose Vice President of the National Autistic society was relieved that change was on the way. Autism, my lords, is not a mental disorder. And last weekend, the Health Secretary promised to detach autism and learning difficulties from Mental Health legislation. That is most welcome. As is the appointment of the noble lady, baroness hollins, to chair an independent panel to oversee case reviews. So can i ask the minister, and press herfor one more stop, will the government set up an advice hotline for families who are in despair . Despair because they have no idea where to go for help or advice. As their children, and they are children, face christmas locked up and detained by a mediaeval practice that deprives them of their human rights. The government is committed to ensuring that people with learning disabilities and autistic people can have the best quality of life and live a full life in the community and a lot of the work that has been brought forward recently from including reviewing and replacing the autism strategy and doing case reviews of every individual who isnt in patient care who has a learning disability or autism are designed to ensure that we do deliver this. 0n the specific point which he has raised about a hotline for families who are in this situation, i shall take that back to the department and ask what can be done. Finally, it was time to say goodbye to dozens of mps who were standing down at the general election. In the commons, they had a chance to make a final speech. Labours anne clouid has been an mp since 1984. So im standing down this election with a heavy hearts, especially there is so much that i would still like to do. Ive got a long shopping list, and i havent completed the shopping. But i do hope that other people will carry on and shop on my behalf, because they are all issues that we can all, i think, campaign for. I want to thank all my constituents who have sent me such wonderful letters and kindness. I wont miss many of my Party Political activists, i have to say, but i will miss my constituents and my Community Organisers and the people who really wanted to work with me to make it a better place. And the one thing i said when i came in here, my country would always come before my party, and it still does. Thank you. Sir patrick mcglocklin used to be the chief whip, the man in charge of getting the governments business through. I would like to say a few things about the whips office. I think the whips office is quite often misunderstood, both inside and outside this place. Contrary to some of the wilder stories, they are the Personnel Department of any parliamentary party. Dealing with a wide range of issues both personal and political. Im grateful for him for giving way. In my experience, i always saw the whips office as a Human Resources department, but with the human bit taken out. Its mutual, love. Welcome everybody is allowed to have their view. All i can say to my right honourable friend is she ought to have to deal with some of the people the whips office has to deal with. It really isnt the colour of the rosette that we wear that matters, it really isnt the flag, the mast to which we nail our flag, its whats within us. Its whats within our hearts, and that decency and honesty that i see all around me in this place is something that makes me bitterly regret that i will be leaving you. But it makes me immensely proud of the fact that even for a short time, for22 years, i have been a member of the finest legislature one could ever imagine. I will be frank with the house, it will be a great wrench to leave this place after 27 years, but you know what they say, madam deputy speaker, folks are often kindest when they know you are on your way out. And there have been occasions over the last weeks since i announced my intention to step down, when i felt that i have been granted the privilege of attending my own funeral arrangements without the need to arrive in a hearse. Sir david lidington. And thats it for me for now, and from our Daily Programme until parliament returns after the general election. But you can catch one last round up of the westminster week on Bbc Parliament on friday night at 11. But for now, for me, alicia mccarthy, goodbye. Hello, she the morning once the mist and fog because were, a few showers peppering the northern eastern coast, you can see the extent of the sunshine, line of showers in the irish sea will merge together to produce longest as as they pushed northwards and eastward, winter and eastward, wintering us over the high ground. A dry slot in between the next band of rain which will arrive in Western Areas later, wherever you are, its going to be a chilly day. But friend band pushes further north and east and merges with the one ahead of it. So quite fit start thursday, across central northern and eastern areas, posterior showers in the south, wintering us over the high ground. Thursday though, this area of the pressure parked on top of the uk with its associated with the front, looks like it to be very wet across Central Eastern portions of the uk throughout thursday. Could see some localised flooding and travel disruption. Brad is looking much better, drier brighter, cold but sunshine. Welcome to bbc news, im mike embley. Our top stories a six point plan to save the planet. Thousands of scientists demand deep and lasting changes to curb catastrophic climate change. Pressure builds on president trump, as a key witness in the impeachment inquiry says ukraine was told to investigate a democratic rival to get us military aid. Nine us citizens including six children are killed in mexico during an ambush by a suspected drug cartel. Fury as a british cabinet minister appears to suggest victims of the Grenfell Tower fire in london lacked the common sense to flee. And on board americas election express. We report from a divided new hampshire, a year ahead