>> this morning i had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others, and in addition to my duties in the house, i shall have further such meetings later today. >> i thank the prime minister for the answer and associate myself, and all on this side of the house, with his moving tribute to providential crier. the prime minister has taken the right decision to extend the life of the nimrod's and hms cumberland so that our armed forces remain eager to protect in this conflict. he knows the uncertainty we now face, so will he, in due course, extend that rethink of our defense to abilities? >> obviously we should be able to deploy at speed anywhere in the world with flexible on forces with particular emphasis on transport and on things like special forces. i think we did anticipate the sorts of things we're doing now but if there are for the lessons to learn, of course -- and the. >> our hearts go out to the people of japan as we watch their horror unfolded and see warnings today about how to and radiation in togas water supply. it is not just earthquakes and tsunami that threaten the cooling systems of nuclear reactors, so does the prime minister agree that what has happened at fukushima will have consequences for the new nuclear power stations proposed for the uk? >> i am sure that the whole house will want to join the hon. lady in sending our condolences to people in japan and to express their admiration for their griebel bravery and resilience in dealing with this immense crisis. of course, we must learn any lessons that need to be learned about nuclear power. that is why the head of the nuclear safety inspector it is looking at this issue. of course, as i have said before, the power stations rehab in britain are of a different tack from those in japan. we're not planning to build any like those. we're not in a quick zone or is no substitute tsunamis but, of course you have to always test against all eventuality. i am sure that is further testing we can do on nuclear power. japan is doing a good job in dealing with this problem and the signs from the nuclear station are little better than they were a few days ago. but it is certainly not out of the danger zone. what we should do is make sure that we give the corrected buys to all british citizens in tokyo. that is what we have done and that is what we will continue to do. >> can i join the prime mr. in paying tribute to provide daniel prior. he demonstrated outstanding bravery in the line of duty and our thoughts are with his wife and young son and all his family and friends. i'm sure that the whole house will also want to think of our armed forces personnel inaction in the military operation in libya and to pay tribute to the of steny work that they're doing. following the overwhelming vote in the house on monday, will the prime instructed the house on the progress of our military operation and the actions of british forces? >> i think the right hon. gentleman for what he says that for his speech in that debate on monday which i thought was extremely powerful. to look it the house on the military operations, it in no- fly zone is now in place over libya and 11 nations are contributing more than 150 aircraft as we discussed on monday. there has been an early and could affect as regime forces have had to retreat from the gauzy -- from benghazi. i think we made good progress in the no-fly zone, in terms of turning some of those forces back and protecting civilians. clearly, these are early stages and a lot more remains to be done. >> i think the premise of for that answer and what he said about the debates on monday. we support u.n. resolution 1973 to protect people of libya could the support of the arab league was a key factor in securing the u.n. resolution. can the prime minister a bit the house on the military contributions that arab states will make to the operation and what conversations he has had with arab leaders about their continued rule in the enforcement of the resolution and the plan of action? >> i can do that. first of all the arab league met again yesterday and reinforced his view that a no- fly zone is right and that they support u.s. security council resolution 1973. in terms of concrete assets, i can confirm that yesterday, the qataris and deploy the first of their contribution, mirage aircraft and other support aircraft, and we will get logistic contributions from countries such as kuwait and jordan. because i had to act so quickly on saturday, it was not possible to bring forth as much air support as perhaps would have been welcomed by, i think everybody in this house. there's clear support from the secretary-general of those arab nations. i also had a meeting with the saudi foreign minister yesterday. i believe the support in the arab world for saving lives in libya is very strong. >> let me emphasize something that the prime minister said on monday, which is the importance of the contribution of arab countries to military operations. he also said there would be regular and more formal process with the arab league and others. it is very important that that process take place. let me ask him one other thing about our action. can the prime minister clarify the government's position regarding the targeting of colonel gadhafi? it is very important that we stick to the tone of the un -- to the terms of the un resolution as we seek to maintain the coalition that we have built in relation to the un resolution. >> i am grateful for that question and for the chance to set this out clearly for the house. all of our targets must be selected to be absolutely in line with u.n. security council resolution 1973. that allows us to take action -- alizarin measures to enforce a no-fly zone and to put it in place as it is possible and to take action to protect civilian life. all targets should be in line with that. but i do not propose to give a running commentary on targets or frankly, to say anything beyond that. >> has my right hon. friend struggle to sort out the mess left behind the last rotten labor government would my right hon. friend take this opportunity to unite the house of the health matters by praising the work of marie curie nurses, highlighting the dangers of prostate canceled and supporting low salt week? [laughter] >> i yield to no one is living the last government for all sorts of bills but i think even i would probably double line at blaming them for the level of salt in food. i think the last prime minister probably did consulting his porridge. but my hon. friend mentioned a very important charity, mary carried cancer care, and the work it does to help people particularly when they're suffering often in terrible conditions. is to be praised by everyone in this house. the whole point of what we want to do through our health reforms is to involved in an even greater way such great charities. >> north tyneside's tory, elected mayor has spoken of her intention to become the council's chief executive under a government powers. does the prime minister think that the mayor, who was elected on a political to get under the alternative vote and has no proven professional experience for such a boat -- for such an apolitical role, should go back to the electorate in the true spirit of localism and get their opinion on this issue? >> i think the hon. leader for reminding everyone that north tie insidetyneside has an excellent conservative mayor who is doing a great job. it will be a matter of her and the people and the council a north tyneside to work out what fantastic job she can do in the future. >> crichton town -- croydon town center is just 15 minutes from central london by rail, but rateable valley is a 60% lower. does my right hon. friend agree that there is a huge potential to save public money by relocating part of the government the state from the most expensive real estate in the country in sw1? >> i just heard a suggestion from my hon. friend that the independent parliamentary standards authority should be based in croydon. >> will the prime minister explain why he proposes to remove the mobility component of the disability living allowance from 80,000 care home residents? >> the short answer is that we're not. >> not for the first time, i have to tell the prime minister what is in his own legislation. clause 83 of the welfare reform bill proposes precisely that and people do not understand why he is doing it. if he is saying that he is going to abandon the policy, then great, let's abandon the policy. >> the review of disability living allowance and the mobility component is wrapped up in the new personal independence payment. that is what is happening. to be frank, this is -- this point has been raised right across the house of commons and is a point that we have responded to. it is a review that the right hon. gentleman can take part in, perhaps it consists of the constructive. >> it is not a review. it is a proposal, it was, in the bill to take away the mobility component of the l.a. -- of dla. 22 disabled persons organizations up and down the country are saying that the government should abandon the policy. i have a suggestion for the prime minister. what does he not complete the review now and say that he is the been the policy? >> the first thing the right hon. gentleman said about the disability living allowance was that he wanted to support market reforms. but we do not hear much about that anymore. as i have said, the review of dla is rolled into the personal independence payment. that is how we will reform the mobility component. instead of getting so excited about it, he should congratulate the government on listening to opinion from across the house. >> much right hon. friend, the prime minister, might be aware that the financial times reported earlier this week that gaddafi is sitting on $6.5 billion worth of gold in his war chest. although there is precious little to commend the current leader of libya gold has been the great inflation hedge throughout it our history. britain, on the other hand, sold off for gold reserves at the behest of the shadow chancellor, when he worked as a bag carrier at the treasury, in order to bolster the then falling europe. which of those two is more psychologically flawed? >> that was an ingenuous question from my hon. friend. i have to say that selling the gold was one of the many appalling decisions taken by the previous government and was advised by the two people now responsible for their economic policy in opposition. >> why is poor performance still be rewarded in the banking industry with nasa bonuses? >> what we have done in the banking industry is make sure that it is paying a two 0.5 billion pounds banking levy, not as a one-off, but every single year during the parliament, so under this government, the taxes it pays will go up. the bonus levels have gone down. and the lending to small businesses, and large businesses, will increase. the hon. gentleman should welcome that approach. >> what conclusions has the prime minister drawn from the statement of the secretary general of the oecd? >> the oecd was in town last week and give the clearest possible message. if you do not deal with the deficit, you will not get any growth. that is what they said and that is what the party opposite started listening to. >> i am sure the prime minister is aware that unemployment in my constituency will increase as a result the public sector cuts. can he tell me what his government is doing to expand private-sector job opportunities in the area, such as supply chain jobs from the hitachi train building program? will the as the business secretary to meet with local businesses and the durham county council about that, to boost jobs and drum and the northeast? >> i am very happy to arrange that meeting. the point that the hon. lady makes is absolutely right. we have to make sure that, at a time when any government would be making public sector, we have to make sure that the private sector grows. that is why we have the regional growth fund. that is why we are introducing things like enterprise zones. that is why if she sits and waits patiently as you will hear in the pants -- in the chances budget and a whole series of measures to fire up the private sector and make sure that we get growth right across the country. >> about fuel duty, council taxes the most despised attacks in the country. under the last labor government, it increase mercilessly year-on- year. can the promise to tell me how many councils like bedford borough council have taken advantage of the offer made by the chancellor in last year's budget and frozen or reduced council tax? >> my hon. friend makes a good point. it is worthwhile noting that we now know that every single council in the country has agreed to take part in the government's council tax freeze. i would have thought that should be something will come from across the house of commons because people do face a difficult situation with the cost of living. we have taken action on council tax. we're letting people out of income tax. we're upgrading the pension in line with earnings instead of prices. and i hope that the chancellor will have a few more things to say in a minute or two. >> the prime minister knows of my passion for the campaign around the no campaign on the av. i know you will be working day and night on the subject appeared however, i have another passion legal aid. what will his government do to protect those who are debarred from legal aid and to get rid of all the abuse in the legal aid system at present? >> this is a deval issue for scotland. but what we have done elsewhere in the united kingdom is made in the event that we have centrally given to the citizens of a spirit to make sure that work goes ahead this country spend way more per head on legally then compare countries and it is right that it should be reformed. >> is the prime minister aware of the very poor rail services between gloucestershire and london? as a result of that problem my hon. friend the member for the cops wordscotswolds and i have campaigned very long and hard for the line between sweden and campbell to be redoubled. will the prime minister give every consideration possible to the project? >> i do know the problems that there are between london and the rochestergloucester. i very much of that the chancellor might have something to say about how we will make life easier for my hon. friend's constituency want to get to and from gloucester and london. >> will the prime instructed the house on the representations that he has received from the duty prime minister on reinstating the loan to sheffield force masters? >> the hon. leno's well that this was done on the basis of affordability, but she also knows that sheffield for a master's -- sheffield forgemasters has been incurred to bid under the regional growth fund that is an approach it can take. >> given the central role that raf marham and the tornado have played in securing a no-fly zone over libya, and the brave actions of our service personnel despite the ongoing uncertainty at that base, is it not time that we confirmed the future of raf marham as a fast jet base? >> of these decisions will be taken in due course by the ministry of defense. >> last week, the prime minister told this house that people here twice as likely to die from heart attack as people in france. but is it not the truth the survival rates are improving. we will have a lower death rate than france by next year. and we have a record level of seven -- of satisfaction with the dna test? when will he stopped talking down the and hsn distorting the figures? >> dns says done extraordinary things for me and my family. i am passionate about the images. i passionately wanted to remain free at the point of use -- free at the point of views on the basis of need and not related to people's ability to pay. the point of reforming the n.h. as is to safeguard it for the future. that is what everyone in this house wants. i will never talk down the and it says. but if we really believe we cannot do better on cancer, on heart disease, on stroke, if we cannot be the weird -- we can do better, we are fooling ourselves. we must do better and that is the end of our reform. >> the coalition agreement promises the public greater accountability in nhl's commissioning through directly elected individuals on the boards of primary care trust could since. since pct's are on their way out, does the prime minister except that the best way now to deliver that commitment is to reserve places on gp consortia boards for locally elected people? >> one of the ways we can make the and it's just more accountable lister the better combination of dna tests and local government. >> the government have not yet factored into the future budget proposals the sell-off of the bank assets that we own. given the prime minister's commitment to volunteer and the dire straits that many young people face in terms of unemployment, would he consider an endowment fund for a nationwide volunteer program building on the six-week national citizens' service and benefiting both individuals and the nation as a whole? >> i think the right hon. gentleman makes an extremely just a suggestion. obviously there will be a suggest -- there will be an opportunity to sell the bank assets that we all. i do not think that the opportunity is right now or that we should wait to get general -- to get national citizens' service. i want to see every 16-year-old in a country have the opportunity take part is a bit like that to make them feel more part of our country and recognize the responsibilities that we all have as we move towards adulthood. >> with the recent oecd report underlining the fact that the structural deficit has caused so many difficulties for our economy, does a promise to agree that it is all the more important that we upgrade our industry and business by providing training opportunities for young people? >> my hon. friend makes an important point. that is why we are making quite bold and difficult reforms in education. as we stand today less than 50% of young people at 16 are getting grades 8 to see in english and math. we have to make sure that these people are properly prepared for the world of work. that is not good enough. i pay tribute to my right hon. friend the education secretary who is setting a higher bar for himself and for these government. with to make sure that we get over it. >> may i welcome the prime minister's u-turn yesterday with the announcement that the united kingdom will now opted to the eu directive on sex lives trafficking, which many have campaigned on for six months. this is a cross party issue. will he ask the home secretary seated on his left, to look particularly at unaccompanied children arriving at the aerostar terminal at st. pancreasas, as there is evidence that some of them may be traffic to? we may be able to put some block on this terrible thing with a bit of work there. >> we decided to wait and check that it would be in line with the directives. i am happy to say that we will be opting in to the directive with parliamentary permission. above all, we must ensure that our arrangements are in place to help traffic children, including in the way he suggests. >> there is a public accounts committee report found that in the past hospitals were built under the private finance initiative even though it was more expensive than other forms of financing. in some hospitals, it now costs 333 pounds to change a light switch. what is he going to do about it and whose fault was it? >> my hon. friend makes an important point. some of those deals that were entered into works for inexpensive and those costs will wrap up on taxpayers for years to come. he does not have to believe me. we now have it from labor's own health secretary has made a number of helpful interventions in recent weeks. the latest one is in "the morning star" when he said this year whether he is talking to a newspaper backing for a pledge, is very in favor what the government is doing. he said this, but there is definitely a case for saying we were poor at pfi porat negotiating pfi contracts from the outset." i could not agree more. >> some 180 million pounds of land and property assets assembled by one northeast are at risk of the fire sale to benefit central government coffers. the association of the northeast councils and the northern business form have joined forces in a bid to take on those assets for the benefit of our region, and will the prime minister that the bid and put his warm words on localism into action? >> is an important issue as we move forward from the regional development agencies to the new local enterprise partnerships. it is supported that we ensure we have good consistency and continuity and i will certainly look at the case she makes. >> will my right hon. friend comment in advance of the budget on this country's current financial situation in terms that i can use to convey to my constituents the dreadful state of the economy that we inherited from the party opposite? >> one way of putting that inheritance that we had is that we had a budget deficit that was bigger than portugal, bigger than spain bigger than greece. it is only because of the action we have taken in government to show how we will pay down our debt that we have interest rates in this country that are at similar levels to germany. that is what we have been able to do, a huge help to our economy and with absolutely no help from the party opposite. >> it was reported at the weekend that the department of health has failed to publish research at -- that it commissioned and received last autumn which showed the highest ever level of satisfaction with dna tests. will the prime minister urge the secretary of state for health to publish that research without further delay or, by not doing so, will he confirm that the british medical association was right last week when it deplored the government's use of misleading and inaccurate information to denigrate the in a chest and justify their reforms? -- denigrate the and hsn justify their reforms? >> he is quoting from a published report. the point i make to him is this. if we had the same survival rates for cancer as the european average, we would save 5000 lives every year. the members opposite want to save those lives? are you just going to stick with the status quo and say there should not be choice? should patients not have a say in their treatment? should doctors not be involved in the health service? what a backward step and what a backward lot. >> parents value the 15 hours free nursing provision they're given. however, 22 nurses -- nursery's met with me and are concerned that the new guidelines do not giving up flexibility. will the prime minister talk to mike right hon. friend the secretary state for education to see whether there is a problem? >> we have properly funded the extra hours of news re-education 43-year-old -- we have properly funded the extra hours of nursery education for 3-year- olds