but he was key to troop morrow. he felt that very strongly. he would organize the other officers wives and they would cook for the soldiers. they would sew for the soldiers, nurse the soldiers, put on entertainment for the soldiers. during the war, washington's genius was keeping the army together. washington would say he could not have done it without martha. he begged her to come to camp every year. so that she could work with the troops. and the troops adored her. >> as we continue our conversation on first ladies, leslie stall, cokie roberts, and akil reed-amar. 9:00 eastern on c-span. >> during this week's "question time," david cameron defended his government's proposed spending plan. after, chancellor george osborne announced a opposed 11.5 billion pounds in cuts and outlined the government spending plans for 2015-2016. this is about 35 minutes. >> questions for the prime minister. gordon henderson. minister, thank you, mr. speaker. meetingsing, i had with my colleagues and i should have further meetings today. >> many people who have mortgages are benefiting from historically low interest rates. can i give myce constituents that they're mortgages will continue to be affordable under this government? a record lowy interest rates and that is good news for homeowners. what we need to do is to stick to the plans we have set out, have a sensible fiscal policies of the bank of england can keep its rates low. one piece of advice i will not be taking is on saturday, the leader of the labour party said he wanted control borrowing. that shadowe said borrowing will go up. >> admin the band. -- ed miliband. >> mr. speaker, last may, the education secretary said, "work will begin immediately on 261 roger x under the building program the bank can you tell the house how many have begun? >> infrastructure spending under this government has been higher than it was under labour. we have 400 billion pounds reserved for capital spending on our schools. we have had to clear up the appalling mess left by the building schools for our future program. the do not think he knows answer, mr. speaker. i will tell him the answer. schools were 261 promised. only one has started. now perhaps he can explain why. >> we have had to recover from the appalling mess of the noting skew was -- building schools program. that is the mess we inherited, as well as a record deficit. but it is this government that is providing half a minute extra school laces. -- places. another one. in october 2000 11, he said he wanted to bring forward "every single infrastructure project in the pipeline." how many have been completed? >> let me give him the figures for infrastructure spending. our annual infrastructure investment is 33 billion pounds per year. that is 4 billion more every year than ever achieved under labour. now let me give him the figures for road schemes. we are investing more in major road schemes -- >> the answer from the prime minister must be heard. him fromions to whichever side of the house must be heard. it is very clear. it is very simple. it is called democracy. the prime minister. >> how many of the schemes have been completed? you cannot build a nuclear power station overnight. they had 13 years. they did not build a single one. now let me give him the figures. electrifyingnt is more than 300 miles. perhaps he can tell us how many were electrified under labour. nine miles. that is the labour record that this government is recovering from. hospitals, 3700 schools we built. 3500 new children centers. you have no answer. let me tell them the answer again. the answer is seven out of the 576. five were started under the last labor government. takes a long time to complete these projects. i thought he might say that. 80% of them have not even been started. more promises, no delivery. let's see if he can answer another one. last year, the government said its new scheme would help 100,000 people buy a new home. how many people had it helped so far? people have been welcomed by the entire industry. he talks about what was built under the labor government. we saw the result. a pmi scheme that we are still paying for. 11% of gdp, budget deficit. those are the proof of what we are doing. we all know that the one question he has to answer is will he admit he wants to put up?wing up? -- borrowing >> every time i asked him a question, he does not answer the question, he just asks me more. promise theing, a chancellor made last year. let me answer the question he did not know the answer to. 100,000 new homes under homebuyers. the answer is just 2000. at that rate, it will take until 2058 to meet the target he set. the british chamber of commerce says the infrastructure is "hot air, a complete fiction." even the deputy prime minister said yesterday that the gap between announcement and delivery is quite significant. theshould we believe thomas's to infrastructure today when his own deputy says it has not delivered? >> we delivered 84,000 affordable homes. housing prices are at the highest level since 2008. housebuilding is increasing at its fastest rate in two years. we have put in place 11 billion pounds or housing investment. that me again answer -- asked him the question he will not answer. i know he does not want to answer the question. that is why i have to say half the countries -- half the country thinks he is born from the muppets. they think he belongs on sesame street, not downing street. will you admit that borrowing ? >> weo up under labour can swap places anytime. here is the reality. the prime minister rhombus to balance the books. last year.as up he said we are all in it together living standards are poorer. he promised more buildings and they have not. all you need to know about the spending review is that the british people are paying the price for their failures. speaker, mr. speaker. remembermember, let us what the leader of the opposition said at the time of the last spending review. he told us unemployment would go up. it has gone down. he told us crime would go up. it has gone down. he told us volunteering would go down. it has gone up. he said poorer students would not go to university. percentages have gone up. and we have cut immigration by a third. economy, wrong about everything, never trusted by the british people. >> thank you, mr. speaker. today, the government published spending for 2000 14 -- for 2014. >> on saturday, the leader of the labour party told us that there would be iron discipline on spending. on sunday, the shadow chancellor, on the television, admit that yes, borrowing would go up. there we have it. they want to spend less by spending more. they want to cap welfare by spending more on welfare. no wonder it is not just people at wimbledon saying new balls, please. order.r, order, in congratulating the honorable gentleman on his birthday, i call mr. david winick. >> is the prime minister aware they spent more time investigating the parents of then his murder in 1993? is the home secretary going to apologize for what occurred? is it right for the police to investigate it self? >> the honorable gentleman makes an extremely serious point. this is a serious situation. the lawrence family has suffered appallingly. they lost their son. the failure to investigate year after year. now these allegations that the police were trying to undermine them rather than help them. my right honorable friend set out in the house on monday these independent inquiries already underway. she has met again with mark ellison to make sure his inquiry will cover the allegations made overnight about the bugging by the police of a friend of stephen lawrence. nothing is off the table. ,f more needs to be done further inquiries will be held. this is not an acceptable situation. we must get to the bottom of it. is attractingency a large amount of investment rum major infrastructure projects, around the world. does the prime minister agree that one of th' credibility is by dealing with our debt? >> my honorable friend makes an excellent point. that power station, for all those years under labour, stood there completely empty and unused. the redevelopment will be starting this year. under this government, we take infrastructure seriously, get investors to come into our country, and get the projects started, unlike the wasted years under labour. its last six years, the labor government delivered 225 million pounds worth of major infrastructure projects. can the prime minister confirm that, under his three years, there has been zero delivery of such projects? zero starts of such projects. when will the prime minister stop fluffing around and get the new school guaranteed by the last government started in my constituency? >> the last government made a lot of guarantees and wrote a lot of checks but they could not deliver. let me give him the figures. our spending on capital spending is higher than what labor planned. the annual infrastructure investment is 33 billion pounds. that is 4 billion pounds higher than they achieved even in the boom years. that is what happens. they had an unaffordable boom and a painful bust and this government is paying the price with the recovery. >> the prime minister knows this as well. that two of those wars were under the previous government. they did not deliver them in 13 years. next year, we will break ground on the other. promises, theyo are very good at promising but do not deliver. >> they do not like hearing the evidence of the new schools eating built by this government in difficult times. also, when we talk about the east of england, year after year, there were calls to prove -- for improvements to the a-11, never delivered by their government. route staging of the g8 that northern ireland is open for a world of business. now we need the business of the world to come to northern ireland. can the prime minister give us an outline of what he will do in conjunction with the american administration any northern ireland executives to deliver a successful investment conference and thousands of much-needed private sector jobs? and lookingeful forward to coming to nortrn ireland for this vital investment conference. what we will be able to detrotnly the success of the g8 for northern ireland, but the coming together of the uk government and the northern irish assembly with plans for economic development and breaking down the barriers within northern ireland between various communities. that shared agenda is not just important for the future of society, it is also important for the future of our economy. with anently met amnesty international group, where they highlighted their concerns about abuses of women in afghanistan. what reassurances can the prime minister give that the government will continue its efforts to make sure there are no returns of threats to women like we have seen in afghanistan in the past? >> we should continue to support the afghan constitution, which gives guarantees in this regard. i spoke to president karzai, including this issue of the afghan constitution and how important it is. he are making a major investment supporting the security forces and with our aid row graham. -- program. can help secure the advances in afghanistan that we want to see. >> can he confirm that he has conversation with crosby about alcohol prices or cigarettes? the question is not only is he being lobbied, the question is, had he -- has he had the conversation? >> i have never been lobbied about anything. the difference between me and the party opposite, is i can put my hand over my heart and say i have never been lobbied by trade unions. making parliamentary selection after parliamentary selection. that is the real problem in british politics and it is time we clean it up. >> thank you, mr. speaker. >> very important matters. he must be heard. >> thank you, mr. speaker. with armed forces day in mind this weekend, would my right honorable friend join me in supporting a campaign supported by support our soldiers encouraging local residents to come with packed boxes to be sent to our troops in afghanistan? we hope, by the end of this weekend, to have at least 500. lex i congratulate myonable friend and everyone taking part in this initiative. seen thems, i have not only being packed in britain, but being unloaded in afghanistan. i can see the huge lazar and support they give to our troops in afghanistan. we should continue to use the from that has been raised the libor scandal into this program. this government is making real progress delivering that support to the armed forces and their families. >> in october of 2010, the prime minister said that in five years time, we will have balanced the budget. that promise is going to be broken. deficit bycut the one third. we will cut it further by the next election. frankly, coming to this house and complaining about borrowing when you have plans to put it up is a pretty off political strategy. that is the question he has got to ask is bench. why is borrowing the problem if the labor government would put it up? labor had three report about the culture of fear in the nhs. support prime minister a review of the sinister culture of coverups in nhs over the last decade? >> can i commend my honorable friend for this campaign she is fighting for, openness and transparency and clarity in the nhs. there was a culture under the last government of not revealing problems in the nhs. the secretary is shaking his head, but frankly, this is what said.rmer head of the cqc i know they do not want to hear it, but they have to hear it. understandtant to the culture that went wrong under labour. she said there was huge government pressure because the government hated the idea that a regulator could criticize one of the hospitals or one of the services it was responsible for. that is what barbara young said. she said we were under more pressure when the right honorable gentleman became a minister. there was a culture problem under labour. the sooner they admit it i'm a the better. >> we now know from the latest that -- and the prime minister will recall that the chancellor of exchequertor -- the said they have asked all they could from the british people. why are they asking for more? >> we have got the deficit down by one third. it is hard, painful, and difficult work. wrinkly, we are clearing up the mess left when he was a minister in the last government. >> 16-year-olds and 18-year-olds in receive free school meals university technical colleges but not further education colleges like those in my constituency. will the prime minister act now to end this clear injustice that by the party opposite? >> very happy to look at this issue. i know that school meals are very much in the news this week. it is a week we should be promoting healthy eating. we have to think carefully how best to use the education budget to get money directed to schools for all our children. >> i think the prime minister would agree that both his generation and mine were lucky to come into a labor market on -- at a time of full employment and great opportunity. has he seen the figures this morning that shows the gravity of youth unemployment in our country? tell me of the late stage in this government. have a determination to stop unemployment up to the age of 25 as they do in the netherlands. why can't we deliver that to young people? >> i agree that the youth unemployment is a scourge. there is good news. unemployment has been coming down and youth unemployment has been coming down. it should not be the case that we have youth unemployment of 55% in spain and under eight percent in holland. we need to make sure, here in the uk, we are performing alongside holland and germany and the countries with the lowest rates of youth unemployment. we do that by helping businesses to invest and locate here. as we stand today, employment is growing faster here than in any other g7 country, including germany. we are doing the right thing. we need to focus more on young people. >> i have the prime minister's -- doesestimony that not trump the green belt i gave the martin to -- the letter to martin price and i regret to report that he upheld the principle that it could be against the wishes of local people. direct amendment on the national planning policy framework to better protect green fields in the greenbelt? >> i remember underlining that part of the letter. the rules about the greenbelt have been changed. you can only change the greenbelt i taking something out and putting something back in in consultation with local people. i know he is having that discussion with his local authorities. i am convinced that any ppf we have in place, we can get the balance right. >> this afternoon, i shall vote enthusiastically for the preparation. explainprime minister why his officials and ministers oppose the extension of the french european network north of thatn, which would mean transport will not be eligible for funding? >> we will be looking at all the ways we can increase the funding available for high-speed rails. it is important not only that we achieve the highest need rail between london and birmingham, but the next stages as well. >> the prime minister knows how hard it is to get a visa for work. networks are trying to prevent it from being implemented. we are the only county town without a la-27. can he ensure that this blockage will be resolved? wax the secretary will be meeting next week about this issue. in terms of the answer i gave a moment ago about the high-speed rail, we have to recognize that there is a lot of existing congestion and the high-speed rail will help free up that so we can have more direct connections. >> the department for business proposes to abolish the protections for the named sheffield that guarantees the quality of our manufactured goods. the ministry of defense proposes to move their headquarters out of the city. what has this government got against the businesses and people of sheffield? >> sheffield is a fantastic city, a very important part of britain's industrial base. i am proud of the fact that, through the regional growth fund, we are investing in the future of sheffield. on the reserves, we are putting more money into the reserves to make sure we can get the reserves up to the level of strength that is needed before 2020. the other issue, she should have some confidence. >> military bands are important not only to the armed forces, but the civilian population. the last labour government cut the number of army bands by a quarter. this armed forces week will be prime news to give an assurance that there will be no more cuts in the army bands. >> as the chancellor will say in a minute, we have had to make difficult decisions, but there will be no further reduction in the size of our army, navy, or air force. we will continue and equipment program that is second to none in terms of the support we give to our personnel. speaker, you will recall that it was over a year ago and you probably know the exact date , when the prime minister announced an internal inquiry to be held by lord gold into the cash for access scandal. donorsconcerning that were royally entertained at downing street. when does the prime minister plan to produce the results and publish the results of this inquiry? >> i am happy to set out all of the things that lord gold recommended and the steps we will be taking. as we do so, perhaps he could impose on his bench the issue of when they are going to pay back that they managed from their donor? >> it is of vital importance to ensure that children eat healthily. would my friend join me in welcoming the party to national school meals week? >> i certainly join my honorable friend. it is a very important cause. we have several problems over the years with school meals. they are not attractive enough or young people wanting to take them on. also having problems with obesity as well. getting this right is extremely important. i speak as someone with two children who enjoy their school meals. i want the school to win the battle for school meals rather than have to do the pack lunch. >> the revelation that the metropolitan police may have withheld evidence from the first inquiry has been met with public derision. but they did not go far enough. the public are not satisfied by the police investigation nor will an inquiry held in secret, no matter how imminent the accused, satisfy public opinion. will he undergo an undertaking to hold a public inquiry and hold -- and hear evidence under oath? >> we have got to get to the bottom of this. to be fair, this is not the metropolitan police investigating the metropolitan police. one is for ellison qc, who plays a major role in prosecuting those responsible. the second is the chief of the police force. we née to make sure -- we need to make sure they have everything they need. if we need to go further to get to the truth, we will. >> after this spending round is published, will the prime minister assure the house that hmrc will clamp down on tax avoidance like the 700,000 pounds avoided by the party opposite? >> my honorable friend makes a very good point. i have already managed to get it in once and it is a great pleasure to get it in again. tax owe 700,000 pounds of that could be going into schools and hospitals. it is about time they realize what hypocrites they are and paid up the money. >> with 400,000 building lots on, does theuilt prime minister agree that we should put pressure on our knees to start building and making jobs rather than waiting for their profits to increase? >> i agree that we need to do more to encourage businesses to build on the lots they already have. we have taken unprecedented that are making available mortgages to young people. all those initiatives are making a difference and housing stocks are radically up compared with two years ago. i do not rule out taking further steps as well. deservethe government credit for having its cancer drugs fund, which has helped 30,000 cancer patients since 2010? there is growing concern about the lack of clarity regarding its replacement at the beginning of the year. a i am looking at this as matter of urgency. i am very proud of the cancer drugs fund. it has saved many lives and made available drugs to over 30,000 people. it has been expanded to include some treatments. i certainly want to see this as a record that we build on and in no way put at risk. >> last week, the prime minister said that people have forgotten about the bedroom tax. my constituents certainly have not. only 23ty last week, one-bedroom homes were available. them had over 200 applicants. when is the prime minister going to admit that this is not the best way of reducing the housing benefit bill? the spareremoving room subsidy because it is right to be fair between people in private rented accommodation and socially rented accommodation. this is the perfect prelude to the spending review we are about to hear about. are notld us that they going to be responsible about spending, they will accept the cuts that have been made. we here week after week complaining about the difficult decisions we have had to take and promising to reverse them. that is why they have absolutely no credibility whatsoever. >> you have been watching "question time" from the british house of commons. it airs live every wednesday when the house is in session and again on sunday night on c-span. watch any time on c-span.org, where you can find videos of past "question time."