will choose what they wish to have for their priority campaigns for 2016. -- for 2017. this year's youth parliament marks the third year of a memorial award set up in the of one ofe passing the driving forces behind the u.k. youth parliaments of the british youth council. -- he will have the opportunity to vote in two categories. best debate lead speech and best act then charge revision. will takeon of awards place after a reception in january of next year. today's proceedings will be broadcast live on the internet. members of the youth parliaments, as you know, 11:00, we will observe two minutes silence for armistice day. we have a tiny bit of time before then. i just want to take this opportunity to underline what i think should be obvious to you. that everyone here pleasant -- present, i feel is very strongly, the leader of the house of commons, david livingstone, the shadow leader of the house of commons, the minister of the civil society, all of whom work in the service of the house, all of whom work for the british youth council, all of your support workers here present, and many besides, are wishing you well. we are cheering you on. for me toe absurd say, if you know you are going to be speaking or you hope to speak, don't be nervous. of course you will feel a great sense of occasion, and it will be strange if there weren't a real adrenaline running through you. it is right and proper that it should be. but you will, i'm sure, master your nerves rather than allowing your nerves to master you. we are all on your side, very proud here in the search -- in the house of commons to host this event. it's a huge deal, it's an incredibly important fixture in our annual parliamentary calendar. all of us are wishing you to succeed. it's a great day, we have just over a minute to go before we had our two minutes silence for armistice day. we will hear a message read from before we getster into our formal proceedings. let's hope that it is a great day. of justave a countdown over 40 seconds. christina rees, the honorable whose parliamentary assistant will be addressing the chamber. welcome to you. [applause] >> thank you. >> i call the leader of the house of commons, mr. david livingstone. [applause] livingstone: you and i would both agree that the initial greeting that we contrast to welcome the reception we may get from our colleagues during a normal working session. it's appropriate that the session should take place on armistice day. here in westminster, we remember who died, but also the value of parliament, of a democratic and free society, for which they made that sacrifice. and the shields that you see at either end of this chamber have been inscribed to recall the names of those members of the who fell during the first and second world wars, along with those who in recent years who were murdered by terrorists who also sought to attack the democratic values and institutions of this country. those principles of democracy, debate, tolerance, and accountability unite members from all political parties on both sides of this house. in the leader of the house of commons, part of my role is to reaffirm and uphold those ideals. speaker to explain, mr. , a little bit about my job. it has two parts. it is in part, representing the government in parliaments, where i sit as a member of theresa may's cabinet. i'm in charge of managing the governments annual programs. but also representing parliaments in cabinet and in government as a whole. surprise foromes a those who think parliaments and governments are essentially the same thing. under our constitutional system, the government stands on its ability to command the majority here in the house of commons. if it was not for that majority, theask of trying to deliver government and agenda would be a great deal more challenging. matter a parliament to and to play its full role, distinctive role in public life, you would is -- it is essential that it's able to operate as a strong independent institution in its own right. this chamber has been performing that function for hundreds of years. legislation by members, their questions every day to ministers, the work of inquiry by the select resultse's of the house in, we hope, better and more accountable government. and certainly, better quality legislation. at oversight work, that scrutiny by parliament underpins the concept of ministerial accountability. ,hat in the british system ministers, who are themselves members of the legislature also have to come and stand at this dispatch box or at the table and the select committee and be questioned and held to account for the positions they've taken as part of the executive. speaker, the, mr. increased use of the urgent question has made parliament even more responsive to the most pressing matters of the day, even though it occasionally causes a certain amount of discomfort to ministers when they are summoned here at your notice. parliament's ability to reflect the concerns and interest of british citizens depends on its status as a representative institution. historyse has a proud of ensuring that the voices of marginalized and socially excluded groups are heard and reflected in public debate. and it's probably a little-known part of the routines of pretty well every member of parliament, regardless of party, regardless of the part of country they represent, but there weren't brings them into contact, week by week. usually in their constituencies, with people from every part of our society. and we, and that constituency work, have to confront head-on those who are the victims of injustice. those who feel that society in some way is not working for them. as leader of the house, i think that tradition of parliaments is something which it is a vital importance that we uphold, and the government must support. our objective must be nothing short of trying to build a democracy that works for everyone. that objective is ensuring that the voices of young people and their interest are heard loud and clear. and that is why the government and only supports the use parliament and its mission, but also takes an interest in the subjects which you choose to debate. previously, the youth parliament members have debated issues such as mental health, the living wage, and exam refit. these are all extremely important questions. and so, too, are the issues you will be debating later. i will be particularly interested to hear when i read the accounts of today's debate, your consideration of how we might seek to build a better, kinder democracy, to take the wording you will be debating later on. my message to colleagues in the youth parliament is just as the government is committed to engaging with parliaments, so it takes and will continue to take a great interest in the work of the youth parliament too. that is why it is significant and right that the annual sitting takes place where we are right now. this chamber is the heart of the united kingdom's parliamentary democracy. and the fact that these debates take place here send the signal about the importance of the u.k. youth parliament, both the parliamentarians and to the government. mps in theat both house and ministers in whitehall will be listening to hear what you have to say. i hope that you will go away from today not only having enjoyed and relished the experience, but also, with the sense that you will feel confident about communicating to your colleagues and contemporaries that this is their parliament. the problem is me or my colleagues and governments , over colleagues in the opposition, or even of you, mr. speaker. it is the parliament of young people. as much as of anyone else. this is still the place where you can seek to change this in the and the society way that you think it needs to be changed for the better. and of course, there will be many different ideas, contested ideas about what changed for the better actually means. as with the democratic debate is all about. but too often in the united kingdom, the voice of young people is absent. and when the voice and vote of young people's absence, decisions are still taken which affect young people's lives, but which they have not always chosen in significant numbers to help shape, even if the opportunities were there. so i hope he will take that message back, that this is a parliament for you, for all young men and women in this country. seizes opportunities, enjoy today, and help us build that ,etter, more vibrant democracy which those of us here on both sides of the house, even if we are that long of the choose today, also long to see. today, alsohe tooth long to see. [applause] >> thank you. omar to comei forward and rear message from the prime minister. -- and read a message from the prime minister. [applause] >> thank you. i'm from the london borough of ealing. i would like to welcome you to the house of commons, and to the u.k. youth parliament. congratulations to you all for your fantastic achievements in this year's make a mark. i understand that just under one million votes were cast. i know that this represents another year on year increase in the number of young people voting three and's is great to see. thank you all for the effort you have put into this worthwhile democratic campaign. i believe that part of governments role is to build a better and stronger democracy for future generations to participate in. i want the u.k. to be the great meritocracy of the world and a fundamental part of this is ensuring that all young people get the best start in life. i'm determined to build a ,ountry that works for everyone and ensure that young people can go as far as their talent shows, regardless of their background. the u.k. youth from it is a wonderfully inclusive example of democracy in action. you are drawn from all different backgrounds and represents the breath and diversity of our society today. this opportunity is one you can use to build the skills you need to succeed in life. i been part of today's events, you are already on the path to making positive change. is point you make today valuable and it's important that we listen to you. i am further you have a fantastic -- i hope you have a fantastic day. [applause] >> thank you for that. thanks to the prime minister for her support, which is extremely important to the u.k. youth parliament. , order. the youth parliament will now consider the first motion of the day. we must stop cuts that affect the nhs. the full-motion is printed on the order paper. to move the motion, i call from yorkshire, expecting a very warm welcome from you all, ashley gregory. [applause] >> thank you, mr. speaker. beveridgeir william said medical assistance will be provided in the nhs was born. years later, the national health service is provided for town was young people across the country is being risk of putting the bare minimum for the government set out plans for a just to make $22 billion in efficiency savings. the important issue is whether or not this will affect the quality of service is provided. 22 billion is more than double the amount the government spends on the entire transport department or in we mustn't underestimate the scale of savings that are to be made. these savings affect all of you directly. from the amount of time you wait to see your doctor, to the availability of dentist appointment your local authority. in places such as hans field, we've already seen the devastating effects these cuts are having. department close the has been given the go-ahead in order to centralize services to people, meaning meaning are having traveled to further to get this. we must stop for -- future cuts. at the local level, many services are finding the funding they received for patient is reducing. this includes services such as school nursing. surely it is wrong to cut such vital services. surely it is wrong that health -- i believeing this is fundamentally wrong. the u.k.past year, youth parliament has been campaigning to improve mental health services. we have seen some amazing changes. especially in my local area, where we met the service providers. we should continue to improve mental health services across the country. this cannot be possible if we allow these devastating cuts to the nhs to take place. cuts that will dismantle, damage, and dissolve national health service that we all know and love. everyone has mental health and we should not with us at stake. we should be lobbying nhs trusts and unions to protect services specifically for young people. did -- that one available appointment could be the difference between the difference between life and death threatening situation. it may be a complex issue, but that doesn't mean that change is impossible. change happens when you fight for something you believe in. change happened in 1940 81 nhs was founded. change can happen here today in this chamber. said the nhs will last as long as there are folks left with face to fight in it. i ask you a question. do you have the faith to fight for your nhs? thank you. >> [applause] >> ashley, thank you for a fluent and assured start to our proceedings. to oppose the motion, i call from the east of england, hoping and expecting that you will give this speaker and equally enthusiastic and warm welcome, nicholas gardiner. [applause] >> thank you. the national health service is one of the uk's greatest touche and. -- great institutions. based on the core principle that we should protect and preserve. however, it would not be an understatement to say that the nhs is where of the most complicated aspect of government with so many moving parts. and the question i posed to you today is this -- what lasting change can we really make on this sprawling beast? our challenge is great in our time is short. these issues are so complex and so fraught with difficulty to implement in a year spent on this campaign the a spent just trying to get to grips with the issues that face the nhs while facing -- while making no real progress. this campaign against cuts could steer his way from the true issues of the nhs, maintaining high standards for young people to short waiting times, less bureaucracy, or greater services. our doctors and nurses are some of the best in the world. but we must ensure they are able to continue to deliver a high quality of service in this climate of great depression. and the question of quality, mr. speaker, is key. were down toally money, standards matter to every young person across the u.k. writing a blank check doesn't raise standards. we've all had experience of core services as demonstrated in the past mental health campaigns. and should we not aim for an nhs driven by quality of service rather than quantity of money? finally, what would a national campaign look like? services are dealt with a local basis. areties, not countries responsible for many of our services now. an issue to the northeast may not be the same for the southwest. we would struggle to coordinate actual message as we face very different issues from nhs trust to nhs trust. should express our undivided commitments to health the point of use, but this campaign is not the way to do it. and, i am willing to fight for the nhs. but it must be one worth fighting for. not one that may waste money on out of date and aging infrastructure, but one that is efficient, of a high quality, and safer. and it works for every young person and benefits every young person across this great country. thank you. [applause] >> nicholas, thank you. i would like to call the speaker, assuming someone wishes to contribute, from scotland. is there a speaker willing to contribute from scotland? not if you don't want to. yes, very well. >> resenting glasgow and west scotland. clear to ensure the poverty and pain and suffering before the war. to think that we can't fix it in just a year, of course we can't fix it in just a year. service, wen ensure have to support it. the nhs is not one of the most important institutions, it is the most important institution in the united kingdom, and we should do everything we can to protect her. [applause] >> who want to contribute from wales? not if you don't want to. no? you do wish to contribute. taylor.amuel the nhs is one of the united kingdom's national treasures. it is a unique virtue of our amazing country. very few countries have a health care system like our own. and therefore, we need to preserve it. and work towards stopping cuts that affect our nhs. feel very strongly about this as i am in that original constituency. he worked so very hard to improve our health care system. we should work equally as hard to help preserve our health care system. thank you. [applause] >> thank you. every year, i always strive an almost hard to get exact gender balance. so far, we have not heard from women. what about the west midlands? have we got a female speaker from the west midlands? no, not in this debate. in that case, would look somewhere else. who have we got it wishes to contribute from the southeast? yes, the young woman here. please. >> the u.k. economy is much weaker. cuts are constantly being made to the services and is transforming as this is, is not achievable. if even our mps cannot protect the nhs from in cut down, how are we at the youth probably going to influence the government to make such a proposal? our votes onus where we already see a change. [applause] >> thank you. what about the northeast of england? anyone want to contribute from the northeast? is at the heart and soul of each of our lives. from every birth to every death. dealing with the physical and emotional pain that we suffer. to fund the nhs is not just a fund services that we need, it is to fund our future. is, we have to think about what we want from our nhs. i know for sure that i would like a guaranteed free service throughout my life for me, for all young people, and to everybody that deserves it. [applause] >> thank you, hannah. that was a wonderfully distinct speech. in the speech delivered without a note. that was outstanding. well done you. have we got anybody wanting to get to be to this debate from northern ireland? not from northern ireland. ok. who have we got from london who wants to take part in this debate? the young woman at the back with a black jacket and yellow dress. >> thank you, mr. speaker. did you know that the nhs uses over -- sees one million patient over 36 hours in the nhs approximately deals with 54.3 million patient in england alone. 6 million patients in the course of england. cutting funding to nhs inadvertently affect every single one of us here today. not only does the nhs provide considerable amounts of employment, but the u.k.'s dependency on such a critical service that makes it so important. cuts to the nhs should be considered similar because we would fall apart without it. [applause] >> how about a contributor from the east midlands? the unmanned here. -- the young man here. >> i myself love the nhs, i would like to get my respect to the work of the nhs who provide world-class care, even in dire economic times. the nhs is firmly in the hands of the regular members of parliament who sit in this chamber and i feel the nhs is not an issue that should be addressed by young people when they are better uses for the youth parliaments time. toill be voting myself restrain the issues to the campaign and i call upon you want to do the same. withovernment is dealing the economy and i feel you parliament cannot do anything than is currently being achieved. one thing we can do, however, is tackle discoloration. in my opinion, the more important campaign of fighting determination at the heart of society means every fiber of our being and time. [applause] >> thank you. surely there is someone from the northwest? >> [laughter] a as many asy in we can. in the red dress. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i amme is victoria and from this constituency. me topic does not surprise it came in the top five. as you can tell, a lot of the young people feel like we need to do something about this. of course a cut to the nhs is something very important. but do we have the power and do we have the influence to be able to make this decision with the parliament to stop these cuts? as i said before, it's not the parliament the does the cuts come as the counties. the counties have to decide. i think as a young elected representative, that we have much more important issues to deal with like vote to 16 and cutting -- stopping cuts to services. then something like stopping cuts to nhs. in my opinion, and in the opinion of many people here, i assume, we don't have the power to stop the cuts. thank you. [applause] about yorkshire and humberside? the gentleman nearest to me. with a longish hair. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i would like to highlight the fact that as members of united kingdom youth parliament, we are a neutral organization. i must say that cuts are , toerity member -- measure some it's the answer and to others austerity is some terrible behemoth that must be slain. you, how can we hope to approach a tremendous issue in a neutral, certainly unbiased fashion -- [indiscernible] [applause] the sizablet delegation from london? yes, the young woman here. >> thank you, mr. speaker i represent the london borough. stopping thefeel cuts to the nhs is important is not just because maybe there are affecting people's physical health, but under these services, we have mental health provisions, which are already underfunded. and they already are suffering. and that means young people aren't getting the services that they need in order to treat their mental health issues, or even just ask for help or seek help for these issues. cutso in the u.k., when against the nhs are made, the nhs is therefore unable to add funding to mental health services, which is already underfunded. by cutting it even more, we are therefore having another effect on all the young people who suffer with mental health issues that are trying to seek help from the nhs, but cannot because there are no provisions available, with or isn't enough, which is why i really feel strongly that we should vote on this motion. thank you. [applause] flex thank you. -- >> thank you. west midlands? yes, the gentleman there. , and i have been getting concerned with this. if you add up the shortfall of funding for the nhs, for this year, it's probably around 6 million. around 6 billion. now, for't do it certain we will be able to do it in the coming years. the second problem is the psychological presser for future medics. especially the young ones who are thinking about it. that isuge presser affecting their attitudes. slightlyservices are affected disproportionately, for example, under 11% less school nurses, i believe, this year. so. [applause] >> thank you. now, was there a large group from the northwest? the tendency for demonstrative tends to each year for those in uncontrollable excitement. [laughter] we look forward to hearing from you. please. drastic impacta on my life, as someone who is disabled. it had a drastic impact on my dad's life, who had a brain hemorrhage. campaign,his one-year our campaigns only last one year. we will be doing nhs a disservice by campaigning for only one year. we can't really do anything. it is a lifelong campaign that we should all be fighting for our entire lives. we already stand for this issue. campaign, weour are just wasting money, because we cannot do something in one year, and there are much more important issues on here where we can do something in one year. it would just be a waste. a waste of our time and effort. [applause] >> thank you. thank you very much indeed. scotland, again, in the matter. yes, the young woman there? >> molly, northeast scotland. our generational at, that was the response that was received from the young people of the nation when we asked them -- what do you think of mental health? you, as english, we are facing a fundamental crisis in our mental health services. i really strongly believe that we can help young people, if you choose it. that hasatter devolved, but imagine what we can do with a nationwide stop mental health cuts. does no need to cut funding from the nhs if it has survived this long. if we can find funding to take people out and to fight and caring, surely we can find funding to six -- to secure our nhs. i urge you to do this in the national campaign for england. [applause] >> thank you very much indeed. parts ine are only two the u.k. so far that have not been listed as speaker. i'm going to have another go. can i persuade anyone from the sweat -- from the southwest? there is a young woman there brandishing her documents. if i could encourage people to say their name? that would be great. >> i am carol lewis. the nhs deals with everyday emergencies and very heartfelt problems. i would like to thank the juniors that came to my previous to teach cpr, a very valuable skill. [applause] that happened all over the country in our constituencies, but they were not heard. it is not just fights for currents that target the rural young people for whom over the years services have been decimated. can we help? i would like to find the members who take strong interest and passion in mental health and physical health and everything else that nhs covers. looking into young people's mental health. we need to fight for the unheard. fight for the one in four. for those of us today by date -- day by day need help and don't get it. we should encourage our generation into medicine, into medical fields, valuable fields indeed. enough by saying that we cannot do that for ourselves. thank you, mr. speaker. [applause] >> thank you very much. immediately thought of my colleague, rebecca powell, a most active member of this place ,nd if you are as active she is you are taking a very active and conscientious interest indeed. i'm going to make one last effort in this debate to attract a speaker from northern ireland. yes? perhaps the young woman towards the back? thank you. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i agree that the nhs is an important service and we should be able to adopt the freedom to deliberate. but energy is not the only service soon-to-be cost. what about the fire, police, the schools? austerity is dominating public services. i agree that it's very important to fund the nhs, we must fund all of our public services. to if wee supposed don't put any money into them? i do agree that you should fund the nhs. think twice about not funding or other public services. thank you. [applause] >> thank you very much indeed from that. we've had participants from all parts of the country and that's extremely welcome. to conclude the debate -- >> the youth of england [indiscernible] [public groaning] >> summative from the back benches, ferry -- very fair point. we have a contributor for the front bench on east of england, if there is a backbench contributor, i should be delighted to hear him or her. [laughter] heckled.t's a fair it's what we call an orderly hackle. ok, this gentleman here. thank you. >> thank you, mr. speaker. the nhs is a fundamental part of the united kingdom. it is a very british organization. losing [indiscernible] "great britishng bake-off" on the bbc. groaning] >> i'm proud to say my grandmother served in the nhs and i'm so proud of my aunt, who serves in the nhs. these are our future jobs. members who are currently stop -- studying a-levels, whatever you study, your future jobs are at stake, but also the jobs of people currently working in the nhs. it is completely underfunded. remember, it is our future. now, it is a critical part of british infrastructure. that no matter whoever you are, black, white, gay, straight, rich, poor, we all have free access to health care. all of our teachers have access. so that all of our religious leaders have access. so that your transport drivers have access. so that our politicians have access. groups, the and a chest provides to the mall. it isn't gentleman, we have been given each other rounds of deserve but i don't applause. i've simply strung together some words and sentences to represent our constituents. if you want to give, give it to your doctors, your nurses, your juniors. [applause] >> thank you. thank you very much indeed for that speech. i'm so glad that we had an additional backbench speaker from the east of england as opposed to the people from the front bench. now, to conclude the debate, i call and ask you very enthusiastically to welcome from the east midlands, florence orchard. [applause] >> thank you. i don't know about you, but when i first heard about this, i wasn't really sure about the issue. i know how it impacts the people. after all, what even is the cpd? 22 billion? where did that number even come from? get over 100,000 young people to put itd it enough in the box in a hope to make it our national campaign. we simply cannot ignore it. the great one of british achievements and we have some of the most health care -- amazing health care professionals in the world. it's clear that we all care thet it and want to maketh best service that it can possibly be. however, many believe it's already underfunded. these will likely overstretch the nhs. if this happens, it will directly impact you all. times toer waiting potential closings to the likelihood of maintaining quality services being very low. this is a brand-new and exciting campaign that we as a youth parliament could come together to work on, to fight the changes to our nhs and guarantee a positive environment for all of those who are ill. in this campaign there is the opportunity to focus on a new issue while working our previous work. but no one can dispute that the nhs is an extremely complicated structure and could be too much to try to combat within one year. but local authorities are becoming more independent and in the case of manchester, there is the question as to whether the should be a local campaign instead of a national one. those already in place should be working with the organizations, but should they leave them to it? do the two -- due to the complexity of health service it might be wiser to spend the time and painting on a different issue. furthermore, some believe that this campaign is unnecessary as it has been committed to spending 27% of its budget on the nhs. yes, this 22% will maintain the current state of the nhs, for the moment, but by taking increasing population size into account, it's only a short-term solution. if we work together to show our passion for the issue on social media, we have the potential to create stable nhs for the long-term. nypd, today it falls to you. too ambitious?n or is it worth it create the amazing change? thank you. [applause] thee will now proceed to second motion of the day, members of the youth parliament. , votes for 16 and 17-year-olds in all public elections. the full motion is printed on the order paper. to move the motion i call and ask you warmly to welcome from scotland, jack [indiscernible] applause]d >> thank you, mr. speaker. hello, my name is jack and i'm 17. i did vote in faith and i cannot begin to emphasize what an honor it was to cast my ballot. that every i believe single 16 and 17-year-old in this country should also be able to vote. lowering the voting age comes down to two things, maturity and marginalization. we know what 16 and 17-year-olds can contribute. but smoking isn't voting. voting is a civil rights issue. can offer much more to our society. most of us are making major decisions about our future and many of us already do offer much .ore by voting responsibly they we are phrases in interest of current affairs. parliament we can transform this interest into direct political engagement. you can help to create lasting and helpnt to turn out create the more representative democracy that we so desperately need. as i sit in the heart of this democracy, we are also sitting together as the voices that should be represented in this democracy. the 2014 scottish referendum proved, if you give us responsibility we will cast it on public dates. the teenagers outside the polling stations, three or four, it was that day that led to the scottish parliament unanimously lowering the voting age. we find ourselves in the absurd situation -- if you are a 16-year-old lad, you can vote for a counselor next may. if you are allowed just 30 miles down the road in carlisle, you can't. fault -- following the eu referendum, we create that we marginalization. opportunity is also here. extending the franchise is no longer just about voting. it is about reversing the trend of the marginalization of young people and making sure that thernment benefits from legitimacy and oversight of all of its citizens. we are here to debate and decide between five great topics. bear this in mind. gaining the right to vote at 16 but give us all the power to seek change to our education service. the power to seek change to our trans -- transport systems. the power to seek change to our health service