attend the meeting of the golf council. dating livingstone stood in for her. this is 40 minutes. questions to the prime minister. dr. philip of wexford. question number one, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i've been asked to reply. my right and honorable friend the prime minister is extending the golf council in our rain. council in bahrain. >> yesterday signing of a memorandum of understanding a hugethe reality of boost to the aerospace industry. jointhe u.k. government the scottish government in getting this off the ground. but i can assure the honorable lady that the government is looking keenly at the opportunities for scotland and for the whole united kingdom emerging from the development of commercial space operations. it will be examined very closely by those of my ministerial colleagues who are particularly concerned with this area of policy. we want to see the u.k. as a pioneering force and opportunity. speaking of rail passengers trying to get to their jobs, the union has done a move for resigning for trying to return. tell the rnc that 250 people putsyour teeth employment the passengers at risk. i'm sure my honorable friend will be speaking on behalf of many thousands of rail and many others in the south of england. disappointing that some unions are threatening to strike over the christmas period. the government is investing record amounts into our old ways and we need everyone in industry to work together to secure the best deals. i have to say, their action shows coordinated content. do nothingesigned to but bring damage to people's lives. there's some heckling on the bench. party, mr. speaker, is on the side of rail passengers. i hope that the party opposite will join me in saying to the real union leaders, sorted out, put the traveling public purse -- first and tell your members to get back to work. [cheers] >> thank you, mr. speaker. i am sure the whole house would like to join me today in commemorating the 75th anniversary of the pearl harbor attack where thousands of american service personnel and civilians died. the next day, service personnel and civilians died. winston churchill summoned parliament to debate the british response. and when he did, he said this. it is indispensable to us, the parliament should play its full part in all important acts of the state. these words are a vital reminder that even in this time of crisis, especially at a time of national crisis the role of parliament is central and in the same spirit we welcome the government decision to accept our motion today that they will show parliament their plan for brexit before article 50 is triggered. so can i ask a central question about this plan? does the government want the uk to remain part of the customs union? >> mister speaker, can i first of all join the honorable lady opposite in marking the anniversary of pearl harbor in remembering all of those who lost their lives at that time but also marking with a sense of celebration fact that prime minister abe is joining president obama, the first japanese prime minister so to do, i think that kind of reconciliation put the ancient conflict behind is a welcome one. the latest point about europe the government always made it , clear we would seek to give additional clarity, the earliest opportunity. it has been the case the prime minister has said many times that one of our core objectives is to seek your maximum freedom for access to and operate in the single european model. -- for british companies to have access to and operate in the single european model. >> i thank the leader of the house but respectfully say to him that on this issue the answer should be straightforward. we know it would be a disaster to british business if we do not remain part of the customs union. as the leader of the house himself said in february, everything we take for granted, trade without customs checks, paperwork at national frontier would all be up in the air. it is massive what is at risk. on this side of the house we , agree with him, we couldn't agree with him more. can he put it beyond doubt right now today, tell us does the government want the uk to stay in the customs union? >> the honorable lady and i both argued passionately for the remaining course during the referendum. what separates us now is i am part of a conservative government which is working together to respect the democratic purpose. [shouting] the best possible outcome for the prosperity and security of the entire united kingdom from those negotiations where the honorable lady, even a few shehs ago, was telling us wanted to go back to the british people in some way. she needs to decide whether she accepts the democratic verdict or not. >> of course we accept the democratic decision of the british public. of course we did. the difference between our side of the house and that side is we want to leave the european union on behalf of 100%, the whole of this nation. we need to have a straightforward answer to a straightforward question because leaving the customs union would mean having to check every container coming in at dover. it would mean uk firms proving their origin tests and whenever export -- whenever they export to europe it would mean chaos , and rigor, cross-border supply chain and as leader of the house in may about land and the experts -- exports, they get here free. they go without any extra checks and we cannot guarantee any of that. again, on the site we agree with , the question is does he still what he said six months ago. the question is does he still agree with himself? >> the honorable ladies, rather that there has been significant referendums since that changes february. the context in which we are now having to operate. we face a deep, challenging, wide-ranging negotiation and it would be harmful to the national interest for me or other ministers to engage in the sort of detailed exposition of negotiating which is pressing upon me. none of the other 27 government is doing that nor should we. >> we are not looking for details. we are asking about the sensible like of the negotiations. if he cannot give us an answer on the customs union as a whole. >> order. the questions and answers will be heard. if the juvenile behavior could stop, that would be really helpful to the scrutiny process. italy are very. thornberry. >> we don't get an answer on the whole of the customs union can i ask a question about one specific point. since 1993, there have been no customs checks on the land border between northern ireland and the irish republic. in when visiting northern may, ireland's the right , honorable gentlemen said if the uk was not part of the customs union, there would have to be custom checks at the border and for anyone to pretend otherwise would be, and i quote, flying in the face of reality. can he confirm this remains the position and if that is right he really must today make it clear that this is something government is determined to avoid. >> the prime minister and the secretary have repeatedly made it clear, as indeed does the irish government, want to see the very long-standing common travel arrangements and free trade arrangements across the irish border continued. we are actively engaged in talking to northern ireland executive and the government of the republic of ireland about those matters was there is -- those matters. there is goodwill on all those sides to reach solutions that work for people north and south of the border. emily thornberry. >> the leader of the house made the familiar argument that he can't give and it and it is all to be resolved, brexit means brexit. that is not what he said when asked about the customs union in he said, quote, we have looked september. at this matter carefully and that is exactly the sort of decision we will resolve before we trigger article 50. if the government is going to decide the position on these issues before can the leader of march 31, the house confirm the britishpeople and the parliament will be given answers to my questions before they tell the rest of europe? >> if it sounds familiar it is because we need constant repetition before the honorable lady will understand and appreciate. the government is at the moment engaged in a consultation with more than 50 sectors of united kingdom business to ascertain precisely which aspects of european membership work well for them, which they see as harmful, where the opportunities beyond eu membership lie. we will come to a decision and go into negotiations on behalf of of the full 100% of the united kingdom population and all four nations of the united kingdom. >> the fact is, he knows this, we all know it, he can consult as much as he likes that the answer will come back, we should be part of the customs team, it -- which should be part of the customs union. it is hugely disappointing that on a day when the government is committing to greater transparency on his intentions for brexit we are getting the usual stonewalling. we have a government that is promising to tell us the plan while refusing to give us answers to the most basic questions. we have a government promising to give parliament a say when we don't know how much taxpayer money is being spent across the road and the supreme court trying to stop parliament having a say. in short we have a government that cannot tell us the plan because they do not have a plan. [shouting] >> and the leader of the house february, says when he was hearing from the leads campaign, confusing, contradictory nonsense. my final question is this. are we hearing anything different from this government today? >> mister speaker, we will publish before article 50 is triggered a statement about negotiating strategy and objectives. the prime minister said yesterday but the honorable lady is in a state of utter denial about the consequences that flow from the referenda decision. no other eu government is seeking to reverse or question the legitimacy of that vote in the way she and a number of colleagues are trying to do but that indicates how distant the labour party now is from any aspiration. we watch them in action, like "mutiny on the bounty" as reshot by the karaoke team. -- as reshot by the carrion team. >> order! i want to hear the words flowing. no reason the chair should be denied the hearing of these matters. it is very important. they are rudderless, drifting on europe as are so many other aspects of policy. it is little wonder so many decent working people who for generation looked to labor to be there champion have given up in despair and returning to this party for working families. [shouting] >> paul blackman. speaker, in 1943, a 16-year-old girl was supposed to be taken to auschwitz where she witnessed the horrors of the death camps. on liberation she came to this , country with her mother where she raised a family and became a nurse. she dedicated her life to making sure the people of this country and beyond know the horrors of the holocaust. last week that lady turned 90 , and kitty hawk norton is with us for prime minister's question time. my right honorable friend. [applause] >> will my right honorable friend join with me and the whole house in wishing kitty a very happy belated birthday and thanking her for her lifetime of dedication to raising this important issue and pay tribute to the holocaust educational trust who do everything possible so that we all remember the horrors of the worst part of the 20th century. >> mister speaker, i am grateful to my honorable friend for raising this important issue and i would like to join him in marking the achievements of the holocaust educational trust and kitty hawk martin. i can never forget the impact of discovering as a schoolboy the two of the boys in my class had fathers who survived auschwitz. it is only a couple generations ago that europe was plunged into this unspeakable horror and it is important not just the educational trust but all of us play our part to ensure the memory of the holocaust lives on and the wider lessons of that period in our history are learned. i would be grateful to all members right across the house and all political parties for their support in working together to ensure this work continues. >> the most deprived communities in the country are in glasgow. we learned apparently the government plans to close job centers in those very communities. in particular bridgeton, in easter house, and likely, and phlegm and maryhill. is it true that the government is planning to close these important offices and add misery to tens of thousands of people in glasgow who use these centers? >> the department of work and pensions, like every government department, does look from time to time at the number of offices it has but the right honorable gentlemen makes a reasonable point on behalf of people in glasgow. i will ask my right honorable friend, the welfare pension secretary to contact him with details. >> robertson. >> i'm sorry mr. speaker, that's not good enough. >> absolutely. [shouting] >> being heckled when dealing holdcommunities does not tory members well. the leader of the house is correct to say that the department will work as have planned to cut this date by 20 percent. what they're planning to do to --ckout is -- blackout 60%.ow is why are they trying to cut job and -- why is this government planning to disproportionately cut vital job centers in some of the most deprived communities in our country? >> the key element in such decision is not the rot number of offices but how accessible the offices and services they provide continue to be to the people who need to use them and i am confident that it is that criteria, my right honorable friend's thinking in planning for the future in scotland and everywhere else. >> thank you, mister speaker. cutting to the choice facing cap and utter misery in the autumn and this year is worse than ever. canceling overcrowded trains, stranded in stations and being made for work and school. will my right honorable friend outline what measurements the government is taking to penalize poor performing train operators? >> can i express my sympathy to my honorable friend and her constituents and all passengers who come across these problems. it is clearly unacceptable and it is important that the operator work hard to secure a rapid and sustained improvement. the government has introduced new rules to ensure rail passengers will soon claim compensation if the train is more than 15 minutes late but as the transport secretary said yesterday more needs to be done , and you need to see closer work across the railway industry so this kind of problem can be solved more swiftly than in the past. >> does the leader of the house agree with the honorable members of northeast somerset that brexit offers an opportunity to remove pesky emissions standards . in the red, white and blue of brexit will his government still commit to protect our environment or will tackling global warming just become a load of hot air? >> the government remains utterly committed to both national and global ambitions and target when it comes to climate change. indeed my right honorable friend , the current home secretary in a previous job played a key role in brokering the paris agreement last year. the first ever global agreement on climate change. hope,norable lady, i would welcome the fact that we are now going to be ahead of our target and ambitions in delivering on the proportion of electricity provided by renewables and continuing to work to get it down. >> thank you, mister speaker. there has been much talk recently about paying for access to a terror free single market. to a tariff free single market. given the u.k. is the fifth biggest economy in the world and we have a 17 billion pounds trade deficit with the eu with the excellent acting prime minister tell the house how much the european union should pay for access to the united kingdom? [shouting] >> i would like to say thank you to my honorable friend for the upgrade although that is a very limiting compliment. i suspect he makes a good point , in that a settlement at the end of our negotiation which maintains maximum access to the freedom to operate within the european market for uk companies elsewhere in europe and european companies here is in our mutual interest and i hope that will inspire negotiators on both sides. >> mister speaker, my constituency, one of the most deprived parts of the country helped my constituents find a job? to careerfurther centers will hurt people of the lowest income and the increase of sanctions is why does the government contact the most vulnerable? >> if the government has been targeting the poorest and most vulnerable it is in getting them back to work in record numbers and in providing a boost to the pay of people through the introduction and increase in the national living wage. i wish the honorable gentlemen was prepared to welcome and celebrate those achievements. >> we are about to commence the most important negotiation for decades, my right honorable -- does my right honorable friend agree that the government being forced to expose these negotiation strategies at this stage is rather like showing you a hand of cards to your opponent before game of poker, take no advice from the party opposite, only have one part to play, that is always a joke. [shouting] >> mr. speaker, we have obviously come forward with some details about the strategy of the negotiation. it would harm us if we are going to go into the detailed negotiationof our that our opposition urges upon us. that is not how any of the other governments are acting and we should learn from that example. would the people of the house agree that tonight's vote on the prime minister's amendment is a vote of the highest significance and greatest importance because the first time members of this house have the opportunity to vote on whether they respect the will of the people of the united kingdom and whether they will and then implementing people can read who stands by respecting the people of the united kingdom. -- would he agreed also agreed that the more red, white, and blue he makes it, the better for us on the union offensive. >> the right and honorable at often, makes a powerful and important point. the vote tonight will be the first for members of this house to decide whether or not they support the government's timetable triggering article 50 the end of march 2017. and any right and honorable member who votes against that motion will, in my view, be seeking to thwart the outcome of the referendum in the most undemocratic manner. mr. speaker, this country's nuclear deterrence is our ultimate defense and must be maintained. yet hundreds of my constituents work at the atomic weapons company are on strike. these are people who devoted their entire lives depending on the color defense. clear defense. can we ensure those promises are being kept? that the primee minister is informed about this matter. you are right to waive these concerns. my understanding, mr. speaker, if the proposed changes of the atomic weapon scheme is under consideration. my friend the defense secretary has been in contact with awb and the trade unions. they are viewing other developments to see what might be done. >> and is a whole house will join me in sending their heartfelt constituent -- the man who took his own life when he tried to sign on to the job center. shortly before taking his own life, he told his mom, the way they treat people, there is no wonder you would commit suicide. will the leader of the house undertake a review into this individual case and stop the brutal welfare reform and look at the way the u.k. is treating its most vulnerable? mr. speaker, can i express underserved since before the family. come and a family should have to go through that kind of shocking experience. clearly, any human being in any sometimes maken decisions that get things wrong. departmentthe work to take a look at the particular case she has described. i have to say to her the principal remains right. while staff should always behaved with courtesy, it is also right that we should expect people who are receiving benefits to be subject to the kind of disciplines that apply to people at work even if they are on low pay. there is a principle of fairness. applaud the prime minister's that we very clear of supporting the principal increasing the principal ab road. we very much encouraged businesses to act under john's recommendations. >> thank you, mr. speaker. destined for their departments have been diverted within their constituency 61 times within the last 12 months. a hospital schedules to downgrade next year. in light of evidencing the field cannot currently cope, the leader of the house pledge urgent support from the government to keep ane open? we certainly busier than we ever have been in history, which is my i why it should stil be of interest. any percent of people going are still being seen within -- 90% of the people going are still being seen within the four hour target. these need to be driven by local technicians who are working together with the ccg, the people who actually manage and understand what is needed within each locality. the local authorities for each health committee has the right to call in, proposed changes to the services and proposed to the secretary of state if they are uncomfortable with it. >> thank you, mr. speaker. >> i know my right honorable friend will share with me my respect for the economy. it is usually important to the wealth of british culture and economy. will my honorable friend reaffirmed his government's commitment to protect the budget ? >> we are fully committed to the future wealth language forecasting. i am pleased to say that the licensing settlement we have agreed has given financial certainty protecting funding at more than 74 million pounds a year for the next five years. we will ensure that we continue to serve welsh speaking audiences across the u.k. >> is the leader of the house aware of the talks, of women being raped, and houses being burned to the ground? what representations has this government made to the burmese authorities? >> those reports are extremely concerning.a as the honorable lady knows, there is a long history of discrimination against the pe ople in burma. both british ministers and the british embassy, the officials in london, make our concern very clear at regular intervals to the burmese authority. my constituency is now closed. three other groups have now been rated. two others are now under inspection. concerns have been raised about these care homes for many years. it cannot be exempt of provoke the action that was desperately needed. does the leader of the house agree with me that it is now time to originally review the role of the cdc to ensure that in the future, concerns raised are properly and promptly addressed? >> i think that old and horrible people deserve the highest -- old and vulnerable people deserve the highest quality of care with excitations. the cqc does have extensive powers to make sure that nobody in the chain of responsibility is immune against legal accountability. i would expect the cqc to exercise those powers in full in this case. but he has made some criticisms of the cqc, and the government has been looking into ways to increase its sufficiency. we discussed this issue with the he cqc earlier today. is obtainedcking through emissions. will you support the council of europe's call for the banning of fracking, or at least the maximum of 1% of fugitive emissions? >> no, mr. speaker. the government took its position to give a go-ahead to fracking after extensive consideration to both the economic and environmental risks and opportunities involved. we are confident that fracking can be carried out in a way that is safe, in a way that does not harm the environment, and all d provides job opportunities and makes this country less dependent upon importing. >> i expect my right honorable friend will be astonished, if not aghast to learn that a succession from journalists from the bbc have contacted me, seeking to manufacture stories of backbench rebellion. >> i would hear about these activities. mr. baker, will he agree with me, that on these controversial issues the bbc should stick to obligations on accuracy and impartiality, instead of seeking to create problems with the government? thatr. speaker, i'm sure hta my honorable friend is shocked, that thehocked, thought that anybody could look to him as a source of information on rebellion against the government. i think you will find comfort that the new chartered agreement is the first time impartiality has been enshrined in the bbc. >> having not received a response to the prime minister, i wish to be told that the social fund can provide a simpler and successful solution. the answer is insensitive. leader of the house the of 30 to facilitate a meeting between myself, -- has the houser of the the authority to facilitate a meeting between myself and t the prime minister? burying a child is -- it must be incredibly painful for any family. and i think all of us would want to pay respect to, and have enormous sympathy with the honorable member. she speaks on behalf of of thousands of parents who have to go through that anguish. as the prime minister said, there are mechanisms in place for financial support from central government to be available, and local authorities are of course, and many of them do waive funeral fees for child burials. colleagues to my about the honorable lady's request for a meeting and i am sure she will receive a response to that. >> mr. speaker. it is incredibly frustrating for my constituents that operates 63 services a day between birmingham and bristol. would my right honorable friend ensure that the minister extends the train operator's franchise to go on treating lancaster like a leper, and provide the service but every city deserves? >> my honorable friend, he is as always speaking on behalf of his constituents. any of us who have been to block cster knows that it is a place you want to go to frequently and easily. with regards to a particular minister isreign working to see how the service can be improved. >> order. >> you have been watching prime minister's questions from the british house of commons. watch live on wednesdays at 7:00 a.m. eastern and 4:00 a.m. pacific on c-span 2, or anytime at www.c-span.org, where you can video of prime minister questions and under british public affairs programs. tomorrow a discussion on what progressives can do to advance their agenda during a donald trump administration. speakers include officials