to sinn fein. the situation that we have been dealing with in the course of recent years is unacceptable. i have now called a halt to dup arrogance and if the dup think in the aftermath of an election that they're going to step back into ministerial positions, short of resolving the critical issues, some of which i have identified, during the course of this conversation, then they're living in a fool's paradise. this is bbc news, the headlines at lipm: we've just been listening to martin mcguinness and the reasons for his decision to design as deputy first minister. the ongoing scandal involving arlene foster. let me speak to the spokesperson for the dup and westminster. is an election now inevitable? that depends on how

they intend to push the issue. there are solutions which have been offered by the party, arlene foster will go and give evidence at a public enquiry which will be totally independent and i'm waiting to find out what the failures were in drawing up the scheme and how it came about. a whole range of people we re came about. a whole range of people were involved in this. including civil servants, consultants and the assembly committee, ofgem and others and this week she was going to bring forward a paper to the executive indicating how the issue can be resolved and overspends dealt with. if this is true about trying to sort out what happened and how we resolve it, then i believe in place there is the opportunity to do that. i

suppose that we could be going towards an election. you know better than either that is what it appears to be. i know what martin mcguinness said in that interview there, where he brought in the consideration and legacy issues, the money for an inquest, the demand for government released papers, and releasing information about the activities of soldiers and security forces in northern ireland during the troubles and the soldiers in -- it is —— it is no longer an issue between the dup but the british government. arlene foster says that if people think she is playing a game of chicken they are wrong to do so. but she has said that if there is an

election, there is an election. is that their view? if sinn fein decide not to pick someone up as deputy first minister, then the inevitable outcome is that there will be an election. i think that the public would be amused about calling the election seven months after we had one to the assembly in the middle of winter. if there is the opportunity for a full and independent public enquiry into what happened with rhi, and if there is a solution where the minister brides to be executive, i would have thought in the public eye, that would be the main outcome that they would be looking for, that we find out how it went wrong, who is responsible for it going wrong, and how it can be dealt with. and,

anyone who calls an election and turns their back on that kind of opportunity, i think, turns their back on that kind of opportunity, ithink, the turns their back on that kind of opportunity, i think, the public will not look upon that favourably. ido will not look upon that favourably. i do not know if you saw martin mcguinness speaking moments ago, he does not look well. i know there have been questions surrounding his health. he missed a visit to china, and he's not been that many news conferences later. whilst many would say it is not something to speculate upon, do you think that his health plays a part? i've no doubt, in northern ireland, there has been speculation for four northern ireland, there has been speculation forfour or northern ireland, there has been speculation for four or five weeks that he was going to step down anyhow because of his health issues. and sinn fein have made no secret about his health issues. what i do think is particularly cynical regarding this... i think there is

an excuse. . . regarding this... i think there is an excuse... he stressed that. if there is an election, what is the future. montt in the next month or so? if there's going to be an election, there no deputy first minister, and the executive cannot continue. again, there's an irony there, and the overspend on this will continue. for that period of time. i think that it is in everyone's interests to comeback from the brink this one, and we've worked very hard to achieve that. including the offer of the enquiry

having access to all of the departmental papers and inquests and those involved, regarding the rhi, and legislation to deal with it. isn't it too late for that? isn't that exactly what they were saying arlene foster should have asked for from the beginning and if she set that up we would not be in the position we are in now? part of the story is about making national headlines now but this has gone on for several weeks back in northern ireland, at the very start of this process , ireland, at the very start of this process, the offer was made. the minister for the process, the offer was made. the ministerfor the economy process, the offer was made. the minister for the economy sat down before christmas, with the department of finance and officials to look at the solution. it was not easy to find and there are legal intricacies here. but a lot of hard

work has gone on in the last six weeks. it is not a last—gasp to resolve this but when it became an issue, these things take time to come to the kinds of solutions that you want. thank you for your time. joining me now from belfast is our correspondent, stephen walker. does it mean an election to the assembly is inevitable? yes, unless they can find a replacement to martin mcguinness. sinn fein made it clear that they would not nominate a deputy first minister, they need a first minister. as it stands, arlene foster from the dup first minister. as it stands, arlene fosterfrom the dup is first minister. as it stands, arlene foster from the dup is that, first minister. as it stands, arlene fosterfrom the dup is that, and it had martin mcguinness as the deputy first ministerfor sinn fein. that is how they power show, you need those two jobs in is how they power show, you need those twojobs in place is how they power show, you need those two jobs in place and as of 5pm tonight, we will not have a

deputy first minister meaning that cannot function. there are seven days and the clock is ticking to get a replacement. sinn fein made it clear that they will not renominate, there won't be a replacement for martin mcguinness and it seems inevitable we are heading for fresh elections for a new assembly. how surprised are you that it has come to this? not really, this story has been rumbling in northern ireland for the last few weeks. it was a big story before christmas, there was an investigation by the bbc spotlight programme, in all of the newspapers here and there was political pressure on arlene foster to step aside. all of the parties at stormont said she should step aside and she was the only individual and party who said she should remain. it is no real surprise. sinn fein had a big meeting in belfast over the weekend where the issue was discussed. not an entire surprise, whether there is an appetite for

people out there for fresh elections is another matter entirely but clearly sinn fein have felt that arlene foster's position was incredible, they could not continue and as of 5pm tonight, martin mcguinness will not be deputy first minister. we heard from him minutes ago, there were questions from reporters about his health. tell us how that is an issue and whether it is one? sinn fein have referred to this, nobody has gone into great detail about his health. sinn fein president gerry adams referred to his health. martin mcguinness has not been as visible in the public eye in recent weeks but behind—the—scenes it is clear that he's been involved in discussions. sinn fein say it is not an issue and he's been involved in discussions and meetings and he's been at his desk. but it is clearly an issue to a lot of people in the party as they have referred to it on a number of occasions. many thanks for your time. theresa may has used her first policy speech of the year to say she wants to make government a force for good, and use the opportunity of brexit to fundamentally change britain.

and she's highlighted the treatment of those suffering from mental illness as one of the "burning injustices" she wants to correct. mrs may set out a series of measures aimed at changing attitudes to mental health in england — and improving services. here's our health correspondent, elaine dunkley. there are no words for what it does to a family. shock is not the word, it is just your whole reality is blown to pieces. in 2014, doctor sangeeta mahajan‘s son took his own life. he was just 20 years old and had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. ten weeks later he was dead. they don't discharge patients with adequate information, the doors were closed for us. we were told to either go to a&e or your gp and it is the only way we can come back, we had no direct access back to the specialist services. that is wrong. the prime minister, theresa may, has described mental health care as a burning injustice and today a promise of a major overhaul.

left unaddressed it destroys lives, separates people from each other and deepens the divisions within our society. changing this goes right to the heart of our humanity, to the heart of the kind of country we are, the attitudes we hold and the values we share. the plans include mental health first aid training for secondary schools, employers and organisations will also be given additional guidance in supporting staff who need to take time off. and there will be greater emphasis on community care. the prime minister says this is an historical opportunity to right a wrong but for those on the front line of mental health services, funding is a major concern. mental health is still very underfunded compared to other areas of medicine. it generates probably 20 to 25% of the total disease burden of all diseases and yet the funding is ten to 12% in this country. so little people

are talking about it. four years ago, jake mills tried to end his life and he now runs a mental health charity to help others and he says in order for there to be to change there needs to be greater awareness and understanding. education needs to happen. and without being facetious about it, if there was a disease that existed that was killing more men in this country under the age of 49 and it was preventable and treatable, we would all be experts on it, we would know exactly what to look out for, exactly what to do if we had symptoms. jake says he is living proof that with the right intervention there is hope but many feel in order for mental health to get the same recognition as physical health, additional funding is crucial. elaine dunkley, bbc news. let's speak to vicki young, our

chief political correspondent in westminster. brexit on one hand, theresa may obviously wants to tackle this head on? yes, there is some concern wrecks it will dominate everything as it has done in the first several months of her premiership, she is keen to talk about issues closer to home —— brexit. she has chosen to talk about mental health in particular in her first speech of the year. many charities welcome what she had to say by giving it that prominence that she had, the government promised to put mental health well—being on a parity with physical health well—being. whether it can do it without extra money is another matter but she had a wider vision to put out there today. people said they do not know what she stands for and she had a new philosophy of the

sharing society. as to what that means, we will have to wait and see. but she talked about a system that does not work for everybody. she wa nts to does not work for everybody. she wants to help not only those who are poorest in society but maybe those in work you do not have job security, who feel they are just about managing but don't feel that the system works in their favour. she says she wants to change that and she has talked specifically about housing and good schools. the opposition are already saying that they would like to see the detail. they say she's been part of a government for the last six years and has done nothing to help these people. they will also say, show me the money. that is the current theme, jeremy hunt will be talking about the state of the nhs given that the red cross has said it is in a humanitarian crisis gritter archive think that he feels he has to speak to mps today to tell them his view which is yes, there are problems particularly in some a&e departments bert he rejects the there is a crisis —— but he rejects

there is a crisis —— but he rejects the idea there is a crisis. the red cross are the idea there is a crisis. the red cross a re particularly the idea there is a crisis. the red cross are particularly worried that he bore a living hospital and don't have anywhere safe or adequate to go back to to look after them. jeremy hunt accepts it has been a busy time as you would expect over christmas, when many gps and around, turning up in hospital. but he says we have given nhs england the money they said they needed. the money is there, there are problems in some places but he rejects the idea that the nhs, in any way, is on its knees. ! we will go to the house of commons where we are expecting to hear from commons where we are expecting to hearfrom jeremy commons where we are expecting to hear from jeremy hunt —— thank you. we will take you over there in the next half an hour. the headlines on bbc news now... the northern ireland deputy first

minister martin mcguinness is resigning in protest at the handling ofa resigning in protest at the handling of a botched green energy scheme which is likely to cost taxpayers almost £500 million. theresa may outlines her vision for a shared society and pledges to tackle the hidden injustice of mental illness. is the nhs facing a winter crisis? health secretaryjeremy hunt will be making a statement to mps in the next 30 minutes and we will bring you that light. england flanker‘s chris robshaw is ruled out due to a shoulder injury that he picked up on new year's day which will keep him out for six months. johanna konta warms up out for six months. johanna konta warms up for the australian open where she was in the semifinals last year with a comfortable win at the scented —— sydney international. joe root is expected to be ready for england's one—day series in india after he did not trouble with the squad —— did not travel with the rest of his squad so he could be at

the birth of his first child. i will be back later. millions of commuters have had a difficult start to the week after a strike on the london underground shut down most of the network. one of the capital's busiest train stations — clapham junction — had to be evacuated for a time as large numbers of people tried to use overground services instead. the strike — which is due to end at 6pm — is over staff numbers and safety on the tube, as daniel boettcher reports. this is what commuters on the london underground faced this morning, a third of all stations closed and a limited service on most of the lines that were operating. around 4 million people use the network, the strike has left travellers frustrated with journeys taking far longer than usual as passengers had to find other ways of getting to work. i gave myself two hours and it looks like i'm going to be late. i almost missed quite a few exams because of all this industrial action going on. it's quite irritating.

ijust think it is unfair because it puts all others in a situation where we are all late for work. the way i see it, it is what it is. they have got their cause so, yeah, you work around it. because there are so few tube trains running, commuter traffic on the road has been even heavier than usual and despite an extra 150 buses being laid on, the bus network has been packed with long queues. let's ta ke let's take you straight to the house of commons now, health secretary jeremy hunt is to make a statement on the state of the nhs. with permission mr speaker, i would like to make a statement about mental health and nhs performance. this government is committed to a shared society in which public services work to the highest standards for everyone. this includes plans announced by the prime minister this morning on mental health. i am proud that under this government, moo more people are accessing mental health services every day compared

to 2010. we are investing more than mental health —— more in mental health than ever before with plans for1 million more people with mental health conditions to access services by 2020. but we recognise there is more to do and so will proceed with plans to further improve mental health provision, including formally accepting the recommendations of the independent task force on mental health, which will see mental health spending increased by £1 billion per year by the end of the parliament. a green paper on children and young people's mental health will be published before the end of the year, enabling every secondary school to train someone every secondary school to train someone in mental health first aid. a new partnership with employers to support mental health in the workplace, up to £15 million extra invested in places of safety for those in crisis following the highly successful start to this programme in the last parliament. an ambitious expansion on digital mental health

provision, an updated and more comprehensive suicide prevention strategy. further details of these plans will be written in the statement laid in the house this morning. however, turning to winter, as our most precious public service, the nhs, has been under sustained pressure for a number of years, in just six years the number of people over the age of 80 has risen by 340,000. life expectancy has risen by 12 months. as a result, demand is unprecedented, the tuesday after christmas was the busiest day in the history of the nhs. some hospitals are reporting that amd attendances are reporting that amd attendances are up to 30% higher compared to last year —— a&e. i would like to set out how we intend to protect the service through a very challenging period and sustain it for the

future. first, iwould like period and sustain it for the future. first, i would like to pay tribute to the staff on the front line. 1.3 million nhs staff, alongside another 1.4 million in the social care system, do an incredible job which is, frankly, humbling for all of us in this house. an estimated 150,000 medical staff and many more non—medical staff, worked on christmas and new year's day. they have never worked harder to keep patients safe and the whole country is in their debt. with respect to this winter, the nhs has made more extensive preparations than ever before. we started the run—up the winter period with over 1600 more doctors and 3000 more nurses than just one year ago. bringing the total increase since 2010 to 11,400 more doctors, and

11,200 more hospital nurses. the nhs allocated £400 million to local health systems for winter preparedness, and nationally assured the winter plans of every trust, launching the largest ever flu vaccination programme with over 13 million people already vaccinated. it bolstered support outside a&es with 12,000 additional gp sessions offered over the festive period. the result is that this winter has already seen days where a&es have treated a record number of people within four hours, and there have been fewer serious incidents declared than many expected. as chris hobson, head of nhs providers said, although there have been serious problems in some trusts, the system as a whole is doing slightly better than last year. however, there are indeed a number of trusts when the situation has been extremely agile. all of last week ‘s

a&es diverts happened at trusts where four are in special measures. nearly three quarters of trolley waits occurred at only two trusts. in was to share in particular there have been a number of an acceptably long trolley waits, and in the media two reported deaths while patients we re two reported deaths while patients were in a&e. we are aware of ongoing problems in the north midlands with extremely high numbers of 12 hour trolley waits. nationally, the nhs has taken urgent action to support the trusts, including working intensively with leadership and brokering conversations with social ca re brokering conversations with social care partners for a joint up approach across systems of concern. this weekend there are some signs that the pressures easing in the most distressed trusts and across the system. but with further cold—weather on the way this weekend, a spike in respiratory infections and a rise in flu, there

will be further challenges ahead. nhs england and nhs improvement will considerfurther nhs england and nhs improvement will consider further measures which may be taken in particular distressed systems on a temporary basis at the discretion of local clinical leaders. these may include temporarily releasing time for gps to support urgent care work, cynically triaging nonurgent calls to the ambulance services for residents of nursing and residential homes before they are taken to hospital, continuing to suspend elective care including where appropriate of nonurgent outpatient appointments, working with the ctc on rapid reinspection when this has the potential to reopen community and social bed capacity, working with community trusts and nursing teams to speed up discharge. taken together, these actions will get the nhs the ability to take further measures as and when appropriate at

a local level. however, looking to the future, it is clear that we need to have an honest discussion with the public about the purpose of a&e departments. there is nowhere outside of the uk that commits to all patients that we will sort out anyhow housing need within four hours. 0nly anyhow housing need within four hours. only four other countries, new zealand, sweden, australia and canada, have similar national standards, which are generally less stringent than ours. this government is committed to maintaining and delivering that vital four our commitment to patients. but since it was announced in 2000, there are nearly 9 million more visits to our a&es, up to 30% of whom nhs england estimate do not need to be there, and time is continuing to rise. if we are to protect our four our standard, we must be clear it is a

promise to sort out or urgent health problems within four hours, but not all of them, however minor. as professor keith win it, —— will it has said, no country in the world has said, no country in the world has a standard for all health problems, however small, and if we are to problems, however small, and if we a re to protect problems, however small, and if we are to protect services for the most vulnerable, nor can we. nhs england and nhs improvement will explore ways to see that some of the patients who do not need to be in our a&es can be given good alternative options, building on progress with a streaming policy. that way we can improve the patient experience for those with minor conditions who are currently not seen conditions who are currently not seen within four hours, and protect the four our promise for those who need it. taking together our plans to support the nhs in a difficult

period, but also plans for a government which is ambitious for our nhs, quite simply to offer the safest a nd our nhs, quite simply to offer the safest and most high—quality care available anywhere for both mental and physical health. but, they will ta ke and physical health. but, they will take time to come to fruition and in the meantime, all of our thoughts are with nhs and social care staff who are working extremely hard through the winter and through the year, inside and outside of our hospitals. i commend this statement to the house. jonathan ashworth. .. thank you for that statement, i begin by paying tribute to all of the nhs staff, working daily to provide the highest possible care to patients during this busy period. provide the highest possible care to patients during this busy periodm course, patients during this busy periodm course , we welcome patients during this busy periodm course, we welcome measures to improvement of health services in this country, as we welcome such announcements exactly 12 months ago when the then prime minister made similar promises. but does the secretary of state not agree that if this prime minister wants to shine a

light on mental health provision, she should aim her torch at the government's record. 6600 fewer nurses working in mental health. a reduction in mental health beds, 400 fewer doctors working in mental health and perhaps most disgracefully of all, the raiding of children's local mental health budgets in order to plug funding gaps in the wider nhs. could he tell us gaps in the wider nhs. could he tell us why the prime minister this morning was not able to confirm money for mental health would be ring fenced to stop this raiding of budget is happening in the future? we've welcomed support in mental health in schools, with the government welcome more resources to local psychologists and what provisions will be in place for teachers to do this work? turning to the winter crisis, this morning the secretary of state said that things

have only been "falling over in a couple of places". let's look at the facts. 0ne couple of places". let's look at the facts. one third of hospitals last month declared they needed urgent health to deal with the number of patients coming through the doors. a&e departments have turned away patients more than 140 times. 15 hospitals ran out of beds in one day in december. several hospitals have warned that they cannot offer comprehensive care. elderly patients have been left languishing on hospital trolleys, in corridors, and sometimes 4/24 hours. he says that ca re sometimes 4/24 hours. he says that care is only falling over in a couple of places —— for 24 hours. i know that la la land did well at the golden globes last night, i did not realise that the secretary of state was living there. can he confirm that the nhs is facing a winter crisis and the blame lays out the

doors of number ten downing st? does the secretary of state agree that it was a monument to error to ignore pleas for extra support of social ca re pleas for extra support of social care in the autumn statement a few weeks ago? will you support calls to bring forward the extra £700 million allocated for 2019 now, to help social care? and allocated for 2019 now, to help social care ? and will allocated for 2019 now, to help social care? and will he urge the chancellor and prime minister to announce a new funding settlement for the nhs and social care at the budget this march so that this crisis never happens again? with respect to the four our a&e target he just announced, can i ask is he really telling patients that rather than trying to hit that target, the government is rewriting and downgrading it? if so, does nhs england support the move and what guidance has he taken from the royal couege guidance has he taken from the royal college of emergency medicine, that this is an appropriate change to the

waiting time standard? the secretary of state has made patient safety a priority. in that, he has our unswerving support. will he agreed that one of the most upsetting reports to come out of hospitals was the death of two patients at worcestershire royal who were waiting on hospital trolleys? can i ask if he would lead personally and enquiry into the deaths? were they isolated incidents? when does the trust intend to report back on this investigation, and will he undertake to keep the house updated on these matters? in conclusion, there is no doubt that this current crisis could have been averted. hospital bosses, council leaders, patient groups, mps from across the house, they urged the chancellor to give the nhs and social care extra money in the autumn statement. those requests fell on deaf ears and we are now seeing the consequences. nhs staff

deserve better. patients deserve better. the government needs to do better. the government needs to do better. can i urge the health secretary, get a grip! i'm happy to respond to the honourable gentleman's comments and indeed the comments of all honourable members, but ijust say this about the tone of what he said. he speaks as if the nhs never had any problems over winters when labour was in power and let mejust say to him very simply, the one thing that nhs staff do not want right now is for any party to start weaponising the nhs for party political purposes. and let me remind him that where his party runs the nhs double the number of people are on waiting lists for nhs treatments, a&e performance is 10% lower, people wait twice as long to have their hips replaced, whatever the problems are in the nhs, labour

is not the solution. now, he talked about mental health. so let me tell him what's happening on mental health. thanks to the effort of this government and the conservative—led coalition we have some of the highest dementia diagnosis rates in the world. our talking therapies programme which is one of the most popular programmes for the treatment of depression and anxiety is treating 750,000 more people every year and is being copied by people in sweden. we are treating every day, 1400 more people for mental health conditions. we have record numbers of psychiatrists and he mentioned mental health nurses. in this part, we're training 8,000 more, that's a 22% increase and all of this is backed up by what we are confirming today which hasn't been done before, that the government is accepting the report of the independent taskforce review led by paul farmer the chief executive of mind which commits us to spending £1 billion more a year on mental health

by the end of this parliament. i just say to him that would not be possible with the spending commitments that labour were prepared to make for the nhs in the last parliament and it is because of this government's funding that we are able to make these commitments on mental health. he talked about the nhs and he gave com pletely he talked about the nhs and he gave completely the wrong impression of what i said this morning. i was com pletely what i said this morning. i was completely clear that the nhs, all nhs hospitals are operating under greater pressure than they have ever operated under. but he should perhaps listen to independent voices like chris hobson, no friend of the government when it comes to nhs policy who is very clear in the vast majority of trusts people are coping actually slightly better than last year, but we have some very serious problems in a view trusts including worcestershire and a number of others and i can commit to him that we will follow closely the

investigations into the two reported deaths at worcestershire and keep the house updated. but you know, this is where i think his politicising goes wrong. he talked about social care. social care last year, spending went up by around £600 million. he stood on a platform at the last election of not a penny more to local authorities for social care, not a penny more. to stand here, to stand here as a defender of social care is frankly an insult to vulnerable people up and down the country, but particularly people living under labour councils like hounslow, merton and ealing where they are refusing to raise the social care precept, but complaining about social care funding, but he also talked more generally about nhs funding andi also talked more generally about nhs funding and ijust say also talked more generally about nhs funding and i just say this, also talked more generally about nhs funding and ijust say this, in the last parliament, it wasn't the conservatives who cut funding for the nhs, it was his party who cut funding for the nhs. it wasn't the

conservatives who said funding the five year forward view was impossible, it was his party. they said the cheque would bounce. well, it hasn't bounced and we're putting that money in. tough, as it is, in conclusion, mr speaker on the nhs front line, i do say that he was right to raise this issue in this house, but wrong to raise it in the way he did. under this government, the nhs has record doctors, record nurses, record funding, care despite the pressures of winter, is safer, higher quality, and reaching more people than ever before and it's time to support those on the front line, not try to use them for party political points. i welcome the prime minister's focus today in her speech on mental health. she spoke of holding the nhs leadership to account for the extra billion that we will be investing in mental health. could the secretary of state set out in further detail

how ccgs will be held to account for ensuring the money gets to the front line so we can deliver progress on parity of esteem? yes, i can do that. i think it is a very important point because we have had a patchy record in the nhs of making sure that money promised for mental health actually reaches the front line and the way that we intend to address this is by independently compiled 0fsted style ratings for every ccg in the country, that actually highlights where mental health provision is inadequate. those ratings are decided by an independent committee chaired by the same paul farmer who is responsible for the independent taskforce report. so he is able to check up on progress towards his recommendation and i'm confident we will be able to shine a light on the areas not delivering promises made to this country. thank you very much, mr speaker. after the recent inquiry

the health select committee did into suicide, i absolutely welcome the extra funding to health. and i'm sure the secretary of state remembers some of the discussions that we had in that room. i also pay tribute to the staff and obviously with my background, i know exactly what it is like when a&e is swamped when you don't have anywhere to put people. i don't think the staff across nhs england are afraid of us discussing this topic and weaponising it, they are in tears, they are exhausted, they are demoralised, they have never experienced a winter like this and perhaps the secretary of state could explain why his figures suggest 19 diverts and only two trusts in serious problems whereas what we're hearing from the nuffield trust is 42 or 50 trusts who are diverting which is a third, that means it is widespread. and also talking about andi widespread. and also talking about and i totally agree, people going to a&e who don't need to be there, but

they're not the people who are three—deep on trolleys waiting for a bed for 36 hours. those are people who need a bed and are therefore ill, we've discussed stps and nhs sustainability on several occasions and the concern people have is that because they don't have the money to redesign, they are starting with a&e closures and bed cuts. i would hope that this incident will show that simply isn't possible. it's not possible for the uk and particularly nhs england to lose any more beds. in scotland, we face the same problem of increased demand and shortage of doctors. yet 93.5% of our patients were seen within four hours on christmas week and the president of the royal college of emergency medicine estimates in areas of england between 50% and 60%, that difference is how it is organised. it is the fragmentation, it is the lack of integration. there are things that can be done, use

community pharmacies, use gps, and try and bring the nhs back together. the speaker: i hope the honourable lady won't take offence. her questions must be judged to be rhetorical questions because i didn't observe any question marks which i'm sure we will in future. the secretary of state. i advertised the point to the house. yes, but that was then! laughter this is now! that was when i was a badly behaved backbencher like the honourable gentleman! the secretary of state. laughter well, i will try to interpret the questions in what she says. if she is saying are the problems in england similar to the problems in scotland? england similar to the problems in scotland ? i england similar to the problems in scotland? i think we share problems across particularly the busy winter period and she has observed that in

scotla nd period and she has observed that in scotland they are also failing to meet the target in scotland, but she is right to say that bed capacity is a critical issue and i think that it is an issue which we have not always got right neng gland. i think there have been times when beds have been decommissioned and actually the alternative provision that was promised has not been made and that has had big knock—on effects. i think when it comes to what happens in scotland and england, i think that scotland has gone further than england in terms of use of community pharmacy and that is something to be commended on, but england has gone further in our plans for reforming and increasing investment into general practice which is what the president of the royal college of gps was talking about over christmas and she says she is very keen for scotla nd and she says she is very keen for scotland to match the package that we've done in england. studio: we're going to leave that debate in the house of commons. viewers who wish to go on watching it, can do so on the bbc parliament channel. we can speak to our chief political correspondent, vicki young who is in westminsterfor us. vicki

an interesting intervention there by jeremy hunt saying he wants an honest discussion with the public about the use of accident and emergency departments and the commitment to patients being seen in four hours? yes, i mean it is very interesting that he was denying there was a general crisis, saying some of the problems we have seen over the christmas period are because it was the christmas period, it is very busy, gps aren't always openks and that many of the problems with people waiting on trolleys for example, were in a very small number of trusts. he said the rest of the nhs was actually performing slightly better. that was greeted byjeers from the opposition, but yes, the most interesting thing that he talked about is where he sounded as if he was about to ditch that target, that target, that was introduced by tony blair in the year 28000 that a&e, people walking into a&e, emergency departments, would be treated within four hours. he went on to point out, he said, that since that time, there are nine million

more visits to a&e since then and he also said that many don't need to be there. he said that the promise is to sort out emergency health problems, not, he said, all health problems, not, he said, all health problems, however small. and the numbers that the nhs have come up with are a third of visits to a&e are unnecessary. so he is saying to the public, you, as patients, have a responsibility. if you keep turning up responsibility. if you keep turning up at a&e, and you're not supposed to be there, then they will struggle to be there, then they will struggle to cope with the demand. 0n the on the other hand, of course, we heard labour coming back and saying hang ona minute, labour coming back and saying hang on a minute, what is the alternative for people who do have maybe less serious health problems, if they can't get an appointment with their gpfor can't get an appointment with their gp for two or three weeks, what are they supposed to do? but it sounded at one point as if he was about to ditch the target. he did explicitly say the government remains committed to, but it was a stark reminder it is to treat emergencies, not every other health problem. ok, vicki,

other health problem. 0k, vicki, thank you. more on our top story this afternoon and sinn fein's martin mcguinness is resigning as deputy first minister of northern ireland. he's standing down after the first minister, the democratic unionist leader arlene foster, repeatedly refused sinn fein's calls to temporarily step aside while the financial mismanagement of a green energy scheme was investigated. mr mcguinness is now calling for fresh elections to the assembly. over the last ten years i've worked with dup and reached out to unionists on the basis of equality, respect and reconciliation and over this period the actions of the british government and the dup in my opinion have grievously undermined the institutions and have eroded public confidence. so we, in sinn fein, will not tolerate the arrogance of arlene foster and the dup. sinn fein wants equality and respect for everyone and that's what this process must be about. so today i have told arlene foster that i have

tendered my resignation effective from 5pm today. so i believe today is the right time to call a halt to the dup's arrogance. well, the leader of the ulster unionist party, mike nesbitt has been giving his reaction. he says it is clear that sinn fein and the dup can't work together. if this was just about the renewable heat incentive scheme, sinn fein would hang in, they would hold the dup and the first minister to account, they would support practical steps to introduce the cost controls, the absence of which still cost us £85,000 a day and they would support a public inquiry into what went wrong. this is not the way

to go forward, but it is not about the rhi scheme in terms of sinn fein's analysis, this is about sinn fein. we have had ten years now of the dup and sinn fein at the heart of our government. ten years characterised by disappointments, debackles and scandals. i don't think the electorate need anymore proof of the fact that the dup and sinn fein are incapable of governing this country. they cannot see the concept of the greater good and if we are to have an election, and an election is to prove to be of any worth, then i think people need to reflect on the fact that it is time to change the record. that for the first time since 1998 they can either vote to return the parties of government or they can vote to elect the parties currently in opposition. let's speak to the former northern

ireland secretary teresa villiers. what do you think martin mcguinness is resigning? obviously, that's a matter for martin mcguinness to a nswer matter for martin mcguinness to answer on himself... he has explained that this afternoon. i'm just reading between the lines and everybody seems to have a different view. why do you think he made that decision? there is clearly been a breakdown of relations between the dup and sinn fein over the renewable heat problem. i think that there maybe other working difficulties, but you know, also i'm sure sinn fein must have a range of reasons why they feel an election would be appropriate at this point. did you ever, as northern ireland secretary, get the impression that frankly the dup and sinn fein were never going to be able to sort this one out?|j didn't really. throughout the various political difficulties that the institutions had during my four

yea rs the institutions had during my four years in office, i always retained the hope and expectation that northern ireland's leaders would find a way through and they always did despite some very significant political issues with which they had to grapple. i was surprised to see this move by sinn fein today. surprised that they would want to be going back to an election just a few months after having had an assembly election, but the reality is that coalitions do breakdown, running a coalitions do breakdown, running a coalition administration with another party isn't an easy task. i don't think we should necessarily read into this a crisis of that is necessarily any greater than if a coalition in say wales or scotland had broken down in similar circumstances. except he takes the first minister with him and there is now a period of deep uncertainty? well, it's the, you know, what normally happens when a coalition brea ks normally happens when a coalition breaks down is that you have an election. that's what would happen

in wales or scotland or westminster and that's what i imagine will happen here in northern ireland. i mean if after that election takes place and it proves impossible to nominate another first and deputy first minister then things do become more difficult, but i think we are a long way from that and i think it is important not to over state the degree of the political crisis here. yes, it is a setback, it is u nfortu nate yes, it is a setback, it is unfortunate there is going to have to be an early election, but i don't think itjeopardises the institutions themselves anymore than a coalition collapsing in holyrood. what about arlene foster's role in this. do you think she was right to tough it out? i believe she took a reasonable approach. clearly, it is important that the renewable heat problem is properly investigated. it obviously went seriously wrong, but i think all the parties, dup included and the first minister, had acknowledged that it needed to be properly investigated and that was

entirely on the cards. so i don't think it was necessarily, you know, i don't think it was necessary to have an election to ensure that what went wrong with the rhi scheme was fully investigated. the word crisis has been used many times when we've talked about stormont. certainly, when you were northern ireland secretary, there were difficulties, do you sense that we could be witnessing one of the bigger crisises in stormont‘s troubled history? i believe we shouldn't overstate the problems which have emerged over recent weeks. yes, it isa emerged over recent weeks. yes, it is a real setback. yes, it is u nfortu nate is a real setback. yes, it is unfortunate that the coalition has broken down and we have to have an early election. but as i say, the fundamentals of northern ireland's devolved settlement is strong. at least, you know, the main issue here, being cited in sinn fein's decision is actually nothing to do with northern ireland's constitutional status, it is what went wrong with the rhi scheme so i

think it would be wrong to say that this jeopardises the future of devolution or the institutions just as devolution or the institutions just as coalitions break down in other assemblies so have they done in northern ireland. it doesn't mean that necessarily this is a political crisis of the sort of gravity which led to suspension of the institutions in the past.|j led to suspension of the institutions in the past. i don't know if you saw the pictures of martin mcguinness making his statement. he has been out of the public eye. there were lots of questions about his health. what did you make of how he looked?” questions about his health. what did you make of how he looked? i don't think i can really passjudgment, but he obviously doesn't look well. but whether that has anything to do with this is not a question i can answer. the important thing is we, you know, the election happens and that hopefully once the election is over, a new stable government can be put in place and the appropriate investigations into the rhi scheme can go ahead. teresa villiers, thank

you forjoining us this evening. in a moment a look at how the financial markets in europe closed the day, but first the headlines on bbc news: northern ireland deputy first minister martin mcguinness is resigning in protest at the handling of a botched green energy scheme which is likely to cost taxpayers almost £500 million. theresa may outlines her vision for a "shared society" and pledges to tackle the hidden injustice of mental illness. health secretary jurpbt tells health secretaryjurpbt tells mps that the few days after christmas we re that the few days after christmas were the busiest few days in the nhs' history. labour tell him to get a grip. now a look at how the markets ended the trading session. european markets continued lower on monday afternoon as investors focussed on

fresh data from the eurozone and volatility in oil markets. the uk government is no longer the biggest stakeholders in lloyds banking group after it cut its stake to less than 6%. the government spent over £20 billion to eye quire a 43% stake in lloyds at the height of the financial crisis. the biggest shareholder in lloyds is blackrock. bmw has told the bbc that it is committed to a new £1 billion plant in mexico, despite donald trump's hostility to imported cars. and the value of the pound has fallen to a two month low against major currencies after the prime minister, theresa may, said that britain could not keep bits of its membership of the european union. commentators interpreted this as meaning that mrs may would not seek to keep the uk in the eu's single market. well, let's get detailed

analysis of that with richard done bar with aberdeen asset management. so the sterling drop. we have seen over the last few months sterling react to any comment over the single market or any hint what that relationship will be. how significant has, is this fall? well, as significant has, is this fall? well, as you said, sterling is the barometer of the ebbs and flows of the debate on brexit and yesterday's comments from the prime minister we re comments from the prime minister were interpreted as being that the uk was less likely to be in the single market than perhaps investors had thought before and the sterling has weakened slightly. it would be fairto has weakened slightly. it would be fair to say has weakened slightly. it would be fairto sayi has weakened slightly. it would be fair to say i don't think we got much more clarity yesterday and i suspect sterling will continue to ebb and flow as we hopefully get more details of what brexit actually looks like. but we should also remember that sterling is only one side of the coin if you like. the dollar against which we normally measure sterling has been strong over the past few months on the back of the stronger economy and the

expectation of higher interest rates, there is an element of wea kness rates, there is an element of weakness of sterling, but there is the strength of other currencies around it as well. let's move on to bmw, they are committed to their plant project in mexico. $1 billion, it is strange because other companies in the market say ford and chrysler, they are directing their investment to the us because mr trump, the president—elect, has expressed his concern about imported ca rs expressed his concern about imported cars from mexico to the us. what do you make of this? well, it is interesting. i think it shows or bmw's comments show the complexity of this these decisions which aren't ca ptu red com pletely of this these decisions which aren't captured completely in the way the discussion has gone. bmw are one of the biggest investors in the us. they are one of the biggest exporters from the us and one of the biggest employers in the us. and they are seeing this plant as just a natural extension of their global manufacturing footprint. so they feel they are doing their bit for the us economy. 0thers feel they are doing their bit for the us economy. others may see it differently, but it is encouraging that they are sticking to their guns and sticking to their global

footprint. ok, footprint. 0k, richard done bar, thank you very much. dush dunbra. tesco says that 1,000 people will be made redundant as pa rt people will be made redundant as part of a shake yp of its distribution network. we will bring you more throughout the afternoon. that's all from me. thank you very much forjoining us. now the weather forecast. it has been a lively day across many parts of the uk. some gusty winds to go with that, following on behind it, at least some spells of sunshine, but a good scattering of showers. yes it is the low pressure that's driving our weather. it is to the north of the uk. blowing in the showers, across scotland, they will be wintry over higher ground and there will be showers too for some of the western parts of the uk. the

further east you are, it is dry as you get on through the small hours of the morning. it will be chilly out there. we are in single figures. 0nly out there. we are in single figures. only three celsius in aberdeen, maybe only three celsius in norwich as maybe only three celsius in norwich as well. into the morning and it is breezy across some parts. there is a fair bit of cloud and rain coming into the western side of the uk and northern ireland as well. northern scotla nd northern ireland as well. northern scotland doing reasonably well through the morning. it is largely dry through the morning. there maybe a little bit of sunshine and variable cloud, but chilly in the breeze. 0nly five celsius in oxford. further west, there is more cloud and outbreaks of rain. it is mostly patchy rain which will drift eastwards on the breeze. some eastern areas will see some spells of sunshine, particularly early on. probably quite cloudy later and as you can see the rain is patchy by the afternoon across the central swathe of the uk. temperatures will be in the range of seven to ten or 11 celsius. through the evening

patchy rain gets to some parts of eastern england with further showers following into the north and the west. the wetter weather is from this weather front which will move through. behind it, we start to see the isobars getting close together. it will be a blustery day on wednesday. a blustery day with sunshine. further north and west, there will be a good scattering of showers and turning wintry up over 3oo showers and turning wintry up over 300 meters, mainly up over the hills. dry towards the south and it will be mild here, but chilly further north with those snow showers. you have heard about the cold weather across eastern parts of europe. it stays cold for many, but parts of germany and parts of poland becoming less cold the next couple of days, while back on our shores the winds are coming in from the north or the north—west, coming in from greenland and iceland. with that, comes snow showers, northern, western and north—eastern parts at risk of seeing snow showers. warnings have been issued from the met office, keep up—to—date with

those online. today at 5.00: a political crisis in northern ireland — the deputy first minister resigns, demanding new elections. the sinn fein veteran has been demanding that the first minister, the dup's arlene foster, step aside, in a row about hundreds of millions of pounds overspent, on an energy scheme. the situation that we have been dealing with over the course of the past few years is unacceptable. i now called a halt to dup arrogance. we'll have the latest from stormont in a moment. we will be asking if new elections to the assembly are now inevitable. the other main stories on bbc news at 5: the health secretary says the nhs in england is facing unprecedented demand, but denies there is a "humanitarian crisis" in hospitals. in her first policy speech of 2017, theresa may says she'll improve mental health services in england, with a focus on children and young people. commuter chaos in london — a strike by underground workers causes