>> mr. speaker, i understand that diane dodd, another mep is working hard to address some of the difficulty experienced by the fishing industry in northern ireland especially to the matter the honorable gentleman related. the fishing matter but i will undertake to look at this and put a country of the library -- i put a copy of the letter into the library. >> order. questions to the prime minister. jason mccartney. >> number one, speaker. >> mr. speaker, i've been asked to reply. my right honorable friend the prime minister is in china and he's leading the trade allegations in china and say now travelling to seoul for the g20 summit. mr. speaker, i'm sure the whole house would join me in paying tribute senior aircraft scott hughes of the squadron royal air force regiment who died if cyprus while returning from

operational service in afghanistan. he was a professional and brave airmen and it's very sad that he died while returning home from a tour of duty. our thoughts are with his family and loved ones. mr. speaker, this week on the eve of remembrance day, i think we especially remember all those who have given their lives in the service of our country both in recent years and in previous generations. the sacrifices made by our service men and women for our peace and freedom must never be forgotten. mr. speaker, may i also on a much happier note on behalf of the government extend our warmest congratulations and best wishes to the leader of the opposition and his partner just even on the birth of their baby boy and we are really thrilled for them. >> thank you, mr. speaker. as a 12-year-old a hemophiliac was injected with contaminated

blood products giving him hiv, hepatitis c and cjd. when will he and the 2,000 other survivors of this shocking scandal get fair compensation? >> i know that my honorable friend is a vigorous campaigner for all of those whose lives have been so tragically affected by contaminated blood. it really is a dreadful catastrophe for all of those affected. my honorable friend the minister for health does intend to report on the current outcome of the review that can be seen and more to be done that is affected by contaminated blood by the end of the year. and minister of health will also be holding an open meeting for everybody in westminster and members from all sides of the house and others can raise any concerns they have tomorrow. >> the leader of the opposition, harriet harman. >> mr. speaker, i'd like to join the deputy prime minister in

paying tribute to senior aircraftman scott hughes of no. 1 squadron royal air force regiment. we honor his memory and send condolences to his his family and remember all our service men and women on remembrance day and i would and also on the birth of the new baby. mr. speaker, in april of this year the deputy prime minister said that it was his aim to end university tuition fees. can he update the house on how his plan is progressing? [laughter] >> mr. speaker, i acknowledge -- of course, i acknowledge this is -- this is an extraordinarily difficult issue. [laughter] >> and i've been entirely open about the fact that we've not been able to deliver, we've not been able to deliver the policy that we held in opposition because of the financial

situation, because of the compromises of the coalition government, we have had to put forward a difficulty. >> i want to hear the deputy prime minister's update. deputy prime minister. >> nonetheless, we have stuck to our ambition, our wider ambition to make sure -- to make sure that going to university -- that going to university is done in a progressive way so that for those people who are presently discouraged from going to university, bright people from poor backgrounds discouraged by the system we inherited from her government are able to do so. that is why our policy is more progressive than hers. >> harriet harman. >> well, i'm glad he thinks it's so fair. i hope he'll be going out and telling that to all the students and lecturers marching today a. in april, he said that increasing tuition fees to 7,000 pounds a year would be a disaster.

what word we use to describe fees of 9,000 pounds? >> i think, mr. speaker, there's actually more -- there is more -- there is more consensus than that she concedes on the simple principles that people who benefit from going to the university should make a contribution for the cost of that university education. the question is, how do you do it? do you do it fairly or in a progressive way? the proposals that we have put forward will mean that those who earn the least will pay much less than they do at the moment. those who earn the most will pay a subsidy to allow people from poor backgrounds to go to university and will for the first time -- will for the first time end the discrimination against the 40% of people who are part-time students in our university who are so shamefully treated by her government. >> harriet harman. >> none of us agree with tuition fees of 9,000 pounds a year.

and mr. speaker, this is not about the deficit. the chancellor said the deficit will be dealt with by 2014. when this new system will hardly have begun, no, this is not about the deficit. this is about him going along with a tory plan, a tory plan to shove the cost of higher education onto students and their families. mr. speaker, we all know what it's like. you meet up with a dodgy bloke and you do things that you regret. isn't it true? isn't it true? [laughter] >> isn't it true that he's being led astray by the tories? >> mr. speaker, i know that she can reposition the labour party as the champion of students. let's remember -- let's

remember -- let's remember -- let's remember the labour party's record. against tuition fees in 1997 and introduce them a few months later. again pop-up fees in the manifesto in 2001 and then set up the brown review which they are now trashing. now -- now have a policy to actually tax graduates which the front bench doesn't even believe in. maybe she will go out for the studies who are protesting out now and explain what on earth her policy is. >> as a result of his plan, english students will pay amongst the highest fees of any public university system in the industrialized world. and why? not to give universities more funds, no. to replace the cuts he's making to university teaching. can he tell the house --

mr. speaker, can he tell the house about the tuition fees? >> and they also had plans to make massive cuts massive cuts in the department's budget which would have affected higher education. here are a few facts. every single graduate under our scheme will pay less. the bottom 25% of earners will pay much less in their contributions to their university education. than they do at the moment. part-time students will pay no upfront fees and not a single student will pay a penny of upfront fees, whatsoever. it is a fair and progressive solution to very difficult problem. >> it looks as though he's been taking lessons from the prime minister on how not to answer the question.

i asked him about the teaching grant. the truth is it's a staggering 80%, 80%. no wonder he's ducking the questions. the real reason he's hiking up fees is because he's pulling the plug on public funding and dumping the cost onto the students. isn't that's why he's ducking on tuition fees? >> mr. speaker, mr. speaker, the graduate tax that she advocates would be more unfair. it would allow higher earners to opt out of the system all together. we all agree -- she agrees, we all agree across all sides of this house that graduates should make some contribution to the benefit of going to university. the question is, how. we have a progressive plan. she has no plan, what so far. -- whatsoever. >> harriet harman. >> but during the election he was the one who hawked himself

around university campuses pledging to vote against tuition fees and by the time the week was over he'd broken his promise. every mp not to have duck tuition fees. every single one of them is about to break that promise. he must honor his promise to students and their families up and down the country. will he think again? >> it's quite something to take lectures from the honorable lady about management after the mutiny on monday in the parliament. they are all cheering her now. they certainly weren't on the mutiny on monday night. the truth is, the truth is before the election we didn't know the unholy mess -- we didn't know the unholy mess that was going to be left to us by her party. on this issue as on so many issues the two parties on this side of the house have come

together to create a solution for the future. two parties on this side of the house have one policy. the party opposite have got two policies. >> thank you, mr. speaker. in this international dialog about democracy that we're witnessing, what would my right honorable friend say to those that have welcomed the elections in burma, elections that were nothing more than an uppish sham? >> mr. speaker, i strongly agree they were a complete and utter sham. the conclusion of those elections was already decided well before they took place with reserve seats for the military and reserve seats for the parties which were put up by the military that simply -- that simply swapping their military uniforms for civilian clothing but keeping their eye on the dictatorial drip on the people of burma and they should be released with the house arrest comes up in review for coming

days and democracy should finally -- real democracy be introduced at burma. >> given how important we all know consistency is to the deputy prime minister. [laughter] >> key explain to the house why his chief secretary of the treasury is featured on the liddem went in scotland at the same time proposing the england. >> the chief secretary is picked on all the time. at first of being ginger, accused of being -- did the honorable lady make an impact on the discriminating remarks? >> order. first of all, deputy prime minister must be heard and secondly, the public thoroughly disapproves of this level of destructive verity from wherever in the house it comes.

>> i'm simply making the point that any form of discrimination of rodents or ginger-headed folk is wrong. on the issue, as he knows on many issues there is a division of responsibility and he should know that better than anybody else. >> charlie? >> can my right honorable friend tell the house whether the prime minister receives the people community mutual space for the boards of dover? will he allow community rights by or will it be another british icon sold overseas as is planned by the previous labor government? >> mr. speaker, of course, i'm very pleased. as everybody is. there's a strong community interest in dover of the port of dover and the campaign has accepted a stellar backing for their campaign. the access of ports of dover are owned by dover harbor board and they are is not actually owned by the government. my right honorable friend, the

minister of transport is currently considering proposals for a scheme that would allow the board to sell the appropriate so it would be inappropriate for me to comment any further on that decision. >> mr. speaker, this is an excellent company providing skills, manufacturing jobs. sheffield forge masters is also an excellent company providing skills, manufacturing jobs in yorkshire. why does the government decide to support one and not the other? >> mr. speaker, of course, i agree with the honorable lady that both companies are outstanding companies. the difference, of course, is that the decision -- the announcements to provide a lone shekell ford masters was made 11 days before the election was held when there was no money in this year's budget to make that promise. it was a promise made by the previous labour government knowing that the check would bounce.

we have made a decision on west land in light of our difficult controversial decisions to make sense to the public finances. that's the difference. >> thank you, mr. speaker. the deputy prime minister may be aware that in response to the comprehensive spending view the three most senior officers announced a wage cut of 27% in contrast the chief constable of lang shire police have all the of the pto's redundant. does my right honorable friend agree with me that the chief constable should support those pto's? >> i want to hear the reply. the deputy prime minister. >> certainly, of course, we welcome the decision of the council and its executive directors to reduce the council's wage. that's why my right honorable friend the community's secretary has called on all local authority chief executives earning 200,000 pounds

they need to -- they need to make sacrifices just as everybody else's on policing. of course i understand everybody's attachments to it. i think it would be a flagrant breach of the traditions of this country to start second-guessing chief constables. what i think we all want is more visible policing. it can't be right that the system we inherited from the party opposite means 11% of police officers are ever seen on our streets at any one time and that's should change. >> thank you, mr. speaker. tens of thousands of students have gathered outside of this place to post his shameful policy. he received a request to address the crowds. and as yet no response has been received. i can give an opportunity to give such a response now. >> mr. speaker, as he knows, i

meet student leaders and representatives all the time. and what i hope -- what i hope he will -- what i hope he will do when he joins the demonstrators is first explain what on earth his policy is. we have a policy. he has no policy. and has no plan and giving no hope to future generations of students. >> thank you, mr. speaker. my right honorable friend may be aware of the great work being done by the energy group of the county councils in network and small companies to benefit in getting economic growth and regeneration through the energy markets. will he and the government support that work to ensure they get a fair and even opportunity to bid the opportunity this new market can provide? >> well, i strongly agree with him, of course, renewable industry is one of the great industries of the future. we're doing everything we can to support those areas that want to exploit those opportunities. we've committed 1.4 billion pounds to a regional growth fund. we're establishing a green investment bank.

with the explicit aim of creating further investment opportunities in green infrastructure in areas where private sector investment is currently constrained and i'm delighted to hear about the way in which council's businesses and the not-for-profit sector are working so effectively together. >> thank you, mr. speaker. from a question i asked the deputy prime minister's colleagues, the minister of higher education last week, he indicated that the major reason for the proposal he's introducing was to change the way higher education was funded to shift the burden from the state to the students. how does the deputy prime minister square that with his party's view that this was a deficit reduction measure only in occasion for the future. >> mr. speaker, as i said earlier, i think everybody in this house actually agrees that the funding for universities is a mixture of direct support from the state and contributions --

contributions made -- contributions made -- we looked exhaustively as soon as we came to the government at the option of a graduate tax being proposed of some members of her party and, for instance, by the national union of students and what we discovered that would be much more unfair and would allow particularly higher earners to opt out of the system all together compared to the progressive system of graduate contributions which we are now proposing. >> mr. speaker, her majesty's revenue and customs as a business payments service which has helped many businesses in my constituency in lancaster and fleetwood who have met short-term problems achieve a delayed payment in terms of taxes. sometimes the taxman can help apparently. does my right honorable friend agree with me that this is a valuable service and that every part of the government should be providing as much flexibility and support as possible for business if we're to get out of this recession left to us by the previous government?

>> i strongly agree with my honorable friend and i think the hmrc business support service is indeed a very valuable and important service. and it remains in place by the end of september this year, 371,200 arrangements have been granted worth 6.38 billion pounds. that's extraordinarily value to small and medium size enterprises who are struggling and who deserve all the support as they require in order to power us out of this difficult economic environment? >> mr. speaker, the minister at the university has made it clear that all public funding will be withdrawn from none subjects in the universities. last wednesday, the minister thought the education survey skills and lifelong learning told the debate and i quote we will continue to support the

arts through the subsidy of teaching for universities. who is right? >> mr. speaker, the statement that we made is very, very clear on this. but what i hope he will accept -- what i hope he will accept is that the model of mixed financing for our universities partly from the government and partly from graduates who as he knows stands to benefit on average tens of thousands of extra earnings because they have a university degree is one that we are preserving and building upon in a progressive manner. >> thank you, mr. speaker. centers provide very valuable support in some of our most vulnerable -- they even talked about they can get something right. while i welcome this government's continued support for sure, can the deputy prime minister please reassure me that the program will be refocused so that those in the greatest needs get the greatest support?

>> i strongly agree, the children centers do play a role in families and giving them that help when they need it, early intervention and that's why in the spending review we have announced funding will be maintained in cash terms in in terms of how that funding is allocated to reflect deprivation which is her question, the way in which that money is allocated is already weighted so that local authority areas with higher levels of disadvantage gets more funding than others and, of course, local authorities have a high degree of flexibility and latitude themselves. and we don't propose to change that system at all. >> thank you, mr. speaker. may i bring the honorable gentleman back to higher education. he said the higher education will be partly by the individual and partly by the state and the problem people will have so when he changed his mind. in the best possible scenario if

we have fantastic economy and no debt at all will he still believe the higher education to be paid partly by the student and partly by the state? >> in find it extraordinary that she believes that she can have questions about changing your mind on this issue when her party said no to fees in '97 and introduced them and no to pop it up fees to fees and introduced hem and yes to the brown review and yes to the brown review but no to other graduate taxes. make up your mind. >> thank you, mr. speaker. as the coalition continues to stabilize our economy, will they ensure my constituents providing relief and support to small to medium size businesses remain high on the government's priorities? >> yes. absolutely. as i said in answer to the

earlier question, that's why we have done and already taken a number of steps over the last six months to help small and medium size enterprises, whether it's reducing the profit rates in corporate tax to 20%. from april next year, introducing the new rules so that any new regulation that can see in another one has to be scratched. the new enterprise capital fund of 37.5 million pounds to provide additional equity finance and, of course, the enterprise finance guarantee funds which will be increased by 200 million pounds. that's real support for the wealth creators of the future. >> thank you, mr. speaker. on the 6th of may, hundreds of his constituents and hundreds of mine in sheffield were denied the right to vote because of current legislation. why has the deputy prime minister not taken the opportunity of legislation currently before parliament to change the law so that in the future all those in the polling

station at the close of poll are allowed? >> i'm acutely aware of the problem and visited the polling stations several times on that day and saw the huge, huge cues of people -- many of whom were denied their democratic rights to exercise their vote. the question is, what do we do about it? i just so happen to think in this particular instance simply passing a law won't deal with the problem. and the problem -- the problem was a lack of resources, the problem was poor organization by the returning officer in sheffield who acknowledges as much as she knows in sheffield. that's what we need to address. not simply reach for the statute book. >> the partnership between schools and universities for education is critical and is working terribly well. this is europe's largest leader of the teachers.

committee assume me universities like mine will provide or continue to have the leading role in the training of our teaches of the future? -- teachers of the future? >> of course, we must support all those institutions that producing the great teachers of the future and without great teachers, that we're able to lift the aspirations of young children in this country particularly bright young people from poor backgrounds who at the moment feel completely intimidated from going to university. i hope those teachers will explain to them that under the new scheme that we have proposed there's a real route for them to live out their hopes and dreams at our great universities in the future. >> thank you, mr. speaker. yesterday, the national housing federation reported that a first time buyer in london needs a salary of almost 100,000 pounds to buy an average-priced property. could the deputy prime minister tell me how many low cost homes will not be built in the capital

as a result of his government's decision to cut the affordable housing budget by 63%? >> what i do know, of course, is that we inherited a situation where fewer -- well, you don't like to hear it but you got to hear it. it's the truth. more and more people, more and more families ended up on the waiting list for affordable homes. we have a plan finally to put that right to increase the construction of new affordable homes at a rate that the party opposite never achieved. >> john baron. >> successful insurgency in the past suggest not one of the preconditioned for success control of the borders, good density levels, the credible government and support of the majority of population exists in afghanistan. does this not beg for more realistic assessment to the situation?

>> mr. speaker, i think we have tried to introduce a strong element of realism not only in the extra resources and support that are acquired for our troops in afghanistan but also, which i think is the implication of his question so recognize that there isn't a military solution to the conflict in afghanistan. this has to be a marriage of military strategy which applies pressure on those insurgents who want to disrupt the peaceful coexistence of people in communities with a political process of reintegration and of reconciliation so that we can leave afghanistan -- >> order, order. can i just ask the deputy prime ministers to face the house? it's quite difficult otherwise they can't be early heard. order, i want to hear our deputy prime minister. >> i was always taught to address the person who addressed my question. >> to marry a political strategy with a military strategy it is only by having those two in balance that we'll be able to leave afghanistan with our heads

held high knowing we've done the difficult job we were asked to do in afghanistan. >> tom blankenstock? >> what are the preelection promises has the deputy prime minister kept? >> i'm not sure if that was a question or just a line he's rehearsed over and over again over the last few days. [laughter] >> as for the issue of prisoner voting rights as he knows, there was a core judgment in 2005 which was then consulted in the parliament over and over and over again by the previous labour government. at some point regrettably -- at some point regrettably we need to bring our law into the line with those poor judgments and that is what we are now going to seek to do. >> thank you, mr. speaker. is the deputy prime minister aware on radio 5 live this morning that graduates earning 25,000 pounds after the changes to tuition fees will only have to pay bth