>> tomorrow on "washington journal," a look at the white house and plans on health which is scarce and -- health care legislation and jobs. also, business roundtable president john castellani. and then the president-elect of the american medical association. "washington journal" live at 7:00 a.m. eastern here on c- span. .

[captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> will the prime minister get to his feet and tell us you knew nothing about the briefing? >> now from london, prime minister's questions from the british house of commons. this week conservative party leader david cameron challenged

prime minister gordon brown on transparency and better monitoring of hospitals, referring to cases of neglect and abuse at stafford hospital and the prime minister answered questions on the role of the british mission in afghanistan and in northern ireland. >> questions to the prime minister. mr. jamie reed med number one, mr. speaker? >> mr. speaker, before i answer the question, let me make another tribute to our troops. they are working with incredible braverry, with fortitude and with dedication to defeat those who would bring terrorism to the streets of britain, by denying the terrorists both land and support, by offering the population of helmand, afghanistan, a more secure and prosperous future. i know the house will join me

in paying tribute to them. lance corporal lance hicks. lance sergeant david green holm. from sixth battalion the rifles, attached to third battalion theñi rifles, mark marshal. from sixth battalion, the lancaster regiment, kings man shawn dawson the guy millers. from first battalion and guards, lieutenant douglas dalsel. lance sergeant david walker. these were men of exceptional braverry, of great courage and great skill whose loss is deeply felt. each and every one of them say hero dedicated to their colleagues and to their mission. we send profound condolences to

their loved ones. >> jamie reed. i'm sure everyone in the house will want to associate themselves with the prime minister's comments. my constituents never shared in the bankers' bonuses. what assurances with -- can the prime minister give that we will get the money back and that we will not ever squander this investment on a half-baked public share holding? >> first of all, we have imposed a 50% national insurance tax on bank bonuses which has to be paid by everybody paying cash bonuses over the course of the next year and i cysted on the application of the g-20 rules which means cash bonuses above a certain amount cannot be paid and can only be paid at a later date and we are working toward a global levy in working to see

how that could be administered and we are determined that the banks pay back every penny. that is an essential means by which we reduce the deficit and any plan to give top price shares would mean the deficit would be higher and the public would be denied the money that they should receive. [shouting] >> can i first of all join the prime minister in paying tribute to the seven servicemen killed in afghanistan since the last time we met, david walker, douglas dalsel, guy meadows, mark marble, david green hahl and darren hicks. we are paying a high price for the undertakings in helmand but it is an essential mission and the families need to know they have the support of the whole house and the country in the

work they are doing the while the report into the stafford hospital has only just been published i want to ask a couple of other questions before turning to that subject. hundreds of people went into that hospital some with relatively straightforward ailments and ended up dying the does the prime minister understand that these victims will never be content with an inquiry that was conducted in private behind closed doors without any public hearings? does he understand the clamor for a public inquiry? >> let me say first of all that we understand both the sadness and the sorrow of all the relatives who lost their loved ones in the mid staffordshire hospital trust and we know that every single one of those cases where relatives have doubts or questions are now being investigated as individual cases and i understand that there are more than 300 cases

that are being investigated and every one of these families deserves to have the answers that are necessary. so that is the first form of inquiry that has been done. the second form of inquiry is the inquiry which the secretary of state for health will report on in a few minutes which will continue its work on the regulation of foundation hospitals and in particular this hospital. what happened in this hospital was completely unacceptable. what happened was a management failure in this hospital and when it comes to accident and emergency i am shocked not only to read the -- the stories but to find that where there should have been four consultants there was only one and where there should have been 55 nurses there were only 37. this is a failure that needs to be dealt with. i am grateful for the secretary of health for bringing forth a series of f recommendations so

that just as with doctors when management fames we will be able to strike off the names. ? grateful for the answer but isn't one of the tragedies that people were dying because of bad management year after year after year? death rates at the hospital were far too high and out of line from 2005, yet the health care commission only started investigating in 2008. isn't it clear that the structure of the primary health care trust didn't bring this to light early enough? does the prime minister agree we need a better way of publishing results and patient outcomes in our hospitals and need openness and transparency to stop this happening again? >> yes, mr. speaker but he should recognize we have -- the steps we have already taken, a care quality commission investigation, and reviews are

already underway. we can remove the charitable trusts more easily. there is now an early warning system in place. all these things have been done already but at the same time the secretary of state will announce later today there will be an inquiry into mortality ratios and a proposal about the deauthorizeization of trusts and we have done everything we can to ensure that after this has been exposed we not only investigate the individual worries of families who are affected but also learn every lesson possible so that this would not happen again and we have a statement this morning from the interim chair of the health care quality commission. we have no reason to believe that there is another trust in england with problems of the scale and nagnitude that existed in midstaffordshire. i want to reassure people on

that. >> david cameron. >> just as we need open bs in -- openness in the health service, so we need openness at the heart of government. [cheers] >> after the chancellor's extraordinary statement last night the prime minister said this morning on gm tv and i quote, "i would never instruct anybody to do anything other than support my chancellor." [laughter] try and stand up with a straight face and tell us that's true. >> mr. speaker, it's not only correct, but this is the nearest he's ever got to talking about the economy in the last two months. [audience cheers] >> if you want to talk about

the economy, we can talk. [shouting] >> we can talk about -- >> order. members must calm down. the leader of the opposition must be heard. >> we can talk about him trebling the deficit, about wrecking the pension system, about ruining the tax system and about bringing this country to its knees! [shouts] but right now six weeks before an election with a record budget deficit at the end of a long recession i want to ask why the prime minister and the chancellor are at war with each other. this is what we are told. this is what we're told. nip closer and they'll start kissing! [shouts and laughter] >> damian mcbride, spin doctor, was spreading poison against darling.

he told every journalist who had access to a pencil that it was a disaster. there was the most poisonous briefing against him. last night the chance eller said after he said what he said, number 10 downing street, and i quote, unleashed the forces of hell. why does the prime minister think i said -- think he said that? >> i've already answered that. i never instructed a briefing against the chancellor. when it comes to the question of the economy, can i and his party explain why they were for reducing the deficit, then against the deficit, now for reducing the deficit again? none of his policies stand up and that's why there is never any substance from the leader of the opposition! >> it was this prime minister who put character at the heart of the election! it was this prime minister who said judge us on his moral compass? why is it the moral compass always points at someone other

than him? let me -- this is a verb atim eyewitness account from one of the journalists. browns point man turned to the journalists and -- order. if the members do not stop shouting i may have to ring some sort of help line myself. or worse still, to spend -- suspend the sitting. it makes an extremely bad impression, this sort of noise and ranting, on the british public. i appeal to the house to have some regard for the way in which we are viewed bim the electorate. the house will hear the leader of the opposition. >> i gather things are not so bad in downing street that even the security guards need protection. [laughter] let's just keep it simple. will the prime minister -- [shouts] >> will the prime minister get to his feet and tell us he knew absolutely nothing about the

briefing against his chancellor in front of all these people who have worked with him for so long after 27 ministerial resignations, after three attempts to get rid of him, get to your feet and tell us you knew nothing about the briefing against the chancellors. >> he's not doing very with. he has asked me the same question three times and i've answered it. mr. speaker, i would rather be defending my chancellor than be in pizz position. [shouts] at truth of the matter is that the chancellor has been right on every issue of economic policy over the last two years and the shadow chancellor and the leader of the opposition have been brong -- wrong on every issue the last two years. >> if the chancellor was right, why was he trying to get rid of him? all right. the prime minister wants to talk about the economy. figures out today say that

g.d.p. per capita is lower today that when this government began. will he confirm this is the first government in 40 years to leave this country poorer than what -- when it began? >> mr. speaker, the chancellor and i can confirm that g.d.p. is higher the head than it was in 1997. that is the question he asked and that is the answer he'll get. mr. speaker, the problem with the leader of the opposition is that not one time does he ask any question about the substance of policy. he gets it wrong every time. people are now taking a hard, long look at the conservatives and mr. speaker they are now seeing through them. >> ms. blackburn? i'm sure that members want to hear ms. blackmon. >> thank you, mr. speaker.

firstly can i add my cond olences to those of my right honorable friends, david greenhouse that lives in elkerson, lived in my constituency and was a very brave young man. to receive a diagnosis of cancer must be one of the most frightening experiences in a person's life. currently one in three see a cancer specialist within two weeks. can i ask the prime minister to build on that goal and make it a legal entitlement, further reassuring patients and their families? >> i'm grateful to my honorable friend who's taken a very keen interest in how we can progress against cancer in our country. the truth is if people get early screening and early diagnosis there is a 90% cross

chance of survival from both breast and bowel cancer. that is why we are so keen that everybody can see a specialist as quickly as possible and get the diagnosis as quickly as possible. that is what will save lives. i have to say the policy of having a guarantee of two weeks, then one week, has got massive support around the country and i cannot understand for the life of me why the conservative party is against these guarantees we give to every patient in the country. if they want to commit to the national heat. service they should support the guarantees for cancer care. i would like to add my expressions of sympathy and condolence to the seven brave soldiers who tragically lost their lives serving in afghanistan since the house last served. hicks, green haug, marshall,

dawson, meadows, and belleville and walker, we all owe -- them and their families an eternal debt of gratitude. the last time the prime minister wheeled out his slogan, "a future for us all," was back in 2003. then just as now the poorest were paying more of their income in tax than the richest. there is one big difference. since 2003 the gap between what the poorest and richest are paying has double. how can he possibly call that fair m >> mr. speaker, as i said to him before he has got to include the importance of tax credits and he forgets that six million families in this country are getting child tax credits. theñi child tax credit was wort only 10 pounds when we came into officeñiçóñr and it's wort

10 pounds to 30 pounds andxd th is whya5 we support the child credit and parties that wish to cut child tax credit as the conservative party wants to do will put more children in poverty in this country and that's why we oppose their policy the >> mr. speaker, he reels off ñi [shouts] ñ>r but he asks to us take a second look. what do we find? the tax rate hitting hard our families. hitting people who work hard and play by the rules. tax injustice for the many, tax breaks for the few.ñi oó"tqi r given -- [shouting] >> that given what happened the last time a prime minister promised a fair future for all, this isn't a slogan, it's a warning? >> i thought he would do better

than that because first of all we have been dealing with tax breaks at the top, including the removal of pension tax reliefs for those who are are very wealthy and i hope he will continue to support our policy. the chance eller has signed an agreement with leichtenstein that will bring a billion in tax money back to our country. but our policy is making the difference between poverty and people having sufficient to live on and that's why there are half a million more people in work than even was pronged at the time of the work and that's what makes the difference to poverty. >> would the prime minister and the whole house join with me in condemning the kidnapping and brutal murder of two young men in pakistan by extremist tal i

pann groups and share with the house what action the government is taking to assist the pax government in protecting minority groups in pax from talibban. -- paxistan from taliban? >> the danger from the afghan talibban and the pakistan taliban is something that becomes more and more obvious every day. he is referring to violent incidents that are happening every day as a result of the efforts of the taliban. we are work with the pakistani authorities so that we can make inroads into the taliban. there has been some success with the afghan taliban in only the last few weeks. at the same time we will continue to work with the pakistani authorities and say toçó>4)qñi pakistani people, we will help children with their education, we ask you to with us so that the madrasahs cannot

have an evil influence on the advertising and self-promotion went up by 40% last year. in that it isn't working with -- will he cut 0 -- it out? >> we are going to end the advertising budget and consultancy budget. he should know that. >> is the prime minister aware that february was designated as scones awareness month? does the attempt by the party opposite to pose as a party fit for government not qualify as one of the biggest scams in history and would he join me in logging on to scam nesty.com to draw attention to this latest example of scams?

>> mr. speaker they're a party led by the airbrush and they're financed from offshore. >> my constituents, steven oliver, at the age of 30, died in tragic and mysterious circumstances late last year. the family be of steven are very disappointed by the greek authorities' failure to properly investigate his death and furthermore of the british government's seeming acceptance of the situation. i'm now asking the prime minister to take a personal interest in this situation and try and get answers to the questions that the family are raising. >> i'm grateful to the honorable member. he gave me advance notice of this question and i, like he, is very sorry to hear of the tragic death of oliver in october last year and i send my

since seers -- since seer condolences to the family. i understand that consular staff in greece are ready to provide assistance to the family as appropriate including how best to proceed about the circumstances of his death and i and other will look forward into any further concerns the honorable member may have. >> mark hurricane dennisan? >> thank you, mr. speaker. can the prime minister confirm that he condemns not only the use of false u.k. passports in a criminal operation but any act of state-sponsored assassination anywhere? and will he drop the government's plans to amend the law here on universal jurisdiction which has so far been justified on the basis of the need to protect israel's right to due diplomatic conduct and to proper intergovernmental engagement, standards for which the israeli government is

curnlly showing utter contempt in view of the way the government treated the foreign secretary this week? >> i can assure him that where there are questions about the misuse of british passports they have to be answered. we have set up and there is an investigation ongoing into the very instance he has raised. i would not draw immediate conclusions without seeing the evidence and i think it's important to see the evidence on this before any further conclusions are made but i do agree with him, we do not support state-sponsored terrorism in any country. but the laws of international jurisdiction affect all countries, and not just one country. >> stewart jackson? >> the prime minister had a famously tempest wuss relationship with his predecessor.ñmó >> once again the conservative party can't raise an issue of politics.

yesterday we had an education statement. monday we had a business go. . and a conservative back-bencher gets up with a planted question from the front bench, can't ask a question even about his own nwó mr.ñi speaker, mr.ñ that the whole of."çóxdñi seas whoseñiçó company is now mothba and 1,700 are made unemployed. would the prime minister tell the house this afternoon what his ministers are doing to secure and help secure a searcher and whether it is the case that tartar are unprepared to sell this company and speak to british ministers? >> first of all i share her anger about what has happwngd

in teañr side and the loss of 1,700 jobs in not -- any area is unacceptable. the loss of 1,700 jobs in an area which has depended on this work for years and had a contract for future years is more unacceptable and something we have to look at very carefully. as the house knows there was a contract with four companies that would have guaranteed the work. that contract broke down because of the parties in it disagreeing with the future. we are doing everything we can to find a buyer for this plant. i have talked to the chief met with people in the area who are concerned about what is happening to the jobs and the prospects for young people in that,áqp we have also put 60 million pounds into the area so at that we can create newspaper jobs and new development in the area that will give jobs in the future. but i%q! her share my angeír>'

aboutçó what happened and my government about -- will do everything we can to make sure thatp oplei who loseçó jobbeds f fp we can avoid it, don't lose jobs atñiñr all. >> since the did introduction of the new rules on motorcycling and taking the tease the numbers have declined by 50%. what will the prime minister do to rectify what is obviously a very poor system? >> i shall take the figures she has given me and askçó the transport minister to look into this veryçó matter. industry in this country and that the specifics of tests in this area be answered.p/÷ >> a person was committed of rape in 2005 based on d.n.a. in the national data base.

isn't it true that if storage were restricted to three years he would be walking free? >> mr. speaker, this is a very important issue where a national debate would helpçóçóñ resolve theseñiñi s[ues. last year there were 832 matches to the national d.n.a. database, these made inñr cases of murder, manslaughter andñi rape and that is why it is supported by the families of victims as being sem to protect the public so any proposal from the conservative party that redusse the ability of that d.n.a. register to finned -- find and punish offenders would be a step backward and i hope the conservative party would think again about añr policy th would leave people who are guilty free to takeñr the actio again. >> theçó comments