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>> later, members asked the prime minister questions on the strategy in afghanistan and on a lot for reform. >> order, questions for the prime minister. >> this morning i had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. in addition to my duties in the house, i shall have further such meetings later today. >> is the reason that the prime minister wants to put fewer criminals in jail to do with cutting crime or cutting budgets? >> what the government want to do is clear up the complete mess of the criminal justice system left by the labor party. each prison place today costs £45,000, yet 40% of prisoners are back in prison within a year, more than half of them are on drugs, and

around 10% of them are foreign national prisoners, who should not be here in the first place. >> the american waste giant, covanta, is proposing to build in my constituency an incinerator about the size of wembley. will the prime minister give an assurance that decisions about such matters will be made at a local level in future? constituency an incinerator the size of wembley. will regarding such circumstances will be made at the local level in the future? >> well, my right honorable friend is right to raise that and the decision should be made locally and we want to make sure that all the latest technology in terms of alternatives to incineration are looked at. so we can actually make sure we are using the best ways to make sure we have a green approach. >> harriet harman. >> mr. speaker, we were very concerned this morning to read reports that as a result of his

budget, 1.3 million jobs will be lost. can h confirm this was an estimate produced by treasury officials? >> well, the honorable lady should know -- i will give -- i will give -- i will give a surprisingly full answer if they just sit patiently. this morning, the office of budget responsibility produced the full tables for the budget for employment in the public and the private sector. this is something that never happened under a labour government, right? as shown in the budget, unemployment is forecast to fall every year under this government. but it also does show that public sector employment and what's interesting from the tables is you can see the effect of labour's policy before the budget. and you can see the effect of our policy after the budget. what the figures show is that under labour's plans, next year there will be 70,000 fewer public sector jobs. and the year after that, there

will be 150,000 fewer public sector jobs. the reason is we've had the courage to have a two-year pay freeze. i know we've all been watching the football but that's a spectacular end goal. >> harriet harmon. >> mr. speaker, i know he's published some new figures today but it's the figures that he's not published that i'm asking about. the figures that say 1.3 million jobs will be lost. why won't the prime minister publish these treasury documents? why is he keeping them hidden? >> the forecast is independent from the government. that is the whole point. it's no good, honorable members talking about it, they support the office of responbility completely independent of government. and i have to say to her, this is an extraordinary approach. before the election, before the election the shadow chancellor, then the chancellor was asked this question on bbc radio 23rd

of april 2010, will you acknowledge that public sector jobs will be cut? darling, it's inevitable. >> harriet harmon. >> but, mr. speaker, even the obr says that under his budget, unemployment will be higher than it would otherwise have been. they say that on today's figures. they said that on last week's figures. can he confirm that the secret treasury analysis shows that under his budget, half a million jobs will be lost in the public sector but even more will be lost in the private sector? >> the figures published today show 2 million more private sector jobs. they show 1.4 million people in work. at the end of this parliamen they show unemployment falling every year. it's not really any surprise that the former labour minister digby jones said after the budget, and i quote, why not listen. listen. >> order.

i'm sorry to interrupt the prime minister. i must ask right honorable members to listen -- order, to i want to hear the answers, prime minister?% >> the party opposite gave him an appearance he might listen. he said i think the sign has gone up saying britain is interested interest sorting out its economic mess. he's right but he dn't say it en he was in office. >> mr. speaker, he hasn't answered about the 1.3 million. he hasn't agreed to puish those documents. the prime minister should know what abject misery this unemployment will caus to individuals, families and communities but can he tell us now how much extra it will cost in unemployment befits? >> she doesn't seem to understand. unemployment is going to be falling during this parliament. and in terms of publishing the figures, we've published the full figures.

but it's not now us publishing the figures. it's the office of budget responsibility. she's got to understand this is something the labour party now support. well, let me repeat what the figures show is that unemployment in the public sector is higher under labour's plans next year and the year after. and when she get to her feet perhaps she will tell us do you now support them to keep unemployment down? >> mr. speaker, you could always tell when he doesn't want to answer a question because he asks me a question. he should recognize that under the obr figures published today, unemployment is higher than it would have been other than his budget. and the same is shown in the obr report last week. he won't tell us how much more the treasury will have to pay out in benefits to people without work as a result of his budget. he won't tell us. will he tell us how much less will be comg in, in taxes, as a result of fewer people in work because of his budget?

>> there are more people in work. like every -- like every labour government, they left us with unemployment rising. and we will be at the end of this parliament with unemployment falling. that is the difference. and she's got -- my advice would be to look at the figures before standing up and asking the question. if you look at the figures y see higher public sector unemployment next year and the year after under labour. she's slotted it straight in the back of her own net. >> well, we would look at the figures if he will publish them. we know -- we know that because -- we know that because this budget hits jobs, the treasury will have got less money coming in and more money going out. doesn't that make reducing the deficit even harder and more painful with bigger tax rises or even deeper cuts in public services?

and, mr. speaker, why are the lib dems just sitting here letting this happen? nobody who voted lib dem voted for this. >> the right honorable lady talks about reducing the budget deficit but we haven't heard one single proposal for cutting the deficit. we all know that they left us the biggest budget deficit in the g20. the biggest budget deficit in our history. we've been having a good troll mr. speaker for the stupidest piece of spending that they undertook and i think i have found it. and it was -- it was in the honorable lady's own department where they spent 2.4 million pounds doing up the department including 72,000 pounds each on two-story meeting pods known as -- [laughter] >> known as -- known as peace pods. and this is what they were for. its true. i'm reading -- i'm reading off her own department's staff magazine.

this is what tested. --t says. i think taxpayers can find out where their money is. where they can relax in a natural and elbow flow. that's what happened, mr. speaker. they've got from peace nicks to peace pods and bankrupted it in the process. >> thank you, mr. speaker. the prime minister will be aware that winchester the largest homecoming parade to date of returning troops from iraq, 650 men and women from 11 light brigade in the presence of the dutchest of cornwall. will the prime minister pay tribute to the brave men and women, 650 of them including the 64 who didn't make it home and, of course, to the thousands of winchester constituents of mine who showed their gratide for a job well done?

>> i will certainly join my right honorable friend to all those who served in afghanistan and i think the homecoming parades who have been instituted are an excellent way of showing the whole country's support for our armed forces. he talks rightly to those wh didn't come home and we should think of those who came home wounded and who will need our support and our backing and our help in terms of help and mental health services and prosthetic limbs and other things of a really high quality for the rest of their lives and i will honor that commitment. >> unemployment is gng to rocket by 1.3 million over the next five years. now, doesn't he realize that millions of people watching this who face unemployment over the next few years will think that he's committed in his refusal to answer perfectly straightforward questions from the bench over there? >> i have to say the right honorable gentleman. he's wrong.

we are publishing the figures. they show exact what will happen in terms of private sector employment and public sector employment. as the last government accepted, there will be reductions in public sector employment. but according to the office of budget responsibility, which is independent of government, the growth in the private sector more than makes up for that. so i just ask him, after he's left this room, maybe spend some time in a peace pod, wander to the liary, have a look at the figures and he will see the office of budget responsibility showing unempyment falling every year in this parliament. >> thank you, mr. speaker. following last ek's much welcomed budget will the prime minister agree with me that the deeply unbalanced economy will require fresh investment and enterprise in many northern cities like my own of york which for so long has been neglected by the labour gornment? and what assurances can we give to me my constituents that the

coalition will do all it can to encourage the economic growth. >> order, order. >> i'm grateful to the right honorable gentleman, prime minister. >> my right honorabl friend it's q r tisis point. over the last decade the disparity between regions actually got worse. the fact is regional policy over the last decade has been a complete failure and that's why we are right to cut rates of corporation tax and say to new businesses, to bias this policy in fav of parts of the country whose needs are greates and also to have a 1 billion pound that can help parts of the country that he represents. >> does the prime minister accept that one consequence of a prison sentence is that those serving them are unavailable to re-offend? >> absolutely. you're absolutely right. that's why prison is there. that's why prison is there.

but the fact is i believe prison can work. the fact is that it's not working properly at the moment. when you've got the re-offending rates and the cost of each prison place. we've got for reform. if the labour wanted to put themselves on the argument of simply defending the status quo, i think they're making a great mistake. if ever there was a part of our public services that needed radical reform to make sure prison does work, then now that's it. >> steven lloyd. >> thank you, mr. speaker. it must now be already to speak english before they can get a visa. will the prime minister arrange for me and a dell indication to

meet the minister to sort this out and show our government it's really for business. >> he needs to be a bit briefer. >> the right honorable gentleman is right. we want to make sure the country is open for business. if people come to learn english for less than six months then there is committed. but clearly there are problems as everybody knows. too many bogus colleges. too many people pretending -- too manyeople coming to study when really they're coming for work. will organize a meeting between my honorable friend and the immigration minister to discuss this. we got to discuss the problem of bogus colleges which has been so abused for years. >> tnk you, mr. speaker. the prime minister has said he wants to see more companies owned by their workers, the so-called john lewis model. sheffield masters is one of those companies. will the prime minister, therefore, now accept that he % was wrong to criticize the

shareholders for seeking a loan from theovernment as they were not seeking to line their own pockets. they have not yet taken a penny in dividends. what they were seeking to the was to ensure the future of that company and other jobs in the u.k. >> the honorable lady talks about the importance of firms being owned by their own employees. well, i'm looking forward to her support and the support of everybody opposite when we make sure the post office has that sort of ownership model and we get the best investment as well so i'll take that as a yeshen. >> mr. gary streeter. >> thank you, thank you, mr. speaker. thank you, mr. speaker. about 5,000 young people a year live local authority care and without parental support many f them end up in the streets or in our prisons. does the new government plans to intervene in the lives of this very vulnerable group to try to improve their life chances?

>> my honorable friend is absolutely right to raise this. we need to do better as a country. when you look at our prison system, it is 23% of adult prisoners who were in care. we've got to do better. one of the problems is children leaving care aged 18 unlike other 18 years old have got nowhere to go and to help them. we've goto do better. we are looking at this area. and i recognize that dealing with the scandal of the poor outcomes of children in care is something frankly everyone in this house ought to support. >> caroline lucas? >> thank you, homecoming parades for our very brave soldiers in satisfying important but so is an exit strategy in afghanistan. given there's no military solution to the crisis there and the head of the army said we should start talking to the taliban soon, wouldn't the prime minister agree we should start talking now so that we can save more lives on all sides and bring our troops home?

>> well, i welcome the right honorable lady to the house. and i know she will make a huge contribution during this parliament. on afghanistan, as we discussed quite at some length yesterday % in the house. of course there's no purely a military solution. i think it's important to continue to the strategy this year of the military surge to put pressure on the taliban and, of course, there should be a political track but as i said yesterday in the house we've got to recognize there is a difference between the taliban linked to al-qaeda who want to do so much harm not just in afghanistan but across our continent as well and those people who have been caught in an insurgency for other reasons. should there be reconciliation yes, and we should go further and i think the things that she's talking about wouldn't be visible. >> thank you, mr. speaker. in paying tribute to the members

of our armed forces who made t ultimate sacrifice in afghanistan, it is worth remembering that for every life lost, sx more liv are changed forever through the loss of one or more limbs. sometimes there are things that money can't buy but i welcome the prime minister's announcement an extra 67 million pounds to try to help counter ieds. can you explain to the house how this money will be spent? >> well, i think the right honorable gentleman for his question and pay tribute to him as a member of our territorial expert who has served in afghanistan. what the bomb disposable teams the ied teams do is just beyond brave. i saw for myself in camp bastian the training and the instruction. and it really is an extraordinary things they do for our soldiers and our country. we announced an 67 million poun to ve proper protection. 40 million of that is for more protected vehicles we will be doubling the number of teams and all of th time we have to kp

up with the technology that our enemy is using. what he says about people coming home with having lt one limb or two, just shows as i said -- these are y y y y y ypl who dont just want to have a new limb and a quiet life they want to run marathons and climb everest and they want to have fulfilling lives and we have to make sure the support is there for the very best limbs are there for them so they can live these lives. >> mr. speaker, in light of the earlier exchanges about employment and job losses, doesn't the prime minister think that the announcement this week of a further 4,000 full-time equivalent staff being cut from job center plus by next march amounts to a false economy? >> can i first of all welcome the right honorable lady to the house. she was head of the child poverty action group that has done incredible work in our country over the years and i pay tribute to her for that. the forecast show employment rising. that is the key.

and employment is the best way of actually tackling poverty. of course, there are going to be public sector job losses and, of course, there are going to be cuts in some programs. that would have been true under the labour government. it is true under our government. the key is gripping this problem so we start to get confidence and growth in our economy so we start to get a recovery. and i say to honorable members opposite they got to engage in this debate rather than play this. you announced the cuts and you nevetold anyone what they were. >> mr. speaker, the right honorable member for south shields is so confused. he's seeking support from mps these days. he said the budget was unavoidable -- >> order, order. it's a good idea to start with a question that directly relates to the policy of the government but, unfortunately, this doesn't. >> thank you, mr. speaker. the pediatric cardiac unit at

glen field hospital in my constituent provides outstanding care not in terms of the quality of surgery but the excellent nursing, after-care and facilities and support for parents. will the prime minisr confirm that all aspects of care will be considered as part of the government's review of children's heart surge? -- surgery. >> will he visit before the review makes the recommendations to see himself the excellent care that it provides? >> well, the honorable lady, there was an examination of children's cardiac service started under this government and we continue under this government we have to make sure standards are as high as they can this is incredibly and difficult and technical area. we have an interesting offenders i have the john radcliffe hospital which does a great job as well next to my constituents. the examination needs to take place but i would say to her one of the keys is going to be

protecting as we believe is necessary spending into the nhs over this parliament with modest real term increases each year. that is our policy. it's no longer the policy of the party opposite. so when difficult decisions have to be made it would be worse if we were adopting the labour policy of cutting the nhs. >> would the prime minister join me in welcoming the fact that protection in health care the coalition government has been able to approve the capital grant, 600,000 pounds of which will go to sir richard hospice with community care and hundreds of families and care workers across worcester in the years to come. >> yeah. >> my honorable friend is right to raise the hospice movement which has been one of the great successes of the big society that we have in this country i think we all -- we all cherish what the hospice movement does.

could i just take this opportunity -- could i just take this opportunity on behalf of the whole house to pay tribute's to the right honorable gentleman's father who served service. he gave great service in this country and in wales. he had many achievements in his long career. and if politic is about public service in the natiol interest and things that can change people's lives, his pioneering reform of selling council homes to their tenants is something that i think is great to their country. >> i wonder if the prime minier could tell us who he considers to be right on short prison sentences the secretary state of justice or the leader of his party in the scot parliament. >> we all know -- we all know you have to keep short sentences for some purposes. i've said that. the lord chancellor has said that. of course you need to have it in some circumstances. but do we benefit? do we benefit from lots and lots

of vy short ntences? i think it would be better if we could improve community sentences so they were tough. one of the problems of the appallg inheritance in the last at thpoint years is no one has any faith in the community sentences that ought to be a good alternative to prison. >> can i urge my right honorable friend to ignore simon heifer. when in today's daily telegraph he advocates the complete abolition on the basis that charity begins at home. and could my right honorable friend take this opportunity to tell those people who keep having a crack of the government's commitment to international development that our national interest, and our national interest security stability and sense of humanity very often begins erseas. >> i think my right honorable

friend is entirely right. and he has a record as a minister for africa and as a development minister in a previous -- in a previous government. and the fact is this, we have made a commitment, you know, both nationally and internationally to increase our aid spending. and i think britain should be a country that sticks to its word. and i have to say, even to those who take a more-headed approach to these things, overseas aid is in our domestic interest. you think of the problems of -- that world poverty causes it's in our interest and in our national security to deliver this. t above all britain is sticking to its word i found at the g8 and the g20 give us the opportunity to have some moral authority and moral leadership on this vital issue. >> how can the prime minister th hundreds of thousands of public sector workers, the victims of the financial crash, were unquestionably will lose their jobs because of the huge public service cuts to come.

when the -- when the bankers and the super rich, the architects of the financial crash, whose wealth according to the sunday times whose riches grew 77 billion pounds this year stand to lose neither their jobs nor their income and their wealth. is that what you mean fire everybody together? >> the prime minister. >> the right honorable gentleman fought the last election on 50 billion pounds of unspecified cuts. that is why the figures published today show that public sector job losses would be higher under labour in the next two years. he can say all a he likes about bankers. the fact is his party wouldn't introduce a bank levee until the rest of the world would do it and we did it in seven weeks. >> my constituent, milly, age 5, wrote to me recently asking why there are special days for mothers and fathers and not for children. >> i'm sorry. der.

>> the honorable lady will be heard and that's the end of it. annette brook. >> would the primeinister commit to work with voluntary organizations to raids the profile of our children's day on november the 20th to celebrate the united nations convention on the rights of the child and indeed to celebrate the achievement of all our children whether they be rich or poor. >> the honorable lady has a long record of supporting children's day and supporting the united nations convention which was signed in 1990. i think we should raise the profile of this day and i know she will be pased to know the coalition is making good progress on this. only this morning the honorable member said on children's needs are properly protected under this coalition government. >> mr. speaker, the prime minister made a motion that the people of scotla did not choose his politics.

and they didn't choose -- they didn't choose the pridles of the liberal democrats either. can he give this house an assurance as an absolute chill runs through scotland at the job losses that he did not publish. any proposals -- any proposals for cuts in public services and expenditure in scotland on a any formula cuts will be brought before the scot fair select committee? >> order, order. >> we're grateful to the right honorable gentleman. it's too long. >> i'm well aware thathe conservative party did not sweep scotland. i'm well aware of that fact and thank you for reminding me of that. what i said i would do if i formed a government i would go straight to scotland and straight to wales to meet with the -- you asked the question you might as well listening to the answer without suting to me. have a respect agenda where we respect the devolved