>> c-span, accretive by america's cable companies. -- created by america's cable companies. >> monday the supreme court starts a three day hearings on the constitutionality of the new health care law. the court releases >> coverage on c-span 3 and c-span radio. listen and at your comments. coverage starts monday morning on "washington journal" and continues through the day on the supreme court and the oral argument on cspan3. >> each morning during the supreme court oral argument on health care, all three hours of "washington journal" will be devoted to the argument previewing the issues coming before the court that day on monday, david savage joins us to lay out the challenges the court will hear this week.

then ilay somin will discuss the question before the court on monday whether the constitutional challenge to the individual mandate which doesn't go into effect until 2014 is premature and law professors jonathan turley of george washington university and james simon of n.y.u. will look at the makeup of the supreme court and how it compares to past courts. back from his official visit to the u.s., british prime minister david cameron returns to the house of commons to take questions from the opposition leader and members of parliament. this week the prime minister was asked about his conversations with president obama about keeping the 2014 timetable for withdrawing troops from afghanistan. he also answered several questions on the economy, government support for returning soldiers and compensating small business owners who lost their property in last year's riots.

from london, this is 30 minutes. >> the prime minister, mr. mark menzez. >> question number one, mr. speaker, thank you mr. speaker, this morning i had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others, in addition to my duties in this house, i shall have several such meetings later today. >> small business is concerned that britain suffered from a culture. does the prime minister agree with me that an example should be set from the very thought and that those have the football match -- [cheering] >> my old friend does make an important point. we do have a problem of this culture. i have to report mr. speaker, the problem can sometimes go to the very top. the leader of the opposition was meant to be addressing a health rally, called the city and three hours later was at a

football match. the question is as weather knowing the miracle cure, the important question was what was it that first attracted him to the multimillionaire owner of the haul football club. [cheering] . >> mr. speaker, mr. speaker, following the prime minister's recent trip to washington, we know that there is a timetable for the withdrawal of british and other international combat forces in afghanistan will be reviewed at the nato summit in chicago in may. the prime minister previously set a timetable that would see combat operations for british troops to cease by the end of 2014. given the recent statements by the u.s. defense secretary and the french president about an accelerated timetable for their troops, can the prime minister confirm the british government's position going into that summit. >> well, first of all, let me take this opportunity on behalf

of the whole host to once again pay tribute to the magnificent work that our armed forces do in afghanistan. we had another reminder yesterday of the very high price that we pay. in terms of the program of withdrawal, what i have said absolutely stands, which is that we will not be in a combat role in afghanistan after 2014 nor have anything like the number of troops that we have now. we will be providing a training task particularly helping with the officer training academy. between now and 2014, it's important that we have a sensible profile for the reduction in troop numbers that should be largely based on the conditions in terms of the three parts of medical monday province that we're still responsible for and the transition that takes place. what i discussed with president obama in america is making sure that in 2013, if there are opportunities to change the nature of the mission and be more in support rather than a direct combat role, then that is something that everyone will want to see. we can make further progress on that issue at the chicago

summit and announcements later on in the year about that. >> mill band. >> thank you, prime minister, for that answer. i know you will keep the house informed of any change in the british position and indeed the precise timetable and any evolution of that. i'm sure you'll also agree in the wake of the tragic killing of afghan civilians last week that is something we all abhor, but we must carry on with our mission. now president karzai has recommended international troops should be confined to their main bases. notwithstanding the tragedy of the incident that occurred, it grieves me while international troops are there, they must be able to perform their role of protecting the afghan population. can he tell us what discussions he has had with president karzai and his representative about the impact of any change in that role with security in helmond if that would happen. >> prime minister. >> our teams are in permanent contact in terms of

afghanistan. i myself speak to president karzai regularly. what happened in afghanistan with the dreadful shootings that were carried out by the rogue american soldier was a horrible event and dealt with for what it was. it was a mass murder. president obama takes that view very strongly. in terms of making sure we work with the afghans, as i said, the key is making sure that we transition in the three parts of helmond that we're responsible for and that we hand over to afghan troops and that they're in the lead as soon as they are capable of fulfilling that task. i don't have any concerns attempt about the role -- at the moment about the role of the british tasks of carrying out the tasks they are allotted. we're making good progress in the three parts of helmond. transition is a process and we should be as the chancellor will be explaining in a moment or two, we should be trying to make the most of the transition that is going to take place. >> miliband.

>> he agrees with me that president karzai and his representatives is very, very important especially in light of the comments that were made. a few days ago, the taliban took the decision to suspend preliminary talks with the united states in light of this, can the prime minister tell the house what his assessment of the significance of this is. does he agree with me that we owe to our troops serving in afghanistan to be more urgently focused on the task of securing a lasting political settlement. can he tell us how the british government plans to play its role in getting the political process restarted. >> prime minister. >> i thank you for this question. it is vitally important that we get this right, the british position has always been that we need to have a political settlement in order to ensure the best possible outcome for the people of afghanistan. britain has been pushing for political reconciliation and reintegration and had very productive talks with president obama last week because the

american view is now the same. they want to support that political process. of course, the taliban have said what they said last week. i would just make this point. we are committed to handing over to the afghan government the afghan military, the afghan police and the numbers of afghan military and police are on track, we're committed to doing that at the end of 2014. we believe that can happen even without a political settlement with a satisfactory outcome for the united kingdom. clearly it would be better for everyone concerned if it was accompanied by a political settlement. the work for that including setting up a taliban political office is progressing well and i believe it's in everyone's interest that we keep pushing that agenda but the taliban should be in no doubt. they are opportunities for a political settlement if they give up balance, renounce al qaeda and want to play a part in the future of politics of afghanistan. if they don't take those steps, we will continue to defeat them on the battlefield every time they raise their head.

>> heart. >> thank you, mr. speaker. the prime minister will agree that this is a fantastic charity which joins across the whole house. a branch needs to raise about 5 million pounds a year and yet can only claim about 5% of that. will he support my efforts to make it easier for charities to get the gift they have. >> let me join my honorable friend to paying tribute to the glance service. they do an amazing job in saving lives. we were providing 3 billion pounds in years in tax relieves for charities in which gift aid makes around a billion. we are increasing the amounts that charities are able to claim gift aid, up to 5,000 pounds. that will be a significant help to great charities like the one he mentioned. >> thank you, mr. speaker. when the disability minister came to wales last week, she said it was for others to

consider whether employees budget should have been away, i think when she said others, she meant you, prime minister. the government has said it's committed to supporting the unemployed workers in wales. will you divulge that for the welsh factories, for the next three years in order to ensure that all of those factories that can have a future do have a future? >> i will look carefully at the proposal the honorable lady puts forward as long as it's put forward in the spirit of being very constructive. what i would say is whether this decision is reserved or dissolved. reserved or divulged, it doesn't mean you have to take difficult decisions. we did ask the chief executive of disability rights u.k. to look at this issue. it is -- the point is this.

government funding allows for half a billion pounds over five years for them but that isn't enough to keep those factories open. and the reason for that is access to work awards are around 2,900 awards per disabled person, the cost of each job there is around 25,000 pounds per person. so the aim of policy is to use the money that we have to support disabled people into work. you can understand why the review came to the decision it did. >> gavin williamson. >> thank you, mr. speaker. the last few weeks have seen the start of 350 million pound construction of jaguar land rover's new factory. does my right honorable friend agree that this is a sign of growing confidence and belief in british manufacturing which in stark contrast to the destruction wrought on it by

the last administration? >> my honorable friend makes an important point. the jaguar land rover point is excellent news for british manufacturing and for british car making. and the good news is that is what is happening in the car industry is not confined to jag i can't remember land rover. if you look at nissan, honda, towerta, they are expanding across our country. that is good news for british manufacturing. >> thank you, mr. speaker. on the bus to the commons today, i foolishly revealed to a fellow passenger that i was a member of parliament. after some light-hearted and customary abuse, our conversation turned to life, the universe and commuting. so can the prime minister tell me and the man on the omnibus if that truly costs me 90

pence, how much did it cost me today? >> the point i would make is that 10, 10 twice promised to freeze fares and twice didn't deliver. the difference is that boris pays his taxes and ken doesn't. >> order! order! >> on that very subject, i look forward in the budget later to measure his own tax avoidance. would the prime minister agree with me that people seeking high office in public life should set a better example? >> the honorable lady makes an important point. i have to note what ken livington has said, if he is elected mayor of the money, he will then fully pay his taxes. it's not to hand out political advice, but my advice would be to pay them before the campaign gets going.

>> john pryor. >> thank you, mr. speaker. does the prime minister recognize that the introduction of regional pay would set hospital against hospital and school against school as the business sector has pointed out. and yet it would most certainly push up the overall cost. unless he can give a guarantee here today, a promise that if he introduces regional pay, it will bring down the overall bill? >> what i would say so the honorable gentleman, the last government that introduced local pay into the court service. the idea at looking at local pay for some public services is not such alien concept. it's perfectly acceptable to look at. his front bench suggested that we look at local level of benefits in the debate about the benefits. so surely he should be in favor of them again.

>> i saw the prime minister shares with me and praises the work of helicopter service around our country. does he share my concerns that the love for the portland search and rescue helicopter in 2017 will threaten the lives of my constituents and damage the integrity of the search and rescue service on the south coast? >> i totally agree with the honorable gentleman that a reliable search and rescue service is absolutely vital. we have looked at keeping the seeking helicopters which is one of the things that he suggested, but they wouldn't be able to provide a service as good or capable as a modern fleet of helicopters. that's why we're planning the changes. we believe that should provide faster flying time and a more reliable service. >> miliband. >> mr. speaker, last year's riots, the prime minister came

to the house and said we will help you repair the damage, get your businesses back up and running and support your communities. last week a report by the police, the uninsured who made claims under the act, around half have been settled since last august. does the prime minister agree with me this is simply not good enough? >> i do agree. there have been problems under riot damages act and that is previously why we also introduced a number of extra funds run by the department of community and local government and i think those funds have paid out faster. the riot damages act, it's right in a way to have this piece of legislation, but it takes time to make those payments. i'll certainly do what i can to chase them up. >> miliband. >> mr. speaker, we are eight months on from the riot. does the deputy prime minister hosted a reception, i think the gentlemen opposite should listen to this very important

piece about the riots. the reception organized by the deputy prime minister, he and i met at the supermarket which was razed to the ground during the violence of august 8. she is waiting to receive any compensation. does the prime minister agree with me that eight months on, that's just not right? does he further agree with me that ultimately it is the government's responsibility to make sure she gets the competent conversation she deserves? >> i agree with the honorable gentleman. i will look into that specific case. one reason i introduced funds along the act is to get money out faster. i would put in the library of the house of commons a set of information about where those funds did, where we got to the riot damages act and also i will look into the individual case that he mentioned. >> mr. speaker about people who haven't been helped by that money that was provided to local authorities and can't get help. mr. speaker, three things need to happen to make good on this.

first of all, first of all there needs to be proper information on the payment made under the riot damages act as a matter of urgency because there is one report, they said there is information, there is information from the metropolitan police, but the reality is that the information available is very patchy about what is happening around the country. so firstly, we need proper information. secondly, i ask him to nominate a minister in the home office whose job it is to make sure these claims are paid. thirdly, can he promise to come back to the house with a clear indication that 100% of legitimate claims will be settled? >> i will certainly be happy to come back to the house to put a notice in the library. it was a multiple claim, shop with flats above it. eight months is too long. we will make progress on that individual case. the honorable member in the home office who is the policing

ministry is taking a lead on this i have held follow-up meetings on this to make sure the money is paid off. >> the prime minister may be aware that putting servicemen have changed his name in the u.k. in order to raise awareness of this name change, will the prime minister join with me in order to see firsthand the wonderful work they do in supporting our veterans. >> i always enjoy my visit there. perhaps i'll be able to schedule one before long. i would like to put on record my thanks for the tireless and highly professional way that they assist former service personnel who tragically lost their sight. he pays them a great compliment and does his duty by explaining the change in their name so people know who they are and people can give money to them. we have a huge debt to former service personnel. they have done extraordinary

thinks on behalf of their country. we have to look after them through their life. the chancellor will make announce presidents about it in his budget. >> the prime minister said last year that the government unemployment would fall year after year. here we are at this moment in time with a record unemployment. that is 55.4 people in able job have a cab si. the growth fund has supported four businesses. why should the 550 workers and -- [cheering] >> on the specific case of the riotino camp, i know how important it is. we're working with the company to help get those people work. i understand they are still in

negotiations with the potential purchaser of that plant. what i would say to them about employment and unemployment is clearly we need more jobs in our economy, but since the election, we have had over 600,000 new jobs in the private sector. the level of employment in the country is up by around 250,000. there are fewer people on out of work benefits now than there were at the time of the election. and in terms of what is happening in the northeast, we should also celebrate the good news, the fact that in this san has 2,000 plants. a new plant and newcastle airport is expanding, there are more money going in the northeast. we should be talking up the northeast instead of talking it down. >> allen reed. >> thank you, mr. speaker. the running aground of a cargo vessel, the emergency coast guard that was wrenalt withdrawn from service.

will the prime minister please look into this as a matter of urgency and getting a replacement tug in play before a worse incident happens. >> prime minister. >> i know this issue is being looked into at the moment. i'm happy to write to the honorable gentleman and give him the details. he represents island communities that can be extremely cut off, particularly during the winter months and he needs to know that those services are there and i will write to him about that. >> question number seven, closed question, mr. graham allen. >> question seven, mr. speaker. >> first of all, let me pay tribute to the work the honorable gentleman does in this area. early intervention is absolutely essential to what this government is looking to achieve. that is how we're going to improve the life chances of the least off in our country and continuing to lift young people and children out of poverty. we'll base functioning decisions on what comes out of the first two years. as he will know, the early intervention grant is a crucial piece of funding and policy is

going to rise next year. >> i thank the prime minister and indeed the leaders of all parties for that continuing support for early intervention. early intervention not only helps babies, children, and young people develop the social and emotional capability to make the best of themselves, but it saves the country billions of pounds in the long run. would he and indeed the chancellor take this as the first representation, not for today's budget, but for next year's budget, would he consider theming next year's budget around early intervention bringing forward some proposals for tax changes to stimulate the social finance market that we heard about in earlier questions and move 1% only of default mental budgets from late intervention to early intervention. >> minister. >> well, in terms of budget submissions, that was definitely a result of early intervention. i praise him for the work that he has done. as he knows, we're going to be setting up the early

intervention foundation that is going to be funded in order to make the argument that he has put very effectively whichever side of the house he has been sitting on for many, many years. i will certainly discuss this with my friend, the chancellor. we're trying to look at all of the mechanisms we have whether it is backing nursery education, introducing pupil premium, make sure the grant is going up or putting the money in early to change people's life chances before it is too late. >> is the prime minister aware that this has the highest business growth in the whole of the united kingdom? it is open for business and a consent led government that is invested in a zone cut taxes. will the prime minister come to harlow so we can show economic recovery? >> in danger of being accused of watching too much television, i think you can summarize the question is the only way is essex.

i know he speaks up for his county. what i would say is congratulate harlow on the fantastic achievement that they have. the government wants to play its part, not least by the enterprise zone in west essex that is covering harlow and hope will create 5,000 new jobs. >> thank you, mr. speaker. 7,000 hard-working families depend on working tax credits to make ends meet. yet less than 200 people have to pay top rate tax. which of these groups does the prime minister think needs the most support in the chancellor's budget? >> we have increased the child tax credit by 255 pounds last year which was the biggest increase in its history and it will go up by another 135 pounds this year. in terms of the very richest in our country, let me reassure, after this budget, they'll be paying more in taxes. >> as well as the liberal

democrat priority to lift the tax hold to 10,000 pounds, does the prime minister agree one of the best way to help -- >> order! mr. hughes must be heard. >> does the prime minister think one of the best ways of helping family on low and medium income is to build more affordable housing? and given labor's legacy in london, 350,000 families on the waiting list, can he assure us there will be more affordable housing both in london and across the country? >> we do want to get our housing market started again including for affordable housing. that's why the higher right to buy discounts, that money is going back into building affordable homes. we're doing more to kick-start those places that have planning commission but can't get underway because of problems with banks and other fps. that's why we're putting extra

money into those schemes to make sure that building takes place this year or next year. >> john mcdonald. >> the information used by the consulting association to black list must have, could have only come from the security services. when 3,000 mostly celebrities have their telephones hacked, the government set up a public inquiry. some have been black listed and lost their livelyhoods. they go to the ippcc. why is there one route to justice for celebrities and another for working people? >> there is one law that has to cover everybody in this land. if will is any accusations of wrongdoing, that is something that the police who are completely independent of government can investigate. and that is what should happen. let me say to the honorable gentleman, i say that on his behalf. he can do something on everyone

else's behalf. he runs the right to work campaign that is stopping young people from getting work experience. he'll give up that left-wing organization. >> mr. speaker. below average household income, but public funding for school and health care as for a long time been some of the lowest in the country. does my right honorable friend share my view that this is unfair and will he personally support measures to change the funding formulas and get a fair deal for my county and for other similarly affected rural areas? >> we are looking at the funding formula for schools and we want to try to make it simpler so people can see what the criteria are and why the area received money that it does, but at the same time as that, we'll also introducing the pupil premium which will mean that parts of the country like is where there are high

levels of deprivation in parts will get specific funding for the children in the school meals. that should help the schools that need it the most. >> will the prime minister do the honorable thing and publish the reports to mitigate the risk -- >> what i would say is that as far as i can see, we have actually voted in this house of commons twice on the same issue and on both occasions, thank you, mr. speaker, there was a significant majority in favor of the government's position and i would also, i would also add, i would also add that the last government had many, many opportunities to publish risk registers and they didn't do it. >> i always appreciate the prime minister's gratitude. i'm sure. >> thank you, mr. speaker. for 10 years or more, leading conservatives like the