spring. then a discussion of future political parties. >> tomorrow on "washington journal" a look at the options of comprehensive immigration reform. a discussion of the role money played in campaign 2012. and the former chief of staff for the committee on taxation talks about the white house and congressional efforts concerning tax cuts set to expire at the end of the year. "washington journal" live at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. [captioning made possible by bloomberg television] [captions performed by national captioning institute] @@@@@@@@@@

>> i'm open to comprow -- compromise. i refuse to accept any approach that isn't balanced. i am not going to ask students and seniors and middle class families to pay down the entire deficit while people like me making over $250,000 are not asked to pay a dime more in taxes. >> the newly elected congress starts in january, and work is expected on the impending fiscal cliff including the expiration of the bush era tax cuts, the federal deficit, raising the debt ceiling and by how much, and planned cuts to domestic and military spending. follow all the floor debates starting tuesday at 2:00 p.m. eastern with live house congressional on c-span and the senate on c-span 2.

>> deputy british prime minister and liberal democrat leader nick clegg answered questions wednesday. prime minister david cameron was away on a trip to the gulf. members offered glages to president obama on winning the u.s. presidential election. other questions focused on the british economy, cuts within the health service, and relations in the united states. this is about 35 minutes. >> order. questions for the prime minister. mr. ian wright. >> number one, mr. speaker,. >> mr. speaker, i've been asked to reply, the house will know my right honorable friend the prime minister is on the official overseas visit to the middle east. mr. speaker, the whole house will wish to join and contribute to the two british soldiers that were killed in afghanistan last week. lieutenant edward baxter and lance corporal of first

battalion royal gurkha rifles. our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the brave servicemen. any particularly poignant we force all. we will once again are reminded of the remarkable job our armed forces do to ensure our safety and security. >> for the more the house will wish to join me in paying tribute to david black the officer shot and killed last friday. that's why right honorable friend the second state said in the house on friday, we utterly condemn this cowardly crime. our thoughts are with david's wife and children at this distressing thing. mr. speaker, i'm sure also that also want to join me in congratulating president obama on his election victory. [cheers and applause] >> last night. that's the only points that reach here today. [laughter] and we look forward to continuing the governments work

with him and build a more prosperous, and more free a more stable world. mr. speaker, this might eyed meetings with minister colleagues and others in addition to my duties in the cells. i shall of further such meetings later today. >> may i put associate myself with a sincere tribute 822 fallen servicemen and to david black. it's right this house is to be to those of all episodes of her country. never more so than in we could remembrance sunday. may i also say that president obama will be relieved to get the support of the deputy -- [laughter] >> mr. speaker, the former metropolitan police commissioner has said the police allowed national crisis levels but is he right? why is that the case? >> mr. speaker, as he will also know the latest figure she'll overall crime is down by 6%. the victim satisfaction where the police has gone up.

response times for emergency calls is being maintain or improve. crime has fallen, particularly in his own constituency. so when will they congratulate the police? rather than denigrate the police on doing at the job doing with savings estimate one has to whilst keeping the public safe? >> mr. david rutley. >> does my friend agree with the german finance minister called on the oecd to accelerate plans to tackle the challenge of corporate tax avoidance? >> hindsight, everyone will warmly welcome the work of the chancellor is now doing with the finance department and the finance minister in berlin. a crack, what was industrial scale tax avoidance by large corporate entities in this country and elsewhere which is allowed to go on unchecked under

certain juniors of the labour government. >> harriet harman. >> mr. speaker, can i join the deputy prime minister in expressing our deepest condolences to the death of lieutenant edward drummond-baxter and lance corporal a first battalion the royal gurkha rifles. our thoughts are with their families and friends, and remember services this sunday. will remember not just those who died in the two world wars, all our servicemen and women who have lost their lives. we send our deepest sympathy to the family of david black northern island service who was killed last friday. mr. speaker, can also joined the deputy prime minister in offering our warmest congratulations to the president of the united states, barack obama. this morning, he spoke of his determination to great more jobs, health care for all, and tackling the scourge of

inequality. we wish him well. mr. speaker, mr. speaker, lord justice leveson will be publishing his report and recommendation soon. the deputy prime minister said that provide lord justice leveson proposals are proportional and workable. that government should implement them, and we agree. so when the report is published, will the government convened cross party talks to take it forward? we need a strong free press. and we also need a proper system to protect people from being as prime minister said, thrown to the wolves. >> i agree with much of what you said about levinson. need to wait to see what he comes up with. a workable proportion. i think we should support him of course that is the whole point of the exercise but i also agree with her we should work on

across party bases will begin. the are two principles, both of which she alludes. firstly that we must do everything to ensure we maintain a free, raucous, independent press. is what makes our democracy and the country what it is. but also, also make sure the vulnerable are protected from abuse by the powerful. and that happen on an unacceptable scale on too many occasions. we need to be able to look at parents of nearly dollar in the eye and say that in future they will be permanently into pinned forms of record, sanctions and accountability when things go wrong in the future. >> i thank him for that answer. we must have a press which records -- reports the truth without fear or favor. but after all the evidence that came out during the input, particularly as he said from the dowlers and we can't continue

with the status quo. a press complaint system where publications can be more -- and a system that is run by the press. with the deputy prime minister agree that a version of business as usual was simply not do, and it would be a dereliction of our duty to allow the leveson report to be kicked down the road? spent i think everybody except one of the individual views about this, this is as usual is simply not acceptable your the status quo has failed. it is failed over and over again. the model of self-regulation we've seen over the last several years has not worked when things have gone awry. so i certainly agree with the premise upon which we and the government actually traded the leveson inquiry which is to seek a recommendations for change. that's a whole point of the leveson inquiry. >> and i look forward to all of us having the opportunity to work together in the public interest to get this right. now, mr. speaker, this week the

deputy prime minister send an e-mail to his party members. and it he describes the task of finding childcare as a real nightmare. isn't it clear that cutting the childcare element of tax credit has made that nightmare worse for parents? >> i think it is help many people who have struggled to make ends meet, to pay for chucky. the fact it is this government that is providing 15 hours of free preschool support for every -- no government has done that before. it is this government as of next april that will be providing 50 after preschool support and childcare to some of the poorest two-year-olds in the country. know whether government has done that before. it is this government that is taking 2 million people on low pay out of paying any income tax altogether. that's a record i'm proud of. >> the deputy prime minister has shown himself to be completely out of touch.

shop-vathe reality is many parte working parents are having to give up their job because of the cuts in tax credits and have instead to be on benefit. and i asked him about the childcare elements of the tax credits and he has not entered. why won't he admit because he voted for have -- 44,000 families are losing out. and if that wasn't bad enough they're cutting 1 billion pounds for any female he says he was going to reveal -- [shouting] >> order. i know that the junior minister in the back row -- not interested i don't -- order. i don't want heckling. what i want is the question to be heard and it will be heard with courtesy. and get the session has to be extended for that to happen, so be it. harriet harman.

>> thank you. tried whether can begin to quite a lot of sympathy with the honorable member first mid-venture. shop-vac all those rats and snakes. [shouting] in the deputy prime minister is enough he said he would reveal -- [shouting] mr. speaker -- >> order. i've made the point was that i'm going to make it only wants more. mr. mccartney, your heckling is not one of the it doesn't help. stop it and stop it for the remained of the session and in the future. i've made their position clear. harriet harman. >> thank you, mr. speaker. in the deputy prime ministers e-mail he said he would reveal what really goes on behind those whitehall doors. so perhaps in his next week's installment he will tell the truth. under his government families are worse on, aren't they?

>> as of next april, because of one the most radical changes introduced in living history, 24 million basic rate taxpayers will be 550 pounds better off. that is a radical change i am very proud of. i'm proud of the fact three and four year old will benefit from a change. two-year-olds will benefit. and as you may have noticed in a much quoted resolution trust report recently, tax credits are not the best answers for many families. so yes, i except we need to do more to make childcare affordable so more women can get back into work at an earlier stage. that's what this government is setting about doing while we're also cleaning up the mess left behind by her. >> he tells the dispatch box and the says one thing but he does something completely different. and he is added again. two years ago, he made a solemn

election pledge that the victims would provide 3000 more police officers. but there are not more. there are 6800 fewer, and why should anyone trust the victims on policing? >> at least they can trust this side of the house for the economy. [shouting] let me explain. mr. speaker, let me explain. let me explain to the shadow chancellor, the shadow chancellor is not here. >> order. the right honorable gentleman is in danger of being heckled rather noisily and stupidly by both sides. [laughter] the right honorable gentleman, the right honorable -- the right honorable gentleman's answer will be heard. however, long it takes so the youth juvenile to link what you should stop now.

deputy prime minister spent and used to getting it from both sides. look, the shadow chancellor is not a. but just to underline the point, last year and a television interview he denied there was a structural deficit while they was in power. last month and another television interview he denied that the do not. so now we're the shadow chancellor greeting against himself and television interviews, i want to -- how on earth would anyone in this place bill to sort out the economy? >> people know they can't trust people and they can't trust this government on the economy because of the government he supports. we've lost two years of economic growth, and borrowing is going up. and i don't know -- i don't know why they are so cheerful about, i don't know whether also cheerful about the cuts in these numbers. they might not be bothered with their constituents certainly are. you can't trust them on tuition

fees, on childcare. and when it comes to voting next week, people will remember you certainly can't trust them on the police. >> what about her promise of no boom and bust? what happened to that one? [shouting] this coalition has been about two and a half years and end of two nephews with given 24 million taxpayers an income tax cut. were taken to mean people on low payout of cuts. would cut the deficit by a quarter. we have performed well for the what is she and her colleagues done? what have they done what they have gone on a few marches. they have denied any responsibility for the mess we are in, and they haven't even filled in their blank sheets of paper where they should be some policy. she might be hoping for some bad news, but to make her point in this country, we are sorting out the mess that she left behind. [shouting] >> thank you very much,

mr. speaker. moving on as we must i would echo the deputy prime minister's comments on the u.s. presidential election, and can't gradually mr. obama on his victory. it was good to see a leader reelected in difficult times. with the deputy prime minister agree with me that alongside new emerging markets including those in the middle east of course britain should seek to strengthen our economic and trade side with the u.s. through a new trade deal as we seek to boost our recovery, maybe start what across the channel? >> well, i actually agree with them but i think the lesson of the election in the states, presidential election is that voters memories are longer than members of opposite seem to think. because voters can when comes to actually casting votes remember who created the mess in the first place and to has to do the painstaking difficult and yes, longer than we hoped jobs of sorting out the mess. of course, there's so much we now need to do to work together with a new obama administration. he talks about trade.

i would like to see a new e.u.-u.s. free trade agreement which i think will create a real spur economic growth in both of our economies. i was delighted to hear overnight that president obama singled out his commitment to do with climate change, another area where we can work together very well. >> mr. speaker, the deputy prime minister tells us he supports the living wage and the increase announced on monday. can he tell us how many councils paid a living wage? spent mr. speaker, as she knows own leader, her own leader -- >> order, the honorable lady has asked the deputy prime minister a question. members will have to have to hear the answer. the deputy prime minister spend as she knows her own leader has said this is a voluntary process by which we need to encourage both councils and employers in the public and private sector to pay a living wage.

no one will disagree, no one will disagree with the idea of a living wage that people will pay a fair wage for a fair days work. there's a lot of extra work that needs to be done to make this a reality. i guess what? it is this government because of our tax changes him as of next april someone working under minimum wage will have the income tax cut by half. >> thank you, mr. speaker. the tragic death of private david leigh collins whilst off duty in cyprus is a devastating blow to his mother, my constituent and family and friends in the constituency in manchester. will the deputy prime minister assure me that the foreign office and the ministry of defense are working with secretary authorities to assure that the perpetrators are brought to justice? >> first, i think everybody, hearts of course go out to the mother and family and friends of david collins who came to such

an untimely death in the way he described. it's right for him to raise this issue on behalf of of david collins, his mother. i certainly can short the ministry of defense and the foreign office will do everything they can to find exactly what happened and bring the perpetrators to justice to ensure the secretary of state of defense who is here will keep them updated as things evolve. >> thank you, mr. speaker. much needed costs destroyed in a devastating floods that affected my constituency last month, warnings we face another winter of floats to the government promised to bring forward plans for a new deal. my constituents are still waiting. when will this incompetent and out of touch government actually act on making sure that ordinary families and businesses, ordinary families and businesses are protected from flooding?

or will in the end this be another broken promise? >> she packs and every sound bite into that one. mr. speaker, we are involved in very detailed discussions with the insurance industry precisely to provide constituents with the reinsurance is that they rightly see. i only point out that that was an agreement between the government and the insurance industry that was never reached into 13 years which labour was in power. we are doing that work never gets complicated work. is very important work. i hope we'll be able to make an announcement in the not-too-distant future. >> thousands of people are being killed in syria each month and the suffering of people is immense. sources within the countries a british assistance has been slow and the priority would be supporting the civil administration counsel so the basic water and syrian services can be connected. want more and the prime minister to to discuss with president obama to really bring about a solution to this crisis?

>> i know that the prime minister who of course is in the region right now discusses this on an ongoing basis with the president of the united states, and will continue to do so. where the second largest natural don't in syria. of course, the circumstances on the ground are incredibly different -- difficult, but we need to make every other weekend to celebrate that, get to the people in a timely manner in the right place but any suggestions what we need to make to the department for international development and others about how we should do that, of course, will be -- >> official documents show the healthiest quote best option is downgrading general hospitals, amt, maternity, children of acute services and cutting 550 of its 658 banks. how can anyone believe the prime minister when he claims nhs services are safe in this house

for? >> i just point extraordinary patience us in this willful scaremongering. willful scaremongering. where she plucked up the worst case, as she knows no decision has been taken. and instead, and instead of frightening people from what's happening in nhs can why doesn't she celebrate the great work of our nurses and the doctors who are delivering an absolute world-class service? >> to the deputy prime minister confirm the government's commitment to renew renewable energy, especially in the south was? >> renewable energy is great and a with southwest has a natural advantage. it's one of the many areas renewable energy which are reflected in our diverse approach to renewable energy generation in the future because

we got to win ourselves off and over lines of one kind of energy generation. >> [inaudible] called for equalizing statutory rights for allowances between adopted parents. this can be done by regulation. so could the deputy prime minister asked a minister or two to meet with me to eliminate this unfairness? >> i was certain make sure the relevant minister meets with a. i would like to pay tribute to her former and long-standing campaign to equalize the rights of parents of the top to children to parentally for instance, to equalize that with other parents. something i certainly believe should be the case and something we'll be looking at as they can and hope we can make an announcement on that very issue in a not-too-distant future.

>> will be deputy prime minister agreed a chance for initiative to get the oecd act on an international tax avoidance is all the more important when you consider nine oil just went up 60 cents in the last 50 years and income tax receipts almost double? >> that's what i think it's quite right a treasure in the chancellor have been so assiduous and providing additional resources to ensure that the teens in whitehall and elsewhere who cracked down on tax avoidance on able to do. and the figures that we hope we'll double to recoup in tax paid otherwise will be avoided are truly eye watering. billions and billions of pounds of tax will come into the false of the exchequer which otherwise would've gone out. >> the newly published model for index with nordic neighbors -- [inaudible] will the deputy

prime minister take this opportunity to congratulate the norwegians on the society and the prosperity they have created? >> mr. speaker, the snp is our from prosperity keep changing. [laughter] the last time i looked it used to include iceland but now it doesn't what is he going to next, seek out indonesia? try to be more consistent, please. >> does the deputy prime minister expect to be involved in the selection process for our next e.u. commissioner? [laughter] >> deputy prime minister. >> i won't be a candidate. [laughter] >> the deputy prime minister's assessor, and my, -- [inaudible]

if a tory candidate describes the role as a job from hell. does the deputy prime minister agree with his tory colleague, or does he think that personally he has it harder? >> mr. speaker, the only issue of the police crime commission elections, i'm not going to try to compare notes with my predecessor, but hope everybody will turn up to vote. i think labour politicians, recycling, ex-labour ministers withstanding my put quite a lot of people off. but i hope nonetheless they will participate in these important elections. >> thank you very much indeed. last week, a man of sense in life in prison and for a brutal murder of my constituents. will the deputy prime minister join me in both sending congratulations and thanking the

police for the speedy and successful conclusion to this case? >> i'm sure the whole house wishes to join with my honorable friend in sending out our sincerest heartfelt condolences to the victim's family and friends, but also as he says, paying tribute to the fact the police really did move very, very fast. and it's incredibly important and harder and in cases like this the public sees where possible justice is done but justice is done as rapidly as possible. >> can the deputy prime minister explain to the house why the liberal democrats are feeling only 21 cabinets out of 44 in the police and crime commission hoosiers elections? >> because were standing in those areas where it never democrats wish to stand accounted. i know the party opposite, i know the party opposite -- under the party opposite doesn't understand the meaning of the

word and internal party democracy. he should try it some day. >> after inheriting a legacy of obscene bonuses and the biggest divide from labour, can my right honorable friend make clear that it's the overriding ambition of government to deliver a fairer britain? and one of the ways of doing it is affordable housing and social rental housing which delivers both fairness and a gross? >> yes, mr. speaker, that's what it's so important we've committed to a 20 billion pounds worth of investment into affordable housing. gender baiting tens and tens of thousands more affordable homes so the families have got an affordable home that they can called him. also, i would draw his attention to this initiative announcement made by the sector is day for local government yesterday, that we'll be looking at the amount of funds in local authority

pension funds that can be used to invest up to 22 billion pounds of extra money into local infrastructure. that's the way to make this country for and get the economy moving. >> mr. speaker, on behalf of my constituents i joined in -- [inaudible] this week the police have received a new line of inquiry. will the deputy prime minister join with me in tackling this for justice and for new information to be brought forward? >> i'm sure he speaks on behalf of all of us when he says we should cause and deflect off the terrible suffering of those who now have to relive 25 years later all the memories of that terrible atrocity and those who were killed and injured and maimed. i know the sector of state will

neither be attending the anniversary events. this is extremely difficult week for all those who suffered at that time and it had to live with those memories ever since. and yes, of course i can confirm that with our new lives, what is new evidence that that will be pursued rigorously and we provide more support and order to make sure that is the case. >> under the previous government, officials used discretion to refuse to provide information to people who are brought up in care about the cases. will the deputy prime minister look to open the file of the people who were brought up in care, can find out what happened to them? >> deputy prime minister? >> i think is right in saying i think all of us, given a daily drip drip effects of these horrific revelations seem to get worse every day taking place on a scale that was before not unimaginable. we send out a clear message, all sides of the house to any victim of sitting at home alone, still harboring these terrible memories and this terrible suffering that they endured,

that this is the time for them to speak up if this is the time for them to come forward. we will help them. will reach out to them and make sure that their suffering is a tone for and where we can find those who perpetrate these terrible abuses, that they're brought to justice, even several years since my first occurred. [inaudible] has misled the public. [inaudible] people in scotland are losing faith. does the deputy prime minister -- [inaudible] >> i hope it would defer to recognize we're working on a cross party basis, particularly between the parties he believed

in the maintenance of the families of the nation's, the united kingdom, to ensure that there is a fair legal and decisive vote in the reverend. i certainly agree with her character generation. i mean, the spectacle of the demonstration using taxpayers money to stop disclosure to the public of legal advice they never sought in the first place. on a succumbed you can make it a. it's like dropping iceland from prosperity. >> [inaudible] >> that is precisely why the centerpiece tax reform of this government is a radical one, to lift the point at which people start paying income tax out to 10,000 pounds. from the 6400 pounds when we took over from labour. and that's when we deliver that

will deliver a about a 700-pound tax cut to over 24 million basic tax rate payers in this country. it's something we should celebrate. >> selling arms to the gadhafi regime right after the uprising. is the deputy prime minister -- [inaudible] a country where human rights is nonexistent, and we know how women are treated there. is that the democratic policy as well? >> as he will know we have the strictest controls of almost any developed economy in the world governing the conditions in which we can sell arms to other countries. nothing that we do in promoting our arms industry which employs thousands of people in this country impedes our ability to tell our allies and other governments where we have real concerns about human rights