you>> i got upset with the president because they covered and then health work they never showed up anymore. i met this woman who was a rest agent. carter, think of it is not a sexy issue. but we toured the country, found

i was what was needed, developed legislation and past the mental health systems act of 1980. it passed through congress one month before jimmy was involuntarily retired from the the incomingnd president never implemented. it was one of the greatest disappointment supply life. >> first lady rosalynn carter. >> while david cameron was on a three-day trade visit to china, deputy prime minister nick clegg fielded questions from members of the house of commons. questions were on british immigration policy and rising energy prices. as the session began, the deputy prime minister offered condolences to those who died in a helicopter crash in glasgow. this is about 35 minutes.

>> order, questions for the prime minister, julie elliott. >> i have been asked to reply -- i have been asked to reply -- as i was saying, i have been asked to reply on behalf of my rifle friend, the prime minister, who has been visiting china. i am sure the whole house wishes to join me in offering condolences to the family and friends of those who have been killed following the helicopter crash in glasgow on friday evening. our thoughts also with those who are injured at this difficult time. i visited the site yesterday and i would like to pay tribute on behalf of the whole house to the outstanding response and bravery of all the emergency services involved in what were extremely demanding circumstances.

this morning, i had a meeting with my ministerial colleagues and others. i shall have further such meetings later today. >> may i associate myself with the comments made by the deputy prime minister after the very tragic events in glasgow. under the government's proposed new formula for allocating health funding, we are facing 42 million pounds. does the deputy prime minister think it is right to divert nhs funding from areas of higher levels of need to areas of lower levels of need and how does he think it will impact the crisis? >> as she knows, nhs england is in a position to make some of these judgments. but to have questions on what money goes where in the nhs, from the party who still does not agree with our protections,

we are putting 12.7 billion pounds of extra money into the nhs. i would be interested to know whether her party agrees. >> with the deputy prime -- will the deputy prime minister join me in congratulating the london borough which has re-homed 100 0 previously homeless families as a result of the government welfare policy? >> i certainly would like to join my friend to congratulate them for the excellent work they have done. overcrowding is a real problem. hundreds of thousands of families are living, the

children haveto do their schoolwork. their party has no answers to some of the fundamental problems they have created in the first place. >> can i join the deputy prime minister in conveying our deepest sympathy to the families of the nine people who lost their lives in the tragic aphid tragic accident in glasgow? i join him in paying tribute to the brave work of the emergency services and the amazing response of the people from glasgow. can the deputy prime minister tell us, compared to last winter, will this winters household energy bill lower or they'll be lower or higher? >> mr. speaker, they would be higher if we had not take any -- if we had not taken the action we have. i would simply point out to her, her party's economic policy -- in fact, her energy spokesperson said just two days ago on

television, "well, you cannot control energy prices." there we have it. you do not need me to point out that your policy is a con. your energy spokesman has done it for you. >> mr. speaker, he has not answered. he has not answered the question i asked. >> as always, we will get through however long it takes. members can calm themselves sooner rather than later. so much so the better. >> is docked in his dodge and is not answered. the truth is, energy bills are not going down. they are going up. as for the measures they talked about, it is not enough to stop bills rising.

after the 50 pounds can he tell , us exactly how much will come from the profits of the energy giants? >> i know her piece of paper says i did not answer the question, but i did answer it. bills will, on average, be 50 pounds lower than they otherwise would be. that is pretty simple. we have done that while -- we have done that by adjusting the policies and adhering to our green commitment. her party's policy is pure fantasy. we have 50 pounds and she has a fantasy free. >> he has not admitted that, as a result of his government's policies, energy bills are going up. not down. he has not admitted that.

the answers -- next time he answers, what he is trying to hide is that not one penny will come from the profit of the energy giants. they are tiptoeing around the energy giants and allowing them to put up their bills. when it comes to standing up to the rich and powerful, this government is weak. when it comes to hitting the most vulnerable, they have no qualms at all. last week the prime minister , said that people are exempt from the tax. that is not true. will the deputy prime minister apologize and put the record straight? >> the honorable lady talks about standing up to better interests. this in the week that we discovered that the great courage of the later leadership

-- of the labor leadership to stand up to the trade union -- >> order. this house should be the bastion of free speech. neither the deputy prime minister nor the learned lady must be shouted down. we will keep going with this session as long as it takes for proper order to be observed. the deputy prime minister. >> it should be the bastion of political parties free of vested interest. it is high time that the labor leadership do it they say and stand up to their trade unions. >> i suggest that he leave it up to us to leave it to our party members, especially as so many

of them used to be his. given that for over 90% of people hit by the bedroom tax, there just is not a smaller property for them to move to. what would he have them do? >> under her government, for 13 years, housing benefits had people in the private rental sector, which provides only the faintest of the number of rooms needed. we apply the same rule they administered for 13 years to those in the social welfare sector. we have at the same time many thousands of families in overcrowded properties and 1.8 million households still on the housing waiting list. like so many other things, we are sorting out the mess they left behind.

>> mr. speaker he knows there is no comparison between what we did and what he did. their bedroom tax hits people who have lived in their properties for years and cannot afford the charges and have got nowhere to go. he stands there and says that the lib dems are making a difference in government. and they certainly are. without them, there would be no bedroom tax. without the lead dams there , would be no tripling of tuition fees. there would be no top-down reorganization fee. he says he is a break on the tories. even i know the difference between the brakes and the accelerator. isn't he the very first deputy

conservative prime minister we could ever wish for? >> without the democrats, there would not be a recovery. we have our differences. we have our differences. >> order, order. order. the answer will be heard. >> we have our differences on this side of the house. one thing that unites us is we would not have gone on a foreign cocktail charm offensive in the first place. we would not do these things to our children and grandchildren. you can pay off this

generation's debt. no one on this side of this house would have broken the british economy in the first place. >> he talks about the recovery and there might be a recovery for the rich, but for everyone else -- he will not stand up to the powerful and he will not stand up for the week. -- the weak. but when it comes to being a loyal deputy to a tory prime minister, he will rake all of -- he will sell out all of his principles. the truth is, if you will not freeze energy bills and scrap the bedroom tax, it will not be the tories. it will not be the lib dems. it has got to be labor. >> mr. speaker, they are not a government in waiting. they are not even an opposition in waiting. it is 18 months before the next general election and we still have no clue what the labour party would actually do. we do know a few things.

and energy con that would see prices go up and not down. no apology for crashing the economy in the first place and a , total failure to stand up to the trade union partners. if they cannot manage to come up with a sensible policy, if they cannot manage their own party, why should anyone think that they can manage our country? >> this weekend, saturday, i will be supporting local firms in my community. can i welcome the reduction that this government has introduced in terms of corporation tax? what more can be done to reduce interest rates? -- to reduce interest rates? >> i would suggest to my honorable friend that he should wait for the chancellor to make his statement. a brilliant event to encourage everyone to support local businesses in the u.k.

governmentthe last planned to end small business relief and we reversed that decision, saving them pounds on average. >> tenants, councils, housing associations, and fabled groups -- and disabled groups are against this. party policy is against it. even danny stat is against it. why is the deputy prime minister the last one standing in defending the veteran turks and their policies that are so unpopular? as unpopular as thatchers poll tax? accepts that when you make a change from one system to another, there are hard cases that need to be dealt with professionally. the discussion.

a housing spokesman has declared recently that the department will be tougher on welfare. yet that side of the house has opposed 83 billion pounds worth of welfare savings. are they cuts or are they not? -- or are they nothing? >> as you will know more than many, over the last three years, the leadership has shown a lamentable failure to provide consistent information to residents affected by the phase -- to residents evicted by the phase one proposal. in my constituency, they are holding a roadshow to tell my constituents about phase two. will he work with his honorable colleagues in government to ensure phase two provides decent compensation to everyone affected? >> i know he has strong views on this because of the way that hs- 2 may affect his constituency. of course, i agree with him.

not only should full compensation be available, but also the right number of information provided. phase two root consultation starts in october and is due to end in january. there are six events, including the one he alluded to in his own constituency. those are opportunities for people to make their views known. as he knows, i am a strong -- i am a staunch supporter of hs-2. it is part of the wider revamping and modernization of our national infrastructure. >> there are more young people out of work in the backcountry -- in the black country than any of the areas. and you extend that into the black country, will you call an urgent meeting to sort that out and get the scheme underway much more quickly too? >> i certainly understand his sense of urgency and the so- called second wave.

agreed, we are working flat out to do so. there are a lot of t's to be crossed and i's to be dotted. the principal idea tube make sure that more power resources and the freedom to use resources are allocated to the local communities and local authorities is something we are determined to push through in his part of the country and elsewhere. >> given that northumberland faces more and more wind farm applications and sensitive sites, can i recommend a reduction in the incentive within our total commitment to maintain our total commitment for renewables? >> the secretary of the treasury will concern this shortly in greater detail. we have adjusted prices as far as they apply to onshore wind and solar panel installations because we believe it is viable now to do so.

actually made it more attractive for further investment in the offshore industry, in which we are already a world leader, not the least of which for the benefits of parts of the country such as the northeast or those -- all of which will be blighted by lesser energy policies. >> is the deputy prime minister aware that, on average, women working full-time have seen their earnings fall by nearly 2500 pounds since the election? does he think that the married man's tax allowance is the best way to help women who are paying the price of his government? >> the honorable lady knows the respective views of the coalition on the so-called marriage tax. i would point out to her that, this government that is ended in justice under labor it

is raising the point to which the book pay income tax, which is disproportionately beneficial to women. 1.5 million women would be better off with our change. 700 pounds or more it is this government that is dividing more -- finally providing more affordable places over the last 13 years -- then over the last 13 years under labor. >> we are waiting for high-speed broadband. we had really good news in somerset. 82% of my constituency will be connected by 2016. the sad fact is that over 8000 properties will not be. they will be in the so-called last 10%. will he commit the funds to set aside to finish the job? we do not want complex systems. we do not want macs funding. we just want the job done. mr.'s -- >> >> we are investing

over 32 million pounds already in extending the coverage of superfast broadband as part of the current rural broadband program. rollout is finally accelerating and over 10,000 premises are expected to be covered by the end of the year and 74,000 by next july. on his point, the final 10%, we announced back in june a quarter of a billion pounds to extend superfast broadband coverage further by 2017. the plans will be set out in i hear what he says and further detail shortly. >> major investors in the northeast of england have said that if the u.k. leaves the eu, they are done with future investment. the conservative parties -- >> i agree and i am sure i speak on behalf of most people also. -- of most people on all sides of the house that it would be a

spectacular act of economic suicide for the country to hold itself out of the world's largest market. by some estimates, more than 3 million jobs are dependent on our membership to the european union. >> the government's brave decision to introduce capital benefits. eir average earnings are 23,900 per year before tax and the cap is set at the first 5000 per year, they still feel that you can be better off on benefits from work. will my right honorable friend go about lowering the rate so that it always pays to work wherever you live? >> we have all taken an approach of regionalize and the benefit -- of regionalize thing the benefit cut. we have taken a national

approach at a national average. 26,000 pounds if you like after taxes. the vast majority of people in our country think that is fair. you should be able to see the benefits more than you would obtain. i would be interested to know whether the party of opposite supports the popular measure. >> the governments are being pushed into action on interest rates by labor. just as they have said they were too high this winter, does the deputy prime minister agree that nothing less than laborers trying -- then labor trying to cut and freeze interest rates? >> the reason that this government is being pushed into, which is what she said, by the party opposite, is rescuing the economy.

we are pulling the economy back from the brink, because that is where they left it. we have had to fill the black hole in finances because they collected it. -- because they created it. >> as you know, i am always anxious to be helpful. in the spirit of friendly cooperation with our coalition partners, given that the deputy prime minister is only at the dispatch box today because the prime minister is in china, could the deputy prime minister please tell the house what would the common market share of world trade when the u.k. joined in 1973 and what does the eu share in world trade today? >> the eu share of world trade today is around 20%.

i would say to him in an equally friendly spirit, the prime minister has been advocating a new eu-china trade deal, notwithstanding all the other changes in the world, because the eu remains a very powerful trading bloc. >> the value of royal mail shares at 610 pence each. two months ago, they advised the government if they should -- that they should walk away if they sold over 330 pence. does the prime minister believed that he has secured value for the money of the taxpayer? >> as my friend has explained, this is yet another result of us doing something which they should have done while in government. the price at which we set the sale was independently recommended to us at the highest

range provided to us by independent advisors. >> two weeks ago, officers close d down an unlicensed hmo with 11 unrelated adult living in a three-bedroom property, each paying 160 pounds per week in rent. they are investigating the further 100 cases. do you think it is time that we criminalized to protect? the vulnerable? >> i am appalled to hear about that example of rogue landlords behaving unacceptably. we have strong power to attack those landlords and we expect them to make full use of those powers. last october, we help hard- working tenants get a better deal, including a commitment to good property conditions in a private residence sector and we will be announcing which local

authorities will receive a share in 3 million pounds worth of funding to help them tackle rogue and criminal landlords. >> when he signed the coalition agreement, with its commitment giving more power to people to choose, did he ever envisage a situation where counsel is threatening to close the successful and popular sullivan primary school, rated good, against the overwhelming opposition of the parents, the government, the people and local -- the pupils and local residents in order to hand it over to a preschool? >> the secretary of education is here and i'm sure he will want to write you on that specific case. one of the things this government has done is remove the dead hand of bureaucracy and centralization to make sure the teachers can't teach the way

they do best in the classroom and the parents have a greater role in the running of our schools. >> with a reference back to a decent question from the honorable gentleman, perhaps not on this issue, with the deputy prime minister agree that, for the coalition's concern on europe, actions actually speak louder than words? would he agree that the chancellor's decision sometime back to assist the irish economy, the very responsible conduct of the internal unity -- of the internal european government to review, and the prime minister's own words in china, he wants to recommend we stay in. this is a great boost of confidence for people like him and me, down to life liberal democrat and pro-european. >> it is always a joy to hear the mischievous wit and wisdom

of my right honorable friend. as he knows, we are as one on the european issue. we need to reform the european union. we need to strip away bureaucracy where that can be done. we need to make it transparent and more efficient. we need to continue to exercise british leadership in the european union. >> figures from the national health service show an additional 6500 people used emergency services. an increase of 11% since 2010. set to get worse this winter. why? >> i do not think it is helpful to the millions working in the nhs to drag down their level of

effort. we should start -- we should stop talking down the nhs. in average waiting time award to be attended to is 77 minutes. we cut that in half to 33 minutes. >> thank you mr. speaker. ncaa arrested six individuals with allegations of match fixing in english football leagues. kenny show me that every possible measures being taken by the ncaa to uphold the integrity of english football? is important that we get to the bottom of this. it is a good example of the . welent work of the nca

need to make sure that any suspicion or hint of corruption in that great game is removed. deputy prime minister will be aware of the case that i am raising with him now. it is an urgent matter that i would like him to address. as you young constituent of mine fled a violent and abusive relationship in italy. she is now in wales and since then the high court of ruled in the hague convention that she is to return to italy on monday. given that, i ask the prime minister -- the deputy prime minister to use his best endeavors to be sure the italian authorities realize that arresting her would be unfair, disproportionate and little short of abominable to take that young boy into care to a care sender pending the outcome of the proceedings? >> i am aware of his interest in this case.

on the human level i would love to pronounce on it. as he knows, ministers cannot comment on or intervene on cases that have been before the courts whether in this country or abroad. we really can't. i'm sure that the foreign commonwealth office will provide consular assistance to the mother as she pursues her case back in italy, including providing details of english speaking lawyers. mates apprise the deputy prime minister to learn that liberals are advocating an eu referendum for elections? byllie now put that right telling his liberal colleagues >> he and i join

forces in the lobby back in july 2011 to legislate for the first whichhe referendum lock for the first time guarantees a law that if the rules of the therean union change, will be a referendum. that is a position my party believes in. what willr guarantee take place when circumstances determine. my party will stick to what we legislated in the summer of 2011. honorable friend for glasgow north would want to know whether -- >> ourxpayers answer is yes. easy as it might be to make snapshot judgments about the company according to the price issue one day, we on this

as in so many other issues take not score somew, political points. >> mr. speaker, has the acting prime minister been outstanding today? i think if you are listening on the radio you without he was a right honorable member -- i think he is turning into a tory. can we test at their? >> i'm glad he hasn't raised his morbid obsession with the early demise of the prime minister. i also want to thank him for his very mixed double complements.

the prime minister made announcement last week where we're tightening up the access to benefits to those who might come from other parts of the european union to this country. i believe we should protect and defend the principle of the freedom of movement, but the freedom to move the seat work is not the same as a freedom to claim. that is a distinction that this government is now making. have been watching prime minister's questions from the british house of commons. question time airs live on c- span2 every wednesday at 7 a.m. eastern and again on sunday nights at 9 p.m. eastern and pacific on c-span. you can watch anytime at c- span.org where you can find video past prime ministers questions and other british .ublic affairs programs >> next the editor of the london based newspaper the guardian.