is the prime minister concerned about this and what has he to say to my constituents who are struggling with the cost of living caused my his process >> we are raising to 10,000 pounds the amount of people can earn before they pay income tax. that the is worth 705 pounds. because of progress disposable income this year is higher than any year between 1997 and 2010. the members opposite may not like these facts but they are true. it worth remembering why we are in this situation in the first place. >> you don't have to shout to make himself heard. the point i was make being is the reason we are in this was laid out by the institute of physical studies when they pointed out we have the biggest

recession for 100 years under the last government which cost the typical family 3,000 pounds. they should be apologizing for that before moving on to the next question. >> mr. rory stewart. >> christmas in syria will be defined by grief and horror in subzero temps. i encourage the prime minister to keep focus on the humanitarian relief in syria and encourage the rest of the international community to meet the demands for four billion of assistant and ensure that assistance is more imaginative and generous. >> i'm grateful for the honorable gentleman raising this issue before christmas. there is a huge humanitarian crisis affecting up to half of the syrian population. the first thing i would say is britain can be proud of the fact at 500 million we are the seconds largest bilateral donor in terms of aid to syria and

neighboring neighboring countries. what we should be doing is encouraging others to step up to the play the way we've done and make sure we fulfill our moral obligations to people who will suffer at christmastime. >> orders. >> you have been watching "prime time minister's questions." they will be in recess. it returns wednesday january 8, 2014. watch any time at c-span.org where you can find video of past "prime minister's questions" and other programs. we will discuss the federal reserve's decision last week to adjust the bond buying program. our guest is the economist magazine's u.s. economics editor. then advice for preparing your 2013 federal taxes.

we are joined by kevin mccormally. that is 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. >> the thing i care about most is to make it more of a museum with more pieces of beautiful furniture that belonged to old presidents. there sis furnishture here now and most of it dates from 1902. >> why isn't their more antique furniture? >> the thing is thomas jefferson do the most wonderful thing of putting in buhl furniture and the sad thing feels the war of 1812 when everything was burned. then they had to stop piecemeal since then and every president who came could sell what he didn't like and they used to have auctions in lafayette square. and one f tof the presidents could

change the dayecor. when president grant had the blue room violet. arthur had it robin's egg blue and that was stopped at the time of theodore roosevelt. >> first lady's imbecome r -- influence and image. >> 25 years ago saturday flight 103 from london to new york city was destroyed by a terrorist bomb. all 259 passengers and crew were killed along with 11 people on the ground. a memorial service to commemorate the victims feels held held. speakers include attorney general eric holder and t.s. afplta. trader and former f.b.i.

director robert mueller. this is 45 minutes. >> thank you for that kind introduction. i hold you personally responsible for the weather today. congratulations. it has been said that time heals all wounds. but you here any that that's not necessarily true. i always remember and will never forget one of the visits i made to lockerby i had the occasion it see the warehouse in which were stored the various effects of your loved ones. a white sneaker, a syracuse sweatshirt. christmas presents, photographs. these ordinary items brought

home to me and came to symbolize for me your pain and your losses that have not diminished even after so many years. they brought home to me the certainty that not all loss respect equal. in those early days you lived the words of king david from psalm 11 the wick have had drawn their bows and aimed their arrows to shoot from the shadows at good people and there is nothing a good person can do with everything falls apart. yet you did not fly away. you did not hide. but you stood your ground and maintained the courage of your convictions day after day and year after year. you sought answers and accountability. you saudi solace through

memorials. lovingly undertaken by so many around the world and you worked diligently to ensure that other families would not have to endure such suffering. through your actions and lives you have led and choices you have made, we see that there is much a good person can do when the world falls apart. you created light out of darkness and out of that light has come a lasting legacy. a legacy of courage in the face of the greatest adversity. a legacy of some dared and friendship in the face of isolation and loneliness. a legacy of peace and understanding in the face of hatred. and there can be no greater legacy than that. for many years we have stood together to mark this dark day.

as we do so we mark your strength and mark your steadfastness. we mark the love between parent and child. husband and wife. sister and brother. friends and family alike. we mark the friendship of like nations united in a common cause. time cannot heal all wounds yet time breathes and shifts with the seasons much like the storms of winter herldz the buds of spring and warmth of the sun and burnishes the sweetest of memories. time ensures that nothing remains firmly in place, nothing but the promise of better days to come, the promise of hope and mom promise of light. today may the thought of your loved ones bring a smile to your

lips and may you feel the warmth of those who have blessed your lives even for too brief a time. and may we continue to do everything in our power to ensure a world that is safer and secure for all. may god bless you and may god bless your families, and may god bless your loved ones. thank you. [applause] >> i let him get away too fast. the victims of pan-am flight 103 is based on four objectives. seeking the truth, providing emotional support. improving aviation security and safety. and combat ingting terrorism. there is an award we set aside for some special recipients.

it is it was developed to recognize the person or persons who over a long period of time have succeeded in keeping the government and public aware of the important lessons learned from this terrorist ablgsction. we honor those working with the victims of pan-am flight 103 to achieve these goals all the while refreshing those lost in t the bombing by keeping their spirits alive. i would like to present this award to robert mueller. >> good afternoon. i have

another introduction much like mary kay's of a long-time friend of the pan-am families. the attorney general of the united states is, to my mind, the head of the most important government agency. he's the nation's top lawyer. much like frank mulholland, he doesn't have a title. he is not called right reverend -- not reverend -- honorable -- whatever it is -- lord advocate. they don't even call him secretary. but the department which has thousands of lawyers, many here today by the way and f.b.i. members here today. but it is an agency that to some of us is the most important. if uyou ask someone what the word

justice means, if i ask 10 people out there, you would probably get at least five different answers. another five would google it to see what wikipedia says justice means. but we know what it means. we have an innate feeling of what it is. it is the main reason our group was formed. and we are not there yet but aware close. we are close because of people like eric holder, who has worked on this case from the very beginning and he's kept us apprised of what was going on to the extent he could. he's been here several times. last year the weather was terrible and he had to leave because he saeudid his boss called a meeting. if you are in the cabinet you know who the boss is. he said i will be here next year and he is. we are very honored to have the chief lawyer of the united

states and a long-time friend of the families. i will give you eric holder. >> good afternoon. thank you for those kind worpdz and your many years of service and leadership alongside your fellow members of the performance families --of the victims. i would like to recognize the members including bob mueller who has been involved in this since he led the criminal division more than two decades ago, brian murray that you a tenacious prosecutor from the united states attorney's office who worked tirelessly on this case for over 20 years. u.s. attorney from the northern district of new york whose sister was aboard flight 103 on

that fateful night. he became an original member of the victims group that called nor a presidential commission on airport security. his mother and sister and their family are among the many family members who are in the crowd today. i had a chance to meet with them yesterday in the justice department. i consider it an honor important annual remembrance. although a quarter century has passed since the world was shaken and so many lives were devastated by a heinous and cowardly act no amount of distance or time can ease the pain or erase the loss that was inflicted on that day. even now it remains difficult to comprehend the magnitude of such a senseless crime which claimed the lives of 259 innocent men, women and children in the skies

above scotland or with the lives of 11 residents of the peaceful town of lockerbie. some were traveling to the united states for the very first time. some were enjoying quiet evenings with their families. some were on wait to visit with friends and relatives. some were simply trying to come home. although their respective journeys and individual lives were cut tragically short, all have continued to be dearly loved around deeply missed by everyone who knew them. especially by those who come together on this patch of what is truly hallowed ground each year to pay tribute to the lives that were stolen and to heal those that werer representably changed. we will always remember the heartache, devastation and pain etched into our memory on the 21st of december, 1988. but we also recall as we gather

each year the tremendous generosity of the scottish people. particularly the people of lockerbie, who despite their own losses opened the homes to victims who stream into that small town from around the world in the days after the bombing. in the midst of their anguish these generous men and women gave what comfort they could offer and shared what solace they could provide. we recall the determination that animated families and victim advocate who is joined to seek answers and understanding. some of the passionate individuals including many of the current and former f.b.i. acts justice department prosecute torps -- prosecutor and others sought justice in the aftermath of the crime as their life's work. more than anything, as we assemble in this place of

remembrance year after year we were the moments of unity and love that have arisen from grief we share. we remember the occasions that brought this community together not only in mourning but in terms of healing and in search of hope and in celebration of the extraordinary lives that entertained us together. we keep calling for change and fighting for justice on behalf of those no longer with us. we rededicate ourselves and our nation to the qualities that define the men and women that we lost. we continue to be drawn together every year on this date, faces olds and faces new, friends long depart and members of fresh generations including some who bear the names of absent loved ones olds and to lends our voices to this solemn memorial and hear stories and exchange joyous memories and be part of a community that for a quarter century after that

terrible day is still striving to build from an unspeakable evil, a lasting legacy of compassion fellow ship and of love. today the legacy is all around us and it is very much alive. it lives in the resolve that brings us together and pushes us forward each day. it persists in our unfinished but ongoing work to see that justice is done and to ensure that those who commit acts of terror are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. it endures in our determination it secure a brighter future for ourselves and our fellow citizens. a future free from hatred and senseless disruption that touched your lives and far too many others. may our continuing efforts to serve as a fitting monument to those who were taken from us 25 years ago. may we never tire in our work to

forge a society and worlds that are worthy of the empathy and grace thatites -- that unites this group and may god bless those away lost and cost of justice we are humbled to serve and great nation we'll forever holds the victims in our hearts and even of the loving families that we holds near and dear in our hearts. thank you all. [applause] >> the next thing on our program is playing taps and wreath laying. i would ask that everybody stand for that and we will have the wreath laying first actually and then taps. the wreath laying is by several family members.

[playing "taps"]

>> you may be seated. the next part in the program is we have a couple of awards to give out. it says me but i'm actually not going to hand them out. i would ask for glen johnson and brian swin if they would please come forward and help me with this next part of the program. ok. >> there have been very many people who have been able to devote their talents to helping

this organization. people that we do not always acknowledge. i would like to take this time to take a kublcouple and let them know how much we really appreciate what they have done. they have worked with our organization for a long time and been a great support. wendy and steve sutcheck. they have done so much for us in quiz ways they didn't receive recognition. wendy took our little news letter and in three years created it into the news that we are able to publish not only for our families but also for others in the government and people who want to help us in our efforts. it is a worthy publication of which everyone is aware. also, every time that we have been able to put on a major

event they have been working very diligently to prepare and let everyone see what we are about. if you take a look today at the program, up see the quality. there is a lot of love and work that has gone into there. so steve and windy would you come forward? i would like to show appreciation from the organization. [applause]

>> the first thing i would like to do is thank the victims of pan am flight 103. it is amazing when ordinary -- extraordinary people come together and accomplish extraordinary things. a group of families that have come together through the years have inspired us. i want to thank them. i am quite honored to sit here and pitcher b to my mother. that is quite stressful -- pay tribute to my mother. that is quite stressful. i better not screw that up. kathleen has been a tireless crusader from the moment she learned her son was murdered on pan am flight 103. when she first learned about what was called an accident, she knew seconds later it was a bombing.