>> next, british prime minister david cameron taking questions from members of the house of commons. then, a house floor debate on and ukrainetions aid. >> on the next "washington journal," we will discuss out the 2016 perspective candidates are reacting to recent foreign policy, especially the unrest and ukraine. at thetheridge looks

deadlines and extensions of the affordable care act. you can join the conversation on facebook and twitter. live atton journal," 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. transaction is a lot less scary and a lot less large and a lot less complicated than some people would like to make it. in the videot it space, this is not a horizontal deal. there is not a consumer in america who has a choice between buying comcast products or time .arner cable products at the end of the day we will have under 30% of the market. not particularly scary. there's one thing that is appropriate to think about and to discuss, it is the implications on the broadband side. i think there is a very good story there as well. lots of procompetitive impacts, proconsumer impacts from the

transaction as a result of increased scale and investment. not a very scary story when you look at market share. it is something less than 40% of the wireline broadband share. if you factor in wireless, and i think it is indisputable today, that wireless is certainly beginning to be an effective competitor and substitute for at least many uses of broadband, market share is that least 20%. national share a broadband, not sure how that matters. the issue is local share. not sure how there will be any less choice after the transaction then there is before the transaction. >> the proposed merger between comcast and time warner cable, monday on the communicators at two.em eastern on c-span >> during question time this week, british prime minister answered their wide range of questions on energy prices, the uganda public figures, and

defense spending. this is about 30 minutes. >> questions for the prime minister. >> thank you, mr. speaker. this morning, i had meetings with colleagues and others and i shall have further meetings later today. >> thank you, mr. speaker. what assurances can the prime minister gave to residents that localism will give them a third chance against greed and profit when it comes to their wish to end this wage stomping? given that there is no evidence of need, a promise that would end in 1995, no more dumping. does the prime minister really believe in localism? >> i do believe in localism. that is why we got rid of a lot of the regional spatial

strategies and return power to local governments. we did a number of things that local councils have been asking for in terms of empowering them, giving them a general duty of competence so they can act when they think it is necessary to act. on the specific issues, i will look closely and write her. >> i know my right honorable friend will be as concerned as i am about the potential job losses in my constituency. will he help support those who are affected at this difficult time? >> i completely understand my honorable friend's concern. we will be working with local partners to minimize the impacts of these job losses. honda have assured us that they are committed to the long-term success of this plant, which i have been to and is a remarkable plant. i know they remain committed to the u.k. and we will work with a

local council and local people to make sure swenson and he used to have a strong and successful economic future. >> ed miliband. >> mr. speaker, this morning, we learned that the energy company will be freezing energy prices for 20 months. would we be right to assume that the prime minister believes that this price freeze is unworkable, impossible to implement, and probably a communist flop? >> it is hugely-welcome in our country that energy companies are freezing their bills. as ever with the right honorable gentleman, he has failed to read the small print. this is what scottish and

southern energy say about why they have been able to cut bills in this way. yes. this is what they say today. "the decisions taken by the government to reduce the cost of the eco were a principal factor in us being able to make this price commitment." that is what is happening under this government. what a contrast, a doubling of the gas bill and a 50% increase in electricity bills when labor were in power. >> mr. speaker, over the last six months, we have obviously misunderstood the prime minister. he is the champion of the price freeze. that is what you are supposed to understand. week after week, he can now blame us all for the energy price freeze on businesses. now apparently he supports the price freeze.

can he explain why a price freeze was wrong six months ago but it is the right thing to do today? >> we have reduce the cost of energy charges so that companies are able to cut their bills. let me give him the list about what has happened. since i made the announcement about rolling back the costs of green charges -- >> order. we must be able to understand the questions and answers. the prime minister. >> they brief against him outside. this is what happened since i made that announcement. british gas cut 50 pounds off bills. edf, 65 pounds off bills.

they have all announced that prices will not go up further in 2014. thank him for the opportunity to demonstrate how this part of our long-term economic plan is as successful as other economic parts. >> once again, he shows how out of touch he is. the obr itself says that energy prices are rising by more than double the rate of inflation. i am very interested in his position now on price freezes. the energy secretary this morning said they are not standing up to the energy companies in this country and that is what they are doing. the energy secretary who i see over there, the energy secretary said this morning that he was calling on other suppliers to do

the same and freeze their bills. is it the prime minister's policy that we should freeze bills? >> in our policy, the bills should be cut and the bills are being cut under the government. that is what is happening. when we come to the corporate, let's have a look at what scottish and southern energy say about the neighbor policy? -- about the labor policy? weak is having no long-term plan for britain. that is what is weak. this is what scottish and southern energy say about labor plans. it is worth listening to. "it does not appear to have a clear commitment or a long-term solution to reduce the cost of supplying electricity and gas." a 20-month rice freeze would not -- price freeze would not reduce the cost of providing energy.

that is what scottish and southern energy say. that is why i found a labor business supporter. he is called john mills. this is what he said about labor's policy yesterday. "i do not think the labour party would do that if it were in power. if they cannot convince their one business supporter, how on earth can they convince their country? >> he is not the prime minister at all he is the pr man for the , energy company. his argument against the freeze has been totally demolished today. a price freeze for households and businesses is feasible, workable, and it will happen under a labor government. all of this shows he just does not get the cost of living crisis that is happening around this country. can he confirm that the obr

itself shows living standards will be falling and it is the first time that has happened since the war? >> isn't it great? after a week, we finally got to the budget. we finally have something to say about the budget. if he is concerned about energy prices, he might want to explain why he voted against the budget, 700 billion pound cuts for that has a $7 billion -- a seven billion pound cut for energy prices around this country. why did they vote against that? if he is concerned about the cost of living, why did they vote against the personal allowance of 10,500 pounds for every worker in our country? why did you vote against giving patrons the right to spend their money as they choose? if you care about the cost of living, why did you vote against abolishing the savings tax paid for by the poorest people in our country? not a clue about how to help

working people. not a clue how to run the economy. no clue about the budget. >> not for the first time, calm down, dear, calm down. or should i say for the benefit of the chancellor, eyes down, dear. eyes down. the truth is that living standards are falling over this parliament. he talks about what the chancellor did on energy. give with one hand and take with it is classic another. he introduced a carbon price war and now he will credit for giving parts of it back for families and businesses. let's try it again. can he confirm that page 87 of the obr document says living standards are falling over the parliament? yes or no?

>> time and again -- >> order! let's hear the answers. the prime minister. >> of course we were made poorer by the great recession, which they presided over. i am happy to compare the record on the cost of living anytime. we are cutting income tax. 25 million people voted against it. we have taken 3.2 million people out of income tax altogether and they voted against it. we voted to freeze the capital -- of the council tax, and they voted against it. we are cutting spending so we can cut taxes for hard-working people. they have voted against every single change. their vote against the budget last night will go down in the history of this parliament as a massive own goal for labour. >> he will go down in history as the prime minister who cut

people's living standards over the course of this parliament and he cannot deny it. he cannot solve the cost of living crisis, but he does not think there is one. he will not freeze energy bills, but it has nothing to do with government. the thing you can always rely on with this rime minister, he will -- with this prime minister, he will always stand up for the wrong people. >> what is happening under this government is inflation is falling, unemployment is coming down, 1.3 million more people in work. 400,000 more businesses in our country. we are helping this economy recover from the ravages at were -- ravages that it was left under labor. anyone can see that we have a plan for a better future for our country and everyone can see he is a man with no plan and no future.

>> thank you, mr. speaker. children with cancer are being denied life-saving drugs because there are out of date rules governing ethical trials allowing companies to exclude children even when the drugs could treat childhood cancer. would he meet with me and the institute for cancer research to discuss how we could get the rules changed through the european commission to make sure that families have hope and we get these treatments for children? >> i am very happy to listen to the honorable gentleman. he and i both strongly support the cancer drugs fund that has made a huge difference in getting cancer drugs to people, including children, in our country. very happy to look at his i suggestion. am >> a little calm please. [laughter] beer and bingo may not exactly

be the bread and services of our -- bread and circuses of our age, but as the leaders of a coalition rush forward to express their love for it, will the prime minister dissociate himself from the snobbish and disdainful comments made by his party chairman? >> i thank the honorable gentleman for advertising the fact that this government is cutting the tax on bingo operations and quite right because their industry was decimated by labor. can i thank him also for pointing out the chancellor's approach of cutting beer duty. we want to bring back responsible drinkers and we back the pub trade. i am sure the right honorable gentleman enjoys a game of bingo. it is the only time he ever gets close to number 10. [laughter] >> mr. speaker, yesterday, there was a very powerful and moving account.

will my right honorable friend join me in paying tribute to simon and louisa? they completed their epic run from leads to parliament their . their organization seeks greater research and is one of the hidden costs of conflict and affects thousands of people who have been the victim of rape, sexual assault and other life-changing problems. >> i am happy to join my honorable friend paying tribute to those who achieved so much through that run and raising the importance of this issue. organizations like them do an extraordinary job in our country. we have to face up to the fact that because of iraq and afghanistan, we will have many more people suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder.

they will need our help not just this year and next year, but long into the future. i think the chancellor's decision to take the money from the libor fines and use it to back military charities is very farsighted. >> the 25th anniversary of the disaster is three weeks away. does the prime minister agree that some police officers on duty the day of the disaster are refusing to cooperate with the investigation? can we prevent this situation from happening again? >> it is important. the ipcc is investigating all of these complaints. the homeland secretary has written to all police forces to

make sure that they make available all of the information they hold and that should include police officers cooperating with this inquiry. >> though the prime minister agree that we should assist investment in energy efficiency to support a sustainable future and keep jobs in britain? >> we should certainly do that. we have seen a huge recovery in our automotive industry. the decision is disappointing, but if we look at component supplies in the automotive industry, we have some huge success that is programmed into the budget of helping energy-sensitive industries. -- energy intensive industries. help, the 7 billion pounds that i referred to earlier it would help some of , the companies involved, but the broader help will help all businesses, including those in automotive supply. >> a month ago, i asked the prime minister about ambulance response times and he read out an answer and did not answer the question at all. an elderly darlington woman with

less than four hours before an ambulance arrived. this time, can i please have some action? >> very happy to look at the case that the honorable lady mentions. she says she does not want that, but i think it is the right thing to do, to look at this individual case. what we have is waiting time targets and response times. i am happy to look at what happened in this case and whether lessons can be learned for the future. >> with consensus breaking out in support of budget measures, will my honorable friend join me in seeking a new consensus? against imposing taxes on houses who have risen in value but on those who might have retired? >> what we want to see is a fair tax system.

actually under this government, , the rich have paid more in tax, more in income tax, then in any year under labor. we have to make sure that we raise taxes fairly. we do not support a tax on the family home. we do not think that is the right step forward. we will fight it very vigorously. >> 70% of stay-at-home moms say that going back to work would not add up the cousin of rising childcare costs leaving them worse off. with maternal employment rates going down on his watch, why is he doing nothing to help with the issue of rising childcare costs before general election? >> we are helping families with child care, not least by giving

15 hours -- that is happening before the election, in this parliament. 15 hours of free childcare, free nursery care for three-year-olds and four-year-olds. they say it is not enough. it is more than labor ever provided. it is good to see the shadows chancellor gesticulating. in a minute, he will be briefing against him. >> the whole world has watched with great concern, events and crimea and the amassing of russian troops on the eastern border of ukraine. given the instability in the world in syria, north africa, venezuela, elsewhere, will the prime minister re-examine the national security strategy and think about revising the defense cuts? >> we will review the strategy on the basis that we established it. i think it is the right thing to do. in terms of what we have done in terms of defense spending, we still have a top five defense budget for any country in the world. we removed the 38 billion pound black hole that we inherited. we will spend on defense

equipment. we would not be able to do that in terms of modern defense equipment if we had not taken difficult decisions at the start of this parliament. >> over 80% of spending on transport infrastructure will be in london to the southeast. it is nearly 5000 pounds a head compared with under 250 pounds per person in the northeast. this gross disparity does nothing to help constituencies like middlesboro. should such investment be more equitably distributed? >> when i look at what this government has done in terms of transport infrastructure, if we look at what has happened in the north of england, we spent 8 billion on transport in the first few years of this parliament. tyne of thees

crossing, 380 million to upgrade. all proposals brought forward under this government. we are rebalancing our economy. we are investing in infrastructure. we are making sure that northern england gets its fair share. >> unemployment in my constituency has fallen by over 20% in the last five months. -- in the last 12 months. with inflation recently falling too, that is providing upward pressure on living standards. would my friend agree with me that we should take no lessons for the persistent negativity of the party opposite and that we should stick to our long-term economic plan? >> an absolutely key part of our long-term economic plan is helping business to create jobs that our country needs. we have 1.3 million more people in work. 1.7 million more private sector jobs compared to 2010.

we are seeing a rebalancing of our economy. what that means for people is the safety and security of having a pay package at the end of the week so they can support their families. that is what is changing in our country and that is why we will stick to our economic plan. >> despite what the government has said about cutting energy costs, 71% of people surveyed are worried about their business and want their full energy bills now. would the prime minister meet that demand? >> the most important thing we can do is help the energy companies reduce bills by rolling back costs of these green levies and charges. it is only since we have done that, that we have seen energy after energy company reduce bills. we want to see more players in this market. all things that we have to

correct from the disastrous stewardship of the department of energy when the right honorable gentleman was in charge. >> each year, thousands of lives are needlessly lost in this country because we diagnose cancer far too late. and the way the cancer community have successfully lobbied the government to make sure that the local and national nhs are measured by one year survival rates to introduce initiatives to promote early diagnosis. the government deserves great credit for this. -- for listening. twice now, at late notice, the publication of the one-year figures have been disposed. will the prime minister ensure we meet the next deadline? >> on the specific point, yes, we will be publishing those years. -- those figures. they will be published in june. what we are doing in terms of cancer is backing the nhs with extra money. that is important. we have the cancer drugs fund,

which i spoke about earlier. it has helped 400,000 people. -- is helped over 44,000 people since this government came to office. of course, there is no cancer drugs fund in wales, but it is here in england. we are spending 750 million on cancer services. he's absolutely right about early diagnosis. that is why it is important to make sure we do everything we can to diagnose and recognize cancer earlier. >> the whole house will be well aware of the contribution to the immense suffering of thousands of innocent victims across the united kingdom and the gaddafi regime's supply of terrorism. does he agree that the compensation from libya remains a priority for this government? would he agree to meet with me to review the keys and discuss what further progress might be needed? >> very happy to repeat what i have said earlier.

libyan authorities are in no doubt engaging properly with u.k. victims and seeking redress. i raised it most recently with the libyan prime minister last september. of course, the country faces huge challenges which makes it difficult to make progress on this issue. i am committed to doing that. i am very happy to meet with the right honorable gentleman. >> does the prime minister welcome the change from the last labour government which talked about british jobs for british workers? 90% of new jobs went to foreign nationals in this government, which last year, nearly 90% of new jobs going to british workers. >> my right honorable friend is absolutely right. last year, employment in our country went up by 425,000 people.

that is more families with a 425,000 breadwinner earning money for that family's security. 87% of those jobs went to i believe it is british nationals. there is much more we need to do. we are aiming for 2 million apprenticeships in this parliament. we will have an announcement this week by marston's, siemens, barrett's creating jobs. we want to make sure young people are available and train for those jobs. that means improving our schools, improving our skills, and investing in apprenticeship. >> westminster is awash with rumors. will the prime minister take this opportunity to squash the rumor by confirming his commitment to the coalition agreement which only allows for a free vote on the legislation on the repeal of

legislation? >> there are all sorts of rumors going around westminster. it is a good moment to talk about them. i have said before, proposals were made on a cross party basis to that would help farmers deal the environment secretary about an amendment to the hunting act with their land. that letter has been received and is being considered. i regret to say i do not think there will be government agreement going forward. thank you, mr. speaker. members are at a state of high excitement. mr. lawrence robertson. >> can i thank the prime minister for visiting my constituency during the recent vote -- floats. 3.5 --re plans to build

to build 3500 homes. with the prime minister look at theks -- it strengthening guidance with regard to flooding. there is a big difference between the rhetoric and the phrase and what is happening in reality. know that my honorable friend's constituency has suffered repeatedly with flooding. i have visited it twice in recent years. make two points. any future developments have to comply with the national planning policy, which makes clear that inappropriate development in areas of risk of flooding should be avoided. secondly, more importantly, in 95% of cases where the agency objects to planning on flood risk grounds, the final decision is in line with agency advice. one bankers salaries have gone up five times the rate of ordinary workers, and when the

top 100 chief executive officers are earning 133 times the average worker employed in the companies, isn't it right that the highest income our country being the most in tax? with that in mind, will he then rule out any consideration of a the tax for the richest one percent? >> i do agree with the honorable gentleman that the rich should be paying more in income tax and making a bigger contribution. under this government, that is exactly what is happening. interesting is about the labour argument. they can't talk about jobs because they're more of them. they can't talk about inflation because it is come down. they can't talk about the deficit because we're cutting it very there one argument left, and that is about fairness. if you look at the figures come inequality is at its lowest level since 1986. her are a million fewer people in relative poverty than there were under the other

administration. show this is not only a government that is delivering recovery, is a government that is delivering it in a fair way, too. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i noticed the prime minister is acutely aware that it is not just coming up to 30 years anniversary of the appalling carnage of the golden temple. i wonder what more can be done to at last bring someone to justice for the appalling events that followed across india. >> what happened in emirates lead to tragic loss of life. it remains a deep source of pain foureeks everywhere -- everywhere. i think the most important thing we can do in this country is to celebrate the immense contribution the british