is a creepy question, because for all of us, as someone who is the computer every day, we have certain expectations when we fire up our computers about these what we are doing, who we are sharing information with, and at any if the expectations i shifted because i realize there might be another party who sees what i am doing, say it a message pops up and asked if i would like help making a purchase, there are certain lines that we don't know who has crossed them until it is late.y there isn't a clear sense of what is creepy because it is culturally specific. one person talking loudly on her cell phone in a park has no problem with someone sitting on a bench and listening to their conversation. with a can have someone

private conversation going to great lengths to go somewhere completely secluded. we are not just dealing with the cultural context, we are dealing with different individual preferences. monday night at 8:00 eastern on the communicators on c-span2. >> next, british deputy prime minister nick clegg takes questions at the house of commons. after that, a discussion on the senate report on cia interrogation techniques. then a look at congressional efforts to amend got lost -- gun laws. the british prime minister had meetings in turkey last week and paid a visit to the auschwitz concentration camp in poland. filling in for him was deputy prime minister nick clegg. he discussed changes to the national health service.

female representation in parliament. and the u.k.'s immigration policy. this is about 35 minutes. questions to the prime minister, mr. john reynolds. >> mr. speaker, i have been asked to reply on behalf of the prime minister, who is visiting turkey and outlets. . in addition to my duties in the house, i will have further such meetings today. . >> the deputy prime minister last week refused to attend. which part of the statement did you object to? >> the arm statement was a coalition statement. i spent one day in cornwall. members opposite have been spending five years in cloud cuckoo land.

>> peter lilley. >> in the light of my right honorable friend's enthusiasm for devolving powers from the uk government to the component parts of the uk, does he have similar plans for devolving competences from europe to the uk? >> mr. speaker, he might be surprised to know that i once wrote a booklet about that very idea. just as we must do at a european level that nation states cannot do on their own -- on the environment, globalization, trade talks and so on -- so other powers should be devolved downwards where possible. >> harriet harman. >> it is good to see the deputy prime minister back in his place after his important day trip during the important statement since he became deputy prime minister, he has had the opportunity to appoint seven

cabinet members. can he remind the house how many have been women? >> mr. speaker, she knows exactly who the members of the cabinet are from the liberal democrat team. i would remind her, however, that millions of women in this country have got from this government what they never got from her government -- better pensions, more jobs, tax cuts, shared parental leave, better child care, and more flexible working. instead of scoring westminster points, why does she not do the right thing for millions of women around the country? >> he is reluctant to answer the question, which is unlike him, because normally when he is asked about numbers and women, he is quite forthcoming. let me tell the house the answer -- four and a half years as deputy prime minister, seven

cabinet appointments, and not one woman. and this is not a westminster point, because it affects what they do. so let me ask him, since his government introduced tribunal fees, what has been the fall in the number of sex discrimination cases? >> i do not have that statistic to hand, but i am happy to provide it to her. she displays her and her party's total denial about their own record on women in our country. female unemployment rose 24% under labour. and in one year women were given a paltry 75p rise in the state pension -- scandalous, a total shame. through our new, fairer single-tier pension, 650,000 women will get an extra £400 a year from 2016, and i care more

about those 650,000 women across the country than i do about anyone around the cabinet table. >> i will answer the question since he has not. since the introduction of their tribunal fees, there has been a 90% fall in women taking sex discrimination cases, including women who have been discriminated against at work because they are pregnant. let me turn to another of his key decisions. of those who get the millionaires' tax cut, what percentage are men? >> this is quite breathtaking. is she not aware that, of the over 26 million people who have benefited from our tax cuts for low and middle-income earners, that tax cut has disproportionately gone to women? is she not aware that under her

government the top rate of tax was 40p, 5p lower than it is under this government? is she not aware that there are now more women in employment than ever before? that is a record of which we are very proud indeed. >> and he should be aware that any gains on tax changes for women have been more than wiped out by the hit they have taken on the cuts to tax credits. and, yes, i would indeed agree with him that it is breathtaking that 85% of those who benefit from the millionaires' tax cut are men. let us try him on another one. what proportion of those hit by his bedroom tax are women? >> since she is losing her way a bit with the statistics, let me tell you that we have cut tax for 11.9 million women. the gender pay gap for women under the age of 40 has pretty well disappeared under this coalition.

under her government, only one in eight of the ftse 100 board members were women. under this government, there are more women on ftse 100 boards than ever before. the labour party is becoming the lance armstrong of british politics. they have forgotten the better half of a decade of how it messed things up. >> i will tell the deputy prime minister and the house the reality for people who are paying the bedroom tax. two thirds of those hit by the bedroom tax are women. it does not seem that there is any shortage of spare rooms in downing street for the spin doctors to spin against each other. let me ask him about something else. of the £26 billion this government has raised through changes to benefits and direct taxes, a staggering £22 billion of that has come from women.

can he explain why? >> i think it is time to call out the right honorable lady on her government's record. under labour, unemployment was higher. female unemployment was higher. youth unemployment was higher. inequality was higher. child poverty was higher. pensioner poverty was higher. relative poverty was higher. fuel poverty was higher, and income tax for low and middle-income earners, including millions of women, was higher. when will she come to admit that her party created so much of the mess that this side of the house has had to clear up? >> he has just demonstrated that he is completely out of touch with women's lives. it is always the same with this deputy prime minister. he talks the talk, but he walks through the lobby with the tories. he briefs against them, but he

always votes with them. he complains about the autumn statement, but he signed it off. that is why people will never trust him or his party ever again. >> does she seriously think that the british people are going to trust her and her party on the economy? of course not. manufacturing jobs were destroyed three times faster under them than they were under margaret thatcher. this was the party -- in fact, the shadow health secretary, sitting there demurely, is the only man in england who has ever privatized an nhs hospital, and they dare to lecture us. hinchingbrooke hospital -- the only nhs hospital to be privatized by the labour party. inequality higher under labour, privatization of the nhs higher under labour, and an economy destroyed under labour.

>>my constituents will have been delighted to hear the deputy prime minister support last week's excellent autumn statement, because they know that it is the only credible plan for economic recovery. they have been worried about scurrilous rumors that he wants to raise taxes and impose a homes tax in the next parliament, but after his answer to question 1, that cannot be true. will he now confirm his loyalty to the long-term economic plan, which is bringing jobs and growth to people in wimbledon? >> of course, i agree wholeheartedly with him that we must stay the course in order to finish the job, and finish it fairly. he may be aware that the long-term youth claimant count in his constituency has fallen just in the last year by a full 40%, which is an extraordinary achievement. as he knows, it is simply not fair or justifiable to apply council tax bands to low-value

properties without adopting the same approach to high-value properties. why should a family living in a family home in lewisham pay the same council tax as someone living in a £10 million palace, possibly in wimbledon? >>julie hilling. >> my 69-year-old atherton constituent margaret was run over by a car and was left bleeding in the road for 90 minutes before the ambulance turned up. the chancellor said last week that the government had made cuts without affecting front-line services. does the deputy prime minister agree, or does he regret supporting every cut that the government has made? >> what i regret enormously is the fact that every household in her constituency -- indeed, every household in all our constituencies -- took a hit of £3,000 each because of the crash in 2008, caused in large part by the absolute neglect of the labour party in government.

that is what i regret. this economy has suffered a cardiac arrest the likes of which we have not seen in the post-war period. i am very proud of the fact that this coalition government are making painstaking, if controversial, decisions to ensure to live within our means rather than simply burdening our children and grandchildren with this generation's mistakes. >> charlie elphicke. >> my constituents in dover and deal are very concerned about border security and the situation that we have seen in calais this year. does he agree that, while we have acted, the european union should take more responsibility for people trafficking and the problems of schengen open borders, and that it should make italy take responsibility as the first country for asylum claimants on the island of lampedusa? >> of course, i understand what an important issue this is for him and his constituents.

i agree it is a problem shared and that therefore the solution needs to be shared as well, across the european union. that is one of the reasons why i have always been an advocate of cross-border co-operation in the eu on issues which have to do with people who cross our borders. i agree with my honorable friend that, whenever possible, the european union should act effectively and together. >> opposition members have called for a section 30 order to fast-track elements of the smith commission to scotland, especially votes for 16 and 17-year-olds in the 2016 scottish parliament election. will he commit himself to going ahead with the section 30 order now? >> we will stick to the timetable that was committed to by all the major parties at the time of the referendum. we have stuck to that timetable religiously so far. in fact, despite predictions by the snp, we have over-delivered

on the commitments regarding further devolution to scotland. as he knows, a lively debate is taking place about the franchise for 16 and 17-year-olds. my party has always believed that we should give them the right to vote. they took up that right with alacrity at the time of the scottish referendum, but it will clearly continue to be debated across parties in the house. >> mr. michael thornton. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i am a bit surprised. >> he was standing, so presumably he was standing in the hope of being called. [laughter] >> sometimes i worry i might forget where i am. the most heart-rending cases in my surgery on a weekly basis are those people who have had mental health difficulties and feel let down by the national health

service and other organizations set up to help them. does the deputy prime minister agree with me that it is time we did more? >> i suspect that many members across all parties in this house will agree that mental health services have for too long been treated as a poor cousin -- a cinderella service -- in the nhs and have been systematically underfunded for a long time. that is why i am delighted to say that we have announced that we will be introducing new access and waiting time standards for mental health conditions in a way that have been in existence for physical health conditions for a long time. over time, as reflected in the new nhs mandate, we must ensure that mental health is treated with equality of resources and esteem compared with any other part of the nhs. >> when the health and social care act 2012 passed through parliament, the government said it was not about privatization. a recent study by the british

medical journal says that one third of all contracts have gone to the private sector and only 10% to the voluntary and social enterprise sector. does the deputy prime minister regret supporting that legislation? >> he is being highly selective in describing what that report said. it actually said that of all nhs budget contracts, 6% had gone to the private sector. guess how high it was when this government took office? 5%. so they presided over a 5% delivery of contracts to the private sector, and we have added 1%. they delivered £250 million-worth of sweetheart deals to the nhs, deliberately undercutting the nhs for operations that did not help a single nhs patient in the country. and they have the gall to lecture us on the privatization of the nhs. >> robert duncan. >> will the deputy prime minister unreservedly condemn

what appears to be the killing this morning by the israeli defense force of the palestinian government minister, ziad abu ein, who was doing nothing more than protesting in his own country against illegal demolitions and the destruction of ancient olive groves by the state of israel? will her majesty's government join international pressure in demanding a full investigation and then calling, should it be so justified, for the prosecution of the soldier who struck him? >> of course, i and the government will urgently look into the circumstances around this killing. of course, we condemn all unwarranted acts of violence on all sides in the middle east. the circumstances of this particular death is something i am not familiar with. but clearly, we want to see

restraint exercised on all sides, we want to see an end to illegal settlement activity and to indiscriminate violence being inflicted on innocent israeli citizens, and a demonstrative move on all sides, which will involve difficult compromises, towards the two-state solution, which is the only means by which peace and security can be delivered to all communities in the middle east. >> the deputy prime minister has received donations totaling £34,500 from the managing director of autofil yarns limited. can he tell the house what he thinks of the fact that workers at autofil yarns limited have received the news recently that as many as 160 jobs could be moved overseas -- jobs lost to britain -- by autofil yarns? >> clearly, i cannot speak for autofil, and any company needs to explain its own business and investment decisions.

i am very surprised by his line of questioning, given that the labour party is entirely bankrolled by the puppet-masters of the trade unions. for all i know, that question might have been written for him by his trade union bosses. surely, he would agree with me that it is time that we cleaned up party funding on a cross-party basis once and for all. >> mr. stewart jackson. >> in peterborough, youth unemployment has halved since 2010, apprenticeships are at record levels and the jobseeker's allowance claimant count is down 51% in the past four years. in addition, the number of children living in workless households is now at a record low nationally. does the deputy prime minister agree with me that such achievements -- and the policies that give rise to them, consistently opposed by labour -- show political courage and will change people's lives for the better, and are not, as some people have foolishly said, the result of an ideological commitment to austerity?

>> given that we were told by the party opposite that 3 million people would be unemployed, it is striking that there are now more people in work than ever before. i find that striking in my own constituency, as he no doubt does in his. i remember being warned by the right honorable member for sheffield, brightside and hillsborough that there would be a "post-soviet" meltdown and that people would be fending for themselves on the streets, but we now have fewer young people than ever in sheffield who are not in education, employment or training. that was because of a balanced, pragmatic, non-ideological approach to balancing the books steadily over time. >> geoffrey robinson. >> could i ask the deputy prime minister to use his evidently widespread support in the coalition ranks opposite, particularly with the prime minister, to prevail on the prime minister to honor a pledge he made in june this year to the victims of the contaminated

blood scandal that took place in the nhs? that scandal has reflected badly on successive administrations, since the administration as far back as that of harold wilson. the prime minister undertook to look at and rectify to the extent that that is possible, and this would be one promise that the coalition government have it in their power to deliver. >> i am grateful for his question. he is quite right to say that this heart-wrenching issue has dragged on for a very long time. if i may, i will write to him about it. the deputy prime minister will be aware that sherwood forest hospitals trust is currently in special measures. what assistance can he give to the health secretary as he works with the trust to ensure continued improvement despite

its having to wrestle with its £40 million a year repayments on a private finance initiative deal signed under the previous government? >> i am afraid this is another example of the janus-faced approach to the nhs by the party opposite. they entered into this appalling pfi contract, along with other such contracts in the nhs, which are now costing the nhs £1 billion a year. it is an absolute scandal that the sherwood forest hospitals trust has been crippled by a botched pfi deal entered into by the previous government. the trust is now receiving central support to address its underlying financial deficit, and it has developed a plan showing year-on-year improvements in its position, including 145 extra nurses, nursing support staff and doctors, since going into special measures. >> toby perkins. >> if the deputy prime minister had attended the autumn statement, he would have heard the chancellor claim that this is a government who back small business.

he could give those words some meaning by backing labour's plan to outlaw large companies who are charging small companies to be on their supply list. will he take this opportunity to back that plan and really start to stand up for small firms? >> thankfully, we have seen more new and small businesses being created under this coalition than since records began. i agree with him -- i think everyone would agree -- about the revelations that have come to light in recent days of some large companies, particularly in the food sector, in effect charging small suppliers for the privilege of providing them with supplies. i know that the right honorable member, the right honorable minister, my -- >> friend? >> -- friend is looking carefully at this matter, and he has already pledged publicly to take action if necessary. >> my constituent diane howells visited gp's in newark 15 times

in eight months last year before she was eventually diagnosed with terminal cancer when her son luke took her to the a and e in newark. a quarter of all new cancer cases are only diagnosed at a and e. will my right honorable friend agree to review this tragic case and to back luke's campaign that cancer ruled be out first, rather than last, and to increase referral rates from our gps? >> of course, i shall look into the case, and i am sure my right honorable friend, the secretary of state for health, will also be keen to look at it and get back to him. as he knows, the nhs is successfully seeing 51% more patients with suspected cancers than it was four years ago, survival rates have never been higher, almost nine out of 10 patients say that their care is excellent or very good, and the

cancer treatment fund has helped thousands upon thousands of patients. but, of course, where possible we should always do more. >> the deputy prime minister has made a series of extraordinary claims today, but among the most extraordinary is in his response to the honorable lady's question, that pensioner poverty rose under the last government. in fact, pensioner poverty fell dramatically. can the deputy prime minister explain to the house what his source for that claim is? it certainly cannot be the institute for fiscal studies, which in 2010, reported that pensioner poverty fell dramatically under the last government. >> the source is that what we are doing is a whole lot better than the insult of 75p. we have delivered the largest cash increase in the state pension ever. we have delivered the triple-lock guarantee for pensioners, and we want to put

that into law, so that, unlike pensioners under labour, pensioners on the state pension will know that because of this coalition government their state pension will go up by a decent amount every single time. that is my source. >> dr. julian lewis. >> our defense budget is the biggest in the eu and the second largest in nato. this government are spending 2% of gdp on defense this parliament -- one of only four nato countries to do so. >> that was not exactly an answer to the question on the order paper. given that this country for decades spent more than 4% on defense, would the deputy prime minister not agree that it would be a disgraceful dereliction of duty if the british government

ever fell below the 2% minimum recommended by nato? >> as my honorable friend will know, we are spending 2% of gdp on defense, and have consistently met and exceeded this nato guideline. we are spending more than £160 billion on equipment and equipment support over the next 10 years, which will ensure that we have one of the best trained and best equipped armed forces in the world. decisions on defense spending after 2015, 2016 will, of course, have to be determined in the next comprehensive spending round. >> mr. ben bradshaw. >> what does the deputy prime minister think of the fact that, under his government, if he now needed an operation in devon, he would be denied it because he smokes, as would the communities and local government secretary because of his size? >> that's a bit harsh. i do not think anyone would disagree with clinicians in devon and elsewhere urging patients to look after themselves and prepare

themselves for operation. my understanding is that the decision -- or the announcement mooted -- in devon is about patients preparing for operations, but of course i disagree with the idea of, in effect, rationing in this way, which is one of the reasons we have announced, in total, £3 billion of extra money for our beloved nhs. >> on 13th of november, the people of switzerland voted overwhelmingly to retain freedom of movement with the european union, because their politicians talked about the economic benefits of being in the single market. will the deputy prime minister continue to do what the city, the cbi, and companies in my constituency want, talk about those benefits for the uk and reject the politics of knowing the cost of everything and the value of nothing? >> i strongly agree with him that freedom of movement, which is a privilege and entitlement that more than 1.5 million british citizens benefit from

across the european union, is something we should defend. but freedom of movement is not the same as, and is not synonymous with, the freedom to claim, which is why there is now a very healthy debate about how we ensure that freedom of movement can be protected while the rules surrounding access to benefits can be changed. >> closed question, mr. graham allen. >> i am grateful to the honorable gentleman and the committee he chairs for their work on the operation of the fixed-term parliaments act 2011. fixed-term parliaments give greater predictability and continuity, enabling better long-term legislative and financial planning. the full effect of introducing fixed-term parliaments is something which can only be assessed over time, which is why the act will be reviewed in 2020. >> nearly 25 years ago, i asked the then prime minister, mrs. thatcher, at pmq whether she would set up a national institution to reduce the sexual abuse of children. may i congratulate the deputy prime minister and his

government on setting up, over the past five years, a series of "what works" organizations to provide best practice including early intervention? may i ask if he and other party leaders consider putting in their manifestos the creation of a national institute for the study and prevention of sexual abuse of children so that we do not have another 25 years' worth of belated inquiries that preempt perpetration and help victims with the best evidence-based practice and programs both nationally and internationally. >> i happen to know that he is seeing my right honorable friend the minister for crime prevention on that issue next week. i and my party agree with the honorable gentleman about the merits of "what works"

initiatives. i agree that we need to work together, which is why the national group on sexual violence against children and vulnerable people has been set up, to work across agencies, areas, and local authorities to bear down on these reprehensible crimes. >> stephen lloyd. >> last weekend, i had the pleasure of visiting a primary school in my constituency, motcombe. they have fought tooth and nail to introduce free school meals, and have done so successfully. will the deputy prime minister take this opportunity to congratulate motcombe and all the primary schools in my constituency and across england which have done such a fantastic job delivering on his policy? >> of course, i congratulate everybody at motcombe primary school and all the primary schools across the country which, despite all the skepticism and cynicism, have