c-span, c-span3, and c-span radio. order your copy of the landmark cases companion book for $8.95 plus shipping at www.c-span.org /landmarkcases. c-span, prime minister's questions at the british house of commons. then, martin o'malley speaks with muslim leaders at a mosque in sterling, virginia. later, daniel halpert talks about the democratic -- republican party's relationship with donald trump. david cameron met this week with european leaders to talk about the u.k.'s future. osbornebsence, george took questions from members of the house of commons. he was asked about emergency

response efforts to flooding in northwest england and his response to recent comments by donald trump regarding muslims. this is 35 minutes. career in the civil service. >> order, questions to the prime minister? [shouting] >> i've been asked to reply. >> mr. speaker as christmas draws closer, people are having difficulty making end's meet.

they felt 24,000 shops to get 63 million pounds. seems to be refusing to answer questions from the daily on >> order. mr. osborne: of course we take very seriously illegal loan sharks and, indeed, that of excessive interest charges on payday lending, which is why it was conservatives who introduced the first ever cap on payday lending. on the specific question he raises about funding for illegal money laundering and loan shark teams, we are looking at a levy on the industry to meet the requirements that he has identified. mr. david burrowes: following last week's vote, can my right honorable friend give us an update on action against the genocidal jihadists who not only

attack christians, yazidis and muslims, but pillage their churches, shrines and mosques? alongside the welcome announcement of £30 million to protect cultural heritage, but can we also ratify the hague convention? mr. osborne: let me update the house on the military action since we met last week. we have 16 aircraft conducting strikes, as well as our reaper drones. the raf have conducted 11 missions, principally against the oilfields, and we are also supporting iraqi security forces. the foreign secretary will be in new york next week for talks on trying to bring an end to the horrendous conflict in syria. specifically, on the damage that is being done to the cultural artifacts in the area, we are providing £30 million as part of the cultural fund. i have discussed that with the director of the british museum.

on the ratification of the convention, that is something taking place. mr. speaker: angela eagle. [cheers] angela eagle: thank you, mr. speaker. it is nice to get such a warm welcome. mr. speaker, our hearts go out to all those who are suffering the consequences of the severe flooding in the northwest this week. with thousands of families affected, the priority must be for the government to give immediate help to all of them. after the 2014 floods, only 15% of those affected had received payments from the government's repair and renew scheme. does the chancellor agree that that cannot possibly be allowed to happen again?

these people need urgent help now, so will the chancellor give the house a guarantee that people will receive the help they need, and quickly? mr. osborne: first, let me welcome the honorable lady to her place and the warm support she has on the other side. let me join her in expressing the sympathy of the whole house to those who have been affected by these terrible floods. the record rainfall that has hit cumbria and lancashire. the update is that we have just one severe flood warning still in place and power has been restored to 168,000 homes and the west coast main line is open. but we have to be there for the long term for these families. we continue to support the immediate rescue efforts, and the military have deployed. on recovery and the question she asks about, i can today announce a £50 million fund for families

and businesses affected in the area. this will be administered by the local authorities to avoid some of the administrative problems she alludes to in her question. when it comes to rebuilding the infrastructure of cumbria, lancashire and other areas affected, we are assessing now the damage to the flood defenses and to the roads. funds will be made available. one of the benefits of having a strong and resilient economy is we can help people in need. ms. eagle: i thank the chancellor for that answer but, from listening to him, you would not think that he has cut flood defense spending by £115 million this year. mr. speaker, after visiting the floods in the somerset levels in 2014, the prime minister told this house that money is no object in this relief effort and that whatever money was needed would be spent. i welcome the announcement that the chancellor has just made, but will he confirm that the same will apply this time?

mr. osborne: absolutely. the money will be made available to those affected and to the communities who have seen their infrastructure damaged. up to £5,000 will be made available to individual families to repair their homes and protect them against future flooding, and we will provide money to businesses that have seen their businesses ruined. there have been heartbreaking stories we have seen on television about businesses that have been affected. that money is available. because we have a strong and resilient economy, we are increasing the money we spend on our flood defenses. it is just not the case that has been reduced. under the last labour government, they spent £1.5 billion on flood defenses, and we will be spending £2 billion on flood defenses and increasing maintenance spending. it is something we can do and we can help these communities precisely because we took the difficult decisions to fix our economy and public finances.

>> i thank the chancellor for that, and we will hold him to account on the promises he has made today. however, i note that the government's own figures show that their planned capital investment in flood defense will only protect one in eight of those households at risk. mr. speaker, i see that the prime minister cannot be with us to answer questions today because he is visiting poland and romania on the latest leg of his seemingly endless european renegotiation tour. mr. speaker, he has been jetting all over the place. no wonder we had to buy him his own aeroplane. so can the chancellor tell us how is it all going?

mr. osborne: the good news is we have a party leader who is respected abroad. [cheers] mr. osborne: the prime minister is in central and eastern europe because we are fighting for a better deal for britain, something that never would have happened if there had been a labour government. >> i have to tell him that many of his own back benchers are pretty unimpressed with how it is going so far. [shouting] >> the honorable member for north east somerset has described the prime minister's renegotiation efforts as pretty thin gruel. the honorable member for harwich

and north essex has called them "lame" and "trivial," and yesterday, the honorable member for richmond park told the press gallery they were "not all that impressive." the chancellor is well-known for cultivating his back benchers, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. so can i ask him the question his own side wants answered? given that the prime minister has pre-resigned, does he really aspire to be britain's first post-eu prime minister? mr. osborne: i am not sure i would be quoting the views of back benchers if i was speaking for the labour party at the moment. most opposition parties are trying to get momentum. they are trying to get rid of it. [shouting]

mr. osborne: we are fighting for a good deal for britain in europe, we are fighting to make the european economy more competitive for everyone and we are fighting to make sure that britain gets a fair deal as a country not in the eurozone. in the end, this will be something that we will put to the people of britain in a referendum. the only reason that referendum is happening at all is that the conservative party won the general election. ms. eagle: instead of obsessing about issues in the labour party, the chancellor should be condemning the appalling activities in conservative future and attacking the tory bullying scandal. i notice he did not answer the question about his own prime ministerial activities. he may be worried about a few places down from him on the bench. i am not sure. [shouting]

>> mr. speaker, she knows who she is. [laughter] >> mr. speaker, if he will not listen to the doubts of his own back benchers, perhaps he will listen to someone who has written in. i have got here a letter. [shouting] >> mr. speaker, it is from donald of brussels.

[laughter] >> he writes, "uncertainty about the future of the uk in the european union is a destabilizing factor." he's right, isn't he? mr. osborne: since the conservative party announced its policy on the referendum, we have received the lion's share of investment into europe. we have built a strong economy, we stand up for britain's interests abroad and we have made this a competitive place to grow and build a business. while we are quoting missives, there is someone called tony has been writing today. he happens to be the most successful labour leader in history, and he describes the labour party as a complete tragedy. may i suggest she asked serious

questions about the economy, social care? she can ask any of these questions. she has got one more question. let's hear it. ms. eagle: i prefer this quote from tony. "just mouth the words 'five more tory years' and you feel your senses and reason repulsed by what they have done to our country." [shouting] >> mr. speaker, we all know that the chancellor is so preoccupied with his own leadership ambitions that he forgot about the day job, and that is why he ended up trying to slash working family tax credits in the budget. is it not about time that he focused on the national interest rather than his own interest? [shouting]

>> 3 million u.k. jobs are linked to trade with the eu. half our exports go there. that is why they are putting it at risk by flirting with brexit, and that is why we on this side of the house know that britain is better off in. mr. osborne: i thought that the labour party voted for the referendum when it came before the house of commons. we are fighting for a better deal for britain in europe. the truth is this week we have shown that we have an economic plan that is delivering for britain. whether it is well-funded flood defenses, putting money into our national health service, backing teachers in our schools, or introducing a national living wage, we are delivering security for the working people of britain. and their economic and national security would be put at risk if the labour party ever got back into office.

davidecently visited wilson, his apprentice workshop, and saw firsthand the work the construction industry is doing to support apprenticeships in hampshire. can my friend tell us what more schools can do to promote apprenticeships as a valuable alternative to post-16 academic study? mr. osborne: my honorable friend raises an important point. schools have a legal duty to provide pupils with information on the full range of training and education available. schools in her constituency can now tell their pupils about the increase in the number of apprenticeship places, 3 million in this parliament, we are funding. that is a huge commitment to young people in this country and a big commitment to the construction industry. we want homes to be built. one of the challenges is getting skilled people into that industry, and no doubt that was raised by the business she spoke to, but the 3 million

apprentices will help. angus robertson: occasionally, highly toxic and dangerous materials are transported around the country. isn't the public right to expect the highest safety standards and full cooperation between the responsible public agencies? mr. osborne: absolutely. they are expected to have that cooperation. if he is talking about the transportation of nuclear materials from the faslane base on the clyde, i met with the local teams. if he has something else he wants to ask me about, go ahead. angus robertson: there are growing reports in the north of scotland about plans to transport dangerous nuclear materials, including potentially including nuclear weapons-grade uranium, from the dounreay nuclear facility to wick airport.

it will then be flown to the united states. what will that nuclear material be used for, and has he or any of his colleagues spoken with a single minister in the scottish government about this? mr. osborne: the transportation of nuclear materials across this country has happened over many decades. there are established procedures for doing so. the royal marines and the police service in scotland provide the security. if he has specific concerns about the plans for that transportation, he can raise them with us. as i say, arrangements are in place to make sure that we protect the public. steve brine: the chancellor will know that the prime minister said in his recent conference speech that we have to get away from the "lock 'em up or let 'em out" mentality in regards to prison reform.

our prison system is costing constituents a fortune. does the chancellor agree that the time for rehabilitation that works is now, and that we should not be afraid to look at other jurisdictions to find examples and new ideas to tackle this ongoing state failure? mr. osborne: my honorable friend is right to raise the question of prison reform. people who commit crimes should go to prison, but prisons should be suitable places to rehabilitate prisoners. some of our victorian prisons are not suitable. that is why we are going to close them, knock them down, build housing in our cities, which is desperately needed, and build modern prisons on the outskirts of our inner cities. i am incredibly proud that a conservative government is taking on this progressive social reform. dr. rupa huq: they are a great british institution and earn billions for our economy, so i am sure the chancellor will share my concern that two curry

houses a week are closing in this country due to government policies and proposed colleges that have failed. will he review the situation? he once likened the elements of a strong economy to those of a good curry, so will he head off the coming curry crisis? mr. osborne: we all enjoy a great british curry, but we want the curry chefs to be trained in britain so we are providing jobs for people here in this country. that is what our immigration controls provide. karl mccartney: my right honorable friend is well aware, from my repeated representations to him and his colleagues, of the need for a southern relief road and eastern bypass for lincoln, which have been delayed by bureaucracy for nearly 100 years. he and his government colleagues are well acquainted with the need to drive growth and local economic well-being by utilizing

appropriate infrastructure improvements to fuel the midlands engine. what would he say to my constituents, should he visit the beautiful city of lincoln, other than any new road is eventually better than no road? mr. osborne: i congratulate my honorable friend on securing £50 million of extra funding for lincoln and ensuring that a bypass will go ahead. i have spoken to him. i know he has concerns that the bypass is not big enough and that it needs to be a dual-lane bypass. let us continue to have those conversations. we need to make sure that local authorities agree with his assessment, and i am happy to help him with that task. >> since his budget in july, i have asked time and again how he intends to make women prove, in order to qualify for tax credits. will he now admit that his abhorrent, vile policy is

completely unworkable, and will he drop the rape clause? mr. osborne: it is perfectly reasonable to have a welfare system that is fair not just for those who need it but for those who pay for it. we identified the specific cases she identifies in her question, in which women have been victims of domestic abuse or, indeed, rape, and that is why we are consulting and discussing changes to protect those vulnerable women. wendy morton: more than 4,000 apprenticeships have been created in my constituency since 2010, and i recently met with in-comm training and a group of small local businesses to discuss skills and apprenticeships. what is the government doing to help small businesses to help people into training and employment and securing the economy of the midlands engine for future generations? mr. osborne: the great news is that jobs are being created in

the midlands engine and and in her constituency, and we are investing in the apprentices she talks about an backing small businesses by cutting the corporation tax they pay and by increasing employment allowance so that they can take on more people without paying the jobs tax. dr. philippa whitford: medecins sans frontieres reports that despite giving gps coordinates, several of their hospitals have been bombed by coalition and, in particular, assad forces in syria, yemen and afghanistan, killing medics as well as patients. can the chancellor explain, with so many forces involved, how the government proposes to avoid this in the future? mr. osborne: the tragic bombing of the hospital she mentions,

there is a review going on to make sure that the coalition has accurate information for its strikes. when it comes to yemen, we are working with the saudi government to make sure that they can review this information and that it is accurate. as for the syrian government, we have no control over assad. that is one of the reasons we would like to see assad go. mr. alan mak: the regeneration of dunsbury hill farm in my constituency will create up to 3,500 new jobs, which is good news for an area where unemployment has halved since 2010. will the chancellor commit to continued investment in the solent regional economy, an area that much prefers his big red book to any other type? mr. osborne: i am delighted to hear about the regeneration of dunsbury hill farm. it is part of the good news in his area, where the claimant count is down by 25% in the last

year, thanks to local businesses and the work he has done in attracting investment into his constituency. i am glad he likes the red book of the government and does not have so much time for the little red book brandished those opposite. gavin newlands: during the autumn statement, the chancellor casually removed vital bursary support from student nurses. i have since spoken to a number of nurses and some of the 4,000 nursing students at my local university, and all have said that they would not have been able to study nursing without vital bursary support from the scottish government. what will he say to the aspiring nurses across the rest of the uk who may be prevented from pursuing their dreams of becoming a nurse? mr. osborne: currently, two thirds of people in england who apply for nurse training courses are turned down. that cannot be right. that means hospitals increasingly rely on agency staff or overseas nurses.

we are reforming the education of nurses so that those who apply for nursing places are much more likely to get them. john stevenson: carlisle and cumbria have experienced a traumatic few days, with the devastating floods. it was good that the prime minister saw firsthand the tremendous work of the emergency services, the issues relating to the flood defenses and of course the direct impact of those floods on local families. as part of the recovery, cumbria community foundation, a highly respected, county-wide charitable organization, has launched a flood appeal. i wrote to the pm asking for the government's support for the appeal, as it would help many affected people right across the county. would the chancellor be able to offer such support from the government towards this much-needed fund? mr. osborne: first, everyone here would pay tribute to the people of carlisle, the extraordinary resilience they have shown and the acts of friendship that neighbors have shown to those affected by the

terrible floods. the prime minister this morning, before he left for central europe, asked me to make sure we would be able to help on the specific point my honorable friend raises, and did raise with the prime minister, and i can say that we will support the work the cumbria foundation does and we will match, by up to £1 million, the money it is raising for its local flood appeal. daniel zeichner: when the chancellor tripled student tuition fees, he set the repayment threshold at £21,000. he has now frozen the threshold, and the institute for fiscal studies tells us that many students will bear many extra thousands of pounds in repayments. given that he has broken his promise, will he send students an apology or just the bill? mr. osborne: there seems to be a collective amnesia on the other side.

they introduced tuition fees and when they introduced tuition fees, the threshold was £15,000. we have increased it to £21,000, which enables us to fund the lifting of the cap and more people who are qualified to go to university. i would have thought, and i would have hoped that he would have welcomed the big investment we are making in cambridge, not least the renovation of the famous cavendish laboratory. huw merriman: the bexhill-hastings link road will finally open this month, delivering a business park, new homes for a new labor market and a countryside park. the road has been talked about for decades, but it has been commissioned and built in the last five. will the chancellor join me in welcoming new business to relocate to bexhill and hastings, and to expand? mr. osborne: i would certainly encourage businesses to relocate to my honorable friend's area. he is right about the link road. for decades, people called for

this road, and there was a conservative mp for bexhill, there was a labour mp for hastings for many of those years and nothing happened. now that we have conservative mp's in both bexhill and hastings, we are getting the investment the local area needs. alison mcgovern: on september 7, the prime minister told me that he could not remove refugees from the migration target because of the requirements of the office for national statistics. i wrote to the ons and it told me that in fact this would be possible. can the chancellor demonstrate that britain will do its bit and remove refugees from the migration target? [shouting] mr. speaker: order. let's hear the answer. let's hear the chancellor. mr. osborne: let me say

something surprising. we talk to each other in this government. the cabinet actually gets round the table and has meetings. we discuss things, we agree, and then we move forward. they should try it in the labour party. the office for national statistics is independent, but britain is doing its bit by taking 20,000 refugees from the syrian refugee camps. of course, we have always provided a home for genuine asylum seekers. anne main: under current toy regulations, small children can be engulfed in flames by three centimeters in one second. will the chancellor encourage my right honorable friend the prime minister to intervene to see whether the business secretary can introduce a statutory instrument to improve the flammability of children's play and dress-up costumes? mr. osborne: my honorable friend is right to raise that case.

we all saw the tragedy that befell the family of the "strictly come dancing" presenter and the campaign that her family has undertaken to change the regulations. it is true that we do not have the same flame-retardant regulations for fancy dress costumes for children. that seems wrong. i know that my right honorable friend the business secretary is looking at the matter and will ensure that that changes. stephen timms: will the chancellor take this opportunity to correct the bizarre claim made yesterday by donald trump about parts of london being no-go areas for the metropolitan police? will he point out to mr. trump that there are excellent relationships between the muslim community of london and the police? think the right honorable gentleman speaks for everybody in this house. the metropolitan police do a brilliant job, and they have fantastic relations with british muslims. british muslims have made a massive contribution to our country. donald trump's comments fly in

the face of the founding principles of the united states, which is why those founding principles have proved an inspiration to so many people over the past 200 years. the best way to defeat nonsense like this is to engage in robust, democratic debate and make it very clear that his views are not welcome. derek thomas: cornwall hospice care, a hospital in my constituency, is well appreciated and respected by my constituents, but it cannot run to capacity because it receives only 11% of its funding from the nhs. will the chancellor work with me and my other colleagues in cornwall to see what more money can be put into our hospices, and cornwall hospice care? mr. osborne: i know that my honorable friend is a strong champion of his community and of

the hospice he talks about. we have taken steps to help the hospice movement, not least by removing the vat it paid in the last parliament. we want to get the right balance. it is good that our hospices are funded in part by local charities and supported so strongly by the local community, but they also need the backing of the nhs. of course, we are now putting money into the nhs because we have a strong economy, so that it can help the hospice movement. ian mearns: if business rates are localized without equalization, my own authority of gateshead will lose £9.4 million a year on top of the already severe cuts. northeast local authorities will lose £186 million a year and the combined 12 authorities in the north-east £223 million a year. meanwhile, the city of london will gain £222 million and

westminster £440 million. how does that help the chancellor's vision of the northern powerhouse? mr. osborne: the top-up and tariff system is going to apply as we devolve business rates to helect the discrepancy identifies. i would have thought that the labour party supported the devolution of business rates. it is a massive opportunity for local areas to grow and to see the benefits of that growth. when it comes to the northern powerhouse, we have the fantastic announcement today of the new train franchises, which means over £1 billion going into new trains, faster journeys, and better journey experiences for people in the north of england. he should get behind it. >> today, there was an important says the tvt that debates for the general elections were a great success, engaging people who are not

normally interested in politics, particularly young people. will the acting prime minister -- i know he might have a personal interest in this matter -- encourage tv debates at the next general election? mr. osborne: the tv debates are decided by discussion between the political parties and the broadcasters. i think that my right honorable friend the prime minister did exceptionally well in them last time. tasmina ahmed-sheikh: i understand that the home secretary has banned 84 hate preachers from entering the uk. will the government lead by example and consider making mr. donald trump number 85? mr. osborne: i think that the best way to confront the views of someone like donald trump is to engage in a robust, democratic argument with him about why he is profoundly wrong about the contribution of american muslims, and indeed british muslims. that is the best way to deal with donald trump and his views,

rather than trying to ban presidential candidates. >> order. >> you have been watching prime minister's questions at the british house of commons. question time is live every wednesday at 7:00 eastern and sunday night at 9:00 on c-span. you can watch online anytime at www.c-span.org. congress has until midnight wednesday to pass a long-term spending bill and avoid a government shutdown. both chambers will be working on a measure to meet the deadline as well as legislation that would extend certain tax provision set to expire at the end of the year. the senate returns monday at 3:00 eastern for general speeches. vote00, they consider and on the nomination of general

counsel for the u.s. army. the house is in session tuesday at noon eastern for speeches and legislative business at 2:00. bills, one of which would require the president to come up with a strategy for combating terrorists. house live onhe c-span and the senate live on c-span2. c-span takes you on the road to the white house. best access to the candidates at town hall meetings, speeches, rallies, and meet and greet. we take your comments by twitter, facebook, and by phone. every event we cover is available on www.c-span.org. friday, martin o'malley was joined by muslim leaders at a mosque in virginia to talk about the recent shootings in san bernardino california and his opposition to republican

candidate donald trump calling for a u.s. ban on muslim immigrants. the former maryland governor spoke one-on-one with members of the congregation before a news conference outside the mosque. this is 30 minutes. >> brothers and sisters, we have a very special guest with us today. to show some courtesy and help us welcome governor martin o'malley.