. >> dave miliband. >> mr. speaker, he doesn't answer the question. this country will have the highest fees for going to a public university in the whole industrialized world. and he says his plans are about properly funding universities. they're not. he's cutting public investment in universities. and loading costs onto students and their parents. will he admit -- will he admits the reason fees are being trebled is to make up for an 80% cut in the university teaching budget? >> the reason that these contributions are going up is because we were left a completely unsustainable situation. that is why -- that is why before the last election, the labour government put in place the brown commission and that is why the conservative party backed it. one party has had the courage of its convictions to see this through. [laughter] >> to be fair, to be fair to the liberal democrats, they never signed up to the brown review. he did. and he's the one guilty of rank hypocrisy. >> dave miliband. >> mr. speaker, he's giving it away, one party. now, there are 57 lib

. >> david miliband. [shouting] >> mr. speaker, mr. speaker, can i start by paying tribute to our troops serving in afghanistan. we owe them a huge debt of gratitude, everything they're doing for us. our thoughts are with them and their families who will be a part common this time of the year. mr. speaker, does the prime minister recognize that concerned about the rise of unemployment of 35,000 that we saw this morning? for all those families around the country, does he understand his confidence and, indeed, his restatement today that britain is out of the danger zone being very hollow? >> first of all let me join the right honorable friend in paying tribute to our forces in afghanistan. i visited last week there and also paying tribute to all of their families who will be missing them at christmas time. and i think to be fair, under the government he was part of and under this government we are making big improvements on the contact at home, on facts time, telephoto and all the context they need. on the unemployment figures, everyone

. >> david miliband. >> he says he's confident.e should listen to what the conservative led health select committee said only on monday. they said this, with inflation now higher, and i quote, the government commitment to a real-time increase in health fuing will not be met. now, we all remember those duringhe election we all remember his face airbrushed on those posters. will he now admitted that he is breaking that promise? >> we are not breaking that promise. [shouting] >> we want to see nhs spending increased by more than inflation every year. let me just to be clear. let me be clear about who supported this policy. the shadow chancellor aid this, it's not vague, it's pretty clear. when asked is it right to protect nhs spending, he said, there is no logic since our rationality to it at all. now, let's be clear. on the side of the house we want real terms increases in health spending to make sure that we approve-- improve the nation. the party opposite wants to cut it. >> i know he is good with an airbrush. he doesn't do detail.

. >> edward miliband.unintelligible] >> may i join the prime minister in paying tribute to private john howard, from 3rd battalion, the parachute regiment? he showed enormous courage. we pay tribute to his sacrifice, and our thoughts and deepest condolences are with his family. i join the prime minister also, as he recently came back from afghanistan, in paying tribute to all our troops serving in afghanistan and their families. can the prime minister confirm that after his changes are introduced, english students will pay the highest fees of any public university system in the industrialized world? >> the figures are well known for what students will pay. they are much lower than what students pay in the united states, for instance, but i have to say to the honorable gentleman that in the end, we have to make a choice here. if we want to see university education expand and universities well funded, we have to work out where that money is going to come from. our proposal is that graduates should make a gre