The Daily Politics

A 60-second look back at the week's political headlines, by reporter Giles Dilnot

The Daily Politics

Reporter Giles Dilnot spoke to William Hague, Margaret Beckett, Jack Straw and other holders of the post.

The Daily Politics

House of Commons
Parliament

Bill sponsor Chris Heaton-Harris speaks in support of a database of innovative medical treatments in England.

If the House passes the bill, the Conservative MP says, it will "send an unambiguous political signal to the government that we would like them very much to get on with this database".

Conservative MP John Redwood dismisses talk of the UK being granted an emergency brake on paying in-work benefits to EU migrants, saying what is needed instead is full sovereignty over the welfare system and the country's borders.

House of Lords
Parliament

Lord Dholakia is now introducing his Age of Criminal Responsibility Bill, which is being debated at second reading.

The bill would increase the age of criminal responsibility from 10, to 12 years of age. It would apply in England and Wales.

House of Lords
Parliament

Justice Minister Lord Faulks is now making a statement on criminal legal aid services - it was aired earlier in the House of Commons as an urgent question.

House of Commons
Parliament

The bill would create a database of "innovative medical treatments carried out by doctors in England" maintained by information service, the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC).

A Labour amendment would require a wide range of bodies to be consulted on the database, including the General Medical Council and the British Medical Association.

Conservative MP Anne Marie Morris argues that the amendment would "add to the confusion as to who is policing the system".

House of Commons
Parliament

The urgent questions are over and debate resumes on the Access to Medical Treatments (Innovation) Bill.

The Daily Politics

Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan says he believes an in-out EU referendum will be held in June because "opinion polls are moving towards Brexit".

He told BBC2's Daily Politics programme: "It will be a lovely time of year to celebrate independence day in the future."

He claimed David Cameron was raising and dashing expectations by attempting to renegotiate the UK's relationship with the EU.

"I suspect he is regretting ever going down this road of renegotiation," he said.

Gavin Stamp
BBC political reporter

Image source, Science Photo Library

The UK and Welsh governments are backing a change to the law on the possession of wild bird eggs.

They say anyone able to prove their eggs were taken from the wild before 1981 should not be prosecuted.

The law was changed in 2004 to require a licence and proof eggs were taken before 1954 but this was ruled unlawful because of a lack of consultation.

Ministers say reinstating the so-called "pre-1981 defence" against liability would be a proportionate step.

Read more

Image source, Getty Images

The number of people being declared insolvent was at its lowest level for a decade in 2015, but debt problems started to pick up late in the year.

A total of 79,965 people were left with unmanageable debts last year, down 19% on 2014, official figures from the Insolvency Service show, external.

This was the fifth successive decrease in the annual total.

Despite the annual fall, the figures show a rise in personal insolvencies in the final three months of the year.

Read more

There was talk of David Cameron's flight from Scotland to Brussels being delayed by Storm Gertrude but the prime minister has just arrived in the Belgian capital. Now the talking can begin. 

House of Commons
Parliament

Speaker John Bercow intervenes on shadow minister Gordon Marsden to admonish Business Minister Anna Soubry, who has been interrupting the speech from her seat.

"It's not about you, it's about the issue," Mr Bercow tells her.

When her turn comes to respond, she says: "It's not about me... it's about the workers."

She describes Mr Marsden's contribution as "rubbish". The Speaker says: "It was also perfectly in order."

House of Lords
Parliament

Labour's Baroness Hayter rises to speak about the bill, urging the limit to be lowered.

She says she takes her hat off to the Scots, who have reduced the limit. 

She says: "My lords, this is always a difficult subject for me to discuss because a day short of my 10th birthday, I lost my mother because of a drunk driver. Who knows, she might have lived if she had been wearing a seatbelt."

She reminds peers that it was "endless campaigning" and finally an Act of Parliament which resulted in seatbelt legislation - and that it would now be unthinkable not to wear a seatbelt in a car.

"That's what I want to see happening about drinking and driving - I want it to be unthinkable."

House of Commons
Parliament

Business Minister Anna Soubry says BIS offices will remain open in other parts of the UK outside London.

Rounding on Labour, she says the government has had to make savings because of the "mess" the opposition party made when it was in government.

Image source, PA

The first NHS hospital to be privately run will remain in special measures after inspectors said emergency services were still "inadequate".

Hinchingbrooke Hospital was placed in special measures, external in September 2014 when it was run by Circle Health, who handed control back to the NHS last April.

The Care Quality Commission report says some improvements have been made, but concerns remain over patient safety.

The hospital said its progress had been recognised but there was "more to do".

Read more

The Daily Politics

House of Commons
Parliament

Labour MP Louise Haigh accuses the government of showing a "London-centric focus and contempt for the north of England".

She suggests it is "economically irresponsible" to create more jobs in central London when the capital already has "overheating" housing costs.