House of Lords
Parliament

Replying to the debate for the government Lord Ashton of Hyde says he found himself in agreement with many points made in the debate, especially about the importance of reading. Access to books is "vitally important", he says.

On bookshops he says that the government's pro-small business agenda, including cuts to business rates, will help independent bookshops. 

On libraries, he says that wifi is now available in 99% of public libraries in England and that the government is working with authors and publishers to provide e-books via libraries. It's all part, he says, of a plan to "extend the use of libraries" to make them more useful to their communities.

In response to a number of peers who've talked about their concerns about library closures, he says the government will "encourage" local authorities to "consider a full range of alternatives" before shutting libraries, "including the use of volunteers".

House of Commons
Parliament

Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg says the inquiry needs to "establish faith with the families who have been involved".

"It seems to me there is a strong prima facie case that something was wrong with this drug and that it was known to the authorities, and that they failed to act on it for an extended period," he says.

Glenn Campbell
BBC Scotland Political Correspondent

Preparing for a second referendum on Scottish independence and actually holding one are not the same thing.

To be clear, Nicola Sturgeon is in preparation mode. Keeping an option open, rather than committing to indyref2 anytime soon.

Her promise to publish a draft referendum bill next week energises the SNP membership.

Ms Sturgeon hopes it will also concentrate minds in the UK government - to head off a possible referendum with further devolution and a Brexit deal that preserves Scottish links with the EU.

The SNP wants Holyrood to have new powers over agriculture and fishing, a say on immigration and the ability to make some international agreements.

It also wants Scotland, if not the whole of the UK, to remain inside the European single market.

The more of that that's delivered, the less likely indyref2 during Brexit negotiations becomes. 

However, even if none of the SNP's demands are met, another referendum is still not inevitable.

That's because having lost once, Nicola Sturgeon and co. do not want to lose again.

They don't want to call a vote unless they are confident of winning and it would take a further shift in public opinion to convince them of that - a shift they think may come if Brexit looks like a bad deal for Scotland. 

House of Lords
Parliament

Lord Collins of Highbury is winding up the debate for Labour. As a youngster he says libraries "opened the world of knowledge" to him in a way that was not available at home.

He laments library closures and says that the government has not done enough to step in to stop them. He says that the government is guilty of not even knowing the scale of library closures, with reliable figures only being available from investigations like the one conducted by BBC News.

He condemns the previous minister with responsibility for libraries, Ed Vaizey, as having "no sense of urgency" or "coherent strategy" over the issue.

Lord Collins also notes that the new minister with responsibility for libraries, Rob Wilson, is also minister for volunteering

House of Commons
Parliament

Labour MP Maria Eagle claims that a constituent of hers "had her medical records go missing" when she tried to sue in the early 1980s.

Ms Eagle says there is a familiar pattern in complaints about the suspected effects of the pregnancy test drug Primodos.

The pattern includes "a lack of warnings about effects, being called a fussy mother... denial of causality, the disappearance of medical records... and outright hostility", Ms Eagle alleges.

Former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard warns Theresa May she may face growing "gender-based" insults over time.

The survey by BMG of 1,000 people, carried out between 29 September and 3 October, found 47% respondents were against another vote, with 38% in favour and 15% unsure.

When asked about a hard Brexit where Britain would leave the single market, 12% said that result would sway them towards wanting another independence referendum.

An index claims to show the wealth in many cities is not translating into better lives for citizens, while rural areas are more prosperous despite being poorer.

Daily Politics presenter Jo Coburn heard from Paul Beresford, the MP for Mole Valley in Surrey, which did well in the table, and Nottingham South MP Lilian Greenwood, who represents an area near the bottom of the list.

They were speaking to Philippa Stroud, from the Legatum Institute think-tank, whose league table underlines what it says is a failure to spread opportunity across the country.

Angus Robertson puts the case for Scottish people to get a new independence vote, as he claims "things have turned on their head" since the EU referendum in June.

The Moray MP, who was announced as the new party deputy leader on Thursday, was asked by Daily Politics presenter Andrew Neil what would trigger a second referendum.

Speaking from the SNP conference in Glasgow, he said the party was the "effective opposition at Westminster" asking the "difficult questions" that Labour was unprepared to do.

A spokeswoman for Theresa May has said the SNP's focus should instead be on "working together as a union, as a United Kingdom, to get the best deal as we leave the European Union".

Image source, PA

He comments follow Nicola Sturgeon's speech at the SNP conference in Glasgow in which she said a consultation would begin next week on legislation for a second Scottish independence referendum.

The SNP leader said Scots should have the ability to reconsider the issue in light of the vote for Brexit and "to do so before the UK leaves the EU".

The SNP conference opened on Thursday in Glasgow, where leader Nicola Sturgeon spoke about the Brexit vote, and the drive for a second referendum on Scottish independence.

From Dundee which backed independence in the 2014 vote, Daily Politics reporter Adam Fleming heard views on the chances of a fresh vote on Scotland leaving the UK.

Big headline-grabbing reforms of the welfare system have not been very good at saving money, a report from the Office for Budget Responsibility concluded.

Daily Politics reporter Mark Lobel look at a problem faced by governments of all political persuasions trying to reduce welfare spending.

House of Commons
Parliament

"England is a very safe country in which to have a baby," says Health Minister Philip Dunne. Health policy is devolved in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

While rates of stillbirth and neonatal mortality are declining, Mr Dunne insists it is not acceptable to treat such things as inevitable as "many of them could have been prevented".

He notes that England is in the "bottom third of the table" of countries around the world "for progress on stillbirths".

The minister argues that improvements cannot be achieved through health services alone. There are public health aspects too, with smoking, poverty and age of mothers having an influence.

MPs give emotional accounts of their experiences of baby loss during a landmark Commons debate on the issue.

House of Lords
Parliament

Discussing the closure of libraries, Lib Dem Lord Tope says "what has been lacking is any action".

While he recognises they're not "immune" from budget cuts, he says he looks forward to hearing more on local government funding in the Autumn Statement. 

The Press Association reports that the amount sold from the Government's private wine cellar has fallen by a third.  

The Government sold £40,390 worth of stock from the cellar in 2015-16, compared with £71,050 in 2014-15.

According to figures, the most popular drink sold between January 2014 and January 2016 was the House of Commons' own brand Sauvignon Blanc.

MPs and their guests got through 19,416 bottles of the white wine during that two year period. 

Official notes on the wines, external state that special production methods are used to ensure the wine's "character and finesse" are preserved. 

Foreign Office Minister Sir Alan Duncan said in a written statement to MPs: "The wine cellar has been self-funding since 2011/12, through the sale of some high-value stock and payments made by other Government departments for events organised by Government Hospitality."

House of Commons
Parliament

Health Minister Philip Dunne, responding for the government at the close of the debate, says he is "humbled".

He calls it "the most moving debate I've participated in in the 11 and a half years I've been in this House."

As his Labour opposite number did, Mr Dunne pays tribute to the "bravery and courage" of MPs who have spoken about their experiences.

Mr Dunne says it is important the NHS improves its practices to "minimise the distress caused by insensitive conduct" by healthcare professionals tasked with supporting bereaved parents.

The SNP's call for a second referendum has been dismissed by Scottish Secretary David Mundell.

He says "constant talk" of the idea is "creating uncertainty and damaging the Scottish economy at a time when our growth is lagging behind the UK as a whole".

The result of the previous referendum, in 2014, was "legal, fair and decisive", he adds.

Julia Gillard, Australia's former prime minister, is lukewarm at best about the UK's chances of getting a "comprehensive" trade deal with her country soon after Brexit. She tells the Institute for Government that it could take years to reach an agreement with large-scale benefits.

"In life you can always get a deal," Ms Gillard, who was born in Wales, says. "If I want to sell my car for whatever reason, I will sell for a dollar.

"But to get a deal that's very comprehensive and governs the services businesses which make up much of the UK economy, these are very difficult things."