Summary

  • MPs spent a final day debating George Osborne's Budget, and the Chancellor opened the debate.

  • Questions for ministers from the Department of Health.

  • Peers continued consideration of the Housing and Planning Bill at committee stage.

  • MPs on the Home Affairs Committee questioned Theresa May.

  1. New powers on breast ironing called forpublished at 20:06 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2016

    Adjournment debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    We now turn to today’s final business, a short debate on breast ironing by Conservative MP Jake Berry.

    During breast ironing large stones, hammers or a spatula heated over hot coals are used to compress and mutilate the breast tissue in an attempt to disguise the onset of puberty.

    Breast ironing is widespread in some African countries and affects an estimated 3.8m teenagers according to the United Nations.

    Mr Berry is calling for police to be given the same powers they have been afforded to stamp out FGM to address breast ironing.

  2. Budget measures approved by commonspublished at 20:04 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2016

    Budget debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    And with that the budget is passed by MPs. 

    Once the House of Commons has agreed the Budget Resolutions, a Finance Bill enacting the budget changes in law starts its passage through Parliament in the same way as any other bill.

  3. Landfill tax changes approvedpublished at 20:04 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2016

    Budget debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    MPs have approved measures to tie landfill tax to inflation.

    As the motion applies only to England, Wales and Northern Ireland it comes under the English Votes for English Laws it needs a double majority - one from MPs representing English, Welsh and Northern Irish constituencies and one from the Commons in total.

    The Commons as a whole passes the motion by 297 votes to 62 while the MPs representing English, Welsh and Northern Irish vote to approve the measure by 296 votes to 10.

    Landfill taxes - currently at £82.60 per tonne for the higher rate and £2.60 per tonne at the lower rate - will increase in line with the Retail Price Index, rounded to the nearest 5p from April 1 2016.

    Pile of rubbish at a landfill
  4. Flood riskpublished at 20:00 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2016

    Housing Bill

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    The next set of amendments places a set of conditions that must be met before permission is principle is granted.

    They include a site specific flood risk assessment.

  5. Insurance premium tax increase approvedpublished at 19:42 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2016

    Budget debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Pay packet

    MPs have agreed to increase the lower standard rate insurance premium tax - levelled on the insurance industry who do not pay VAT -  from 9.5% to 10%.

    All votes counted the measure is approved by votes to 307 votes to 62, a majority of 245. 

    The measure will come into effect from today.

  6. Amendment withdrawnpublished at 19:27 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2016

    Housing Bill

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    Baroness Williams

    Local Government Minister Baroness Williams says the government will set out what the "proscribed period" will be in secondary legislation after the bill has been passed.

    The amendment is withdrawn and peers move on to the next group.

  7. Cuts to Capital Gains Tax approvedpublished at 19:27 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2016

    Budget debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Money in walletImage source, PA

    MPs have separately approved the proposals to cut Capital Gains Tax from 28% to 20% (and from 18% to 10% for basic-rate taxpayers) by 311 votes to 274, a government majority of 37.

    The measures in the budget will now come into effect from today but will require the Finance Bill to give them permanent status.

  8. What are budget resolutions?published at 19:24 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2016

    Budget debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    MPs are voting on a series of Budget Resolutions which are intended to allow budget measures come into effect immediately.

    While the budget has been agreed to, these measures can only come into effect straight away if the House of Commons agrees to them at the end of the four days of debate, but they require the Finance Bill to give them permanent legal effect.

    Chancellor's red boxImage source, Parliament
  9. MPs agree to end tax relief for recruitment agency commuterspublished at 19:14 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2016

    Budget debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    MPs have agreed to a Budget resolution - attached to the budget, external - to prevent workers hired through recruitment agencies from claiming tax relief on expenses they incur during an ordinary commute from home-to-work.

    With all votes are counted the motion is defeated by 307 to 62 - a majority of 245

  10. Time for processing planning applicationspublished at 19:08 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2016

    Housing Bill

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    Lord Greaves

    Liberal Democrat Lord Greaves is introducing a group of amendments designed to examine the idea of the 'proscribed period'.

    This is the time between permission in principle being granted and that permission elapsing.

  11. Budget acceptedpublished at 18:56 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2016
    Breaking

    Budget debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    MPs have voted to approve the Chancellor's 2016 budget by 310 votes to 275, a government majority of 35.

    You can find our full coverage of the measures in the budget here.

    Vote tellers deliver the results of the vote to the SpeakerImage source, BBc
    Image caption,

    Vote tellers deliver the results of the vote to the Speaker

  12. Tampon tax amendment acceptedpublished at 18:51 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2016

    Budget debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    The two amendments to the motion are passed without a vote, after the government indicated it would not oppose them. 

    The first cross-party amendment scrapped the so called "tampon tax", while the second would prevent any rise to VAT on solar panels, wind turbines, insulation and energy saving devices tabled by Labour.

    The current 5% rate paid by benefit claimants over 60 was ruled illegal by the European Court of Justice in June.

    MPs then divide to vote on the budget package as a whole. Results are expected shortly

  13. 'Voting against a better future for Britain'published at 18:47 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2016

    Budget debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Concluding his remarks Greg Hands says voting against the budget is voting against "a better future for Britain".

    Voting against the budget means voting against "more money to our schools, against 600,000 more business being taken out of business rates, against support for north sea oil, against increases for children's health care, against helping working people save for the future and against lower taxes for the lower paid," he says.

    While voting for the budget means "stability, security and prosperity which is what the electorate asked us for last May and it is that which the budget supplies".

  14. 'Permission in principle' will 'strengthen' local housing developmentpublished at 18:46 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2016

    Housing bill

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    Baroness William of Trafford says 'permission in principle' will strengthen the role of the local plan and will help to ensure that housing development takes place on sites that people actually want to see built - chosen and allocated by local authority, parishes and neighbourhoods. 

    Therefore, restricting granting permission to only brownfield sites "will greatly reduce the effectiveness of this measure and the freedom for local agreement around where development should take place". 

    Baroness William of Trafford
  15. Plugging the £4.4bn gappublished at 18:42 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2016

    Budget debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Labour MP Rachel Reeves intervenes to once again ask how the £4.4bn gap in the budget left by the reversal on PIP "will be plugged by further cuts to welfare, tax increase, spendings cuts or more borrowing - it has to be one of them".

    Greg Hands replies "more will be outlined in the course of this year that the autumn statement".

    And again Labour are not happy with this response.

  16. Hands 'proud' of government's recordpublished at 18:34 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2016

    Budget debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Chief Secretary to the Treasury Greg Hands responds for the government by asking MPs to "cast our minds back to 2010, when the whole world was doubting the UK's ability to pay its way".

    The UK is now "growing faster than anywhere else in the Western World," poverty and inequality "is falling" while "wages are rising", he adds. 

    He says he is "proud of the government's record and our long-term economic plan". 

    Chief Secretary to the Treasury Greg Hands
  17. Eagle blasts 'catastrophic budget'published at 18:29 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2016

    Budget debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Shadow business secretary Angela Eagle is now responding to the Budget debate for Labour.

    The Budget is only "six days old and already contains three u-turns", she says.

    "This is a catastrophic budget, omnishambles just doesn't do it justice".

    She accuses the Chancellor of being "far more concerned with his own interests" and argues the Budget must be "seen through the lens of the Chancellor's long-cherished ambition to become leader of the Tory party and prime minister".

    This was supposed to be a "safe budget", but has instead "torn the cabinet apart", she adds. 

    Today we see a Chancellor "on the run from attacks in his own party and who has completely lost control of his own budget".

    He is "so weakened" he is accepting amendments on the tampon tax and solar panels because "he knows he would lose," she says. 

    Shadow business secretary Angela Eagle
  18. Academisation 'a political exercise'published at 18:14 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2016

    Budget debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Labour MP Kate Osamor argues that plans to force schools to become academies is a "political exercise rather than money well spent".

    "Academisation is a costly exercise and its timing is is questionable", she adds, given there have been "severe cuts to vital front line services" in local councils due to budget cuts. 

    "This was not in the manifesto, and it needs to be looked at properly in this house and debated." 

    Labour MP Kate Osamor
  19. Only Labour and SNP MPs left to speakpublished at 17:46 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2016

    Budget debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    As the budget debate nears its end, there's only Labour and SNP MPs waiting to speak. 

    As the largest party, Conservative MPs get precedence during debates and tend to be picked earlier to speak.

    House of Commons wide shot
    Image caption,

    Labour and SNP MPs (on the right of the screen) stand to indicate their wish to speak. MPs on the Conservative benches (on the left) remain seated.

  20. 'Permission in principle' explainedpublished at 17:38 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2016

    Housing Bill

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    Two builders on the roof of a residential building siteImage source, Getty Images

    Liberal Democrat Lord Greaves introduces a new amendment concerned with the concept of permission in principle.

    If passed, the bill will allow the Secretary of State to grant 'permission in principle' to land allocated for development.

    This is intended for land on the brownfield sites which the bill requires local authorities to identify, but concerns have been raised that permission in principle could also be granted to other sites.

    Lord Greaves' amendment would prevent the Local Government Secretary from granting 'planning in principle' to areas containing important wildlife or sites of special scientific interest.

    Lord Greaves says permission in principle seems to be a way of cutting corners in the planning system.