House of Lords
Parliament

Minister Viscount Younger says "sustainable development is integral to the planning system", but he says the "well intentioned" amendment is not needed.

He argues that "all levels" of the planning system are "permeated" by requirements for sustainable development.

He says that the amendment would create "added complexity" which could result in fewer developments. 

Select Committee
Parliament

The Home Affairs Committee will shortly be questioning Theresa May, as it continues its practice from the last parliament of holding regular oral evidence sessions with the Home Secretary. 

The sessions cover a range of issues, including counter-extremism and counter-terrorism, immigration, and policing matters. 

House of Commons
Parliament

Former Treasury minister Chloe Smith notes that "support for the welfare state has declined by generation", which is why it is worth "reminding ourselves what the welfare state is for".

"Welfare is a safety net for when we are unable to look after ourselves. We will all need it in one way or another," she says.

She says she is speaking up for constituents who support the government's changes to the welfare system and "using our limited resources for help to the people who need it".

"Because we are going to live longer, we need to make sure its is affordable for the future," she says.

However, she adds that she did not support the government's now-abandoned changes to PIP payments, adding: 

House of Commons
Parliament

Labour MP Catherine McKinnell argues that the Budget shows that "six years into the job, the Chancellor cannot keep a promise and does not learn from past shambolic budget mistakes".

While she welcomes the government's reversal over PIP payments, she says other welfare changes are "equally damaging" and leaving her constituents without access to vital assistance.

She urges the new Work and Pensions Secretary to "take some fresh eyes and look at reforming current PIP changes before embarking on any further welfare reform". 

House of Lords
Parliament

Labour's Baroness Andrews is moving an amendment which would legally enshrine the concept of sustainable development into the planning system.

According to the amendment, achieving this would become the responsibility of local authorities. 

House of Lords
Parliament

Peers have moved on to the main business of the day, which is committee stage consideration of the Housing and Planning Bill. 

This bill will legislate for the key Conservative manifesto policy of giving housing association tenants the right to buy, although housing associations will not be legally required to sell their properties.

It also introduces the requirement for local authorities to dispose of vacant high-value council properties to fund right-to-buy extension and to build more affordable homes.

A further controversial government amendment was added during committee stage which will end secure tenancies for most new council tenants.

The bill will also introduce a register for brownfield land.

The bill will apply to England and Wales, though initially to England only. 

House of Lords
Parliament

Peers are now debating the Access to Medical Treatments Bill at third reading.

The bill seeks to promote access to innovative medical treatments including the off-label use of medicines and the use of unlicensed medicines.

It provides for the establishment of a database of innovative medical treatments, and for access to information contained in that database.

The database would provide doctors with the ability to record details about innovative treatments and enable other doctors to access that information to improve the sharing of knowledge about innovations.

This bill also passes as a formality

House of Lords
Parliament

Peers have moved on to debate the Riot Compensation Bill at third reading.

The bill creates a new scheme which allows compensation to be claimed for property that is damaged, destroyed or stolen in the course of a riot.

Claims for compensation may be made in respect of property that was not insured, or was not adequately insured, against such loss or damage.

The bill also allows an insurance company which has settled a claim in respect of loss or damage to property during a riot to reclaim the compensation they have paid out.

The bill is passed as a formality.

House of Commons
Parliament

Rachel Reeves, Labour MP and former shadow work and pensions secretary, says economic growth has been revised down for every single year of this Parliament. 

She says that £71bn has been knocked off tax revenues and extra borrowing made.

"The Budget last week could have been different," she continues, saying that infrastructure should have been a priority.

She reminds MPs that the Chancellor said she should have been pleased to see the investment in her constituency, which was given funding for flood defences. She says that in 2011 a flood defence scheme worth £100m was cancelled; while the new scheme announced in this Budget was for £35m.

House of Lords
Parliament

UKIP Peer Lord Pearson asks why no select committee is being formed to look at issues surrounding "the problem of Islamism".

He adds that this is the "greatest threat to our present culture".

Lord Laming says the committee took suggestions about looking at radical Islam "very seriously indeed".

House of Commons
Parliament

Labour MP Paula Sherriff, who has moved the amendment on the tampon tax, says it is one of the absurdities of our tax regime that tampons are treated as luxuries when it is an essential as periods are a natural part of a women's life. 

She says this isn't just about money and "it is time we removed the stigma attached to the basic facts of women's lives".

She adds that she is glad that the government is finally listening and supporting the campaign.

House of Lords
Parliament

Lord Laming, Chair of the Lords Liaison Committee, announces that a new ad-hoc committee will be formed to look at the long term sustainability of the NHS.

He is moving a motion to approve the third report from the Liaison Committee.

In each of the past three years, the Lords Liaison Committee has reviewed House of Lords committee activity, and it also considered proposals from members of the House for new committee activity.  

House of Lords
Parliament

Conservative Baroness Eaton has tabled a question asking how much funding per pupil with the same needs can vary by school.

Education Minister Lord Nash says the current system is "not fit for purpose", and the government is committed to reforming it.

In last week’s Budget, Chancellor George Osborne announced an extra £500m would be made available to ensure a "fair funding formula" for schools - aimed at addressing imbalances in the system - is up and running by the end of the Parliament.

At present there are anomalies in the way funding is allocated between different schools. For example, pupils in Rotherham each receive £500 per year more in funding than those in Plymouth, even though they have similar levels of disadvantage.

Read more here.

House of Commons
Parliament

Conservative MP, Maria Miller pays tribute to the Chancellor for delivering a "strong budget', but adds that tributes should be paid to the "wealth creators" of the nation, "because it's them, not us sitting here in Parliament, who've put Britain back on top with one of the strongest economies in the world". 

House of Lords
Parliament

Liberal Democrat Lord Greaves asks what will happen to council services and council tax following local authority budget decisions for 2016–17.

He argues that local authorities could put up council tax by more than the rate of inflation and still be cutting services as a result of government reforms.

Last year the government said council funding would be reduced by 6.7% between 2016 and 2020, with the bulk of the cuts “frontloaded” in the first two years.

However, councils will be allowed to increase council tax by 2% to cover a funding shortfall in adult social care.

Minister Viscount Younger of Leckie says local authorities will decide for themselves what their area needs, and the government has given them "flexibilities" to do this.

"Council tax has fallen in real terms by 11% since 2010", he adds. 

House of Lords
Parliament

Labour’s Lord Soley asks what policies are in place to encourage the development of sustainable aviation fuels in the United Kingdom. He calls for more research and development in the area.

Minister the Earl of Courtown says the government will be publishing a consultation on aviation bio-fuels later this year. 

House of Commons
Parliament

SNP MP George Kerevan criticizes George Osborne, telling MPs that "he's not a chancellor who ever had a real job; worked in the private sector; never lied awake at night worrying about how to pay the wage bill".

He says the Chancellor has never addressed productivity in the economy, adding that without productivity growth, there is no tax growth, jobs growth or wage growth. 

He says that under George Osborne, productivity growth has risen annually at 0.1%. 

House of Lords
Parliament

Liberal Democrat Lord Taverne asks if the government will convert National Insurance contributions into a special tax for funding health and social care.

He argues that more funding is needed as the NHS is facing an "existential crisis".

National Insurance contributions are paid to qualify for certain benefits, including the state pension.

Minister Lord Ashton says the government does not have any plans to convert National Insurance contributions into such a special tax. 

He adds that the government is increasing NHS spending over this parliament.

House of Commons
Parliament

Ken Clarke calls the Budget one of the best "summations of one nation conservatism" he has heard.

"I expected a much tougher Budget raising taxes and cutting public expenditure," he tells MPs, as this was the "first Budget after an election".

He speculates George Osborne has been "taking a more relaxed view to make sure of being too severe when circumstances could be worse in the short term" - referring to the possibility of the UK leaving the EU and problems in the global economy.

If he was the Chancellor, he says he would "maintain the squeeze" as "we should not be running a deficit at this level" and because "thanks to [Mr Osborne] the British economy has been the fastest growing economy in the West". 

House of Lords
Parliament

Peers will sit shortly - and questions will focus on National Insurance contributions, sustainable aviation fuel, local government finance and school funding.

The main business of the day will be the committee stage of the Housing and Planning Bill.