House of Commons
Parliament

Former shadow chancellor Chris Leslie intervenes to ask George Osborne to acknowledge that proposing the PIP cuts was a mistake "that you should say sorry for".

Mr Osborne says he has just said where he makes a mistake "we listen and we learn and that's exactly what we've done".

"Why won’t Labour apologise for the countless decisions that added to the deficit that bankrupted our country?" he asks.

House of Commons
Parliament

George Osborne pays tribute to his former cabinet colleague Iain Duncan Smith, saying he is "sorry" that Mr Duncan Smith felt the need to resign.

He praises Mr Duncan Smith’s record, they worked together in their respective jobs "longer than any of their predecessors", adding he is "very proud" of their work.

There are always “robust” discussions between chancellors and departments, he adds.

House of Commons
Parliament

Chancellor George Osborne is back in the chamber to defend the Budget. 

Before turning to the Budget, Mr Osborne spends a few minutes updating the House on events in Brussels.

He tells MPs that after a meeting of Cobra "police have confirmed on a precautionary basis to increase security at key locations".

London's Metropolitan Police "have officers at key locations along the transport network while border force efforts have been intensified".

He reminds MPs the threat level "remains severe - which means an attack is highly likely".

He says his "thoughts and prayers" are with the victims.

House of Commons
Parliament

Labour MP Wes Streeting says London's black cabs "aren't afraid of innovation, new technology of competition" but are finding it increasingly hard to compete in a changing market place with "both hands tied behind their backs".

He says his bill will "level the playing field" and also prevent some companies making "huge profits but not paying their fair sharing" by moving profits abroad.

The bill is passed without a vote. But that doesn't meant we will soon see an overhaul of taxi regulations.

Very few ten minute rule bills end up becoming law. Instead they are generally used as a high profile way of drawing attention to a subject and to see whether it has support among other members.  

House of Commons
Parliament

Labour MP Wes Streeting is now tabling his Ten Minute Rule Bill on Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Operators (Regulation).

The bill aims to:

• increase training requirements for those seeking a PHV (private hire vehicle) licence, external, to improve safety and ensure a more level playing field between training requirements for drivers of taxis and PHVs; 
• to switch to an "operators insurance" system where PHV companies are responsible for insuring their drivers rather than drivers individually
• to ensure multinational operators pay full taxes on money earned in the UK by closing legal 'loopholes' which enable profits to be transferred to another country.

House of Commons
Parliament

Labour MP Bill Esterson raises a point of order to highlight that his constituents stuck in Brussels have been "told by Ryanair it will cost them £6,000 to get back to the UK".

He argues "ministers should intervene to suggest to firms such as Ryanair that all efforts are made to come back to this country in a reasonable way".

Speaker John Bercow replies that this is while this is "not a matter for the chair" it is a "matter of real and immediate concern".

Mr Bercow says that it has been heard by the "Treasury Bench", and encourages Mr Esterson to pursue an answer from the government if he does not receive one soon.

House of Commons
Parliament

Labour MP Pat McFadden raises a point of order to ask for a statement on the "terrible unfolding events in Brussels". 

"Of course we do not know the final facts but a number of innocent people have been killed."

"We do not know if there are British victims but many anxious families will be waiting for news on relatives," he says, adding MPs would benefit from the chance to "question the prime minister".

Speaker John Bercow says he has not received applications for a statement, but adds the prime minister is normally "punctilious" in coming to the House and so will "await further developments".

House of Commons
Parliament

Shadow health secretary Heidi Alexander attacks the government's spending plan for the NHS.

In response to the government's spending review, NHS CEO Simon Stevens and senior NHS colleagues predicted a £30bn gap in 2020 between expected demand and what the NHS could deliver.  

The report said £22bn could come from efficiency savings but Ms Alexander describes this as "pure fantasy" and asks how the number was reached. 

She says Jeremy Hunt may "talk a good game" when it comes to funding but the "reality in A&E and GP surgeries tells a different story".

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt replies that Mr Stevens' report found that the government "had listened to and actively supported NHS plans for spending" where as Labour had "refused to fund his plans at all".

If Ms Alexander is worried about NHS funding she should "look in the mirror" as in 2010 "her party wanted to cut funding for the NHS".

Read more on the proposals for NHS efficiency savings here.

Select Committee
Parliament

Chairman Andrew Tyrie closes the session by tempting OBR Chair Robert Chote to give a "hint of an emotional response" to some of the "noise" surrounding their work and the Budget statement.

Mr Chote smiles broadly and jokes that will have to wait for his farewell appearance, adding: 

House of Commons
Parliament

Former coalition health minister Norman Lamb says that he was "delighted" to hear the government had accepted plans for "comprehensive maximum waiting times for mental health services".

However, he adds that he was subsequently "dismayed" to hear from Simon Stevens, CEO of NHS England, that there was "no money" to implement the scheme.

Health Minister Alistair Burt says that the first set of waiting times have been in place since April last year, but the government needs to "get the database right" before proceeding with a wider roll-out. 

House of Commons
Parliament

Several MPs attack Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt over his handling of the new junior doctors' contract.

Mr Hunt replies that the contract is still "the best deal for doctors and patients", but adds he has "not yet had the co-operation of the BMA" in the Dame Sue Bailey review into doctors' morale. 

The BMA is boycotting the review. 

Mr Hunt argues that some of the underlying issues are "nothing to do with contractual changes but to do with the big changes in training that have happened recently which have led to the loss of camaraderie". 

Select Committee
Parliament

Conservative Jacob Rees-Mogg says he is campaigning for the UK to leave the EU in the forthcoming referendum, and asks how the OBR plans to factor in a potential 'Brexit' in its economic predictions.

Mr Chote says the OBR has not been asked to produce a breakdown of predictions based on either scenario, but that in terms of their five-year forecast the impact of a 'Brexit' would be unlikely to have an immediate effect on their predictions.

Mr Rees-Mogg asks if Mr Chote was "happy" with the way the Chancellor used statements from the OBR in his Budget statement to support the UK remaining in the EU.

Mr Chote says its not "unprecedented" to be quoted out of context, but that the Chancellor did not misrepresent any of the OBR's views in his statement - even if he was "selective" in his quotes.

House of Commons
Parliament

Labour MP Ann Coffey says that a sharp increase in Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (Dols) cases following a landmark Supreme Court ruling, external is costing her local health services £1.2m a year.

The ruling, external threw out previous judgements that had defined deprivation of liberty more restrictively.

The ruling found that all people who lack the capacity to make decisions about their care, are subject to continuous supervision and lack the option to leave their care setting, are deprived of their liberty.

The judgement is costing councils more because they are having to reassess the people in their care.

Ann Coffey argues this is "unsustainable at a time when budgets are under intense pressure", and calls for the end of "automatic annual re-assessments" of those in danger of being deprived of their liberty.

Health Minister Alistair Burt replies he will "happily look at anything that might assist us" as the department are "trying to balance a court judgement" and "the extra cost the ruling has caused". 

Select Committee
Parliament

Conservative Stephen Hammond asks about the mix of domestic and international factors in the OBR's calculations.

Robert Chote says predictions are "predominantly" based on UK factors, but that disappointing productivity figures have been reported in other countries.

Select Committee
Parliament

Conservative Steve Baker asks about the differences between the OBR and the Bank of England on interest rates.

Robert Chote repeats that the OBR uses market positions to determine future interest rates, while agreeing that the Bank of England may be influencing those markets by its statements on the likelihood of a change in the interest rate.

Mr Baker asks about the link between downward trends in productivity and rising household debt.

Mr Chote says there is an overall "weak" picture of the economic outlook at present.

House of Commons
Parliament

Health Minister Jane Ellison opens business in the House of Commons in a sombre tone, noting events in Brussels.

She says "the thoughts of the whole house are with the people of Brussels today".

Echoing the sentiment of comments made by the prime minister earlier today, she says "we will do all we can to support".