House of Lords
Parliament

Peers have begun their debate on the UK's future relationships with the EU.

Labour's Lord Liddle tells peers that he has not resiled from his previously stated position that "Brexit is the worst disaster for the UK since appeasement".

However he says today they should be forward looking. 

He argues that remaining in the single market will be "overwhelmingly" beneficial for the UK.

Remaining in the customs union, he says, would be the "second best" option. He suggests that this would secure free trade in goods, where the UK has a balance of payments deficit but not in services where there is a surplus. 

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Parliament

The SNP's spokesperson on equalities, women and children Angela Crawley is now speaking in the transgender equality debate.

She says the government's response is "woefully inadequate" to concerns raised by the transgender community.

Ms Crawley says young people who are transgender face bullying, and that mental health charity Mind has reported that 40% of transgender people have contemplated suicide.

She goes on to praise existing legislation that allows transgender people to have the gender on their birth certificate reassigned, although this legislation does not apply to non-binary people, she says.

She calls for legal protections to apply to transgender people whether or not they have undergone gender reassignment surgery.

Scotland has committed that all transgender, non-binary and intersex individuals will be protected by equality legislation, she says.

A Sitka Spruce tree from a Northumberland forest is put up in front of the Houses of Parliament.

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Parliament

Maria Miller says there are estimated to be at least 650,000 people in the UK who identify as being transgender. 

"That's 1,000 constituents in every constituency," she tells MPs, and remarks that this number is probably "frankly a gross underestimation". 

The committee's inquiry, she says, gave an insight into the "prejudice, discrimination and ignorance" that transgender people endure "every single day of their lives".  

Ms Miller also says however, that it highlighted "the great joy" transgender people experience when they are able to be recognised by the gender with which they identity.   

Transgender people have not been dealt with fairly in this country, Ms Miller says; "they have been marginalised and we know this is wrong".

She also thanks the government for its response to the Women and Equalities Committee's report on the issue of transgender rights, external.

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Parliament

The Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee Maria Miller is now moving a backbench business debate on the issue of transgender equality. 

She begins by saying that "this is the first ever debate on the floor of the House on transgender issues", and tells MPs that the debate was prompted by the committee's report on this issue, external - which was itself the first ever parliamentary inquiry on transgender issues.

Maria Miller goes on to say that the entire committee itself is the first ever charged with scrutinising government policies on equality matters. 

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Parliament

The motion has been defeated by 106 votes to 2, a majority 104.

It means the MPs voting believe the House "has not considered" the issue of the acceleration of the state pension age, for women born in the 1950s.

SNP MP Ian Blackford raises a point of order following the vote to ask the deputy speaker that, given the "unequivocal" message from MPs that this issue was not considered properly in the Westminster Hall debate, what mechanisms can be used to ensure that the House can be heard and that MPs can stand up for the Waspi women.

Deputy Speaker Lindsay Hoyle reminds MPs that the SNP did, in fact, have a debate on this issue yesterday.

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Parliament

Before the main day's debate begins, the shadow leader of the House, Labour's Baroness Smith of Basildon rises to register a concern about the government's response to the Strathclyde Review. 

Last month, the government said it was dropping plans to curb the power of the House of Lords.

She quotes from a new response from Leader of the House David Lidington, external, that the government is "prepared to act" if "the primacy of the Commons is threatened" ie if the House of Lords rejects a "statutory instrument".

Statutory instruments allow governments to make changes to legislation without proposing and passing a bill.

Baroness Smith argues that this contradicts the government's previous assurance that it would not be legislating to remove powers from peers.

Leader of the House Baroness Evans of Bowes seeks to reassure the Labour peer: "We do not believe we need to introduce legislation in this time."

She insists there has been no change in the government's position.

House of Commons
Parliament

MPs have divided to vote on a motion that was debated in Westminster Hall in November relating to the acceleration of the state pension age for women born in the 1950s.

At the end of debate in Westminster Hall the motion is put to MPs and is nearly always agreed to without dissent - on this occasion however, the motion was opposed and so it is now being considered in the main chamber of the Commons.

The seemingly uncontentious motion being voted on reads "That this House has considered acceleration of the state pension age for women born in the 1950s."

The SNP have triggered a vote on the motion (some SNP MPs calling in favour of the motion and others against) - and so the House has divided.

Political playwright James Graham reveals he is writing a TV drama about the EU referendum campaign.

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Parliament

Conservative Lord Gardiner of Kimble tells peers that there are no plans to extend the Flood Re scheme.

He explains that the scheme was specifically designed for households rather than businesses.

However he says British Insurance Broker's Association will shortly be launching a product supplying flood insurance to businesses.

UKIP's Lord Pearson suggests that the government is wasting money on flood defence systems. He argues that such defences merely push the floodwater to other areas causing problems elsewhere.

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Parliament

Conservative Baroness McIntosh of Pickering asks about providing insurance for farms and small businesses damaged by flooding. 

Recent winters have seen bad floods affect large areas of the UK.

In the Autumn Statement, the Chancellor announced a further £170m would be invested in flood defences. 

The "Flood Re" scheme does not currently cover farms and small businesses.

The scheme was an agreement between the government and the ABI (Association of British Insurers) to provide insurance for homes most at risk of flooding.

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Parliament

There is some disagreements over who should make the decision over supplying PrEP.

Lib Dem Lord Paddick tells the minister that supplying the drug will save the NHS money. 

Lord Prior insists argues that politicians should be removed from complex clinical decisions.

Labour's Lord Hunt accuses the government of evading its responsibility. He says the decision is about money. 

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Parliament

Lord Cashman says there has been much "prevarication and procrastination" about who is responsible for providing PrEP.

He asks if the government is working with Public Health England, NHs England and the pharmaceutical company to reduce the price of the drug.

The minister, Lord Prior of Brampton, tells peers that negotiations are ongoing and he expects a "positive outcome  in the next few days".

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Parliament

Tom Pursglove, the Conservative MP for Corby, calls for a debate on the importance of infrastructure keeping up with new homes being built. 

He says it is "incredibly important" that there are the public services and infrastructure in place to support new homes. 

David Lidington says he also represents an area that is "willing and able" to provide "very significant additional housing", but where there is understandable local concern about pressures on infrastructure.  

He says he hopes Mr Pursglvoe will welcome the announcement about the housing infrastructure investment fund to provide money for local authorities that want infrastructure improvement that will unlock new land for new homes.

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Parliament

Image source, Thinkstock

Labour's Lord Cashman asks how the government is removing barriers to accessing treatment to prevent the spread of HIV,

In August, the High Court told the NHS in England that it can fund a drug that can prevent HIV.

The NHS had argued that, as it is a preventative measure, the drug should be funded by local authorities. 

The drug pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) prevents HIV infection in people at high risk of the virus. An estimated 14,000 people would be eligible for the drug in England.

House of Commons
Parliament

Former health secretary Andy Burnham says there is an "overwhelming case"  for the government to come to the House in its own time and explain what is happening to the funding of social care, "ahead of what seems to be a dangerous winter in the NHS".

He says people were "left stunned" that the chancellor "couldn't even mention the word" in the Autumn Statement.

Ministers need to come to the dispatch box and tell us "what the hell is going on", he says.

David Lidington says there is "very serious and coordinated" winter planning and that the NHS at national, regional, and local level has plans in place. 

He says the government has the social care precept and the better care fund to ensure additional resources are available to local authorities. 

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Parliament

Image source, AP

Labour's Lord Collins of Highbury asks the government how it will tackle the global HIV epidemic amongst adolescents.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) puts the global figure at 35 million with only 50% of people aware that they have the virus.

Between 2001 and 2013, the number of new infections fell by a third from 3.4m to 2.3m.