Summary

  • MPs debating support for people with autism in the UK

  • Earlier: minister announces legal funds for contaminated blood victims

  • 'Reasonable expenses' for preparing for public inquiry will be met

  • International Development Secretary: Islamic State group 'all but destroyed'

  • Commons leader announces future parliamentary business

  • House of Lords sits from 11am

  1. UK hopes to 'roll over' 40 EU trade dealspublished at 09:52 British Summer Time 29 March 2018

    Liam Fox says he hopes to have the arrangements with 70 countries in place by the end of 2020.

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  2. MP questions Brexit impact on Scottish food exportspublished at 09:48 British Summer Time 29 March 2018

    International Trade questions

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Peter GrantImage source, HoC

    The first question comes from the SNP's international trade spokesman, Peter Grant. He wants to know what the effect of Brexit will be on food and drink exports.

    International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox says the UK exported food and drink products worth £22bn in 2017, an increase of 10% on the year before.

    He adds that there are opportunities for UK exporters in emerging markets.

    Peter Grant says that Scottish fresh food industry is "in crisis because there's nobody to pick the fruit".

    He asks for one example of a country that has given a guarantee to treat Scottish food exports as well as the EU currently does.

    Liam Fox replies that exports from Scotland, such as salmon, are 50% to the EU and 50% to non-EU countries, with Taiwan and Japan increasing their imports of Scottish salmon.

  3. Thursday in the Commonspublished at 09:34 British Summer Time 29 March 2018

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Today is the final day in Parliament before the Easter recess. Parliament returns on the 16th April.

    The day will start shortly with questions on international trade followed by women and equalities.

    Then there’s an urgent question on the contaminated blood scandal, tabled by Labour MP Diana Johnson.

    In November, the government announced a full statutory inquiry into the scandal, which killed over 2,400 people in the 70s and 80s.

    After this, Commons leader Andrea Leadsom will announce forthcoming parliamentary business.

    This will be followed by a ministerial statement by International Development Secretary Penny Mourdant efforts to counter Islamic State (IS) group.

    There are two backbench debates today: one on autism, tabled by the Conservative Cheryl Gillan, and finally, as is customary before a recess, a debate on ‘matters to be raised before the forthcoming recess’.

  4. Summary: Wednesday in Parliamentpublished at 20:38 British Summer Time 28 March 2018

    The Justice Secretary David Gauke made a statement to MPs about the High Court quashing the Parole Board's decision to release John Worboys.

    Mr Gauke said the case should have been "more effectively dealt with" by the Parole Board hearing.

    "I deeply regret that that did not happen and I share the anger that he does that victims had to go through that process. I am sorry that that happened."

    The exchanges between Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn at Prime Minister Questions were dominated by mental health.

    Mr Corbyn used all six of his questions on the issue, saying that mental health services were in crisis and accusing the government of failing to fund it properly.

    Mrs May responded by saying that there was an "extra £10bn" going into the NHS made possible by the "balanced approach" to the economy which kept debt and taxes down and allowed investment in public services.

    Finally, it was a big day for the House of Lords which - after 11 days - completed the committee-stage of the EU Withdrawal Bill.

    After a two-week respite over Easter, they will be back for more - with the report stage (when there will be votes) starting on April 18th.

  5. Goodbye for now...published at 20:05 British Summer Time 28 March 2018

    And that's where we'll leave our live coverage for today. We'll be back on Thursday at 9.30am for international trade questions.

    It's the last day before Parliament breaks up for the Easter recess.

    In accordance with the last-day-of-term tradition, the Commons will hold a general debate on "matters to be raised before the forthcoming adjournment".

    It's an occasion on which MPs are allowed to raise any subject they like.

  6. Government is 'sowing the seeds for rising crime in the future' - Lib Demspublished at 19:38 British Summer Time 28 March 2018

    Police funding debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Sir Ed DaveyImage source, HoC

    Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson Sir Ed Davey says that gun, knife and violent crime are going up in London. He adds that burglaries are increasing in his own constituency of Kingston and Surbiton.

    When there are so many crimes unsolved and so many detectives unavailable to do so, he states, that sends a "terrible message" and is "sowing the seeds for rising crime in the future."

    People who are victims of crime are disproportionately less well off and more vulnerable, he states, so tackling crime is more of a social justice issue.

    He says that it should "trouble the minister" that many police forces are not attending some crimes at all.

  7. Where there are fewer officers, there is more crime - SNPpublished at 19:21 British Summer Time 28 March 2018

    Police funding debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Drew HendryImage source, HoC

    The SNP's business, energy and industry spokesperson Drew Hendry says that while real terms block grants to the Scottish government have dropped since 2010, the Scottish police force has grown by 1000 officers in the same period.

    The situation facing forces in England and Wales is at a "critical point," he states with he Metropolitan Police warning the UK government that officer numbers could fall by 27,000 by 2021.

    Mr Hendry says that where there are fewer officers, there is more crime.

    He says it must have been "embarrassing" for the prime minister to have to been "rebuked" by the chair of the UK Statistics Authority on the promise of £450m extra for police budgets.

    He states that the SNP wants more "police on the beat" to create safer communities.

  8. Minister's peace offering to Remainer opponentpublished at 19:15 British Summer Time 28 March 2018

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    CallananImage source, HoL

    Brexit Minister Lord Callanan winds up for the government, offering Lord Adonis the gift of a nut bar to celebrate the end of committee-stage.

    He suggests the amendment is designed to facilitate a second referendum, which he says has already been debated at length and cannot be accepted.

    He says the EU treaties will continue to apply in the EU and "we wish them the best".

  9. Peers debate final committee-stage amendmentpublished at 18:34 British Summer Time 28 March 2018

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    Lord AdonisImage source, HoL

    We are now onto the 372nd and final amendment at committee stage of the EU Withdrawal Bill, which Lord Adonis says brings it to 115 hours of debate.

    The Labour peer introduces an amendment to prevent the repeal of an act which allows for referendums in the case of significant changes to EU treaties.

  10. 'Little has changed' on local authority funding of policepublished at 18:33 British Summer Time 28 March 2018

    Police funding debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Nick HurdImage source, HoC

    Home Office Minister Nick Hurd says that the government has introduced a funding settlement which will invest £450m in the police system next year.

    He says that the "serious debate" that needs to be had on the future of policing won't be taking place today as the Labour motion is instead just criticising.

    He states that Labour want to "look back, and not forward" and the UK has a smaller police force due to "reckless" spending from the last Labour government.

    Mr Hurd agrees with an intervention from his party colleague Tim Loughton, in which he says that police funding is now being used more effectively.

    Mr Hurd tells MPs that central government funding is still around three quarters of all police funding, "so what has changed is very little," in relation to raising money locally from council tax.

  11. EU law 'cannot be put on a pedestal'published at 18:30 British Summer Time 28 March 2018

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    KeenImage source, HoL

    Government spokesman Lord Keen outlines that the powers created in the bill are "designed to remove the shadow of European law from what is going to be domestic legislation".

    He says the question of EU law's status will be revisited, but placing it beyond the scope of delegated powers "risks placing retained EU law on a pedestal".

    It cannot be right for the "restrictions of EU law to continue in some sort of shadowy form", he argues.

  12. Commons moves on to Labour police funding debatepublished at 18:30 British Summer Time 28 March 2018

    Police funding debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Louise HaighImage source, HoC

    Louise Haigh, shadow policing minister, says that during the last debate on police funding the government benches called Labour's statements about policing "fake news".

    She says that this week, the Independent Statistics Authority has said the statements from Theresa May on police funding are "misleading" as the extra £450m for policing in the UK is only if Police and Crime Commissioners agree to raise extra funds from council tax.

    She continues that many shoplifting offences are now not attended by police officers, including burglaries, because the UK has lost 21,000 police officers since 2010.

    This will be the eighth consecutive year that government funding to police forces has fallen, she adds.

    She says that ministers are refusing to "admit these cuts" and residents will be angry at being asked to "pay more and get less" because of the government.

  13. Peers question delegated powers over retained EU lawpublished at 18:01 British Summer Time 28 March 2018

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    PannickImage source, HoL

    Crossbencher Lord Pannick introduces an amendment to address powers "tucked away" in the bill to modify retained direct EU law on "important subjects" by delegated powers.

    He says there has been a "surprising omission" of a definition of retained EU law in the bill - that is, whether it is primary, secondary or something else.

    He questions "why these powers are needed at all".

    The amendment is also backed by the Labour front bench.

  14. Labour motion passes on local government fundingpublished at 17:56 British Summer Time 28 March 2018

    Local government funding debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    The result of the division on the Labour motion is in:

    Ayes: 238

    Noes: 0

    Majority: 238

    With that, the motion passes. The motion calls on the government to give a statement to the Commons by April 19th on what the government plans to do to rectify the problems in local government funding.

    The Commons now moves on to a Labour motion on police funding.

  15. Minister: Councils getting a real terms funding increasepublished at 17:49 British Summer Time 28 March 2018

    Local government funding debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Rishi SunakImage source, HoC

    Local Government Minister Rishi Sunak commends the work local government staff and councillors are doing.

    Mr Sunak says that local government is seeing a real terms increase in funding over the next two years and states that local government business rates retention means that local governments are now making much more money from businesses.

    He states that the local government department is working with the Department for Education to try and deal with troubled families, which is something Labour claims has got worse since the Conservatives took office.

    Mr Sunak says that under the last Labour government, council tax doubled and that "history tends to repeat itself".

    With that, the Commons holds a vote on the Labour motion.

  16. The UK needs a genuinely fairer funding settlement - Labourpublished at 17:43 British Summer Time 28 March 2018

    Local government funding debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Jim McMahonImage source, HoC

    Jim McMahon, shadow communities and local government minister, says that the debate is about delivering "vital" services which everyone depends on.

    Mr McMahon says that the Labour Party is "calling for a genuinely fairer funding settlement" which he says would mean more money for areas which most need it.

    Mr McMahon says that in New Forest District Council, spending is only increasing because of the need to help homeless people.

    He says that the only way you can be "safe" under a Conservative government is to be "a rat," as councils are now spending less on pest control.

    He lists other areas in which there have been cuts including bus services, emergency planning budgets, policing, crime reduction and infrastructure.

  17. Bid for continued EU citizenship rejectedpublished at 17:31 British Summer Time 28 March 2018

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    Government spokesman Lord Keen of Elie has little time for Lord Wigley's amendment, saying citizenship was understood by everyone as a "basic issue" at stake in the EU referendum.

    He tells peers the amendment would "set the government on a course of negotiation to prevent this bill getting on the statute book" and asks Lord Wigley to withdraw it, which he does.

  18. Peer seeks continued EU citizenship for UK citizenspublished at 17:01 British Summer Time 28 March 2018

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    WigleyImage source, HoL

    Peers begin the eleventh and final day of committee-stage debate on the EU Withdrawal Bill, external, which repeals the European Communities Act 1972 and writes EU law into UK law ahead of Brexit.

    Committee stage is when peers carry out detailed line-by-line scrutiny of legislation, but amendments are not normally forced to a vote – this happens at report stage.

    Plaid Cymru's Lord Wigley introduces an amendment designed to secure continued EU citizenship for UK citizens.

    "It is incumbent on the EU and the UK to address this matter urgently," he says, arguing associate citizenship could be an option.

  19. Lord Kerslake: Mental health service provision for victims 'unacceptable'published at 16:47 British Summer Time 28 March 2018

    Manchester Arena attack statement

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    KerslakeImage source, HoL

    Crossbencher Lord Kerslake, who carried out the review of the response to the attack, says his report has "lessons for Manchester but goes well beyond that".

    He asks when the government intends to respond to his recommendations and says it would be "extremely useful if a letter went directly to the mayor of Greater Manchester" about this.

    He highlights variations across mental health services available to victims, describing it as "unacceptable" and stressing "we must have a coordinated approach to this".

    Home Office Minister Baroness Williams hails "incredible efforts" by charities and the criminal injuries compensation scheme as well as donations from members of the public.

    She says in the immediate wake of the attack a 'victims of terrorism' unit was set up to produce an "effective and coordinated response" but she recognises the need to "improve and strengthen that support which is so vital".

  20. Peers hear update on Manchester attack reviewpublished at 16:46 British Summer Time 28 March 2018

    Manchester Arena attack statement

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    Home Office Minister Baroness Williams of Trafford is repeating an answer to an urgent question asked earlier in the Commons by Labour's Lucy Powell on Lord Kerslake's review of the response to the attack on the Manchester Arena.

    Home Office Minister Ben Wallace told MPs the report showed an improvement is needed in some areas, particularly on the flexibility of emergency protocols, support for victims and intrusion by the press.

    He said his department and other agencies will carefully consider the issues, and the government will stand with the people of Manchester as they recover.