House of Commons
Parliament

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Shadow housing minister Melanie Onn says ministers are not listening to problems with the bill.

She introduces an amendment which would introduce a duty of co-operation between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, after a review period of these services in the devolved administrations.

She says that inequalities in the system mean that the City of York receives one twentieth of the funding that Southwark Council receives, and therefore cannot hire enough officers to help victims.

The amendment provides "peace of mind" to the sector, who have "been waiting" for this for two years, she states.

House of Lords
Parliament

However, the cross-party amendment in favour of removing the exit date (29 March 2019) from the bill is pushed to a vote.

"This amendment simply gives the House of Commons an opportunity to think again", says the Duke of Wellington.

The result is expected in 15 minutes.

House of Lords
Parliament

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Brexit Minister Lord Callanan tells peers that set dates like this are "often crucial" to the functioning of any bill and that this date will ensure the UK leaves the EU in an "orderly fashion".

The bill and the date specified are designed to provide both "continuity and certainty" as the UK leaves the EU and does not pre-judge "success or failure" in negotiations, he says.

He urges the amendment to be withdrawn, adding that it attempts to use the withdrawal bill as a way to legislate for the post-Brexit "implementation period".

House of Commons
Parliament

MPs now turn their attention to the remaining stages of the Secure Tenancies (Victims of Domestic Abuse) Bill, external.

The Bill has to pass report stage and then a subsequent stage, third reading, this afternoon.

The law makes provision for the granting of 'old-style' secure tenancies in cases of domestic abuse.

It aims to address concerns that victims of domestic abuse can lose lifetime tenancies when being re-housed. The measures introduced will apply to both local authority and housing association tenants.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Conservative MP Ben Bradley now introduces his Protection of Pollinators Bill under the Ten Minute Rule. Bill introduced under this rule are unlikely to succeed without government support.

The Bill would force environment ministers to set up wildflower meadows, and allow local authorities to consult on introducing such areas.

More than two thirds of Britain's pollinating insects are in decline, he states. Pollinators need "food, water, shelter, nesting areas," he adds.

An additional decline would be "disastrous" for farmers and for food production in the UK, he says. Pollinators are worth around £700m to UK food production, he adds.

House of Lords
Parliament

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This is "not an amendment that thrills me", says Labour peer Lord Grocott.

He says that what "troubles" him is that it puts the date of Brexit "further down the track".

In March next year, it will be almost three years since the British people made that "momentous decision" and this House should "listen to what those people are saying", he adds.

House of Lords
Parliament

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The Duke of Wellington moves a cross-party amendment which proposes that the Brexit date of 29 March 2019 is removed from the bill.

The Conservative peer says that the date should not be specified on the face of the bill in case it becomes "in the national interest" to agree an extension.

He argues that an extension of this date would be "limited to a few weeks", with the European Parliament elections now fixed for 23 May 2019.

House of Commons
Parliament

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The SNP's Joanna Cherry says the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) has found the use of force against people in Brook House has increased 160% between 2015 and 2017.

She asks why ministers continued the contract even when they were aware of this.

She adds that many people in these centres are there indefinitely and have no reason to be there while their cases are ongoing.

Ms Atkins says the "short-term extension of the contract" will be ended by the time the two reviews, published in the next few months, are complete and will improve the procurement process.

This will improve training for staff and staff numbers, she adds.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott says that G4S has been fined over 100 times in relation to their contracts between 2010 and 2016.

She says that the public wants a "fair" but "humane" immigration system.

"Many people will feel that renewing this contract, even for two years, given what people know about G4S's record, is not commensurate with a humane system of dealing with migrants," she says.

Victoria Atkins says the government wants to ensure the long-term contract to run the centres is "dealt with in the way we expect".

The contract extension will allow the government to examine two independent reviews, which will inform the procurement process after that, she adds.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Home Office Minister Victoria Atkins says that the government has agreed to a "short term" extension of the contract, and will conduct a new tender when the ongoing reviews are complete and a new manager can be found for the facility.

"The government has made clear that the behaviour by G4S staff was completely unacceptable," she says.

"Regardless of status, all immigration detainees must be treated with dignity and respect," she adds.

House of Lords
Parliament

Peers vote 298 to 227 for the amendment, which specifies that nothing in the bill can prevent the UK from replicating in domestic law any EU law made on or after exit day, or continuing to participate in EU agencies.

It's the government's eleventh defeat at report stage on this bill.

House of Commons
Parliament

Shadow home secretary, Diane Abbott, gets up to ask her urgent question on the decision to extend the contract with G4S to run two immigration removal centres.

The Home Office said last week, external that the extension would allow two reviews of immigration detention to take place before a new procurement process begins.

Last September, the BBC's Panorama programme broadcast undercover footage at one of the centres, Brook House, which appeared to show workers bullying and abusing men who were held there.

Six employees were subsequently dismissed and an independent inquiry was set up by G4S.

House of Lords
Parliament

The Bishop of Leeds is unpersuaded and calls a vote on his amendment, which specifies that nothing in the bill can prevent the UK from replicating in domestic law any EU law made on or after exit day, or continuing to participate in EU agencies.

The result is expected in around 15 minutes.

House of Lords
Parliament

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Responding, Brexit Minister Lord Callanan says after leaving the EU the government will be "free to change the law in any way it sees fit" and this bill cannot be used to bind future governments.

He warns that an amendment which does not require the government to take any action is "completely unnecessary" and would make the bill "less clear".

House of Commons
Parliament

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Health Committee Chair and Tory MP Sarah Wollaston says the review sets out the "stark" and "unacceptable" inequalities faced by those with learning disabilities in the health sector.

She asks what will be done in recruitment and retention for health and social care.

Minister Dinenage says the workforce is "absolutely fundamental to how we look after people in this country". She says the government has a workforce strategy which will be reporting later in the year.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable asks if the NHS can help charities by absorbing the cost of back pay for overnight shift staff.

The BBC reported on the issues of sleep-in back pay in November.

Minister Dinenage says the government is looking "carefully" at the issue.

House of Lords
Parliament

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Labour spokesperson Baroness Hayter backs the amendment seeking to allow continued UK participation in EU agencies, telling peers: "Nowhere in the referendum process or in the aftermath was it mentioned that Article 50 triggered our exit from Euratom."

"Equally unmentioned was the removal of the UK from a swathe of agencies which have served us well," she argues.

The bill grants wide powers to ministers, and she wants to "ensure none of those powers are used to frustrate our continued involvement" in EU agencies.

Select Committee
Parliament

House of Commons
Parliament

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Shadow health minister, Barbara Keeley, says that one in eight of the deaths reviewed showed that there had been abuse or neglect in care.

She asks why a review "of this size" was published before a bank holiday weekend in the immediate aftermath of local election results.

She says there is a "scandalous" "disrespect and disregard" for those abused and neglected.

Health Minister Caroline Dinenage says ministers had "no notice" that the report was going to be published on Friday.

"We are committed to learning from every avoidable death," she says. From June this year, she adds, all NHS Trusts will have to publish data on those who have died in their care.

There is a new framework for staff working in learning disability care, she says.

"We can learn from these deaths," she says, to prevent them from happening in the future.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Health and Social Care Minister Caroline Dinenage says the government is "committed" to reducing "preventable" deaths from those with learning disabilities.

The review was set up in 2015, she says, and this is the first such annual review from 2016-17 to be published.

Ministers are "already taking steps" to address concerns raised, she says, and reduce premature mortality.