House of Commons
Parliament

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Shadow minister for the Treasury Clive Lewis says Tracey Crouch's resignation over FOBTs "shamed the government into action".

Introducing the new stake in October 2019 would have threatened lives, he says.

He rejects suggestions the delay was needed for implementation, and says it was much more an issue of profits coming before lives than anything else.

He suggests it also raises questions about the government's ability to tackle vested interests and corruption.

The government based the decision not on evidence, he says, but on "pandering to vested interest".

House of Commons
Parliament

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Robert Jenrick introduces government amendments to bring forward a new maximum bet on fixed-odds betting terminals to April of next year.

Ministers had originally announced the new maximum £2 stake would be introduced next October, before agreeing to move the date forward last week following opposition from MPs.

He also introduces another amendment to increase the rate of remote gaming duty from 15% to 21%, to make up the loss of earning as a result of earlier implementation.

Mr Jenrick tells MPs the government had to bear in mind the effect of the new stake on jobs in the industry, and had wanted to provide time for the changes to be implemented.

He pays tribute to Tracey Crouch, who resigned as sports minister over the issue, whom he says had a "decisive role" in getting the maximum stake reduced.

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Chancellor Philip Hammond unveiled his Budget to Parliament at the end of last month, committing to find an extra £20bn for the NHS by 2023.

The Health Foundation think tank has analysed the Budget paperwork, and says that while the NHS England budget for day-to-day running costs will rise by nearly £4bn in real terms next year, there will be a reduction of £1bn, or 12%, in other areas of the health budget.

Read the analysis from BBC Health Editor Hugh Pym here.

Select Committee
Parliament

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Representatives of leading health bodies are now giving evidence to the Health and Social Care committee.

Anita Charlesworth of the Health Foundation tells MPs last month's Budget did not "firmly commit" any increases to the Department of Health's spending allocation.

Sally Gainsbury of Nuffield Trust says there have been reductions that have had a direct impact on the "frontline NHS", and that hospital trusts have lost "in the region of £50m" over the last two years in funding for training placements for nurses and medics.

House of Commons
Parliament

Bill Wiggin's ten-minute rule bill passes on to its next parliamentary stage unopposed - although it is unlikely to become law without government support.

MPs now move onto the second day of consideration of the Finance (No.3) Bill at committee stage.

Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury Robert Jenrick is beginning the session.

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Next this afternoon Conservative MP Bill Wiggin tables his Electric Vehicles (Standardised Recharging) Bill, as a ten-minute rule bill, external.

The legislation would introduce a universal standard for electric car charging points. He tells MPs the current wide variety in connectors used creates problems for electric car users.

In certain parts of the country, he says, drivers need up to three different company memberships and three different types of charger in order to complete their journey.

He adds that many electric cars only come with plugs for home - but not public - charging, which he says "simply adds to the confusion".

"If we are truly to be a nation of electric vehicle users, we must provide the effective infrastructure for their use", he tells MPs.

House of Commons
Parliament

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The SNP's Hannah Bardell says her party welcomes the new ethics centre, adding that it is important consumers know their data are being used in a "safe and ethical manner".

She urges the new board to "bridge the gender data gap" - disparities in the amount of official statistical information collected about men and women.

"We must ensure that we collect data on all parts of our society, otherwise how can we track progress and evaluate developments?", she says.

She also mentions reports that airlines are using AI to separate family members in order to maximise profits - in her reply, Minister Margot James calls the reports "simply outrageous".

Ms James adds: "one of the reasons we've set the center up is to make sure that AI is a force for public good, rather than manipulation".

House of Commons
Parliament

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Shadow digital economy minister Liam Byrne says more companies like Amazon "are using data to create monopolistic practices in this country" and asks what the government are doing to combat this.

Mr Byrne says the UK's infrastructure is "hopelessly out of date", and says that the education system "is not fit for the future".

He adds that the UK has "a dangerous approach to regulation, with 13 different regulators in this space".

He asks what the government are doing to combat hate speech online as well.

He says it is "time the government rose to challenge" regarding the use of data in an ethical manner, "we are not living through an era of change, we are living through a change of era".

Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Minister Margot James says the new centre will be independent which is "extremely important for it to be a credible body".

"It is not up to the government to comment on how Google and Amazon conduct their affairs," she says, "and this is a tenuous link with the new centre."

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This afternoon, MPs on the Health and Social Care committee will hear evidence on the implications of the Budget for the sector.

The witnesses will be:

At 2.30pm:

• Sally Gainsbury, Senior Policy Analyst, Nuffield Trust
• Richard Murray, Director of Policy, King's Fund
• Anita Charlesworth, Director of Research and Economics, Health Foundation

At 3.30pm:

• Glenn Garrod, Association of Directors of Adult Social Services
• Jeanelle de Gruchy, Association of Directors of Public Health
• Ian Dalton, Chief Executive, NHS Improvement

House of Commons
Parliament

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Minister Margot James says the UK has a proud history of supporting the use of open data, with the government in a privileged position of having a large amount of data to work with.

This presents a real opportunity to improve decision making in many areas, she says, and the government has already published over 44,000 data sets, with the UK now joint first in the world in the Open Data Barometer.

Data is used to find innovative solutions to common problems across sectors, and the Center for Data, Ethics and Innovation will advise government on how data can be used ethically and creatively.

The board will be chaired by Roger Taylor, who has a background on consumer care and is a passionate advocate for using data for good, with the board itself bringing together "some of our greatest minds" so they can use their knowledge to tackle important issues.

"The great challenge of the digital age is to make sure data is used safely, ethically and where possible transparently," she says.

House of Commons
Parliament

That's the debate on the UK's response to Ebola crisis finished.

Next up this afternoon, Culture Minister Margot James will update MPs on plans for a new centre for data ethics and innovation.

She will be outlining the government's response to a public consultation, external the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport launched over the summer.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Shadow international development minister Preet Kaur Gill says "supporting neighboring countries to tackle the disease is fundamental and welcomed".

"We all remember how many people lost their lives in 2014," she says "and we must act now to avoid these chaotic scenes and to help contain this outbreak."

She calls for "aid to not only be sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo now, but for long-term support to be ensured to these countries".

"Ensuring well manages public services is the only way to ensure we are better prepared in the future," she says.

Foreign Office Minister Harriett Baldwin says "progress and lessons have been learned since 2014, namely the importance of reacting quickly".

Ms Baldwin says "the fact this is a conflict affected area is hampering efforts", but the government is "committed to acting now".

House of Commons
Parliament

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Foreign Office Minister Harriett Baldwin now moves to a statement on the current outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo and how the UK is supporting the response.

Since the last update in October the outbreak has continued to grow, she says, with 236 confirmed cases and 47 potential cases. It was hoped the outbreak would be under control by January 2019, but it is now clear that it will take several more months, with six further months seen as a best case scenario.

There has been progress however, with 110 people now recovered.

The UK responded quickly to the outbreak as the second largest donor, she says, whilst support in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring countries has expanded, with the government providing assistance in preparing surrounding countries in case outbreak spreads.

An experimental vaccine, which the UK helped to develop, is now being given to front line health workers, she says, with 31,000 people -10,000 of whom are health workers - now vaccinated.

The UK has given £25m to the Ebola response, helping the World Health Organsation work on screening, surveillance and preparedness. Ms Baldwin visited Uganda last month and saw some of the work that is being done there to prepare.

It is clear that tackling Ebola will require "sustained effort over time", with the government committing a further £20m from the central crisis reserve.

Public Health England sees the risk of outbreak in the UK as "negligible to low" she says, but they will continue to observe the situation and update on any changes, she tells MPs.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Conservative MP Huw Merriman calls for the government to commit to "forming a new independent police body" if "the election goes the way we hope it doesn't and Interpol becomes corrupt".

International Development Minister Harriett Baldwin says she is "confident" that Interpol "will continue to be an important part of UK policing going forwards".

She says she wants to "reassure MPs" that "Interpol will be an important part of the UK's ability to cooperate internationally on police matters."

Labour MP Barry Sheerman says "what we're seeing is extraordinary as there has been almost no involvement by the Secretary-General of Interpol to find out what happened to Meng Hongwei," and asks why Ms Baldwin "cannot admit" that the appointment of Alexander Prokopchuk "would have disastrous consequences".

Concerns have been expressed at the likely election of Russian official Alexander Prokopchuk as the president of international policing organisation Interpol.

Mr Prokopchuk has served in Russia’s Interior Ministry since 2003 and as Interpol’s Vice-Chair for Europe since 2016.

Russia has been accused of abusing the agency's "red notice" system, which are effectively international arrest warrants, to detain political opponents and restrict their ability to travel.

The election comes after the disappearance of Meng Hongwei, who resigned as the Interpol president last month and is being investigated by China's anti-corruption authorities.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Conservative MP Dominic Raab says after the Salisbury attack, the appointment of "a Putin-appointed police general" would "not only weaken the operational effectiveness of Interpol, but undermine our ability to rely on it and shred its credibility as a pillar holding up the rule of law".

International Development Minister Harriett Baldwin says "I've made the UK's position clear on this" but says Mr Rabb "should be aware that the National Crime Agency is very supportive of the overall processes of Interpol".

"This does provide some independent oversight and some checks and balances over Interpol's work," she says.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Tom Tugendhat, the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, says "should this outcome happen, we would have to look very seriously into our cooperation with an organisation so corrupted and discredited."

International Development Minister Harriett Baldwin says she wants to assure MPs that "the processes adopted by Interpol are robust enough to deal with any concerns of misuse", adding: "The government will ensure that scrutiny will continue to take place."

Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry says "the judgement of the fitness for office should be made on their integreity, experience and record, not their nationality.

"The fact that he is Russian should not disqualify him; however, the fact that he was the leader of the major Russian bureau which has directly orchestrated the abuse of Interpol's arrest warrants should be enough to qualify our view."

Ms Thornberry asks what efforts Ms Baldwin will be making "to build a majority against the Russian candidate".

Ms Baldwin says Mr Prokopchuk "has been the deputy president for some time" and "the executive responsibility of the day to day running of Interpol falls to secretary-general Jurgen Stock, who is German.

"I have made it clear what the UK's position is and we have been fully engaged with conversing with our allies on the issue," she adds.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Sir Vince Cable asks for confirmation that the government recognises that Alexander Prokopchuk, favourite to become the next Interpol President, was until recently head of the Russian Central Bureau and was directly responsible for issuing red notices used against the opponents of Russian president Vladimir Putin's regime.

He says if this man were to become Interpol President, it would an "absolute insult" to the victims of the Salisbury poisoning, as well as a massive propaganda victory for the Putin regime. It would risk accepting that Interpol has become a branch of the Russian mafia.

It also underlines the absolute folly of underminding Europol, he says.

Minister Harriett Baldwin says it is important to recognise that German Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock has the executive role for the day to day conduct of the organisation, and the UK has a good relationship with him.

She says the UK is supporting the candidacy of acting president Kim Jong Yang.

She says there are systems in place to protect individual rights and prevent the misuse of interpol red notices, something the UK government would take very seriously.