House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Brexit Minister Robin Walker says "in keeping with the clear intention of the EU Withdrawal Act", the government will ensure that the question of whether to accept an agreement is bought back to MPs before 21 January.

If the deal is accepted, the government will introduce legislation.

If rejected, a statement would be required from the government, who would then table a motion on neutral terms on that statement.

The "clear intention" would be that the deal is reached before 21 January, but in the "unlikely and undesirable" situation that there is no deal by then the government would bring a statement to the House, as required by law.

He is confident that there will be a deal however, he adds.

House of Commons
Parliament

Labour MP Yvette Cooper is now asking an urgent question regarding the government's duty under section 13 of the EU Withdrawal Act 2018 if no deal is reached by 21 January 2019.

Section 13 sets out Parliament's involvement in the process of Brexit, requiring the meaningful vote to take place as well as covering Parliament's involvement if the UK faces leaving the EU without a deal.

Under the act, if no deal is reached by 21 January 2019 - including if the deal is rejected by MPs - the prime minister must make a statement to Parliament.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

MPs are now asking topical questions.

Chair of the Public Accounts Committee Meg Hillier says the head of HMRC has said it would be "almost impossible" to ensure security, free movement of goods and revenue from customs if the UK "crashes out" of the EU without a deal.

She asks what discussions have been had to make sure "that we're not hit in the pocket" because of a lack of revenue as a result.

Mr Hammond says security is the top priority for government, followed by flow of trade.

"We will not prioritise the collections of customs tariffs," he says, explaining that they are tariffs not currently being collected "they would be additional revenues".

"We would treat that as something we can do in slower time, if the situation arises."

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

SNP MP Alison Thewliss asks about the economic effect on Scotland of the UK leaving the EU Customs Union and single market.

Financial Secretary to the Treasury Mel Stride says: "The government is committed to bringing back a deal that will work for the whole United Kingdom."

Ms Thewliss says a no-deal Brexit "could have the affect of making 100,000 people in Scotland unemployed", adding that "staying in the single market and the customs union is the best compromise the UK can get."

SNP MP Kirsty Blackman says that "yesterday, businesses lost 2% of their value" and asks if the chancellor will stand by his previous words that "remaining in the EU would be a better outcome for the UK economy".

Ms Blackman calls on the chancellor to "find some backbone and make that case in Parliament".

Mr Stride says "the best deal for Scotland, as the analysis has identified, is the deal the government has brought forward."

Select Committee
Parliament

Image source, HoC

After some further questions on what can happen to the old Victorian prison estate when new prisons are built, the committee session comes to an end.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Conservative MP Antoinette Sandbach asks what progress has been made on reducing the amount of income tax that people pay.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond says: "The government is committed to ensuring working people keep more of what they earn."

"The typical basic rate taxpayer across the UK will pay £1,205 less in 2019 than they did in 2010," he adds.

Ms Sandbach asks what the government is doing to "lower the burden of national insurance on the lowest paid".

Mr Hammond says that "national insurance payments provide access to social security benefits."

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Labour MP Nic Dakin asks what recent discussions the chancellor has had with the secretary of state for education on the adequacy of funding for further education.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss says the government has "protected the base rate for funding for 16 and 17-year-olds between 2015 and 2020".

Mr Dakin says the national funding rate for 16 to 18-year-olds has been frozen for five years which is "causing significant problems in delivering for this key age group", and asks the government to do something about it "before it's too late".

"What is important is that we're achieving better results from 16 to 18-year-olds, we're seeing more young people from disadvantaged backgrounds going to universities, and we're putting money into the new T-Levels which are due to improve technical education," Ms Truss says.

Conservative MP Andrew Selous says FE colleges are "great poverty fighting institutions" and asks for FE teachers to receive the same pay rise as teachers in secondary schools do.

Ms Truss says "FE colleges are set up differently and are independent institutions" which have the leverage to change the pay for the lecturers that work there.

Select Committee
Parliament

Image source, HoC

The SNP's Gavin Newlands asks about extra resources from the Treasury for prisons.

Mr Stewart says that this year prisons have been given hundreds of millions of pounds for changes and modernisation, but for the overall work to the estate needed, this would need to take place "every year for the next 20 years".

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Labour MP Bambos Charlambous asks what discussions the government has had with Cabinet colleagues on the adequacy of funding allocated to local authorities for children’s services.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss says "spending on vulnerable children increased by £1.5bn since 2010" and that "the overall early years budget has increased to £12.7bn this year".

Mr Charalambous says the government is "sticking a plaster over the crisis that is children's care," and says that children's care services need an extra £3bn by 2025.

He says the government's current funding plans mean "we are less than 3% there" towards this target, and asks Ms Truss to admit "the government are not on track".

Liz Truss says there is "higher demand on children's services" but that the government are "helping children's services to react early" and are running a pilot scheme "to ensure less children are ending up in care".

House of Commons
Parliament

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell says the Federation of Small Businesses says ongoing Brexit uncertainty means planning ahead has become impossible, as businesses don't know the environment they will be faced with in little more than 100 days time.

He says Mr Hammond knew the prime minister's proposed EU withdrawal deal wasn't going to receive the backing of MPs and suggests he should "be straight" with the prime minister that more certainty is needed for businesses.

The chancellor agrees that certainty is needed, but says Labour policy is designed to have uncertainty and a lack of clarity for businesses. The prime minister is making "a last attempt" to get "further concessions" from the EU, he says, following the wishes of MPs.

John McDonnell says firms are looking "with utter dismay" at the government's Brexit approach, with the Treasury select committee's last report also critical.

He says the chancellor needs to make clear that unless the deal secures friction-less trade it does not protect the economy and cannot be supported.

Mr Hammond accuses John McDonnell of "synthetic concern" and tells him to vote for the Brexit deal and let the country move on.

The Speaker points out that it's hard for MPs to back the deal if there isn't a vote

Select Committee
Parliament

Labour's Marie Rimmer asks what Mr Stewart's "vision" is for the involvement of charities in the prison sector.

He replies to say that while prisons have been facing challenges, it has been hard to continue to allow the voluntary sector in to that prison.

Contracts have now been redesigned to allow the voluntary sector to take a greater role in some prisons, he states.

He also wants to allow prisons to set up charitable foundations in the same way that schools or hospitals. This would allow prisons to run public areas or libraries, for instance.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Conservative MP Maria Caulfield asks what fiscal steps the government is taking to support the high street.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond says the government's plan for the high street provides £625m in a future high street fund, planning reforms, and a cut to independent ratailers business rates bills by a third, "saving business almost £900m".

Ms Caulfield says "the business rates system is currently not working for the high street", and she calls for "a system that would level the playing field".

"The challenge is that business rates raise £25bn a year and are a vital part of our tax system," Mr Hammond says.

"If we are to replace them we have to find a sustainable system to do so," he adds.

Labour MP Tracy Brabin says evidence shows Northern manufacturing businesses will be most badly hit by Brexit, and asks the Chancellor what plans he has in place to "ensure a smooth exit".

Mr Hammond says the government "will ensure the UK leaves the EU in a way that supports our economy across all the regions", but that "high streets need to adapt".

Select Committee
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Conservative Victoria Prentis asks what Mr Spurr would have done differently if he was staying in post over the next four years.

He replies that changes in society are affecting prisons "enormously". He says that younger prisoners are less accepting of authority.

He adds that there is an expectation from prisoners of answers to questions being provided instantly, rather than accepting that an answer may take a few days to come.

Over the last 10 years, male prisoners have now started hitting female staff, traditionally female staff only got expletives, he states.

"The estate requires improvement," he adds, saying that the UK "cannot continue" with Victorian prisons "for the future".

Select Committee
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Labour's Marie Rimmer asks what factors play into the government's decision-making process on which prisons should be contracted out.

Mr Stewart says that the government has been operating private prisons for 25 years, which has "by and large" been "pretty positive". He says that Birmingham "was a bad prison and was badly run".

He says that there needs to be a plan and "trust" to allow management to make changes in private prisons.

Ms Rimmer asks if the government will hand back the prison to G4S, as planned, on 20 January.

Mr Stewart says "we are not rushing to hand this back in any time" and "if it is not ready in January it's not going ahead".

House of Commons
Parliament

Today's business in the house begins with Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond and Treasury ministers answering questions.

Select Committee
Parliament

Image source, HoC

With some final questions on how staff are being trained, the committee moves on to the next witness.

Rory Stewart, Prisons Minister, is now joining the committee. He's giving evidence alongside Michael Spurr, Chief Executive of HMPPS.

House of Commons
Parliament

Business in the Commons begins at 11.30am today with Treasury questions.

Labour MP Yvette Cooper will then introduce her urgent question asking the Attorney General Geoffrey Cox to clarify the government's duty under section 13 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 if no deal is reached by 21 January 2019.

Liberal Democrat MP Norman Lamb introduces his bill on the legislation and regulation of cannabis as a ten minute rule motion.

After this, following last night's successful application for an emergency debate by the leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn, MPs will debate the government's management of the meaningful vote debate for up to three hours.

The motion asks the House "to consider the prime minister's unprecedented decision not to proceed with the final two days of debate and the meaningful vote, despite the House's order of the 4th December, and her failure to allow the House to express its view on the government's deal or her proposed negotiating objectives".

MPs will then move on to debate the Lords amendments of the Ivory Bill which prohibits dealing in ivory, before a general debate on fuel poverty.

Conservative MP Dr Dan Poulter will end the day with his adjournment debate on private parking enforcement at commercial ports and trading estates.

Select Committee
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Labour's Ellie Reeves asks why the action plans introduced by HMPPS were not getting results from G4S.

Mr Petherick says "discussions were ongoing" and that previously he's never had a job where there was a contractual obligation on cleanliness.

Ms Reeves asks if G4S are still being paid to run the prison.

Mr Spurr says that the government are still paying G4S, but the company is facing penalties for the fact that prison staff are now being managed by the government.

G4S does not profit from Birmingham Prison, Mr Petherick says.