House of Commons
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Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson says he'd like to welcome £1.8bn of funding for defence in last month's Budget.

Mr Williamson says the Moderning Defence Programme (MDP) was launched in January due to the rise of national security threats occuring at "a faster rate than was anticipated", and that the current defence programme will be refocused to "ensure the resilience of the defence system".

He adds that the three main priorities of the MDP are to "mobilise, modernise and transform", which includes aligning defence plans more closely with allies, mobilising current assets, continuing to invest in new target areas of threat and improving cyber operations and capabilities.

He says the MDP includes a transformation fund, where £160m of the defence budget will be "ringfenced for innovative new military capabilities", and that a further £340m will be available as part of the spending review "which will enable us to stay as a leader in defence policy".

Mr Williamson adds that the programme also includes a comprehensive strategy "to improve recruitment and retention of talent" and a policy board of external experts to "help develop defence policy and strategy".

He concludes:

Select Committee
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Discussing the challenges facing the sector, Paul Wheelhouse MSP, Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands, says that there is an "issue" with younger people wanting to joint the oil and gas industry.

He says that millennials are very conscious of climate change, they're also not interested in working in a sector which would appear to have a shorter lifespan.

The industry itself needs to improve "workforce engagement" and how the sector deals with employment disputes, he adds.

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That's the urgent question response complete, and Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson now gives a statement on the Modernising Defence Programme.

After months of delay, the programme lays out defence spending, setting out the future threats to the UK and how the Ministry Of Defence plans to tackle them.

Last month, the Budget awarded £1bn to defence spending.

House of Commons
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Shadow chief secretary to the Treasury Peter Dowd says: "This ONS announcement ends the fiscal illusion which kept student debt of the government's books and blows a potential £12bn hole in the Chancellor's spending plans."

Mr Dowd says the change raises a number of questions: What impact the £12bn deficit will have on the Treasury's ability to meet fiscal targets, whether students in universities will be adversely affected by this change, and whether there will be a gap on the number of students going to university?

"This poses a major challenge to the whole system of student finance which the government has exacerbated with the trebbling of tuition fees," Mr Dowd adds, calling for tuition fees to be scrapped to "invest in the future of our country by investing in the future of our young people".

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss says it is "extraordinary" that the government is being "lectured on debt by a party who want to add half £1tn to our national debt".

She says it is "premature" to have a discussion about the change when the ONS haven't released the figures, and that she will "absolutely" give the guarantee that this will not adversely affect students.

Ms Truss concludes that it is "not fair" for those who do not go to university and generally earn less money to "subsidise those who go on to university and will go on to earn more later in life".

House of Commons
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Former Tory education secretary Justine Greening urges the government to look at "what young people want", with the introduction of maintenance grants and a reform of the student finance system.

She suggests moving away from "and scrapping" student debt, focusing instead around graduate contributions.

Liz Truss says she's keen to ensure good value for money and properly funded universities.

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Treasury Committee Chair Nicky Morgan says "this is not affecting any financial help that students now or starting in September are going to get".

"This change will give a truer picture of what is happening with the public deficit," she concludes.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss says "this doesn't affect the cash flows, this affects the presentation in accounts" and reiterates that this is an independent decision made by the ONS.

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Labour MP Wes Streeting says the Treasury Committee - of which he is a member - welcomes the ONS decision, which is in line with their recommendations.

He says the ruling is "more than a little embarrassing for the government" and asks about the fiscal impact.

"Does selling off the student loan book make any more sense?" he asks. "Indeed did it ever?"

He asks if the government will revise fiscal targets as a result, or "will students pay the price of the government's fiscal trickery?"

The decision makes the case for real reform of higher education, he says, suggesting that it's time for a system that is "properly funded and generally free at the point of use".

Ms Truss repeats that the ruling is "fundamentally an accounting decision", and as the government doesn't make decisions on how spending is accounted, it would be wrong for her to comment on the precise implications for the public fiances.

"We will do the right thing for students," she says, something she suggests the government is already doing, with a record number of students in universities.

She says it's "a bit of a joke" Labour criticising the management of student debt, considering they promised to write off student loan book in the 2017 election and then changed their mind.

Select Committee
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The Scottish Affairs Committee is holding a session on the future of the oil and gas industry in Scotland.

The value of oil and gas produced in Scotland in 2017-18 was an estimated £20bn. However, the future of the industry is uncertain due to fluctuations in global oil prices and commitments from governments on moves to tackling climate change.

The committee report so far has called on the government to issue a sector deal for oil and gas, consideration of decommissioning options for oil and gas, as well as the potential for carbon capture, external.

This session will specifically focus on the government ambition for the future of the industry, as well as financial support for clean growth, external.

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Labour MP Wes Streeting is now asking an urgent question on the ONS's decision on the treatment of student tuition fees.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss says the ONS has decided some of the spending on student loans will be included in the deficit when money is first lent to students.

"This is a technical accounting decision by the ONS whose independence we support," she says.

"The ONS are clear that there is a lot to decide before the decision is finalised."

Ms Truss reinforces that students only start repayments of their student loans when they are earning £25,000, and says "the decision has no implications for public debt as the data and forecasts are already including the impact of student loans, including repayments."

"The recent Budget showed this government is meeting its fiscal rules with room to spare and that debt is beginning its first sustained fall in a generation," Ms Truss concludes.

House of Commons
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That's justice questions done, and Labour MP Wes Streeting is now asking an urgent question on the Office for National Statistics (ONS) decision on the treatment of student tuition fees.

At the moment, students in England are lent money to cover their tuition fees and living costs. Interest starts being added straight away. When they start working, the graduates pay 9% of their income above £25,000 until the loan plus interest has been paid off. Any outstanding debt left after 30 years is written off.

The money that the government has been lending has been going up. This year it's expected to lend £17bn and receive repayments of £3bn.

The ONS ruled yesterday that the best way to reflect student loans is to treat part as financial assets (loans), since some portion will be repaid, and part as government expenditure (capital transfers), since some will not.

This means far more of student loan spending is added to the deficit, as much as £12bn, and could lead to a redesign of the student loans system as a result.

You can read a BBC Reality Check piece about the possible consequences here.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss is responding to the urgent question.

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Conservative MP Neil O'Brien asks what recent estimate the department has made of the number of rogue bailiffs.

Justice Minister Lucy Frazer says the government is determined to protect individuals from aggressive behavior by bailiffs, and that the government has opened a call for evidence which is open until 17 January.

She adds that the reforms from 2014 mean that a bailiff must issue a letter before visiting a property.

Labour MP Rachel Reeves says that the issue of rogue bailiffs is a pressing issue which "requires immediate action".

Select Committee
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With final discussions on reducing the carbon footprint of the supply chain, and exchanges of Christmas best wishes, the committee session draws to a close.

House of Commons
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Shadow justice minister Imran Hussain says the prisons minister is "gung ho" about the state of prisons, but has absolutely no reason to be, with safety continually compromised by the government.

He asks for an assurance or guarantee that HMP Birmingham will not be returned to the private sector, following the criticism of G4S's management on the prison.

Minister Rory Stewart says there is nothing to suggest private companies cannot run prisons well, with bad private and public prisons.

He says however that unless G4S demonstrate that they can take back HMP Birmingham and run it well, the government will not return it to them.

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Tory MP Colin Clark asks what steps the government is taking to prevent violence in prisons.

Prisons Minister Rory Stewart says there is a specialist team looking at how to reduce violence in prisons under the Prisons Strategy and the government is aware that more needs to be done.

"The real answer is it is about training," he says "there must a humane relationship between prison officers and prisoners but with boundaries in place."

He says a trial is being held in 10 prisons where the government's strategy to reduce violence in prisons is being carried out.

"If it is successful by August, it will be rolled out to further prisons," he says.

House of Commons
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Conservative MP Stephen Metcalfe asks what steps the government is taking to improve offenders’ access to education and employment.

Justice Secretary David Gauke says in May the government published a strategy to ensure that all prisoners are put on "a pathway to employment" and are working to fill any skill gaps that exist.

Mr Gauke says the government is prioritising a "New Futures Network" between prisons and local companies and regional businesses to ensure that recently released offenders can get back into work as soon as possible.

"More than 100 new organisations have registered an interest in working with offenders since the set up of the strategy in May," he says, noting that an IT course in prisons will be compulsory to ensure prisoners serving longer sentences are "up to speed with the digital age".

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SNP MP David Linden asks what assessment the department has made of the potential effect of the proposed EU Withdrawal Agreement on UK-EU co-operation on justice matters.

Justice Minister Lucy Frazer says the withdrawal agreement offers a "smooth and orderly departure from the EU" and that "existing judicial cooperation will continue until the end of the implementation period".

Mr Linden asks what assurances Ms Frazer can give that Socttish police forces will still have strong communication links with organisations like Europol, and SNP Justice Spokesperson Joanna Cherry additionally asks if Scotland, alongside the rest of the UK, will lose access to the EU's criminal database.

Ms Frazer says "the deal will allow us to continue working very closely with the EU, particularly on family law."

Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon says planning for future judicial cooperation with Europe is suffering thanks to disagreements within the Conservative Party, and asks when the government's focus will be placed on ensuring a solid future for the judicial system.

Ms Frazer says the government is focused on ensuring strong judicial cooperation with the EU, unlike the Labour party who are "political point scoring and pushing for a general election".

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Labour MP Matt Western asks what estimate the department has made of the number of people who become homeless immediately after being released from short prison sentences.

Prisons Minister Rory Stewart says "far too many" people on short sentences struggle to find suitable accommodation, almost 35% of them. The government has committed to improving this and is trialling a pilot with Bristol, Pentonville and Leeds prisons, which also includes £6.4m on supporting ex-offenders through services.

Labour's Kerry McCarthy says young people released from prison often return to areas where they fall back into crime and asks what is being done to address this. Mr Stewart says there are things that can be done but family relationships are an important part of rehabilitation.

Tory MP Victoria Prentis asks for the minister to address the number of prisoners released at the end of week, which reduces the number of services available to them.

Rory Stewart says the department are looking at this, but can't simply solve the problem by releasing people on Thursdays for example, as that leads to four times the workload for one day.