Prime Minister's Questions

KAREN LUMLEY: Asks about the teachers strike plans for tomorrow. DC: There is no case for industrial action. It is unacceptable and talks are continuing. Only a minority of unions are going on strike. 

EM: How much is the PM spending on making thousands of staff redundant? Can you guarantee that the old NHS staff will be re-employed by the new quangos? DC: We are implementing. More nurses, doctors, support staff. More money and a better NHS!

EM: But people are concerned; the coalition agreement supported a bonfire of the quangos, now a new set are being created; the question is will the people affected by the NHS be rehired? DC: We are investing in the NSH and reforming so that there will be more opportunities for everyone.

EM: The cost of redundancy will be £852 million and there is no guarantee that people will be rehired by the new quangos. DC: I do not hire every person in the NHS- the government is investing to make it a better NHS and we have had support from various people (including former Labour PM Tony Blair).

DC: The Labour leader will not bring up the strikes because he is in the pocket of the unions, along with the problems in Greece. 

IAN LUCUS:  The Feed-In Tariffs were supposed to generate more jobs. Renewable Energy Systems say that solar power generation and the jobs linked to it are in turmoil- what is being done? DC: The government has put a massive investment in to renewable energy and will continue to do so.

ANDREW SELOUS- What is being done to prevent illegal workers from getting National Insurance Numbers? DC: The application process for a NI number includes an identity check and there shouldn’t be issues surrounding this. However, it is happening still and we are working on it.

ALISON MCGOVERN: Asking about the tax breaks for people who choose private healthcare and whether it should be a priority? DC: Quite frankly, no.

BRIAN BINLEY: What about speeding up economic growth? Core inflation for small businesses is at a record high. DC: The key problem for small businesses is fuel costs. We have cut fuel duty- we are a very small business friendly government. 

BOB BLACKMAN: Would you say that it is fair that such a small number of trade unions can cause such a disruption in the strikes tomorrow? DC: Absolutely not. It is irresponsible and unacceptable and we are continuing talks.

NIGEL DODDS: Will there be plans for repatriating the bodies of soldiers killed abroad? DC: A lot of thought has gone and will go into this and care for the families.

ANNE MARIE MORRIS: Does the PM agree that households in the South West should get a subsidy of £50 a week to cover high water bills in that area? DC: We are determined to lower water bills for those affected in the South West Area.

REV WILLIAM MCCREA: Belfast International Airport is vital to Irish-American business. DC: I agree- we will do everything we can to sustain this link as it is very important to the province’s economic health.

CLIVE EFFORD: There is rising crime and falling police budgets. Why? DC: Overall crime is falling- Operation Target which is run by the Met Police has seen a drop in the most serious offences.

CLARE PERRY: The government is reforming pensions- but we are part of the public sector too so shouldn’t we reform our own in the same way? DC: I agree, we in-house are also part of the public sector so we will have changes like the rest of the country. The increase in pension contributions will apply to MPs too.