IDS slams bishops on welfare reform

Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith has hit out at bishops trying to block his welfare reforms, accusing them of ignoring the concerns of ordinary people.

Mr Duncan Smith said the Church of England bishops, who are threatening to derail his planned £26,000 benefit cap, should think more of low-income families who try to do "the right thing".

In an interview with The Sunday Times, he acknowledged that his plans to limit the total payments any household can receive could face defeat in the House of Lords on Monday.

He urged the bishops, who are leading the opposition in the upper chamber, to rethink their objections, insisting they were not doing the poor any favours.

"The question I'd ask these bishops is, over all these years, why have they sat back and watched people being placed in houses they cannot afford? It's not a kindness," he said.

"I would like to see their concerns about ordinary people, who are working hard, paying their tax and commuting long hours, who don't have as much money as they would otherwise because they're paying tax for all of this. Where is the bishops' concern for them?

Iain Duncan Smith urged the bishops to think more of
low-income families who are 'doing the right thing'

"I would like to see a more balanced response from the bishops.

"It's all very well for the bishops to express a political opinion, but I would love them to ask about the poor people on low incomes who are working hard, whose families share rooms, who are doing the right thing."

With Liberal Democrat peers expected to vote against the plan in the Lords, Mr Duncan Smith acknowledged the result could come down to the independent "crossbenchers", including the bishops.

Former Liberal Democrat leader Lord Ashdown said later that he favoured a benefit cap but said the welfare revamp was currently "completely unacceptable

©Press Association

Lansley defends health Bill plans

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has defended the Government's controversial health Bill after the main medical unions became the latest bodies to declare all-out opposition to the reforms.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) have called for the Bill to be scrapped. It follows a move by the British Medical Association (BMA) in December to also fully oppose the Health and Social Care Bill, currently going through Parliament.

The RCN, the biggest nursing union, said "serious concerns" have not been addressed during the parliamentary process, listening exercise or political engagement and the Bill will not deliver on the principles originally set out.

Recent announcements such as the rise in the cap on private patients being treated in NHS hospitals to almost half (49%) "make the Bill in its entirety a serious threat to the NHS", it said.

But Mr Lansley backed the reforms, saying the opposition to the Bill was more about issues of pay and pensions. He said the legislation was "essential in order to give nurses and doctors clinical leadership".

The leading medical unions have declared their
opposition to the proposed NHS reforms

"I'm afraid the only thing that has happened in the last few weeks that has led to this situation with the Royal College of Nursing is that the two sides of the Royal College of Nursing have shifted," Mr Lansley said.

"There used to be a professional association that was working with us on professional issues and will carry on doing that, but now the trade union aspect of the Royal College of Nursing has come to the fore, they want to have a go at the Government - I completely understand it - but they want to have a go about things like pay and pensions.

"The Bill actually enables the NHS to deliver efficiency savings and improve performance - not least because actually the Bill is part of the process of cutting administration in the NHS. It takes about £1.5 billion a year out of NHS administration costs because it reduces that superstructure of bureaucracy in the NHS - over the course of this Parliament it will deliver over £4 billion savings itself.

"Through the NHS Future Forum we have been out there, making sure, and doing it ourselves time and again, that we're taking staff with us in terms of understanding these issues. And the RCN and the RCM are very clear that they support the principles of the Bill. What they are actually unhappy about is pay, pensions and jobs. I complete understand that.

"But if there were no Bill the same issues would have to be addressed. We inherited a deficit, we are having to manage the NHS within limited increases, but actually next year the NHS budget is going to go up by 2.8%."

©Press Association

LEADERS UNITE ON SCOTS REFERENDUM

David Cameron and Ed Miliband joined forces today in pledging to fight to keep Scotland in the United Kingdom, as Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond told Westminster politicians to "butt out" of the debate.

The leaders of both major Westminster parties called on Mr Salmond's Scottish National Party to engage in talks over the coming weeks to pave the way for a referendum on independence.

Mr Cameron said he "passionately" believed in preserving the Union, and taunted the SNP for seeking to delay a ballot, telling MPs: "Let's have the debate and let's keep our country together."

But Mr Salmond dismissed the UK Government's argument that Scotland's Parliament has no legal power to mount its own referendum on independence.

He will unveil his own proposals before the end of this month for a referendum in the autumn of 2014.

The First Minister's plans, set for publication in the week beginning January 23, look set to put Edinburgh on collision course with London.

Addressing MPs, prime minister David Cameron said he was disappointed at the constitutional dispute over the proposed referendum on Scottish independence (Pic: PA)

Mr Salmond's office said they will include a vote for 16 and 17-year-olds and may offer voters a third "devo-max" option, under which Scotland would stay in the Union but gain greater self-determination on financial issues. Both of these features were ruled out in UK Government proposals put forward by Scotland Secretary Michael Moore.

Mr Moore called on the Scottish administration to work with the UK Government over the coming weeks to agree arrangements for a "clear, legal and decisive" referendum, which could be held within 18 months.

And Mr Cameron's spokesman indicated that this could involve talks between the Prime Minister and Mr Salmond.

The spokesman said he expected negotiations over the referendum - and the independence battle itself - to involve senior politicians from all sides of the debate, including a number of Government ministers.

He did not rule out the possibility that Mr Cameron could appear alongside Mr Miliband to argue the case for the Union, after the Prime Minister said he agreed "100%" with the Labour leader on the benefits of preserving the United Kingdom.

In a rare display of unity at Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, Mr Cameron said: "This is one area where (Mr Miliband) and I are going to be 100% in agreement.

"I passionately believe in the future of our United Kingdom. I passionately believe we are stronger together rather than breaking apart.

"Frankly, I am sad we are even having this debate, because I support the United Kingdom so strongly, but we have to respect the fact that Scotland voted for a separatist party at the Scottish parliamentary elections."

Mr Miliband said: "We on this side of the House believe the United Kingdom benefits the people of Scotland and the people of the rest of the United Kingdom in equal measure.

"We are stronger together and weaker apart."

Mr Cameron said he was "looking forward" to the debate, and mocked the SNP for seeking to delay the poll until 2014, telling MPs: "I sometimes think when I listen to them that it is not a referendum they want, it's a never-endum."

Asked whether the PM would be willing to share a platform with Mr Miliband, Mr Cameron's official spokesman said: "The Prime Minister is keen to make the case for the Union and you saw at Prime Minister's Questions that he is keen to work with the opposition on this."

Mr Salmond said the Prime Minister should "butt out" of an issue for Scottish people and said his intervention had provoked a "huge adverse reaction... to the Thatcheresque idea that Downing Street knows best".

He had "no objection" to Mr Moore's proposals for Westminster to help Holyrood stage a referendum, but said there was "plenty of legal authority" for the Scottish Government to mount its own ballot without assistance from south of the border.

Mr Salmond told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme: "The objection, of course, is that the Prime Minister has started to put all sorts of London-based strings on."

He said: "Our conditions are quite clear: this must be a referendum built and run in Scotland, accountable to the Scottish Parliament. It has to be run fairly and transparently, of course, but we won't accept unreasonable conditions placed by London on how Scotland should run the poll."

Mr Salmond's office confirmed the Scottish Government's position that 16 and 17-year-olds on the electoral register in Scotland should be "fully entitled to vote" in any referendum. Asked if voters would be offered a third "devo-max" option, a spokesman said: "We're not for closing down choice."


© Press Association 2012

GOVERNMENT 'HURTING' FUEL USERS

The Government was accused by Labour of refusing to "stand up to" the energy companies as millions of households fell in to fuel poverty.

Shadow energy secretary Caroline Flint said that instead of helping, ministers were "making things worse" as a result of their decisions to cut winter fuel allowance and subsidies for solar panels.

Opening a debate on energy prices called by Labour, Ms Flint said: "This Government isn't helping, it's hurting."

Ms Flint: The Government isn't helping

She told the Commons: "Consumer Focus say one-quarter of all households in England and Wales, 5.7 million of them, are now in fuel poverty.

"National Energy Action fear that the figure could be as high as 6.6 million, levels not seen since the dog days of the last Conservative government.

"The number of households in debt to their electricity and gas suppliers are up too. But energy companies' profit margins are still in excess of £100 per customer per year."

She continued: "Time and time again we see a Government that is not just out of touch but completely unable to stand up to vested interests in the energy industry too.

"Far from doing everything they can to help this Government is making things worse not better for millions of hard-working families.

"Their failing economic policies mean that the average family is facing the worst squeeze on income since records began in the 1950s."

Pensioners were having their winter fuel allowance cut, she said, but acknowledged that under a future Labour administration "it may be something we cannot reverse".

But she said Labour were committed to ensuring all over-75s would get the lowest tariff on offer.

The Warm Home Discount, aimed at those on low incomes, was being claimed by only 3% of eligible families, Ms Flint claimed.

"This is not about spending more money or adding to customers' bills, it is about standing up to vested interests in this sector and telling them they have a responsibility to their customers and to the public."

Ms Flint also attacked the Government's "disastrous and chaotic" cuts to the feed-in tariff for solar power.

Energy Secretary Chris Huhne said he welcomed a recent drop in the prices of EDF Energy, which fell as result in a reduction in the cost of gas imports.

Energy Secretary: Shop around

But he said consumers needed to help themselves by shopping around for their energy and the Government was making it easier for them to switch suppliers.

He added: "Switching suppliers should be quick and easy so as part of our implementation of the EU third energy package in November we cut the time in takes to switch to just three weeks.

"Even without changing supplier, millions of households can save just by switching tariffs or payment methods. As agreed at our consumer energy summit, suppliers are placing messages on the front page of all bills to encourage consumers to phone them or visit a website to find out if they could be saving money."

Consumers could also save £100 a year if they switched to direct debit, he added.

Mr Huhne said: "We are helping through greater competition getting the consumer the best deal. We have done a lot to defend the consumer interest over the last 20 months, more than I would say that the (last Labour government) did over 13 years."

Mr Huhne said Britain needed to invest £110 billion in power plants and £90 billion in energy infrastructure over the next decade to avoid blackouts.

"We must keep the lights on in the cheapest, cleanest way to make sure households get the best deal in the long term," he said.

"We must invest now to improve our energy efficiency so we don't need to produce as much energy to keep warm and to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels in the long term so we don't have to rely on ever more expensive imports."

The Energy Secretary said ministers were "biting the bullet" rather than "delaying or dithering any longer".

He believed shale gas discovered near Blackpool, which is released through controversial "fracking", could "bring enormous prosperity" to regions rich in the resource.

"Providing all of the environmental safeguards are properly in place, it presents the possibility of a reduction in the cost of gas," said Mr Huhne.

"We are looking very closely at this and we've been in contact with the energy company involved in exploration in Lancashire and I very much hope we will be able to make progress on this."

©Press Association

LABOUR ATTACKS BORDER SECURITY MOVE

Ministers were accused by Labour of encouraging illegal immigrants by ending the practice of fingerprinting those caught trying to enter the UK via the Channel Tunnel.

Immigration Minister Damien Green: Fingerprint records have little value

Immigration Minister Damian Green said the record had proved of little value in practice and that border officials would now have more time to search vehicles for offenders.

But shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper attacked the change and said it sent a signal to stowaways that they should "feel free to keep trying" to enter the UK.

Border security has been under the spotlight since it emerged last year that border controls for non-EU nationals had been relaxed - leading a top official to quit.

Mr Green confirmed the change of policy in a letter to Tory MP Roger Gale after he was alerted to it by a constituent who works for the UK Border Agency.

He said that while fingerprints could identify previously discovered illegal immigrants, it was "generally of limited value in helping to secure their removal" if they got into the UK.

UKBA believed the change "will enable its staff to focus on the high priority of searching vehicles and therefore prevent such individuals from even getting to the UK", he wrote.

Yvette Cooper: raises security concerns

A spokesman for the PCS union told The Sunday Times that the end of fingerprinting appeared to be an admission by Mr Green that cuts had left UKBA with insufficient staff.

Calling for an urgent explanation, Ms Cooper said it raised serious concerns about ministers' attitudes to border security.

"By not even bothering to fingerprint anyone, the Government is sending a signal that this is not a serious offence and people should feel free to keep trying. And it makes it harder to identify illegal migrants later on," she said.

"Time and again it seems that checks are being weakened and corners cut."

A UKBA spokesman said: "We work very closely with the French authorities to counter illegal migration - all clandestines are handed straight to the French border police.

"Our controls across the Channel continue to show significant improvements with a 70% reduction in the number of attempts to cross illegally between 2009 and 2011."

Mr Gale said he would raise the issue with ministers when the Commons returns from its Christmas break this week.

PA 2012