Commons Sense

House of Commons · PMQs

PMQs

Wednesday 14 December 2022 · 16 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 10 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Prime Minister expressed frustration over delays and cancellations on the west coast rail line and committed to support the restoration of services.
  • Keir Starmer criticized the government for failing to resolve the nurses' strike, arguing it reflects poorly on the government's leadership.
  • Prime Minister defended the government's response to the nurses' strike, highlighting investments in the NHS and hiring more healthcare staff.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 John Stevenson Con
Transport
Context

Passengers facing long delays and cancellations on west coast rail services.

Question

A three-and-a-half-hour journey takes six hours; a straight journey ends up with two changes and a diversion; a train is cancelled at short notice. This has become the experience of a west coast rail passenger. If Avanti does not get its act together, will the Government cancel its franchise?

Answer from Rishi Sunak (Prime Minister)

I thank my hon. Friend for raising this question, and I share the frustration that this is causing to many in his community and other communities. Our immediate priority is to support the restoration of services before making any long-term decisions on the operation of the west coast franchise, but we will be closely monitoring Avanti's roll-out of its recovery plan and holding it to account for delivering for passengers.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Avoided committing to canceling the franchise if Avanti fails

How: Closely Monitoring

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Q2 Keir Starmer Lab Holborn and St Pancras
Migrants & Borders NHS
Context

Recent incidents of migrants drowning in the channel; nurses planning to go on strike tomorrow.

Question

I join the Prime Minister: our prayers go out to those who capsized in the freezing waters of the channel last night. It is a reminder that the criminal gangs running those routes put the lives of the desperate at risk, and profit from their misery. They must be broken up and brought to justice. Tomorrow will be the first ever nationwide nurses' strike. All the Prime Minister has to do to stop that is to open the door and discuss pay with them. If he did, the whole country would breathe a sigh of relief. Why won't he?

Answer from Rishi Sunak (Prime Minister)

We have consistently spoken to all the unions involved in all the pay disputes that there are, but I am glad the right hon. and learned Gentleman has raised our nurses, because they do incredible work. It is worth putting on record exactly what we have done for our nurses: last year, when everyone else in the public sector had a public sector pay freeze, the nurses received a 3% pay rise. When the Royal College of Nursing asked for more in-work training, we gave every nurse and midwife a £1,000 training budget, and when they asked for nurses' bursaries, we made sure that every nursing student received a £5,000 grant. That is because we do work constructively, and we will continue to back our nurses.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Avoided commitment to meet unions; highlighted past pay rises instead

How: Constructive

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Q3 Keir Starmer Lab Holborn and St Pancras
NHS
Context

Nurses planning to go on strike; Alex, a student waiting for surgery, has been affected.

Question

Nurses going on strike is a badge of shame for this Government. Instead of showing leadership, the Prime Minister is playing games with people's health, and there is a human cost: Alex from Chester has been waiting for a gallbladder operation for nearly six months. He is in so much pain that he has been off school since then. His operation has already been cancelled twice. His mum, who I spoke to this morning, is worried sick. When she heard that the strikes could be called off, she was massively relieved; she is desperate for the Prime Minister to resolve this. All he needs to do is simply meet the nurses. Alex's mum is listening to this. She does not want to hear the Prime Minister blaming everybody else; she does not want his usual ducking of the question. She is tuned in now because she wants him to explain: what is he going to do to resolve the nursing strike?

Answer from Rishi Sunak (Prime Minister)

It is not just Alex; there are millions of others across this country who will have their healthcare disrupted because of the strike. The right hon. and learned Gentleman says that we should get round the table, but we all know what that means—that is simply a political formula for avoiding taking a position on this issue. If he thinks the strikes are wrong, he should say so. If he thinks it is right that pay demands of 19% are met, he should say so. What is weak is that he is not strong enough to stand up to the unions.

Not addressed: Did not address how to resolve strike; accused Labour of avoiding position

How: Political Formula, Round The Table

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Q4 Keir Starmer Lab Holborn and St Pancras
NHS
Context

Nurses planning to go on strike; significant number of vacancies in the NHS.

Question

In 12 hours' time, there is a nurses strike. All the Prime Minister needs to do is meet the nurses. His inaction speaks volumes. As ever with this Prime Minister, it is Tory politics first, patients second. We have never seen a nurses strike like this before. They have been forced into it, because the Government have broken the health system. Ask anyone in the NHS, and they will tell you that they do not have enough staff—133,000 vacancies—and there is an obvious solution: scrap the non-dom status and use the money to bring through the next generation of doctors and nurses. That is what Labour would do. Why has he not got the guts to do it?

Answer from Rishi Sunak (Prime Minister)

We are already investing billions more in the NHS. We are already hiring thousands more doctors and nurses. The right hon. and learned Gentleman asks about the backlogs and the waiting times in the NHS, but what he always fails to acknowledge is the impact of covid: that is why we are facing pressures. We do have a plan: not just more money, not just more doctors and nurses, but new diagnostic centres carrying out millions of checks and scans and new surgical hubs delivering more elective surgery. If we had listened to him, the backlog would still be growing, because we would still be in lockdown.

Not addressed: Did not address non-dom status; blamed Labour for not acknowledging covid impact

How: Investing Billions, Hiring Thousands

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Q5 Keir Starmer Lab Holborn and St Pancras
NHS
Context

Recent report commissioned by the Department of Health criticising NHS performance over a decade.

Question

As usual, the Prime Minister tries to blame everyone else. His Department commissioned a report into the NHS that reported on Monday. It said: “We have…had 10 years of managed decline.” It was not covid; responsibility is sitting right there. The reason that he cannot choose nurses over non-doms is because he is too weak to stand up to the tax avoiders. For 12 years, Conservative Governments have not trained enough doctors and nurses, so we have the absurd situation of the NHS spending billions on agency workers to fill the gap. Why should the country have to put up with money that should be spent treating patients being wasted plugging gaps instead?

Answer from Rishi Sunak (Prime Minister)

Let me tell the right hon. and learned Gentleman what we are doing. We are actually listening to the independent pay review bodies; the Opposition want to undermine them. We have offered a fair pay deal; they cannot even decide on a number among themselves. We are actually protecting the public; they are protecting their paymasters. For working people in this country, it is Labour's nightmare before Christmas.

Not addressed: Did not address prioritising tax avoiders or agency workers; accused Labour of undermining independent bodies

How: Protecting Public, Labour'S Nightmare

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Q6 Keir Starmer Lab Holborn and St Pancras
NHS
Context

Prime Minister criticised for inaction during nurses' strike.

Question

There the Prime Minister goes again, pretending everything is fine. Try telling that to those on waiting lists or those who cannot afford to pay for a next day GP appointment. After 12 years of Tory failure, winter has arrived for our public services, and we have a Prime Minister who has curled up in a ball and gone into hibernation. If he cannot act on behalf of patients or nurses, or everyone who wants these strikes called off, then surely the whole country is entitled to ask: what is the point of him and what is the point of the Government he is supposed to be leading?

Answer from Rishi Sunak (Prime Minister)

The right hon. and learned Gentleman talks about covid not having an impact. Ambulance waiting times for category 1—[Interruption.] Category 1 ambulance waiting times in February 2020 were actually completely on target. Covid has had an impact, and that is why, as the chief executive of the NHS has acknowledged, this Government are “serious about its commitment to prioritise the NHS.” But let us have a look at the NHS in Labour-run Wales, shall we? The worst A&E times in the country!

Not addressed: Did not address NHS pressures or strikes; blamed Labour for poor performance in Wales

How: Covid Impact, Labour-Run Wales

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Q7 Keir Starmer Lab Holborn and St Pancras
NHS Ukraine
Context

Under the last Labour Government, there was fair pay for nurses and no strikes.

Question

The questioner criticises the government's programme regarding NHS staff pay and asks for lectures from the Prime Minister about that issue.

Answer from Rishi Sunak

I join the right hon. and learned Gentleman in thanking and paying tribute to all the staff of the House for the fantastic work that they do to support all of us. I appreciate the right hon. and learned Gentleman's comments on Ukraine.

Not addressed: The question about NHS pay was not addressed

How: Changed Subject To Ukrainian Situation

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Q8 Angela Richardson
Transport
Context

The A3 connects London to Portsmouth through Guildford, a highly polluted strategic road.

Question

As the A3 narrows through Guildford, it is sadly the most polluted road in the strategic road network. Does my right hon. Friend agree that it is time to think big and tunnel the A3 under Guildford?

Answer from Rishi Sunak

I thank my hon. Friend for the question. I know this is an issue that she has long championed. National Highways is developing different possibilities and solutions for the A3 through Guildford, which will be considered by the Department for Transport as it plans its future infrastructure investments.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No commitment on tunneling was given

How: Acknowledges Issue But Does Not Commit

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Q9 Stephen Flynn SNP Aberdeen South
NHS
Context

Positive and proactive negotiations between the Scottish Government and health unions have reached a pay settlement, averting strike action.

Question

The Health Secretary appears completely unwilling to negotiate with unions on pay. May I ask the Prime Minister when he will follow the Scottish Government's lead?

Answer from Rishi Sunak

I am glad the UK Government were able to provide £1.5 billion in extra funding to the Scottish Government for public services. The Health Secretary and other Ministers have engaged fully not just with the unions, but with an independent pay-setting process, which takes the politics out of the process.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No commitment on negotiations was given

How: Acknowledges Issue But Does Not Commit

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Q10 Stephen Flynn SNP Aberdeen South
Economy Energy
Context

Average energy bills in Scotland are anticipated to be £3,300 per year, despite the fact that Scotland produces six times more gas than it consumes.

Question

People in Scotland are genuinely terrified due to high energy bills. Is it not the case that Scotland has the energy; we just need the power?

Answer from Rishi Sunak

I am glad the hon. Gentleman has raised the question of energy support. This Government are providing every household in this country with about £900 of support with their energy bills this winter—£55 billion-worth of support.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No specific policy change was proposed

How: Acknowledges Issue But Does Not Commit

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Q11 Stephen Metcalfe Con
Transport
Context

The Mayor of London has decided to expand the ultra-low emission zone across all London boroughs despite objections.

Question

Will my right hon. Friend urgently speak to the Secretary of State for Transport and encourage him to use his powers to reverse this decision?

Answer from Rishi Sunak

My hon. Friend will know that transport in London is devolved to the Labour Mayor of London. It is disappointing that the Mayor, backed by the Leader of the Opposition, is choosing not to listen to the public. The zone is being expanded against the overwhelming views of residents and businesses.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No commitment on intervention was given

How: Acknowledges Issue But Does Not Commit

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Q12 Edward Davey Lib Dem Kingston and Surbiton
NHS
Context

Forty per cent of cancer patients now wait more than two months for treatment after an urgent referral from a GP, which is above the Government's own target.

Question

Can the Prime Minister give a cast-iron guarantee that the dreadful cancer backlog will not get any worse? Secondly, when will the Government meet their own cancer target?

Answer from Rishi Sunak

I am very sorry to hear about the right hon. Gentleman's parents. We are experiencing very high numbers of cancer referrals following the pandemic, but thanks to NHS staff, cancer treatment rates in the most recent month for which we have data are back at pre-pandemic levels.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No guarantee was given; timeline not specified

How: Acknowledges Issue But Does Not Commit

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Q13 Mary Robinson Con
Economy Housing Local Government
Context

The closure of the last bank in Cheadle has left local communities without high street banking services. A banking hub was announced for another Cheadle, but not for this one.

Question

With the closure of the last bank in Cheadle, my constituents have no access to cash and banking facilities, impacting businesses and the high street. Will the government support local calls for post office banking hubs?

Answer from Rishi Sunak

My hon. Friend is a fantastic champion for Cheadle in Greater Manchester. She will know that the Financial Services and Markets Bill will establish a legislative framework for protecting access to cash. Alongside that, as she mentioned, firms are already working to provide shared services such as bank hubs. I encourage her to contact Link, which can make an independent assessment of a community's cash access needs and determine if shared facilities are appropriate.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to supporting local calls for post office banking hubs directly

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Q14 Fabian Hamilton Lab Leeds North East
NHS Mental Health
Context

A constituent's daughter, aged 11, suffered from severe anorexia and had to be hospitalised in Sheffield due to lack of beds in Leeds.

Question

Sharon's family endured a year with her 11-year-old daughter suffering from severe anorexia, forced into a hospital far away. Will the Prime Minister commit to improving NHS mental health provision for young people so no family endures such trauma?

Answer from Rishi Sunak

First of all, I say to Sharon and her family that I am sorry about what they have experienced. The hon. Gentleman makes an excellent point. Mental health funding is increasing so we can ensure parity of service. He is also right to raise the issue of eating disorders, for which provision is currently expanding. 2,000 more children were given the treatment, advice and support they needed last year, and there are plans to go further because it is an issue that needs tackling.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to dramatically improving NHS mental health provision specifically

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Q15 Jason McCartney Con
Policing & Resources Justice & Courts
Context

Police Constable Nicola Hughes and PC Fiona Bone were murdered in Manchester a decade ago, and their father Bryn is campaigning for emergency service workers to receive the Elizabeth medal posthumously.

Question

Nicola's dad Bryn continues his campaign for police officers who die on duty to be awarded the Elizabeth medal posthumously. Does my right hon. Friend agree it's time to commemorate these brave individuals by awarding them this medal?

Answer from Rishi Sunak

I thank my hon. Friend for his question and his constituent Bryn for his campaigning. Every life lost in the line of duty is a tragedy, and we remember the lives and service of PCs Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone. We are determined to ensure that the sacrifice that police officers and other public service officers make is recognised, and we are carefully considering the best and most appropriate ways to do that.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not agree or disagree with posthumously awarding the Elizabeth medal specifically

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Q16 Kirsty Blackman SNP Aberdeen North
NHS Economy Standards & Ethics
Context

Criticism of the UK Conservative government's economic policies, high winter heating costs, and lack of fair pay negotiations.

Question

People are suffering due to poor policies by the UK Tory Government. The economy has crashed, millions fear winter cold, and divisions are stoked over striking workers instead of negotiating fair deals. Why does this Prime Minister only rely on questionable PPE suppliers in the House of Lords, bankers, and former PMs getting taxpayer-funded handouts for partying through covid?

Answer from Rishi Sunak

The only people stoking division in our United Kingdom are the Scottish National party.

Not addressed: Changed subject entirely without addressing specific concerns raised about policies and support for questionable suppliers

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