As we are on the side of the house that there has been a 42 increase in longterm unemployment among young women in this country under his watch . Can he confirm that the reason why he doesnt support the it isgn is he believes providing jobs for the girls . What we have seen under this government is a quite rapid reduction in unemployment over recent months. One million more people in work than when i became Prime Minister. There is a lot more work to be done in terms of getting the longterm unemployed back into work. I think the work program is now performing twice as successfully as some of its previous programs. She should get behind those programs. Joshua folks in my constituency died due to a knife attack. The government have toughened up my flaws. What more can be done to rid the streets of this country of the carnage of knife attacks . My honorable friend makes a very good point. As he said, what we have done is tough and the law and i think that has made a difference. I think the most important thing now is to get rid of this dreadful culture of people carrying knives and educating young people of the dangers of carrying knives. Knivesn those who carry and up being stabbed with them themselves. Ed miliband. Speaker, does the Prime Minister agree that given the crisis ordinary families are facing in their Living Standards, mps should not be awarded a pay rise in 2015 . I do agree with them. It would be wrong for mps to get a pay rise at a time of paper strength. All Party Leaders agree on that. We have made this point. I think we should be clear that what they have said is not a final recommendation. Let me make three points. The idea of an 11 pay rise in one year at a time of pay restraint is i think unacceptable. Do need to think again. Unless they do so, no one will want to go back to mps voting on their own pay. We have to have a process and outcome that can build public confidence. Third, i think this should all be accompanied with a cut in the cost of politics. Ed miliband. I am glad he agrees. Me thatalso agree with we should not let this hang around as an issue until after the general elections . Me i urge him to work with to find a way on a crossparty think againingipsa and stop this package happening. My door is always open to the right honorable gentleman. I am happy to discuss this or any other issue. I would stress the point that this is not a final recommendation and i think if the three Party Leaders and others in this house can unite behind the position of saying it wouldnt be right to make this pay rise, that i think that is the strongest message we can give. Mr. Ed miliband. Mr. Speaker, i agree with the Prime Minister but i hope he agrees with me that waiting and seeing wont work and we do have to get together to deal with this now. The reason why this is not the right time for this pay rise is because most people are going through the biggest costof living crisis in a generation. I want to turn to that costof living crisis. Last thursday, the chancellor claimed Living Standards were rising. That is just not the case . Point. Me just add one the government has shown respect for the fact of difficulties people face by the fact that when we came in, we cut ministers pay by five percent and froze it for the whole of the parliament. That is not something that the Party Opposite did. He wants to get on to the economy. After last weeks exchange, i cant wait to get on to the economy. New i amd a looking forward to discussing these things. I thought the institute of fiscal studies put this for a clearly. They said, we have had a great big recession. We have had the biggest recession we have had in 100 years. It would be astonishing if Household Incomes hadnt fallen and earnings hadnt fallen but the fact is that is the legacy of what they left us. His entire approach seems to be this we made the most almighty mess, why are you taking so long to clear it up . We are clearing it up. He hasspeaker, in case forgotten, he has been the Prime Minister for 3. 5 years. But i think we are making because last thursday i think we are. Last thursday, the chancellor said that Living Standards were rising. His own office of budget responsibility says this, almost whichever way you look at it, average earnings, wages, salaries, the levels have been falling. Order. You are yelling across the chamber. Quiet. Calm yourself. Take up yoga. Mr. Ed miliband. They went on. It is inconceivable to suggest otherwise but that is exactly what the chancellor did last thursday. Why wont he come out and admit it . There is a costofliving crisis in this country. Youre being heckled from your own site. Know how youre going to give us all in order, mr. Speaker. I will tell him what has been happening over the three years. We have got the deficit down by a third. We have a million more people in work. 400,000 more businesses operating in britain and one of the fastest rates of growth of any major western economy. The truth about Living Standards is this, if you dont have a longterm economic plan to get our economy moving, you dont have a plan to deal with Living Standards. We have a plan. Our plan is to keep Interest Rates low, get the country back to work, cut peoples taxes, vista business. It is working. He doesnt have a plan as we discovered last week apart from more borrowing, more spending, more taxes, all the things that got us into the mess in the first place. Utterly complacent and out of touch with the country. That is this Prime Minister all over. Lets be fair to him. He does understand that some people are struggling because today we learn that his plan to top rate of tax further from 45 pence to 40 pence. Can he explain why is even contemplating a further tax cut for millionaires who have received hundreds of thousands of pounds of tax cuts when ordinary families are so squeezed . Rate of tax under this government is higher than any of the times he was in the cabinet or he was working in the treasury trying to wreck the economy in the first place. If he wants to talk costof living, let us compare our records. They doubled cancel tax. We have frozen it. They put up natural tax 12 times. We have frozen it. We have increased the pension by 15 pounds a week. I am happy to compare our records any time of day. If you want to sort out the costofliving, help families, you need more jobs, you need more growth, more longterm economic plans. We have got one. He hasnt. I will tell him what happened. Ill tell him what happened order. Vendors can calm down. I have said it before, some people are slow learners. , we wills it takes just keep going. Ed miliband. I will tell him what happened. Real earnings went up 3600 pounds. Living standards up. Under him, they are down 1600 pounds. Living standards down under this government. We have always known how out of touch he is. He has taken it to whole new levels. They are in denial about the costofliving crisis and they are not that is fine with one million our tax cut. I think it is time for another. He stands up for the wrong people. Oh dear me. At the end of six questions, we are back to denial and the record of the last labor government. I know i have long flight, but i couldnt have written the script better if i had done it myself. The last government give us the biggest budget deficit anywhere in the world. They gave us the biggest banking bust anywhere in the world. They gave us they created a giant mass that this government is clearing up. That is the truth. Autumn statement, why cant he mention the fact that Business Optimism is up . Manufacturing is up. The number of job makers is up. Thank you, mr. Speaker. Unemployment in my constituency is 21 lower than it was we have had a 90 increase in apprenticeship startups, manufacturing output is up and Business Activity is at a 32 month high in the west midlands. Would the Prime Minister agree with me that due to the hard work of my constituents and people across the country, the governments longterm economic plan is working and delivering benefits to every region of the United Kingdom . My honorable friend is right. Which duringands, the boom years, the number of people employed in the private sector employed went down, but now we are seeing better news. Employment is up 25,000 since the election. Private Sector Employment is up 14,000 this year. The youth claimant count is falling in the west midlands. I know how much time and effort he puts into things like the apprenticeship fair that he held earlier this year. That shows that the longterm plan we have is the right plan and it is beginning to work. Mr. Speaker, what the Prime Minister have to say to women working fulltime across this country who have seen their disposable incomes fall on average by almost 2500 pounds since his government came to office . Welcome that there are more women in work than at any time in our history. The second thing to say is that because we are lifting the first 10,000 pounds that people earn out of income tax, they will be better off by 705 pounds next year. That is progress. If he is saying, does it take time to recover from the mess left by his party . Yes it does. We are going to do it. Mr. Speaker, dementia is a disease most feared by the over 50s in this country. The government is doubling investment in Dementia Research during this parliament and the Prime Minister hosting the g8 summit on dementia this week, will he now lift the countrys and governments sites by committing to doubling this countrys investment in Dementia Research . I am grateful to what he said. He is right that this is the real challenge facing not just this country where there are 670,000 people suffering from dementia, but a challenge facing the whole world. That is why we are having this g8 conference in london so we can share intelligence and expertise. We can share Scientific Research and learn lessons from each other. Yes, this government is planning to double research into dementia up to 2015 and we plan to double it again thereafter. That the implementation of the universal credit has become a shambles, how can the public have confidence in those who are responsible for it . First of all, i think it is absolutely right that we introduce this benefit system in a very slow and deliberate way. Frankly, i remember as a constituent sitting in my surgery when the tax Credit System came in in one big bang, having case after case with peoples Household Finances completely wrecked at the last labor government. I wont let that happen again. As we introduce this vital benefit, let us remember the fact that there are 480,000 fewer people on out of work benefits and it is this government that is making work pay. Does my right honorable friend agree with me that the best way to raise Living Standards of my constituents is for the government to stick to its longterm plan to rebuild this economy and not abandon it in favor of more borrowing them a taxes as proposed by the Party Opposite . My honorable friend is entirely right. The biggest hit would be if we let spending and borrowing get out of control and Interest Rates went up. That is what we want to avoid. We have got the deficit down. We must continue with our difficult lending decisions. Has enabled us to cut taxes on people working and living in belton. By next year, people on minimum wage working fulltime will see their income tax bill come down by two thirds. That is real action on the side of people who work hard. Awarethe Prime Minister that ftse 100 directors now get 86,000 pounds a week on average while at the other end of the scale, 5 million workers get and than the living wage three quarters of a Million People who cant get a job get nothing at all and are left to starve . Is there no end to the brutality and nastiness of tory britain . I would say to the honorable gentleman, who served in labor government after labor government with a 40 pence tax rate when it is now 45 pence, with a bonus financer in the city 85 times higher in the city than it is now . He has got a brass neck. Thank you, mr. Speaker. Show that the second largest pub committee in this country, in their pubs overcharged the british consumer 4. 3 alone by four billion pounds over the next 10 years. There is clear market manipulation. Will he commit to dealing with this crony capitalism and listen to the federation of Small Businesses . Know of his longstanding interest not just in beer, but in pubs and how pub landlords are treated particularly in the pub companies. Let me look very carefully at what he said. I am a great believer in a healthy pub industry. Theyre often the heart of our communities. Mr. Speaker, during his autumn statement, the chancellor said that people should expect to spend one third of their of the life and retirement. Considering that Life Expectancy in some communities is only 75, what does he think would be a fair retirement age in a welsh context . Wax the point the chancellor was making is that this should be set independently, but it is right to set a guide to set and expectations rather than have ministers announce what retirement age should be. Honorablethe gentleman is making that we need to tackle Health Inequality is better in our country. I would agree with him. Thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, stan franks recently passed away. For 31 missions, a staggering achievement for such a young man. Will my honorable friend congratulate the efforts of the funds toon for raising ensure that his passing is marked appropriately . I certainly praise all those who raised money in this way. The story of stan franks is a truly remarkable one. He is believed to be the youngest air man to complete over 30 missions in 1934 1944 to 45 before he was 20 years old. It is a real reminder just how much previous generations put in to make sure that we could live in freedom. It has been one of the greatest privileges i have had to welcome veterans to number 10 downing street and make that announcement about making sure they have that clasp on their metal medal. The fighters are ourselves asian but the bombers alone provide the means of victory. We should never forget those brave crews in bomber command. So many are coming to the end of their lives but did so much for our country. Harris. R [laughter] a great start. I thank the Prime Minister for saving my marriage . [laughter] carolyn was just about to sign the divorce papers when she heard the report that if we stayed together we would be in line for a sweet 150 pound a year takes tax break. Marriage must be underpinned by the tax system. Why is it that since the married persons tax allowance was abolished in 2000, the divorce rate has gone down . [laughter] that happinessed is maintained in the harris household. I could put it another way. It was only when i started talking about the married couples allowance that the leader of the opposition tied the knot. The tax system moves in mysterious ways. [laughter] in light of the call by the leader of the opposition for urgent action in response to it s proposal, will my right honorable friend read table the report which would pay for an increase and increase the workload of mps . It would surely be hipper critical for the leader of the opposition or the leader of the liberal democrats to oppose that measure. My right honorable friend is tempting me. The point i was trying to make is i think that cutting the cost of politics has a role to play alongside this argument. Order. Numbers must not shout at that Prime Minister. It is discourteous to keep gesticulating at the man. It is no good. They have the opportunity to reform the law and they were the ones that stop it. Thank you, mr. Speaker. The Prime Minister says that the g8 and his attendants at the advertisedconference his commitment to Northern Ireland and the economy. Whitehall is busy removing jobs from Northern Ireland. How does the removal of jobs at contribute tond balancing the economy in Northern Ireland and balancing that region . I quite understand why the gentleman makes the point he does. Secretary will be meeting with him to talk about the issues. Noted, the department of transport are still considering the results of this consultation. Employment in Northern Ireland has actually risen 32,000 since the election. I think he knows as i know that the longterm answer for Northern Ireland is a private sector revival. The Public Sector is very large in Northern Ireland and we need more small and mediumsized enterprises. We need those jobs to come which is what the g8 and Investment Conference were all about. My constituent who has recently completed the National CitizenService Program visited my surgery on saturday with lisa farrell to let me know just how much the program had given him personal confidence and a clear sense of what he wished to do with his future. What plans does my right honorable friend have or enabling as many young people as possible to take part in this Transformative Program . I am grateful for what my honorable friend says. It is a Transformati