Prime Minister's Questions

The prime minister tunes into the rhythm of the House

The prime minister launched into his first question-time of 2005 by clarifying British losses in the Asian tsunami.

He maintained his interest in facts as the Conservative leader Michael Howard dwelt on the speculation over a split between the PM and his Chancellor.

With rejuvenated wit he described the behind-the-scenes manoeuvring of Mr Blair, the "deals on meals prime minister".

He concluded that, "it's no wonder the Chancellor isn't a happy eater" and asked, "how can they fight crime wham they're fighting each other?"

Mr Blair scored at least one goal of his own as he quoted the Conservative Edward Leigh's comments on the Politics Show about only Labour being able to deliver improvements in health and education.

Questions

Vera Baird (Redcar, Labour) praised Redcar Steelworks and the work of her regional development agency (RDA) in helping secure new contracts.
The prime minister joined in the congratulations and assured the future budgets of the RDAs.

Michael Howard (Folkestone & Hythe, Conservative) questioned recent claims that the Chancellor said that he could no longer trust the PM. He wondered why the Chancellor had not denied the claim and asked if Mr Blair had ever said he was going to stand down before the next election. He also pointed out that nobody believes a word the prime minister says anyway and questioned the government's achievements.
The prime minister denied the statement and turned to substance and the prospect of economic success under the Conservatives. He listed the government's achievements in getting people back to work, mortgage rates, hospital waiting lists, primary school standards and policing.

Clive Soley (Ealing Acton & Shepherd's Bush, Labour) pointed out the significance of the government's new Child Trust Fund Scheme, which is about to come into operation.
The prime minister agreed that the so-called "baby bonds" were vital for giving children a fairer start in life.

Charles Kennedy (Ross Skye & Inverness West, Liberal Democrat) raised the difficulties caused by the severe weather in the north of the UK. He spoke of the Chancellor's proposal for a new Marshall Plan to help lift Africa out of poverty. Mr Kennedy wondered if there was an active proposal to merge the foreign office and department for international development and whether the management of such a new "super department" would be a suitable new job for the Chancellor.
The prime minister sympathised with the difficulties being faced by people as a result of a spate of extreme weather conditions. He said that there were serious intentions to lead the G8 in addressing the problems in Africa. Mr Blair denied that the Gordon Brown was set for a job at the FCO or DfID and that DfID had proved a vital innovation of his government.

Brian Wilson (Cunninghame North, Labour) praised the work of people maintaining power supplies in the light of the bad weather and asked that there was sufficient support for Ofgem to provide an adequate infrastructure to sustain these activities. The prime minister joined in the praise and said that it was also important to invest more in flood defences, in the light of emerging patterns of climate change.

Edward Leigh (Gainsborough, Conservative) referred to comments made by the leader of the civil servants' union that they were having difficulties dealing with the government's demands.
The prime minister said that the government was committed to improving public services, and was succeeding in doing so.

Chris Bryant (Rhondda, Labour) criticised the intensive marketing of credit services, encouraging a culture of debt.
The prime minister said the Consumer Credit Bill was designed to ensure that credit companies acted responsibly.

Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge, Conservative) asked the PM to legislate to ensure that travellers don't abuse the planning system.
The prime minister explained that local authorities had already been given special powers to make sure this didn't happen and that these measures should be tried and tested before creating new law.

Karen Buck (Regent's Park & Kensington North, Labour) called for support for new hospital facilities in her constituency.
The prime minister said he was very impressed by the plans that he had seen and that the facilities were essential to the government's development of the NHS.

Elfyn Llwyd (Meironnydd Nant Conwy, Plaid Cymru) suggested the PM should admit failing on his promise to provide people with access to NHS dentistry.
The prime minister conceded this had still not been achieved but that progress was being made and there were changes in the profession but that improvements in the NHS overall were undeniable.

Brian Donohoe (Cunninghame South, Labour) He spoke of dozens of recent civil service job losses in his constituency through changes in the work and pensions department and asked if there could be a further meeting on the matter.
The prime minister gave details of the timetable for relocation plans but could not give further details on relocation to Ayreshire. He agreed to the possibility of a future meeting on the matter.

Archy Kirkwood (Roxburgh & Berwickshire, Liberal Democrat) added his voice to concerns about civil service job losses in his region and pointed out that many regions would soon be losing European structural funds to compound the problem. He also wanted to join any delegation to the PM about the restructuring of the civil service.
The prime minister maintained that was pressure to reduce the civil service and also to redistribute the jobs across the country.

Anne Begg (Aberdeen South, Labour) asked what else the government could do to reduce the gender inequality pay gap.
The prime minister accepted that the matter still needed dealing with and reinforced the importance of initiatives like the minimum wage.

Stephen Dorrell (Charnwood, Conservative) referred to the PM's assertion that his election manifesto would be "unremittingly New Labour" and wondered how the Chancellor would describe his policies.
The prime minister said the Chancellor's description would be the same and New Labour's agenda - unlike the Conservative's - would create "a fairer and stronger country".

David Winnick (Walsall North, Labour) suggested that extending licensing hours was at variance with a supposed national epidemic of binge drinking.
The prime minister maintained that the law-abiding majority should have the same flexibility as other countries but come down hard on the minority that abuses alcohol.

You can watch PMQs on BBC Parliament on Wednesday 12 January at 2330 GMT and throughout the night.