Downing Street Says

Prime Minister’s Speech

blognumberten — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:45:58 +0000

Asked where the speech will be tomorrow, the Prime Minister’s Spokesman (PMS) said it would be at the Foreign Press Association.

Asked if the Prime Minister would not be making a speech on nuclear disarmament now, the PMS said the Prime Minster would be making some opening remarks in which he would touch on security issues.

original source.

UK Statistics Society

blognumberten — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:45:57 +0000

Asked if the Statistics Authority today had called for the pre access to information to Ministers to reduce from a day to three hours, the PMS said no, but we do take the issue of pre release to official statistics very seriously. We tightened the rules around 1st December 2008, we are carrying out our own review and we are going to consider the recommendations made by the UKSA and we would hope to do that in the next couple of months.

original source.

Guidelines on Detainee Handling

blognumberten — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:45:56 +0000

Asked the reasons why we didn’t have published today the guidelines on detainees handling, the PMS said the Government would do it when it was ready to do so. We are committed to publishing as soon as possible.

original source.

Borrowing Figures

blognumberten — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:45:55 +0000

Asked if the Prime Minister had been cheered up by the latest borrowing figures, the PMS said any economic indicator that reinforces the fact that we are coming out of a recession was good news, but the Chancellor has cautioned, as have others that the recovery had some way to go.

Asked if in the event that public borrowing does come in lower than forecast, what is the priority, to play down the deficit or to continue to support the economy, the PMS said the priority, as we had always said was to halve the deficit within four years, that was why the Government had legislated for it.

original source.

ISC Guidelines

blognumberten — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:00:58 +0000

Asked if it was the Prime Minister’s intention to publish the revised guidelines on the interrogation and treatment of suspects before the General Election, the Prime Minister’s Spokesman (PMS) told the assembled press that the Government was committed to publishing the guidelines as soon as possible. It was the Government’s aim to consolidate and publish the guidance, but we would not be giving any more guidance on the timing.

Put that it could be after the general election, the PMS repeated that we were committed to publishing it as soon as possible. Put that the Chairman of the ISC was given an assurance by the Prime Minister a week ago that the guidelines would be published before today’s debate in the Commons, the PMS replied that the most important thing was that the Government was absolutely committed to publishing the guidance.

original source.

DECC Adverts

blognumberten — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:00:57 +0000

Asked whether the Prime Minister had a view on the ruling against some wording in adverts produced by the Department for Energy and Climate Change, the PMS said that the department had given a response on this issue.

original source.

Iraq Inquiry

blognumberten — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:00:56 +0000

Asked about the Prime Minister’s letter to Sir John Chilcot and the lack of an apology, the PMS said the Prime Minister wanted to set out in more detail than he had provided to the Chilcot Inquiry, the position in relation to Defence budgets. Sir John Chilcot had said the letter provided a detailed explanation of the differences between the Defence budget and Defence expenditure and how these totals had changed year on year in real terms. It was now for the Inquiry to determine what they did with the information.

Put that the letter did not include an apology, the PMS said that the Prime Minister had been very clear in the letter. It was important that people understood that there was a difference between a budget that was set and the outturn.

Asked if the Prime Minister felt the need to correct any other details, the PMS said that the Prime Minister had written specifically about Defence expenditure. The Prime Minister would be very happy to give any more information that the Chilcot Inquiry asked for.

original source.

Electric Cars

blognumberten — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:00:55 +0000

Put that now electric cars were being made in the UK, would there be a larger number of charge points set up and who would pay for these, the PMS replied that the Government had made an announcement on the provision of more charge points but he would give the detail of that announcement.

original source.

Chancellor Merkel

blognumberten — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:45:58 +0000

Asked if the Prime Minister had any reaction to Chancellor Merkel’s comments on hedge funds, the Prime Minister’s Spokesman (PMS) said that he had only just seen the comments made by Chancellor Merkel, but the Prime Minister was clear about the directive. Chancellor Merkel’s comments suggested that there was more work to be done before the directive came back. This was a complex issue and it was important that we produced a directive that widened the regulatory net whilst having strong oversight of hedge funds.

Asked if the Prime Minister expected an agreement this side of the election, the PMS said that there was nothing more to be said on this at this stage.

original source.

Iraq Inquiry

blognumberten — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:45:57 +0000

Asked if the Prime Minister had written to the Chilcot inquiry yet, the PMS said that the Prime Minister would be writing to Sir John Chilcot, and the letter would be made available. The Prime Minister had taken the first opportunity to set out the position to the House of Commons, and it was entirely right that he now communicated with Sir John and the inquiry.

Asked if the Prime Minister would be apologising for misleading the Chilcot inquiry, the PMS said that the Prime Minister had made it clear in the House of Commons today that in one or two years, in real terms, the budget didn’t go up, and he wanted to set out the details behind that.

Asked how the Prime Minister managed to get the figures wrong, the PMS said that budgets were complex; there was a cash budget, the outturn budget and the real terms budget. A real terms budget and a budget outturn had a number of factors involved, and when looking at a budget run there would always be operational fluctuation. It was incontrovertible that defence spending, in real terms, had risen by ten per cent since 1997.

Put that the Prime Minister had made a mistake, the PMS said that the Prime Minister had today taken the opportunity to give the House of Commons more information on the questions that had been raised regarding defence budgets. The defence budget was one of the biggest budgets in the UK Government and the broad direction and increase in defence spending had been significant over the last thirteen years. There had clearly been a couple of years where in real terms it hadn’t risen, and the Prime Minister’s letter to Sir John Chilcot would build on the back of what the Prime Minister said at the House of Commons today. The Prime Minister stated today that due to operational fluctuations and the way the money was spent, expenditure in defence had risen in cash terms every year, but in one or two years, that defence expenditure did not rise in real terms.

How did the Prime Minister become aware that he needed to give an explanation of what he said at the Chilcot inquiry, the PMS said that the Prime Minister gave the best part of six hours of evidence to the Chilcot inquiry and he wanted to make sure that there was a complete understanding of everything he said.

Asked if the Prime Minister had asked to see the figures he gave Chilcot and the ones he had given to the House of Commons today and if he chose which set of figures to use between the two, the PMS said that the Prime Minister had been answering questions from the inquiry and he was now taking the opportunity to write to Sir John Chilcot about the issue.

Asked why the Prime Minister hadn’t written to Sir John Chilcot already, the PMS said that the Prime Minister had sent the letter at what he felt was the appropriate time.

Asked if the Prime Minister felt that he should go back and give more evidence, the PMS said that it was for the Chilcot inquiry to decide who they wanted to give evidence.

Asked if the Prime Minister would feel comfortable about going back, the PMS said that the Prime Minister would do whatever the inquiry asked of him, which was why he volunteered to give evidence in the first place.

Asked what the Prime Minister’s mood was today given what had happened, the PMS said that the Prime Minister was as focussed as ever and was getting on with business.

original source.