Clegg, Swinson & Younger-Ross quiz Brown

12.36.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 16th May 2008

Nicholas Clegg (Party Leader; Sheffield, Hallam, Liberal Democrat): Yesterday's announcement was a complete charade. The Government pretend to have solved the 10p problem when they have not, and the Conservatives seem only to be concerned about the effect on their chances in a by-election. How can they all ignore the fact that even after yesterday's announcement, more than 1 million of the poorest people in the country are still worse off? Do they not matter?

Gordon Brown (Prime Minister; Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath, Labour): I am surprised at the right hon. Gentleman. His party's former acting leader and current shadow Chancellor welcomed our announcement yesterday. He welcomed it because 22 million people will be better off. No Government have a better record of tackling poverty than this Government. We have taken 600,000 children out of poverty, another 300,000 children are to be taken out of poverty, and 1 million pensioners are being taken out of poverty. No Liberal policy would ever have achieved that.

[May 14] Nicholas Clegg (Party Leader; Sheffield, Hallam, Liberal Democrat): The fact remains that under a Labour Government the worst paid are worse off. Why do they have to pay for the Prime Minister's incompetence? They cannot wait any longer, so when will he come back to the House with specific proposals to compensate in full the 1 million people he has betrayed?

Gordon Brown (Prime Minister; Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath, Labour): We have said that we will come back in the pre-Budget report, but the right hon. Gentleman must not forget the fact that every person in the country who is an income tax payer at the basic rate will receive £120. Twenty-two million people will receive that money, and households in which there are two such people will receive £240. We have done what we said we would do to offset the average losses, and we are the only Government who are taking people out of poverty-poverty trebled under the Conservative Government.

. . Jo Swinson (Shadow Minister, Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs; East Dunbartonshire, Liberal Democrat): As the Leader of the Opposition has "fessed up" to breaking his promise to end Punch and Judy politics, does the Prime Minister still think that this weekly knockabout is the best way for MPs to hold his Government to account?

Gordon Brown (Prime Minister; Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath, Labour): Yes, and I hope that there will be a vigorous debate on our legislative programme when we put it forward in the next few minutes. I hope that there will be a debate in this House, and in all regions and nations of the country, about what we are proposing. That is the proper way to make decisions about the future of the country.

. . Richard Younger-Ross (Shadow Minister, Culture, Media & Sport; Teignbridge, Liberal Democrat): When the Prime Minister's predecessor, Tony Blair, met the Dalai Lama, he met him in Downing street. When his predecessor, John Major, met the Dalai Lama, he met him in Downing street. Will the Prime Minister confirm that when he meets the Dalai Lama, he will do so in Downing street?

Gordon Brown (Prime Minister; Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath, Labour): What matters is not in what part of Westminster we meet, but what issues to do with the future of Tibet are discussed. I am meeting the Dalai Lama with the Archbishop of Canterbury. I am also attending, at Lambeth palace, a conference of faith groups involving the Dalai Lama, and I can tell the House that all issues of substance relating to our views on what is happening in Tibet will be discussed and on the table. We will be pressing the Dalai Lama to join us in facilitating negotiations between the Chinese Government and the Tibetans. That is the important way forward, and it is issues of substance that matter in this.