Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Tuition Fees and US Steel Tariffs.
Tuition Fees
Asked when the Bill on tuition fees would be brought forward and the Second Reading would take place, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) said that the position had not changed since he was asked the same question at this morning’s briefing. Asked if any of the Prime Minister’s meetings in Downing Street this afternoon were about this issue, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister was having meetings with Ministerial colleagues and would have further such meetings later today on a range of issues. Questioned as to whether the Bill would be published on Wednesday, the PMOS said that we hadn’t ruled a date in or out at this stage. As he had said this morning, the Second Reading could be before or after Christmas. Put to him that the Bill would need to be published this week if the Second Reading was to happen before Christmas, the PMOS said he was aware of a number of Parliamentary conventions relating to timetabling. They were conventions and were therefore not set in stone. The clarity on this issue which journalists were seeking would come in due course. Asked to confirm the fact that the variability aspect of student financing was not up for negotiation in any shape or form, the PMOS said that that was absolutely the case.
Asked if there was another reason for the delay in bringing the Bill forward other than the fact that it enjoyed little support from Backbenchers, the PMOS said that following any Queen’s Speech, the Legislative Programme was set out for the forthcoming session. A session was not a month but a year. Not every Bill was published, introduced or had its Second Reading before Christmas. Asked if he was indicating that that was the main reason for the delay, the PMOS said that discussions were taking place between Ministers and Business Managers on the legislative timetable. He hoped that the issue regarding this particular Bill would be resolved in the not-too-distant future.
US Steel Tariffs
Asked if the Prime Minister was expecting an announcement from the US this week on steel tariffs, the PMOS said that this was a question which should perhaps be put to the White House Spokesman who would be briefing within the hour as usual. The WTO had set a deadline for 6 December. As he understood it, that had moved a little last week. He pointed out that there was a logical dynamic to these issues inasmuch as the WTO had ruled that the EU would be perfectly entitled to put in place reciprocal tariffs if the status quo continued, so an announcement would have to be made one way or the other. Asked if we were hopeful of a positive announcement from the US this week, the PMOS said that we continued to make our views known about this issue, as was evident from the Prime Minister and President Bush’s joint press conference two weeks ago. Ultimately, however, it was a decision for the US Administration to make.
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