Point-by-point: Question time

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk_politics/6449893.stm

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The main points from prime minister's questions in the House of Commons on Wednesday 14 March:

<li>Tony Blair - and later David Cameron and Sir Menzies Campbell - pays tribute to Warrant Officer Michael Smith who died while serving in Afghanistan.

<li>David Cameron asked about the need to replace the UK's Trident nuclear weapons system, asking the PM to confirm it was in the national interest and not counter to non-proliferation obligations. He said that because the Conservatives backed the plan they were working together for the national interest and asked for an assurance that there would be no "appeasement" of Labour rebels and Liberal Democrats, and that the vote this evening would be the main vote on Trident.

<li>Mr Blair said it was important that the UK's actions did not break non-proliferation treaty obligations. He said the renewal of Trident would not do so. He said that he respected the views of those opposed to renewing Trident, but said that he believed a decision to replace Trident had to be taken now because of the 17-year lead time. Thus, he said, there had to be a vote now on the concept and design phase.

<li>Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell said that the last time the Conservatives had helped to win a vote for Mr Blair on a big issue in spite of a large Labour rebellion was the vote giving the go ahead to the Iraq war. He said that was not a "comforting precedent". Sir Menzies, who favours delaying a decision on Trident renewal, asked about that and how the UK's decision to renew Trident would help its attempts to stop nuclear proliferation.

<li>Mr Blair said Sir Menzies was "sitting on the fence" and said the experts had made clear that it would take 17 years to design and build the replacement submarines - therefore a decision had to be taken now, or the UK would by default be left without a "nuclear deterrent" when the current subs went out of service in 2024. He also said that having nuclear weapons would help, rather than hinder, UK attempts to stop more countries getting nuclear weapons.

<li>Ex-Labour home office minister John Denham asked for a guarantee that the Commons might be able to have a further vote on Trident in the future if necessary. This was needed because today's vote appeared to be committing the UK to a nuclear weapons system for the next 45 years, and the world could change dramatically over that time.

<li>Mr Blair said the vote today was on the "design and concept" stage and that Parliament could always revisit the issue whenever it wanted. He said the actual contracts would go out sometime between 2012 and 2014, so MPs could revisit then. But he said that without a positive vote now, there would not be an option to replace Trident in time for it ending its service life.

<li>For his second set of questions Mr Cameron asked Mr Blair why the Government was not doing moreto improve medical facilities for injured troops in Britain. The PM responded that their care at Birmingham Selly Oak Hospital was "very good".

<li>Angus Macneil, SNP, asked about soldiers in Iraq who had to have their family sending food parcels because of the lack of 24 hour canteens in Iraq. He accused the PM of failing in his duty of care. Mr Blair said Mr Macneil's claim was not right and paid tribute to the efforts of the armed forces.

<li>In other questions the prime minister was asked to support a posthumous knighthood for formerCeltic and Scotland football manager Jock Stein. He said such decisions were not his to take alone.