David Cameron live webchat, Friday 14th March 3.30-4.30

[JustineMumsnet]

David Cameron is coming back (which is more than we can say for Piers Morgan). The leader of the opposition will be logging on from The Tory party's spring forum in Gateshead this Friday pm, at 3.30. Come along and pose him a question about an issue relevant to you, or if you can't make it on the day, you can post advance questions here.
Best,
MNHQ

Oh YES to the family courts secrecy question. Why is it that innocent until proven guilty applies until it's mothers?

Could I ask Mr Cameron/Dave what his party is going to do about the continued scandal of forced adoptions in England? Given that we are one of only TWO countries that do this in the western world, surely we need to address this discrimination against our vulnerable families & children.

Thanks

and also to quattrocento for "this bullingdon thing"

ok a real question.

what are the conservatives going to do to reduce gun crime in london and other major cities?

Www - ABSOLUTELY!

I often wonder why you politician's are so obsessed with offering us 'choice'? Particularly in relation to schools and hospitals. I don't want choice. I want to know that my local school/hospital is as good as the one in the next town.

If you stopped offering me a sodding 'choice' I really would vote for you.

It's late. I'm grumpy. And poor.

I can feel your empathy...

Can we have MN discount on Nancys please?

Can you comment on paternity benefits surely £112 a week is not reaonable at all. I've had 2 children since they came out and both times my partner has had to take 2 weeks of his holiday entitlement as he would lose too much money if he took the paternity leave. Imo it's an empty gesture.

Also I really like you (against my better judgement ) but if you get in are you going to stick by what you say now or just forget it like all the others have done?

Also I really like you (against my better judgement ) but if you get in are you going to stick by what you say now or just forget it like all the others have done?

See I like you so much I posted it twice!

Oh God I just winked at David Cameron! I am one of those wine drinking mums they go on about aren't I?

I am sure that this question, as aways, will be sidestepped completely. However, here goes;

Would a conservative government support grandparents who have their grandchildren living with them on a permanent basis and guarantee that they will make available the same weekly allowance that are currently paid to foster carers?

I am sure you are aware that there are literally thousands of grandparent and kinship carere who do not get a penny toward caring for children that they keep out of the care system thus saving the government a fortune.

In our case, our own children were grown up. We had to sell our home to pay for relevant court costs, both had to give up jobs that were very well paid and had to move over 350 miles away to ensure our grandsons safety from his father. We now live in rented accommodation, on one very low wage, where the rent alone takes around 70% of our income. I am qualified to post-grad level with absolutely no hope of finding a job here and no chance of ever getting back on the property ladder. We have no social life, no spare money whatsoever and it is only going to get worse with the rise in food and fuel costs.

David

You are quoted as suggesting that 'the first test of any policy is: does it help families?'

Perhaps you could explain in the light of that comment why you voted

against the introductions of two weeks paternity leave
against extending maternity leave
against family friendly hours in parliament
against increasing maternity pay
against working tax credits and child tax credits
against the right to request flexible working

I fully expect that either

1. You won't answer, because there's no good answer

or

2. You will quite rightly anticipate this to be raised in a webchat on a parenting forum and will have prepared a suitable response, in which case let's hear it.

What Marina said and incidentally, Is anybody going to talk to us about INFLATION?

And for those of us who have given up well-paid and interesting careers (or indeed low-paid and uninteresting careers) in order to raise our own children, will you allow the stay-at-home spouse's tax allowance to be transferred to the working spouse?

^^alternatively, that would adversely affect the children of families where there is only one parent and that parent works. shouldn't you aim any tax breaks at children rather than couples?

what do you propose regarding the CSA/C-MEC. didn't the tories introduce the CSA in the first place? Do you support the reforms or don't they go far enough? how will you make absent parents pay maintenance?

Ooh seems wrong not to come and fire a nappy related question

David,

Before I start, please do not try and quote the "study" back at me about cloth being terrible for the planet. It is not, the study was flawed in more ways than I have time to explain now.

Anyway - will a conservative gvt do anything as a whole to encourage use of cloth nappies? Individual councils offer various incentives and it is a postcode lottery (always wanted to use that phrase ) as to how much of an incentive there is to try out cloth. The promise of cash back or a good starter kit is often all that is needed to give parents a nudge to try them, and then they realise that they aren't evil hard to use things and stick with them, helping with landfill, their finances (tight due to the maternity pay questions ) and also a helps lot of independent work at home mums rather than chain stores!

How would transfer of the non-working spouse's tax allowance affect single parents?? The single parent would still be getting their own tax allowance. I'm not suggesting that that should change to accommodate the married couple's tax situation.

I think someone else has already mentioned this but I really think it's important:

Will you consider increasing the current childcare voucher scheme or looking into other ways of making the whole cost of childcare tax-deductible?

While I can see how staying at home is the ideal option for some mothers, others of us that fall above the cut off for tax credits are paying for the full cost of our children's childcare ourselves, and are at the same time contributing to our local economies and local servies (many of us are in the public sector). Staying out of employment for five years would mean that I would never get my job back (I'm a research scientist). Keeping me in employment will mean thousands and thousands more tax dollars to the government over the course of my career. Can the conservatives see this as an investment and allow mothers to chose whether to work by increasing tax relief on childcare?

(Doing this at the same time as allowing SAHMs to transfer personal allowances to their husbands would really be offering a choice and would be fair to all of us).

Who do you prefer 'facing' - Tony Blair or Gordon Brown? And which do you think was the more effective leader? (I know GB is still in early days).

I won't be here

But I would be interested in David's proposals for carers allowance.

I care for my severely disabled son - I have lost my carer's allowance because I am now a full time research student. It doesn't matter that I do exactly the same number of hours a week caring as before. I leave my office at 3pm to meet my his school bus- (there is no after school care suitable for him in our city -another issue) then make up the time when he is asleep. I still do the 2am wake-ups, and yet it's still been bye bye carer's allowance.

Oh and would you look at giving parents the choice of statutory 'maternity' pay being available to either mothers or fathers that choose to look after the baby.
dd could have stayed at home with her Dad for 6 months if this had been allowed. Seems we are penalised because the mother is the main breadwinner, not the father. I am sure this would be seen as fairer and more flexible.

oh dear a missing apostrophe in bold type. I do apologise!

I am considering/leaning towards voting Tory btw (was surprised to see you say that WWW ) but carer's allowance is the sort of thing that might swing me.

Agree with the above about family courts as well.