Live webchat with David Cameron - this Thursday 19th, 1.45 pm

[JustineMumsnet]

Hello all - David Cameron is coming on to Mumsnet to answer your questions this Thursday at 1.45-2.45. Please post advance questions here if you can't make it on Thursday. (And please read our Webchat guidelines above before posting ie only one question each). Many thanks.

Oh hurrah! I just posted asking you about this I am excited!

Just re-reading your plan for social reform and will be back with a specific question.

Further to Keir Starmer's speech about the Human Rights Act being misinterpreted, why is a Tory government so insistent on revoking it as the rights are enshrined in the ECHR and merely means that that a British court can apply the law directly?

Mr Cameron.
Please can you outline your plans for increasing school places in areas where population is rising fast? County councils struggle to find the funding to increase school sizes or build new schools.

In many areas there are not enough school places for children in the towns they live. Consequently, they are being sent out to fill up places in less popular schools in other towns. This creates uncertainty for families, splits local communities and increases car travel.

Thank you.

Can you ask him if he intends to introduce the passport to disability system they have in Denmark and which he spoke about on the disabled child programme presented by Rosa Monckton. I don't have a disabled child but it was truly shocking to see the how the level of bureaucracy just made everything so much harder for parents caring for their disabled children.

Mr Cameron, you've been very vague about your plans for tax credits should you win the next election. As many of us here receive working families tax credit and childcare credit to help us get back to work, we'd like a straight answer about whether you plan to cut these or not.

And I emailed him a very heartfelt letter a few weeks ago to which he never replied.

I would like to know if you are fully committed to marriage and mums staying at home and making it financially viable for them to do so. My choice to stay at home but I don't see why my hubby can't pay less tax as it seems you have to very rich or very poor in this country. Tax relief for my husband would be great.

What do you think about the target of 50% university participation? Is it desirable or realistic?

And just to get it out of the way, so we can get on to more important matters...oatcakes?
Really? By themselves? Don't you have them with cheese or something?
[dry mouth emoticon]

Are the Conservatives committed to keeping Childcare Vouchers?
If not, will you commit to the money saved being spent on a replacement childcare scheme?

I am going to think up new question fox the politicians with. They didnt give me a good enough answer about the 30% exam pass rate so now I will play dirty.

further to lovemydogandmrobama I would like to ask dc if he has actually read the Human Rights Act (or, for that matter if his advisers have) - as lovemydog points out revoking it makes no sense at all. (to anyone who's read the thing or knows anything about it)

Hello

I have asked this of Conservative HQ before and received a 'don't know yet' answer, so maybe decisions have been made now?

Some background: we have two children registered disabled, both severe enough to get DLA and need additional educational support (one is a SN placement, one in mainstream but visiting a specialist comprehensive provision tomorrow). We get DLA at Higher and Middle rates.

However, because the older one is diagnosed with a syndrome that our social services does not define as a disability (Aspergers) we cannot access any form of support or respite (ironically he is the one getting Higher Rate due to severe behavioural issues). The younger (autism with severe language delays) is on a waiting list for assessment but may never reach the top as we technically were assessed before his diagnosis (for ds1), so need not be again. We also have two other children and I am registered as a Carer, whilst my DH works part time and is studying for a degree after being made redundant in May.

My question is: there is talk of the DLA system being revised so that entitlement is based on assessment by Social Services (this is following the Attendance Allowance review). This would remove my Carer's Income and our DLA, but unfortunately not the disability so I would still be unable to work, except I would then be fairly destitute. There is widespread concern amongst many similar families both on MN and the general SN community, as this provision gap affects many people.

Do you support any proposed move along these lines?

Hatwoman I totally agree, the HR Act is so important and so very different from what so many perceive it to be. A friend managed to force the LEA to provide education (some time ago) for her severely disabled child using HR legislation.

What will are your plans for Universities if you get elected? I am less interested in the participation rate (though of course it is relevant) and more in the funding structures and governance procedures.

Mr Cameron, would you be helping single parents who don't have any family to rely on to get back to work, earn a proper wage (not be on the 'breadline) and have the work/life balance. Your policies seem to be about the nuclear family, unfortunately not all single parents have had a choice of being in the situation they are in. I worked full time but was then expected to work till after six, obviously I had to leave as after school care doesnt extend to these hours and doesn't extend to weekends. What happens when someone wants to work but can't get the hours.

David, I asked Gordon Brown on mumsnet a month ago if Labour win the next election, will they bring back married couples' tax allowance? Gordon Brown said no.
David, if the Conservatives win the next election, will they bring back married couples' tax allowance ?

Hi David, my partner and I have been together for 14 years and have one gorgeous child with another on the way. We're not married but our commitment and love for each other and our children is for life.

Will we be penalised for not being married through the introduction of the conservative married persons tax allowance?

At the moment this is the only barrier to you winning my vote.

Mr Cameron can you please tell me if there are plans to means test benefits, for example child benefit, and if there are plans to further part privatise the NHS

also interested in tax relief and how they will work for self employed parents

thank you

Mr Cameron, I am a governor at a large state primary school in an area of rural deprivation. We were recently awarded an outstanding Ofsted report in recognition of the phenomenally successful job done by an amazing head teacher and staff who are totally committed to the achieving the best possible outcomes for our pupils.
Yet the head teacher and the governing body face difficult choices every day in juggling a budget which is insufficient to meet the needs of the school. Almost 180 of our 460 pupils are being educated in crumbling prefabs which are unfit for purpose but which there is no prospect of us being able to replace for many years ? there are many other schools in the county who take priority, as their buildings are ? unbelievably ? in an even worse state than ours.
What is your solution to the problems faced by schools like ours - thriving, successful schools who just don?t receive enough money to keep our buildings in good repair and purchase the resources necessary to ensure our children can access the highest quality education possible? We don?t want trust school status, we don?t want private organisations with dubious motives to get involved in running the school, we just want to be given the money to get on with doing a job we have already proved ourselves very capable of doing.
Your schools policy is long on analysis and platitudes and short on any real solutions ? you cannot surely believe that allowing a free for all for private institutions to set up schools is a panacea for the ills of the education system? You address the issue of failing state schools, but fail to show how you will support the thousands of very successful state schools like ours to do the best job they can.
If you are not prepared to put government money where your mouth is, how can you expect any of the outcomes to which you are paying lip service to actually materialise?

I would also like to know the answer to Fabs question

"I would like to know if you are fully committed to marriage and mums staying at home and making it financially viable for them to do so"

but mostly
Why should I vote Conservative...what would change?

Why do I have to pay so much bloody tax just to hire childcare, which is in fact hired for the sole purpose of me (and my husband) going to work? Surely this is an expense which should be removed from my income before my tax is calculated. If I was a business you would subtract my costs before you calculated my worth.

Working parents are treated like big profitable busnesses under this administration, and I just can't understand why Gordon thinks I'm rich when I spend almost all of my money on children and food every month.

What will the Conservative government do to help parents go to work?