Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, on Mumsnet for a webchat

[JustineMumsnet]

Do post your advance questions here.

I totally agree, Riven, see my question earlier in the thread, and not just science but any academic discipline that doesn't have an obvious route to a well-paid career. I think that one of the most pernicious legacies of the Thatcher years, and which successive Labour education secretaries have done nothing to dispell, is the way in which the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake has been dismissed as elitist and unproductive.

Though I know a mortgage on a shoebox can be huge!
Please answer nappy question Mr Brown

Thankyou for answering my question - although we don't qualify for child tax credit. We only get child benefit, I fear that will soon be stopped as well.

MmeLindt - how my Friday morning goes is really up to you! If there's one thing I've learned in my life it's that nothing is inevitable.

Has no one asked you about the rsie you prospe in NI?

Every big comapany i n the UK is saying it will be a disaster for the economy- why do you keep ducking this issue?

The way out of recession is to build businesses- this rise in NI will do the opposite.

Gordon, we're dithering over the name of our beautiful new son - which do you prefer - Benjamin, Frederick, Seamus or Jasper?

Menopausemad - more people are going to university this year than ever before. And because 40% of young people now go to university we've tried to get the right balance between what parents, the government and the graduate pays. More students are now getting grants than ever before. The science budget has been doubled in the last 10 years.

If nurses are running the NHS, they aren't seeing patients !!

The NHS needs professional managers.

Your reserch regarding the Eastern Europeans is not as accurate as you think.

Why do you not come and visit us in Perborough?

Mr. Brown, where is the money is coming from to keep raising education budgets?

Riven, thanks for your question and I'm sorry that no-one has come back to you on your question in the past. If you want to write to me personally with more details on your situation I'd like to take a closer look at it.

I am full of admiration for those, like you, who care for a disabled child. Decisions like the one you describe on nappies will be made locally, but I can see it would be frustrating to come up against a rigid rule like the one you describe. That's why we want to offer everyone the chance of an individual budget so you can choose the best way to spend the resources that are available to help you and your child.

It's also worth mentioning that as our manifesto makes clear we are 100% committed to continuing to improve the support for parents of disabled children to receive respite care and go on short breaks. We are incredibly grateful for our carers and all they do, and we know we can support you even better in the future.

why do you think we need a Bill of Rights when we effectively already have one in the Human Rights Act? If the Bill of Rights is not going to extend to socio-economic rights what will it add to the HRA?

Mr brown, Id like to know why CTF and Health in pregnancy grants are still in exsistance? Both are a complete waste of money. surely these should go before cutting housing?

Madame, you don't pay the VAT, your customer does

Mr Brown,

Do you really believe that the NHS managers have any skills in efficiency? Having worked in 5 trusts in last 8 years I personally have seen 'efficiency savings' taking the form of never covering maternity or sick leave, increasing demands on highly motivated staff, asking people to do impossible jobs, charging for photocopying, coffee, parking and spending a fortune sending staff on mandatory training.

In contrast I have been sent on many, many meetings to discuss new agendas and strategies, some of which have never seen the light of day, despite years of planning, but were obviously fun ideas for the chief executive of the day.

If these efficiency savings approaches mean anything could someone please explain what they will actually entail, or whether its just more pressure on managers in the NHS to cut corners (again).

Also, the use of private sector accountancy firms to advise the NHS is a joke, given the state of the banking sector and the incidents over the recent years with Arthur Andersen etc. I know many people working in these big companies and have heard shocking tales of people being paid twice, employees stealing whatever perks they can, and very inefficient use of temporary staff merely to pump up egos. Please can you reassure us that the NHS won't suffer further from advice from people who really don't have any appreciation of our work.

Thanks.

Gordon:"at the same time we will cut waiting times for cancer tests down to just one week for everyone who needs them."

that's fine but who decides who needs them? I work in Pathology and ever since the cancer pathway came in, there has been a deluge of tests marked with CP. Not all of them need it! Very hard to get them off the pathway.

Also we are losing staff that we aren't allowed to replace so how we will be able to keep to the 1 week (my lab does actually manage it at the moment but it's getting increasingly difficult). Am doing 6-7 hours extra for free every week.

Janeite - great news, thank you for considering us. By the end of the next parliament we will have a thousand schools that are either federated schools or academies. Every school should be a good school and if a school that is underperforming needs to be taken over we will get another school which is doing well to do so.

Why do we have a deficit anyway? Is it just because the economy hasn't grown as you thought it would, or are the banks to blame? Could you not see that there was going to be this massive hole in the budget?

I am a Labour supporter, but many people say it's your fault we are in this mess and that's why we shouldn't vote for you. But I think we would be in an even worse mess if it wasn't for you.

Do you think it is your fault, if not why not?

Thank you for answering my Question. I worked in the NHS under the Tory's and hope never to go back to the long waiting lists or the two teir GP fund holder system - this meant a GP fund holder Patient got their cataract operation in 4 months a non GP fund holder waited 12 months.

Hello Gordon, i don't have a question i think you may have had enough of that i would just like to wish you luck, I think what the labour party has done for familys is fantastic i often use my local sure start centre and can't imagine life without it same goes for tax credits so thank you; you have my vote.

NI- if this is not paid by people earning under 20 thousand what impact will this have on their state pensions?

This will be me when I have to return to work....