Westminster as it happened: 4 February 2016

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Transport Minister Claire Perry says she's "always keen to talk about the railways" and keen to tell the House what is being done to improve them.

She says "sometimes it doesn't feel like it", but the Delay Repay scheme is "one of the most generous" compensation schemes in Europe. Tom Brake intervenes to suggest that it is one of the most generous schemes in Europe because so few passengers know about it. According to Passenger Focus just 12% of passengers claim for delays.

She says automatic compensation is being introduced for passengers who buy tickets online because "people don't have time to faff around" claiming for delays, and she'd like to see it rolled out further.

Lib Dem MP for Carshalton and Wallington Tom Brake is leading an adjournment debate on the Delay Repay scheme for rail passengers. 

On Southern Railway, the company Tom Brake is complaining about, passengers can claim if their train is more than 30 minutes late. But he says it is not advertised well enough, and that how to claim is a source of confusion, even for rail staff.

He says that on Southern in 2010/11, 2,000 trains were delayed per month, while now now it's 8,000 delayed per month. He says the company offers a "shambolic" service.

Southern runs commuter rail services from London Victoria and London Bridge to South London and Sussex

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Foreign Office Minister Tobias Ellwood acknowledges that "more needs to be done by the international community in Yemen" because of the "scale of the humanitarian catastrophe" there.

He says the government takes Yemen "very seriously indeed" and that he personally has "spent a lot of time" on the issue.

The SNP's Kirsten Oswald, who led the debate, says she hopes the government "considers" the SNP's position on arms sales to Saudi Arabia and training of Saudi troops. 

Labour shadow foreign minister Fabian Hamilton says Labour recognises the legitimacy of President Hadi, but says it's "clear both sides should be doing considerably more to reduce the humanitarian cost".

He says peace talks are the only way to bring an end to the conflict.

On Saudi Arabia, he says that while claims of war crimes committed in the conflict are investigated, UK arms sales to the country must be suspended. He says the UK can play an "important and vital role" in securing peace in Yemen.

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Patrick Grady winds up the debate for the SNP. He focuses again on the export of UK weapons. 

He says the UK is in breach of international criteria on arms exports and that "serious questions" are being asked of the UK government both on weapons and on their humanitarian response, and he hopes the minister will answer them.

Conservative member for Tonbridge and Malling Tom Tugendhat says Saudi involvement in the Yemen conflict is understandable given the deep links between the two countries and that we "should recognise that they are defending their own interests". 

But he says he "will not argue that they are doing so in a humane way" and urges the Saudis to remember that "civilians are not a target" and "think very hard" about the lives of those they are affecting. 

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Conservative Wendy Morton says more than 80% of the Yemeni population are in need of humanitarian aid. She also says there have been "grave violations" of humanitarian law.

But she says that when criticising the Saudi-led coalition it is "important to remember" that the intervention was requested by the "legitimate President" of the country.

And with that, the debate in Westminster Hall concludes.

Home Office Minister Karen Bradley tells MPs the government is currently consulting on a new "stalking protection order" to try to discourage stalking problem behaviour before it becomes criminal.

Under the new order "positive requirements can be placed on a perpetrators" such as attending mental health sessions, allowing police to intervene at an earlier stage.

Minister for Preventing Abuse, Exploitation and Crime, Karen Bradley, tells MPs there has been a "general downward trend" in sexual assaults and domestic abuse since figures were first collected in 2004-5.

Last year "8.2% of women were victim of any domestic abuse, the lowest estimate since the questions were first asked [in the national crime survey]".

Successful prosecutions for domestic abuse have also increased "from just over 30,000 in 2004/5 to over 90,000 in 2014/15", she tells MPs.

"But 1.4m is still unacceptably high and we all need to do more to prevent these crimes and the role of men is critical," she adds.

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Keith Vaz tells the chamber he is "a Yemani by birth", he was born in Aden, and says one of his fondest memories as a child is watching boats heading for the Suez Canal.

He says "those wonderful memories" have gone and Yemen faces "a catastrophe".

He says the "whole House is united" in their view on Yemen, as have recent governments. He says the government must support a ceasefire, help the UN and ensure dialogue "with all sides". He also calls for greater involvement for Yemen's neighbour Oman, which he says is "peaceful as can be".

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And that brings an end to today's debates in the House of Lords. 

Peers will be back on Monday 8 February to debate committee stage of the Trade Union Bill.

Stay with as the House of Commons continue its backbench business debate on the conflict in Yemen.

Responding to the debate for the government, Treasury Spokesman, Earl of Courtown, thanks the House of Lords for their feedback and says it will be considered.

The processes of establishing the Capital Market Union (CMU) is an ongoing process, he tells peers.

Summing up his speech, the Earl says argues the process for establishing the CMU should not be hindered though, as the resulting freeing up investment across Europe could have "huge benefits" for the UK.

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The SNP's Kirsten Oswald is leading a backbench debate on the conflict in Yemen.

The main conflict in the country is between forces loyal to President Hadi, backed by a Saudi Arabia-led coalition of Arab nations, and Houthi rebels. Groups loyal to the self-styled Islamic State and Al-Qaeda also operate in the country.

Yesterday the International Development Committee urged the UK to stop licencing arms exports to Saudi Arabia, given the "overwhelming" evidence that the Saudi-led coalition has committed war crimes. The committee says that £3bn of export licences have been granted for weapons to Saudi Arabia in the last six months.

Responding to the debate for Labour, shadow economic spokesman Lord Davies of Oldham, calls on the minster to reply to all the findings by the European Union Committee.

But he highlights one that he believes is especially damaging to the UK.

He tells peers that the "success of the American economy is partly because 80% is finance is raised in capital markets and only 20% in banks, which almost the opposite as far as the UK is involved" and that the UK needs rebalancing. 

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John Baron attempted to put his motion to a division. The motion states that the House "believes in the importance of Parliamentary sovereignty" and calls for the government to negotiate to allow Parliament to stop any unwanted legislation.

But the tellers for yes, John Baron and his colleague Julian Lewis, weren't in place quickly enough so the division is called off, and the 'noes' win.

"Dear oh dear," says Speaker John Bercow.

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Liberal Democrat Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted welcomes a change in culture and believes the future looks brighter for a CMU.

She acknowledges that concerns had once been raised that a CMU could become a rival to the City and London.

She tells peers that this suggestion was jumped on very quickly and "common sense broke out all around" when reassurances were given that the UK and the city is central to and a major asset to the CMU project. 

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Europe Minister David Lidington says if we were creating the EU from scratch he probably wouldn't design it as it is but "we are where we are".

He says "outside the EU we would have the theoretical right to negotiate free-trade deals on our own behalf" but says the EU has much bigger leverage with its 500 million people than the UK does alone. 

He says the "reality" is that the WTO and other groups are directed by blocks of countries and very large countries like China and the United States. He says the interests of the British people are better served not by a "nameplate on the table" but by shaping the direction of the world's biggest trading block.

He says the government wants to be in a reformed EU, in the single market and "playing a leading role" but out of the Euro, any future European Army and the Schengen agreement. He says the PM is doing everything he can to "secure that future".

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