Contributions
2,217 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDWales: Additional Financial ResourcesMy Lords, if the noble Lord is talking about levels of inflation, they have been largely driven by external factors such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As I have already…18 Jan 2023HANSARDWales: Additional Financial ResourcesMy Lords, we have a difference of opinion on the figures. That might be because government budgets are routinely translated into real terms using the GDP deflator, by both the…18 Jan 2023HANSARDWales: Additional Financial ResourcesMy Lords, the fiscal framework between the UK and the Welsh Governments was agreed in 2016; that added a needs-based factor into the Barnett formula to ensure that Wales receives…18 Jan 2023HANSARDWales: Additional Financial ResourcesI have to disagree with the noble Baroness on most of the points in her question. As I have set out to this House, Wales receives 20% more funding per head than the UK equivalent,…18 Jan 2023HANSARDWales: Additional Financial ResourcesMy Lords, the Government have set out their plans for the shared prosperity fund and how they intend to keep that commitment. Taking into account the tail of EU contributions and…18 Jan 2023HANSARDWales: Additional Financial ResourcesMy Lords, I am aware of the views of Lord Barnett, to whom the formula’s name relates. The point my noble friend makes about needs is exactly what we tried to build into the…18 Jan 2023HANSARDStamp Duty Land Tax (Temporary Relief) BillMy Lords, I thank all noble Lords for their contributions to this short debate on the Bill today. In particular I thank my noble friend Lord Greenhalgh as the only Back-Bench…18 Jan 2023HANSARDWales: Additional Financial ResourcesMy Lords, I believe that the fiscal framework agreed in 2016 does that, and I am sure the noble Lord will welcome the fact that the latest spending review set the largest annual…18 Jan 2023HANSARDAlcohol Duty BandsMy Lords, in addition to the annual level of the duties paid by businesses, we are introducing the biggest reform to alcohol duties in 140 years—for example, as I have said, by…12 Jan 2023HANSARDAlcohol Duty BandsThrough making higher-strength drinks subject to higher duty, we are making alcohol more expensive in that way.12 Jan 2023HANSARDAlcohol Duty BandsThe noble Lord is right to point to the fact that, under these reforms, lower-alcohol products—regardless of the type of alcohol product they are—will have a lower duty. That is a…12 Jan 2023HANSARDAlcohol Duty BandsI appreciate the noble Lord’s point, but the reforms we have introduced simplify, for example, the number of different bands of duties that businesses pay. We have taken…12 Jan 2023HANSARDAlcohol Duty BandsI reassure the noble Lord that if he looks at the consultation we did on the new duty rates, he will see that public health is at the heart of our approach. However, we need to…12 Jan 2023HANSARDAlcohol Duty BandsMy Lords, I am sure we have taken that into account in looking at this work, and that we work closely with the Department of Health and Social Care on it. Another aspect of the…12 Jan 2023HANSARDAlcohol Duty BandsMy Lords, the Government have regular dialogue with the Scottish Government—indeed, the Prime Minister is there today. I agree with the noble Lord that the minimum-unit pricing…12 Jan 2023HANSARDAlcohol Duty BandsMy Lords, one of the big changes that we are making to alcohol duties is to ensure that higher-strength alcohol is taxed at a higher rate. This puts the points that the noble Lord…12 Jan 2023HANSARDAlcohol Duty BandsMy noble friend is right that the Government’s preferred approach has been to reform alcohol duties and align them all based on the strength of alcohol. As I have said to other…12 Jan 2023HANSARDAlcohol Duty BandsMy Lords, as I have said, in keeping alcohol duty rates under review we aim to balance the impact on businesses with public health objectives. The reforms we have made to alcohol…12 Jan 2023HANSARDAlcohol Duty BandsMy Lords, the Answer that the Chancellor will reserve his decision on future duty rates applies to all bands. I take the noble Lord’s point, but the reforms that we announced in…12 Jan 2023HANSARDAlcohol Duty BandsWe aim to keep alcohol duty rates under review during the yearly budget process and to balance the impact on businesses with public health objectives. In December we announced…12 Jan 2023