Contributions
1,299 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDUK Research and DevelopmentAbsolutely. I thank my hon. Friend for the great work he is doing as co-chair of the all-party parliamentary group on apprenticeships. He will know that apprenticeships are a key…09 Feb 2021HANSARDTopical QuestionsI am absolutely open and prepared to work with the hon. Member. I visited him in my capacity as Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Exiting the European Union. I think…09 Feb 2021HANSARDTopical QuestionsMy hon. Friend is right, and I fully appreciate how key the hospitality sector is to her constituency of Eastbourne, which I have visited many times, even before I was elected to…09 Feb 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Support for BusinessesWhat I will explain is the fact that, in four weeks in the job, I have seen 200 business leaders. I meet the BROs—the business representative organisations —constantly, and I am…09 Feb 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Support for BusinessesOf course, Mr Speaker, you will remember that, ahead of the Brexit deal, we were told that there was never going to be a deal and that we were going to crash out with no deal. We…09 Feb 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Support for BusinessesI remind the hon. Gentleman that the Brexit debate is over; he, for his own purposes, wants to rekindle this. The business leaders I have spoken to have been extremely grateful…09 Feb 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Support for BusinessesThe hon. Gentleman is quite right. He will be courteous enough to acknowledge that, as Energy Minister, I was directly involved in the conversations ahead of the North sea…09 Feb 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Support for BusinessesI do not accept that any change in overseas development aid money will undermine our position as a global science superpower. As I said earlier, the science community around the…09 Feb 2021HANSARDAutomotive Sector: Fiscal SupportSince becoming Secretary of State, I have met a number of representatives of our highly successful automotive sector to discuss future opportunities for the UK and to emphasise…09 Feb 2021HANSARDAutomotive Sector: Fiscal SupportI recognise the importance of the Ellesmere Port plant locally and fully appreciate the work that the hon. Gentleman has done to keep it open. I want to see its future secured. We…09 Feb 2021HANSARDTopical QuestionsIn my first four weeks as Secretary of State, I have met with more than 100 businesses —virtually, of course—up and down the country. I have been hugely impressed by the…09 Feb 2021HANSARDTopical QuestionsMy hon. Friend is utterly committed to supporting growth and entrepreneurship in his area. I am fully aware that he was a director of business support for four years for the…09 Feb 2021HANSARDTopical QuestionsAs the right hon. Gentleman well knows, my door is always open, and I am very happy to meet him to discuss this issue. I recall that when my right hon. Friend the Member for…09 Feb 2021HANSARDTopical QuestionsLocal authorities, as my hon. Friend knows, receive funding to support closed businesses through grants of up to £3,000 for each four-week period of closure. In addition, closed…09 Feb 2021HANSARDSubsidy Control: Designing a New Approach for the UKThe Government are today publishing a consultation on “Subsidy control—Designing a new approach for the UK”. The consultation period will last for eight weeks. Now that we have…03 Feb 2021HANSARD Employment Rights: Government PlansWhat I will mention is the introduction of the national living wage— [ Interruption. ] I will also mention the fact that we have doubled the personal allowance, which was at…25 Jan 2021HANSARD Employment Rights: Government PlansI think it is unacceptable. I will go further—as a constituency MP, I have a large number of constituents in Spelthorne who work for British Airways and I spoke directly to the…25 Jan 2021HANSARD Employment Rights: Government PlansI have to make progress. I know at first hand through my work as Energy Minister the importance of making sure that we have a high-wage, high-protection, high-skilled labour…25 Jan 2021HANSARD Employment Rights: Government PlansI just want to make something very clear and unequivocal at the outset: we will not reduce workers’ rights. There is no Government plan to reduce workers’ rights. As the new…25 Jan 2021HANSARD Employment Rights: Government PlansI have to make progress because lots of people want to speak in this debate. We have already set out plans to make workplaces fairer. Our manifesto contains commitments to create…25 Jan 2021