Contributions
4,729 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDCorporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (Coronavirus) (Extension of the Relevant Period) (No. 2) Regulations 2020Let me first thank all noble Lords who contributed to this debate. I thought it was an excellent discussion and the points raised have highlighted the importance of the measures…19 Jan 2021HANSARDCorporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (Coronavirus) (Extension of the Relevant Period) (No. 2) Regulations 2020That the Grand Committee do consider the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (Coronavirus) (Extension of the Relevant Period) (No. 2) Regulations 2020. Relevant document:…19 Jan 2021HANSARDConstruction Industry: Retention PaymentsThose are two of the alternatives that have been suggested as a policy response. Changes in this area would require primary legislation, and there is always pressure on the…14 Jan 2021HANSARDConstruction Industry: Retention PaymentsI know that the noble Lord has been active for many years on this important issue. This has been a slower process than we might have liked, in part due to the complexity of the…14 Jan 2021HANSARDConstruction Industry: Retention PaymentsI join with the noble Lord in paying tribute to the work of the late Lord O’Neill: as the president of the Specialist Engineering Contractors’ Group, he was active on this issue…14 Jan 2021HANSARDConstruction Industry: Retention PaymentsThat is indeed one of the policy suggestions we are looking at, but given the complexity of the policy issues, it is premature to commit to the introduction of a retention deposit…14 Jan 2021HANSARDConstruction Industry: Retention PaymentsA lot of discussions are taking place between the Government, the Construction Leadership Council and different parts of the industry; we are actively exploring possible solutions…14 Jan 2021HANSARDConstruction Industry: Retention PaymentsWe are not waiting for other people to come to their decisions. We are actively working with the Construction Leadership Council to try to find a solution to this problem.14 Jan 2021HANSARDConstruction Industry: Retention PaymentsI do not have figures for the public sector, but not withholding retentions is government policy—although I am aware that some departments and agencies do. Unfortunately, we do…14 Jan 2021HANSARDConstruction Industry: Retention PaymentsThe Government, in conjunction with the Construction Leadership Council, are working to develop a sustainable strategy on retentions for the whole sector. During the current…14 Jan 2021HANSARDConstruction Industry: Retention PaymentsThe noble Baroness is right: this has been going on for a long time and under many different Governments. The complexity of the issues is one reason why no action has been taken…14 Jan 2021HANSARDConstruction Industry: Retention PaymentsI agree with my noble friend. We understand that the practice of cash retention can create problems for individuals and businesses in the construction supply chain, due to late…14 Jan 2021HANSARDConstruction Industry: Retention PaymentsAt the risk of repeating myself, it would require primary legislation and there is pressure on the legislative timetable. There are a number of different options to take this…14 Jan 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Small BusinessesI will certainly bear the comments made by the noble Baroness in mind. Local authorities across England have been allocated a further £500 million in discretionary funding via the…13 Jan 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Small BusinessesAs I said earlier, we keep all these matters under review. We are conscious that our scheme is one of the most generous in Europe, with £280 billion-worth of support. Of course,…13 Jan 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Small BusinessesWe are aware of the issue of dividends highlighted by the noble Lord. We have looked at that, but it has proved very difficult to separate different kinds of dividends. However,…13 Jan 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Small BusinessesThe noble Lord makes a vital point. I and my ministerial colleagues regularly having meetings with all the various business representative organisations to ensure that the support…13 Jan 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Small BusinessesIn my earlier answer to the noble Lord, Lord Stevenson, I outlined the help that we are giving to self-employed people, with the fourth income support grant. We are providing an…13 Jan 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Small BusinessesWe are fully committed to supporting businesses that make our high streets and town centres successful. As the nation responds to the impact of Covid-19, I can tell the noble Lord…13 Jan 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Small BusinessesThe noble Lord makes an important point. There are a range of assistance schemes provided by many local authorities and government agencies to help and support them.13 Jan 2021