Contributions
1,571 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDNon-Domestic Rating (Public Lavatories) BillMy Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Kennedy, wanted to know the evidence that this would cause a burden disproportionate to the level of relief provided. The reality is that, under…24 Feb 2021HANSARDNon-Domestic Rating (Public Lavatories) BillMy Lords, I thank my noble friend Lord Lucas for his amendments, which would provide the Government with the power to limit this relief to only those toilets that meet prescribed…24 Feb 2021HANSARDNon-Domestic Rating (Public Lavatories) BillMy Lords, I am happy to give that clarification. I understand the intention of the noble Lord, Lord Greaves, in his amendment and support what he is trying to achieve. However,…24 Feb 2021HANSARDNon-Domestic Rating (Designated Area) Regulations 2021My Lords, you will recall that under the business rates retention scheme introduced in 2013-14, local authorities typically keep up to 50% of the business rates collected from…24 Feb 2021HANSARDNon-Domestic Rating (Designated Area) Regulations 2021That the draft Regulations laid before the House on 12 January be approved.24 Feb 2021HANSARDNon-Domestic Rating (Designated Area) Regulations 2021My Lords, we have indeed had an interesting and extremely wide-ranging debate on the regulations before us. I thank noble Lords on all sides for their thoughtful contributions.…24 Feb 2021HANSARDNon-Domestic Rating (Public Lavatories) BillMy Lords, I am beginning to learn how the House works, and I appreciate the education; I am sure I will get used to this way of drawing out important information. These amendments…24 Feb 2021HANSARDNon-Domestic Rating (Public Lavatories) BillMy Lords, I appreciate the backing that the Committee has given to the measures in the Bill and recognise the arguments made in support of extending the relief further still. The…24 Feb 2021HANSARDNon-Domestic Rating (Public Lavatories) BillMy Lords, these amendments would require the Government to carry out an assessment of the impact of the relief on the provision of public toilets. The first, put forward by the…24 Feb 2021HANSARDNorth of England: InvestmentThe Government welcome the contribution made by the Centre for Policy Studies report. Levelling up the north of England is a key priority for this Government, and the coronavirus…23 Feb 2021HANSARDNorth of England: InvestmentI am not exactly in the right department when it comes to individual transport projects, but there is a huge commitment to increasing investment in transport infrastructure. The…23 Feb 2021HANSARDNorth of England: InvestmentMy Lords, there should be no barrier to investing in the research and innovation that the noble Lord outlines. I am sure that the Government will take his point on board.23 Feb 2021HANSARDNorth of England: InvestmentMy Lords, the noble Lord is right that we need to see not only economic development and growth in the economy but social regeneration and the upskilling of people in the north.…23 Feb 2021HANSARDNorth of England: InvestmentI am not in a position to announce further details on the UK shared prosperity fund.23 Feb 2021HANSARDNorth of England: InvestmentMy noble friend is right that we need to look at the emerging economy and encouraging fintech clusters so that we get more high-skilled jobs located in the north. That is why the…23 Feb 2021HANSARDNorth of England: InvestmentMy Lords, I recognise the importance of transport in driving progress and investment in the north of England. That is why there has been £13 billion of investment—the largest of…23 Feb 2021HANSARDNorth of England: InvestmentMy Lords, we recognise the importance of direct government investment, but we must also ensure that the £4 billion of the levelling-up fund leverages in private sector investment.…23 Feb 2021HANSARDNorth of England: InvestmentMy Lords, I point out that the commitment to levelling up also includes the Midlands. Earlier this month, my right honourable friend the Housing Secretary met the Midlands Engine…23 Feb 2021HANSARDNorth of England: InvestmentMy Lords, my noble friend is right that pension assets are an important source of finance for investment in infrastructure. I note that the CPS report proposes updating rules…23 Feb 2021HANSARDNorth of England: InvestmentMy Lords, we recognise the need to unlock private investment, and the government investment is designed to do precisely that, with the £4 billion levelling-up fund; but, equally,…23 Feb 2021