Contributions
238 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDTopical QuestionsI think the reasons behind the Brexit vote are complex, and it would be trite to stand here and try to identify them simplistically. Let me also remind the right hon. Gentleman of…21 May 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsI understand my hon. Friend’s wish to ensure the vibrancy of the high street, which is going through a very difficult period. Owing to the way in which the business rate system…21 May 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsThat is a matter for the Departments concerned. As the hon. Lady knows, there is a legal obligation to pay the national living wage, and we have put additional resources into…21 May 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsWe are chasing tax dodgers everywhere. [Interruption.] Yes, we are. We have raised £200 billion of additional revenue since 2010 by clamping down on tax avoidance and evasion. Yet…21 May 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsWe know that the cumulative burden of the commitments made by the Opposition Front Bench would reach almost £1 trillion over a Parliament, and I have heard— [Interruption.] If the…21 May 2019HANSARDNHS Pension SchemeThe NHS pension scheme and other public service schemes are among the most generous pension schemes available in this country today. The tapered annual allowance is focused on the…21 May 2019HANSARDNHS Pension SchemeThe British Medical Association has been vocal, I think is probably the right word, in making the case around the disincentive effect of annual allowance charges, in particular,…21 May 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsMy right hon. Friend raises an interesting question, and I will look carefully at the taxation of the national lottery and any future lotteries.21 May 2019HANSARDNHS Pension SchemeI understand my hon. Friend’s point. However, the overall reforms to pensions allowances that were made in the previous two Parliaments and include the tapered annual allowance…21 May 2019HANSARDNHS Pension SchemeI think I have answered that question, but it is good to hear Labour MPs focusing on the disincentive effect of high taxation, particularly on professionals in our public…21 May 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsI pay tribute to my right hon. Friend, because it was at her prompting that I originally asked the Office for National Statistics to look at how we measure and value human capital…21 May 2019HANSARDNHS Pension SchemeAs I have already said, both the Treasury and the Health Department wish to address this problem. We have to find a mechanism that does it in a way that is fair and appropriate.…21 May 2019HANSARDNHS Pension SchemeAs the hon. Lady says, recruitment and retention is one of the big challenges facing the NHS. Clearly, anything that were to impede the NHS’s access to overseas workers coming…21 May 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsThat is an issue for the Department of Health and Social Care. I understand the hon. Lady’s concerns, and I will pass them on to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for…21 May 2019HANSARDSupporting the High StreetHigh streets are at the heart of our communities, and they serve a social as well as an economic purpose. To support them, at Budget 2018 I cut business rates for small and…21 May 2019HANSARDSupporting the High StreetI have to say to my right hon. Friend that, under EU law, we cannot introduce a reduced rate of VAT that is limited to repairs, maintenance and renovation of listed buildings. In…21 May 2019HANSARDSupporting the High StreetThe £675 million fund that I mentioned is specifically intended to allow local authorities to develop plans for responding to the transformation of the high street that is coming.…21 May 2019HANSARDSupporting the High StreetI am a little mystified by this story about Boots, which I too read in the newspapers. When I announced the policy, I said that it was designed to help small independent…21 May 2019HANSARDSupporting the High StreetAs far as I am aware, rates is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland; it is a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive, which I very much hope will be back in operation very soon.21 May 2019HANSARDIncome TaxThe Government are proud of their record of reducing income taxes to enable people to keep more of what they earn. We have increased the personal allowance by over 90% in less…21 May 2019