Contributions
238 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDTopical QuestionsI have a sense that by the time I have responded, inspiration will have struck the hon. Gentleman. My principal responsibility is to ensure economic stability and the continued…05 Mar 2019HANSARDSingle-use Plastic WasteIt is a good start. The idea is to identify ways in which we can work with countries around the world, including many of our overseas territories, which are particularly…05 Mar 2019HANSARDSingle-use Plastic WasteThat is what we are doing. This will be the world’s first plastic tax and it is carefully designed to go with the grain of the market: to incentivise manufacturers to use more…05 Mar 2019HANSARDSingle-use Plastic WasteThe points my hon. Friend makes are well made, and of course this is about getting the balance right. The Government recognise that plastic packaging can play an important role,…05 Mar 2019HANSARDSingle-use Plastic WasteI am not going to take any lectures about waste from anybody on the Opposition Front Bench. This lot are world-champion wasters of public money. They have done it before and given…05 Mar 2019HANSARDSingle-use Plastic WasteWe are acting to tackle single-use plastic waste at source by introducing a world-leading tax on plastic packaging. The tax, which I announced at the Budget, will provide a clear…05 Mar 2019HANSARDRoad Infrastructure FundingAs my hon. Friend will know, we have funded a study into the Shipley bypass. It is absolutely right that, often, the highest-value road investments can be relatively modest local…05 Mar 2019HANSARDRoad Infrastructure FundingI reassure the hon. Gentleman that I will be making a spring statement next week and remind him and the House that it is not a fiscal event under the new Budget architecture. We…05 Mar 2019HANSARDRoad Infrastructure FundingThis is probably not the first time that my right hon. Friend has asked me about those two roads. She is a formidable champion of the transport infrastructure that runs through…05 Mar 2019HANSARDRoad Infrastructure FundingBoth. Of course we want to encourage active travel—cycling and walking—particularly in cities where that is the most appropriate response to dealing with the twin challenges of…05 Mar 2019HANSARDRoad Infrastructure FundingWe are making good progress on improving junction 5 of the M2 and the A249 Stockbury roundabout, reducing journey times, making journeys safer and supporting future housing and…05 Mar 2019HANSARDRoad Infrastructure FundingAt the Budget, I announced an extra £420 million for road maintenance, including potholes, and £150 million to ease congestion on local roads. I also announced that, from 2020,…05 Mar 2019HANSARDNew TechnologiesI recently visited the north-west of England and saw at first hand the enterprising and enthusiastic spirit of SMEs in the region. I am happy to confirm that, in the 2018 Budget,…05 Mar 2019HANSARDNew TechnologiesNo, we are committing additional funding to innovation and to research and development—the Faraday battery challenge is a good example—and lots of that money is going into the…05 Mar 2019HANSARDNew TechnologiesI started work in 1977 and I am not sure I ever remember that traditional nine-to-five, but the Government are helping people to be more productive and work flexibly by committing…05 Mar 2019HANSARDNew TechnologiesI understand the hon. Gentleman’s point and I know he speaks sincerely and from the heart on these matters, but my view is that we have a huge amount of pent-up investment that…05 Mar 2019HANSARDNew TechnologiesI think the hon. Lady is talking about radar interference problems with wind turbines, something I remember from my Ministry of Defence days. The Treasury and the Department for…05 Mar 2019HANSARDNew TechnologiesI am well aware that Huddersfield, like Chelmsford, is a leading centre of industry and technology development. Many of our towns and cities that have traditionally been centres…05 Mar 2019HANSARDNew TechnologiesI knew Chelmsford was going to get in there somewhere. The additional £7 billion I mentioned earlier is focused on applied research and industry innovation and the…05 Mar 2019HANSARDNew TechnologiesMy hon. Friend is right. Rare earths and other critical elements are at the centre of the electronics industry, which now defines our modern life. Some of the materials are very…05 Mar 2019