Contributions
1,533 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDUK Border Strategy: Single Trade WindowI agree, I think, with the underlying point that the noble Lord is making. Clearly, trade with the European Union is incredibly important. The European Union is our largest single…25 Feb 2025HANSARDUK Border Strategy: Single Trade WindowIn the context of a challenging fiscal inheritance, the Government paused the delivery of the single trade window as part of a wider value-for-money review across public spending.…25 Feb 2025HANSARDUK Border Strategy: Single Trade WindowI am grateful to the noble Lord for his question. He is absolutely right when he talks about additional bureaucracy and red tape—created by the Brexit trade deal that the previous…25 Feb 2025HANSARDUK Border Strategy: Single Trade WindowMy Lords, in the context of a challenging fiscal inheritance—25 Feb 2025HANSARDUK Border Strategy: Single Trade WindowI am grateful to the noble Lord for his question, but let us remember what the costs are that we are trying to reduce here: they are from the previous Government’s ill-conceived…25 Feb 2025HANSARDLondon Stock Exchange: Decline in UK FundsAs I say, the pension review is considering whether further government intervention may be needed to ensure that our reforms to the UK pension system benefit UK growth. Of course,…13 Feb 2025HANSARDNational Insurance Contributions: Hospitality SectorMy Lords, it was this Government’s duty, in the Budget last year, to fix the foundations of the economy and to repair the £22 billion black hole in the public finances. In doing…13 Feb 2025HANSARDNational Insurance Contributions: Hospitality SectorThe distinction that we are following follows the long-established distinction in these matters, and it is exactly the same as the previous Government had in their health and…13 Feb 2025HANSARDNational Insurance Contributions: Hospitality SectorI am rather astonished that the noble Earl has gone on this line of inquiry, but I am absolutely delighted that he has, because, as he knows, it is one of my favourite topics; I…13 Feb 2025HANSARDNational Insurance Contributions: Hospitality SectorWell, it was quite a long question. The noble Earl asked me to break it down specifically, so I am answering him. By the spring Budget, that number had reached £16.3 billion, and…13 Feb 2025HANSARDNational Insurance Contributions: Hospitality SectorThe answer to the noble Baroness’s question is no. Of course, we recognise that the retail and hospitality sector has struggled in recent years. At the Budget, we introduced a…13 Feb 2025HANSARDNational Insurance Contributions: Hospitality SectorMy noble friend is quite right. We inherited a situation where there was a complete fiscal fiction. We have had a tough Budget, but we have wiped the slate clean and restored…13 Feb 2025HANSARDNational Insurance Contributions: Hospitality SectorWe know it is particularly important to protect the smallest companies, and that is exactly why we doubled the employment allowance, meaning that 865,000 employers will now not…13 Feb 2025HANSARDNational Insurance Contributions: Hospitality SectorI completely agree with the noble Lord that small businesses are the backbone of the economy. Many of the regulations he speaks about were introduced by his Government over the…13 Feb 2025HANSARDNational Insurance Contributions: Hospitality SectorMy noble friend is absolutely right. As I have said all along, there are consequences to responsibility, and we have always acknowledged that. But the consequences of…13 Feb 2025HANSARDNational Insurance Contributions: Hospitality SectorI notice the noble Baroness did not mention today’s growth figures, which were obviously higher than expected, but, as we have said all along, they are simply not good enough. We…13 Feb 2025HANSARDLondon Stock Exchange: Decline in UK FundsMy Lords, there has been a net decline in investment in UK funds for the past nine consecutive years. This is, of course, a matter of concern, although this does reflect global…13 Feb 2025HANSARDLondon Stock Exchange: Decline in UK FundsI am grateful to the noble Baroness for her question, and once again, I pay tribute to her for her campaigning on this issue. The Government absolutely recognise the key role the…13 Feb 2025HANSARDLondon Stock Exchange: Decline in UK FundsThe decision on whether a firm can list in the UK is a matter for the independent regulator, the FCA, subject to a firm meeting its listing rules and relevant disclosure…13 Feb 2025HANSARDLondon Stock Exchange: Decline in UK FundsThe noble Lord says that the corporation tax is uncompetitive, but it is where his Government put it. We have said that we will cap it at that level for the remainder of this…13 Feb 2025