Contributions
1,239 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDHospitality Sector: Fiscal SupportAgain, these are ongoing conversations across multiple Government Departments. In my former capacity as tourism Minister, I certainly had extensive conversations. There were…31 Jan 2024HANSARDHospitality Sector: Fiscal SupportI will make sure I leave a minute or two at the end for the hon. Member for Stirling to conclude—I may have shot myself in the foot there by giving everybody the opportunity to…31 Jan 2024HANSARDHospitality Sector: Fiscal SupportNo such cuts have been made. As I said, the hon. Member’s point was speculation and that is not anything I can comment on today. Ms Bardell, thank you for your patience. I thank…31 Jan 2024HANSARDHospitality Sector: Fiscal SupportIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship today, Ms Bardell. I congratulate the hon. Member for Stirling (Alyn Smith) on securing the debate, and thank everybody who has…31 Jan 2024HANSARDHospitality Sector: Fiscal SupportIn this debate we have heard an ongoing request for simplification in recognition of these challenging times—we did, of course, spend £350 billion on the pandemic—and a series of…31 Jan 2024HANSARDHospitality Sector: Fiscal SupportI suspect I could spend the whole of this debate answering Members’ questions rather than going through my speech, much to the chagrin of my officials. Again, I understand the…31 Jan 2024HANSARDHospitality Sector: Fiscal SupportI do love it when former Ministers try to tempt me in that way, knowing full well what the answer will be. What I can say is that we are listening. I have gone off script for the…31 Jan 2024HANSARDDraft Local Government Finance Act 1988 (Prescription of Non-Domestic Rating Multipliers) (England) Regulations 2023I thank my right hon. Friend for her comments. I know, and have experienced in many debates, what a champion she has been for small businesses, including in her constituency. She…24 Jan 2024HANSARDDraft Local Government Finance Act 1988 (Prescription of Non-Domestic Rating Multipliers) (England) Regulations 2023I thank the shadow Minister and others for their participation. As I said, the Government are committed to ensuring that the business rates system is fair, equitable and as…24 Jan 2024HANSARDDraft Local Government Finance Act 1988 (Prescription of Non-Domestic Rating Multipliers) (England) Regulations 2023My hon. Friend has embarrassed me, because he just summarised my eight pages of notes in one paragraph. He is absolutely correct. If we do not do this, hundreds of thousands of…24 Jan 2024HANSARDDraft Local Government Finance Act 1988 (Prescription of Non-Domestic Rating Multipliers) (England) Regulations 2023I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Local Government Finance Act 1988 (Prescription of Non-Domestic Rating Multipliers) (England) Regulations 2023. It is an…24 Jan 2024HANSARDBuilding Societies Act 1986 (Amendment) BillI, too, congratulate the hon. Member for Sunderland Central (Julie Elliott) on, first, being lucky, and secondly, choosing to be impactful by introducing a Bill that will help to…19 Jan 2024HANSARDLoan ChargeThe hon. Member will be aware that I cannot pre-empt the conclusions of the consultation or our response to it, but I hear his point. Many Members have raised the personal and…18 Jan 2024HANSARDLoan ChargeI thank you for that guidance, Madam Deputy Speaker. I will try to proceed through the comments, because I am keen to make a few more points. The Morse review followed the normal…18 Jan 2024HANSARDLoan ChargeThat is another important point to which I will come in a moment. I will now make some progress before I take further interventions, because I fear that otherwise I may ruin my…18 Jan 2024HANSARDLoan ChargeThere has been debate and disagreement on that, particularly as it relates to section 44 of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 and so on. HMRC has outlined the policy…18 Jan 2024HANSARDLoan ChargeI completely understand where the hon. Gentleman is coming from in relation to going after employers that have been deceptive. The loan charge ensures that tax is paid in respect…18 Jan 2024HANSARDLoan ChargeI will give way to the hon. Member for Strangford.18 Jan 2024HANSARDLoan ChargeI thank the hon. Lady for her comment and I understand completely where she is coming from, but there are multiple points to discuss there. The schemes were never legitimate; they…18 Jan 2024HANSARDLoan ChargeI would also like to thank the right hon. Member for East Antrim (Sammy Wilson), my hon. Friend the Member for Buckingham (Greg Smith) and others for securing the debate, and I am…18 Jan 2024