Contributions
3,765 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Economic UpdateMy hon. Friend is right about the supply chain. He will know that much of the supply chain also supplies the on-premises trade as well as the off-premises, so those businesses…11 Jan 2021HANSARD Economic UpdateAll the support that we have put in place is blind to gender; no one is excluded on the basis of gender and I do not think it is fair to suggest otherwise. One of the reasons that…11 Jan 2021HANSARD Economic UpdateMy hon. Friend is right. We have provided over £3 billion of additional funding for local authorities next year to help them get through coronavirus in different ways and, within…11 Jan 2021HANSARD Economic UpdateI am sorry to hear the various examples that the hon. Lady gave. I hope that the Trader Support Service can be of some assistance to her small and medium-sized businesses. We have…11 Jan 2021HANSARD Economic UpdateI can give my hon. Friend that assurance. Hospitality is such an important sector for our local communities and indeed our national economy. I cannot comment on future Budgets,…11 Jan 2021HANSARD Economic UpdateThe grants we have put in place are one-off but can help businesses through to the spring. Additionally, they will, of course, continue to receive the monthly grants of up to…11 Jan 2021HANSARD Economic UpdateI thoroughly enjoyed my conversation with my right hon. Friend’s local businesses. He mentioned exactly the right point: quality of life. This is not just about our economy and…11 Jan 2021HANSARD Economic UpdateThe hon. Lady, for whom I have a lot of respect, mentioned two things: unemployment and child poverty. We know that the best way to ensure that children do not grow up in poverty…11 Jan 2021HANSARD Economic UpdateMy right hon. Friend is absolutely right, and I have enjoyed my conversations with her on this topic. We want to make sure that people can find new opportunities, which is why we…11 Jan 2021HANSARD Economic UpdateI am incredibly sorry to hear about the example of the hon. Gentleman’s constituent, which will be mirrored by many others up and down the country. As I said in my statement, the…11 Jan 2021HANSARD Economic UpdateThe hon. Lady’s party called specifically for that money to be used to support small businesses and high streets; indeed, not only have we just done that but we have done it to…11 Jan 2021HANSARD Economic UpdateMy right hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury has met several groups and heard representations on different proposals. I am not aware of another country that has…11 Jan 2021HANSARD Economic UpdateThe testing capacity that we have in this country has considerably increased from where it was. The House will remember that at the start of this crisis it was 10,000, and now we…11 Jan 2021HANSARD Economic UpdateMy hon. Friend is right: our innovative companies are a great strength of the UK economy compared with others and they will help drive our recovery. That is why we put in place…11 Jan 2021HANSARD Economic UpdateIt is just not right to say that people have not been able to receive any support. Obviously, I cannot comment on the individual circumstances of every single person, but we have…11 Jan 2021HANSARD Economic UpdateThe Welsh Government have received over £5 billion of up-front funding guarantees to support their local economy. I hope they will use it to do exactly that, but also, Welsh…11 Jan 2021HANSARD Economic UpdateI thank the hon. Gentleman for his question and for registering some of those issues with me. I know that he and other colleagues are speaking to the Chancellor of the Duchy of…11 Jan 2021HANSARD Economic UpdateI think that the Opposition had called for that money—the £2 billion—to be used to support small businesses, particularly retail and hospitality businesses, which we have now…11 Jan 2021HANSARD Economic UpdateMy hon. Friend makes an excellent and insightful point. This is about resilience in the public finances—he used the word well. We have faced two supposedly once-in-a-generation…11 Jan 2021HANSARD Economic UpdateMy hon. Friend is a fantastic champion for his local hospitality industry, and I very much hope I have a chance to visit the California Social Club in Ipswich at some point in the…11 Jan 2021