:02:47. > :02:52.Welcome to BBC Parliament's live coverage of the House of Commons. In
:02:53. > :02:55.an hour, the leader of the house, Chris Grayling, will table a motion
:02:56. > :02:59.making time for a Commons debate and vote on military action in Syria, to
:03:00. > :03:03.take place in the chamber tomorrow. The main business today will be the
:03:04. > :03:07.remaining stages of the Immigration Bill, which introduces the new
:03:08. > :03:11.offence of illegal working and gives the state the power to seize the
:03:12. > :03:14.wages of illegal workers. That will be followed by motions on Northern
:03:15. > :03:20.Ireland and High Speed two rail network. Join me for a round-up of
:03:21. > :03:24.the day in both Houses of Parliament at 11 o'clock this evening. First,
:03:25. > :03:25.we have questions to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne,
:03:26. > :03:59.and his team of ministers. Order, order. Questions to Mr
:04:00. > :04:05.Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Chancellor. I would like to answer
:04:06. > :04:08.this question along with question number 11. This government knows
:04:09. > :04:12.there cannot be a successful economy without support for business and
:04:13. > :04:16.enterprise. That is why we are cutting corporation tax, increasing
:04:17. > :04:20.the employment allowance and setting a permanently high investment
:04:21. > :04:23.allowance. It is why we also increased our support for industrial
:04:24. > :04:27.policy including a boost for science and announced a double small
:04:28. > :04:33.businesses which relief next jet, helping 600,000 small businesses.
:04:34. > :04:38.How will my right honourable friend help small businesses compete with
:04:39. > :04:42.the de facto subsidy that businesses with complex overseas tax structures
:04:43. > :04:47.get, which results in them paying no or very low tax in the UKs
:04:48. > :04:53.articulately given small business Saturday is coming up this weekend?
:04:54. > :04:55.The small business Saturday is an important initiative and one that I
:04:56. > :05:03.think everyone in this house should support. Mata mix of good point
:05:04. > :05:07.about the international tax rules. The good news is that they have
:05:08. > :05:10.started to change. We have an agreement in the OECD and Britain is
:05:11. > :05:16.amongst those countries implement those changes the. The best example
:05:17. > :05:18.is the diverted profits tax, which is already raising revenue and
:05:19. > :05:23.tackles these big knotty nationals who do not pay their fair share of
:05:24. > :05:31.tax in the UK -- big multinationals. At the same time, we are cutting tax
:05:32. > :05:37.for small businesses. Thanks to the government's long-term economic plan
:05:38. > :05:43.'s, we have seen a record number of company registrations in my
:05:44. > :05:47.constituency, with 202 companies registered in Gillingham during the
:05:48. > :05:50.first quarter. One company, which the Chancellor visited with me, have
:05:51. > :05:53.asked me to ask the Chancellor to clarify the government position on
:05:54. > :06:00.the annual investment allowance for businesses. It is fantastic to hear
:06:01. > :06:03.about the good news in Gillingham and the new companies being
:06:04. > :06:08.registered and the jobs being created there. Thanks to the strong
:06:09. > :06:12.economy and the long-term economic plan that my honourable friend
:06:13. > :06:16.refers to add a strong parliament making sure the infrastructure comes
:06:17. > :06:23.to that part of Kent, the annual investment allowance will now be set
:06:24. > :06:27.at ?200,000, a permanent rate, much higher than the rate we inherited
:06:28. > :06:30.from the last government. That will help companies like that fantastic
:06:31. > :06:38.business which I visited with him continue to grow and expand. The
:06:39. > :06:41.Chancellor announced some significant tax rises for business
:06:42. > :06:45.in his spending review, and also cut quite a lot of business grants
:06:46. > :06:50.through his spending settlement through the department for business.
:06:51. > :06:56.But can he give an expression for table 3.7 of the OBR bluebook, which
:06:57. > :07:02.downgrades productivity for the UK economy? Pocket -- productivity per
:07:03. > :07:09.hour is due to fall from the previous forecast for 2016 and 2017
:07:10. > :07:13.and 42018. What is the reason behind the OBR's downgrading of
:07:14. > :07:18.productivity? The OBR have made their assessment, but it shows that
:07:19. > :07:21.productivity actually picks up through this Parliament. He and I
:07:22. > :07:24.have had many discussions about this. I think we agree that
:07:25. > :07:32.productivity is a long-term challenge for the UK. We are trying
:07:33. > :07:40.to solve that through things like the apprenticeship levy, which will
:07:41. > :07:45.be one of those so-called taxes he describes. It is not a tax, in the
:07:46. > :07:50.sense that companies get their money back. It is the kind of thing we
:07:51. > :07:56.need to do to deal with productivity challenges. As part of the need to
:07:57. > :08:02.look at fiscal steps to support businesses, will the Chancellor also
:08:03. > :08:06.give consideration to the extension of the rural fuel rebate scheme to
:08:07. > :08:15.other regions that have not been considered? I am happy to give
:08:16. > :08:18.consideration to that. We are operating within the maximum
:08:19. > :08:25.flexibility that the European Union rules allow us on this. Any postcode
:08:26. > :08:31.that qualifies, we have put forward for the scheme we injured used in
:08:32. > :08:34.the last Parliament. I am happy to look at specific cases in Northern
:08:35. > :08:38.Ireland to see if they qualify. The Chancellor said the apprenticeship
:08:39. > :08:43.levy is a levy, but what many businesses see is a tax on
:08:44. > :08:50.employment, collected through PAYE. Does the Chancellor think that is
:08:51. > :08:56.compatible with the lock on taxes on business, and could he also say what
:08:57. > :08:59.estimate he has made of the cost of the apprenticeship levy to the
:09:00. > :09:11.public sector, which I can find in the Redbook? Firstly, because the
:09:12. > :09:15.apprenticeship levy is set up in such a way that a large company that
:09:16. > :09:18.is employing high-quality apprentices will be able to receive
:09:19. > :09:26.back from the government more than it puts in, that sets it aside from
:09:27. > :09:32.classic payroll taxes and has been broadly welcomed by the business
:09:33. > :09:37.community, although they accept the additional burden it represents. We
:09:38. > :09:44.made the calculation is for the impact on the public sector in our
:09:45. > :09:49.public finance projections. I can write to him with the precise
:09:50. > :09:57.number. Can the Chancellor confirm that in addition to the 17% cut to
:09:58. > :10:01.the business department's funding, the Autumn Statement added ?11
:10:02. > :10:10.billion to the tax bill of businesses? It was mainly driven by
:10:11. > :10:13.the apprenticeship levy. I would have hoped that the Scottish
:10:14. > :10:18.Nationalist party would support an apprenticeship levy where we use the
:10:19. > :10:24.money to create 3 million apprentices in this part of the UK,
:10:25. > :10:28.and make sure there are arrangements to pass the money to the Scottish
:10:29. > :10:31.Government so that they can improve skills in Scotland. But if one looks
:10:32. > :10:34.at the record of the Scottish nationalist government, you can see
:10:35. > :10:39.that they have been cutting FE places in Scotland. As usual, they
:10:40. > :10:46.say one thing here and do things differently in Scotland. The
:10:47. > :10:50.question was about the 11 billion extra tax cost for business and the
:10:51. > :10:53.cut to the business department, something the Chancellor doesn't
:10:54. > :10:56.want to talk about. So given that there was no increase in retail
:10:57. > :11:04.sales in the last quarter, the CBI trends survey is down. Consumer
:11:05. > :11:08.confidence is down, the deficit is colossal and manufacturing output is
:11:09. > :11:12.down. Why does this Chancellor think that cutting the business department
:11:13. > :11:18.by 17% and adding 11 billion to business costs over the spending
:11:19. > :11:21.period is remotely sensible? Because we on this side do not equate the
:11:22. > :11:28.health of the business sector with the size of the business department.
:11:29. > :11:32.We have increased money going into innovation by raising the budget for
:11:33. > :11:37.the catapult centres. We have boosted the budget for science, a UK
:11:38. > :11:44.strength which would be undermined if Scotland became independent. And
:11:45. > :11:49.in the independent OBR forecast, growth is up, jobs are up, living
:11:50. > :11:52.standards are up, wages are up, all part of a successful economic plan
:11:53. > :11:59.delivering the goods for the whole UK. As my right honourable friend
:12:00. > :12:04.will know, the tech economy in the west of England is one of the
:12:05. > :12:08.fastest in the UK, and start-up businesses like one in my
:12:09. > :12:10.constituency of Bath have done that because of government investment.
:12:11. > :12:15.Does he agree that businesses like these will help lead our economic
:12:16. > :12:22.recovery, creating jobs and productivity in the west of England?
:12:23. > :12:29.I pay tribute to the successful and thriving tech businesses in Bath and
:12:30. > :12:33.across the West Country. There is an opportunity now, with the investment
:12:34. > :12:39.in cyber security and GCHQ not too far from Bath in Cheltenham, to
:12:40. > :12:42.create a culture of small start-up businesses to ensure that on the
:12:43. > :12:46.back of our national security, we have commercially successful
:12:47. > :12:53.companies building those businesses in the West Country. Can the
:12:54. > :12:56.Chancellor confirm what measures he introduced in the Autumn Statement
:12:57. > :13:04.to support the UK renewable energy businesses? We committed to double
:13:05. > :13:11.the investment in renewable energy over the next five years. But what
:13:12. > :13:18.did we actually get from this Chancellor last week? The ?1 billion
:13:19. > :13:24.fund to develop carbon capture and storage, cut. Subsidies for solar
:13:25. > :13:29.panels, cut. National projects like the Swansea -based tidal lagoon, not
:13:30. > :13:33.a mention. Britain at the bottom of the European league for renewables.
:13:34. > :13:39.Does the Chancellor agree that with companies like Tesco, IKEA, Vodafone
:13:40. > :13:42.and Unilever, that his renewable energy cutbacks now pose a risk to
:13:43. > :13:48.UK businesses and undermine confidence in investment? We should
:13:49. > :13:51.all be proud of the fact that in this country, jobs are being
:13:52. > :13:57.created, and the economy is growing and our carbon emissions fell by 8%
:13:58. > :14:01.in the last year. We are doubling our investment in renewable energy.
:14:02. > :14:04.At the same time, we are putting investment into things like a low
:14:05. > :14:08.carbon nuclear power and small modular reactors, something which
:14:09. > :14:13.will benefit South Yorkshire and the north-west of England. We don't
:14:14. > :14:20.actually believe the way to help save the Earth is by piling costs on
:14:21. > :14:25.people's electricity bills, so we also take action to make sure our
:14:26. > :14:26.home efficiency scheme was more efficient so that people's household
:14:27. > :14:38.energy bills will go down by ?30. HMRC and that's the plans locations
:14:39. > :14:45.for its future regional centres based on a number of key principles.
:14:46. > :14:49.In addition the cost, HMRC has taken account of local transport links,
:14:50. > :14:53.the local labour market and future workforce supply and the need to
:14:54. > :14:55.retain the staff and skills they need to continue their
:14:56. > :15:03.transformation. This will reduce their estate costs by ?100 million a
:15:04. > :15:06.year by 2025. Will he accept that basing the regional office in
:15:07. > :15:10.Bradford would be cheaper for the taxpayer. Does he accept there is a
:15:11. > :15:15.suitable location available in Bradford and there is not in Leeds?
:15:16. > :15:20.And effective northern powerhouse does not mean basing everything in
:15:21. > :15:27.Leeds in west Yorkshire. Will he think again? My honourable friend is
:15:28. > :15:30.as ever and advocate for the interests of his constituents. The
:15:31. > :15:34.point I would make to him is that this is a regional centre for the
:15:35. > :15:40.whole of the Yorkshire and Humber area. In order to paint as many
:15:41. > :15:45.members of staff as possible and reduce redundancy costs, HMRC's
:15:46. > :15:49.assessment is that leaders better location but those working in York
:15:50. > :15:56.or York or Sheffield or Hull, where there is a direct train service to
:15:57. > :16:00.Leeds. The honourable gentleman is an illustrious fellow and
:16:01. > :16:05.distinguished philosopher, but I think he is in the wrong side of the
:16:06. > :16:09.Pennines for this question. Question number three, Mr Speaker. The
:16:10. > :16:14.government has announced a radical reshaping of the state. At the end
:16:15. > :16:19.of the Parliament local government will retain 100% of business rates.
:16:20. > :16:24.The government will begin consultation shortly on these
:16:25. > :16:32.reforms. My local authority -- authority estimates it will lose ?30
:16:33. > :16:37.million a year as a result of this. In comparison, Westminster Council
:16:38. > :16:42.will have their income increased tenfold. When will the council
:16:43. > :16:46.publish clarity for councils like mine that mean they will be able to
:16:47. > :16:52.plug a significant shortfall in funding? The devolution of business
:16:53. > :16:57.rates swell retain the system of pop-ups and tariffs that currently
:16:58. > :17:01.exist, so that there will be no immediate lost any local authority
:17:02. > :17:08.as a consequence of devolution. If the power to local authorities so
:17:09. > :17:12.that they have got stronger incentives to boost growth and local
:17:13. > :17:20.authorities that grasp that opportunity will see their business
:17:21. > :17:24.rates revenue increase. Would he agree with me that the point about
:17:25. > :17:28.the announcement last week is that it is a defining moment for local
:17:29. > :17:31.authorities? The local authorities that except the devolution of
:17:32. > :17:37.business rates can incentivise strong local business growth, have a
:17:38. > :17:45.strong local economy. That is the key point. He's absolutely right.
:17:46. > :17:49.That is the key point. It is about assuring that local authorities have
:17:50. > :17:53.the incentives to boost growth and local people can hold those local
:17:54. > :17:57.authorities account. What consideration has been given to
:17:58. > :17:59.doing something about business rates to support the steel industry in
:18:00. > :18:07.line with the outcome is agreed at the steel stomach chaired by the
:18:08. > :18:12.Business Secretary? As my right honourable friend the Chancellor
:18:13. > :18:16.made clear, the business rates review will be completed next year
:18:17. > :18:22.and we are looking at all the representation to receive in the
:18:23. > :18:30.context of that review. Question number four. Mr Speaker, the
:18:31. > :18:39.National Living Wage will mean a full-time minimum wage worker will
:18:40. > :18:43.earn over ?4700 more by 2025, a 40% pay rise. Additionally, due to the
:18:44. > :18:48.ripple effect of higher wages, up to a quarter of workers will see some
:18:49. > :18:53.benefit. Economy wide which are expected to be on average not .4%
:18:54. > :19:02.higher in 2020. There has been a widespread welcome for the national
:19:03. > :19:06.minimum wage but inevitably this has a major effect on traditionally low
:19:07. > :19:10.with sex is, in particular social and residential care. Does my
:19:11. > :19:13.honourable friend accept that the government and local councils must
:19:14. > :19:17.be mindful of the need to ensure that these are adjusted to ensure
:19:18. > :19:25.that the viability of these set tourist? He is absolutely right that
:19:26. > :19:31.it will be many of the 900,000 workers who work in the social care
:19:32. > :19:36.sector who will benefit from the new National Living Wage, including many
:19:37. > :19:40.working in residential care. That is why last week and the Autumn
:19:41. > :19:42.Statement we made an announcement and that councils will have the
:19:43. > :19:47.power over the course of the Parliament to come to access money
:19:48. > :19:50.that they may need to increase the amount that the paper they're social
:19:51. > :19:58.and residential care with new revenue streams for social care
:19:59. > :20:01.worth up to 3.5 by 2020. The National Living Wage does not apply
:20:02. > :20:04.to people who are self-employed who are self-employed whose wages have
:20:05. > :20:08.been stagnating and pension contributions of fallen every year
:20:09. > :20:12.for five years. Can the Minister tell the house why self-employed
:20:13. > :20:16.people were not mentioned in the productivity plan and what she will
:20:17. > :20:20.do to tackle low pay and omissions in self-employment? The honourable
:20:21. > :20:26.gentleman speaks very powerfully of the importance of the self-employed
:20:27. > :20:30.to our economy and we would like to pay tribute to the excellent work
:20:31. > :20:33.that so many self-employed people do, including many people in my
:20:34. > :20:39.family, to generate economic growth in this country. He is right that as
:20:40. > :20:45.the wages across the economy grew and as we put more spending power
:20:46. > :20:50.into budgets for social care for residential care, that we would
:20:51. > :20:58.expect that to be passed on also to those who are self-employed.
:20:59. > :21:02.Question number five. Mr Speaker, the government is committed to
:21:03. > :21:07.having the stability employment Jon Curran figures would mean helping
:21:08. > :21:10.around 1 million extra people find work. The impact of meeting this on
:21:11. > :21:16.the public finances depends on fact is we cannot predict, such as what
:21:17. > :21:22.people are likely to be paid. This is about more than just a fiscal
:21:23. > :21:25.impact. The government wants to help disabled people benefit from the
:21:26. > :21:29.security of employment which is why we have announced a real terms
:21:30. > :21:36.funding increase to help people with disabilities and health conditions
:21:37. > :21:39.to find work. I am pleased to say a delegation of young people with
:21:40. > :21:44.autism of visiting Parliament today to discuss how we can in prove the
:21:45. > :21:49.transition from school to work for people with autism. Improving the
:21:50. > :21:52.written to work for people with autism or other disabilities would
:21:53. > :21:58.be a great thing for a national finances and for the young people
:21:59. > :22:05.themselves? I join the honourable member in welcoming so many disabled
:22:06. > :22:10.people to Parliament today. I agree with him on the importance of doing
:22:11. > :22:16.more to help disabled people enter work. That is why we extended the
:22:17. > :22:19.access to work scheme, we lunched the disability confident scheme to
:22:20. > :22:23.work with employers to ensure that they better understand the benefits
:22:24. > :22:36.of recruiting and retaining disabled workers. Around 3.2 million people
:22:37. > :22:39.with disabilities are in work now and the government is looking to see
:22:40. > :22:45.this number increased dramatically over the next few years? He is
:22:46. > :22:50.absolutely right. This is one of the most important aspects of the
:22:51. > :22:56.government's work. He is correct that disability employment is not up
:22:57. > :23:02.3.2 million, which is an increase of 340,000 since 2013 and 74% the year.
:23:03. > :23:07.We are increasing real terms spending on disability employment by
:23:08. > :23:17.around 15% at the end of this Parliament. Question number six.
:23:18. > :23:24.Total local government spending will be higher in cash terms in 2019-20
:23:25. > :23:29.than it is this year. The government is also the Volvo and 100% of
:23:30. > :23:33.business rates than enough for the first time since 1990 local areas
:23:34. > :23:36.will see the full benefits of local business rate growth in their
:23:37. > :23:39.budgets. When it comes to local economies I am sure that the
:23:40. > :23:45.honourable lady will join me in welcoming the fact that unemployment
:23:46. > :23:51.has fallen by more than 25% over the last year in her constituency. Will
:23:52. > :23:55.city -- Hull City Council lost a third of its budget from government
:23:56. > :24:00.funding since 2010 whilst wealthier areas have increased their budgets
:24:01. > :24:06.in some areas. The business rate proposal will benefit well-heeled
:24:07. > :24:09.areas. Can the chief Secretary say to my constituents hyped taking tens
:24:10. > :24:15.of millions of pounds out of the local economy will assist the
:24:16. > :24:19.Chancellor's plan for the Northern Powerhouse for cities like old? To
:24:20. > :24:26.be precise, local government funding is being detected in cash terms.
:24:27. > :24:29.There is a 6.1 William reduction in central government grants and that
:24:30. > :24:32.is more than offset by 6.3 billion increase in other sources of
:24:33. > :24:40.income. When she mentions the Northern Powerhouse we announced
:24:41. > :24:44.yesterday the appointment of the chairman of transport for the North.
:24:45. > :24:51.We announced ?200 million for transport for the North over this
:24:52. > :24:54.Parliament to transform transport connectivity in this region to make
:24:55. > :25:01.sure that the Northern Powerhouse becomes a reality. I welcome the
:25:02. > :25:04.measures might last week by the Chancellor to allow local government
:25:05. > :25:10.to keep the proceeds from business rates. My local authority is one of
:25:11. > :25:14.the smaller ones and therefore the receipts actual and potential will
:25:15. > :25:17.always be slightly less. Can you give me an assurance that smaller
:25:18. > :25:22.local authorities like this will see the benefits from this measure?
:25:23. > :25:27.Yes, there will be a consultation on changes to the local government
:25:28. > :25:34.finance system launched shortly, to be implemented in the financial year
:25:35. > :25:39.16-17 and we to be clear that the 2% increase in the precept to fund
:25:40. > :25:45.adult social care will be across-the-board, including rural
:25:46. > :25:52.areas for councils that are making social care pressures. The Prime
:25:53. > :25:57.Minister eloquent piece set out the difficulties facing public services
:25:58. > :26:02.as a result of the Chancellor's cuts in correspondence to his own local
:26:03. > :26:07.authority. In light of the ?27 billion windfall for the Chancellor
:26:08. > :26:12.why is he still pursuing ?12 billion on Social Security cuts under 5% cut
:26:13. > :26:15.to this Scottish Government? He mentions the Scottish Government
:26:16. > :26:19.budget, which I am not sure is within the scope of the question.
:26:20. > :26:26.The Scottish Government budget has done relatively well and there is a
:26:27. > :26:29.40% real terms increase in capital spending over the course of this
:26:30. > :26:35.Parliament and the reduction in resorts spending is only in real
:26:36. > :26:41.terms and is far less than a lot of UK Government departments. Does my
:26:42. > :26:44.right honourable friend agree that local economies like mind in
:26:45. > :26:49.Somerset have an exceptional opportunity to benefit from the
:26:50. > :26:53.devolution of business rates in the spending that this government will
:26:54. > :27:01.conduct the? He is absolutely right. Which is why it is so important that
:27:02. > :27:04.local authorities be able to keep the proceeds of growing their local
:27:05. > :27:08.business rates if that is what they are radio and capable of doing. I am
:27:09. > :27:15.sure my honourable friend will play his full part in the track in more
:27:16. > :27:18.business to his constituency. Commenting upon the Chancellor's
:27:19. > :27:24.proposals to allow local authorities to raise council tax by up to 2% in
:27:25. > :27:27.order to fund social care, the Conservative vice chair of the Local
:27:28. > :27:31.Government Association has reverted the creation of a postcode lottery,
:27:32. > :27:35.stating that if you are in one of those areas but the low concept --
:27:36. > :27:39.council taxpayers what you're likely to be saying is that unless you
:27:40. > :27:43.physically cannot get out of bed you're going to get no help at all,
:27:44. > :27:48.so I asked the Chancellor what equalisation measures will he take
:27:49. > :27:52.to ensure that there is no disparity between local authorities in terms
:27:53. > :27:58.of the funding they receive and the resultant quality of service they
:27:59. > :28:02.can provide? One of the other announcements the honourable lady
:28:03. > :28:06.might have missed was the extra going into an improved better care
:28:07. > :28:12.fund, thanks to this government. She quotes the vice-chair of the LGA but
:28:13. > :28:18.you could also have quoted from the chairman, also a Conservative, who
:28:19. > :28:21.said the LGA has long called for further flexibility in the setting
:28:22. > :28:25.up Council Tax and that is right that Greg Clark and Greg hands have
:28:26. > :28:34.listened to the concerns set out by local government. Question number
:28:35. > :28:39.seven. With your permission I would like to hand to this question along
:28:40. > :28:43.with question it. This government backs saving and home ownership and
:28:44. > :28:47.that support is exemplified by the Help To Buy I becomes available
:28:48. > :28:53.today. It provides direct government support to anyone saving for their
:28:54. > :28:57.deposit on their first home. Every 200 point you saved the government
:28:58. > :29:01.will help you with another 50 fine. The government will give you up to
:29:02. > :29:07.?3000 to which first home, all part of a plan to help working people.
:29:08. > :29:11.One of the best ways to help people build up their savings so they can
:29:12. > :29:16.buy a Help To Buy Isis is to make sure that they have good jobs with
:29:17. > :29:23.good wages, so will my right honourable friend say what steps he
:29:24. > :29:31.will take the drive employment in my constituency? -- ISA. I was in the
:29:32. > :29:34.West Midlands yesterday looking at the fantastic investment that Jaguar
:29:35. > :29:38.Land Rover are making there. Alongside that we are investing in
:29:39. > :29:42.the infrastructure in the West Midlands. We just signed an
:29:43. > :29:46.agreement with the authorities in the West Midlands across the parties
:29:47. > :29:51.to put over ?1 billion into the West Midlands over the next couple of
:29:52. > :29:52.decades, so there is a long-term commitment to the Midlands engine
:29:53. > :30:03.and the jobs in his constituency. Last month, a local paper reported
:30:04. > :30:08.that some areas in Cornwall had seen a 15% rise in house prices over the
:30:09. > :30:13.last year. Could my right honourable friend outline what additional
:30:14. > :30:18.action is being taken to assist first-time buyers in beautiful parts
:30:19. > :30:22.of the country like Cornwall, which are popular with second home
:30:23. > :30:28.owners, and what difference the increase in stamp duty will make? My
:30:29. > :30:30.honourable friend always speaks passionately on behalf of her
:30:31. > :30:37.constituents, in this case those seeking to buy their first home. The
:30:38. > :30:41.Help To Buy Isa is available in Cornwall and will help her
:30:42. > :30:44.constituents. The new stamp duty charge on second homes and buy to
:30:45. > :30:48.let will raise money, and a portion of that money will be given to local
:30:49. > :30:54.authorities in areas like Cornwall, where there are a lot of second
:30:55. > :31:01.homes. Low interest rate have meant that many have had their saving
:31:02. > :31:08.vehicles affected like buy to let is. What measures is he giving to
:31:09. > :31:14.elderly people who are looking for better savings returns? There is
:31:15. > :31:18.agreement across this House that we should have a level playing field so
:31:19. > :31:21.that people trying to buy their first home are not disadvantaged
:31:22. > :31:25.against those trying to buy a second home or a buy to let property. The
:31:26. > :31:31.changes we have injured used help to do that. Alongside that, we have
:31:32. > :31:37.made the Isa more generous. We have helped people get the most out of
:31:38. > :31:40.their pensions. And interest rates, decided independently, are part of
:31:41. > :31:50.the vital support for our economy going forward. On the work the
:31:51. > :31:56.Chancellor has done on tackling the buy to let market, can I ask whether
:31:57. > :32:02.he would consider extending it by cutting further the tax relief on
:32:03. > :32:04.buy to let properties? We have to widen the space for first-time
:32:05. > :32:09.buyers to get into the market, particularly in London. I welcome
:32:10. > :32:16.the support the honourable lady gives. The problems of getting on
:32:17. > :32:20.the housing ladder are particularly acute for first-time buyers in
:32:21. > :32:23.London. In the summer budget, we announced changes to mortgage tax
:32:24. > :32:31.relief for the buy to let market so that those with higher incomes saw
:32:32. > :32:36.that reliefs go back over the coming years. What we have set out now with
:32:37. > :32:41.the stamp duty and the changes in the summer budget represent a fair
:32:42. > :32:44.package for homeowners, both those by a buy to let property and those
:32:45. > :32:50.buying their first home. Could the Chancellor explain how first-time
:32:51. > :32:55.home-buyers will benefit from his blueprint for a better deal, what
:32:56. > :33:03.the Daily Mail calls a blitz on rip-off monopolies? I am glad my
:33:04. > :33:09.honourable friend read that document. We are making sure that
:33:10. > :33:13.mortgage fees are more transparent. We are making sure utility bills are
:33:14. > :33:17.more competitive for families, cutting the electricity tariffs we
:33:18. > :33:21.talked about earlier, but also making sure people can get a better
:33:22. > :33:30.deal from their water company, all part of driving down costs for
:33:31. > :33:33.families. What will really support people with home ownership is
:33:34. > :33:38.massively increasing the supply of new homes, not, as the Autumn
:33:39. > :33:43.Statement does, simply subsidising people to bid up the prices of
:33:44. > :33:48.existing homes. After five and a half years in office, it is time the
:33:49. > :33:52.Chancellor took some responsibility. He has a woeful record on housing,
:33:53. > :33:56.exacerbating the market failure which has led to restricted supply
:33:57. > :34:03.and consequently high prices. When will the government increases supply
:34:04. > :34:10.by starting a real programme of mass house-building of homes for rent as
:34:11. > :34:13.well as to buy? Over this decade, we will have built more social homes
:34:14. > :34:20.than the entire period that the Labour Party was in government. But
:34:21. > :34:24.affordable housing should also be housing that people can afford to
:34:25. > :34:28.buy as well as rent. We are doubling the housing budget and undertaking
:34:29. > :34:35.the biggest housing building programme since the 1970s. It is a
:34:36. > :34:38.shame he was not with me in Wolverhampton yesterday, seeing the
:34:39. > :34:41.new jobs being created at the engine plant and making sure we build new
:34:42. > :34:51.homes for those working at that plant. As we remove gender
:34:52. > :34:55.inequality, women born between 1953 and 1955 will receive their state
:34:56. > :34:59.pension at the same age as men or earlier. The government has written
:35:00. > :35:05.to all those affected by increases to state pension age and has acted
:35:06. > :35:09.to ease the timetable at the cost of ?1 billion, ensuring that 81% of all
:35:10. > :35:14.women affected see a rise of a year or less under the 2011 act. As
:35:15. > :35:20.announced by the Chancellor last week, the basic state pension will
:35:21. > :35:27.rise next year by ?3.35 to ?119.30 a week, the largest real terms
:35:28. > :35:32.increase for 15 years. It is good to see the pension going up, but
:35:33. > :35:37.research by the pensions policy Institute and Age UK shows that a
:35:38. > :35:41.third of women at work are ineligible for automatic enrolment
:35:42. > :35:47.into a workplace pension, leaving them at risk of not having a decent
:35:48. > :35:51.income later in life. What research has he or the Department for Work
:35:52. > :35:55.and Pensions carried out to understand what difficulties they
:35:56. > :35:59.will have in the future? This continues a process which has been
:36:00. > :36:07.going on since the mid-90s to equalise the state pension age and
:36:08. > :36:11.the process in 2011 to increase the state pension age to make sure it
:36:12. > :36:14.can be more affordable overall in terms of being able to meet our
:36:15. > :36:19.commitments under the triple lock and the big increase I mentioned
:36:20. > :36:23.earlier. I did not hear all of the honourable gentleman's quenching,
:36:24. > :36:29.but I think he mentioned Age UK and the charity director of Age UK said
:36:30. > :36:32.this. She called it a significant financial commitment from the
:36:33. > :36:36.government at a difficult time. This will give a much-needed six-month
:36:37. > :36:45.respite to all the women who would have had to work an extra two years.
:36:46. > :36:50.Question ten, please. The long-term economic plan is securing the UK
:36:51. > :36:54.recovery. We were the fastest-growing G7 economy in 2014
:36:55. > :36:57.and 2013, joint fastest this year. The deficit has more than halved and
:36:58. > :37:00.the national debt is set to fall this year. But the job is not yet
:37:01. > :37:05.done and the government will continue working through the plan to
:37:06. > :37:10.ensure Britain's long-term economic security. It was great to hear the
:37:11. > :37:13.Chancellor last week talk about rehabilitating our prisoners. Does
:37:14. > :37:17.the minister agree that the sale of old Victorian prisons is an example
:37:18. > :37:21.of how economic and social reform can go hand-in-hand, bringing sales
:37:22. > :37:28.to the Exchequer, working positively with prisoners and creating new
:37:29. > :37:31.places in our cities for homes? My honourable friend has campaigned
:37:32. > :37:35.consistently on these issues since 2010. The justice reforms are an
:37:36. > :37:37.exemplary element of the long-term economic plan, combining savings
:37:38. > :37:43.with social reform and delivering economic dividends from improved up
:37:44. > :37:47.the ability to sites of 3000 new homes. It is because of the strength
:37:48. > :37:51.of the economy, thanks to the long-term plan, that we have
:37:52. > :37:56.invested in building the new prisons and closing the old ones. Last
:37:57. > :37:59.night, I launched the all-party parliament regroup on adult
:38:00. > :38:04.education, in recognition that at a time when we are all living longer,
:38:05. > :38:08.having many different jobs and careers, when whole industries are
:38:09. > :38:15.being allowed to die, our long-term economic security depends on
:38:16. > :38:19.investing in adult education. The Chancellor was persuaded not to
:38:20. > :38:21.slash the further education budget. Will he now acknowledged that
:38:22. > :38:28.investing in further education is the future? She rightly identifies
:38:29. > :38:30.the importance of continuing in further education and the fact that
:38:31. > :38:35.more people will have multiple careers in their lives and the
:38:36. > :38:39.availability of retraining is important. I welcome the protection
:38:40. > :38:46.of that budget and the availability of loans for part-time students. The
:38:47. > :38:49.government's economic plan rightly prioritise infrastructure and I
:38:50. > :38:54.welcome yesterday's announcement of a new chairman to transport of the
:38:55. > :38:59.north. Does my right aggro agree with me -- right honourable friend
:39:00. > :39:04.agree with me that the regeneration of the north is vital to rebalancing
:39:05. > :39:08.the economy? He is right and that is what is at the heart of the
:39:09. > :39:10.enterprise zones and the concept of the Northern Powerhouse, making sure
:39:11. > :39:14.the cities of the north at up to something that is more than the sum
:39:15. > :39:18.of the parts. Transport for the north is a vital part of that. What
:39:19. > :39:23.assessment has he made of the impact of the long-term economic plan to
:39:24. > :39:27.grow the economy of the policies made and the promises being put
:39:28. > :39:33.forward at the Green junket in Paris this week? In the mistaken belief
:39:34. > :39:37.that by piling pounds onto power bills, you can somehow change the
:39:38. > :39:41.world's climate? We recognise the challenges that come with energy
:39:42. > :39:44.costs. It is also true that the green sector supports a number of
:39:45. > :39:52.jobs in this country. It is important that we seek to lead in
:39:53. > :39:58.terms of research and development. Question number 12. The government
:39:59. > :40:04.is committed to raising the income tax personal allowance from ?10,600
:40:05. > :40:07.to ?12,500 by the end of this Parliament. This is alongside our
:40:08. > :40:12.commitment to raise the higher rate threshold to raise the higher rate
:40:13. > :40:14.threshold of ?50,000. Over 30 million individuals will benefit
:40:15. > :40:23.from these changes. The summer Budget confirmed an increase to the
:40:24. > :40:27.personal budget to ?11,200 in 2017. In the light of what my honourable
:40:28. > :40:33.friend has said, will he reassure me that as the economy continues to
:40:34. > :40:37.recover, the government will follow sound conservative principles of
:40:38. > :40:47.allowing people to keep more of the money they earn to spend as they
:40:48. > :40:49.wish? Well, yes. And if we are going to continue to raise the personal
:40:50. > :40:55.allowance and meet our commitments on income tax, we also need to make
:40:56. > :40:59.sure we show discipline in terms of government department or spending
:41:00. > :41:05.and the welfare budget. Number 13. With unemployment level of 31.2
:41:06. > :41:09.million, there are more people in work than before. Over the past
:41:10. > :41:12.year, implement growth has been driven by full-time employees and
:41:13. > :41:15.high and medium skill occupations, showing we are now moving into the
:41:16. > :41:19.next phase of our recovery, with high-quality employment helping to
:41:20. > :41:25.boost productivity and raising standards across the country.
:41:26. > :41:28.Against a backdrop of redundancies and potential redundancies in my
:41:29. > :41:31.constituency in the mining and power sector, can the minister tell the
:41:32. > :41:36.House what support is available to businesses of all sizes in my area
:41:37. > :41:42.to ensure that the trend of rising employment we have seen since 2010
:41:43. > :41:48.continues? I commend my honourable friend on his endeavours, including
:41:49. > :41:53.the Selby district jobs first. He mentioned energy intensive
:41:54. > :41:57.industries. We recognise the challenges that some businesses in
:41:58. > :42:00.those sectors face. We cannot change world price levels, but we will
:42:01. > :42:07.bring forward compared session and we will legislate to exempt them
:42:08. > :42:09.from renewables policy costs, providing greater business
:42:10. > :42:14.certainty. Businesses will also benefit from further cuts to
:42:15. > :42:17.corporation tax. I have been approached by constituents who have
:42:18. > :42:22.been excited to get their first 15 hour week job, hoping it would lead
:42:23. > :42:25.to full-time employment. At in retail, there is a trend where over
:42:26. > :42:30.two years later, more part-time employees are being recruited, but
:42:31. > :42:34.no full-time job for those in post. Could the minister look into this
:42:35. > :42:38.and make sure there are no perverse incentives for employers to create
:42:39. > :42:43.lots of small part-time jobs without the opportunity for those people to
:42:44. > :42:47.progress? The honourable lady raises an important point. Full-time
:42:48. > :42:52.workers account for almost three quarters of the employment growth
:42:53. > :42:57.since 2010. But the crucial reforming the welfare and social
:42:58. > :43:02.system is universal credit, which six specifically to get over these
:43:03. > :43:07.spikes you find in the hours scale so that it always pays to be in
:43:08. > :43:17.work, and it also pays to move up the hours scale. Number 14. Since
:43:18. > :43:19.the financial crisis, households' financial positions have improved.
:43:20. > :43:28.Household debt as a proportion of income has fallen to 144% in the
:43:29. > :43:38.second quarter of 2015, down from a peak of 168% in the first quarter of
:43:39. > :43:42.2008. However, a large number of my constituents have been alarmed that
:43:43. > :43:45.mistakes made by HMRC in overpayments to working tax credits
:43:46. > :43:50.have been recovered without warning from their child tax credit
:43:51. > :43:53.entitlements. Is this now the policy of the department to push people
:43:54. > :44:00.into poverty by punishing them for HMRC's mistakes?
:44:01. > :44:06.She may remember the terrible roar like Ron Howard government was in
:44:07. > :44:11.power with working tax credits. I can assure the honourable lady that
:44:12. > :44:18.we will continue to improve the administration of these and ensure
:44:19. > :44:23.that unlike when her party was in power when you could have a ?25,000
:44:24. > :44:36.change to your income without it affecting your working tax credits,
:44:37. > :44:38.he got that down to ?2500. Household debt will be kept low thanks to
:44:39. > :44:46.government support for savers such as the Help To Buy ISA is launched
:44:47. > :44:53.today. Will the Minister encouraged me to encourage buyers to take
:44:54. > :44:58.advantage of this? I am delighted that my honourable friend on the
:44:59. > :45:04.half of his constituents has noticed the fact that the Help To Buy ISA
:45:05. > :45:08.scheme launches today. There are 14 financial institutions that are
:45:09. > :45:11.already offering this exciting opportunity to save for a home and
:45:12. > :45:17.they hope that many of his constituents will take advantage of
:45:18. > :45:20.it. Citizens advice said that household bills are now the chief
:45:21. > :45:26.source of problems that people are coming to them for help with. What
:45:27. > :45:30.will the government do to make sure the guarantor and logbook loans are
:45:31. > :45:33.properly regulated so they don't simply replace payday loans as a
:45:34. > :45:40.source of properly regulated credit? As the honourable lady
:45:41. > :45:47.Hampshire will welcome in the last Parliament we took steps to bring
:45:48. > :45:51.credit under the regulation of the Financial Conduct Authority and we
:45:52. > :45:55.would welcome the fact as a result of that payday lending has dropped
:45:56. > :45:59.sharply. We are also backing credit unions are many different ways in
:46:00. > :46:02.this country to make sure that people have an opportunity to save
:46:03. > :46:08.through their work this credit union. If she will work with me high
:46:09. > :46:10.can assure her that we will continue to ensure that households who have
:46:11. > :46:23.the lowest proportion of death at the moment will continue... We could
:46:24. > :46:30.not be more grateful. The government has committed to raise the personal
:46:31. > :46:34.alliance to ?12,500 and the higher rate threshold of ?50,000 by the end
:46:35. > :46:38.of this Parliament. The government took the first steps to meeting
:46:39. > :46:42.these commitments by increasing the personal alliance to ?11,000 and
:46:43. > :46:50.raising the higher rate threshold of ?43,000. 29 billion people will pay
:46:51. > :46:58.less tax act the these changes -- 29 million people. Kiddie outline what
:46:59. > :47:01.measures have already been taken to help married couples keep more of
:47:02. > :47:06.what they earn and will he consider helping stay at home parents by
:47:07. > :47:15.increasing the marriage alliance for all taxpayers? Since 2015-16 married
:47:16. > :47:22.couples and civil partnerships have been able to transfer 10% of their
:47:23. > :47:27.earnings to their spice. This will increase in proportion to ending --
:47:28. > :47:33.to any increases in the personal alliance that the government has
:47:34. > :47:37.committed to raise the ?12,500. Given seventh -- a savings ratio to
:47:38. > :47:43.household debt has gone from 11.8% in the first quarter of 2010 and is
:47:44. > :47:46.not under 5% on the Trent lipstick will continue downwards, why is the
:47:47. > :47:52.government is not taking steps to reverse this trend? The government
:47:53. > :47:55.is delivering one of the biggest increases in living standards we
:47:56. > :48:06.have seen for many years. We have got record levels of import --
:48:07. > :48:09.employment. We are one of the strongest economies in the G-7 and
:48:10. > :48:17.that is helping finance is up and down the country. Can he say what
:48:18. > :48:21.measures will be taken to ensure their parents returning to work on
:48:22. > :48:27.my constituency don't spend every single penny they have on
:48:28. > :48:31.childcare? He makes a very important points. From September 2017 the
:48:32. > :48:36.government is doubling the free childcare entitlement up to 30 hours
:48:37. > :48:42.a week for working families with three and four-year-olds, worth up
:48:43. > :48:46.to ?5,000 per child and from early 2017 tax free childcare will also be
:48:47. > :48:54.introduced providing support for up to ?2000 a year to help with
:48:55. > :48:59.childcare costs. Topical question number one. The core purpose of the
:49:00. > :49:03.Treasury is to ensure that the asperity of the UK economy. I can
:49:04. > :49:07.tell Baha'is that the date of the budget next year will be whether the
:49:08. > :49:12.March the 16th. My right honourable friend has
:49:13. > :49:15.announced the closure of the compensation scheme for extra life
:49:16. > :49:21.policyholders at the end of this month. We will then know exactly how
:49:22. > :49:24.many claimants there are and has no right honourable friend any plans to
:49:25. > :49:31.extend the amount of money that is being given to the aims of this
:49:32. > :49:37.scam? I am always of course happy to listen to representations that they
:49:38. > :49:41.have put a very substantial sum in the compensating people who lost out
:49:42. > :49:46.through Equitable Life and we have made sure through our payment system
:49:47. > :49:52.that those payments have been made. That is why the scheme is coming to
:49:53. > :50:00.a close. The Chancellor vowed the Labour pressure last week and he
:50:01. > :50:07.made a U-turn on tax credit, but while tax credits will not be cut in
:50:08. > :50:11.the New Year as planned, cuts the Universal Credit are still going
:50:12. > :50:16.ahead in full, so he has not reversed his cuts the family income
:50:17. > :50:19.but just delayed them. I am sure the Chancellor has looked at the impact
:50:20. > :50:23.of these changes in some detail so can I ask and could you tell Baha'is
:50:24. > :50:28.how much a single parent with one child working part-time on the
:50:29. > :50:34.so-called National Living Wage would lose as a result of his planned
:50:35. > :50:38.changes to Universal Credits? Let me say I did not feel a huge amount of
:50:39. > :50:44.Labour pressure last week but I am happy to see him at the dispatch
:50:45. > :50:48.box. We are introducing with Universal Credit the fundamental
:50:49. > :50:52.improvement to benefit system and anyone on tax credits, including the
:50:53. > :50:55.case that he repairs to, he has moved on to Credits from next year
:50:56. > :51:03.will have their cash rewards protect that. Let me explain to the
:51:04. > :51:06.Chancellor exactly what that single parent with one child working
:51:07. > :51:13.part-time on the National Living Wage would lose. They would lose on
:51:14. > :51:19.average ?2800 a year as a result of the cuts the Universal Credits. This
:51:20. > :51:23.was not an Autumn Statement that will support families but one that
:51:24. > :51:30.will punish them because 2.6 million families will still be on average
:51:31. > :51:34.were soft life ?1600. Let me just offered the Chancellor and other way
:51:35. > :51:37.out. If he reverses the tax giveaways to the wealthy which he
:51:38. > :51:41.announced in the summer budget, the Chancellor could reverse the league
:51:42. > :51:47.these cuts the family incomes while still achieving his fiscal mandate.
:51:48. > :51:54.Wilbur Chancellor and address the threat to these families? Universal
:51:55. > :51:59.Credits is indeed benefit where it is always going to pay to work,
:52:00. > :52:03.always pay to expand the number of hours that to work and will get rid
:52:04. > :52:07.of complex systems of benefits and that will help working families. Let
:52:08. > :52:13.me make this point since the gang of four on the other side of the house
:52:14. > :52:17.art chuntering away. The member for Leeds East he is a shadow Treasury
:52:18. > :52:22.Minister has not bothered to turn up today because he is marching on the
:52:23. > :52:26.Labour Party's headquarters on stop the War march and the truth is
:52:27. > :52:30.this, until the shadow Treasury team can get attacked together in this
:52:31. > :52:37.chamber there are cases will not be listened too seriously. With my
:52:38. > :52:44.right honourable friend is join me in welcoming the 60% reduction in
:52:45. > :52:49.unemployment in my constituency since 2010, the 100% rise in house
:52:50. > :52:56.building since 2014 and the fact that Helmsley once the best market
:52:57. > :53:01.town? I don't wish to be unkind, we have not time for these lists. What
:53:02. > :53:08.we need a single sentence questions? The AA 64 is still a
:53:09. > :53:16.bottleneck to investment and the traffic blackspot, with the
:53:17. > :53:23.Chancellor look again at further investment for this route? We
:53:24. > :53:27.certainly want to hear the good news about what is going on in Yorkshire
:53:28. > :53:32.and what I can say to him is with the a 64 we have committed billions
:53:33. > :53:38.of pounds to improvement in the road network. We have specifically
:53:39. > :53:44.created a ?475 million parts for a local major roads and this is the
:53:45. > :53:51.sort of bid that should be put in. As the Chancellor was on his feet
:53:52. > :54:00.next week, ?1 billion of funding was removed from carbon capture and
:54:01. > :54:06.storage, a breach of Tory party manifesto. How can you justify this
:54:07. > :54:15.decision which will jeopardise 600 jobs in Peterhead? We are doubling
:54:16. > :54:19.investment in renewable electricity and energy and much of that
:54:20. > :54:22.investment is going into Scotland, but we also increase the capital
:54:23. > :54:26.budget for the Scottish Government so instead of dropping us for
:54:27. > :54:32.capital projects then I had the resources to pay for it themselves.
:54:33. > :54:39.I attended the skills show in Birmingham recently. Does my
:54:40. > :54:47.honourable friend agree with me that the levy he announced in the Autumn
:54:48. > :55:00.Statement is an excellent further step to help young people earn and
:55:01. > :55:04.learn? You have two provide ad better example for your colleagues,
:55:05. > :55:09.simply too long. I was very excited to hear about the skills show in
:55:10. > :55:12.Birmingham and I think the point my honourable friend mates is
:55:13. > :55:18.absolutely right. By investing in apprenticeships, creating 3 million
:55:19. > :55:24.apprentices that addresses a great weakness in the economy which is a
:55:25. > :55:35.low skills base. The Chancellor's excitement is of no interest to the
:55:36. > :55:37.chair. Pettiness is the point. The Chancellor is looking into airport
:55:38. > :55:43.expansion. Given that the outcomes of the committee are vital to the
:55:44. > :55:49.north and we were promised a response by Christmas, when can we
:55:50. > :55:52.expect this response? I completely understand that the honourable lady
:55:53. > :55:57.is interested in the subject, it is a subject that arise is a lot of
:55:58. > :56:01.interest across the country. I am afraid she will just have to be
:56:02. > :56:05.patient and see the response from the government to this important
:56:06. > :56:10.report. I congratulate my right honourable friend and his Autumn
:56:11. > :56:14.Statement which continued to put signs as a priority. Does he agree
:56:15. > :56:18.that indeed Cheshire science corridor Enterprise Zone will not
:56:19. > :56:25.only play an important role locally, but also to the UK and the northern
:56:26. > :56:30.powerhouse? He is absolutely right. This support for Cheshire science
:56:31. > :56:36.schools across the county and particularly supports the brilliant
:56:37. > :56:40.work being done in Macclesfield by the many companies that have come
:56:41. > :56:48.onto this estate, something that I know he champions. Wilbur Chancellor
:56:49. > :56:53.in form Baha'is and he expects the UK to regain its triple-A credit
:56:54. > :56:57.rating? As she knows, she has asked me about this before, and we have a
:56:58. > :57:03.triple-A credit rating with one of the agencies and we will let the
:57:04. > :57:08.others make their own decisions. Train services from Twickenham are
:57:09. > :57:13.inadequate, they need to be faster, more frequent. With the Chancellor
:57:14. > :57:17.look into what one thing he can provide to improve services today
:57:18. > :57:28.and services tomorrow with the Crossrail project? Crossrail two is
:57:29. > :57:31.scheduled to go through my constituency also. She will know
:57:32. > :57:36.that the government has committed some money to help feasibility
:57:37. > :57:39.studies in this Parliament. The National infrastructure commission
:57:40. > :57:41.has been passed with reviewing further investment in London and
:57:42. > :57:50.will report back to government before the 2016 budget. What recent
:57:51. > :57:53.assessment has the Chancellor made of the performance of the UK
:57:54. > :58:00.guarantee scheme? When that was lobster Treasury said it would
:58:01. > :58:03.dramatically -- dramatically accelerate major infrastructure
:58:04. > :58:07.investment. The only thing that has dramatically accelerated since then
:58:08. > :58:15.has been a national debts who has missed every target he has set
:58:16. > :58:22.himself. The guarantee scheme has already provided, has already been
:58:23. > :58:28.approved for aid projects, the Mersey bridge, Hinkley Point see
:58:29. > :58:32.nuclear power station. It has not always been necessary. A further 18
:58:33. > :58:41.projects worth almost 9 billion have been supported without actually
:58:42. > :58:45.having the need for a guarantee. As chair of women in enterprise, I am
:58:46. > :58:49.happy that there are more women working in Britain today. A barrier
:58:50. > :58:53.to stopping more female business owners is a lack of reliable
:58:54. > :58:57.information on how minute there currently are. Would he meet with me
:58:58. > :59:05.to discuss this issue and look at possible solutions? Can I
:59:06. > :59:12.congratulate my honourable friend on the appointment to this APPG. I look
:59:13. > :59:16.forward to working closely with him to provide the data that he seeks.
:59:17. > :59:20.By what date does the government expect to pay the National Living
:59:21. > :59:24.Wage doll of its employees and contractors employed by the
:59:25. > :59:33.government? The National Living Wage is coming in next April so we will
:59:34. > :59:36.of course comply with that. Does the Chancellor agree with me the only
:59:37. > :59:42.way to continue to attract investment into the region is good
:59:43. > :59:48.infrastructure and neither is the time to upgrade the 810 from
:59:49. > :59:51.Cambridge? We put a huge amount of investment in the Cambridge
:59:52. > :59:56.including the renovation of the famous Cavendish laboratories. I
:59:57. > :00:00.congratulate her on the strong start she has made him championing her
:00:01. > :00:06.constituency. That has been continued today.
:00:07. > :00:15.The Chancellor promised twice at the Scottish referendum and in his
:00:16. > :00:20.manifesto for carbon capture facility at Peterhead. Why has he
:00:21. > :00:23.broken his permit is? Investment in renewables is doubling and much of
:00:24. > :00:27.that is going to the Scottish Government. The Scottish that the
:00:28. > :00:30.lists have got some extra money. They have increased capital
:00:31. > :00:34.spending. If they want to do invest in carbon capture and storage in
:00:35. > :00:42.Scotland, they can. It is called devolution. Peter bone. Star
:00:43. > :00:49.speaker, every three weeks, British taxpayers send more than ?1 billion
:00:50. > :00:53.to Brussels. If the British vote to come out of the EU, could the
:00:54. > :00:59.excellent Chancellor tell us how much earlier we would eliminate the
:01:00. > :01:03.deficit? I will not get into the debate about our membership of the
:01:04. > :01:06.European Union, but I will say that thanks to the hard negotiating of
:01:07. > :01:13.our right honourable friend the Prime Minister, we have cut the EU
:01:14. > :01:17.budget. By some mistake, there doesn't seem to be a Treasury
:01:18. > :01:24.question today on the deficit anywhere on the order paper. Apart
:01:25. > :01:31.from the interesting intervention that was just made. So can ask the
:01:32. > :01:33.Chancellor the question he would and answer in response to the Autumn
:01:34. > :01:38.Statement. Does he believe that by the time he leaves the Treasury, he
:01:39. > :01:53.will have finally dealt with our country's deficit? That is certainly
:01:54. > :01:56.the plan. The development at Primark's new warehouse is bringing
:01:57. > :01:58.thousands of new jobs to East Northamptonshire, but is bringing
:01:59. > :02:02.thousands of new jobs to East Northamptonshire, but isn't the
:02:03. > :02:06.added bonus that will be able to keep the windfall that arises? My
:02:07. > :02:12.honourable friend has been a powerful advocate of that product.
:02:13. > :02:15.And the devolution of business rates will help that project not only
:02:16. > :02:21.succeed, but also make a big contribution to the local economy.
:02:22. > :02:24.Given the answer to my honourable friend from Wirral and given that
:02:25. > :02:27.the Chancellor has not met a single one of his own targets on economic
:02:28. > :02:30.performance, is he therefore intending to go on and on to the
:02:31. > :02:38.delight of the Home Secretary and the Merit London? -- the Mayor of
:02:39. > :02:41.London? We promise to turn around the British economy, and that is
:02:42. > :02:45.exactly what we have done. I know he is out of sorts with the cultural
:02:46. > :02:49.revolution taking place on the front bench at the moment, but I hope in
:02:50. > :02:56.the modern Labour Party, they let 100 flowers bloom. The entrepreneur
:02:57. > :03:00.hi relief is a costly relief, and the Chancellor is right to reform it
:03:01. > :03:03.earlier this year, but it is an important way to incentivise our
:03:04. > :03:08.entrepreneurs to invest in businesses and create jobs. But my
:03:09. > :03:11.right honourable friend give some comfort and reassure our
:03:12. > :03:13.entrepreneurs that he remains committed to this relief and will
:03:14. > :03:20.take it forward in the years to come? Of course, we want
:03:21. > :03:25.entrepreneurs' relief to be directed at entrepreneurs, and that is why we
:03:26. > :03:30.made the changes. But during our time in office, we have doubled and
:03:31. > :03:35.we doubled the entrepreneurs' relief, so we support this help for
:03:36. > :03:40.our enterprise economy. Last, but not least, and with commendable
:03:41. > :03:48.brevity, I feel sure, Mr Greg Mulholland. British pubs currently
:03:49. > :03:53.have 0.5% of British turnover, and yet paid 2.8% of business rates.
:03:54. > :03:58.Will the Chancellor meet with me and the save the pub group to discuss
:03:59. > :04:02.how we can better support pubs in the taxation system? Of course, the
:04:03. > :04:06.pub industry has been supported by both the reduction in beer duty, the
:04:07. > :04:11.increase in the employment allowance, which is a huge benefit
:04:12. > :04:14.to many pubs, and the extension of small business rates relief which we
:04:15. > :04:17.announced last week. I am happy to see what more we can do to support
:04:18. > :04:22.the great British pub industry and I look forward to hearing his ideas. I
:04:23. > :04:27.am grateful to the Chancellor and two colleagues. Treasury questions
:04:28. > :04:31.always bust the box office records. Far more people want to take part
:04:32. > :04:35.that there is time to accommodate, so I think colleagues will
:04:36. > :04:42.understand. Order. Statement, business statement, no less, the
:04:43. > :04:46.Leader of the House. Mr Christopher Grayling. Mr Speaker, with your
:04:47. > :04:49.permission I should like to make a short business statement regarding
:04:50. > :04:52.tomorrow's business. The main business for tomorrow will now be a
:04:53. > :05:00.debate on a motion relating Isil in Syria. United Nations Security
:05:01. > :05:02.Council resolution to 249. The business for Thursday remains as
:05:03. > :05:05.previously announced, which is the second reading of the charities,
:05:06. > :05:10.protection and social investment Bill, Lords. Members will wish to
:05:11. > :05:14.know that subject to the agreement of the House later today, oral
:05:15. > :05:19.questions to the Cabinet Office and to the Prime Minister will not be
:05:20. > :05:22.taken tomorrow. The oral questions will be republished and Cabinet
:05:23. > :05:25.Office questions will take place on Wednesday the 9th of December. The
:05:26. > :05:29.results of the ballots for both Question Time 's will be retained,
:05:30. > :05:31.and members will not need to resubmit their questions. I will
:05:32. > :05:33.make my