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GROANS FROM CROWD Order.

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This government is clear that the broad shoulders of this United

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Kingdom are 100% behind the oil and gas industry and the thousands of

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families it supports. We have announced a wide-ranging fiscal

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package. That was further expanded at the summer budget, to drive

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investment. Oil and gas UK have highlighted that headline tax rates

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of 50% or 67.5% for those companies being PRT are no longer sustainable,

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as the UK CS enters a ever more mature phase, and the oil price

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remains low offer longer, this needs to be reflected by changing

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circumstances and be permanently reduced, will the government listen

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to the industry, what fiscal support will they bring forward. In this she

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is budget. In the driving investment paper, the government recognised the

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need overtime to change the fiscal strategy, and that is why the scale

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of what my right honourable friend was as it was at one point ?1.3

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billion, the recent delays, the headline tax reductions took effect

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on the 1st of January this year. Can I just echo those points, the North

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Sea oil and gas industry is facing very serious challenges, working

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together with the industry and with the oil and gas authority, the

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Treasury can help overcome these problems. Can I urge to be included

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in the budget, tax cutting initiatives and support that build

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on last year 's measures, and will help attract investment to this and

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will ease the worries of many very worried people at this time. My

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right honourable friend, intervening in this way, highlights that there

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are so many jobs supported by the sector which are in England and in

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Scotland, I commend the work that he has been doing with the new Anglian

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supporting companies that have found themselves in difficulties, working

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on skills, and I will assure him that we will continue working hard

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with individual companies to see what can be done to support this

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vital sector. In North Tyneside, oh GN has shed all of its 2000 jobs.

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The company has been in touch with the government to ask the help. --

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OGN. It has heard nothing about the development of wind farms and help

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that can be given. Will the Minister say whether there is going to be any

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help? Will you meet with myself and representatives for the jobs? I

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thank the honourable lady, I would be very happy to meet with her and

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with that company to see what proposal they would put forward.

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There is an application for shale gas exploration in my constituency

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which may result in many millions of pounds in community benefits. Does

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the Minister agree that those community benefits should go to

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those communities most affected by developments? My right honourable

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friend the Chancellor has said that the shale wealth fund could deliver

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up to ?1 billion of benefits, this is in addition to the industry

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scheme itself, my honourable friend is entirely right that it is

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important that community see the benefits and have the reassurance of

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additionality. Doctor Roberta Blackman Woods. With your permission

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I would like to answer this question together with question number 12, my

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responsibility as Chancellor is for jobs, livelihoods and living

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standards, it is clear to me that a UK exit from the EU would be a long,

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costly and messy divorce, that would hurt all of those things. We have

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already seen sterling fall and HSBC yesterday predicted a further 15 to

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20% slump in the event of a vote to leave, the finance ministers,

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central-bank governors, concluded at the weekend that British exit would

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cause an economic shock, not just of UK but Europe and the world, what's

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people are asking for in this referendum is a serious, sober and

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principled assessment from the government setting out the facts, I

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can announce today that the Treasury will publish before the 23rd of June

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combines analysis of membership of a reformed EU, and the alternative,

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which will include the long-term economic costs and benefits of EU

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membership and the risks associated with an exit. Given that up to

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140,000 jobs in the North East region export rely upon membership

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of the European Union, does the Chancellor agree with me and the

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majority of the Northeast of commerce members who say that an

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exit from the would be extremely damaging for north-east economic

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growth, and regeneration. I do agree with both the honourable member and

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the businesses in the north-east, of course, the north-east has thrived

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by a attracting big inward investment into car manufacturing

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and train manufacturing, most recently, at Newton Aycliffe, one of

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the things that those who are advocating exit from the year must

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answer is, what is the alternative arrangement, what is the alternative

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arrangement for a large car factory in the north-east of England, could

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it export cars into mainland Europe without tariffs? It is not obvious

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that you can do that without paying towards the EU budget, and accepting

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free movement of people. Will the UK steel industry have a brighter

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future if we remain in the EU or if we leave the EU? I believe that the

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best way to help the UK steel industry is to take action at home,

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and through being part of a large economic bloc, in other words, the

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European Union, raise concerns with Chinese steel dumping, and frankly,

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our voice will be amplified as part of the EU when we make that argument

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with China, then if we were just making that argument alone. In the

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event of a no vote, the government has committed itself to triggering

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article 50 straightaway. I cannot see the point of that, why doesn't

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the government give some time between the no vote and the

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triggering of article 52 unable a discussion to take place with

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counterparties, and see the extent to which good faith can be

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established with the countries of the European Union. It seems

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illogical to restrict ourselves in that way. It is not illogical that

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if the country votes to leave, then we leave the European Union. That is

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the choice for all of the people of the country. The only available

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mechanism is the triggering of article 50, that puts a two-year

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time-limit, of course we would try to negotiate in good faith, and

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extension can be achieved, but only with the consent of 27 other

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nations, people must be aware, there will not be to referendums, this is

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decision day on the 23rd of June, people need to choose, voting to

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remain in the EU is the best outcome for the economic and national

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security. Isn't it extraordinary that the Chancellor asked the G20 to

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make that statement and he made the request to them in order that they

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could tee up this element of Project fear. The idea that the US Treasury

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Secretary, the head of the IMF, indeed, the central bank governor of

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China dances to a British tune, I'm afraid, is a bit fanciful. The

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central-bank governors, and the finance ministers of the G20 are

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saying what frankly every major independent economic institution is

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saying, which is that a British exit would both cause an immediate

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economic shock, and have longer economic costs. Frankly, many of the

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people advocating exit, I totally understand why they want to do that,

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but they accent that there is a short-term and long-term economic

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cost, intensely, and I think that we should have that on the table, that

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is what the Treasury will produce this analysis. Despite the recent

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gulag debacle, does that Chancellor agree that the UK membership of the

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European Union should make it easier to clamp down on immoral tax

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avoidance by multinational companies? I know that Russia today

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is the favourite channel of the Labour leadership... LAUGHTER

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These are Treasury questions(!) what we are raising at the European

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Union, and this is another example of where being part of a bigger club

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helps, is precisely trying to get a pan-European agreement to country by

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country public reporting so that we can see what multinational companies

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are paying in different countries. -- Russia Today. Our ability to

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achieve that is amplified by being part of the EU. Jacob Rees Mogg. In

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my right honourable friend 's rather apocalyptic view of the European

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Union, if that is correct, was it not both either irresponsible or

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inaccurate of the priming astir to say that he ruled nothing out prior

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to the completion of the most unsatisfactory renegotiation. --

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friend's. We have secured a renegotiation which I think

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addresses the principal British concerns about our membership of the

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European Union. Now we can advocate membership of the reform EU, we will

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be stronger, safer and better off in the European Union. Between 2007 and

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2013, over 8000 businesses in the North West were able to start access

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to EU funding, we welcome the Chancellor's comments this morning

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about the analysis that he will put forward before the 23rd of June,

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will that include specific detail on the impact of leaving BA you on the

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economy to the Northwest? I am happy to take on board her request for

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more information about what the impact of exit would have on the

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north-west of England. I am a north-west MP. -- leaving the EU. I

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know that there is a lot of businesses which have access to the

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free trade single market, largest market in the world, all of the

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alternatives on offer, whether you go for Norway, Switzerland, Canada,

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the WTO, all of these different approaches, and of course, those who

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advocate withdrawal have not been able to set along one, all of them

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involve some kind of barrier to entry, or, you have to pay into the

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EU budget, as Norway does, and accept free movement of people,

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which is one of their complaints about membership. Examining the

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alternatives which we will do in the coming days will throw a spotlight

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on the choice facing the country. Should the British people decide to

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vote to leave on June 23, what arguments would you deploy on June

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24 two attract those investors wishing to invest in Europe, what

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arguments in favour of the UK rather than other countries in Europe? I

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will always fight and this Government will always fight for the

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best interests for the United Kingdom and we will do whatever we

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can in response to the verdict of the people. But the recommendation

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of the British Government and my recommendation is we are better off

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in the reformed EU. The point I make is this, of course we will have to

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handle the situation if the British people choose to exit and I would

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always stress we are a great country to invest in but I think that

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argument we are weaker if we are not in the EU. We must attend to the

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questions and in a timely way because this is desperately slow. We

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can do desperate -- better than that, one would hope. Would there

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not be a double whammy? The risk of depreciation leading to high

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inflation and interest rates. And any motion exporters will benefit

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from a cheaper pound is more than offset by additional tariff barriers

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those firms will encounter worldwide. I think the honourable

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gentleman, the former Shadow Chancellor, is right to point to

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both the immediate economic shock which I think it's generally

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accepted. Even those advocating withdrawal for honourable reasons

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would accept there is an immediate economic dislocation, and longer

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term costs. But if you say the Bretton to make this leap in the

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dark, what is the Trinity? -- to Britain. How do you assure the

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company fracture in the North East of England they will have no

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tariffs? These are the questions for this big national debate. Those who

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wish to state in the European Union say we are an insignificant and

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small economy but on the other hand, if we leave the European Union, it

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would cause an economic meltdown around the world. They both cannot

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be true, Chancellor. Our argument is that we will be stronger, better off

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inside a European Union. That is the sort of positive choices we face as

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a country and I do not think this is the right time. I do not think we

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should leave the EU but even those who contemplate it should think

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about this. With the economic situation the world faces, with the

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geopolitical situation in Europe with Putin on our doorstep and the

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crisis in the Middle East, is this the right moment to leave? My strong

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advice and the advice of the British Cabinet and British Government is we

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remain in this reformed EU. The Scottish First Minister Nicola

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Sturgeon was in London yesterday but making the case for the UK to remain

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in the EU. It supports 300,000 jobs in Scotland and 3 million in the UK.

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Can I ask the Chancellor to agree that in terms of EU membership,

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trade deals will be easier to agree as a block, harmonised regulation

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helps businesses to export and notwithstanding there are always

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improvements to be made, being a member of the EU edifice consumers

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as well? -- benefits. Scotland benefits from both being part of the

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United Kingdom and part of the European Union. And he is right to

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highlight the fact EU agreements on things like air travel and mobile

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phone chargers have reduced costs for consumers. It is also the case a

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depreciation in Stirling leads to increased inflation. In terms of

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free trade, free movement which we think is a boom and the projections

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in terms of the environment, social interaction and employment rights.

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These are substantial achievements of the European Union. To be

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celebrated and not renounced. That is the positive case we are making.

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Can I ask the Chancellor and the Prime Minister to make a positive

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case because the inner campaign does not have a 20 point lead to squander

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with a negative campaign. I am making the positive case we would be

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stronger, safer and better. Those are positive outcomes. And there

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are? Over the alternatives and we do not know what the leap in the dark

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would entail and that is reasonable to point out. I want to do this in a

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positive way and that is a healthy debate. I take the Ronald Reagan

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11th Commandment, I will not speak ill of a Conservative! Mr Speaker...

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The national living wage will mean a full-time minimum wage and it will

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earn over ?4000 more by 2020 in monetary terms, a rise of more than

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34% due to the ripple effects on those on higher incomes up to 6

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million workers will benefit, the national living wage will drive

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productivity, make sure work pays. Progressive and fair and I am proud

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it is being introduced by a Conservative government. I thank him

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for his response. I am delighted the national living wage comes into

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force from April the 1st Southampton has a number of low paid workers

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which this policy addresses. What assurances can he make to my

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constituents their jobs will be protected as a consequence of this

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wage rise and a stronger local economy? The assurance I can give is

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alongside the national living wage, we have cut taxes for businesses so

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they have more money to invest in their workforce. We have introduced

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and increased the employment alone is helping small businesses

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especially in used that at the same time as announcing the national

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living wage. And we are making big investments in the Southampton

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economy so this is a great place to grow business and employee people,

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all helping this hard-working people. Wage growth matters. Surely

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it is the bottom line of your payslip that counts. That is why he

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is wrong to say this is progressive when the Resolution Foundation finds

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over the next Parliament, those in the top half of the income

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distribution will benefit more than those at the bottom. How can the

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Chancellor say what he has done will help those with the least? I think

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she seems to be opposing the national living wage. I think it is

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a progressive policy and it was based on work by the Resolution

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Foundation. If you want a regressive policy, how about increasing the

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basing great -- basic rate of income tax? That is what the Labour Party

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is proposing in Scotland, the first sign of what an economic policy

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would look like under this New Labour leadership. How could an

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increase in the basic rate of income tax hitting people earning over

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?11,000 be remotely progressive or fair? Most businesses as well as

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workers in my constituency warmly welcomed the introduction of the

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national living wage and the increased spending power it

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delivers. Will the Chancer and his team heavily monitored the

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implementation to see if any unintended consequences happen

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particularly where margins are small set of bombing, social care and

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hospitality? -- Chancellor. Of course we will monitor the impact of

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our policies on the economy, especially sectors in the social

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care sector, that is one reason why alongside introducing the national

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living wage, we have introduced a new council tax supplement. The

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analysis when we announced this is while in theory 60,000 jobs could be

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lost in the future, that might otherwise not have been created, or

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the policies we will see creating over 1 million jobs so the overall

:20:17.:20:20.

effect is an increase of employment. How can the Treasury ensure

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employers do not reduce the hours of work to employees? Many of those in

:20:26.:20:33.

receipt of low incomes. What I would say is many different employer

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organisations and businesses have welcomed the national living wage

:20:40.:20:43.

will stop and many studies suggest having a higher ceiling, a higher

:20:44.:20:49.

law on wages drives up productivity which is one of the Great British

:20:50.:20:58.

economic challenges. Number four. As part of our long-term economic

:20:59.:21:04.

plan, the government's Charter for budget responsibility was approved

:21:05.:21:10.

by Parliament on October 15 2015. It sets a path to this country's

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long-term financial help to deliver a surplus and unlike other parties

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in this House, we will be strong and consistent in our support for the

:21:20.:21:23.

charter. The budget is on much the 16th.

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I am grateful to my honourable friend. In 2010, but budget deficit

:21:28.:21:33.

was 11.1% of GDP and this year will be down to third at 3.9% which is a

:21:34.:21:38.

remarkable achievement given the economic headwinds outside the UK.

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Could he tell the House what discussions he is having with other

:21:44.:21:49.

parties, in particular the shadow frontbench, in order to reduce the

:21:50.:21:54.

deficit? I thank my honourable friend for his

:21:55.:21:59.

support. I have had noes to discussions so far. Or any

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submissions from the frontbench opposite. -- no discussions. I have

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had as a mission from Ed Balls's, head of policy who said of the

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Shadow Chancellor's changing position, this kind of chaos less

:22:16.:22:21.

than a month into the job is the kind of low ease and significant

:22:22.:22:24.

political figures struggle to recover from. I agree that we need

:22:25.:22:33.

to reduce the debt and the deficit but with interest rates at record

:22:34.:22:39.

lows, and with the IMF forecasting investment in public and private

:22:40.:22:46.

investment will fall in the league table, should we not take advantage

:22:47.:22:52.

of low interest rates to in best in the creaky infrastructure, airport

:22:53.:22:55.

capacity and road and rail and flood defences? -- to invest. And I

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welcome her support for deficit, -- reduction and it is good to have her

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back but I remind her in the last Parliament, she voted against

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virtually every single measure of deficit reduction this Government

:23:10.:23:14.

took. In terms of investment, we have a big programme of

:23:15.:23:19.

infrastructure investment, 100 billion over this Parliament,

:23:20.:23:22.

including transport infrastructure and other measures to help her

:23:23.:23:24.

constituents and those across the country. As the IMF has been

:23:25.:23:29.

mentioned, would the Minister agree the statement last week we have

:23:30.:23:34.

delivered robust growth, record employment, is it never could

:23:35.:23:40.

reduction in the fiscal deficit and increased financial sector

:23:41.:23:44.

resilience is to be welcomed? I wonder if there is more to calm. --

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two, now. I thank my honourable friend for that supplementary and

:23:54.:23:59.

the IMF have been clear in their endorsement of the charter for

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budget responsibility. I say for example the transparency of the new

:24:05.:24:08.

rule with a focus on headline balances and simple and well defined

:24:09.:24:13.

escape clause is welcome. It commends the appropriate level of

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flexibility in the charter. In terms of external advice taken on by the

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party opposite, I am quite clear and it would appear from this morning's

:24:24.:24:29.

session Labour MPs are extremely helpful. Sit down, a terrible waste

:24:30.:24:35.

of time, long wounded, boring and unnecessary! -- long-winded. In the

:24:36.:24:44.

debates at the time of the charter, I am many others warned the

:24:45.:24:47.

Chancellor of the potential impact of global adverse headwinds. The

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Chancellor responded by posting and I quote, of having an economic plan

:24:54.:24:57.

that actually produces better results than forecast. Since then,

:24:58.:25:03.

we have seen business investment falling, his export target receding

:25:04.:25:07.

into the distance, trade deficit widened, manufacturing and

:25:08.:25:11.

construction and the recession, the productivity gap the biggest in a

:25:12.:25:14.

generation and last week the Chancellor tells us the economy is

:25:15.:25:19.

smaller than we thought. Can I say if his economic plan is now

:25:20.:25:25.

producing worse results than forecast, imposing more stealth

:25:26.:25:29.

taxes and cuts in the budget will only make matters worse! We need a?

:25:30.:25:37.

! Order. I said what I said because ministers responsible for answering

:25:38.:25:41.

for government policy and not that of the opposition and people who ask

:25:42.:25:45.

questions, from the front and backbench, pithy replies! Can I

:25:46.:25:51.

thank the Shadow Chancellor for that question. The forecasts at the

:25:52.:25:56.

moment still showed the UK performing extremely well with very

:25:57.:25:58.

strong rates of the Chancellor was right to say over

:25:59.:26:09.

the weekend we may need to undertake further reductions in spending with

:26:10.:26:13.

us this country can only afford what it can afford. He said, I am

:26:14.:26:18.

determined in this uncertain time we have economic security. That is what

:26:19.:26:23.

people rely on. But I am equally clear it would be a fundamental

:26:24.:26:27.

disaster for this country to pursue the policies he has been promoting

:26:28.:26:31.

in the six months he has been Shadow Chancellor.

:26:32.:26:35.

Can we address one of the domestic threats to the economy, this week,

:26:36.:26:40.

the former governor of the Bank of England has warned that bankers have

:26:41.:26:43.

not learned the lessons from 2008, and without reform, the financial

:26:44.:26:51.

system and another crisis is certain. Will the Chancellor take

:26:52.:26:54.

responsible do for the domestic responsibilities within the economy

:26:55.:26:57.

that have built up under his watch, will he withdraw his proposals to

:26:58.:27:01.

water down the regulatory receiving for senior bankers? -- regulatory

:27:02.:27:07.

regime. Can I remind the Shadow Chancellor that over the last five

:27:08.:27:11.

and a half years, it has been this government, that has been fixing the

:27:12.:27:16.

problems in our banking system, and that the poor regulation, the

:27:17.:27:19.

tripartite regime that we inherited from the government deviously, it is

:27:20.:27:23.

us taking action. In terms of economic policy, I have to look

:27:24.:27:28.

around at the Labour Party, and see what kind of reactions there are.

:27:29.:27:34.

Sits down, sit down, this is about government policy, progress is

:27:35.:27:38.

slower than at previous Treasury questions, please do try to stick to

:27:39.:27:42.

government policy upon which briefly you can and should speak. Hugh

:27:43.:27:50.

Merryman. Question five. Mr Speaker, the government wants to make

:27:51.:27:53.

homeownership a reality for as many people as possible, that is why we

:27:54.:27:57.

are building 400,000 new homes with extended help to buy, I can tell the

:27:58.:28:01.

house that the new help to buy ice launched one year ago at the budget

:28:02.:28:04.

and has been used by almost a third of a million families for saving for

:28:05.:28:09.

the first time. -- ISA. That is confirmation that as a Conservative

:28:10.:28:12.

government, we are on the side of the working family and home

:28:13.:28:15.

ownership. 82% of buyers are using help to buy, they would not have

:28:16.:28:18.

been able to buy their home without that skin, would my right honourable

:28:19.:28:23.

friend agree with me that it is the Conservatives helping hard-working

:28:24.:28:26.

people realise the dream of home ownership, is he aware of

:28:27.:28:28.

alternative economic policies and the risks they pose to families in

:28:29.:28:36.

my constituency? My honourable friend is absolutely right, 130,000

:28:37.:28:41.

people have made use of the help to buy schemes, helping people in his

:28:42.:28:44.

constituency and elsewhere ago on the housing ladder, at the same time

:28:45.:28:47.

we are seeking to increase supply, by building more homes that people

:28:48.:28:51.

can buy, it is worth noting that first-time buyers were down under

:28:52.:28:56.

50%, over 50%, over the last Labour government, 60% with us. Mr Speaker,

:28:57.:29:02.

the Chancellor makes great claims for policy but in inner London, in

:29:03.:29:06.

my constituency, it is a crisis, I met with the head of the CCG, we

:29:07.:29:11.

have a crisis in GP recruitment, hospital doctor appointments, even

:29:12.:29:15.

highly paid doctors cannot afford to get on the housing ladder, in my

:29:16.:29:20.

constituency, which is causing a crisis in public services, what is

:29:21.:29:21.

he going to do about that? We are doing two things about that,

:29:22.:29:28.

building more homes in London than were ever built under the last

:29:29.:29:31.

Labour government, and we have just introduced help to buy London so

:29:32.:29:35.

that we help Londoners specifically deal with the very high cost of

:29:36.:29:43.

houses in the capital. After six years as Chancellor, that he

:29:44.:29:49.

confirmed, from 2010 to 2015, whether home ownership was up or

:29:50.:29:56.

down? When I first became Chancellor, we were in the aftermath

:29:57.:29:58.

of a collapse in the housing market, so it took a couple of years to get

:29:59.:30:01.

the house-building going again, I can tell you that the house-building

:30:02.:30:06.

stats are up, and the number of first-time buyers has risen by 60%

:30:07.:30:11.

since I was Chancellor, down by 50% under the last Labour government.

:30:12.:30:18.

There you have it, we know from the English housing survey that there

:30:19.:30:24.

were 201,000 fewer households owning a home in 2015 than five years ago,

:30:25.:30:28.

compare to a million increase under Labour. By 2025, nine out of ten

:30:29.:30:35.

Britons under 35 on modest incomes in Britain will not be able to

:30:36.:30:39.

afford a home, renting in the private sector is soaring, the

:30:40.:30:43.

housing benefit bill is now likely to be 350 million more than he

:30:44.:30:48.

forecast last year. Isn't it true, Mr Speaker, that his record on

:30:49.:30:52.

housing investment is one of failure, with British families now

:30:53.:30:56.

literally paying the price? Housing stats are higher than when I became

:30:57.:31:01.

Chancellor but what people need above all as homeowners or people

:31:02.:31:06.

building houses is economic security, and that is what this

:31:07.:31:10.

government is seeking to deliver. Frankly, the fact that the Labour

:31:11.:31:13.

Party is now getting its advice from Yanis Varoufakis, and the

:31:14.:31:16.

revolutionary Marxist broadcaster Paul Mason does not suggest me that

:31:17.:31:21.

they have got an answer to economic security, presumably they chose

:31:22.:31:25.

those two because Chairman Mao was dead and Mickey Mouse was

:31:26.:31:33.

Tax treaties provide protection for UK citizens from discriminatory tax

:31:34.:31:40.

in other countries, we have one of the largest treaty networks, with

:31:41.:31:44.

over 220 in force, HMRC cannot intervene where a taxpayer is in

:31:45.:31:49.

dispute with a foreign entity on domestic issues, but where a treaty

:31:50.:31:54.

may not apply, and is not apply properly, they can request HMRC to

:31:55.:31:58.

raise the issue with the other revenue authority. My constituent,

:31:59.:32:03.

David Duncan, currently being pursued by the meat and assistance

:32:04.:32:06.

in the recovery of debt for a tax payment related to a time when he

:32:07.:32:10.

was residing in Germany. He was working in South Korea. He had been

:32:11.:32:18.

-- assured by his employer... This is a story, not a question, taking

:32:19.:32:22.

far too long, one sentence: what is it?! Will the Minister advise what

:32:23.:32:28.

help is available to my constituent, in terms of resolving this issue

:32:29.:32:32.

between Germany and South Korea, thank you. In Minister! It depends

:32:33.:32:39.

upon the nature of the dispute, if the honourable gentleman wishes to

:32:40.:32:43.

write for me -- to me, I will get back to him. Alistair Carmichael.

:32:44.:32:51.

Damian Hinds. The 2% duty cut in the March budget, 2015, continue to

:32:52.:32:54.

support 259,000 people across the sector, including Highland park, in

:32:55.:32:59.

the honourable gentleman's constituency. I thank the Minister

:33:00.:33:03.

for that answer, last year, you may recall that the cuts in alcohol

:33:04.:33:10.

duties would lead to a reduction of ?180 million in revenue, but in

:33:11.:33:14.

fact, since April, through to January of this year, we have seen

:33:15.:33:19.

?190 million increase in revenues, will he therefore look carefully at

:33:20.:33:25.

the request from the Scotch whiskey industry this year for a further 2%

:33:26.:33:32.

cut in duties? I know how much the sector values the cut in the duties,

:33:33.:33:37.

the first since 1996, it is great to see the industry in good health with

:33:38.:33:41.

a number of distilleries growing strongly and exports in other parts

:33:42.:33:45.

of the world, I have received representations from the SWI, of

:33:46.:33:49.

course among others in relation to the budget. Spirits, Andrew

:33:50.:33:55.

Griffiths. Any change reduction in spirit duty will impact on the

:33:56.:33:58.

market and other drinks such as beer! This is the government, this

:33:59.:34:09.

Chancellor scrapped Labour's hated Bill yesterday, and cut it three

:34:10.:34:14.

times, cut beer duty three times, more revenue for the Treasury, more

:34:15.:34:18.

beer sales, and saving hundreds of pubs, will he continue that

:34:19.:34:23.

supported the future? Mr Speaker, my honourable friend speaks in exactly

:34:24.:34:29.

the right spirits(!)... BOOING Use the representative Burton, the

:34:30.:34:34.

of beer, and nobody has done more to advocate for that particular

:34:35.:34:38.

industry, that important industry, the budget is on March 16, my right

:34:39.:34:44.

honourable friend makes any and all changes to duty at that such a

:34:45.:34:49.

school event. Scotch whiskey is the biggest main contributor to UK trade

:34:50.:34:53.

and goods, without it, the trade deficit would have been 11% larger,

:34:54.:35:00.

manufacture across, including in my constituency, have experience of

:35:01.:35:03.

exporting, they know that the domestic rates of tax have an impact

:35:04.:35:06.

on the attitude of international markets. What consideration has the

:35:07.:35:10.

Chancellor given to industry called to reduce the Excise in the upcoming

:35:11.:35:16.

budget? My right honourable friend is always very alive to

:35:17.:35:18.

representations from the Scotch whiskey industry, that product

:35:19.:35:23.

accounts for 25% of UK food and drink exports, Japan has been a

:35:24.:35:28.

strong market again for the sector. Others have not worked out so well,

:35:29.:35:32.

but we always continue to listen to what that important sector has to

:35:33.:35:39.

say. The employment level stands at 31.4 million, this represents more

:35:40.:35:44.

people in work in the UK than ever before. Over the past year,

:35:45.:35:50.

employment growth has been driven by full-time workers, and by high and

:35:51.:35:54.

medium skilled occupations. This demonstrates we are now moving into

:35:55.:35:58.

the next phase of our recovery, with high-quality employment, helping to

:35:59.:36:02.

boost productivity, and raise living standards across the country. The

:36:03.:36:07.

number of people in my constituency relying upon the other web benefits

:36:08.:36:10.

in Cheltenham has fallen by 70% since 2010. Does he agree with me

:36:11.:36:16.

that continuing to invest in GCHQ is key to safeguarding that progress,

:36:17.:36:20.

as it supports the high-value cyber jobs in the state and crucially in

:36:21.:36:27.

the civilian sector? The Chancellor announced at the spending review

:36:28.:36:32.

that we would be investing in cyber, quite a lot more, and Cheltenham

:36:33.:36:35.

would be seeing those benefits. Quite right to praise the employment

:36:36.:36:40.

picture and performance in Cheltenham, it has seen more than

:36:41.:36:45.

4000 people get into work, as well as 3000 fewer people in

:36:46.:36:49.

unemployment. Across the UK as a whole, the OBE forecast an increase

:36:50.:36:53.

of employment of 1.1 million, over the course of the parliament.

:36:54.:36:59.

Christians against poverty have found that 72% of people who are

:37:00.:37:04.

often working and on payment meters will behind on council tax and other

:37:05.:37:08.

bills, what assessment has been made of the impact of this type of tariff

:37:09.:37:15.

on household debt? We monitor household debt on an ongoing basis,

:37:16.:37:20.

and if she has some specific cases that she would like to show me, I am

:37:21.:37:25.

sure we can look at those and pass those onto DWP and others. I do have

:37:26.:37:29.

to say that overall, the point picture remains extremely strong. We

:37:30.:37:34.

have unemployment rate of 74.1%, and since the first quarter, UK

:37:35.:37:38.

employment rate has grown more than in any other G-7 country. What more

:37:39.:37:46.

support than the Chancellor given terms of pension to the

:37:47.:37:49.

self-employed, given recent trends suggest that in five years' time,

:37:50.:37:52.

4.7 million people will be self-employed and will not benefit

:37:53.:38:00.

from further involvement. That is an interesting point, and in terms of

:38:01.:38:05.

helping the self-employed, that is one of the key priorities of this

:38:06.:38:09.

government, and we will have to see what is in the budget on March 16.

:38:10.:38:16.

Is the Minister aware that I, like many members here, represent a

:38:17.:38:20.

university town, and the University is one of the best employers and the

:38:21.:38:24.

biggest employers in my constituency, universities up and

:38:25.:38:27.

down the country are terrified that if we left the EU, the amount of

:38:28.:38:32.

grant, we get most money for research, any country in Britain,

:38:33.:38:36.

full research, and research collaboration, our universities

:38:37.:38:39.

would be destroyed by leaving the EU. I join the honourable gentleman

:38:40.:38:46.

in campaigning for the UK to remain a member of the EU, and that is the

:38:47.:38:50.

right thing for us to do, both for the public finances overall and for

:38:51.:38:57.

the future of the UK economy. As the 220 communique made their over the

:38:58.:39:01.

weekend. It may also have an impact on university sector, which I'm sure

:39:02.:39:04.

will be one of the questions that will feature in the forthcoming

:39:05.:39:09.

debate leading into the referendum. Lawrence Robinson Battenberg

:39:10.:39:16.

Robertson. Question number nine. Equitable Life payment scheme has

:39:17.:39:21.

now successfully traced and paid 90% of eligible policyholders. Payments

:39:22.:39:25.

will continue for the life of these annuities. -- Laurence Robertson.

:39:26.:39:31.

Laurence Robertson. I thank the Minister for that response but given

:39:32.:39:38.

because of regulatory failure many policyholders lost out, that should

:39:39.:39:41.

be overseen by government, any government, not just this

:39:42.:39:45.

government, isn't it fair that those policyholders should receive

:39:46.:39:48.

compensation and if they do not, how can any invest in the future have

:39:49.:39:51.

any confidence in the regulatory system which is put in place. Of

:39:52.:39:56.

course, this Chancellor has done more than anyone else to tackle the

:39:57.:40:01.

regulatory failure of the 1990s with regards to Equitable Life, for

:40:02.:40:05.

example, with profits in your attention will receive full

:40:06.:40:09.

compensation for the life of the annuity, and pre-1992 NU attends

:40:10.:40:12.

will receive excavation payments of up to ?10,000, and ?775 million has

:40:13.:40:20.

been paid out tax-free to others despite the constraint public

:40:21.:40:27.

finances. -- annuitants. Those on pension benefit got a doubling. What

:40:28.:40:34.

about the ?1.5 billion that has been delivered by the government, has it

:40:35.:40:38.

been handed over? I regularly update Parliament in terms of those precise

:40:39.:40:41.

figures, and so far, we are at almost ?1 billion, the payments in

:40:42.:40:47.

terms of the new attends will continue for the lives of those

:40:48.:40:57.

annuitants. -- annuitants. The government is cutting taxes to

:40:58.:40:59.

encourage small businesses to grow, corporation tax will fall to 19% in

:41:00.:41:04.

2017, 18% 2020, the lowest energy 20, employed allowance will rise by

:41:05.:41:10.

15% this April, giving a 3000 discount on the national insurance

:41:11.:41:13.

contributions, and the seed enterprise investment scheme will be

:41:14.:41:17.

investing in early-stage companies, helping more than 2900 companies

:41:18.:41:23.

raise over ?250 million. Does them and is to agree, that impressive

:41:24.:41:26.

package for small business will equip them to benefit from the

:41:27.:41:29.

ascension of the single market, as negotiated by the Prime Minister,

:41:30.:41:33.

including energy and services, and that is even more of an emphatic

:41:34.:41:37.

case to remain in the European Union? What I would say demand for

:41:38.:41:40.

friend: -- what I would say to my honourable

:41:41.:41:47.

friend, there is more than 100,000 firms employing fewer than 50

:41:48.:41:52.

people, exporting goods to the European Union, we want to assist

:41:53.:41:56.

them, access to the single market is important to them and to those

:41:57.:41:59.

businesses and the 800,000 people they employ.

:42:00.:42:03.

Plans to move toward quarterly online tax reporting are proving to

:42:04.:42:08.

be deeply unpopular with small businesses. Can the Chancellor

:42:09.:42:11.

confirmed the impacts on administration costs?

:42:12.:42:20.

Overall, the government is clear HMRC's target is to reduce the

:42:21.:42:28.

burden on businesses by ?400 million by the end of this Parliament and

:42:29.:42:32.

moving towards a digital taxation system can help businesses reduce

:42:33.:42:38.

costs. We are consulting on the details but I want to make it

:42:39.:42:42.

absolutely clear there will be no quarterly tax returns. This has been

:42:43.:42:54.

wrongly reported in some cases. The government has committed to

:42:55.:43:01.

raise the personal allowance to ?12,500 and the higher rate

:43:02.:43:05.

threshold to ?50,000 by the end of this Parliament. At the summer

:43:06.:43:08.

budget, the gunman took the first steps by increasing the personal

:43:09.:43:12.

allowance to ?11,000 and raising the higher rate threshold to ?43,000 in

:43:13.:43:18.

2016-17, less people will pay tax after these charges and 570,000 will

:43:19.:43:23.

be taken out of income tax altogether. Does the Chancellor

:43:24.:43:29.

agree it is better to encourage saving by increasing the tax limit

:43:30.:43:35.

on pensions rather than reducing it, especially when savings struggle to

:43:36.:43:40.

get decent returns? As a government, we want to encourage more saving. We

:43:41.:43:46.

have taken steps for reforming our tax system so pensions become more

:43:47.:43:50.

attractive, but we also need to ensure the cost of pension tax

:43:51.:43:54.

relief is targeted in the right direction.

:43:55.:44:02.

Number 14, please. Mr Speaker, on productivity, the blood has product

:44:03.:44:07.

-- has published its plan, fixing the foundations. The plan outlines

:44:08.:44:12.

the steps to encourage further investment in the drivers of

:44:13.:44:17.

productivity growth including science, education, skills and

:44:18.:44:21.

infrastructure. It also sets out the way the government promotes a

:44:22.:44:25.

dynamic economy through reforming planning laws, boosting competition

:44:26.:44:32.

and creating a Northern powerhouse. According to the latest figures from

:44:33.:44:42.

the ONS, UK productivity measured by output 18 percentage points below

:44:43.:44:45.

the average for the rest of the G-7 economies. The widest gap since

:44:46.:44:51.

records began. Which is productivity deteriorating under this Chancellor?

:44:52.:44:58.

I do not accept that, we do except productivity is a problem. But

:44:59.:45:04.

productivity output per hour is 0.7% higher than its precrisis peak. I do

:45:05.:45:10.

improving at the moment. We do need to do more which is why we have laid

:45:11.:45:15.

out a national productivity plan with a set of key targets and areas

:45:16.:45:23.

like research of infrastructure, and infrastructure Commission, cutting

:45:24.:45:25.

corporation tax and a lot more besides.

:45:26.:45:31.

Topical questions, Kirsten Oswald. Number one, Mr Speaker. The purpose

:45:32.:45:40.

of the Treasury is to ensure the productivity and stability of the

:45:41.:45:43.

economy. Did he have a chance to read the

:45:44.:45:49.

Audit Office report on financial services miss selling and is it a

:45:50.:45:52.

missed opportunity to deliver a financial advice sector protecting

:45:53.:45:57.

small sale investors when things go wrong as they did with a number of

:45:58.:46:03.

issues for my constituents. We have tried to increase consumer

:46:04.:46:06.

protection by increasing the powerful detection agency and

:46:07.:46:11.

providing greater financial advice to individuals like the money advice

:46:12.:46:16.

service and pension wise but if she has specific further ideas, I would

:46:17.:46:21.

be happy to look at them. With the government making some of

:46:22.:46:25.

the biggest investments in road and rail in history, is my right

:46:26.:46:29.

honourable friend aware of any alternative investment policies and

:46:30.:46:33.

the impact it would have on economic security, in particular the Southern

:46:34.:46:38.

powerhouse? She is right to draw attention to the big investment in

:46:39.:46:42.

our nation's infrastructure, especially transport, with the

:46:43.:46:46.

biggest rail programme since the Victorian age and biggest road

:46:47.:46:51.

programme since the 1970s. She has seen that in her area. Having an

:46:52.:46:56.

economic policy destroying confidence in the British economy

:46:57.:47:00.

would mean no investment. The OECD have estimated tax havens

:47:01.:47:09.

cost developing countries three times the global aid budgets. Does

:47:10.:47:13.

the Chancellor share my frustration that the UK overseas territories

:47:14.:47:17.

have ignored the pleas of the Prime Minister to introduce beneficial

:47:18.:47:21.

ownership registers? What more can be done to end the secrecy and lack

:47:22.:47:25.

of action? It is the case the UK is leading the

:47:26.:47:30.

way in terms of a public register of beneficial ownership. Other

:47:31.:47:35.

countries including the overseas territories have not committed to

:47:36.:47:39.

that and we engage with them. We do believe they should follow in the

:47:40.:47:42.

direction we have as other country should do.

:47:43.:47:48.

Tackling the deficit should rightly be a priority for the country. Can

:47:49.:47:52.

my right honourable friend say what steps he is taking to ensure

:47:53.:47:57.

everybody pays that their share in meeting the objectives?

:47:58.:48:02.

He is absolutely right that we want to make sure this is done fairly and

:48:03.:48:05.

under this Government, the richest pay a higher proportion of income

:48:06.:48:07.

tax than under the last Labour government. The numbers have come

:48:08.:48:13.

out this morning which for the first time showed the income tax data for

:48:14.:48:19.

the year 2013-14 when the 50p rate was reduced to 45p, which shows

:48:20.:48:28.

there was an ?8 billion increase in revenues and additional rate

:48:29.:48:30.

taxpayers. Which defies the predictions made by the Labour Party

:48:31.:48:37.

at the time. It shows what we have is lower competitive taxes paid by

:48:38.:48:41.

everybody. Figures from the PCS union showed

:48:42.:48:48.

2,000 HMRC staff in Scotland face redundancy including 150 experienced

:48:49.:48:53.

and dedicated people in Inverness. At the same time, the overtime bill

:48:54.:48:59.

is around ?6 million per month. Can the Chancellor explain to my

:49:00.:49:02.

constituents how this makes any sense at all? HMRC are engaged in

:49:03.:49:10.

changes to focus on 13 regional centres across the UK. The same

:49:11.:49:16.

proportion of the workforce will continue to be in Scotland, as is

:49:17.:49:20.

the case now. A larger percentage than the population of Scotland.

:49:21.:49:26.

What we look to do with HMRC is to improve efficiency. We do believe

:49:27.:49:31.

regional centres will enable it to achieve more for less. It already

:49:32.:49:35.

gets more money in and a better rate of return than ever before.

:49:36.:49:42.

Around 40,000 people in my constituency had benefited from the

:49:43.:49:44.

rise in the personal allowance since 2010, can he confirm the government

:49:45.:49:49.

will continue to help hard-working people keep all of the money they

:49:50.:49:52.

earn? That is what this Government was

:49:53.:49:56.

elected to deliver and we have manifesto commitments to deliver not

:49:57.:50:00.

just a ?50,000 threshold for the higher rate but a ?12,500 personal

:50:01.:50:05.

allowance so more people can see the benefit of either paying no tax or

:50:06.:50:12.

less tax if they are better paid. Can the chance lack advise when he

:50:13.:50:18.

will publish the proposals for the distribution and calculation of the

:50:19.:50:21.

apprenticeship Levi to devolved nations and whether the nations have

:50:22.:50:26.

agreed to its -- levy. We are working to get those big O Shea she

:50:27.:50:31.

was right and they are complex because of the single levy rate. We

:50:32.:50:35.

are having good discussions with the Scottish government and with the

:50:36.:50:40.

fiscal charter, we can work together for the benefits of the United

:50:41.:50:44.

Kingdom. I welcome the fact my constituents

:50:45.:50:47.

have been given more control over their finances thanks to changes

:50:48.:50:51.

implemented by the government. Can the Minister advise what steps will

:50:52.:50:55.

be taken to ensure regulation the small High Street financial advisers

:50:56.:50:58.

and insurance brokers is both there and proportion at giving the

:50:59.:51:03.

important services they provide? -- there. Can I thank him for raising

:51:04.:51:09.

this point? We have launched the financial advice market review the

:51:10.:51:12.

report around the time of the budget. We will make financial

:51:13.:51:18.

advice more affordable and available. And we will get the right

:51:19.:51:24.

regulatory balance for small firms. With reports include points the

:51:25.:51:27.

basis that the delays, will he be visit his decision to write the

:51:28.:51:35.

French and option and return with fallback options? We are working

:51:36.:51:39.

with the French government and the signs are they are committed to this

:51:40.:51:44.

project. I think this is a very good example of how the UK working with

:51:45.:51:49.

friends and attracting investment from Asia is getting a new

:51:50.:51:54.

generation of nuclear power under way -- brands. That was promised for

:51:55.:51:57.

more than 20 years and has not happened and will now take place in

:51:58.:52:01.

Somerset. Proud to have been part of a

:52:02.:52:04.

government which introduced the national living wage but I wonder if

:52:05.:52:09.

he has looked at the British Retail Consortium report, retail Twenty20,

:52:10.:52:15.

which talks about that and the impact of internet shopping? I did

:52:16.:52:22.

see that report yesterday and I think we have to accept in this

:52:23.:52:26.

House the retail industry faces an enormous amount of change especially

:52:27.:52:29.

because of what is happening on the in the net and the way people have

:52:30.:52:32.

been shopping online. One of the biggest changes we can make is to

:52:33.:52:38.

allow stores to open on a Sunday which is the biggest single day for

:52:39.:52:42.

internet shopping. We cannot at the same time say we want to protect our

:52:43.:52:48.

High Street and say they cannot open on one day of the week when the

:52:49.:52:51.

internet is open 24 hours a day. We will vote on that next week. The

:52:52.:52:59.

statement referred to the UK seeking a multilateral agreement on making

:53:00.:53:04.

tax paid by companies publicly available. Can he say what measures

:53:05.:53:10.

he will take to achieve that and on what timetable? And will he admit

:53:11.:53:14.

his Google Tech still was not a great success and accept the Public

:53:15.:53:19.

Accounts Committee call for full transparency? The Public Accounts

:53:20.:53:25.

Committee have investigated deals and they welcome to so again. They

:53:26.:53:30.

gave the HMRC a clean bill of health on its approach. We are introducing

:53:31.:53:35.

the country by country reporting, regulations came into force last

:53:36.:53:38.

week. They only happen because this Prime Minister put it on the agenda

:53:39.:53:43.

in this country and internationally and I have been calling both for the

:53:44.:53:49.

EU and at the due 24 that be an international agreement so we know

:53:50.:53:52.

what companies pay in different jurisdictions rather than just

:53:53.:54:00.

reading reports. -- and at the G20. The local economy in my constituency

:54:01.:54:04.

comprises thousands of small businesses, can he offer

:54:05.:54:06.

encouragement to the Federation of Small Businesses which is pressing

:54:07.:54:10.

for tax amplification to reduce the burden of tax administration on

:54:11.:54:19.

small businesses? What I would say is one of the areas I do think we

:54:20.:54:26.

can make progress on is in terms of the digitalisation of the tax system

:54:27.:54:31.

which can help a lot businesses. And the office of tax and publication

:54:32.:54:34.

has been strengthened, looking forward to seeing a couple of

:54:35.:54:39.

reports over the next days in terms of what we can do to help small

:54:40.:54:47.

businesses in particular. When services have been removed from

:54:48.:54:51.

local authority control and centralised in England, they had

:54:52.:54:56.

been granted the right to claim VAT. Does the Chancellor not accept that

:54:57.:55:00.

the refusal to grant that rate the Police Scotland, leaving them as the

:55:01.:55:05.

only UK force that pays VAT, just looks vindictive? To be fair, it was

:55:06.:55:13.

made perfectly clear what the position was in terms of reclaiming

:55:14.:55:19.

VAT. When the decision was made by the Scottish government to go down

:55:20.:55:23.

this course. The UK government is simply pursuing a policy that we

:55:24.:55:30.

always said we would pursue. The Chancellor will be aware debates

:55:31.:55:34.

have been held and questions in the House regarding serious allegations

:55:35.:55:37.

of collusion between banks to deliberately undervalued assets

:55:38.:55:41.

overseas. Has my right honourable friend considered the current

:55:42.:55:46.

regulations and whether there needs to be a broader remit for the SFO

:55:47.:55:51.

and other organisations to investigate the serious and growing

:55:52.:55:58.

number of allegations? I am aware of the points he is raising in

:55:59.:56:02.

Westminster Hall. And I am very keen in our system that we have a tough

:56:03.:56:09.

set of rules in terms of conduct in the banking system. And I would

:56:10.:56:12.

welcome the opportunity to meet with him and to discuss these specific

:56:13.:56:17.

allegations in more detail. If the Chancellor believes that

:56:18.:56:23.

strong steel sector is fundamental to a strong Northern powerhouse,

:56:24.:56:27.

what steps is he taking the level the playing field for the steel

:56:28.:56:31.

industry, the foundation of our manufacturing and defence industries

:56:32.:56:34.

so we can have a prosperous future to match a prosperous past?

:56:35.:56:38.

Of course, the steel industry faces a big challenge at the moment, and

:56:39.:56:44.

that is true in many other countries in the world, as the price of steel

:56:45.:56:48.

has collapsed, we have taken a number of steps to ensure a level

:56:49.:56:52.

playing Friel that piece speaks of, taking them out of the energy

:56:53.:56:56.

levies, proposing additional costs on them, making sure that local

:56:57.:57:02.

areas that have had redundancies get the support they need. -- level

:57:03.:57:06.

playing field that he speaks of. Making sure that we are buying

:57:07.:57:09.

British Steel and taking into account the social impact of the

:57:10.:57:13.

steel purchases in making value for money assessments. Full, as I have

:57:14.:57:16.

said in reply to an earlier question, working through partners

:57:17.:57:20.

in the you to make it clear that we do not and cannot support Chinese

:57:21.:57:23.

steel dumping and we need to take action against it. My right

:57:24.:57:28.

honourable friend the Chancellor is well aware of the widespread and

:57:29.:57:31.

cross-party support for a children's specialist accident and trauma

:57:32.:57:35.

department at Southampton General Hospital, can I urge him to give

:57:36.:57:39.

careful consideration to what is being put together by clinicians, I

:57:40.:57:42.

know they have sent to him, they are looking for support from a match

:57:43.:57:48.

funding bid. I am aware of the case being made, a very strong case, in

:57:49.:57:52.

my view, for the children's facilities at the Southampton

:57:53.:57:57.

hospital, the case advanced by her and other colleagues of mine

:57:58.:58:00.

including notably the member for Winchester that has boosted

:58:01.:58:03.

alongside her, it is something we are looking closely at and I will

:58:04.:58:07.

make an announcement into course. If I can follow the member in raising

:58:08.:58:15.

the key on the apprenticeship levy, the devolved governments are moving

:58:16.:58:19.

towards elections, we need to know as soon as possible, and will there

:58:20.:58:22.

be a Barnett Formula consequential on the back of it as well? Our

:58:23.:58:28.

intention is to use the principles of the Barnett Formula, to make sure

:58:29.:58:32.

that the devolved administration not just in Scotland but in Northern

:58:33.:58:35.

Ireland get the resources they need. We would urge them to spend those

:58:36.:58:39.

resources on training, ultimately it is a matter for them and the people

:58:40.:58:47.

they are accountable to. Given the importance of family investment in

:58:48.:58:49.

start-up business, particularly science and technology business are

:58:50.:58:55.

often a leap of faith is required, will the Chancellor consider lifting

:58:56.:58:57.

the restrictions on family investment in the EE ISN SCIS

:58:58.:59:02.

scheme, so that mother and father can invest alongside everybody else

:59:03.:59:06.

on the same terms. I'm happy to take that as a budget representation, I'm

:59:07.:59:12.

sure that he will say that if it ends up on budget day, he will see.

:59:13.:59:22.

-- EIS and SCIS. They are schemes that have been enormously

:59:23.:59:24.

successful, we need to make sure that they are tight enough, rather

:59:25.:59:28.

than used as a vehicle for tax avoidance, we have the balance right

:59:29.:59:32.

so far, but I'm aware of good positive proposals that people have

:59:33.:59:36.

put forward to improve it. Mr Skinner? Not at the moment, no?

:59:37.:59:44.

No... Fair enough. Helen Goodman. The Chancellor chose to give a path

:59:45.:59:48.

to his desire to Sunday trading liberalisation, I would like to ask

:59:49.:59:51.

him if he is aware of the study produced yesterday, which showed

:59:52.:59:58.

that all that there will be is a switch of activity from small shops

:59:59.:00:01.

to big shops, meaning a loss of thousands of jobs. The honourable

:00:02.:00:06.

member the Litchfield says that he has already done that question, as I

:00:07.:00:11.

have often had cause to observe, repetition is not a novel

:00:12.:00:13.

phenomenon! LAUGHTER To repeat myself... I do not think I

:00:14.:00:21.

agree with the honourable lady. It has been the case that when we have

:00:22.:00:26.

extended opening hours, we have not seen a displacement of jobs, we have

:00:27.:00:31.

seen an increase, that is the response from the retail industry.

:00:32.:00:35.

These arrangements exist in Scotland and many European countries and the

:00:36.:00:40.

US. Many which are countries with strong Christian faiths. I do not

:00:41.:00:46.

think there is a contradiction and we worry about our high street, and

:00:47.:00:51.

then do not allow high street stores to open on the day when you have the

:00:52.:00:54.

biggest Internet shopping taking place of all. It is one of the

:00:55.:00:57.

answer to helping the high street, not the only one, but it is an

:00:58.:01:04.

important one. North and North East Lincolnshire councils are currently

:01:05.:01:06.

preparing detailed regeneration plans. Can the Chancellor assure me

:01:07.:01:11.

that he will give serious consideration to these, so that my

:01:12.:01:15.

constituents can gain maximum benefit from the northern powerhouse

:01:16.:01:22.

initiative. We will give careful consideration, as I always do, to

:01:23.:01:26.

the proposals that he comes forward with, to support North Lincolnshire

:01:27.:01:29.

and his own constituency. And of course, we have been able to make

:01:30.:01:33.

investments in new roads, and make the tolls on the Humber Bridge,

:01:34.:01:37.

enterprise ends, any new ideas he has got I would love to see them!

:01:38.:01:45.

Happy Saint Davids Day to you. The Chancellor often talks about

:01:46.:01:50.

repairing the roof when the sun is shining, amassing $810 billion in an

:01:51.:01:54.

oil fund when the sun shone, in Scotland, how much did the broad

:01:55.:01:58.

shoulders of the UK say for moments like this to help the north-east of

:01:59.:02:03.

Scotland, is the figure indeed zero! We are providing support to

:02:04.:02:07.

Scotland, support that is entrenched in the fiscal framework that we have

:02:08.:02:13.

agreed with the government. He cannot duck his responsibilities, he

:02:14.:02:16.

wanted Scotland to be independent on the 24th of March, this month. And

:02:17.:02:21.

if we had gone ahead with that, if the Scottish people had voted for

:02:22.:02:24.

it, there would have been a fiscal catastrophe in Scotland, because oil

:02:25.:02:30.

revenues have fallen by over 90%. We had a question from an earlier

:02:31.:02:33.

Scottish nationalist... Order, order... It is a very unseemly

:02:34.:02:38.

mystic elation from the honourable gentleman... I remind him of his

:02:39.:02:46.

status in this house, as the chair of a select committee! He is an

:02:47.:02:50.

aspiring statesman, and he must conduct himself accordingly. --

:02:51.:03:00.

gesticulation. In response to an earlier question about productivity,

:03:01.:03:02.

the right honourable member mentioned the drivers of growth

:03:03.:03:05.

being investment in science and technology, does he, like me,

:03:06.:03:10.

welcomed the government commitment to train 17 and a half thousand more

:03:11.:03:15.

teachers in stem, and also, does he think that there is no time to waste

:03:16.:03:20.

in recruiting those teachers. -- 17,000 500. -- in STEM. This is one

:03:21.:03:27.

of the big national challenges, to get more children studying STEM and

:03:28.:03:34.

the key is to get more STEM teachers and we need more girls studying STEM

:03:35.:03:41.

as well. Schools have the tools to recruit teachers themselves. We must

:03:42.:03:47.

move on, demand invariably exceeds supply, nobody is keen to facilitate

:03:48.:03:48.

questions

:03:49.:03:49.

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