:02:03. > :02:04.number of people from disadvantaged backgrounds. The proportion
:02:05. > :02:19.financially has almost. 'S the wages of 18 to 21-year-olds fell in the
:02:20. > :02:22.last parliament. Those under 25 are excluded from the national living
:02:23. > :02:25.wage. Will the Chief Secretary to the Treasury Conder and what the
:02:26. > :02:30.Cabinet Office minister said, that this is because those under 25
:02:31. > :02:35.simply not productive enough? I thank him for that. I think he is
:02:36. > :02:40.ignoring the fact the amazing record we have news unemployment. Since we
:02:41. > :02:46.took office six years ago. Youth unemployment has fallen by 102,000
:02:47. > :02:50.this year, and youth employment is actually up 94,000 of the year.
:02:51. > :02:55.Close to the highest proportion on record. In terms of the national
:02:56. > :02:59.living wage, while it doesn't apply to those under 25, I remind her that
:03:00. > :03:03.the national minimum wage does apply to those under 25 and it is
:03:04. > :03:07.increasing under this government. For younger workers, the priority is
:03:08. > :03:13.to secure work and gain experience. Youth unemployment remains higher
:03:14. > :03:19.than the employment rate for those aged under 25. Since 2010, nearly
:03:20. > :03:22.500,000 children and young people are in fewer households where there
:03:23. > :03:26.is worklessness. Will he confirm the government will continue to help
:03:27. > :03:29.households into work and cut poverty? Indeed. I thank my
:03:30. > :03:35.honourable friend for that question. We will continue taking action in
:03:36. > :03:38.this space. Mr Speaker, the number of households where nobody had ever
:03:39. > :03:44.worked actually doubled under Labour. Thanks trust, youth
:03:45. > :03:52.employment is up 94,000 over the year. -- thanks to us. Would my
:03:53. > :03:55.right honourable friend agree with me that the way to give a fairer
:03:56. > :03:58.deal to young people is to make sure they are not saddled with the death
:03:59. > :04:03.of reckless spending, and will he ensure me that he will do everything
:04:04. > :04:12.he can to ensure this government balances the box? He is quite right.
:04:13. > :04:19.-- balances the box. Will be repaying the debt that the last
:04:20. > :04:24.Labour government left. What I can also says that household debt as a
:04:25. > :04:28.proportion of income has fallen since Labour's financial crisis, and
:04:29. > :04:36.we are in a much healthier condition in 2016 than we were in 2010. I
:04:37. > :04:42.mustered much -- must advise that we are today visited by the Speaker of
:04:43. > :04:46.the Parliament of Kosovo, visiting the UK in the year in which that
:04:47. > :04:51.independent nation celebrates eight years of its independence. My
:04:52. > :05:03.colleague and his team are warmly welcomed in the House. Mr Speaker, I
:05:04. > :05:08.will with your permission answer this question with question number
:05:09. > :05:13.ten. As a young MP I went there to help with the Morrissey building
:05:14. > :05:20.programme in Kosovo, it's good to have the speaker of the parliament
:05:21. > :05:24.here. -- the democracy building. We set out a plan to build a Northern
:05:25. > :05:29.Powerhouse, so the whole is greater than the parts. Since then we have
:05:30. > :05:34.committed millions in new transport investment, devolved to cities, it
:05:35. > :05:40.in science and culture. Investments in the North are up over 100%. When
:05:41. > :05:46.we started on this bold journey, it is only together that we will
:05:47. > :05:51.transform this country. The severe flooding over Christmas caused huge
:05:52. > :05:57.problems Mr Duley, which is a major player in the Northern Powerhouse.
:05:58. > :06:05.-- huge problems for the city of Leeds. Will the Hill help to deliver
:06:06. > :06:12.investment in infrastructure and help secure the economic prosperity
:06:13. > :06:18.of the North? I want to congratulate him and other West Yorkshire MPs who
:06:19. > :06:22.spoke up powerfully for the need in further investment in West Yorkshire
:06:23. > :06:28.and in need of the city. We have provided that was around ?350
:06:29. > :06:31.million extra into flood defence investment to protect the businesses
:06:32. > :06:34.and the communities that he represents. Our neighbourhood
:06:35. > :06:37.planning Bill ensures that we are going to have a national
:06:38. > :06:42.infrastructure can listen on a statutory footing to look at the big
:06:43. > :06:47.challenges we face, whether it is transport, broadband or indeed flood
:06:48. > :06:51.defence. I thank my right honourable friend for his answer, and would ask
:06:52. > :06:58.him what benefits there are four infrastructure funding for the
:06:59. > :07:02.region outside of the large cities? This is an important issue. Of
:07:03. > :07:06.course there has been a focus on economic development in recent years
:07:07. > :07:09.in the big cities of the North, but it's the counties and county towns
:07:10. > :07:13.in the North of England we now want to support. Of course in her area,
:07:14. > :07:22.which represents so well, we have the new gross deal for the area. We
:07:23. > :07:25.are looking to devolve more economic powers to counties so they too can
:07:26. > :07:29.see the benefits of securing economic growth. My door is always
:07:30. > :07:37.open to good, sensible proposals for investment in the counties of North
:07:38. > :07:41.England. The Chancellor speaks about investment in transport and in flood
:07:42. > :07:47.defences. Both of those are crucial in my city of Leeds. And yet, last
:07:48. > :07:53.month the government cancelled the trolley bus scheme in Leeds, and in
:07:54. > :08:02.2000 and 11 flood defences were cancelled in Leeds which contributed
:08:03. > :08:07.to the flooding. -- in 2010. I'm surprised about the complacency of
:08:08. > :08:14.my colleague, and would ask the government to properly invest in
:08:15. > :08:22.flood defences in our city. I think the lady is being a little bit
:08:23. > :08:25.churlish. We committed ?6 billion to investment in transport in
:08:26. > :08:30.Yorkshire. But her constituency is in. On flood defences, she raised on
:08:31. > :08:35.the floor of his House very specific schemes. I have funded those in the
:08:36. > :08:40.budget. The future phases she talks about, as you well do not yet have
:08:41. > :08:44.planning and a price tag attached to it. In principle, we are committed
:08:45. > :08:47.to those as well. If she works of us, we will deliver these schemes
:08:48. > :08:56.which were never delivered under a Labour government. The Chancellor
:08:57. > :08:58.mentioned transport investment, yet his government has resided a
:08:59. > :09:12.researcher racial weather is 24 times more transport -- presided
:09:13. > :09:16.over a situation where there is. People in the north need our country
:09:17. > :09:24.to remain at the heart of Europe, so that our cities will keep growing.
:09:25. > :09:28.It's quite right that we invest in major transport infrastructure in
:09:29. > :09:32.our capital cities, which we have done with Crossrail. That is not to
:09:33. > :09:36.the exclusion of investment elsewhere in our country. In her
:09:37. > :09:40.part of the north-west, there has been a massive investment in the
:09:41. > :09:43.electrification of the railways. Under a Labour government only ten
:09:44. > :09:49.miles of the entire railways of the country were electrified. We have
:09:50. > :09:54.high-speed two, which will help with train journeys to Merseyside and
:09:55. > :09:59.Manchester. And now the new Merseyside mea agreed, we can go on
:10:00. > :10:02.putting more money into the infrastructure of Merseyside to
:10:03. > :10:10.support the private businesses to grow and grow jobs in the private
:10:11. > :10:17.sector. This week is Homburg BusinessWeek. Despite the
:10:18. > :10:20.forthcoming opening of the road into the docks, business leaders still
:10:21. > :10:22.tell me they feel somewhat disconnected from the Northern
:10:23. > :10:30.Powerhouse project. Could the Chancellor out line what future
:10:31. > :10:33.schemes may benefit them? My honourable friend championed that
:10:34. > :10:37.road when he first came into Parliament. PCs now the practical
:10:38. > :10:48.benefits with that work now almost complete. -- he sees. All of which
:10:49. > :10:53.are examples of how well delivering for his part of the country. I'm as
:10:54. > :10:59.passionate as he is making sure East Yorkshire and Hull is connected into
:11:00. > :11:03.the Northern Powerhouse. We have made it clear to all cities in the
:11:04. > :11:09.north that whole should be included in that and the surrounding area. In
:11:10. > :11:16.the budget we support the city of culture near where he represents.
:11:17. > :11:19.Recent figures showed a 9.6% crop in the value of new construction
:11:20. > :11:23.projects starts recorded in the so-called Northern Powerhouse in the
:11:24. > :11:26.end of 2015. Interestingly, despite the Chancellor's trick on
:11:27. > :11:33.investment, much of the public capital invested thus far has
:11:34. > :11:39.actually been delivered by the EU. Would he agree that Brexit will not
:11:40. > :11:45.affect greater magister's vision and access to funding? As you well know,
:11:46. > :11:48.I certainly think that Britain is stronger in the European Union and
:11:49. > :11:54.that helps the Northern Powerhouse. Investment projects in the north of
:11:55. > :11:57.England are up over 100% in the last two years. That is actually in
:11:58. > :12:02.striking contrast to some other, to give you a sense of scale,
:12:03. > :12:10.investment projects in London are up 7% in the last two years. In the
:12:11. > :12:13.northern Powerhouse, up 127%. We are balancing the economic geography of
:12:14. > :12:16.this country. It shall welcome the fact that the North of England now
:12:17. > :12:21.has the highest employment rate in the country's history, and we have
:12:22. > :12:28.seen the fastest falls of unemployment in the country. With
:12:29. > :12:33.permission, I would like to answer this with question nine. We have the
:12:34. > :12:37.highest employment rate on record, the lowest claimant count since
:12:38. > :12:41.1974. That's millions more opportunities for a fellow citizens,
:12:42. > :12:50.and we must not now put at risk the security that's being brought by our
:12:51. > :12:57.long-term economic plan. Up to April and June 2015, employment increased
:12:58. > :13:02.by 20 4000. The figures are three times higher than this for EU
:13:03. > :13:09.nationals. With respect to the national wage, what anticipation is
:13:10. > :13:23.therefore the job growth in the UK? -- increased by 20 4000. Nine in
:13:24. > :13:26.every ten people in a job in the UK are UK nationals. As the Chancellor
:13:27. > :13:32.has said, Britain deserves a pay rise, the national living wage
:13:33. > :13:36.delivers it. I'm sure the minister and the whole house will welcome the
:13:37. > :13:44.latest unemployment figures in my constituency. Standing at any 361,
:13:45. > :13:50.or less than 1%. What more can be done to ensure this trend continues?
:13:51. > :14:05.-- at only 361. Airing in mind the over 50s, and the 18 to 24-year-old
:14:06. > :14:09.bracket. I'm sure the keenness to ensure no one is left behind. We've
:14:10. > :14:15.made it more cost-effective for employers to hire young people and
:14:16. > :14:21.apprentices. And also helping older job-seekers find employment through
:14:22. > :14:30.pilot schemes. This morning, the head warned that a Brexit vote means
:14:31. > :14:35.jobs would be lost. What is the estimate of the number of jobs that
:14:36. > :14:39.would be at risk if we left? But when the immediate economic shock
:14:40. > :14:43.our prediction is that 500,000 jobs would be lost, the increase in
:14:44. > :14:46.unemployment, partly from the initial impact on foreign direct
:14:47. > :14:54.investment and the effect continues thereafter. Of course it isn't just
:14:55. > :14:58.a touchy but any non-European company having its European
:14:59. > :15:02.headquarters in the UK, the UK is much the most attractive location
:15:03. > :15:06.for them, they would be in great difficulty if we were to leave the
:15:07. > :15:10.European Union. Has the department made an assessment of what that
:15:11. > :15:13.particular group of employer is contributing and should contribute
:15:14. > :15:19.in the future, which would be addressed we left? We have modelled
:15:20. > :15:22.the effect on foreign direct investment and you don't have to
:15:23. > :15:25.believe that current people in the UK would leave, all you have to
:15:26. > :15:29.believe the notice will have a detrimental impact to the UK is what
:15:30. > :15:34.happens to investment in the future, there are many reasons to invest in
:15:35. > :15:38.Britain but we know that 72% of firms that invest in the UK say that
:15:39. > :15:45.our membership of the EU is a key factor. Alongside genocide and four,
:15:46. > :15:51.we had all these threats to jobs if we leave the EU, Kennington Road
:15:52. > :15:57.will be done if we got to stay in and continue to have unlimited
:15:58. > :16:00.immigration from 27 countries, what will be done to protect my
:16:01. > :16:06.constituents, who have seen their wages flat line because of this
:16:07. > :16:09.unlimited immigration? Well of course we have already taken steps
:16:10. > :16:15.to ensure people cannot just come here and claim benefits from day
:16:16. > :16:22.one, with the renegotiation of the Prime Minister secured, we address
:16:23. > :16:26.the in work benefits system, and are watching touching that the effect of
:16:27. > :16:29.immigration would be as great as is sometimes opposed, particularly when
:16:30. > :16:34.you look at the other models of agreement with you, a number of
:16:35. > :16:39.which include free movement. Just the Minister agree that about to
:16:40. > :16:45.leave the European Union on June 23 could have a negative effect on
:16:46. > :16:50.employment trends, particularly in Northern Ireland which has 50,000
:16:51. > :16:59.jobs related to exports in the U and for the Chancellor, in my
:17:00. > :17:02.constituency, the effect on that. I know my right honourable friend was
:17:03. > :17:07.in County Down yesterday, and of course Northern Ireland is in a
:17:08. > :17:11.sensitive position because of having the land border with the Republic
:17:12. > :17:15.and therefore with the European Union, the new European Union, that
:17:16. > :17:20.we would be in, I agree with her that employment in Northern Ireland,
:17:21. > :17:29.more people in work than ever before, they need to protect that.
:17:30. > :17:32.Number five. This government is backing small and large businesses
:17:33. > :17:38.as part of our long-term economic plan. A corporation tax rates are
:17:39. > :17:44.the lowest in the G20 and will fall to 17%. In the budgets, we insured
:17:45. > :17:47.600,000 businesses permanently pay no rates at all. This is a
:17:48. > :17:53.conservative government that supports businesses and jobs they
:17:54. > :17:58.create. In towns like Newark where 11,000 new jobs are being created
:17:59. > :18:02.under this government, the task ahead is not just to attract any
:18:03. > :18:06.businesses but those which ensure people are not just in work but I
:18:07. > :18:14.will pay. With that in mind, will they agree with me and the knowledge
:18:15. > :18:18.that not only are knowledge of dozen new businesses have been created
:18:19. > :18:25.since 2010 but one in four working people in this country are now in
:18:26. > :18:27.high skilled, well-paid jobs? I think my honourable friend is right
:18:28. > :18:30.to point out all the good things that are happening in Newark and of
:18:31. > :18:36.course across the East Midlands more we see 53,000 new small and
:18:37. > :18:40.medium-sized witnesses since we came into Downing Street. A remarkable
:18:41. > :18:45.achievement. We have the continued to move people up the job scale,
:18:46. > :18:50.make sure their wages continue to grow as they are at the moment and
:18:51. > :18:53.the good news is that of the jobs being created, 80% or so are
:18:54. > :19:01.full-time and the majority are in skilled occupations. With the
:19:02. > :19:03.benefits of innovation to business and the economy, why does the
:19:04. > :19:09.Chancellor think his decision to change innovation support from
:19:10. > :19:13.grants to loans is anything other than a bad idea, which will increase
:19:14. > :19:20.cost and risk the company is seeking to innovate? I think you would
:19:21. > :19:24.accept as I would, that the UK has had a challenge with turning good
:19:25. > :19:30.inventions in the laboratory into good inventions in the workplace
:19:31. > :19:33.that sell around the world. So our innovation support has needed to be
:19:34. > :19:37.modernised and the idea of loans were something borrowed from a
:19:38. > :19:41.French initiative which has worked well in that economy, in terms of
:19:42. > :19:47.turning scientific invention into good product in the marketplace. It
:19:48. > :19:52.is not simply on innovation, that is a rather unconvincing answer, it's
:19:53. > :19:56.also foreign exports. We understand the benefits of exporting more, so
:19:57. > :20:02.why does the Chancellor again think it's a remotely good idea to take
:20:03. > :20:06.the decision to cut the UK TI budget by 42 million over the next four
:20:07. > :20:09.years, making it more difficult to export and more difficult for him to
:20:10. > :20:16.meet his own target of doubling exports by the end of the decade?
:20:17. > :20:20.Over the last five or six years we have greatly increased the UK TI
:20:21. > :20:24.budget but like every UK Government, it's paid for by the taxpayers, we
:20:25. > :20:29.need to make sure they get value for money and the new head is ensuring
:20:30. > :20:33.the money is go to the front line of supporting medium-sized and small
:20:34. > :20:39.Scottish exporters and others about selling around the world. He should
:20:40. > :20:43.welcome the enormous success many Scottish businesses have, from W to
:20:44. > :20:48.agriculture, to manufacturing in Scotland, in exporting around the
:20:49. > :20:52.world with the support of the UK TI. The clue is in the first two
:20:53. > :21:01.letters. The Chancellor has introduced a subsidy for tax relief
:21:02. > :21:05.on items, a high-risk, high return market, most people support the
:21:06. > :21:09.intention which is to increase competition in the lending market,
:21:10. > :21:11.but many are becoming concerned that some of these loans are being
:21:12. > :21:16.marketed to those who can't reasonably understand the risks stop
:21:17. > :21:20.what is the Treasury doing to ensure that the taxpayer does not end up
:21:21. > :21:27.encouraging the marketing of such schemes to people who can least
:21:28. > :21:30.afford to lose the money? At their own request, the lending industry is
:21:31. > :21:35.now originated by the Financial Conduct Authority, which is alert to
:21:36. > :21:42.the risks my right honourable friend identifies. In the financial crash,
:21:43. > :21:46.we saw the limitation of the UK credit system, where many companies
:21:47. > :21:49.were reliant on bank finance. But we have tried to do in the last few
:21:50. > :21:53.years is broaden the range of financing options for small and
:21:54. > :21:56.medium-sized businesses, not just in terms of capital markets but
:21:57. > :22:01.innovative new products like peer-to-peer lending, and using
:22:02. > :22:11.things like I sat rappers, is a good thing for our economy. To could he
:22:12. > :22:18.look at abolishing the seven course rather than just halving them? We
:22:19. > :22:20.have taken a significant step to helping Welsh businesses and
:22:21. > :22:25.businesses on the other side of the border by holding the tolls, while
:22:26. > :22:28.ensuring we have the resources to maintain the bridge and we don't
:22:29. > :22:38.have too true on the same taxpayers through their tax bill. At an event
:22:39. > :22:41.in my constituency we have invited a number of providers including fibre,
:22:42. > :22:45.satellite providers and point-to-point wireless, which is
:22:46. > :22:50.the best solution in our experience for those in the hardest to reach
:22:51. > :22:55.areas. With the Chancellor look at extending the excellent voucher
:22:56. > :22:58.scheme for satellite for point-to-point wireless will allow
:22:59. > :23:04.communities to pool vouchers to fund these schemes? I am very happy to
:23:05. > :23:08.have a closer look at the proposal my honourable friend makes, I know
:23:09. > :23:12.what a rural constituency he represents and we have pirated
:23:13. > :23:19.support in North Yorkshire for raw businesses and their broadband
:23:20. > :23:23.links. In the Queens speech, in the provisions of the Digital economy,
:23:24. > :23:26.we are looking at making it universal service obligation between
:23:27. > :23:34.no it can have action is formative effect on the rural economy. The
:23:35. > :23:36.Chancellor talks about supporting business and like labour, I'm sure
:23:37. > :23:42.he will want to see long-term sustainable business growth in
:23:43. > :23:45.Britain. After his six years at the helm, what is the forecast for
:23:46. > :23:53.business investment growth this year? Business growth is positive
:23:54. > :23:57.this year, and in the years ahead, according to the OBR forecast and it
:23:58. > :24:06.was negative and I became the Chancellor, so things are improving.
:24:07. > :24:12.Mr Speaker, the OBR has revised down business investment growth by a huge
:24:13. > :24:16.4.9% since November. Even taking into account the fiscal measures he
:24:17. > :24:22.has introduced. And we know this could go further down, if we leave
:24:23. > :24:26.the European Union. The acting head of the British chamber of Commerce
:24:27. > :24:30.recently highlighted frustration from businesses around
:24:31. > :24:34.infrastructure projects, the huge skills gap, child care, housing and
:24:35. > :24:39.uncertainty around the apprenticeship levy, it almost
:24:40. > :24:43.sounds like gruel today without the jam tomorrow. Does the Chancellor
:24:44. > :24:48.agree with him? Where was the apprenticeship levy before they
:24:49. > :24:52.complained about what we were doing? If the Labour Party wants to
:24:53. > :24:56.contribute to this important debate about how we make our economy more
:24:57. > :25:02.productive, I think we are going to need a better contribution. Her PPS
:25:03. > :25:04.has been in an e-mail exchange with the member for Bishop Auckland
:25:05. > :25:09.weathermen but the Bishop Auckland complained about these questions at
:25:10. > :25:13.Treasury questions, saying that the brief she has just been sent is a
:25:14. > :25:21.disgrace and it demonstrates that the Labour Treasury team... Order,
:25:22. > :25:25.order. The Chancellor should remain seated. If that is the sum total of
:25:26. > :25:32.what he has to contribute on his feet in response to that question,
:25:33. > :25:37.frankly, it wasn't worth the breath. Utterly feeble and competition in
:25:38. > :25:48.the improper. And it, it's very simple. Number six. With your
:25:49. > :25:55.permission, question of 12. The predicted rise in unemployment of
:25:56. > :25:59.500,000 includes 24,000 people in Wales, 34,000 people in the West
:26:00. > :26:03.Midlands. In the long-term the central estimate is that GDP would
:26:04. > :26:11.be lower by around ?4300 per household by 2030 is an otherwise.
:26:12. > :26:18.The head of the World Trade Organisation said yesterday that the
:26:19. > :26:21.process of negotiating deals outside of Europe would take decades. Isn't
:26:22. > :26:27.that one of the reasons why confidence would be hit, currency
:26:28. > :26:30.would fall, jobs would be lost including 24,000 in Wales, and
:26:31. > :26:36.companies such as Hitachi have mentioned today they would pull out
:26:37. > :26:41.of the United Kingdom. I think we do agree, Mr Speaker, on the turmoil
:26:42. > :26:46.that uncertainty can bring. And the uncertainty of that future trade
:26:47. > :26:50.deals he raises is part of that. There is much more uncertainty as
:26:51. > :26:53.well about businesses who currently trade with other European countries,
:26:54. > :26:57.about people who are employed, thinking about going to those
:26:58. > :27:00.countries. All of these things generates uncertainty, which creates
:27:01. > :27:05.economic turmoil in the short run. There is the real danger of missing
:27:06. > :27:09.out on a large number of third-party traders in the long-term, if or when
:27:10. > :27:12.all the current trade deals currently under negotiation are
:27:13. > :27:17.finished. That would cut for some 80% of outrage. Can the Chancellor
:27:18. > :27:25.state what the economic benefits are as a result of us leaving the
:27:26. > :27:30.European Union in places like the west midlands, and more importantly
:27:31. > :27:39.the impact on manufacturing. In the judgment's constrict GNC, the
:27:40. > :27:43.automotive sector -- in the gentleman's constituency. It is
:27:44. > :27:49.unsurprising that among those speaking out in favour of Remain
:27:50. > :27:57.include the chief executives of Rolls-Royce and red Land Rover.
:27:58. > :28:04.Considering the UK has been a member of the EU for over 40 years, and we
:28:05. > :28:09.still don't even have a trade deal with the United States of America,
:28:10. > :28:13.the largest economy in the world. Does my honourable friend not agree
:28:14. > :28:19.that our economy would benefit from the United kingdom being able to
:28:20. > :28:22.negotiate our own free trade deals? Mr Speaker, the businesses that I
:28:23. > :28:27.speak to overwhelmingly say that they feel they would get a better
:28:28. > :28:31.deal with the increased economic clout, five times economic weight
:28:32. > :28:34.that comes with being a member of the EU as opposed to being Britain
:28:35. > :28:38.on its own. All these deals to take a long time, but when all the
:28:39. > :28:41.current EU negotiations are completed, the EU will have more
:28:42. > :28:44.trade deals with the rest of the world, and therefore we would then
:28:45. > :28:49.the United States and Canada combine. The living wage is a very
:28:50. > :28:53.attractive economic policy, especially in Eastern Europe. Given
:28:54. > :28:57.the extensive financial modelling my honourable friend has conducted, can
:28:58. > :29:00.he tell the house what his official estimate is of the number of
:29:01. > :29:04.unskilled migrants coming into this country from Eastern Europe in the
:29:05. > :29:09.first five years after a vote to remain? Of course the national
:29:10. > :29:13.living wage makes sure that British workers who are low paid cannot be
:29:14. > :29:17.undercut by people coming from other countries, it would be a great
:29:18. > :29:23.benefit to our economy. It's also the case that as our legal minimum
:29:24. > :29:31.pay increases, we will still be with in the middle wage internationally.
:29:32. > :29:35.Yesterday the Chancellor told the people of Northern Ireland that
:29:36. > :29:38.housed prices would fall by 18% if we voted to leave the EU, even
:29:39. > :29:44.though the day before he said that housing costs would go up by 9%. He
:29:45. > :29:50.told us 14,000 jobs would be lost in export industries, even though the
:29:51. > :29:54.exchange rate which, which would help export, would plunder it. He
:29:55. > :29:59.made an uncanny prediction about income in 14 years' time. -- would
:30:00. > :30:04.plummet. Does he agree that he is expending his own credibility by the
:30:05. > :30:10.panic which is now set in trying to sell the economic, threadbare case
:30:11. > :30:13.for staying in the EU? Saying that house prices would come down but
:30:14. > :30:20.housing costs would go up, that's not inconsistent at all. As the cost
:30:21. > :30:23.of borrowing would go up. In many parts of the country, Northern
:30:24. > :30:27.Ireland is a special case, would be a good thing for house prices to
:30:28. > :30:30.come down, but not as a result of crashing the economy and making it
:30:31. > :30:35.more difficult for people to borrow. In terms of the long-term forecast,
:30:36. > :30:40.it is difficult to forecast 15 here's hence. What the analysis
:30:41. > :30:43.seeks to do, saying all things that being equal, whether you are in or
:30:44. > :30:48.out of the European Union. The result is clear that in the central
:30:49. > :30:56.case of the central scenario, the GDP is hit. Doesn't the Minister
:30:57. > :31:02.agree with me that how the fact that so many international firms have
:31:03. > :31:05.made it very clear that by being in the European Union and being in the
:31:06. > :31:10.single market, this is a good country to invest? So the obvious
:31:11. > :31:14.thing to do is remain in the European Union, a union for
:31:15. > :31:18.investment and the jobs. I do agree that. The United Kingdom has the
:31:19. > :31:21.third highest stock of foreign direct investment in the entire
:31:22. > :31:25.world, behind only the United States and China. We are the biggest
:31:26. > :31:30.recipient of foreign direct investment in the EU, and from the
:31:31. > :31:33.EU. The express of accession countries shows that that move into
:31:34. > :31:39.the European Union agreed us make a difference. It's just about tariffs,
:31:40. > :31:46.it's also about being in the customs union, which some, most of the
:31:47. > :31:49.models don't involve. Important for the cross-border supply chains that
:31:50. > :31:53.the gentleman was talking about earlier. Only two countries, the
:31:54. > :31:58.Germany and the Netherlands run a surplus with the UK, and the rest
:31:59. > :32:03.run a deficit. Does he agree that the others would vote for tariffs,
:32:04. > :32:08.and so would Germany to stop Japanese car imports. Has he
:32:09. > :32:13.modelled the impact of those tariffs on employment levels and on inward
:32:14. > :32:18.in the best mint? Disastrous, I suggest. It is the case that
:32:19. > :32:21.different countries will have different interests. No doubt they
:32:22. > :32:29.would come to the surface, and it needs a very large majority of other
:32:30. > :32:33.countries voting to agree a deal. Fundamentally, I don't think it is
:32:34. > :32:36.about the deficit that one country has with the EU or vice versa. It's
:32:37. > :32:42.about the relative size of the export market to that country. For
:32:43. > :32:46.us, 44% of our exports go to be, for the EE is 8% the other way. In any
:32:47. > :32:54.negotiation, that means that the other side has the better hand. --
:32:55. > :32:59.for the EU. Can the Minister tell us why we pay over ?10 billion net this
:33:00. > :33:03.year for a ?68 billion trade deficit with a declining part of the world's
:33:04. > :33:07.economy, when anyone with even an ounce of common sense knows that we
:33:08. > :33:14.could have a ?68 billion trade deficit with a declining part of
:33:15. > :33:20.Royal's economy from nothing? I think I did say. -- part of the
:33:21. > :33:25.world's economy. The fact is that for every pound that those in tax to
:33:26. > :33:32.this country to the European Union, it's not a tribute cost and don't
:33:33. > :33:35.belittle it. -- trivial cost. What comes of that is the enhancement to
:33:36. > :33:44.the economy and protection of jobs and investment that we want to see.
:33:45. > :33:47.Mr Speaker, over the last six years, UK Trade Investment has more than
:33:48. > :33:53.doubled the number of businesses it helps, and is now aiming to help
:33:54. > :34:01.another 100,000 fans to expect by 2020. -- to export. It doesn't
:34:02. > :34:08.really say what's happening to exports. The Chancellor promised his
:34:09. > :34:14.strategy would double by the end of the decade. Today, the figures for
:34:15. > :34:17.exporter going the wrong way. What is the government going to do to
:34:18. > :34:23.actually turn around that dire performance? My right honourable
:34:24. > :34:27.friend mentioned earlier the important work that UKTI is doing,
:34:28. > :34:30.not only in terms of promoting the exporting is great brand around the
:34:31. > :34:35.world, but now also working across the whole of government to involve
:34:36. > :34:39.all of our embassies around the world in focusing those resources on
:34:40. > :34:49.increasing the potential opportunities for our world-class
:34:50. > :34:54.exporters. Is the Minister aware that over 25% of small businesses in
:34:55. > :35:00.France and Germany export? Where is the figure in the UK is around 20%.
:35:01. > :35:06.Does he agree with me, it's not just UK TI's all, there is also a role
:35:07. > :35:11.for Chambers of trade and business federations to encourage more small
:35:12. > :35:15.firms in particular to export? My honourable friend is aptly right,
:35:16. > :35:20.there is an important role to be played, not only by our NBC network
:35:21. > :35:26.but also by our Chambers of commerce, our Federation of Small
:35:27. > :35:31.Businesses -- our embassy network. Some of our larger banks have also
:35:32. > :35:36.set themselves targets in terms of additional customers who can export
:35:37. > :35:41.the next two years. Is the Minister aware that Huddersfield and
:35:42. > :35:44.Yorkshire still, the northern powerhouse already in terms of many
:35:45. > :35:48.factoring and the quality of partnership with universities. Issue
:35:49. > :35:51.where that my universities in Yorkshire and the many factoring
:35:52. > :35:56.sector, are terrified that we will leave the European Union, it will
:35:57. > :36:04.bankrupt the universities, it will bankrupt manufacturing set to. I'm
:36:05. > :36:12.sure -- assure the honourable Antman meant to mention it to. He's right
:36:13. > :36:14.to highlight that the UK's universities are unanimous in
:36:15. > :36:20.expressing the value if they put on not only are higher education, but
:36:21. > :36:26.also the potential for those educated in those universities to
:36:27. > :36:29.export in due course. And that he is absolutely right to highlight the
:36:30. > :36:34.fact that all other trade deals would be worse than the current zero
:36:35. > :36:43.tariff trade deal that we have being a memorably EU stop yellow -- a
:36:44. > :36:49.member of the EU. Changes to capital gains tax will give incentives for
:36:50. > :36:57.companies. Individuals expected to pay a lower tax. Further cuts to the
:36:58. > :37:02.corporation tax rate announced the budget of 17% will benefit over 1
:37:03. > :37:08.million companies, large and small. This supports UK companies to
:37:09. > :37:11.invest, grow, and create jobs. Treasury figures show that just
:37:12. > :37:20.200,000 individuals will benefit from capital gains tax, a giveaway
:37:21. > :37:25.of ?600 million. Meanwhile, on corporation tax, we have the lowest
:37:26. > :37:29.in the G-7, lower even than Saudi Arabia, Russia and China. At the
:37:30. > :37:33.same time, the resolution foundation shows that the poorest 20% of
:37:34. > :37:37.families in this country will lose 506 to ?5 over the course of this
:37:38. > :37:46.government because of their policies. -- ?565. Where is the
:37:47. > :37:51.social justice in that? What I would say is that his honourable friend
:37:52. > :37:54.earlier asked the question about encouraging business investment. We
:37:55. > :37:57.want to encourage business investment, because it's through
:37:58. > :38:02.being an environment where businesses invest that we see
:38:03. > :38:06.improved productivity, the conditions for growth, and we see
:38:07. > :38:10.people benefiting with higher wages. What I would say to the honourable
:38:11. > :38:14.member and the House as a whole, is that pursuing policies that favour
:38:15. > :38:18.business investment, but encourage businesses to invest, such as
:38:19. > :38:24.cutting corporation tax, are important for all of our
:38:25. > :38:31.constituents. In 2010, the Chancellor told this house that
:38:32. > :38:37.raising capital gains tax was necessary to come and I quote,
:38:38. > :38:40.create a fairer, tax system. Given that the Chancellor is now cutting
:38:41. > :38:46.capital gains tax overwhelmingly to the benefit of the richest 0.3% of
:38:47. > :38:53.people, what does the Chancellor think has changed? The purpose of
:38:54. > :38:58.the tax measures as I outlined a moment or so ago, are to encourage
:38:59. > :39:04.people to invest in businesses. This is specifically targeted at
:39:05. > :39:08.companies, the cut in CGT doesn't apply to residential property. It is
:39:09. > :39:11.putting in place an environment where businesses can grow and
:39:12. > :39:18.prosper. That is absolutely the right approach that we should follow
:39:19. > :39:20.colour and -- follow, and I would remind him that other countries have
:39:21. > :39:23.followed approaches of which he has been full of praise and it's not
:39:24. > :39:35.quite working adding them as well, is it? Question about 11. The
:39:36. > :39:41.government has protected disability benefits, protecting them from the
:39:42. > :39:50.freeze. Disability spending will be hiring every 22020, relative bows to
:39:51. > :40:01.2010 and two today -- every year to 2020. The Ayr local authorities are
:40:02. > :40:08.required that record 58% of local authorities have cut their funding
:40:09. > :40:13.by 15% or more. What will ministers do to reverse that trend and make
:40:14. > :40:17.sure that there is funding for local authority is to fund is those
:40:18. > :40:23.important short breaks with white we have provided funding for respite
:40:24. > :40:30.breaks. She's right to highlight this very important thing in this
:40:31. > :40:36.carers week. 200,000 more people receiving carers allowance in this
:40:37. > :40:39.country. The act extends right to assessments. The government is
:40:40. > :40:42.launching a new strategy in recognition of how important role
:40:43. > :40:45.this is a millions of people throughout the country.
:40:46. > :40:53.Can I welcome the commitment in the budget to prevent homelessness, but
:40:54. > :41:01.does the minister recognise the risks of a cap on supported housing?
:41:02. > :41:04.I in turn acknowledge welcome to the additional money to tackling
:41:05. > :41:09.homelessness that was in the budget and indeed previously, on the local
:41:10. > :41:14.housing allowance cap, there is no disjoint evidence review conducted
:41:15. > :41:19.by DC LG and the Department for Work and Pensions, to make sure we get
:41:20. > :41:27.this right, so we can have a long-term, sustainable funding
:41:28. > :41:29.solution for this sector. Number 19. The government seeks parliamentary
:41:30. > :41:34.authority for its spending plans through supply procedure.
:41:35. > :41:46.Occasionally expenditure on some services is so urgent that it cannot
:41:47. > :41:50.await normal procedure. Treasury officials assess cases on the basis
:41:51. > :41:56.of criteria set out in Treasury guidance. Extra support being
:41:57. > :41:59.consulted on for contaminated blood victims is coming from the
:42:00. > :42:04.Department of Health budget where there is simply not enough magic yet
:42:05. > :42:08.previously central contingency funds have been used for national scandals
:42:09. > :42:13.such as Equitable Life. Before the spending review, 18 MPs from six
:42:14. > :42:16.parties wrote to the Chancellor asking that the ?230 million to
:42:17. > :42:22.Treasury was getting from the sale of the blood products company could
:42:23. > :42:26.fund a fair sentiment for contaminated blood victims. We have
:42:27. > :42:32.had no reply. Will the Minister look at this again? I will ensure she
:42:33. > :42:38.gets her the reply she deserves, because this is a deeply distressing
:42:39. > :42:41.issue. The government takes it very seriously indeed. I don't believe it
:42:42. > :42:44.is appropriate to use the contingencies fund in this
:42:45. > :42:51.particular case but what I can tell, and she will know the consultation
:42:52. > :42:55.on the reform of financial support to those affected are closed on the
:42:56. > :42:59.15th of April and we will reply in due course. The Department of Health
:43:00. > :43:04.has identified additional money from its budget for these purposes. Which
:43:05. > :43:08.is in addition to the 22.5 million they spend on this annually as well
:43:09. > :43:17.as the further 25 million and announced in March 2015. Although
:43:18. > :43:21.more than double the support. The government has paid a leading role
:43:22. > :43:24.in driving forward international action on tax transparency, the
:43:25. > :43:27.introduction of country by country reporting that increased the
:43:28. > :43:32.transparency between multinationals and tax authorities and we're
:43:33. > :43:35.pushing the make this public, led the way throughout the developing to
:43:36. > :43:39.the common reporting standard which will see more than 100 countries
:43:40. > :43:45.exchange information on financial accounts add on a similar initiative
:43:46. > :43:48.for the, we have consistently advocated for public registers of an
:43:49. > :43:58.official ownership going live this month. The planned closure of 137 H
:43:59. > :44:05.MRC offices has clearly been very effecting for the employees,
:44:06. > :44:08.communities, can I ask what steps he has taken two interviews in
:44:09. > :44:16.moratorium on these closures of officers to support the wider work
:44:17. > :44:20.of improving tax transparency? I commend his ingenious ability to
:44:21. > :44:26.raise this particular issue, what I would say is it is important that H
:44:27. > :44:30.MRC's funds are spent in an efficient manner to ensure it is
:44:31. > :44:34.spent on delivering the tax being collected that we want rather than
:44:35. > :44:39.spending it on buildings. The savings from buildings are being
:44:40. > :44:45.spent on collecting more tax. He must've the different approaches
:44:46. > :44:47.that the French and UK seem to have taken towards cases like Google.
:44:48. > :44:56.What more can the Minister to to make sure the public and everyone is
:44:57. > :45:02.getting a good deal. Will he give some assurance that a good deal is
:45:03. > :45:05.achieved? We've already heard from the member for Newark. I remember
:45:06. > :45:12.very well his question and I rather hope he does. It is one per session.
:45:13. > :45:21.He can try again at topical but not in substantive is. What I would say
:45:22. > :45:27.to my honourable friend is that HMRC brought in an assurance receded to
:45:28. > :45:34.ensure that all set settlements are properly scrutinised, HMRC are
:45:35. > :45:37.confident they have reached a fair and proper settlement with Google,
:45:38. > :45:45.and it is worth pointing out that in recent years, we've seen increases
:45:46. > :45:48.in revenue collected by HMRC, increases in yield from their
:45:49. > :45:55.compliance activities including from large businesses. If we are to
:45:56. > :45:59.tackle tax evasion and avoidance effectively to remain within the EU.
:46:00. > :46:03.Will the Chancellor and blistered join with me in calling on all MEPs
:46:04. > :46:09.to support the new anti-tax avoidance directive being voted on
:46:10. > :46:13.tomorrow in the European Parliament? Conservative MEPs abstained at the
:46:14. > :46:17.committee stage and there are worrying noises that they may
:46:18. > :46:23.abstain what again. Can the Minister make it clear now that Conservative
:46:24. > :46:30.MEPs will be voting the directive? In terms of the anti-tax avoidance
:46:31. > :46:34.directive, that was discussed at the cuff in meeting a couple of disco, I
:46:35. > :46:39.can do that and the UK was making the case for us taking strong action
:46:40. > :46:47.and working through an anti-violence tax directive. -- anti-avoidance.
:46:48. > :46:54.That will also be addressed in the meeting next week, the UK is pushing
:46:55. > :46:56.for progress and working cooperatively with other member
:46:57. > :47:02.states to ensure we make progress on this. I am mystified whether
:47:03. > :47:07.Conservative MEPs will be voting for it tomorrow or not, I just live in
:47:08. > :47:15.hope that they will. But the European directive did show the
:47:16. > :47:19.value of European Union Corporation, as part of that cooperation
:47:20. > :47:22.following the raids on Google's Paris offices, can the chance to
:47:23. > :47:25.learn from the house would arrangement are in place with the
:47:26. > :47:29.French authorities for sharing information from the raids, and if
:47:30. > :47:34.new evidence comes to light, for the Chancellor stand ready to reopen his
:47:35. > :47:41.deal with Google? -- will the Chancellor stand ready? The first
:47:42. > :47:46.point I have to remind the Shadow Chancellor of is all settlements are
:47:47. > :47:51.reached by HMRC, operational matters are rightly for HMRC and not
:47:52. > :47:56.Treasury ministers. But of course HMRC, if there is new evidence, will
:47:57. > :48:03.take that into account. But the position is that HMRC have made it
:48:04. > :48:08.very clear that under the law that existed between 2005 and 2015, they
:48:09. > :48:11.believe they have reached a settlement that ensures that the
:48:12. > :48:16.right amount of tax has been collected, that is what their job
:48:17. > :48:22.is. Our job is to ensure they have the tools and rules and that is what
:48:23. > :48:26.we are delivering. Number one. The core purpose of the Treasury is to
:48:27. > :48:33.ensure these debility and prosperity of the economy. We are great for the
:48:34. > :48:37.Treasury was able to have funding for local infrastructure projects
:48:38. > :48:41.which clinicians the success of the policies being pursued by the
:48:42. > :48:46.government. However they have been no major investments in rail
:48:47. > :48:51.infrastructure in Hampshire and is holding back our productivity. Will
:48:52. > :48:53.he meet with me, local councils and enterprise partnership to sort out
:48:54. > :49:00.this issue as a matter of urgency as we have committed to 102,000 new
:49:01. > :49:07.homes by 2030 and our roads are already full? Thirsting I would say
:49:08. > :49:11.she's absolutely right to raise the issue of investment and
:49:12. > :49:15.infrastructure in Hampshire -- the first thing I would say. Of course
:49:16. > :49:19.there was money going into the road infrastructure like the 27 and some
:49:20. > :49:24.investment in rail infrastructure like Southampton Central Station but
:49:25. > :49:27.there is room to do more, as someone who has some experience of the rail
:49:28. > :49:31.services from Portsmouth, I know they're not as good as they could
:49:32. > :49:37.be, so I'm happy to meet her and her colleagues and local businesses to
:49:38. > :49:44.see what we can do. In Scotland we have introduced the anti-avoidance
:49:45. > :49:47.rules on avoidance taxes, the SNP have called on the Chancellor
:49:48. > :49:51.repeatedly to embody compliance by guaranteeing that the beneficial
:49:52. > :49:55.ownership of companies and trusts is made public. Has he taken steps to
:49:56. > :50:01.ensure the people of the UK that this progressive step will happen?
:50:02. > :50:07.The UK is bringing in a register open official ownership for
:50:08. > :50:13.companies and in terms of trusts, where there are tax consequences,
:50:14. > :50:16.that also will be included. So yes, the UK's leading on that and we are
:50:17. > :50:22.pretty well the first country to do so. I have been conducted by a
:50:23. > :50:26.number of constituents who are having difficulty with this year's
:50:27. > :50:29.online HMRC self-assessment system, in particular the level of customer
:50:30. > :50:34.service they are getting from the help desk. Will he look into this
:50:35. > :50:38.issue as a matter of urgency so we can get a speedy resolution to the
:50:39. > :50:44.problems and ensure my constituents are not penalised? Can I thank my
:50:45. > :50:49.honourable friend for her question. In terms of the specific points, I
:50:50. > :50:54.would be happy to meet with her, to discuss this. I would also say to
:50:55. > :50:59.her that the customer performance of eight see last year and clearly not
:51:00. > :51:04.at an acceptable level, for the run-up to the self-assessment
:51:05. > :51:07.deadline at the end of January, a decent of calls were getting through
:51:08. > :51:11.first time, the average waiting time was less than five minutes. That can
:51:12. > :51:18.be improved upon but it is a much higher performance than has been
:51:19. > :51:21.achieved in HMRC's previous history. I noticed the Minister has yet to
:51:22. > :51:26.properly respond to the Shadow Chancellor's question about the new
:51:27. > :51:30.anti-tax avoidance directive in the European Parliament, being voted on
:51:31. > :51:33.tomorrow. In light of Conservative MEPs's abstention at committee
:51:34. > :51:42.stage, will someone confirm whether they will be supporting it tomorrow?
:51:43. > :51:45.The text of -- the text has not been finalised. It was the skirt at the
:51:46. > :51:51.Council of ministers meeting a couple of weeks ago. -- it was
:51:52. > :51:56.discussed. It will be discussed again on the 17th of June. It is not
:51:57. > :52:00.been finalised. The position of the UK Government is clear. We want
:52:01. > :52:02.something that is strong and effective and that is the case we
:52:03. > :52:08.have been advocating in the Council of ministers. The evolution of
:52:09. > :52:13.business rates allowing local areas to shape their own future will be a
:52:14. > :52:17.real benefit to my constituency of Kingston, making it one of the
:52:18. > :52:22.highest council taxes in the country and receive one of the lowest
:52:23. > :52:30.government grant in return. Could he confirm when the first devolution
:52:31. > :52:33.deals will be rolled out? My honourable friend and local council
:52:34. > :52:38.have been at the forefront of calling for this major reform of
:52:39. > :52:41.local government finance, which is now being undertaken across the
:52:42. > :52:45.whole country, but I can confirm that London would be moving ahead of
:52:46. > :52:55.many other areas and will start the retention of business rates and
:52:56. > :53:01.local areas from April 2017. The public finance will be at risk and
:53:02. > :53:04.will push up energy bills to businesses and consumers. For the
:53:05. > :53:09.Chancellor redirect the investment to clean, safer and cheaper energy
:53:10. > :53:14.sources such as carbon capture? The first thing I would say is they were
:53:15. > :53:18.remarkable figures recently that showed that 25% of UK ex-fatigue
:53:19. > :53:25.generation is now from renewable energy, second only to Germany. It
:53:26. > :53:28.is a translation of our energy supply under this Conservative
:53:29. > :53:32.leadership. We need to renew the next generation starting with
:53:33. > :53:36.Hinkley point, but the deal we have signed to make sure that taxpayers
:53:37. > :53:43.are not exposed to the construction risk. I note the government is going
:53:44. > :53:45.to publish a report on the progress of payments to Equitable Life
:53:46. > :53:51.policyholders who are victims of the great scam and I congratulate the
:53:52. > :53:53.government on the progress made to compensate those individuals. Will
:53:54. > :53:59.my right honourable friend undertake to review the amount of money paid
:54:00. > :54:06.to those victims of the scam so they can make good on the debt of honour?
:54:07. > :54:10.What I can announce is that while the Equitable Life payment scheme is
:54:11. > :54:17.now closed to new claims, that payments that are being made under
:54:18. > :54:19.the scheme are not only tax free but will continue for the life of the
:54:20. > :54:37.element. Relevant and unity. It has concluded that GDP growth was
:54:38. > :54:40.also 40 possible bundle the Chancellor listen to the experts and
:54:41. > :54:48.offer investment instead of idyllically driven austerity? Both
:54:49. > :54:52.the downward predictions are specifically for this year and in
:54:53. > :54:56.both cases, both organisations attribute that to the referendum on
:54:57. > :55:01.our membership of the EU and potential exit from the EU but if
:55:02. > :55:03.the country votes to remain, they expect activity to bounce back and
:55:04. > :55:09.they haven't revised down growth for next year. Just the Minister share
:55:10. > :55:14.my concern about the activities of and villains chasing law firms who
:55:15. > :55:17.encourage fraudulent whiplash claims of which I have had personal
:55:18. > :55:20.experience, and can the Minister update the house on the government
:55:21. > :55:30.was macro plans to clamp down on this outrageous practice? I hope
:55:31. > :55:35.that my honourable friend has only experienced the ambulance chasers
:55:36. > :55:40.and not the whiplash stop he is right to holler the cost was put on
:55:41. > :55:46.motorists. We estimate it is about ?90 a year, which is why we have
:55:47. > :55:50.taken steps to reform this area and lastly in the Autumn Statement we
:55:51. > :55:54.announced further reforms which will remove the right to cash
:55:55. > :55:54.compensation for minor whiplash injuries while ensuring genuine
:55:55. > :56:05.claimants are rehabilitation. Genuine tax avoidance must be
:56:06. > :56:09.tackled, but HMRC pursuing people who invested legally in scheme is
:56:10. > :56:19.not to avoid tax now being hit with accelerated payments is an front --
:56:20. > :56:24.affront. Will the Chancellor meet with me and a group of affected
:56:25. > :56:29.people who are Dutch mentally affected by this issue? I completely
:56:30. > :56:33.disagree with the honourable member. He is opposing a measure we
:56:34. > :56:37.introduced that says to people who are in dispute with HMRC about the
:56:38. > :56:40.money they pay because of their potential use of tax evasion or
:56:41. > :56:42.avoidance seat dreams, that they should win upfront and if they win
:56:43. > :56:49.their case they should will get their money. We have raised hundreds
:56:50. > :56:52.of millions of pounds for public services, one some key court
:56:53. > :56:55.judgments and I find it remarkable for a Liberal Democrat to be siding
:56:56. > :57:03.with those who want to try and debate their taxes. Will the
:57:04. > :57:07.Chancellor agree with me that we need to work with our businesses to
:57:08. > :57:11.tackle our productivity, especially ensuring that we have a skilled
:57:12. > :57:16.workforce in engineering and design and technology to boast our economy
:57:17. > :57:20.further? I completely agree with our honourable friend and I know how
:57:21. > :57:27.much she champions skills in her constituency, in Wiltshire. Of
:57:28. > :57:31.course the apprentice levy, which is coming in soon, now legislated for,
:57:32. > :57:35.will ensure we are able to increase the amount of apprentices in this
:57:36. > :57:40.country towards a 3 million that we committed to in the manifesto. More
:57:41. > :57:42.money will go into skilled apprenticeships in fields like
:57:43. > :57:48.design and engineering that she wants to see more of. So do I. Many
:57:49. > :57:53.constituents of mine, including those working, are telling me that
:57:54. > :57:58.their employers are attacking their terms and conditions because of the
:57:59. > :58:01.National living wage. Does he believe that this abuse should not
:58:02. > :58:06.go on, because it's giving constituents overall a minor pay
:58:07. > :58:09.cut? We certainly expect businesses to pay the national living wage, and
:58:10. > :58:13.to honour not just the letter of the law, and we have increased
:58:14. > :58:17.enforcement of the living wage through HMRC, but also the spirit of
:58:18. > :58:21.it, which is that people should pay that wage and not find ways to cut
:58:22. > :58:30.other allowances to make good on paper.
:58:31. > :58:33.gender pay gap figures. What steps is he'll she taking to reduce the
:58:34. > :58:39.gender pay gap in the financial services sector? I rework on this
:58:40. > :58:42.question, because our financial services sector is not only our
:58:43. > :58:46.highest-paid sector, but it's also the one with the widest gender pay
:58:47. > :58:50.gap. That is why we have launched the women in finance Charter, and
:58:51. > :58:57.asking all financial services firms to implement the recommendations,
:58:58. > :59:02.the Indy Chief Executive's excellent review into the and representative
:59:03. > :59:08.of senior women in financial services. The government has made
:59:09. > :59:14.significant public spending cuts affecting disabled people, including
:59:15. > :59:17.nearly ?30 million in cuts. Given that disabled people are twice as
:59:18. > :59:20.likely to be living in poverty than the general population, how many
:59:21. > :59:27.more disabled people will be living in poverty by 2020? Mr Speaker,
:59:28. > :59:32.spending on disabilities bending is going up, not down. There are many
:59:33. > :59:37.people getting the highest rate than there were in DLA, there are 200,000
:59:38. > :59:44.people more getting carers's allowance, more people getting helps
:59:45. > :59:50.remote ability. We are working on the employment disability gap, which
:59:51. > :59:59.is so important. It has remained stubbornly wide, but the most recent
:00:00. > :00:06.report did show a decrease. 10% of our GDP comes in through each
:00:07. > :00:12.import, that link road will still seeing the opening. Part of economic
:00:13. > :00:17.plan is to show that this area of Lancashire is going to be
:00:18. > :00:22.regenerated, would my honourable friend my diary permitting, like to
:00:23. > :00:26.open the road? I remember visiting the road with my right honourable
:00:27. > :00:34.friend the primer Minister, just days before the general election. --
:00:35. > :00:38.the Prime Minister. His constituents said, let's have him back in
:00:39. > :00:43.Parliament championing more investment in Lancashire. Diary
:00:44. > :00:47.permitting, I would be delighted to open the link road. When I was in
:00:48. > :00:52.Northern Ireland yesterday, I met the company that trades between
:00:53. > :01:01.he/she Warrenpoint, and they are investing in more jobs there. Wales
:01:02. > :01:08.will be left with a vastly inferior fiscal settlement to both Scotland
:01:09. > :01:11.and Northern Ireland. Why can't Wales have corporation tax powers
:01:12. > :01:16.like Northern Ireland, and devolution like both countries? I
:01:17. > :01:20.totally agree with him that we need to get on with income tax
:01:21. > :01:23.devolution. I will be having further meetings with the worst government
:01:24. > :01:29.to make sure that we do that. At the same time, we will need to look at
:01:30. > :01:38.questions like the block grant. -- with the Welsh government. We have
:01:39. > :01:44.said of course the funding floor at 115% for the duration of the
:01:45. > :01:46.parliament. The economy in the West Midlands has been one of the
:01:47. > :01:49.fastest-growing subregions in the UK over the last few years, with new
:01:50. > :01:52.jobs and investment. With the Chancellor agree with me that we
:01:53. > :01:55.need to continue to focus on investment and growth in the Black
:01:56. > :02:01.Country, and avoid the economic risk that would come from as leaving the
:02:02. > :02:05.European Union? I agree with my friend on both counts. First of all,
:02:06. > :02:08.I think there's an enormous amount of exciting news in the Black
:02:09. > :02:11.Country, and businesses there are growing and creating jobs and there
:02:12. > :02:14.is more investment coming into that part of the country that he
:02:15. > :02:19.represents so well. I think that that economic growth is at risk if
:02:20. > :02:24.we read through European Union. We had today warnings from the chairman
:02:25. > :02:27.of the Federal reserve, the head of Hitachi and the World Trade
:02:28. > :02:33.Organisation all telling us that there is a real economic risk for
:02:34. > :02:38.the UK if we vote to leave. What assessment has the Chancellor made
:02:39. > :02:41.of the impact on the British economy of overcrowding in London and South
:02:42. > :02:49.East airports, and how much will further delay cost us? It absolutely
:02:50. > :02:52.clear that we need additional runway capacity in the south-east of
:02:53. > :02:55.England. That's what the Davis report suggested. Of course the
:02:56. > :02:59.government now needs to come forward with a conclusion to the report, but
:03:00. > :03:02.we did want to address the issue of air quality when we raise that
:03:03. > :03:05.issue, people said was necessary to look into it this remark when you
:03:06. > :03:09.look at the last few months, when you look at the debate in the mail
:03:10. > :03:14.context, you can see that our quality is an important issue to get
:03:15. > :03:18.right. Where close to finishing that, and will report back on the
:03:19. > :03:23.commission and future airport capacity. Just before I call on the
:03:24. > :03:28.honourable gentleman, I should explain that on account of the
:03:29. > :03:33.subsequent business, its importance and the likely levels of
:03:34. > :03:34.subscription to it, it will run for a maximum of half an