Living Wage

Baroness Falkner of Margravine Excerpts

Thursday 8th November 2012 Lords Chamber

[Lord Gardiner of Kimble]

The noble Lord raises the issue of Wales. Indeed, this was raised not only in the debate last night but a few weeks ago when I was in a position to say that the number of jobs created in Wales since the last election has increased very favourably. Clearly this is all part of a UK strategy to ensure that growth comes to all parts of the kingdom. I am particularly pleased, therefore, that the news in Wales is improving. We need to do more to ensure that it gets better.

[Baroness Falkner of Margravine]

My Lords, does my noble friend accept that in a progressive society we all want the weakest to be assisted and that the best way of doing that is through a taxation system where you increase the personal allowance to allow people to keep the maximum amount of their earned income themselves without the state intervening? How many millions of people have been taken out of taxation altogether since the Government were formed?

[Lord Gardiner of Kimble]

As I said in answer to an earlier question, the proposal is that from next April, 2 million of the lowest paid people will be taken out of tax altogether.