Apprenticeships

Debate between Baroness Primarolo and Chuka Umunna

Wednesday 4th February 2015 Commons Chamber

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Dawn Primarolo)]

Order. Mr Djanogly, you are continuing the debate; that is not a point of order for the Chair. We are pressed for time, and we need to make sure we hear the opening speeches from both sides and have the debate. You have not indicated that you want to speak, whereas others have. We need to get on to the debate, so I call Chuka Umunna.

[Mr Umunna]

I was going to give way to the hon. Member for Gloucester (Richard Graham), before giving way to my hon. Friend the Member for Denton and Reddish (Andrew Gwynne).

[Richard Graham]

I seek the hon. Gentleman’s thoughts on three quick points—

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Umunna]

I agree with what the Secretary of State is saying. I am seeking not to devalue level 2 qualifications but to bring us up to—[Interruption.] Well, Mr Graham says that we want—[Interruption.]

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Dawn Primarolo)]

Order. Mr Graham is not taking part in this exchange. Just make your intervention, Mr Umunna.

[Mr Umunna]

What we are proposing is to bring us up to the same benchmarks as our competitors, who are more productive than we are.

Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill

Debate between Baroness Primarolo and Chuka Umunna

Tuesday 16th October 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Umunna]

I am grateful to the Minister for giving way to me again. We are not the only ones who have raised concerns about what she is doing to the commission in this Bill; they include members of her party, as I have said. Councillor Lester Holloway, the head of the BAME Councillors Association, has said:

“A combination of biting budget cuts and the stripping away of many of its powers threatens to turn the commission into little more than a glorified equalities thinktank.”

The head of the Ethnic Minority Liberal Democrats has said:

“I have heard the argument that if it wasn’t for the Lib Dems the Conservatives might have abolished the EHRC altogether by now. However that argument is unlikely to cut much ice”—

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dawn Primarolo)]

Order.

[Mr Umunna]

—“with the public.”

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

Order. Mr Umunna, when I say, “Order”, you sit down. I also need to remind you that interventions are supposed to be brief. I appreciate that you were using a quotation, but using several quotations is not in order.

Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill

Debate between Baroness Primarolo and Chuka Umunna

Monday 11th June 2012 Commons Chamber

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dawn Primarolo)]

Order. A lot of Members are waiting to speak, so interventions must be brief.

[Mr Umunna]

I will expand on that point in more detail later, but what I can tell the hon. Gentleman now is that when I ask businesses what is currently holding them back, most say a lack of orders and demand, not the rights that their employees enjoy at work. If we are looking to encourage businesses to hire people, why not give all micro-businesses a national insurance break—I believe he has a seat in the south-east—when they take on extra workers? That would do more to help them grow their businesses.