Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill

Debate between Baroness Wheatcroft and Lord Newby

Wednesday 7th January 2015 Grand Committee

[Lord Newby]

The important thing is that information which a company has and which might be shared is shared only with the explicit prior approval of the company. As I was saying, this is one of the things that is often included in the terms and conditions of any agreement or relationship that the company has with the bank. Unless the company has explicitly said that it is prepared to have its data shared, they will not be shared. More generally, all the activity that we are talking about is covered by normal Data Protection Act safeguards.

[Baroness Wheatcroft]

My Lords, I just wish to raise a slight qualm that I have on this issue. I applaud the idea of data sharing and the theory that it would enable small firms to shop around for credit more easily in the Funding Circle that the noble Lord, Lord Mitchell, mentioned—it is one of those organisations that can respond very quickly if it gets the data that it needs—but Amendment 17 seems to offer the possibility of small firms picking and choosing which bits of the data are made available. We all support small firms but some do not always behave entirely honourably, and I would be very nervous about a proposal that allowed a small firm to say, “This little bit of the verdict on what I do can be relayed to a potential lender but not that little bit because that little bit tells a very different story”. Therefore, I think that we need to be clear that when we are saying that a small firm, or indeed any firm, can give its permission for data to be shown to an alternative lender, it needs to be the whole picture, otherwise we are in danger of getting to where we have got to now—with references to individuals, for instance—where the reference is meaningless. You are very lucky if the reference says, “You would be very lucky to get this person to work for you”, which of course can be interpreted in two different ways. People are now very nervous about committing anything on the basis of just a corporate reference.

[Lord Newby]

I think, my Lords, that that concern is dealt with by the fact that approval or agreement that data might be shared tends to take the form of being included in the standard terms and conditions of the bank, so one will not be able to pick and choose. One will be presented with a standard form that states, “You agree to the following forms of data being used”. There will not be much scope for negotiation as to which data are open for discussion.

National Minimum Wage

Debate between Baroness Wheatcroft and Lord Newby

Thursday 6th November 2014 Lords Chamber

[Lord Newby]

My Lords, the Government support the living wage and encourage all employers who are able to do so to pay it. Her Majesty’s Treasury’s pay rates ensure that all its employees, including apprentices, are paid above the living wage and other departments are following suit, including DECC.

[Baroness Wheatcroft (Con)]

My Lords, the minimum wage is only a floor. Many companies are now choosing to pay the living wage and, indeed, ensuring that their suppliers pay it. Can my noble friend give us some numbers on that?

[Lord Newby]

My Lords, the number of companies that were accredited for paying the living wage in 2013 was 432. I believe that the number has more than doubled during the course of this year.

Industrial Strategy: British Business Bank

Debate between Baroness Wheatcroft and Lord Newby

Tuesday 8th July 2014 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Wheatcroft]

My Lords, I thank the Minister for his comprehensive response, and I take comfort from the fact that he reassured us that the business bank will work within strict limits as to the risk it takes. I take rather less comfort from his reassurance—

[Lord Newby (LD)]

My Lords, I am sorry to interrupt the noble Baroness, but I should perhaps remind her that in this type of debate she does not have the right of reply.

Payday Loans: Debt Collection

Debate between Baroness Wheatcroft and Lord Newby

Tuesday 1st July 2014 Lords Chamber

[Lord Newby]

My Lords, I think Wonga is finding it increasingly difficult to portray itself as the good guy. That has been demonstrated by this episode. The key thing to point out is that the action of the FCA has resulted in prompt redress and that 45,000 consumers will be getting a payment from Wonga. Until the FCA had the powers that it assumed in April, there was no provision under the previous regime for the OFT to secure redress for customers in that way. If, under the old regime, the OFT had initiated a criminal process, it is quite likely that it would have taken the best part of three years to reach a conclusion; whereas, under this process, consumers have got money back from Wonga very quickly.

[Baroness Wheatcroft (Con)]

My Lords, we hear much in this Chamber about how credit unions are a preferable alternative to the Sue, Grabbit and Run tactics of some of the payday loan companies, but many people working in Parliament would probably benefit from the presence of a credit union. Has my noble friend given any consideration to the establishment of a parliamentary credit union?

[Lord Newby]

My Lords, I think there may be one but, sad to say, I have not become a member of it. I will write to my noble friend explaining how she might join and put the letter in the Library of the House so that other Members may do the same.

Economy: Growth

Debate between Baroness Wheatcroft and Lord Newby

Tuesday 11th February 2014 Lords Chamber

[Lord Newby]

My Lords, I absolutely agree with the noble Lord. The Treasury has done some work on the so-called border effect: what happens to growth if the Scottish economy and those of the rest of the UK are separated by a border. Its best estimate was that over a period of several decades, the Scottish economy could be about 4% poorer than would otherwise be the case, compared to a reduction in the rest of the UK economy of 0.2%. There are much bigger risks for the Scottish economy through independence than there are for the rest of the UK, but both sides would suffer.

[Baroness Wheatcroft (Con)]

My Lords, can my noble friend tell us what would happen to the BBC in the event of Scottish independence?

[Lord Newby]

My Lords, I am not sure I can, but that demonstrates how difficult it will be to manage the independence process. There are so many parts of what we take for granted in the way that we do things in the UK that would have to be severed; for example, one has only to think about the value of having an integrated BBC to see that if it were severed, how much of a loss that would be to everybody, whether they were in Scotland or the rest of the UK.

Taxation: Avoidance

Debate between Baroness Wheatcroft and Lord Newby

Thursday 14th March 2013 Lords Chamber

[Lord Newby]

The Government support country-by-country reporting for the extractive industries, where some of the worst abuses are taking place. We are currently looking at broader proposals for country-by-country reporting. On the point about expanding the principle more widely, we want to make sure that we get the costs and benefits right.

[Baroness Wheatcroft]

My Lords, does the Minister agree with me that the important thing, as we have heard, is to get global companies to pay their fair share of taxes everywhere, including in Britain? One way in which to ensure that we get more from them would be to look again at the transfer pricing regime.

[Lord Newby]

Absolutely. Because the transfer pricing regime is based on international rules, we have put more resources into the OECD process, which is moving forward reasonably quickly. An interim report was produced last month, and there is now a recognition that the rules have to be changed among the major European countries and the major countries in the G20. I sincerely hope that the rules will be changed.

EU: Eurozone Financial Transaction Tax

Debate between Baroness Wheatcroft and Lord Newby

Tuesday 5th March 2013 Lords Chamber

[Lord Newby]

My Lords, the noble Lord needs to understand the difference between a tax which we would levy, where there is a veto, and a tax which we would help collect, of which there are a number of existing examples in EU law and this would be another.

[Baroness Wheatcroft]

My Lords, does my noble friend agree that a tax which was to some extent a deterrent on frequent trading—for instance, algorithmic trading—might not be such a bad thing if it encouraged long-term investment in shares?