Transport: Fuel Prices
Debate between Baroness Wilcox and Lord Campbell-Savours
Baroness Wilcox
I am very interested in the second part of that question. That sounds a very good idea, and I shall take it away if I may. My answer to the first part, of course, has to be that the Government believe that the best guarantee of a good deal for consumers is an open and competitive market—so what he suggested at the end of the question would be very helpful. However, if there is a concern that petrol prices at motorway service stations are affected by anti-competitive practices, the responsibility falls back to the Office of Fair Trading, and the Government really cannot interfere with that.
Lord Campbell-Savours
Do those high prices reflect high rents being paid by petroleum companies for motorway sites to the Department of Transport?
Baroness Wilcox
In answer to the noble Lord’s question, we believe that the best guarantee of a good deal for consumers is an open and competitive market. I cannot answer it any more clearly than that.
Economy: Growth
Debate between Baroness Wilcox and Lord Campbell-Savours
Baroness Wilcox
I am very interested to hear what my noble friend has said. We are looking at all sorts of ideas to start bringing us forward. As you say, Brian Souter would have said, “Get on your bus”, not, “Get on your bike”.
Lord Barnett
If the noble Baroness cared to have a word with her noble friend Lord Sassoon, who is sat next to her, he would explain that there is no chance whatever of her growth strategy working while the deficit reduction plan is so inflexible. As the noble Lord, Lord Low, has said so well, without growth we have a growing deficit. Please have a word with the noble Lord, Lord Sassoon. If he is being honest, he will tell the noble Baroness the truth.
Lord Campbell-Savours
My Lords, are there any lessons to be learnt from the early 1930s when public expenditure was cut?
Baroness Wilcox
We are making policies for now, looking forward. I am not sure, looking backwards, that there are too many lessons to be learnt from recent years.
Companies: Executive Remuneration
Debate between Baroness Wilcox and Lord Campbell-Savours(13 years, 10 months ago)
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Baroness Wilcox
My Lords, before I came to your Lordships' House today to answer this Question, I rather thought that this question was going to come from the noble Lord, Lord Donoughue, who commented greatly on the Bill introduced by the noble Lord, Lord Gavron, when it was debated in 2009. The question on that Bill, which will fit with the questions I have been asked now, was: should the AGM meeting vote on the directors’ remuneration report be binding instead of advisory?
Baroness Wilcox
On the publication of information. At the moment, we are going through this again with the first report to which I referred, A Long-Term Focus for Corporate Britain. I shall be reporting on this just before Easter.
Employment: Cuts in Public Expenditure
Debate between Baroness Wilcox and Lord Campbell-Savours
Baroness Wilcox
I think that we are all aware of how difficult the situation is, particularly in the north. Over all these years, the previous Government were not able to bring together prosperity in that area. We believe that the new way of approaching this—moving power from central government down to local government, where people know what their problems are and what they will need—will mean that the regional growth fund will be available to support projects and programmes, which promote jobs and growth, and, in particular, to support areas that are currently dependent on the public sector to make the transition to private-sector-led growth. We hope then that things will improve regarding the ownership of homes.
Lord Campbell-Savours
Does the Minister believe that she has the support of Conservative and Liberal local authorities throughout the north-west region for the policy that the Government are undertaking?
Baroness Wilcox
My Lords, I am fortunate indeed to be part of a coalition. Because we are a coalition we are able to debate and discuss things between ourselves and to put together all the information that we have. Our economic ambition is to create a fairer, more balanced economy, which is not so dependent on the narrow range of sectors that were used in the past. We have great opportunities and this should be a good time to look forward to, if we can overcome the real problems we have in finance at the moment, which were left to us.
Small Businesses: Invoice Payments
Debate between Baroness Wilcox and Lord Campbell-Savours
Lord Campbell-Savours
My Lords, what about the recommendation of Sir Philip Green? He said that the Government should delay paying business bills.
Baroness Wilcox
Did the noble Lord say “delay paying public bills”? I am very sorry. Gosh—there we are. I shall go back and check that.