Oral Answers to Questions

John Cryer Excerpts

Tuesday 1st October 2019 Commons Chamber

[Mr Simon Clarke]

My hon. Friend is right that we need to ensure that the UK shared prosperity fund works for all the regions and nations of our country. I would be delighted to meet her, to ensure that we get all the suggestions from Cornwall as part of the process of designing that new fund.

[John Cryer (Leyton and Wanstead) (Lab)]

Can the Minister answer the question asked earlier by the right hon. Member for Hastings and Rye (Amber Rudd): what is the reason for not suspending the loan charge scheme until the inquiry is completed? It is a request not for a change of policy, but just to suspend the scheme.

[Jesse Norman]

The reason is that the inquiry is designed to test the policy, and the policy remains in place until the inquiry is over. If the policy were ended now or suspended, all that potentially would occur is more confusion if the inquiry took the view that, ultimately, the Government were in the right.

Oral Answers to Questions

John Cryer Excerpts

Tuesday 5th March 2019 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hammond]

I cannot give my hon. Friend a clear answer on a specific date, but soon as we are in a position to publish the tariff schedule, we will do so.

[John Cryer (Leyton and Wanstead) (Lab)]

Personal debt is now higher than it has ever been in British history. Household debt is now also higher than it has ever been and has increased by nearly £1,000 in the past year alone. How sustainable is that?

[John Glen]

That is why the Government are concerned that the establishment of a single financial guidance body should happen quickly this year. Some £56 million is spent on debt advice to 530,000 people. This is an area I take very seriously, and I will be going to the credit union conference on Saturday to outline some more policy initiatives.

Oral Answers to Questions

John Cryer Excerpts

Tuesday 6th November 2018 Commons Chamber

[Robert Jenrick]

Yes. We are ending the scandal of PFI that was created by the last Labour Government. Eighty-six per cent. of PFI contracts were signed by the last Labour Government—91% by value. In addition to retiring PFI we are creating a crack team, beginning in the Department of Health and Social Care, to look back at some of those old contracts and to clean out the stable left by the last Labour Government.

[John Cryer (Leyton and Wanstead) (Lab)]

This Government and their coalition predecessors have overseen the longest slump in wages in living memory. What effect has that had on productivity?

[Robert Jenrick]

The hon. Gentleman may not be aware of this, but real wages are rising. The Government believe that the best way to support working people across the country is to get them into work. Employment is now at its highest level in my lifetime, with 3 million more jobs created and 1 million fewer people on the dole.

Oral Answers to Questions

John Cryer Excerpts

Tuesday 22nd May 2018 Commons Chamber

[The Economic Secretary to the Treasury (John Glen)]

Lenders are not restricted from extending mortgages beyond the age of 75, as long as the consumer can demonstrate affordability. Several lenders are currently looking into this issue. There is considerable merit in interest-only retirement mortgages.

[John Cryer (Leyton and Wanstead) (Lab)]

What action are the Government taking to tackle payroll and umbrella companies, some of which—not all—are used to perpetuate bogus self-employment and undermine terms and conditions?

[The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Mel Stride)]

We are looking very closely at this policy area, not least in respect of the Matthew Taylor review of the different ways in which individuals choose to work. The Government’s overriding objective is to make sure that the way an individual works is reflected in the way they are taxed, and that they are taxed properly.