Spring Statement

Debate between Lord Hammond of Runnymede and Rachael Maskell

Wednesday 13th March 2019 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hammond]

I have answered the question. The benefits freeze will end at the end of the forthcoming year.

[Rachael Maskell (York Central) (Lab/Co-op)]

York schools are the worst-funded in the country, we have the highest attainment gap, and the schools in the most deprived areas have had the largest per pupil funding cut. When will the Chancellor address this huge inequality?

[Mr Hammond]

The hon. Lady has a legitimate point. The funding as between schools and authorities is very unevenly distributed. That is why, when we put an extra £1.3 billion into the school system in 2017, we committed to a fair funding formula that would redistribute over time. That is happening. I understand that schools that are underfunded relative to the mean would like it to happen more quickly, but that has to be the answer. We have to move towards a fair distribution of funding between schools.

European Union (Withdrawal) Act

Debate between Lord Hammond of Runnymede and Rachael Maskell

Thursday 6th December 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hammond]

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and I have said many times that the choice before this House is very simple: it is this deal, no deal or no Brexit. Those are the opportunities that we have to choose between.

[Rachael Maskell (York Central) (Lab/Co-op)]

One of the things that really concerns businesses is the availability of skills with this deal. At the moment, they know that there is a plan for growth, which the Government have in the light of their abysmal record on productivity, but that plan cannot be delivered if skills are migrating back to the EU. How will the Chancellor address that?

Spring Statement

Debate between Lord Hammond of Runnymede and Rachael Maskell

Tuesday 13th March 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hammond]

I think that that would involve widening the scope of the intended consultation rather dramatically. I remind the House that, when I referred to this issue in the autumn Budget, I said that I was not minded to lower the VAT threshold because I recognise that, at its current level, it keeps a lot of small businesses out of the administrative burden of VAT. However, we are keen to ensure that the cliff-edge effect, which has a damaging impact on businesses that are trying to grow, should be addressed if it is possible to do so. The consultation will pursue those ideas.

[Rachael Maskell (York Central) (Lab/Co-op)]

There is a reason why we need to invest in our public services. In York, our schools have gone from being the seventh worst funded to the very worst funded authority, our NHS is in a capped expenditure process, and no social housing has been built. Should not the Chancellor invest in our children and in the sick, and provide homes for the homeless?

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Hammond]

I am afraid that it is characteristic of the Opposition that they are able to see the world only through the lens of inputs—

[Rachael Maskell]

That is the reality!

[Mr Hammond]

The reality is that since 2010 we have increased the number of schools that are good or outstanding. That means that 90% of schools are now either good or outstanding, and that 1.9 million more children are being taught in good or outstanding schools. That is the metric that matters to parents and to children themselves in terms of their life chances. It is not always just about the money; it is also about the outcomes.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Hammond of Runnymede and Rachael Maskell

Tuesday 18th July 2017 Commons Chamber

[Rachael Maskell (York Central) (Lab/Co-op)]

In the Budget, the Chancellor promised a consultation on business rates, but we have not yet seen that. Businesses in York are really struggling and some are leaving the city because of the astronomical business rates. When will we have that consultation—what is the date?

[Mr Philip Hammond]

We have to deal with two issues. One is the process by which we uprate business rates, and we all saw earlier this year that long periods followed by dramatic revision are not good for anyone. They cause disruption to business, so we are looking at how we can smooth the process. Secondly, we need to look more broadly at the way in which we address the perceived unfairness that companies that operate in bricks and mortar are effectively treated differently from companies that do not. That is not an easy challenge, because many of the digital companies operate internationally and it requires international co-operation.

The consultation that the hon. Lady asks for will be issued by the Department for Communities and Local Government and I will pass on to the Secretary of State her concerns about the date.