Offensive Weapons Bill

Debate between Viscount Younger of Leckie and Baroness Williams of Trafford

2nd reading (Hansard): House of Lords
Monday 7th January 2019 Lords Chamber

[Viscount Younger of Leckie (Con)]

My Lords, I have just been given notice that the health Statement has now started in the Commons. We have a difficult decision to make. With the will of the House, we will continue the debate and finish it.

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

No—the Urgent Question.

[Viscount Younger of Leckie]

I see. We will continue with the Urgent Question then hear the Statement after that.

Housing and Planning Bill

Debate between Viscount Younger of Leckie and Baroness Williams of Trafford

Wednesday 27th April 2016 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

My Lords, I place on record my thanks to my noble friends Lord Younger, Lady Evans and Lord Bridges. It has not been the shortest or the least complex of Bills and I have greatly appreciated their help. I have also greatly appreciated the help and good humour—well, not necessarily the help but certainly the good humour—of the noble Lords, Lord Beecham and Lord Kennedy, the noble Baroness, Lady Bakewell, and indeed other noble Lords who are not in their places at this moment. I also thank noble Lords for bearing with us on the sheer number of amendments that we have dealt with, which have seemed so many at some points that we have almost lost track—excuse me, my Lords, I think I am suddenly losing my voice at a terrible time. I also pay tribute to the work of my officials and parliamentary counsel, many of whom have become known to noble Lords during the passage of this Bill.

I fear that this is not the last time that I will appear at this Dispatch Box on this subject, but I hope that the discussions in the other place will be on the whole as amicable as those in this House have been. On that note, I beg to move.

[Viscount Younger of Leckie]

My Lords, just when you thought it was nearly over, I want to return to the issue raised by the noble Lord, Lord Campbell-Savours, about the application of amendments discussed earlier. He asked questions about the definition of a letting agent and the difference between someone who works for a letting agent and a member of its management. Clause 53 provides that a letting agent is a person who engages in letting agency work but qualifies that definition by stating that a person who engages in letting agency work in the course of their employment, under a contract of employment, is not to be regarded as a letting agent. This distinction means that someone who simply works for a letting agent is treated differently from someone who owns the business or is a director, company secretary or other similar officer of that company.

Clause 54 provides that a property manager is a person who engages in English property management work. The intention has always been to exclude ordinary employees of a property manager from that definition, for the same reason that we excluded ordinary employees of a letting agent. That is why we have tabled an amendment at Third Reading which excludes ordinary employees of a property manager from the definition. The amendment, however, is not intended to capture a director, company secretary or other significant employee of the company. For example, if a property management company faces a banning order, the directors could also be banned if they had committed the banning offence, but we would not want to ban every employee who had simply been acting under their contract of employment. I hope that helps to make the distinction.

Economy: Business Investment

Debate between Viscount Younger of Leckie and Baroness Williams of Trafford

Thursday 27th March 2014 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the latest figures they have for the business investment component of the total gross fixed capital formation (GFCF); and what plans they have to increase business investment in the future.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Viscount Younger of Leckie) (Con)]

Through industrial strategy and our structural reforms, we are setting the long-term direction needed to give businesses the confidence to invest, export and grow. Business investment was £123 billion in 2013, accounting for more than half of overall investment. The OBR forecasts that it will grow by 8% in 2014. At Budget, we announced further funding for innovation, including £42 million for the Alan Turing Institute and £74 million on cell therapy and graphene centres.

[Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con)]

I thank my noble friend for his response. Can he pinpoint the cause of the increase in investor confidence?

[Viscount Younger of Leckie]

My Lords, the economy is growing, and unemployment and inflation are down. This is supported by an improving outlook in our export markets. We are cutting corporation tax to 21% this April, and to 20% in April 2015. At Budget, the Chancellor announced measures to reduce business energy costs and doubled our export finance scheme to £3 billion. These and other reforms are improving the business environment and providing long-term certainty for businesses, investors and employees.