Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Oral Answers to Questions

Andrew Gwynne Excerpts
Tuesday 10th December 2013

(10 years, 11 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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David Gauke Portrait The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury (Mr David Gauke)
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We estimate that about 300,000 shops, pubs and restaurants in England will benefit from the £1,000 business rates discount, and that in aggregate the measures announced in the autumn statement will save businesses around £1 billion in business rates, although the amounts will of course vary from business to business.

Andrew Gwynne Portrait Andrew Gwynne (Denton and Reddish) (Lab)
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The Chief Secretary might like to reflect on the very poor answer he gave my right hon. Friend the Member for Wentworth and Dearne (John Healey) earlier, because I have in front of me Office for National Statistics Table 1A, which clearly shows that infrastructure construction output to September 2013 has fallen by 15%. What went wrong, or is he seriously disagreeing with the Office for National Statistics?

Danny Alexander Portrait Danny Alexander
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What this—[Interruption.] The hon. Member for Islwyn (Chris Evans) should pipe down. What this Government recognise is that infrastructure relies on both public and private sector investment. The Labour party seems to have forgotten that the private sector is involved in delivering infrastructure. Total infrastructure investment in this country is higher in this Parliament than it was in the last.