Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Charlie Elphicke and Mark Prisk

Monday 8th July 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Prisk]

We got the lengthy rhetoric, as usual, but no analysis or thought. The reality is that we are building more affordable homes—170,000 in this Parliament, and we plan to build 200,000 in the next Parliament. Labour’s record is that it managed to oversee the loss of 420,000 social homes in 13 years; no wonder Labour Members do not want to talk about it.

[Charlie Elphicke (Dover) (Con)]

6. What steps his Department is taking against aggressive bailiffs engaged by local authorities.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Charlie Elphicke and Mark Prisk

Monday 3rd June 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Prisk]

Absolutely. That is why we have strengthened planning policy so that town centres come first. Indeed, only last week I was briefly in Cricklade in my hon. Friend’s constituency, which has an excellent range of shops.

[Charlie Elphicke (Dover) (Con)]

8. What recent steps he has taken to help pensioners with their council tax bills.

--- Later in debate ---

[Charlie Elphicke (Dover) (Con)]

How many of the savings made in the Minister’s Department have received positive representations or support from the Labour party?

[Mr Prisk]

None.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Charlie Elphicke and Mark Prisk

Thursday 18th November 2010 Commons Chamber

[The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Mr Mark Prisk)]

On 28 October the Government announced that 24 of the proposed local enterprise partnerships were cleared to progress, and they are currently preparing their governance arrangements. We continue to engage with other proposed partnerships, and we will report back to the House in due course.

[Charlie Elphicke]

The local enterprise partnership for Kent covers the varying concerns of the Thames Gateway as well as disgracefully neglected coastal towns such as Dover. Will the Minister take on board the idea of more localisation in the governance of LEPs, to ensure that they focus on particular concerns?

[Mr Prisk]

My hon. Friend is a great champion of local businesses, and he knows, and is right to say, that the great benefit of such partnerships is that they are local and can deal with local economic priorities, rather than with the national priorities of Ministers. That is the benefit of such partnerships; that is why we are progressing with them.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Prisk]

The whole point of making sure that the increase does not come during the Christmas period is that that is the most difficult period for most businesses. The increase is being made at the end of that period so that businesses can make the adjustment. Unlike what happened with the VAT change under the previous Government, we have given businesses a full six months and more to prepare. If there are particular cases to discuss, I am happy to talk to the hon. Gentleman.

[Charlie Elphicke (Dover) (Con)]

T9. It is not too early to say that the ability of further education colleges to innovate has been strangled by targets and the dead hand of bureaucracy. Does the Minister plan to free colleges and make them more responsive to student and employer demands?