Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Chi Onwurah and Matt Hancock

Thursday 5th December 2013 Commons Chamber

[Chi Onwurah (Newcastle upon Tyne Central) (Lab)]

16. What steps he is taking to support small businesses in Newcastle upon Tyne Central constituency.

[The Minister for Skills and Enterprise (Matthew Hancock)]

The regional growth fund has allocated £40 million-worth of funding to Newcastle, more than £4.7 million has been offered to local businesses under the enterprise finance guarantee, and there have been 85 start-up loans, totalling £414,000. UK Trade & Investment has supported 292 small and medium-sized businesses in Newcastle to export.

[Chi Onwurah]

I will celebrate small business Saturday with retailers and traders in Newcastle’s vibrant High Bridge quarter and fantastic Grainger market. I am glad that so many Members are supporting this Labour initiative. Does the Minister agree that the best news I could give these hard-working businesses would be that he is going to support another of the shadow Business Secretary’s proposals—to cut business rates and then freeze them?

[Matthew Hancock]

I am delighted that the hon. Lady is supporting the cross-party small business Saturday—an idea that we got from the real Barack Obama—and I hear her intervention on business rates. I recall, however, that the Labour Government legislated to double them for the smallest businesses. Of course we listen to small businesses about the business rates, but not to those who wanted to put up taxes for them.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Chi Onwurah and Matt Hancock

Monday 3rd December 2012 Commons Chamber

[Chi Onwurah (Newcastle upon Tyne Central) (Lab)]

T8. It is 20 years ago today that the very first SMS was sent by an engineer. Today also sees the publication of EngineeringUK’s report, setting out the need to double the number of students studying GCSE physics if we are to meet the engineering needs of the future. What is the Secretary of State doing to make sure that a doubling of the numbers studying physics will happen, particularly in academies, which as he knows are responsible only to him?

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Skills (Matthew Hancock)]

It is vital that we increase the number of engineers, and indeed, provide more physics, which leads on to engineering. The number of schools offering three sciences at 16 is now back up to 80% after falling precipitously in the past decade. The number and proportion of pupils studying physics is going up, too. We need to do much more, but we are on the right track.