Chris Stephens
Main Page: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)Department Debates - View all Chris Stephens's debates with the HM Treasury
(2 years, 1 month ago)
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Kwasi Kwarteng
The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right to say that we need to look at how the energy market works. How the gas price determines the electricity price is openly discussed, but a lot of our electricity generation is based not on fossil fuels but on renewables. I commissioned that work in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and I hope to see it completed very soon.
Chris Stephens (Glasgow South West) (SNP)
What measures does the Chancellor have for working people who are having to utilise food banks, are considering utilising warm banks, and, at Christmas, will have to utilise toy banks? At the same time, the Government plan to introduce legislation to drag out pay negotiations, which could go on for months, leading to a stagnation in wages. Is the Scottish Trades Union Congress not correct when it describes his statement as a “full frontal assault” on working people in Scotland?
Kwasi Kwarteng
It is nothing of the kind. People will benefit from the reversal of the national insurance increase and the acceleration—the bringing forward—of the 1p cut in the basic rate. That is what tens of millions of people in this country will benefit from.