Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between David Gauke and Mary Macleod

Tuesday 22nd March 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mary Macleod (Brentford and Isleworth) (Con)]

Does my hon. Friend agree that raising the income tax threshold, protecting spending on the NHS and increasing spending on social care will definitely benefit women?

[Mr Gauke]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right to highlight this point. Some of us recall the difficulty in getting distributional analyses out of the previous Government and it has to be said that this Government are taking great steps forward.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between David Gauke and Mary Macleod

Tuesday 21st December 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Gauke]

When we look at 2011 and onwards, we see that this is a Government who are bringing in the pupil premium and funding social care. Labour Members, when they were in government, were planning to make cuts in 2011-12. Where would they have made their cuts? We have done everything we can to protect the poorest in the very difficult circumstances left us by the Opposition.

[Mary Macleod (Brentford and Isleworth) (Con)]

Does my hon. Friend agree that the pupil premium in the comprehensive spending review will have a transformative effect on helping the poorest in Brentford and Isleworth, and elsewhere?

[Mr Gauke]

Within the comprehensive spending review we have given priority to school funding. The pupil premium will help the poorest, which is indicative of the Government’s values in looking to the long term, looking at fairness, and ensuring that young people have an opportunity that they did not necessarily get under the previous Government.