Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between David Gauke and Penny Mordaunt

Tuesday 29th January 2013 Commons Chamber

[Penny Mordaunt (Portsmouth North) (Con)]

The Minister may be aware of the report on football governance which was published today by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee. I want to record my thanks to him and to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs for their help in dealing with Portsmouth football club. Will he assure us that his Department will play its full part in ensuring that prospective owners who are not fit and proper do not get their mitts on these important community assets and destroy them?

[The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury (Mr David Gauke)]

The Government will, of course, look closely at the Committee recommendations. As my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport has made clear, it is time for football to get its house in order.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between David Gauke and Penny Mordaunt

Tuesday 11th December 2012 Commons Chamber

[Penny Mordaunt (Portsmouth North) (Con)]

5. What consideration he has given to the introduction of transferable tax allowances for married couples.

[The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury (Mr David Gauke)]

The Government’s commitment to introducing a proposal to recognise marriage through the tax and benefits system remains firm. We want to show that we value commitment, so we will consider a range of options and advance proposals at the appropriate time.

[Penny Mordaunt]

With the introduction of the tapered removal of child benefit with one parent earning between £50,000 and £60,000, will the Minister give further consideration to how we can support families at this difficult time?

[Mr Gauke]

My hon. Friend is right to highlight the fact that we have introduced a range of measures that will have an impact on all parts of society, including the highest earning 10% to 15% through the child benefit changes. Of course, we look to do whatever we can to support families. That includes providing free early learning for three and four-year-olds and extending the 15 hours a week of early years education and care from 2012-13 to all disadvantaged two-year-olds.

Budget Leak Inquiry

Debate between David Gauke and Penny Mordaunt

Thursday 22nd March 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Gauke]

I have absolutely no evidence that the Treasury briefed on the 7% stamp duty announcement, but none the less an announcement was made in the morning, and the measure came into effect at midnight last night. We also ought to make the point that that measure, on stamp duty land tax, is going to get more money out of the wealthy, and much more successfully, than the Labour party managed with its failed 50p rate.

[Penny Mordaunt (Portsmouth North) (Con)]

Does the Minister agree that the fact that the Opposition have tabled an urgent question today on media management is further evidence that the Budget was a good Budget and Labour has nothing to say on growth or jobs?

[Mr Gauke]

I agree. The focus on process not substance is very revealing.

National Insurance Contributions Bill

Debate between David Gauke and Penny Mordaunt

Tuesday 23rd November 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Gauke]

The focus of the policy has always been on start-up businesses. It is an attempt to encourage new businesses to be set up, given where we are in the economic cycle and the need to encourage private sector growth. That is why the Conservative party’s policy before the general election was focused on start-ups. After the election we considered how best to introduce the policy, and came to the view that we should include the regions where the private sector was at its weakest.

[Penny Mordaunt (Portsmouth North) (Con)]

If the scheme cannot be extended to an entire region, does the Exchequer Secretary accept that there will be pockets of that region, such as my constituency, that would benefit massively from it? The area has historically had very low new business start-up rates and would benefit from what I think is an excellent scheme. When I asked his Department about the costs of administering the scheme in such areas, it said that they would be prohibitive, but I cannot understand why that would be. Can he elaborate on that?

[Mr Gauke]

If we were to choose precisely where the policy applied on a much more closely defined geographical basis, we would have difficulties such as distortive behaviour, problems in enforcing the policy, the bureaucracy that may be involved, the need to establish where a company’s principal place of business was, and the difficulty of policing the scheme. Also, labour markets tend to be somewhat larger than constituency or even local authority areas. My hon. Friend is right to highlight the circumstances in Portsmouth, but there are neighbouring seats with a very low level of public sector employment and quite a high level of private sector employment. Such labour market flexibility can exist.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between David Gauke and Penny Mordaunt

Tuesday 12th October 2010 Commons Chamber

[Penny Mordaunt (Portsmouth North) (Con)]

Does the Minister think that we will stand a greater chance of having fairer taxation now that Finance Bills are published and properly consulted on, and will that stop appallingly unfair policies such as the abolition of the 10p tax rate ever being introduced again?

[Mr Gauke]

We set out in June our plans for making tax policy and ensuring greater consultation, so that there is a clearer process when we develop policies. That has been widely welcomed by business and the tax professions, and we hope to build on the progress that we have made so far.