Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Debbie Abrahams and Brooks Newmark

Wednesday 10th September 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Newmark]

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. When I was coming into Parliament, the image struck me as a cross-party approach to campaigning. We lead the way on social impact bonds. The UK is also leading the charge through the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012, which contributes to the Government’s ambition to reform public services to ensure that they not only achieve maximum value for money but contribute to their local communities.

[Debbie Abrahams (Oldham East and Saddleworth) (Lab)]

7. What recent steps he has taken to remove barriers to small and medium-sized enterprises participating in government procurement.

Finance Bill

Debate between Debbie Abrahams and Brooks Newmark

Tuesday 2nd July 2013 Commons Chamber

[Debbie Abrahams]

It is always a pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Scunthorpe (Nic Dakin). I agree with him totally and will speak in support of new clause 10.

The points made by the Institute for Fiscal Studies last week when the comprehensive spending review was published support what we are trying to do with the new clause:

“The documentation and explanation accompanying yesterday’s spending review announcements was woeful”.

It went on to say:

“Publishing such a small amount of information with little explanation is not an exercise in open government.”

That warning says it all. It reflects the Government’s total incompetence on the economy.

Last week’s spending review was further evidence that the Government’s economic policies are failing. They were warned by my right hon. Friend the Member for Morley and Outwood (Ed Balls) that cutting too far and too fast would smother growth, and that is just what has happened. The Chancellor promised that he would deal with the deficit by 2015. That will not happen. He promised that his emergency Budget and his first comprehensive spending review in 2010 would deal with the nation’s finances and put the country on the road to recovery. Again, that has not happened.

[Mr Brooks Newmark (Braintree) (Con)]

It is interesting to hear the hon. Lady refer to the right hon. Member for Morley and Outwood (Ed Balls). She is critical of our Government’s policy, but does she support increasing the debt? She criticises not bringing down the deficit faster, but if she followed her right hon. Friend’s policy, I am afraid the deficit would be going up, as would the debt.

[Debbie Abrahams]

I am afraid I totally disagree with the hon. Gentleman, but I thank him for his intervention. Perhaps I could mention that his right hon. Friend the Chancellor said:

“We have already asked the British people for what’s needed.”

He promised that he would not come back asking for more, yet last week we were here again. I hate to draw parallels with Oliver Twist, but it is a little like him coming back for more. In three years, the Chancellor has managed to hollow out the economy. He has not sorted out the City, and he is passing it off as everybody else’s fault, rather than his own.

[Mr Newmark]

There is a thing called “chutzpah”. Is the hon. Lady saying that her party bears no responsibility whatsoever for the enormous debt legacy and deficit the country was left with? The Government are making progress. More men and women are in work than ever before and the deficit is down by a third. Yes, the debt is not going down as fast as possible—

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dawn Primarolo)]

Order. Mr Newmark, this is not an opportunity for you to make a speech; it was an intervention on new clause 10, and we would like it to be relevant.