Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Elizabeth Truss and Charlie Elphicke
Tuesday 9th April 2019

(5 years, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
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Elizabeth Truss Portrait Elizabeth Truss
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As I have said, we are moving on from the benefits freeze. We are in a position now where real wages are growing and benefits will increase in line with inflation from 2020. However, the best route out of poverty and to helping people is ensuring that children get a good education and that more jobs are available in our economy.

Charlie Elphicke Portrait Charlie Elphicke (Dover) (Con)
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Does the Chancellor agree that, in view of the failure of London Capital & Finance, of Premier FX, of individual police forces around the country to investigate economic crime, and of the Serious Fraud Office in yet another case, it is time we had a single economic crime police force in this country to deal with things properly?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Elizabeth Truss and Charlie Elphicke
Tuesday 3rd July 2018

(5 years, 10 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Elizabeth Truss Portrait Elizabeth Truss
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I am afraid to tell the House that the people of Scotland are having to pay more income tax thanks to the SNP Government. Everyone earning more than £26,000 is paying more tax under the SNP.

Charlie Elphicke Portrait Charlie Elphicke (Dover) (Ind)
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Would the Chief Secretary to the Treasury not agree that the people of Scotland and the United Kingdom will be better off if we leave the customs union and invest in state-of-the-art technology to ensure that we have frictionless trade and pursue the trade opportunities that lie ahead of this nation around the globe?

Elizabeth Truss Portrait Elizabeth Truss
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I know that my hon. Friend has done a lot of work at the port of Dover making sure it is ready for all eventualities. We want to have the best possible trade with both the EU and the rest of the world. That is the opportunity we have got.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Elizabeth Truss and Charlie Elphicke
Tuesday 27th February 2018

(6 years, 2 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Elizabeth Truss Portrait Elizabeth Truss
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It is vital that we see more housing built across the country, and that is why in the Budget we committed to 300,000 homes a year being built over the next decade.

Charlie Elphicke Portrait Charlie Elphicke (Dover) (Ind)
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Will the Chief Secretary to the Treasury join me in paying tribute to Kent County Council, which has managed to make substantial savings and efficiencies since 2010, while continuing to provide excellent services?

Elizabeth Truss Portrait Elizabeth Truss
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My hon. Friend is absolutely right. We have seen the leadership of numerous Conservative councils across the country in finding new and efficient ways of doing things. That is what we need to do as a Government. We need to find better ways of doing things and more efficiency, rather than wasting money and crashing the economy, as happened under the previous Labour Government.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Elizabeth Truss and Charlie Elphicke
Tuesday 24th October 2017

(6 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Elizabeth Truss Portrait Elizabeth Truss
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The reason we have not seen the wage growth that we want to see is that we have an issue with productivity in this country. In order to raise living standards for everybody, regardless of whether they work in business or in the public sector, we need to make sure that we raise productivity. That is why we are investing in infrastructure and skills—doing all the things that the previous Government did not do to make our country more productive.

Charlie Elphicke Portrait Charlie Elphicke (Dover) (Con)
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Can my right hon. Friend confirm, for the avoidance of doubt, whether there is a pay premium for the public sector over the private sector?

Elizabeth Truss Portrait Elizabeth Truss
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There is not a pay premium. Public and private sector pay are roughly comparable, but in the public sector there is an average of 10% additional remuneration in terms of pension contributions.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Elizabeth Truss and Charlie Elphicke
Tuesday 18th July 2017

(6 years, 9 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Elizabeth Truss Portrait Elizabeth Truss
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Fewer than 3% of people are on zero-hours contracts and, as Matthew Taylor recognised, many people want that flexibility so that they can combine their work with the other things in their lives. We need to ensure that people have the skills to get better jobs in the future, and that is exactly what this Government are investing in.

Charlie Elphicke Portrait Charlie Elphicke (Dover) (Con)
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Will the Chief Secretary to the Treasury join me in welcoming the fact that 75% of the 2.8 million jobs created since 2010 are full-time jobs, and that zero-hours contracts account for just 3% of all jobs?

Elizabeth Truss Portrait Elizabeth Truss
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My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Is it not amazing that not one Labour Member has welcomed the fact that we have the lowest unemployment since 1975, or that we have lower youth unemployment? In fact, the Opposition model their policies on countries such as Greece, which has exceptionally high youth unemployment, and they take for granted the progress that we have made over the past seven years.