Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between George Freeman and Sajid Javid

Tuesday 10th September 2013 Commons Chamber

[Sajid Javid]

The hon. Lady knows all about unemployment, because she is probably thinking about the record rise in unemployment that took place in her constituency during the last term of the Labour Government. That record rise included men and women. In all categories it has fallen under this Government, and today more people, including more women, are employed in Britain than at any time in our history.

[George Freeman (Mid Norfolk) (Con)]

Does my hon. Friend agree that the single most important contribution to household earnings is having a job? Has he seen the latest data that show that the claimant count is now lower than in May 2010, that there are 500,000 vacancies, and that five jobs are being created in the private sector for every one lost in the public sector, leading the ManpowerGroup to say that this is a “game-changing year” for the UK jobs market? Is it not the truth that plan A is working and plan B is redundant?

[Sajid Javid]

As always, my hon. Friend speaks the truth very eloquently. The economy is growing. Of course there is a lot more work to do, but there is plenty of evidence that we have turned a corner.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between George Freeman and Sajid Javid

Tuesday 14th May 2013 Commons Chamber

[Sajid Javid]

In the last decade of the previous Government, youth unemployment rocketed by more than 70%, so the hon. Lady is in no position to lecture this Government on jobs. In three years, 1.25 million private sector jobs have been created, more people are now employed in the private sector than at any other time in our history and we had a faster rate of job growth last year than the rest of the G7.

[George Freeman (Mid Norfolk) (Con)]

I congratulate the Government on having created six private sector jobs for every public sector job loss. Has the Minister seen the latest news from the CBI, which this week shows trend growth for this year running at 1.8%, and has he seen this quote from the CBI’s director of economics:

“We continue to expect UK economic growth to strengthen and become more broad-based over this year and next”?

[Sajid Javid]

I have seen the report to which my hon. Friend refers. I have also seen similar reports—for example, from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research—which also show encouraging signs. Together, all those reports show that this Government’s policies are working.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between George Freeman and Sajid Javid

Tuesday 11th December 2012 Commons Chamber

[Sajid Javid]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The Government are relentlessly focused on eradicating poverty and the measures he has talked about, such as universal credit, increase work incentives and help people back into work.

[George Freeman (Mid Norfolk) (Con)]

Is it not the truth that the best way to tackle child poverty is to have parents in work? Does my hon. Friend agree that the creation of 1.2 million new private sector jobs, the taking of more than 1 million of the lowest paid out of tax and the abolition of the rise in fuel duty planned by the previous Government make the average family more than £125 better off and does more for child poverty than any scaremongering by the Opposition?

[Sajid Javid]

That is right. If we can deal with worklessness, we can help deal with poverty. In the past two years, 1.2 million private sector jobs have been created—more than were created on a net basis by the previous Government over 10 years.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between George Freeman and Sajid Javid

Tuesday 6th November 2012 Commons Chamber

[George Freeman (Mid Norfolk) (Con)]

On behalf of my constituents, I welcome the news that the economy has returned to growth, and I draw the Minister’s attention to the success in the life sciences sector. Eli Lilly has announced a new early-stage neuroscience facility in the UK, Johnson and Johnson has made Britain the home of its new global innovation centre, and more than £1 billion has been raised this year in early stage funds. Is that not the only sustainable route to a really balanced recovery?

[Sajid Javid]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The only sustainable growth is long-term growth in private sector jobs.

Jobs and Growth

Debate between George Freeman and Sajid Javid

Wednesday 12th October 2011 Commons Chamber

[Sajid Javid]

rose—

[George Freeman (Mid Norfolk) (Con)]

rose—

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between George Freeman and Sajid Javid

Thursday 9th September 2010 Commons Chamber

[Julian Smith (Skipton and Ripon) (Con)]

9. What areas she has identified where the regulatory burden on hill farmers can be reduced; and if she will make a statement.

[Sajid Javid (Bromsgrove) (Con)]

13. What areas she has identified where the regulatory burden on the agricultural industry arising from EU legislation can be reduced; and if she will make a statement. We are very aware of the need to reduce burdens on farmers, to increase competitiveness and to trust businesses to maintain standards. The taskforce on farm regulation, which I appointed in July, will consider how to reduce regulatory burdens and deliver risk-based and integrated compliance and inspection. It will consider all regulation that bears on farmers, including hill farmers, and it has started a wide consultation to understand which issues cause farmers most concern.

[George Freeman]

Can the Minister give some reassurance to farmers in my Mid Norfolk constituency who are still struggling as a result of the non-payment, late payment or part payment of their single farm payments? This is having a serious impact on their cash flow, and it is often the result of slow interdepartmental communications on issues such as land transfer.