Budget Resolutions and Economic Situation

Gordon Birtwistle Excerpts

Wednesday 19th March 2014 Commons Chamber

[Gordon Birtwistle (Burnley) (LD)]

I have sat through this debate for the past four hours, listening to the doom merchants from the Labour party, so I would just like to advise them of the position in my constituency, not what people would class as a high-wage, high-cost constituency. In 2010, we had unemployment in excess of 10% and we were in the top 10 of the worst unemployment blackspots in the country. This morning I got the figures for my constituency, and unemployment has now dropped to 5% and the town is listed 173rd for unemployment. That is a dramatic recovery.

The increase in personal allowances was the major issue for me in the Budget. It was something that I had campaigned for and that was on the front page of the Liberal Democrat manifesto at the last election—[Interruption.]

[Jake Berry (Rossendale and Darwen) (Con)]

rose—

[Gordon Birtwistle]

I will give way to my hon. Friend and leave out the shouters on the Opposition Benches.

[Jake Berry]

Let me touch on the unemployment figures in east Lancashire. Like me, my hon. Friend will want to congratulate Rossendale and Darwen as well as Burnley on their reducing figures. Does he not accept, though, that the fact that the three-month claimant count in the north-west has gone up shows just how fragile the recovery is and how dangerous it would be to go back to the Opposition party’s policies of more borrowing, more debt and higher unemployment for east Lancashire?

[Gordon Birtwistle]

I thank my hon. Friend for that remark. When it comes to the north-west, I can only speak about my constituency of Burnley, which is a prosperous manufacturing town. We have invested heavily in manufacturing over the years, and I am pleased to say that we are not one of the problems in the north-west.

I am delighted to hear about the continuation of the triple lock on pensions, which is great for pensioners. I have to declare an interest as I am a pensioner and I understand how it all works. I welcome the end to the hideous 75p rise that was awarded to pensioners under the previous Government.

I am also delighted that we still have the excellent pupil premium, as I have a number of junior schools in my constituency. One school alone receives more than £100,000 a year to help children from really poor backgrounds.

My main interests are manufacturing and apprenticeships. The Chancellor’s decision two Budgets ago to introduce capital allowances was something that I had argued for and that he had agreed were a great idea, but as the scheme had run for two years, I fully expected him to cancel it in this Budget. However, he did not cancel it; he doubled it to half a million pounds a year. An Opposition Member said that she could not understand the reason for capital allowances. She asked what they could do for manufacturing. Obviously, she has never been involved in manufacturing, and probably has never been in business. She is probably one of the few Members who do not understand what is going on.

I also want to comment on the amazing rise in apprenticeships. In my role as apprenticeships ambassador, I have been able to visit apprentices in different industries across the country. I have seen apprentices build Typhoon fighter jets at BAE Systems in Preston, missile systems in Bolton and Airbus aircraft wings in Chester. I have also seen the other side of manufacturing. Only yesterday, I went to see apprentices at Starbucks in the Westfield shopping centre in White City and they showed me how to make a proper latte with a fancy topping. I met some amazing young people.

I have also met apprentices at Next—one would not expect that such industries would have apprentices. The young apprentices at Next were absolutely amazing and a credit to the young people of this country. I did not realise that Next ran such an excellent apprenticeship scheme, which rivals the one run by Rolls-Royce. Next is committed to its young people, and it sees apprentices as its assets for the future. It is fantastic to see the massive rise in apprenticeships. Apprentices are the future—[Interruption.] If the hon. Member for Swansea West (Geraint Davies) wants to intervene, I am happy to give way.

[Geraint Davies]

I am amazed that the hon. Gentleman compares the apprenticeships at Next with those at Rolls-Royce. What a disgraceful thing to say about one of our foremost companies. Picking socks is not the same as fixing engines.

[Gordon Birtwistle]

If the hon. Gentleman had listened rather than talked to his friends, he would have realised that I was talking about the apprenticeship scheme, and not the apprentices themselves. Next treats apprentices properly, and they go through a proper three-year training programme, as do the Rolls-Royce apprentices. It is a different industry, but those young people are as keen as the apprentices at Rolls-Royce to have a proper career—rather than the career that the Labour party offered them when they were in government—and one of which they can be proud.

The hon. Gentleman might not think that is a good idea, and perhaps in his constituency he would like young people to go on Government training schemes that deliver nothing. These schemes are delivered by proper companies for young people.

[Simon Danczuk (Rochdale) (Lab)]

Youth contracts.

[Gordon Birtwistle]

They are not youth contracts. They are proper training schemes, and young people are absolutely delighted to be on them. I am appalled that the hon. Member for Swansea West should try to decry them. It is absolutely disgraceful, and he should withdraw his comments.

[Damian Collins (Folkestone and Hythe) (Con)]

rose—

[Gordon Birtwistle]

Unfortunately, I cannot give way, as I have done so twice, and I regret giving way the second time.

I welcome the new pension scheme. It is a fantastic scheme, but I would like—and this is something a number of my constituents have asked for—an end to the problems with Equitable Life. It is time that the Government looked at how we can finally wind up the problems with Equitable Life. Many Equitable Life members are now very elderly, and they would like a conclusion to the problems, which should have been sorted out by the previous Government. I believe that we should step in and sort them out. It is not a lot of money, so we should do that.

I welcome the Budget. The Government are working towards delivering a strong economy. They are delivering a fairer economy, they are creating jobs for our young people, and they are creating security for our industries. The previous Government had one major success: they managed to reduce manufacturing from 22% to 9% without trying. That was an absolute scandal of their 13 years in office. Fortunately, we are now bringing manufacturing back, and we are bringing apprentices back. Manufacturing is climbing again, and it is saving this country from the mess it was left in.