Industrial Strategy Consultation

Debate between Greg Clark and Lord Haselhurst

Monday 23rd January 2017 Commons Chamber

[Greg Clark]

In the context of a Green Paper on industrial strategy, I will await the representations from the hon. Lady, but I am pleased that she acknowledges the emphasis that we have placed on connections to every region of the country—not just by road and rail, but through airports—and the importance of establishing links to other nations with which we can have good trading relationships.

[Sir Alan Haselhurst (Saffron Walden) (Con)]

How much priority does my right hon. Friend give to the establishment of a digital railway? Will he encourage Network Rail in its plans to bring this technology to the Great Eastern main line, and hopefully to the West Anglia main line as well, because then the new trains that are on order could be equipped to take advantage of this in advance, rather than retrospectively at greater expense?

[Greg Clark]

My right hon. Friend is absolutely right. That is one of the proposals in the Green Paper that I hope will have his support through the consultation.

Local Government Finance

Debate between Greg Clark and Lord Haselhurst

Monday 8th February 2016 Commons Chamber

[Greg Clark]

The great advantages of the devolution deals that we are striking, including with Greater Manchester—[Interruption.] The hon. Lady raises her eyes, but the elected leaders of Greater Manchester have proposed a means of taking on the 100% retention of business rates and making sure that they can manage the ups and downs of that across the years. This is a proposal that they have made, so that, in attracting more businesses to Greater Manchester, the whole of that great city will benefit.

[Sir Alan Haselhurst (Saffron Walden) (Con)]

Can my right hon. Friend assure me that his final settlement reflects the accurate level of reserves that are truly available to Essex County Council?

[Greg Clark]

I have made no assumption of reserves. In advance of the spending review, several commentators suggested that we should take account of councils’ known reserves. I resisted those calls, and it seems that it is reasonable for councils to have reserves, just as, as a nation, we are looking to create a surplus as a buffer against the ups and downs of the economy in the years ahead, which is something that the Labour party failed to do. The great advantage of a four-year settlement is that it gives that certainty to councils, so that part of the reserves that they keep against the uncertainty of year-to-year settlements is available to them, but I have made no assumptions that they will use them.