Irish Border: Customs Arrangements
Debate between James Duddridge and Stephen Timms(5 years, 1 month ago)
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James Duddridge
I know it to be true because, before my hon. Friend came to this House, I had to negotiate the cost of my printing requirements at elections, and I know that he is a very canny negotiator who knows all the tricks. I listen to him carefully when he says what happens in business negotiations. I have great respect for his position.
Stephen Timms (East Ham) (Lab)
I think that the Minister is seeking to assure us that there will not be any customs posts, checks or controls anywhere at or near the border.
Stephen Timms
But the Prime Minister has said this morning that Irish customs checks will be the reality after Brexit. So where will the checks envisaged by the Prime Minister take place?
James Duddridge
The right hon. Gentleman is right in his first statement. I am entirely trying to reassure the House on behalf of the Government of the first point. I had the pleasure while getting changed this morning of listening to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on Radio 4. I did not have the pleasure of tuning into Radio Ulster, but I will hot foot my way back to the Department and ask for a transcript of what I presume the right hon. Gentleman is referring to.
Welfare Benefits Up-rating Bill
Debate between James Duddridge and Stephen Timms(11 years, 9 months ago)
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Stephen Timms
Uprating should indeed be in line with inflation, as it always was in the past.
James Duddridge (Rochford and Southend East) (Con)
Will the right hon. Gentleman give way?
Stephen Timms
I will make a little more progress, and then gladly give way again. As I was saying, schedule 1(b) means that housing benefit for people in work will be cut in real terms as well. We will return to that when we speak to amendment 17.
The change in the personal tax allowance, which we have heard a good deal about, will not do very much to help people who are in work on low incomes. Citizens Advice points out that
“any rise in net earnings leads to a reduction in housing benefit and council tax benefit.”
In addition, of course, the change will do nothing at all for people who are out of work.
Stephen Timms
My hon. Friend is absolutely right, as are the organisations to which she refers. Indeed, as I shall say, there has been a widespread call along those lines pointing out the damage that the Bill will do. Disability Rights UK states:
“The Government has suggested that all disabled people are protected from the lower 1% increase in benefits. This is not the case.”
In fact, as the impact assessment tells us, disabled households are more likely than others to be hit by the changes in the Bill.
James Duddridge
The right hon. Gentleman has twice from the Dispatch Box repeated the commitment to uprate benefits by inflation. Is that the retail prices index or the consumer prices index, or has that yet to be decided?
Stephen Timms
That is a matter to be announced at the appropriate time. At the end of this year, we will set out how benefits should be uprated for the following year, as it always has been done, and at the end of next year for the year after that.