Oral Answers to Questions

Jessica Lee Excerpts

Tuesday 24th June 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

The Minister is in such a state of high excitement that we are pleased to see it.

[Jessica Lee (Erewash) (Con)]

Does my hon. Friend agree that Help to Buy is a key component in helping families and first-time buyers take the important step on the property ladder, as evidenced by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s recent visit to Ilkeston in Erewash to see the very successful scheme at Briars Chase?

[Andrea Leadsom]

My hon. Friend, who represents Erewash so well, is absolutely right. Aspiring to one’s first new home is something that we all wish for, for ourselves, our children and our grandchildren. This Government are determined to do something about that while ensuring that we do not do anything that would enable an unsustainable housing boom.

Investing in Britain’s Future

Jessica Lee Excerpts

Thursday 27th June 2013 Commons Chamber

[Danny Alexander]

The move from social rents to affordable rents for homes newly built by housing associations is a right and fair way to ensure that there is a balance between the subsidy given to the individual and the capital subsidy given to the builder of the house. It allows us to build many more houses for the amount of money that we have available, and the hon. Lady should be grateful for that.

[Jessica Lee (Erewash) (Con)]

I thank my right hon. Friend for his statement, particularly the announcements about my constituency, notably the improvements on the M1 at the junction at Long Eaton. I add to that the nearby work on the A38 at Derby and the campaign that I have been leading for many years to secure the reopening of the train station at Ilkeston, now agreed by the Department for Transport. Does he agree that all those points link together to bring great improvements and opportunities for the people of Erewash, as well as encouraging businesses to invest in the area?

[Danny Alexander]

It is clear that the hon. Lady’s campaigning is a model of parliamentary effectiveness and I urge her to continue with it to the further benefit of her constituents.

Oral Answers to Questions

Jessica Lee Excerpts

Tuesday 29th January 2013 Commons Chamber

The Chancellor of the Exchequer was asked—

[Jessica Lee (Erewash) (Con)]

1. What fiscal steps he is taking to encourage private sector job creation.

[Mr Brooks Newmark (Braintree) (Con)]

6. What fiscal steps he is taking to encourage private sector job creation.

[Jessica Lee]

I warmly welcome the announcement that my right hon. Friend has just made. I am sure the fact that a fairer share of tax is being paid will also be warmly welcomed by my constituents in Erewash. Does my right hon. Friend agree that another important aspect of private sector job creation is the role of apprenticeships? Companies such as Derwent Analytics and TecQuipment in my constituency have an important role and are enriching young people with opportunity and skills for the future.

[Mr Osborne]

My hon. Friend is right, and I am glad she welcomes the deal we have struck with Switzerland—a deal, by the way, rejected by the previous Government. Apprenticeships are vital in helping to create that skilled work force. More than 1 million people have started apprenticeships since 2010 and in her constituency alone there has been a 42% increase. I am delighted that successful businesses in her constituency are helping to train the work force of tomorrow.

Oral Answers to Questions

Jessica Lee Excerpts

Tuesday 26th June 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Osborne]

We will be consulting on that policy very, very shortly, alongside the new credits for animation and high-end television production. The video games industry is important in Scotland—for example, in Dundee there is a particular centre of excellence—but it is important across the entire UK, and the video game tax credit will help, alongside animation and high-end TV production.

[Jessica Lee (Erewash) (Con)]

T4. In order to help small businesses and those seeking new opportunities, will my right hon. Friend endorse the jobs fair that I am hosting in Erewash on 5 September? Will he further set out what the Government are doing to support small businesses, which remain the real engine of the British economy?

[Mr Osborne]

I certainly support my hon. Friend and congratulate her on organising the jobs fair. As the most recent unemployment figure showed, not only is unemployment falling but 200,000 private sector jobs have been created in the last few months in our economy. When it comes specifically to small businesses, as I set out to the House earlier, the national loan guarantee scheme has already helped more than 10,000 businesses with loans, we have cut the small companies corporation tax from the rate we inherited from the last Government, and the freeze in fuel duty will also help small businesses.

Jobs and Growth

Jessica Lee Excerpts

Thursday 17th May 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Osborne]

I completely agree that austerity alone is not enough, and that is why I have just been explaining how we have cut business taxes, set up enterprise zones, set up the national loan guarantee scheme and reformed the labour market. We have done all these things so that car companies expand their production and investment in Britain and choose Britain as a place to do business. Of course those countries in Europe need to undertake structural reforms to go alongside their efforts to get their public finances under control, but we have to ask ourselves this question: if you are running a high budget deficit in a single currency zone, and you do not have the support of loose monetary policy, you do need support from the core of the eurozone but to abandon a commitment to austerity will expose you to even greater pressure on the international money markets than those countries are already exposed to.

[Jessica Lee (Erewash) (Con)]

Is not another facet to this recovery very much the investment in apprenticeships that this Government have made, with 177,000 new apprenticeship places taken up in the last year, including ones in my constituency of Erewash?

[Mr Osborne]

First, my hon. Friend is absolutely right that one of the successes that we have had is the apprenticeship scheme, which is now working across all constituencies and supporting many hundreds of thousands of people. We will see what the facts are after the debate, but the information that we have just had says that what the shadow Chancellor was alleging in his intervention on me a few minutes ago is not true. The number of hours worked in this country has actually gone up over the last two years—up by 20 million hours. So on that note, there is a difference—

--- Later in debate ---

[Jessica Lee (Erewash) (Con)]

I thank the hon. Member for Stretford and Urmston (Kate Green) for her contribution. Although we do not perhaps agree on policy points, I always find her contributions in this Chamber thoughtful and well researched.

Having a broader view about how we tackle the issue of jobs and growth in this country for the longer term is crucial in getting this country back on its feet and continuing to do well. We need to weave together a number of different policy areas, and have a long-term vision and a commitment by the Government to achieve that. Various themes are involved: infrastructure, apprenticeships and training, and help at a very local level for small and medium-sized enterprises. All that has to be achieved against a backdrop of a strong deficit reduction programme, which the Government must stick to .

I see infrastructure as an important theme in allowing and helping people to be mobile, to reach new job opportunities and to reach their goals, be it through training or work. In my constituency we have a long-term project, which is now being considered by the Secretary of State for Transport, to reopen the train station in Ilkeston. We are pleased that the Government are considering the project in great depth, because Ilkeston used to have three stations until the 1960s, and it now has none. We are trying to get one reopened, which will give many young people many more job opportunities, as they will be able to get to Derby, Nottingham and further afield. In many ways, my constituency is well placed. It is right in the heart of the country, with the M1 running through it and the East Midlands airport nearby. However, it is the smaller projects that add to and feed into the wider infrastructure of the country that will really help.

I was able to participate in national apprenticeship week, as I am sure many hon. Members did. The personal experience of meeting young apprentices, such as Martin at Derwent Analytics, means that we see how young people are progressing and benefiting from such schemes, but I am not being complacent. Nobody in this House is being complacent about the challenges involved in tackling long-term youth unemployment. We must support those young people who are making progress. I applaud what the Government are doing on apprenticeships: 177,000 new places in the past year is no mean feat. My area has a proud, long history of apprenticeships, and as the local MP I will continue to champion their worth.

I also wish to discuss—briefly, given the time—local help for small and medium-sized enterprises. Although I welcome the changes in the local planning regulations, this is also about local enterprise partnerships. Erewash is lucky because its partnership is extremely strong. It particularly supports start-up businesses and helps with training and mentoring. Let me provide other examples. Prostart, in my constituency, also helps young people with training and with the encouragement and support they need to move on in the world. Women entrepreneurs are also doing well in my constituency: I was delighted to be there when Kirith Richards recently opened her photography suite and I wish her well for the future.

Time is against me so I will leave it there.

Oral Answers to Questions

Jessica Lee Excerpts

Tuesday 24th January 2012 Commons Chamber

[Danny Alexander]

The hon. Lady asks a good question. The Government’s priority in this regard is precisely to support the expansion of renewable energy, which is a vital part of our future energy strategy. That is why it is a key priority in the national infrastructure plan and why we are investing £3 billion through the green investment bank to stimulate investment. The high price of oil and fuel at the forecourt suggests that that asset is not declining as quickly as she suggests.

[Jessica Lee (Erewash) (Con)]

Does my hon. Friend agree that local enterprise partnerships, such as Erewash Partnership in my constituency, play a vital role in advising SMEs on the difficulties with the availability of credit and can provide an overview for banks and the Government on the current concerns?

[The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Mr Mark Hoban)]

My hon. Friend makes an important point. It is absolutely vital that businesses and banks engage together to understand the challenges businesses face. We have taken a number of measures through the seed enterprise investment scheme, relaxing the rules on venture capital trusts and enterprise investment schemes, to encourage more equity funding for business. We are working closely with the banks to ensure that we do all we can to reduce the cost of funding to SMEs.

Banking Commission Report

Jessica Lee Excerpts

Monday 19th December 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I think the hon. Member for Watford (Richard Harrington) has set a trend of leaning forward expectantly, and the hon. Member for Erewash (Jessica Lee) is now following in his wake.

[Jessica Lee (Erewash) (Con)]

Does my right hon. Friend agree that one key conclusion of the report is about customers’ ability to move their accounts more cheaply and easily? That will be well received by people in Erewash and elsewhere. Banks are there to provide a service, and that is the type of measure that will significantly increase competition and aid this country’s recovery.

[Mr Osborne]

My hon. Friend is right, and she speaks up well for her constituents, who want greater choice on the high street. They want to be able to switch their bank accounts easily, and there are significant proposals in the report to help them do that within seven days and without having to chase up all the direct debits and the like, which will be done for them at no charge. That will be a practical benefit of the Vickers report and the Government’s implementation of it.

Autumn Statement

Jessica Lee Excerpts

Tuesday 29th November 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Osborne]

We have introduced, for the first time, an entitlement for disadvantaged two-year-olds to get 15 hours of free nursery care. Such a policy was never introduced in the 13 years of a Labour Government. We have increased the figure to 40% of all children of that age and the cost is just shy of £500 million by the end of the period.

[Jessica Lee (Erewash) (Con)]

Erewash is at the heart of the manufacturing base in the east midlands. I therefore welcome the commitment to improving the infrastructure in the UK. To maximise that opportunity, reopening the train station at Ilkeston would really help us in Erewash, assisting businesses and commuters. Would my right hon. Friend or a colleague from the Treasury kindly meet me to discuss how the project can form part of the Government’s plans?

[Mr Osborne]

The Transport Secretary sitting next to me has just genuinely volunteered to meet my hon. Friend. We will look at improvements to Ilkeston train station. I did not set it all out in detail today, but there is scope for further smaller investments in rail stations and pinch points on our road network—we have set aside considerable sums of money for that. I will ensure that my hon. Friend meets the Transport Secretary soon to put her case.

Eurozone Crisis

Jessica Lee Excerpts

Thursday 3rd November 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hoban]

What we have said is that it is important that the IMF has the resources it needs to tackle the problems of the global economy. We have yet to receive a request from the IMF, but once we do so, we will respond to it appropriately.

[Jessica Lee (Erewash) (Con)]

My hon. Friend has mentioned the abolition of the euro preparations unit. In the current circumstances, will he assure the House that there is no prospect of the unit being resurrected as that would be a complete waste of public money?

[Mr Hoban]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. I can think of far better ways to spend the money the previous Government wasted on preparing for the euro.

Amendment of the Law

Jessica Lee Excerpts

Thursday 24th March 2011 Commons Chamber

[Jessica Lee (Erewash) (Con)]

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for calling me to speak in this important debate. I, for one, welcome the Chancellor’s Budget statement, and I look forward to voting on all its details and recommendations. In particular, I am relieved to be able to say that Britain is once again open for, and backing, business.

Before I was elected last year and since, in my meetings with and speeches to the business community in Erewash, I have always reflected on how important it is that we in this country make things again. I was pleased to hear Sir James Dyson speak a few years ago, and I think my right hon. Friend the Chancellor referred to him in his speech yesterday. To hear somebody of such experience, gravitas and talent speak is really encouraging, and from that I saw the real need to support budding scientists and entrepreneurs. In particular, there is a genuine need to support young women who are thinking about a science career. We all know that, for whatever reason, engineering and science, as a profession, has had a lower uptake of young women wanting to pursue it. That is a shame. Some of the measures set out in the Budget statement and by the Business Secretary do all they can to encourage young women by saying, “Now is the time. You can have a career in science and engineering—it is for you, and there are the opportunities to do well.”

In Erewash, we have a proud history of manufacturing, including traditional lace-making, furniture-making and engineering. Sad to say, the traditional lace-making, in particular, has declined over the past 10 years or so; indeed, we have just one such factory left. The people there have used their entrepreneurship and ingenuity to keep it going. I am sure that everyone in the House can imagine that that brings with it daily challenges, such as finding appropriately qualified mechanics to repair the machines and finding new business, but they are trying their best and doing well. However, we also see, unfortunately, a number of empty lace factories where once they were busy and flourishing. Under the last Labour Government, manufacturing halved as a share of gross domestic product, and jobs in that sector declined by 40%.

Moving on to the many positives about business and entrepreneurship in my constituency, we have several successful small and medium-sized enterprises, particularly in high-tech engineering and aerospace manufacturing, and there is a great need to support them at this time. Geographically, there are many advantages to my constituency, which is based right in the heart of the country. We have nearby large employers such as Rolls-Royce and Toyota, as well as the universities of Derby, Nottingham and Loughborough, all with very successful business departments.

We all know—the figure is startling every time it is said—that £120 million per day is paid in debt interest. That is more than the schools budget and the defence budget. There is always moaning and groaning from the Labour Benches whenever that is mentioned, but we have to deal with the facts as they are. When my constituents come to my weekly surgery, they always start by saying, “We know that the country has a lot of debt, and we know that we have to sort it out.” There is a realism and a level of acceptance about it, and that is how we have to move the debate forward.

For me, the Budget statement marked a line in the sand. What I heard is that Britain is back, and that Britain is backing business. This morning, we saw the headlines saying that in the light of the measures announced yesterday, the WPP agency may well return to the UK with its business. I suspect that it will be the first of many important businesses that are going to come back and invest. That is a great start.

The Budget contains several steps that will help business. First and foremost, there is the cutting of corporation tax by 1%, which will take it down to 23% by 2014. There will be 50,000 more apprenticeships, taking their number to more than 250,000. Locally, we have a strong history of supporting apprenticeships, and that will further encourage new jobs, investment and training for young people. The doubling in the number of university technical colleges is a positive, as is extending the small business rate relief holiday to October 2012.

I was particularly delighted to hear the announcement about the establishment of an enterprise zone for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. My constituency is right in the heart of that area, and I will do my best to ensure that we are its beating heart; I will fight for an appropriate level of investment. We also have some of the centres of innovative manufacturing that were announced yesterday, at Loughborough university and the university of Nottingham. Again, many young people in my constituency could benefit from that training and help, and I will do all I can to make those facilities available to them.

The enterprise zones will follow the structure set out in the local enterprise partnerships. We were lucky to have a strong LEP application for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire from the outset, and it was one of the first to be accepted. That group is already taking great steps towards being up and running, so that it can take in bids and bring in investment and jobs. I think that the enterprise zone will assist in that even further.

Finally, the freezing of council tax will benefit hard-working families in my constituency. We are lucky in Erewash because this is the second year running in which the borough council has frozen council tax. That will really help people.

I welcome the Budget speech. I will fight for investment for my constituency, and I certainly back the move to help manufacturing.

--- Later in debate ---

[Ian Murray]

I find it surprising that the Liberal Democrats always jump to their feet during these debates and throw out statistical analysis of stuff that is, quite frankly, not true. The Liberal Democrats’ leaflets from the general election, which I still leaf through, tell me time and time again that they supported what we were doing on the economy, that the banks were all to blame, that VAT would not have to go up and that employment was the key to growth. The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills said that to Jeremy Paxman after the general election.

[Jessica Lee]

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

[Ian Murray]

I will carry on, if the hon. Lady does not mind, because our colleagues want to contribute to the debate and our time is restricted.

What we heard yesterday was a big Budget con. My right hon. Friend the Member for Wolverhampton South East (Mr McFadden), who is not in his place at the moment, said that this Budget could not be seen in isolation from the last one. It is a continued attack on the cost of living. As has been said, the Institute for Fiscal Studies said yesterday that the Chancellor is giving with one hand but taking it back not just with the other hand, but with

“lots and lots of other hands”.

Does that not show how out of touch he is? Did he not realise that people would see the Budget con?

The Government trumpeted the increase in the tax threshold, but changed the threshold increase mechanism to the consumer prices index, which will totally offset the increase. Page 42 of the Red Book shows that the Government will hand out £1.2 billion in a tax cut but take £1 billion back over time through the change to the threshold indexation. Of course, the biggest con of all is that indirect taxes will continue to rise by the retail prices index, which of course is the highest measure of inflation.

I have not even touched on the millions of families who will lose their child benefit, or the fact that every family earning less than £26,000 a year will lose their tax credits. It is a Budget con for families. The Budget confirms that although ordinary people will be thrown a little bit of corn, there is little doubt that they will be hit the hardest by this uncaring and out-of-touch Government.

The second con that I wish to examine is the fuel con. We all welcome the 1p cut on fuel. I am not a car driver, but I appreciate how much it costs to drive. My constituents constantly tell me about the pressure on small businesses that have to fill up vans and cars. However, at 7 pm on Monday, the petrol station next to my constituency office was charging £1.28 a litre. On Tuesday night it was charging £1.30 a litre, and on Wednesday night, after the 1p decrease, it was charging £1.29 a litre. The 2.5% VAT increase makes up 3.25p of that price. That is the fuel cut con—the price is 1p down due the Chancellor’s decision, but 3.25p up to due to another decision of the same Chancellor.

As has already been asked, who is to say that oil companies will not just pass the additional tax costs back to the consumer? Oil and Gas UK has said in the past 24 hours that there will be job losses and a reduction in production in the North sea as a direct result of the Government’s policies. We are left in a quandary. Do we have more job losses and less production in the North sea, which could be catastrophic for the Scottish economy, for what might be absolutely no benefit to consumers at the pumps? The IFS said yesterday of the fair fuel stabiliser:

“If oil prices stay high but volatile, this policy will do little to stabilise pump prices.”

It is a policy that does not help hard-working families fill their cars, and may cost jobs.

According to the Government’s own figures, this Budget does nothing for growth. The Chancellor needs to think again before it is too late and he sends this country into a spiral from which it may never recover.