Oral Answers to Questions

Julie Elliott Excerpts

Wednesday 12th February 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Jones]

Rather than concentrating on what I said in 2002, the hon. Lady ought to listen to what her hon. Friend the Member for Pontypridd (Owen Smith) said only last week. The Labour Government in Wales do not want income tax devolved to Wales, but the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition Government here in Westminster do.

[Julie Elliott (Sunderland Central) (Lab)]

13. What assessment he has made of changes in real wages in Wales since 2010; and if he will make a statement.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales (Stephen Crabb)]

Wales had seen the biggest increase in average earnings of all the regions and nations of the United Kingdom, with earnings increasing at twice the national average and more than twice the current rate of inflation. Wage levels are still not where we want them to be, but that is still positive news for Wales.

[Julie Elliott]

Wales has the highest proportion of people earning less than the living wage, which is outrageous. What are the Government doing to tackle that problem?

[Stephen Crabb]

My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer has already said where he wants to see the national minimum wage going, as conditions allow. We want to see a strong minimum wage that will benefit low-paid workers. One of the most important things we are doing is taking 130,000 of the lowest-paid people in Wales out of income tax altogether by increasing the personal allowance to £10,000, something the hon. Lady and her colleagues should very much support.