Afghanistan

Debate between Justine Greening and Baroness Primarolo

Thursday 13th September 2012 Commons Chamber

[Paul Flynn (Newport West) (Lab)]

I notice that a motion contains the names of 425 of our brave soldiers killed in Afghanistan. Although it was put down last week, it is already out of date—it does not contain the names of the two fatalities since then or the names of the 2,000 of our soldiers who have returned broken in mind or body, and it cannot contain the names of the almost certain future deaths, such as those that followed the Falklands and Vietnam wars, when more soldiers took their lives after the war than died in combat. One Welsh soldier took his life this January. He is not recorded. How can we respect the self-deluding fiction in the report? It is another case of our brave soldiers—

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dawn Primarolo)]

Order. The hon. Gentleman has made his point, but I said that questions should be brief, however important.

[Justine Greening]

I think that many people across the country and the House believe that our troops are performing a vital role. It is the right thing to do not only for Afghanistan but for our country. The number of terrorist threats to the UK coming out of Afghanistan has already reduced substantially in recent years.

I take issue with the hon. Gentleman on another point. He referred to servicemen and women coming back battered and broken; I cannot remember the exact phrase.

Cost of Living

Debate between Justine Greening and Baroness Primarolo

Wednesday 16th May 2012 Commons Chamber

[Justine Greening]

I remember being in the Finance Bill debates last year, when the hon. Gentleman’s party voted against closing tax loopholes, which would really have strengthened our tax system. He knows full well that alongside reducing the top rate of income tax to 45%, which will help to stimulate entrepreneurship, we are closing loopholes, which will raise five times as much money from those very same people. We know that this sort of economic illiteracy that we are hearing yet again from the Labour party, which has no credible plan to tackle the deficit—its only plan is to spend more and borrow more—would mean that the economic credibility of the UK would collapse and interest rates would be likely to increase. Any business with a loan, any home owner with a mortgage and taxpayers funding the huge debt that Labour left our country would suffer the consequences, and that is not a path we plan to go down.

I shall briefly discuss some of the particular cost of living issues that hon. Members across the House have raised today. First, let me briefly address some of the challenges associated with rail fares. We know that keeping rail fares affordable is important, which is one of the reasons why we took action this year to limit the increase in regulated fares to 1% above inflation—[Interruption.]

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dawn Primarolo)]

Order. I apologise to the Secretary of State, but a lot of private conversations are taking place on both sides of the House and they are disturbing my ability at least, let alone that of hon. Members, to hear what she is saying. Perhaps people who want to have private conversations could go outside.

[Justine Greening]

Thank you very much, Madam Deputy Speaker. That was extremely helpful.

We have taken action to limit the rise in rail fares, but all in this House know that if we are really going to tackle the underlying reason why rail fares are pressured to go up year after year, we have to make the railway system that we inherited from Labour, which is costing us £3.5 billion a year more than it needs to, work more efficiently. That is the best way of bringing a long-term end to the era of inflation-busting increases in regulated fares.

I have to say that one of the most depressing things in this House is to hear Labour Members raise a whole load of problems but provide no solutions. Making the railway industry work more effectively together is another area where I have heard no solution from the hon. Member for Garston and Halewood (Maria Eagle). I recall that when I delivered my Command Paper oral statement she said, “I will be setting out our alternative shortly,” but she has never done so. I will not even talk about the response to the flex, because the Minister of State, Department for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chipping Barnet (Mrs Villiers), demolished the hon. Lady’s argument so comprehensively that there is no need to go over that, compounding injury with further insult. In addition, we are, of course, making huge investments in rail and road. Those things will not only tackle some of the challenges we face today, but will build our country for the future.

On fuel duty, my hon. Friend the Member for Rossendale and Darwen (Jake Berry) and my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham (Stephen Phillips) made vital points about why it is important that we make sure that motoring remains affordable, and about some of the pressures on motorists arising from the high cost of fuel. We have all seen the oil price go up across the world and how that has fed into the price of petrol at the pumps. It is one of the reasons why, last April, we cut fuel duty, why we scrapped Labour’s automatic fuel duty escalator and why we have postponed the planned rise this January to August, as well as cancelling the next planned increase. As a result of that action from the Chancellor we have eased the burden on motorists by £2.5 billion this year. In fact, over the coming two years it will add up to £4.5 billion in motorists’ pockets that otherwise, under the previous Government’s plans, would have been in Treasury coffers.

Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base

Debate between Justine Greening and Baroness Primarolo

Wednesday 11th May 2011 Commons Chamber

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dawn Primarolo)]

Order. I know that there is a terrible pull for the Minister to turn around and face the Benches behind her, but I remind her that she should be looking forwards, or towards me, so that we can hear clearly what she is saying.

[Justine Greening]

I will of course do that, Madam Deputy Speaker. Your observation demonstrates that there have been few questions from any part of the Chamber other than behind me. That shows which Members of this House are prepared to stand up for our national interest and scrutinise proposals that affect our national interest, and which Members would rather go home and watch TV than represent their communities as they should.

We are committed to pursuing our national interest. My hon. Friend the Member for Amber Valley was right to raise the issue of complexity in regulation and the need for simplification. The Government set up the Office of Tax Simplification because we understand why those issues are important in helping business domestically. We are taking those very same arguments to Europe.

When I look at the proposal that we have been debating tonight, I find it hard to see how it can be reconciled with, for example, the Europe 2020 document and strategy that have been launched, which are all about stimulating growth. The impact assessment of the current proposal gives rise to grave concerns that it will do the exact opposite of that. It could hinder growth, investment and employment. We will focus our arguments not just on whether the proposal complies with subsidiarity and proportionality but on the important issues of policy substance that have been highlighted. That is the best way to ensure that we get the right outcome for the UK and for our UK businesses operating across Europe. I can assure the House that the UK will continue to participate fully in the EU negotiations on the proposal, and I will, of course, as I have been asked, keep the European Scrutiny Committee updated on the progress of those negotiations.

Question put and agreed to.

Resolved,

That this House considers that the Draft Directive to introduce a Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base (European Union Document No. 7263/11) does not comply with the principle of subsidiarity, for the reasons set out in chapter 2 of the Twenty-seventh Report of the European Scrutiny Committee (HC 428-xxv); and, in accordance with Article 6 of the Protocol on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality, instructs the Clerk of the House to forward this reasoned opinion to the presidents of the European institutions.

National Insurance Contributions Bill

Debate between Justine Greening and Baroness Primarolo

Tuesday 23rd November 2010 Commons Chamber

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

Order. We cannot have comments shouted across the Floor from a sedentary position. It makes it very difficult for Hansard to record our proceedings, particularly when the comments are then referred to without having been recorded. Will the hon. Lady make her point from the Dispatch Box, so that the right hon. Gentleman can answer it?

[The Economic Secretary to the Treasury (Justine Greening)]

My point was that the Labour party would have increased NICs for absolutely everybody.