Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Justine Greening and Jessica Morden

Thursday 6th July 2017 Commons Chamber

[Justine Greening]

We will be responding to the Committee’s report. These are incredibly important issues for our country. I am concerned to ensure that, although we have now broadly got up to a third of parliamentarians who are female, we do not now plateau. We all have a role in ensuring that we continue to see progress, and I assure my right hon. Friend that I am committed to ensuring that the Government play a leading role in that, and I am proud that we also have a female Prime Minister.

[Jessica Morden (Newport East) (Lab)]

T6. Two thirds of public sector workers are women, so they are disproportionately hit by the public sector pay cap. What is the Minister doing to argue the case for scrapping the cap?

[Justine Greening]

We have an evidence-based approach in relation to public sector pay. An independent group of people looks at the pressures on the public purse and at ensuring that our pay settlements are affordable. It also looks at the evidence in relation to recruitment, retention and the numbers of people we want in our public sector, particularly on the front line. That is a sensible approach. The hon. Lady will be aware that a number of pay review bodies will come out with their reports across the board, and we will consider them when they do.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Justine Greening and Jessica Morden

Tuesday 13th July 2010 Commons Chamber

[Justine Greening]

I do not think the hon. Gentleman is right about that at all. The OBR clearly set out that it expects our economy to grow over the coming years. It expects unemployment to fall and employment to rise, and the hon. Gentleman should welcome that.

[Jessica Morden (Newport East) (Lab)]

T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.

[Jessica Morden]

Many small charities are extremely worried about the rise in VAT. Does the Minister think it is fair that charities be hit in this way?

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

The hon. Lady is right to raise the issue of charities; in fact it is an issue in which we have taken a great interest coming into government. I hope she will welcome the fact that we are continuing with the gift aid forum, which brings together a range of people interested in charities and charity tax to look at how we can stimulate gift aid and make it more effective over the coming years. The hon. Lady is also right about the impact of VAT on charities, but we have to sort out the economic mess the last Government left us, and the best way to sustain the funding of charities is to make sure people have jobs and money in their pockets that they feel they can donate.