Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Oral Answers to Questions

Lloyd Russell-Moyle Excerpts
Tuesday 1st February 2022

(2 years, 10 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Derek Thomas Portrait Derek Thomas (St Ives) (Con)
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17. What steps he is taking to help people with the increasing cost of living.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle Portrait Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Brighton, Kemptown) (Lab/Co-op)
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18. What fiscal steps he plans to take to help reduce the impact on households of the rise in the cost of living.

Kirsten Oswald Portrait Kirsten Oswald (East Renfrewshire) (SNP)
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20. What recent assessment he has made of the effect of his fiscal policies on the cost of living.

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Rishi Sunak Portrait Rishi Sunak
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My hon. Friend is absolutely right to highlight pensioners and their needs. As I said, I am proud of the Government’s track record in supporting them. I can also provide him with the reassurance that we continue to look at the best way to provide support to all those in need, as we have done over the last year of two. In the meantime, he will be reassured to know that we have protected pensioners this coming year with the double lock and, as I said, the winter fuel payments providing up to £300.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle Portrait Lloyd Russell-Moyle
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Energy prices are rocketing but the price of producing energy has not, meaning that energy companies are experiencing record bonanza profits this year if they are producers. The Chancellor is, of course, worth more than a billion pounds. Could he tell constituents struggling to pay their energy bills what should be taking the cut? Should it be the profits of the energy companies or the lifting of the energy cap that he proposes, costing constituents £1,800 on average a year?

Rishi Sunak Portrait Rishi Sunak
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The energy price cap has already protected millions of people against rising energy bills. On the taxation of companies, it is probably worth bearing in mind that one thing that the last few months have shown is that there is an opportunity to invest more in providing natural gas as a transition fuel as we make our way to net zero in a measured manner. To that end, we should be encouraging investment in exporting our natural resources, not disincentivising it.