Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Oral Answers to Questions

Marsha De Cordova Excerpts
Tuesday 11th October 2022

(1 year, 7 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Chris Philp Portrait Chris Philp
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I think the Chancellor set out the investment zone concept very clearly. There will be, by agreement with local authorities, planning freedoms and very significant tax cuts. Infrastructure investments are being handled separately to that, but it would be reasonable to expect a degree of co-ordination between the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the Department for Transport, as they consider the way investment zones interact with transport projects.

Marsha De Cordova Portrait Marsha De Cordova (Battersea) (Lab)
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5. What assessment he has made of the potential effect of removing the cap on banker’s bonuses on the distribution of wealth.

Andrew Griffith Portrait The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Andrew Griffith)
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Reforming the EU’s directive on the bonus cap is not about paying people more. All it ever did was increase base pay, regardless of performance. It was never a cap on total remuneration, and no one should pretend that it was.

Marsha De Cordova Portrait Marsha De Cordova (Battersea) (Lab)
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That was total nonsense. As some families in Battersea struggle to keep up with the rising cost of living, the Government have chosen to help bankers by removing the cap on their bonuses, while maintaining the cap on household social security. Despite soaring bills and growing inflation, the cap has remained stagnant since 2016, plunging hundreds of thousands of families into deep poverty. The cap on social security is cruel. How can the Chancellor seriously justify removing the cap on bankers’ bonuses but not the social security cap? Will the Minister have a word with his colleagues at the Department for Work and Pensions and change that?

Andrew Griffith Portrait Andrew Griffith
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The hon. Lady has fully booked her place as a member of the anti-growth coalition. The Government are not afraid to be on the side of the people who create the wealth that funds our public services. In 1979 the top 1% of earners paid about 10% of income tax; they now pay 29.1%. That is three times as much.