Leaving the EU

Debate between Neil Gray and Alan Brown

Tuesday 12th February 2019 Commons Chamber

[Alan Brown (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP)]

rose—

[Neil Gray (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP)]

rose—

Universal Credit

Debate between Neil Gray and Alan Brown

Wednesday 17th October 2018 Commons Chamber

[Neil Gray]

I completely agree with the hon. Lady. It is great to have her contribution, which should be listened to across this House.

[Alan Brown (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP)]

I could not get an answer to this yesterday. On the fact that the Government cannot prove that universal credit gets people into work, the number of claimants in my constituency is 930 higher than a year ago, which is an increase of 54%. The Library now confirms that we cannot make comparisons between one constituency and another where universal credit has been rolled out. It is a complete sham, and there is no way to measure this.

[Neil Gray]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. On making work pay, the CPAG says that rewards from work are limited. A single person on the minimum wage would have to work full time for an extra two months in the year just to make up for the cuts—I would love to hear Work and Pensions Ministers explain how 14 months goes into 12—because the taper rate for work allowances makes those who are on universal credit the most highly taxed workers in the UK, at 63%. For every £1 earned, 63p is clawed back. That needs to be changed.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Neil Gray and Alan Brown

Wednesday 25th April 2018 Commons Chamber

[Neil Gray (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP)]

4. What his Department’s policy is on using social media consultancies.

[Alan Brown (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP)]

9. What his Department’s policy is on using social media consultancies.

State Pension Age (Women)

Debate between Neil Gray and Alan Brown

Thursday 7th January 2016 Commons Chamber

[Neil Gray]

rose—

[Alan Brown (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP)]

rose—

Tax Credits

Debate between Neil Gray and Alan Brown

Tuesday 20th October 2015 Commons Chamber

[Neil Gray (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP)]

I and my SNP colleagues oppose the UK Government’s continued attack on low-income and vulnerable working families. It will have a devastating impact on the majority of the 11,300 children from more than 6,000 families in Airdrie and Shotts who are in receipt of tax credits.

The very first lines of the July report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies state:

“A package of changes to the tax, tax credit and benefit system has been announced for implementation in the current parliament…These will reduce household incomes significantly, particularly for those towards the bottom of the income distribution.”

[Alan Brown (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP)]

Is my hon. Friend aware that the Tory manifesto mentioned tax credits only twice and that it did not mention the scale of the proposed cuts? Conservative Members are lining up to say that they have a mandate to cut tax credits, but they have no such mandate, especially considering that fewer than one in four of the electorate voted for this Government.