Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Department for Education

Oral Answers to Questions

Nicholas Dakin Excerpts
Thursday 10th April 2014

(10 years, 7 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Vince Cable Portrait Vince Cable
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Indeed, it is a major industry. My figures suggest that we have some 600,000 jobs directly or indirectly affected. It is a massive industry. We believe in it, and it is important that it is able to compete on a level playing field. That was the purpose of the changes announced in the Budget and we are now actively pursuing state aid clearance to make sure that these compensation mechanisms go through.

Nicholas Dakin Portrait Nic Dakin (Scunthorpe) (Lab)
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Does the Secretary of State now recognise that the Government’s ill-thought-through carbon floor tax was a mistake?

Vince Cable Portrait Vince Cable
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Absolutely not. The only concern from the industrial point of view is that energy-intensive industries should have those costs offset. Under the mechanism the Chancellor has proposed, which we are now pursuing through the European Commission, they will be offset.