Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Nick Clegg and Lord Wharton of Yarm

Tuesday 16th October 2012 Commons Chamber

[The Deputy Prime Minister]

I cannot answer that question; I will get back to the hon. Gentleman.

[James Wharton (Stockton South) (Con)]

In his answer to the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed (Sir Alan Beith), the Deputy Prime Minister spoke about the north-east local enterprise partnership. Will he confirm that he is aware that there is more than one LEP in the north-east, and that the Tees Valley LEP, which is doing a great job of working with businesses, the Government and the regional growth fund to deliver employment, growth and investment in the south of the region, will have a place at the table when discussing the north of the country?

[The Deputy Prime Minister]

I agree with the hon. Gentleman that everybody who has a stake in the future success and prosperity of the north-east economy should have a voice in the important discussions that are taking place. As he will know better than I do, one of the great strengths of One North East was that it spoke for the region as a whole. One of the strengths of LEPs is where they work most effectively together on behalf of a region as a whole.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Nick Clegg and Lord Wharton of Yarm

Tuesday 27th July 2010 Commons Chamber

[The Deputy Prime Minister]

In the written statement to which the hon. Gentleman alludes, the Business Secretary concludes:

“We have made clear that we stand ready to work closely with the company as it pursues its ambitions and we are willing to look carefully at all proposals, as we would for any project”

from any other company

“when the future availability of public funds becomes clearer after the completion of the spending review.”

The hon. Gentleman will know that the issue was the lack of affordability in this year’s current Budget, because we discovered when we came into government that the previous Government had promised £9 billion more than departmental budgets. That was wrong. That is why it was wrong for Government Ministers at the time to write out cheques that they knew would bounce.

[James Wharton (Stockton South) (Con)]

T6. I welcome the Government’s plans for fewer and more equal-sized constituencies. However, I notice that we are proposing to reduce the number of MPs only to 600. Was a greater reduction considered, and if so, why was it rejected?

[The Deputy Prime Minister]

In considering how to reduce the cost of politics and the size of the House, which is far larger than the vast majority of equivalent Chambers in mature democracies around the world, we had to balance two things. As I said, we had to balance reducing the cost—50 fewer MPs means a saving of about £12 million per year—against the ability of hon. Members on both sides of the House to serve their constituencies and constituents. That is why we arrived at the cut of around 7.6% in the total number, to 600 MPs.