Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Nick Smith and Danny Alexander

Tuesday 11th March 2014 Commons Chamber

[Danny Alexander]

It is of course important that we make sure that people have more money in their pockets, and it is particularly important that that help is focused on those on lower earnings. That is why we have focused our attention on raising the income tax personal allowance. We have also, for example, frozen fuel duty and taken steps on energy bills. It is worth pointing out that increasing the personal allowance benefits 40p rate taxpayers by the same cash amount as basic rate taxpayers.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

T9. Eight hundred and twenty-five young people are desperately seeking work in Blaenau Gwent. This month, I will be asking local employers to sign up to offer work experience. Why does not the Chief Secretary listen and introduce a compulsory jobs guarantee to give these young people a chance?

[Danny Alexander]

I warmly welcome what the hon. Gentleman is doing to encourage employers in his constituency to offer work experience. The evidence of this Government’s work experience programme is that work experience is more effective than the future jobs fund and a great deal cheaper to deliver, so it is more cost-effective. He is on the right track in what he is doing in his constituency; his Front Benchers are on the wrong track.

National Infrastructure Plan

Debate between Nick Smith and Danny Alexander

Wednesday 4th December 2013 Commons Chamber

[Danny Alexander]

I might have been able to give the right hon. Gentleman a page reference if he had asked a question about the national infrastructure plan. I think that expecting an answer from me about the voluminous range of papers on HS2 is a little bit too much, but I will make sure that he receives an answer from my friends at the Department for Transport.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

Will the Government consider bringing forward the electrification of the south Wales valleys line? That would make a big difference to boosting employment in a deprived area.

[Danny Alexander]

I agree with the hon. Gentleman about the importance of electrifying the south Wales valleys line. That is why the Government added it to the Network Rail plan; it was not there before. I will certainly look at the case for accelerating it, if possible. The structure of this country’s rail industry is such that Network Rail is given a regulatory set of obligations and has to work out for itself the most efficient way to deliver them, but I would be very happy to ask that question of Network Rail and to share any answers with the hon. Gentleman.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Nick Smith and Danny Alexander

Tuesday 12th March 2013 Commons Chamber

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

18. What recent progress has been made on implementing the national infrastructure plan.

[The Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Danny Alexander)]

We have made significant progress in implementing the national infrastructure plan and published an update in December’s autumn statement alongside the latest version of the infrastructure pipeline. A further detailed delivery update on the top 40 infrastructure projects will be published alongside the Budget.

[Nick Smith]

Why did the Government cut infrastructure investment by £12.8 billion more than the plans they inherited?

[Danny Alexander]

The hon. Gentleman will know that in the 2010 spending review and the 2011 and 2012 autumn statements, we increased spending on infrastructure compared with the plans for capital spending that we inherited from the previous Government. Consequently, investment in infrastructure in this country is higher as a share of GDP over this Parliament than it was on average during the previous Government’s time in office.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Nick Smith and Danny Alexander

Tuesday 6th March 2012 Commons Chamber

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

Much work has been done to secure a private sector-led infrastructure project in Blaenau Gwent. The developers say that it could create sustainable jobs for over 10,000 people. Given that the Chancellor has already announced 100% capital allowances in six English enterprise zones, when will he be able to offer similar assistance to the Welsh enterprise zones?

[The Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Danny Alexander)]

We are in discussions with the Welsh Assembly Government about their proposals for enterprise zones in Wales, including the possibility of applying within them the capital allowances regime that the hon. Gentleman describes, and we will make an announcement shortly.

Tax Avoidance (Public Servants)

Debate between Nick Smith and Danny Alexander

Thursday 2nd February 2012 Commons Chamber

[Danny Alexander]

I have made clear the answer to that question throughout my statement. I am responsible for signing off the salary level for appointments over £142,500, and I discharged that responsibility in this case.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

Yesterday’s Financial Times reported: “Treasury beset by exodus of top staff”. Officials have also reported that the Treasury’s staff turnover rate is now “higher than McDonald’s”. Can the Chief Secretary to the Treasury ensure that there will be sufficient firepower at the Treasury to thoroughly scrutinise tax avoidance across Government, and did the Minister for Universities and Science, the right hon. Member for Havant (Mr Willetts) agree to this arrangement?

[Danny Alexander]

It is precisely for the reason that the hon. Gentleman suggests that, in the spending review, we announced an additional £900 million for Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs to enable it to focus attention specifically on tax avoidance and tax evasion. I very much hope that he welcomes that decision.