Budget Resolutions

Olivia Bailey Excerpts

Tuesday 3rd November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Olivia Bailey (Reading West and Mid Berkshire) (Lab)]

I welcome the measures in the Budget that will give my constituents some much-needed breathing space as they look ahead to the winter. The £100 payment towards energy bills, the scrapping of gas standing charges and the extension of 0% VAT on electricity bills, will all make a difference to household budgets in my constituency at this pressured time. I also welcome measures to support small businesses, such as the fantastic Elysien that I visited last week, and our brilliant local pubs and brewers such as Renegade and Double-Barrelled.

Today I wish to speak in my capacity as Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, and because those facing discrimination and disadvantage are often the most exposed to financial pressures, I must start by saying that measures in the Budget to support people with the cost of living are particularly welcome. I also welcome the funding to tackle misogyny announced in the Budget, and the Government’s ambition in that area. In the Committee’s inquiry into the manosphere we have heard alarming evidence about online misogyny fuelling harm, and we have been left in no doubt that if we are to meet the Government’s ambition to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, we must urgently focus our attention, and our resources, on prevention. Although £15 million over three years is a welcome start, compare that with the vast profits being generated by the platforms and industries through which misogyny and hate are amplified. We are being outmatched, and as misogyny continues to plague our society, we must rise to the challenge.

The Budget also contained some welcome measures for parents and carers. I welcome the changes to the carer’s allowance to remove the cliff edge. We cannot keep telling carers—the majority of whom are women—that we want them to participate in the workforce while maintaining a system that penalises them for trying to do so. I note that the changes will not be in force until 2030-31, and I would welcome additional commitments from the Government to support carers in the meantime.

I also welcome the paid paternity leave for self-employed fathers and other parents announced in the Budget as an important first step towards the wider parental leave reform that we need. It is regrettable, however, that that gap in the system will not be filled until 2029. The Women and Equalities Committee has been clear that we need a pathway towards six weeks of paid paternity leave, and a simpler, fairer, more gender-equal parental leave system. The 18 months of the Government’s parental leave review will soon be up, and we hope and expect to see that pathway laid out.

One of the biggest barriers to equal participation in the workforce remains access to affordable childcare, so I was a little disappointed that childcare measures were not included in the Budget this year. It is a huge achievement of this Government that we have overseen a record expansion of funded childcare—something I was proud to work on as a Minister. Too many lower-income parents are unable to access the support that they need to re-enter work or work longer hours. The Government already fund around 80% of childcare delivered in this country. We have in effect already created a new public service, and it is time that we reformed our complex system to reflect that reality, and to make universal childcare a centrepiece of the Government’s 10-year plan. These are not peripheral issues but fundamental barriers to economic growth. According to the Women’s Budget Group, women’s equal participation in the workforce could be worth £113 billion to our economy, even before we consider the enormous figures that could be unlocked by improving employment opportunities for disabled people and other groups who face barriers to work.

That brings me to my final point. If we truly want to tackle inequality, we must have a conversation in this place about the barriers that prevent people from working, from earning, and from securing a better life for themselves and their families, and that means a proper conversation about welfare reform. The current system is both fiscally unsustainable and deeply unfair to the people it traps in a cycle of inactivity, so I am looking forward to the final reports of the Milburn review and the Timms review, and to the Government’s setting out concrete proposals in this area. I am also clear that in that necessary conversation about welfare reform, we must also talk about the wider barriers to employment, support for carers, the role of parental leave and, above all, access to universal childcare.

Oral Answers to Questions

Olivia Bailey Excerpts

Thursday 12th June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Jonathan Reynolds]

I absolutely accept that invitation, and I can tell the hon. Gentleman that we are already extremely involved, as is the Minister for Industry. We welcome what has happened with Airbus, but we are focusing a great deal on the RemainCo and the issues there.

[Olivia Bailey (Reading West and Mid Berkshire) (Lab)]

Last year, the Secretary of State joined me on a visit to our vibrant high street in Pangbourne. I recently met the owner of one of those businesses, Nino’s, a fantastic trattoria and deli. One issue that Nino raised with me was the regulatory burden on his business. How will the Government’s small business strategy deal with that key challenge, and how will it support small businesses like Nino’s, so that they can continue to thrive?

[Jonathan Reynolds]

We had a wonderful visit about a year ago, and I hope the Pangbourne Cheese Shop is still going strong. Yes, the regulatory burden on small business is a huge area of attention for this Department; there is the business growth service, our action on late payment, and our incentivising of digitisation and e-invoicing.

Competition and Markets Authority Chairman

Olivia Bailey Excerpts

Wednesday 22nd January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Justin Madders]

That is a very fair comment. We need to give businesses certainty and clarity that things will be resolved quickly, so that they have the confidence to make investment decisions.

[Olivia Bailey (Reading West and Mid Berkshire) (Lab)]

How does the Department plan to appoint the permanent chair?

[Justin Madders]

The appointment of the permanent chair will take place in the normal manner, as all other appointments do.

Pubs Code: Guest Beers

Olivia Bailey Excerpts

Tuesday 12th November 2024 Commons Chamber

[Ms Minns]

I will give way first to my hon. Friend.

[Olivia Bailey (Reading West and Mid Berkshire) (Lab)]

I, too, have brilliant independent breweries in my constituency, such as Renegade and Double-Barrelled. They make a huge contribution to our local economy and, importantly, make a great pint. Will my hon. Friend join me in welcoming the Government’s determination to improve access to the market for independent brewers and to get great local beers into our pubs?

[Ms Minns]

I do welcome that, and I thank my hon. Friend for her intervention.