Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Rob Wilson and Vince Cable

Thursday 11th September 2014 Commons Chamber

[Vince Cable]

We have no wish to create problems for the small, family-owned pubs, which are an extremely important part of the industry. The hon. Gentleman will be aware that one cornerstone of the proposals is the free-of-tie rent assessment, which does not apply to pubs with smallholdings. Small, family-owned pubs are already subject to the voluntary code. In a sense, it would be right for tied pubs of all kinds to be given some protection.

[Mr Rob Wilson (Reading East) (Con)]

6. What steps his Department is taking to encourage investment in science.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Rob Wilson (Reading East) (Con)]

T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.

[The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (Vince Cable)]

Let me begin by paying tribute to three former ministerial colleagues who have left the Department. Appropriate cross-party tributes have already been paid to the right hon. Member for Havant (Mr Willetts), but as I worked with him very closely for four and a half years, I can say that he was a superb colleague who has left a major and constructive legacy. I also pay tribute to the right hon. Member for Sevenoaks (Michael Fallon), who is now the Defence Secretary, and to my noble Friend Viscount Younger of Leckie.

I welcome a series of new colleagues. The new Minister for Universities, Science and Cities is the right hon. Member for Tunbridge Wells (Greg Clark). The new Minister for Culture and the Digital Economy, the hon. Member for Wantage (Mr Vaizey), will be responsible for digital industries and related activities. The Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the hon. Member for Mid Norfolk (George Freeman), will be responsible for life sciences, and Baroness Neville-Rolfe is the new Minister responsible for intellectual property.

My Department plays a key role in supporting the rebalancing of the economy through business to deliver growth while increasing skills and learning.

[Mr Wilson]

I thank my right hon. Friend for that helpful information. What assessment has he made of the effect of a yes vote in the Scottish referendum on science and research in Scotland?

[Vince Cable]

My Department published some detailed analysis, which I think enjoyed wide consensus. It was objective in relation to the potentially damaging effects not just on business and the British single market, but on research in the United Kingdom. As I said earlier, Scottish university institutions have attracted a disproportionate share of finance for the very good reason that they do excellent research, but that arrangement clearly could not be guaranteed in an independent Scotland.

AstraZeneca (Pfizer Bid)

Debate between Rob Wilson and Vince Cable

Tuesday 6th May 2014 Commons Chamber

[Vince Cable]

I went out of my way in several of my answers to stress the positive and important role played by our tax regime, both in respect of corporation tax and the patent box. The hon. Gentleman is right that in terms of industrial strategy we are concerned about the supply chain. That is being looked at in considerable detail, as it is in several other manufacturing industries. It is highly relevant in this context.

[Mr Rob Wilson (Reading East) (Con)]

Individual takeovers such as this one are extremely important and should be looked at and questioned, but does the Secretary of State agree that the bigger picture is that a large number of very important companies are queuing up to come to the UK and provide good, quality jobs and growth? Is that not the key issue today?

[Vince Cable]

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right and that is a good summary. I stress that we need to be concerned about outcomes rather than processes. The outcomes are about good jobs, expansion, a strong science base and decision making.

Royal Mail

Debate between Rob Wilson and Vince Cable

Wednesday 10th July 2013 Commons Chamber

[Vince Cable]

There will be no moves in that direction. I am slightly astounded by the hon. Gentleman’s comments on zero-hour contracts. Such contracts operated for many years under the Labour Government, who chose to do nothing about them whatsoever. I am the first Secretary of State who has investigated exactly what is going on in that market.

[Mr Rob Wilson (Reading East) (Con)]

I welcome the Secretary of State’s statement; this is probably the most sustainable way of ensuring the future of Royal Mail. Will he explain why he has settled on a figure of 10% for company shareholding for posties, and say whether there is scope to consider a slightly bigger stake for posties in Reading and the country so that workers have a bigger say in what happens in Royal Mail?

[Vince Cable]

The legislation provided for at least 10% and we are proposing a 10% free share offer. Postal workers will have priority if there is excessive demand, and stakes could be built up considerably beyond 10%.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Rob Wilson and Vince Cable

Thursday 15th March 2012 Commons Chamber

[Vince Cable]

The hon. Gentleman’s starting point was a positive one and a right one. I understand that production in the automotive industry has increased by 20% over the past year, and a lot of that is due to inward investors. If he is referring to uncertainties about the future, I am of course well aware of the problems surrounding General Motors. Within the Government, I am working very closely with the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, my colleague the Member for Hertford and Stortford (Mr Prisk). I was in the United States two weeks ago talking to the chairman and chief executive about that. I have to say that the Government, the trade unions and the British management have put forward an extremely powerful case not just for staying in the UK but for expanding.

[Mr Rob Wilson (Reading East) (Con)]

6. What steps he has taken to encourage universities to publish data about the employment of their graduates.

Office for Fair Access

Debate between Rob Wilson and Vince Cable

Monday 20th February 2012 Commons Chamber

[Vince Cable]

On the hon. Gentleman’s first, rather desperate, point about turf wars, let me make it absolutely clear that this is a Government appointment that is supported by all my colleagues, and that responsibilities for higher education will remain exactly as they are. On his more general point about access, I am sure that he will have been following the recent evidence on UCAS admissions. Contrary to the Opposition’s predictions of doom and gloom, applications from low-income students have been almost wholly unaffected by the changes in the financing arrangements. This owes a great deal not just to the outreach work—particularly that led by my right hon. Friend the Member for Bermondsey and Old Southwark (Simon Hughes)—but to the very generous provisions that have been put in place for scholarships and other support for low-income families. Access to universities has been considerably enhanced as a result of these changes and not in any way diminished.

[Mr Rob Wilson (Reading East) (Con)]

I welcome the fact that the Secretary of State has dropped the plan to charge students interest on early repayment of their loans. Does he accept, however, the overwhelming evidence set out in the report today showing that skewed access to our top universities is the result not of a failure of admissions policy but of a lack of adequate preparation in our secondary schools?

[Vince Cable]

I should congratulate the hon. Gentleman as a co-author of this very good report on fair access—on removing barriers and realising potential. I repeat that I agree with much of what it says. The problem that the authors of the report have produced is, I think, the creation of an artificial binary distinction by claiming that access to universities is entirely an issue of schools’ policies as opposed to the admissions policies of universities. Clearly, there is an element of both, and a great deal needs to be done to raise performance levels in schools, as the hon. Gentleman and his co-authors have argued, but equally there is an obligation on universities, as this excellent report says, to help raise aspirations by improving the quality of choices of A-level subjects and making other such advances.

Executive Pay

Debate between Rob Wilson and Vince Cable

Monday 23rd January 2012 Commons Chamber

[Vince Cable]

I am surprised that Labour Members keep reminding us about bankers’ pay. Bankers’ bonuses in 2008-09, when the Labour party was still in government, were something of the order of £13 billion. They have now come down to about a quarter of that.

[Mr Rob Wilson (Reading East) (Con)]

How does the Secretary of State think that his plans will help attract inward investment and so aid growth?

[Vince Cable]

I think they will help considerably. Many of the countries from which we attract inward investment have good corporate governance systems, in which there is considerable restraint on excessive pay, and reward for success rather than failure.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Rob Wilson and Vince Cable

Thursday 31st March 2011 Commons Chamber

[Vince Cable]

First, the hon. Gentleman is terribly behind the times. He may not have listened to the Home Secretary’s statement on student visas, but she made it absolutely clear that there is no cap on student visas and that the study to work route is still available for overseas students. The universities have acknowledged that. There is no hole in the finances. If he had followed the public announcements that universities have made, he would have seen that of the 36 that we are aware of, 13 propose to charge up to the maximum. That is well below the 80% quoted by the Leader of the Opposition yesterday. Of those universities, many will have substantial fee remission on the Oxford model.

[Mr Rob Wilson (Reading East) (Con)]

I have discussed on many occasions with the Minister for Universities and Science my view that Governments should avoid unnecessary interference in universities. The enhanced role given to OFFA is causing great unease in the sector and among some Government Members. Will the Secretary of State clarify the powers that OFFA has and how it will be expected to deploy them in relation to universities that set fees above £6,000?

[Vince Cable]

I think that there is complete clarity. I set out the position in a letter that I sent to OFFA some weeks ago, which is available and which I can certainly make available to the hon. Gentleman. It is absolutely right that, in return for being allowed to charge the higher fee levels, universities should make the maximum possible access available to people from disadvantaged backgrounds. There is a particular problem with traditional universities, where social mobility declined in the last decade. We are determined to overcome that.

Trade and Investment for Growth White Paper

Debate between Rob Wilson and Vince Cable

Wednesday 9th February 2011 Commons Chamber

[Vince Cable]

I do not recognise the hon. Gentleman’s numbers. I get a great deal of feedback, particularly from small companies outside London, telling me that they are benefiting from taking advantage of the national insurance contribution relief. The Chancellor will announce the progress of the scheme in the Budget, and tell the House how he is going to develop it.

[Mr Rob Wilson (Reading East) (Con)]

May I add my welcome for the focus on SMEs? The Secretary of State is making absolutely the right judgment on this, because they will be the engine of growth and jobs in the economy. Last Friday I visited Moog, a first-class company in my constituency that is involved in advanced manufacturing and a strong exporter of components. As the Secretary of State knows, that is a very important sector. What more can he do to support advanced manufacturing and companies like that?

[Vince Cable]

My diary would be seriously oversubscribed if I offered to visit all the companies that have been mentioned this afternoon, but I am happy to talk to my hon. Friend about the specifics. Indeed, a key element of the growth strategy that the Government are working through relates specifically to the development of advanced manufacturing, and key support for that will be provided by the technology centres, for which we have obtained additional funding, and which will be rolled out over this year.

Higher Education and Student Finance

Debate between Rob Wilson and Vince Cable

Tuesday 12th October 2010 Commons Chamber

[Vince Cable]

The hon. Gentleman asks about Scotland. I was there last week discussing this with university authorities, who told me that the existing model in Scotland is not sustainable and that they may well have to move to a model similar to that in England and Wales. So I think that in Scotland, as elsewhere in the UK, these realities will have to be faced.

[Mr Rob Wilson (Reading East) (Con)]

May I welcome Lord Browne’s report, the Secretary of State’s statement, and his recognition that a graduate tax would be ruinous for this country? Could the right hon. Gentleman reassure the House that under his plans, no student will be penalised for early repayment of their loan?

[Vince Cable]

It is certainly feasible under the existing system—and it will be in future—for people to pay their obligations early, but we need to be very clear that we cannot allow very affluent people to be able to buy their way out of their obligations under a fair graduate contribution system. Anybody who has tried to pay their mortgage back early will have discovered that there is something called a redemption fee to maintain the integrity of the system. We need to look at ways of ensuring that there is no mechanism that allows people to avoid making a fair contribution to universities.