Business of the House

Debate between Robert Courts and Mel Stride

Thursday 18th July 2019 Commons Chamber

[Mel Stride]

My hon. Friend raises the important topic of the use of technology in healthcare—something with which the current Secretary of State for Health is very personally engaged as it features in our NHS long-term plan. I think this would make an excellent topic for a Westminster Hall debate.

[Robert Courts (Witney) (Con)]

We all know that helping the environment is the greatest challenge of our time, but we cannot just leave the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to crack on with its work when we need reforms of planning systems so that we can have solar panels on houses and reforms of transport infrastructure so that air quality is improved in places such as Chipping Norton. Can we have a series of debates in Government time so that we can examine how climate change and environment issues can be tackled holistically across government?

[Mel Stride]

Taking a holistic approach to the many measures that are being taken right across Departments would be a very good angle for a debate. Of course, we are right in the lead when it comes to climate change internationally, having made the commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Robert Courts and Mel Stride

Tuesday 3rd July 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mel Stride]

I repeat to the hon. Lady that we have already shown, through the actions that we have taken, the reassurances that we have given and the consultations that we have undertaken, that agriculture is a firm priority for this Government, and that will continue to be the case in the negotiations and going forwards.

[Robert Courts (Witney) (Con)]

6. What steps he is taking to invest in infrastructure in (a) Witney and (b) Oxfordshire.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Robert Courts and Mel Stride

Tuesday 27th February 2018 Commons Chamber

[Robert Courts (Witney) (Con)]

20. What progress is being made on reducing the deficit.

[The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Mel Stride)]

In 2010, we had a post-war record level of deficit at 9.9%, and we have reduced that to 2.3% as of last year. The Office for Budget Responsibility forecast in November is that the deficit will further decline to 1.1% of GDP by 2022-23.

[Robert Courts]

Will the Minister give an estimate of the effect that our deficit reduction measures have had on relieving the tax burden for younger generations?

[Mel Stride]

My hon. Friend raises a critical point about the importance of getting the debt down to make sure that future generations do not carry the burden of it. That is why we have reduced the deficit by three quarters and why we are going to hit our reduction in the level of debt as a percentage of GDP two years early, in 2020-21.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Robert Courts and Mel Stride

Tuesday 18th July 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mel Stride]

The hon. Lady asks if enough is being done to clamp down on tax avoidance. I can assure her that it certainly is. Since 2010, we have raised £160 billion by way of clamping down on exactly those behaviours. In the forthcoming Finance Bill there will be further measures to make sure that over the scorecard period we are bringing in between £7 billion and £8 billion in addition, in corporate tax avoidance measures.

[Robert Courts (Witney) (Con)]

Will the Minister confirm that due to steps taken by this Government, the top 1% of people now pay 27% of income tax, and that that is a higher proportion than under the previous Labour Government?

[Mel Stride]

My hon. Friend is entirely right. The Labour party would constantly have us believe that somehow we are being soft on the wealthy and hard on the less well-off when the precise opposite is true. The top 1% pay over 27% of tax, and the wealthiest 3,000 people in our country pay as much as the poorest 9 million. Under Labour, the poor paid more tax relative to the wealthy, not less. No wonder that under our policies income inequality is at a 30-year low.