Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Department for Education

Oral Answers to Questions

Robin Walker Excerpts
Thursday 23rd January 2014

(10 years, 9 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Matt Hancock Portrait Matthew Hancock
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Ensuring that the commercial property market works effectively is an important part of reforming the banking system and getting it back on its feet after the crisis. That market is one of the main routes through which we can open up more development and ensure that there is more capacity, so that when small businesses want to expand, they have the physical space in which to do so.

Robin Walker Portrait Mr Robin Walker (Worcester) (Con)
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Small businesses on Worcester’s high street are looking forward to the employment allowance and to the generous rebate on business rates that was announced in the autumn statement. Will the Minister join me in urging Worcester’s Labour-led city council not to put up parking charges by 10%, which would be a kick in the teeth for the high street?

Matt Hancock Portrait Matthew Hancock
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Ensuring that any agency of Government or any council can live within its means is a crucial part of good governance in these difficult times. The approach that the Government have taken is to do that through making savings, difficult as it is. That is clearly working and I recommend it to the Labour-led council in Worcester.