Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill

Debate between Sheila Gilmore and Brian H. Donohoe

Wednesday 19th November 2014 Commons Chamber

[Sheila Gilmore]

That allegation is made frequently. In the years up to 2007 when I was a local councillor, I did not see these things happening in the care industry. I really did not see huge numbers of zero-hours contracts being used in my area. I do not think that what the hon. Gentleman said was a factual statement.

[Mr Donohoe]

In my constituency—I am sure the same is true of my hon. Friend’s constituency—the words “zero-hours contract” did not exist until very recently. In the past two or three years, I have heard more and more of my constituents talk about these contracts. It is because of the policies of this Government that we are in that position, is it not?

[Sheila Gilmore]

I agree with my hon. Friend.

The hon. Member for Burnley (Gordon Birtwistle) seems to believe that the last Government did nothing on this issue. I do not agree, but even if that were true, it would not be a reason for not dealing with the issue now. On that basis, we would never do anything different or new because a previous Government had not done so. That would be a very strange way of doing politics.

Women and the Cost of Living

Debate between Sheila Gilmore and Brian H. Donohoe

Tuesday 19th November 2013 Commons Chamber

[Sheila Gilmore]

I will continue with what I was saying, because it is important to realise the cost of this policy to many women.

This generous gesture, which has advantaged more people on upper earnings, has been balanced by taxes and cuts elsewhere, such as the raising of VAT. Many of the cuts have affected women in particular. The cuts in tax credits have more than cancelled out the rise in the tax threshold for the lower-paid. People who have been affected by that will not be saying, “It was great that the tax threshold was raised.” They would probably rather have stayed in exactly the same position as they were in before.

[Mr Donohoe]

Surely a consequence of that is that fewer women are able to put their children in day care and get back to work.

[Sheila Gilmore]

Indeed; the work incentives that were provided by tax thresholds, particularly to single parents, cannot be underestimated.

The hon. Member for Wells (Tessa Munt) brushed aside my intervention in which I said that the gains from raising the tax threshold had been more than cancelled out for the lowest-paid, but they have been. The argument is made that raising the tax threshold allows people to keep more of their earnings, instead of tax being taken away with one hand and paid back with the other. The problem is that the policy has not been even-handed. Some people have ended up worse off as a result of it. Those who used to benefit and have lost out are predominantly women.