Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Department for Education

Oral Answers to Questions

Barry Sheerman Excerpts
Thursday 24th October 2013

(10 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Vince Cable Portrait Vince Cable
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Yes, it is a very positive story. The engagement of almost every employee of Royal Mail is extremely encouraging. I seem to remember that under the last Labour Government we lost in the order of 2 million working days through industrial action in every single year. This is a big change for the better.

Barry Sheerman Portrait Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op)
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May I remind the Secretary of State that before this privatisation every one of my constituents had a share in Royal Mail? It has been revealed that only a tiny number of people in most constituencies now have any shares at all and that the Prime Minister’s hedge fund friends own a lot of them.

Vince Cable Portrait Vince Cable
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On the contrary, the share register is dominated by large long-term institutional investors, most of whom hold the savings of millions of our citizens.