Oral Answers to Questions

Caroline Dinenage Excerpts

Wednesday 27th June 2012 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

Perhaps the best way to answer that question is to quote the hon. Lady’s own leader, who at the launch of his local election campaign said:

“Tax avoidance is a terrible thing. It must be cracked down on.”

That, I thought, was the official position of the Labour party. It should be thanking us for getting on and doing just that.

[Caroline Dinenage (Gosport) (Con)]

Q3. I welcome the decision not to increase fuel duty. Does the Prime Minister think that this shows hard-pressed families and businesses that we mean business about refuelling growth?

[The Prime Minister]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. It is this Government who have taken 2 million of the lowest paid people out of income tax, frozen the council tax, got rid of Labour’s job tax and repeatedly dealt with fuel duty, so it is 10p less than it would be under the plans left to us by the last Labour Government.

Oral Answers to Questions

Caroline Dinenage Excerpts

Wednesday 23rd November 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Jones]

We fully understand the difficulties that companies involved in this sector of the economy face as a consequence, but if things had been left as they were, the feed-in tariff budget would have been eaten up. There is a consultation and I have no doubt that the hon. Lady will participate in it.

[Caroline Dinenage (Gosport) (Con)]

6. What recent discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues and Ministers in the Welsh Government on the cross-border economic implications of the development of enterprise zones.

[The Secretary of State for Wales (Mrs Cheryl Gillan)]

I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues and with the First Minister on various issues, including enterprise zones in Wales. It is vital that businesses investing in Wales are given the same or even better competitive advantages as businesses in places just across the border such as Bristol and Merseyside.

[Caroline Dinenage]

Given that enterprise zones not only create jobs but have a wider geographical impact on the supply chain with regard to the economy, does the Minister share my surprise at the procrastination of the Welsh Government in locating enterprise zones in Wales?

[Mrs Gillan]

This is becoming a common theme. Although the enterprise zones have been declared by the Welsh Government, we have only a recent letter from the Minister for Business, Enterprise, Technology and Science of 22 November to Assembly Members, which says that the Department is currently working hard with colleagues in transport, planning and elsewhere to ensure that its enterprise zone policy can be delivered. We can only hope that it gets a wiggle on and gets those details out to businesses as fast as possible.