Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 06 Nov 2014 Living Wage
"I agree wholeheartedly with some of my hon. Friend’s points, and I thank him for being such a strong advocate of the living wage...." Chris White - View Speech
"I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his comments and I certainly will deal with how we can encourage other Government Departments to lead the way on this.
I am delighted to have the opportunity to lead the debate. The all-party parliamentary group on poverty is most ably chaired …..." Chris White - View Speech
"The hon. Gentleman makes an important point. How we improve the take-up of the living wage will address some of his concerns. I hope that some of my right hon. and hon. Friends will show how this can be a benefit not just to employees but to society in general.
"I think that both parties have to work very closely on that. I believe that when contracts are being tendered there is certainly an opportunity that we should not miss. It is not right for either party to look for the lowest cost contract by excluding the living wage from …..." Chris White - View Speech
"I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for that thoughtful intervention. If payment is made with the intention of paying staff the living wage, that increase should feed through directly to the employees. One reason for promoting this discussion today is to see how such employers can be embarrassed into …..." Chris White - View Speech
"I will come to some of the data that have been provided by the Federation of Small Businesses, which paint a picture that is perhaps rosier than my hon. Friend might think.
I should like to recognise the organisations in my constituency that have been accredited as living wage employers: …..." Chris White - View Speech
"This debate has been about the promotion of the living wage, and thanks to the contributions from both sides of the House, we have very much had that debate. I am grateful to Members who shared their experience and supported the development of this very important discussion. We have heard …..." Chris White - View Speech
"I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Carlisle (John Stevenson) for securing this important debate and giving us another opportunity to discuss this topic, as we have done over many years.
One of my concerns, given the welcome news about the upturn in growth in the UK economy, is …..." Chris White - View Speech
"As co-chair of the associate parliamentary manufacturing group, I can tell hon. Members that nearly every meeting I have attended talks about the shortage of skills and particularly the challenge of recruiting high-quality engineers. We often try to intervene too late, when young people have already chosen the subjects that …..." Chris White - View Speech
"May I say how delighted I am to follow the hon. Member for Stalybridge and Hyde (Jonathan Reynolds) in this important debate? I must also thank the Backbench Business Committee for scheduling time for it. As co-chair of the all-party parliamentary group on manufacturing, along with the hon. Member for …..." Chris White - View Speech