Oral Answers to Questions

Damian Hinds Excerpts

Tuesday 28th January 2014 Commons Chamber

[Alun Cairns (Vale of Glamorgan) (Con)]

3. What recent fiscal steps he has taken to support small businesses.

[Damian Hinds (East Hampshire) (Con)]

4. What recent fiscal steps he has taken to help high street businesses.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Osborne]

There is no danger of that. In the last few days, even the Labour Ministers who served with the shadow Chancellor are not prepared to follow his advice. The important point here is that we have supported a private sector recovery, small businesses are absolutely at the centre of that, and the Prime Minister yesterday, at the Federation of Small Businesses, reinforced the point that we are there to do more to help small businesses and we encourage them to come forward with ideas for the Budget.

[Damian Hinds]

Town centre businesses in Alton, Bordon and Petersfield will welcome the Government’s package of help for high streets. As many young people rely on local shops and cafés for their first job, will my right hon. Friend update the House on what he is doing to make it easier to employ those young people and give them the key skills that they need to get on in life?

[Mr Osborne]

This year, there is the help for the high street and the £1,000 support for business rates for our high street shops, cafés and pubs. We are also introducing the employment allowance, which will take many small businesses out of employer national insurance altogether. Next year, we have the removal of the jobs tax altogether when someone under the age of 21 is employed. That is what we are doing to help the many businesses that my hon. Friend so ably represents in Parliament.