Proposed Public Expenditure Cuts Debate

Full Debate: Read Full Debate
Department: HM Treasury

Proposed Public Expenditure Cuts

Dan Byles Excerpts
Monday 13th September 2010

(13 years, 8 months ago)

Commons Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts

Urgent Questions are proposed each morning by backbench MPs, and up to two may be selected each day by the Speaker. Chosen Urgent Questions are announced 30 minutes before Parliament sits each day.

Each Urgent Question requires a Government Minister to give a response on the debate topic.

This information is provided by Parallel Parliament and does not comprise part of the offical record

George Osborne Portrait Mr Osborne
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

As I was saying in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Colchester (Bob Russell), we are keen to ensure that the tax gap is reduced and that Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs is an organisation that is able to collect that tax that is due to us all. Unfortunately, as has been well documented in recent days, we have inherited a whole string of problems, including 6 million people being given the wrong tax information under the previous Government. We are putting in place the measures that I believe will improve HMRC and enable it to focus on reducing that tax gap.

Dan Byles Portrait Dan Byles (North Warwickshire) (Con)
- Hansard - -

Does the Chancellor agree with the right hon. Member for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath (Mr Brown), who said in 1996:

“Losing control of public spending doesn’t help the poor”?

George Osborne Portrait Mr Osborne
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

It is not often that I say this, but I agree with the right hon. Member for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath on that. Maybe one day he will turn up in the House of Commons and explain what he meant.