Oral Answers to Questions

Greg Mulholland Excerpts

Thursday 6th March 2014 Commons Chamber

[Matthew Hancock]

As I have said, we are including apprentices in procurement contracts through Crossrail and High Speed 2. We will also be establishing a nuclear college, so that it will be local people who, through apprenticeships, ensure that Britain maintains the skills that will enable us to build infrastructure such as the new civil nuclear power stations.

[Greg Mulholland (Leeds North West) (LD)]

For every pound spent on an apprentice, £18 is invested in the economy. Will the Minister join me in welcoming the £16 million new facility at Leeds College of Building, which will deliver apprenticeships for 7,500 students and will make a huge difference to apprenticeships in the city?

[Matthew Hancock]

I have been to Leeds to see what is being done with apprenticeships. Building colleges for building is an important part of ensuring that we can build our buildings in the future, and using apprenticeships to do that is an important way of improving and retaining skills, but, crucially, it also gives thousands of young people a chance to obtain the skills that they need in order to hold a sustainable job and have a secure future.

--- Later in debate ---

[Vince Cable]

I confess that I have not yet absorbed the significance of that statement. We will certainly consider it.

[Greg Mulholland (Leeds North West) (LD)]

The House is awaiting the response to the BIS consultation on pub companies, but now that the London Economics research has been exposed as fundamentally flawed and does not follow the brief given to it by BIS, and the firm has charged £26,000 for fieldwork that did not take place, will my right hon. Friend ignore this bunkum and listen to the Federation of Small Businesses’ research, which shows that the market rent-only option would benefit the UK economy by £78 million?

[Jenny Willott]

As my hon. Friend knows, responses to last year’s Government consultation numbered in the thousands. We are looking at all the evidence that was put before us, including the research he mentioned. We also received evidence from thousands of individual tenants who contacted us to tell us about their circumstances and the impact the proposed measures could have on their business. We are looking at all of that and will bring forward proposals shortly.