Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Nick Clegg and Aidan Burley

Wednesday 4th December 2013 Commons Chamber

[The Deputy Prime Minister]

I agree—and I am sure I speak on behalf of most people in all parts of the House—that it would be a spectacular act of economic suicide for the country to pull itself out of the world’s largest borderless single market. By some estimates, over 3 million jobs in this country are dependent, one way or another, on our membership of the European Union.

[Mr Aidan Burley (Cannock Chase) (Con)]

Q9. The people of Cannock Chase welcome the Government’s brave decision to introduce a cap on benefits, but when their average earnings are £23,900 a year before tax and the cap is set at the equivalent of an annual salary of £35,000 a year, they understandably still feel that people can be better off on benefits than in work. Will my right hon. Friend look at lowering the overall benefits cap or regionalising it, so that it always pays to work, wherever someone lives?

[The Deputy Prime Minister]

We have not taken an approach of regionalising the benefit cap—I know that is advocated by the Opposition, although very few details have been provided by them so far. We have taken a national approach, and we have therefore set the cap at a national average of £26,000 after tax, or the equivalent of £35,000 before. The vast majority of people in our country think that is fair: that people should not be able to receive in benefits more than they would gain if they were in work earning £35,000 before tax. As on so many issues, I would be very interested to know whether the Opposition now support or do not support this highly popular measure.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Nick Clegg and Aidan Burley

Tuesday 30th November 2010 Commons Chamber

[The Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr Speaker, they are enjoying asking their questions so much that they are not bothering to listen to the answer.

We believe in empowering individuals, communities and families to be able to do what they think is right to improve their lives in the way they think is best.

[Mr Aidan Burley (Cannock Chase) (Con)]

T8. On 26 October, the Deputy Prime Minister said that it was the Government’s“intention to set up a commission on the long-standing knotty problem of the West Lothian question by the end of the year.”—[Official Report, 26 October 2010; Vol. 517, c. 154.]Today—St Andrew’s day—can the Deputy Prime Minister update the House on the establishment of the commission, its make-up and its precise terms of reference?

[The Deputy Prime Minister]

As my hon. Friend knows, reference is made in the coalition agreement to the issue and to the commission that we want to set up to look into it. I am glad to confirm that the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Forest of Dean (Mr Harper), who is the Minister with responsibility for constitutional affairs, will be making a detailed announcement on the establishment of that commission before Christmas.