Local Government Finance

Debate between Valerie Vaz and Greg Clark

Thursday 17th December 2015 Commons Chamber

[Greg Clark]

I am keen to see a deal in that great county. I know that discussions are at an advanced stage. I do not think it is going to be an early Christmas present for my hon. Friend, but I hope that early in the new year, the good people of Yorkshire will agree to take on the powers and resources on offer through our devolution programme.

[Valerie Vaz (Walsall South) (Lab)]

A merry Christmas to you, Mr Speaker, and thank you for calling me earlier. I am afraid I came into the House after the start of the statement, so I did not deserve to be called in that way.

In Walsall South, libraries are closing, there is a disproportionate cut to the public health budget, and it is difficult to recruit and retain social workers. Will the Secretary of State confirm that under the settlement that he has just announced, all those services will be protected and there will be no need for further cuts in those areas?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Valerie Vaz and Greg Clark

Thursday 26th March 2015 Commons Chamber

[Valerie Vaz (Walsall South) (Lab)]

6. What recent estimate he has made of the average level of indebtedness of people who have taken out student loans.

[The Minister for Universities, Science and Cities (Greg Clark)]

A graduate with a student loan of £41,000 will expect to earn during their career, net of tax and student loan repayments, £200,000 more than a similar individual with two or more A-levels. That is why more young people than ever are choosing to go to university, with the biggest jump coming from people from the most disadvantaged backgrounds.

[Valerie Vaz]

The fact remains that young people will be leaving university with an unsecured debt of over £43,000. Does the Minister agree that this will place an intolerable strain on middle-income families?

[Greg Clark]

No. In fact, the success of the Government’s policy reforms are reflected in the hon. Lady’s own constituency. In October 2009, 20.8% of young people in her constituency went to university, whereas this October it was 30.2%—nearly a 50% increase. What is extraordinary is that a day before the general election campaign begins, the Labour party has not worked out how to pay for its university policies. Labour’s chaos would plunge the successful policy that we have introduced into chaos—a very good reason not to have a Labour Government.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Valerie Vaz and Greg Clark

Thursday 12th February 2015 Commons Chamber

[Greg Clark]

We have not ignored it. In fact, I had the privilege of attending the Agri-Tech Leadership Council, which involved many of our key players across the food and drink industry and my colleague, the Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Norfolk (George Freeman) and the Minister in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Lord de Mauley. We met representatives of the industry precisely to plan and implement the strategy that the sector wants to put forward.

[Valerie Vaz (Walsall South) (Lab)]

10. What recent assessment he has made of the availability of finance for small firms and the level of lending by banks to small businesses.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Valerie Vaz and Greg Clark

Tuesday 29th January 2013 Commons Chamber

[Valerie Vaz (Walsall South) (Lab)]

11. What recent assessment he has made of the extent of underemployment in the work force.

[The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Greg Clark)]

The latest assessment was given in last week’s employment figures and showed that 90% of new jobs created were full time, and that the number of involuntary part-time workers fell by 23,000.

[Valerie Vaz]

The Minister will know that 70% of the jobs that have been created—the new jobs—are part time. The Office for National Statistics has said that 3.5 million people are underemployed. Is the figure of one in 10 people underemployed rising or falling?

[Greg Clark]

The hon. Lady is not quite right. In fact, the greater number of jobs created have been full time rather than part time. It is important to understand that the term “underemployment” refers to people who would like more hours even if they are employed full time. The fact is that 90% of people in work say they do not want any more hours. Most of the rise happened before the election. Since the election, the number of full-time jobs has increased faster than the number of part-time jobs.