Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Social Welfare
Questions: On new year’s eve, my constituent Jamie Rees suffered a cardiac arrest and died, quite simply because the nearest defibrillator was not available—it was locked up in a school building at the time. In his memory, Jamie’s mum, Naomi Rees-Issitt, has set up a JustGiving page called “OurJay” to provide externally mounted defibrillators in and around Rugby, but she points out, quite reasonably, that it should not be left to grieving families to provide them and there should not be a postcode lottery in their availability. What funding can the Government provide to make more defibrillators available?; I am not sure whether there is much point in indulging in a blame game against the Bank of England or the Treasury, given that we are facing the unprecedented attack of a global pandemic and war in Europe. The fact remains that conservative Governments who have increased taxation during recession—such as those led by the first George Bush or John Major—go down to defeat. More importantly, millions of families are now desperately worried about how they will pay their bills. Will the Chancellor now say that his absolute priority, coming up to the Budget, is to reduce the overall tax burden on working families?; I have 14 vineyards in my constituency of Wealden. This is a growing industry in rural areas. I am grateful to the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury for meeting me recently, but may I urge her and the Chancellor to meet my vineyard owners, face to face, to hear their anxieties over the Treasury’s plans to hike tax on wine, which will create more red tape by increasing the number of rates of duty from three to 27? This industry creates thousands of jobs and it needs nurturing, so may I please propose a visit to one of my vineyards in Wealden?; Speaking of broad shoulders, I am interested to know what makes the Chancellor, one of the richest men in the Commons and, indeed, in the UK, in any way qualified to make policy or to help the poorest people in my constituency who, as a result of the Tory cost of living crisis, have to choose between heating and eating, which he and others like him will never have to face?; Labour has uncovered £3.5 billion-worth of covid contracts that were awarded to Tory-linked firms. Last week, Dominic Cummings said that bungs were paid, with no civil service oversight, to newspapers. Why on earth does the Chancellor think the British public should trust him with the public finances when he manages the economy with the Prime Minister’s mantra, “One rule for us, one rule for everyone else”?; Compared with April 2020, our energy bills are now 75% more expensive and petrol is 50% more expensive. If the Chancellor thought an extra £20 a week was needed for universal credit two years ago, surely he agrees it must be reinstated as a matter of urgency?; The Foreign Secretary is about to make a statement regarding unilateral changes to the Northern Ireland protocol that risk unpicking the trade and co-operation agreement and a trade war with the European Union. I understand that the Chancellor had been a voice for restraint and caution in Cabinet. Why has his view not prevailed?; The Chancellor called the reduction in fuel duty in the spring statement “a tax cut…for hard-working families.”—[Official Report, 23 March 2022; Vol. 711, c. 338.]Why are those families paying more for a litre of petrol today than they were then?; It is not only households that are impacted by the cost of living emergency; businesses in North Shropshire are facing unimaginable and unmanageable increases in their fuel bills and other input costs, and this has been compounded by the national insurance tax rise imposed by this Government and paid by employers. Does the Chancellor agree that the increase in national insurance for employers should be scrapped to keep our small businesses in business?
Rishi Sunak (Conservative, Centre-right): Whether it is expansion of the school breakfast club programme, the holiday activities and food programme or healthy start vouchers, this Government are supporting families in meeting the costs of food, particularly at this difficult time. The hon. Gentleman rightly talks about children growing up in poverty. The best way to support those children is to ensure that they do not grow up in a household where no one is working, and I am proud that, thanks to the actions of Conservative Governments, half a million fewer children are now growing up in a workless household.