PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES - United Kingdom Parliament

65 Debate on the Address
9 MAY 2012
Debate on the Address
66
I would also like to see Jobcentre Plus devolved to
Wales, provided that the relevant budget was also devolved,
and there has been talk of that happening. The closer to
home that all these matters can be dealt with, the better.
The buzz word in European circles used to be “subsidiarity”.
The devolution of the jobcentre system to Wales would
be an example of subsidiarity at work. There was no
mention of it in the Queen’s Speech, but I understand
that there is talk of it happening. I can tell the House
that, if the system had been devolved, the Remploy
factories in Wales would not now be under threat; that
is for sure. I believe that that provides a stark example of
what not to do in such circumstances.
I do not see any one particular policy in the Gracious
Speech to develop economic growth, as the hon. Member
for Hartlepool (Mr Wright) said in a speech that
concentrated on that point. I think economic growth
should have been in there. That said, there are some
good elements in the Gracious Speech, and I look
forward to participating in the debates over the coming
months to strengthen some aspects and bring them
forward. There is, however, precious little to work on
when it comes to creating growth. I believe, as the hon.
Member for Hartlepool and others believe, that if cuts
are necessary, we need a parallel movement to increase
economic growth—otherwise we are tilting to just one
side. However, as I said, there are some good things in
this Queen’s Speech and I look forward to participating
in the debates over the coming weeks and months.
6.20 pm
Tony Baldry (Banbury) (Con): I think that Members
of all parties would endorse the support of the right
hon. Member for Dwyfor Meirionnydd (Mr Llwyd) for
the Queen’s Speech proposal to introduce legislation to
establish an independent adjudicator to ensure that
supermarkets deal fairly and lawfully with suppliers. That
is clearly one of many proposals that will have all-party
support.
In reflecting on the Queen’s Speech, it is probably
sensible to consider where we are and where we have
been. In recalling where we are, it is important to
remember that the Prime Minister’s party does not have
a parliamentary majority. After the general election, it
was clearly in the nation’s interest to form a coalition. A
coalition, however, requires compromise every day. To
govern, the Prime Minister has to agree policy initiatives
with a political party very different from his own. In
practice, the coalition is working a lot better than many
would have imagined. The fact is that the Conservative
party did not win enough seats or votes to enable us to
deliver all our manifesto pledges. The solution is not
to blame the coalition, but to seek to win more votes
next time.
Notwithstanding the challenges of the coalition, the
Government have, since the general election, embarked
on a vast reforming programme unprecedented in modern
times to reduce the structural deficit and to put through
reforms of the NHS that will enable GPs better to
design local NHS services for their patients. The
Government have reformed primary and secondary
education, introduced a new system of university tuition
fees and completely overhauled the welfare system to
ensure that as many people as possible can live responsible
and worthwhile lives free of state dependency. The
Government have capped housing benefit and passed
the European Union Act 2011 so that in future any
EU treaty that transfers powers to the European Union
will be subject to a referendum, and never again will a
Government be able to surrender sovereignty to Brussels
without the full consent of the British people. On
Europe, too, the Prime Minister and the Government
have vetoed the fiscal pact. Ministers have swept away
pages and pages of planning regulations, but in so
doing have still managed to protect the green belt, while
providing local councillors and local communities with
the opportunity to design and develop their own local
plans free of top-down Whitehall directives such as
regional spatial strategies.
The Government are introducing elected police
commissioners and reforming public sector pensions
thatwouldotherwisebecomeunaffordableandunsustainable.
Importantly, the Government have taken millions of the
low paid out of income tax and have cut corporation
tax. We inherited corporation tax at 28% , but by 2014, it
will be reduced to 22%. As a result, the UK will have the
lowest main corporation tax rate in the G7 and the
fourth lowest in the G20. To help businesses further, the
Government have introduced a £20 billion national loan
guarantee scheme to get cheaper loans to businesses.
These have been bold reforms and they have all been
achieved without a Conservative majority.
It is not only that the Prime Minister has had to
govern with a party that does not have a parliamentary
majority, as the second reality is that the Government
have no money—and it is not unreasonable to think
that a Government with no majority and no money will
have problems. We should never forget that the Labour
Government left Britain with a deficit that, at £160 billion,
was bigger than Greece’s. The Labour Government gave
us the longest and deepest recession on record, so that
we were one of the first countries into recession and one
of the last countries coming out of recession. We should
never forget the telling letter left to his successor by the
former Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the right hon.
Member for Birmingham, Hodge Hill (Mr Byrne):
“Chief Secretary, I’m afraid there is no money. Kind regards—and
good luck!”
That pithy 13-word message—whether it was tongue in
cheek or not—well summed up the 13 years of the Labour
Government.
Greg Mulholland (Leeds North West) (LD): Does my
hon. Friend think it important to remind the House and
the country that we are only two years into this historic
coalition Government, and considering the economic
mess that we were left, it is remarkable how many
positive things are in this Queen’s Speech?
Tony Baldry: Yes, this Government have probably
achieved more in two years than the Blair Government
achieved in the whole of the first term of the Blair
Government.
Gavin Shuker: Why does the hon. Gentleman believe
that we are in the first double-dip recession for 37 years?
Tony Baldry: The hon. Gentleman has just heard me
comment on the legacy of his Government, so I find it
extraordinary that he has the cheek and audacity to ask
such a question. The Labour Government left the country
with no money and the biggest debt crisis of our lifetime.