National Insurance (Contributions) Bill

New clause 3 brings forward an important initiative announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancel...

I congratulate my hon. Friend on introducing this proposal. How much will it cost and how many yo...

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his question. The details of the costings can be seen in the ...

Will the Minister clarify whether the years in which employers do not pay contributions for peopl...

Yes; this will not make any change in that regard. It is worth bearing in mind that the changes r...

There has been considerable criticism that there has not been a significant take-up of the wage i...

Our motivation—and, I am sure, that of any sensible Government—is to do everything we can to addr...

It is probably worth considering the fact that a lot of businesses, particularly retail businesse...

My hon. Friend makes an important point. We have to set this in the context of a range of Governm...

This might be a trivial drafting point, but will the Minister explain exactly what age he is talk...

The exemption is available up to, but not including, the month in which the employee turns 21. I ...

I wish to speak to amendment (a) to new clause 3. I welcome the Minister’s explanation of the thi...

Welcome though the measure surely is, does my hon. Friend not feel, as I do, that with almost 1 m...

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for her intervention and agree with her entirely. I was going to ...

I am sure that my hon. Friend will agree that the idea of a jobs guarantee has been proposed not ...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The Government’s Youth Contract has been branded a failure by...

If I heard the hon. Lady correctly, she said that she wanted the cut in the jobs tax to be brough...

It does not represent a flip-flop, as the hon. Gentleman well knows. It would not be a debate on ...

I am someone who looks at a glass of milk as being half full, not half empty, and I think that th...

Our debate in Committee on the wider aspects of the Bill made it clear that employers may well us...

Would the hon. Lady at least like to join me in welcoming the fact that youth unemployment in her...

I believe that relates to the claimant count, which is not always the same as youth unemployment,...

Just give the Government some credit.

I have two things to say to that. Is it a good thing that youth unemployment—or the claimant coun...

I am sorry to hear that the hon. Lady’s approach to what the Government are doing is one of, “Bah...

It is indeed Christmas and, given that many families up and down this country will be struggling ...

First, I thank hon. Members for welcoming the proposal. I am grateful to the hon. Member for Birm...

I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.

With this it will be convenient to discuss the following:

Government new clause 5—Limited l...

New clause 4 is needed as it addresses a tax issue arising under existing partnership tax rules w...

I am grateful to the Minister for that helpful explanation of new clauses 4 and 5, and particular...

I thank the hon. Lady for her support for these measures. Detailed proposals in the form of draft...

I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.

With this it will be convenient to discuss

New clause 2—Administrative and compliance costs...

Given that I am still relatively new to my shadow Treasury brief, I am not yet—as hon. Members wh...

The hon. Lady earlier made the breathtaking assertion that although the Labour party was proudly ...

I will repeat exactly what I said to the hon. Gentleman when we had this debate in Committee: we ...

Does the hon. Lady accept that she can comment on the previous scheme precisely because the Gover...

It would be helpful for the review to be in the Bill, as it would concentrate the Government’s mi...

The hon. Lady makes an interesting argument, but who would be responsible for carrying out such a...

In evidence to the Committee, the FSB said it would survey its members again anyway. The Governme...

The hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood (Shabana Mahmood) said that she is not yet suffering fro...

Although I understand the Minister’s position, given all the variables that will determine the nu...

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right: the measure will release substantial amounts of money and...

Does the Minister accept that there is at least some value both in looking at the geographical ta...

Let me return to my earlier remarks and the commitment I made in Committee, which I have repeated...

I am grateful to the Minister for his comments on my new clauses 1 and 2, particularly for the ad...

I beg to move, That the Bill be now read the Third time.

I thank all Members for the valuab...

First, may I join the Minister in paying tribute to all the members of our Bill Committee, who he...

Does the hon. Lady wish to put on record in this Chamber that she regrets that Labour did not bri...

As the hon. Gentleman knows, we had exactly the same line of questioning in the Bill Committee an...

I start by thanking the hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood (Shabana Mahmood), if I may, for her...

I want to make a short contribution to the debate, because I think that the Government are introd...

I, too, congratulate the Government on bringing forward this important Bill. It was a pleasure to...

The hon. Gentleman is making a good point. Does he agree that the businesses he is describing fin...

The hon. Gentleman makes a vital point. The great thing about this initiative is that it is very ...

New clause 3 was a fantastic Christmas present to members of the Bill Committee and a big boost f...