Summary

  • MPs on the Treasury Committee took evidence on the 2016 Budget.

  • In the Chamber from 11.30am, MPs questioned the Foreign Office ministerial team.

  • There was an emergency debate on the UK steel industry.

  • There was a backbench business debate on reform of support arrangements for people infected with contaminated blood; followed by report stage of the Transport for London Bill.

  • Peers met at 2.30pm for questions; followed by the Immigration Bill, the Energy Bill and the Northern Ireland Bill.

  1. 'You need your own steel industry'published at 13:53

    UK steel industry debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Conservative MP Peter Bone says the UK steel industry is needed.

    "If there is some war in the future you need your own steel industry, otherwise you can't defend yourself," he argues.

    He blames the "unfair dumping" of cheap Chinese steel on the market, as well as "state aid rules from the EU".

  2. SNP: 'Credible strategy' neededpublished at 13:51

    UK steel industry debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    SNP employment spokesman Neil Gray

    SNP employment spokesman Neil Gray wants clarification of the government's position.

    During a Commons statement yesterday, Sajid Javid said that no option was being ruled out for the steel industry, when asked whether nationalisation or other forms of public investment were being considered.

    However, Mr Gray claims that Downing Street has been "briefing against" the business secretary and "saying nationalisation was not the answer".

    He adds: "There needs to be a credible strategy for manufacturing and heavy industry in the UK."

  3. 'I'm one of the people your government did this to'published at 13:36 British Summer Time 12 April 2016

    UK steel industry debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    David Anderson

    The Labour MP for Blaydon, David Anderson, intervenes on the business secretary to tell the House of his own experience of job losses in the coal industry.

    "I'm one of the people your government did this to 30 years ago when they closed the coal mines," he says.

    "You looked at the economics and didn't care about the social cost which has destroyed areas like mine," he adds.

    Sajid Javid tells him: "Where the government can help when there are job losses, of course it must do so."

  4. Job losses 'a human tragedy'published at 13:29 British Summer Time 12 April 2016

    UK steel industry debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Business Secretary Sajid Javid

    Business Secretary Sajid Javid says the steel industry has experienced a "devastating" downturn.

    "Across Europe, some 70,000 steelworkers have been laid off since 2008," he tells the House, adding: "This is more than just numbers. It is a human tragedy."

    He says the government provided help to the local community when Thai firm SSI closed its Redcar plant in October last year.

    The firm blamed a global slump in the value of steel for its decision.

  5. Ticking offpublished at 13:20 British Summer Time 12 April 2016

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  6. What is happening to the UK steel industry?published at 13:17 British Summer Time 12 April 2016

    UK steel industry debate

    Steel plantImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Tata Steel directly employs 15,000 workers in the UK

    Today's debate follows the announcement that Tata Steel is beginning the formal process of selling its loss-making UK plants.

    Thousands of workers in England and Wales risk losing their jobs if a deal to buy the plants cannot be struck.

    Yesterday it emerged that a deal has been signed to safeguard more than 4,000 jobs at Tata's steelworks at Scunthorpe.

  7. Steel industry facing 'an emergency'published at 13:15 British Summer Time 12 April 2016

    UK steel industry debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Angela EagleImage source, bb

    Angela Eagle thanks Speaker John Bercow for granting the debate at short notice.

    "Such debates are rare but the situation now facing the steel industry cannot be categorised as anything other than an emergency," the Labour frontbencher says.

    Ms Eagle calls on her counterpart, Business Secretary Sajid Javid, to present "a comprehensive plan to secure the future of our vital steel industry".

    She accuses the government of having "an ideologically-driven reluctance to get involved".

  8. Emergency debate beginspublished at 12:58 British Summer Time 12 April 2016

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Time now for the emergency debate on the UK steel industry, secured yesterday by Labour's Angela Eagle.

    During yesterday's session, the shadow business secretary used a Commons procedure, standing order 24, to request the debate.

    A sufficient number of MPs stood to indicate their support for Ms Eagle's request and the Speaker granted the debate.

    Under standing order 24, the debate takes place within 24 hours of the request, so today's Parliamentary business has been changed to accommodate it.

  9. Bill to control flares and fireworkspublished at 12:51 British Summer Time 12 April 2016

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Questions are over and Conservative MP Nigel Adams is introducing a bill to restrict the use of flares, fireworks and smoke bombs.

    Mr Adams says his bill aims to "prevent audience members at concerts and festivals from using dangerous pyrotechnics" which have caused burns and other injuries at concerts.

    The MP is introducing this private members' bill under the ten minute rule. He can make a speech of up to ten minutes' duration in support of it.

  10. Labour calls for public information on tax havenspublished at 12:33 British Summer Time 12 April 2016

    Foreign Office questions

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn

    Shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn returns to a topic which dominated Commons business yesterday: the financial transparency of tax havens including the UK's overseas territories.

    He asks why, following the prime minister's announcement that every territory apart from Anguilla and Guernsey will keep a register who owns of companies based there for tax reasons, these registers will not be made public.

    "If openness is good for the UK, why should we accept a different position from our overseas territories?" Mr Benn asks.

    Foreign Office Minister James Duddridge says Mr Benn should congratulate the government on "really suberb progess" towards transparency but adds that there is not yet an international standard.

  11. End of committee sessionpublished at 12:24 British Summer Time 12 April 2016

    Treasury Committee

    Select Committee
    Parliament

    Committee chair Andrew Tryie

    Committee chair Andrew Tryie notes that Paul Johnson had implied that "cuts in cash receipts are more painful than lengthening a waiting list for a hospital".

    Given this view he asks how Mr Johnson would structure the UK's finances.

    Mr Johnson says he "doesn't have a view as to what the right level of public spending cut or tax cuts will be".

    And with that the committee is brought to a close. 

  12. Two-state solution 'only option'published at 12:17 British Summer Time 12 April 2016

    Foreign Office questions

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Conservative MP David Mowat accuses Israel of showing "complete contempt for the notion of a two-state solution", consisting of Israeli and Palestinian states alongside each other.

    He calls for the government to update its policy to reflect "reality on the ground" in the Palestinian territories.

    Foreign Office Minister Tobias Elwood says the process towards such a settlement may be going "in another wrong direction" but "there is no other solution".

    Labour MP Louise Ellman alleges that Lebanon's Hezbollah movement is establishing a base in Syria "to fire Iranian ballistic missiles into Israel".

  13. Welfare cap not a 'meaningful target'published at 12:08 British Summer Time 12 April 2016

    Treasury Committee

    Select Committee
    Parliament

    Labour's Rachel Reeves tells the committee the OBR predicts that the government will "miss its own welfare cap in every year up to 2020-21 by a total of £21bn".

    She asks if the welfare cap "remains a meaningful target or cap".

    "No," Paul Johnson replies, "not in its current form".

    He says the fact the cap has been missed proves it is "not enough in itself to create the behaviour change it was meant to".

    A welfare cap is not "in principle wrong" however, he says.

  14. Budget makes 'very little' change to Panama style tax avoidancepublished at 12:06 British Summer Time 12 April 2016

    Treasury Committee

    Select Committee
    Parliament

    Wes Streeting repeats his question from the previous session, asking what difference the "anti avoidance measures in this Budget would make to what's come out in the Panama leaks".

    "Very little," Helen Miller, head of the Tax Sector at the IFS, replies.

    "A lot of the Panama leaks is on individual tax affairs," she points out; while the measures in the Budget were designed to tackle "multi-national tax avoidance".

    The Budget may make a difference "around the edges" she adds.

    Helen Miller, head of the Tax Sector at the IFSImage source, BBc
  15. Backbench disagreementpublished at 11:57 British Summer Time 12 April 2016

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  16. 'Mixing your own gin and tonic'published at 11:52 British Summer Time 12 April 2016

    Treasury Commitee

    Select Committee
    Parliament

    Jacob Rees-Mogg

    Jacob Rees-Mogg asks whether pre-mixed alcoholic drinks will be caught in the sugar tax.

    Paul Johnson replies that it is his understanding that the sugar tax only applies to soft drinks.

    The urbane Mr Rees-Mogg concludes this leads to the "rather splendid position that if you were to mix your own gin and tonic you will pay tax on the tonic, but not if you buy it pre-mixed".

  17. Salmond accuses ministers of 'fractious disunity'published at 11:49 British Summer Time 12 April 2016

    Foreign Office questions

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    SNP Europe spokesman Alex Salmond

    SNP Europe spokesman Alex Salmond asks what effect the Cabinet's "fractious disunity" does to the UK's image amongst European partners.

    Minister David Lidington argues it is right that there is a "licence for ministers who dissent" from the government's support of EU membership to express their views.

    You can found out where MPs and ministers stand on the referendum here.

  18. Johnson: Sugar tax passed on to consumerpublished at 11:48 British Summer Time 12 April 2016

    Treasury Committee

    Select Committee
    Parliament

    Conservative committee member Jacob Rees-Mogg asks if retailers will pass the cost of the sugar tax on to the consumer.

    "That would be the normal starting point," Paul Johnson replies, pointing out similar things have happened with alcohol taxes.

    "On average we will see fizzy drinks prices rise and on average it will raise to the amount of the sugar tax," he argues.

    Paul Johnson, head of IFS
  19. Regressive VAT?published at 11:44 British Summer Time 12 April 2016

    Treasury Committee

    Select Committee
    Parliament

    Conservative MP Mark Garnier tells the committee that indirect taxes - such as VAT-  "tend to hit the poor twice as hard as direct taxes".

    He asks "how should we change indirect charges to make it easier for the poor".

    The regressiveness of VAT depends on what "lens you look at VAT through" Paul Johnson replies.

    If you were to look at VAT compared to income you would see that poorer people "spend a greater proportion through VAT", but if you look at spending "which may be a greater measurement of overall welfare" there is a much "flatter distribution", he argues.

  20. Foreign Office questions beginpublished at 11:42 British Summer Time 12 April 2016

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    The day in the Commons begins with questions to Foreign Office ministers. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond is overseas and so absent from the Commons.

    Conservative David Warburton kicks things off by asking about the likely effect of the EU referendum on the UK's diplomatic relations.

    Mr Warburton thinks that "whatever the outcome" of June's EU vote, intelligence sharing with allies is vital to combat threats to the UK.

    Foreign Office Minister David Lidington agrees that "strong bilateral relationships" are still needed.