Extract from Lords
consideration of the Environmental Protection (Plastic Plates
etc. and Polystyrene Containers etc.) (England) Regulations
2023
of Hardington Mandeville
(LD): My Lords, I thank the Minister for his introduction to this
statutory instrument. Having been around for the previous SI on
the banning of microbeads in washable products and plastic straws
and stirrers, there are familiar elements. Although single-use
plastic straws are already banned, reusable plastic straws are
readily available in some bigger supermarkets
Having bought a packet of these for my granddaughter, I can see
that they are not reusable due to the difficulty in cleaning
them, and that they have a very limited shelf life...
To read the whole debate, CLICK HERE
Extract from Treasury
Questions
(Liverpool, West Derby) (Lab):
What fiscal steps he plans to take to help reduce the impact of
recent increases in the cost of living on households.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer (): We know the pain that
households up and down the country are going through as a result
of the cost of living pressures at the moment, and have announced
one of the largest support packages in Europe, worth around
£3,300 per household this year and last.
: The latest report from Which?
highlights that even supermarkets’ own budget
brands of food have increased in price by 26.6%. There are
security locks on baby formula milk, at the same time as
corporations are making vast profits. The Government have signed
up to the United Nations’ sustainable development goal of
eradicating poverty by 2030. Surely, in the light of those
commitments, now is the time for the Chancellor to act. Will he
cap essential food prices and tackle the grotesque profiteering
in the food industry that is driving many of my constituents in
Liverpool, West Derby into poverty?
: I totally respect the hon.
Gentleman for raising the concerns of his constituents in the way
that he has done. I do not believe that capping prices is the
right long-term solution, but we are doing a lot, including
payments of £900 per household for people on means-tested
benefits, £150 for households with someone disabled living in
them and £300 for households with pensioners living in them,
precisely because we want to help the people that the hon.
Gentleman is talking about. I will be meeting the regulators next
week to talk further about what needs to be done with respect to
supermarkets
Extract from remaining
stages (Commons) of the Finance (No.2) Bill
(Vale of Glamorgan) (Con):...I
know that my remarks sound a bit facetious, but I do not mean
them to be. I want to give full credit to the Exchequer
Secretary, who has engaged and explained the reason for the
difference in duty. It is to stop large outlets such as supermarkets
choosing to serve alcohol on the premises and thereby benefiting
from the lower duty. I recognise that that is a risk. Smaller
shops such as corner shops could also try to apply for a licence
to serve alcohol on the premises. That would change the nature of
consuming alcohol. We like pubs because people can drink on the
premises in the safe and healthy environment that I described...
Extract from
Westminster Hall debate on Co-operatives and Alternative
Businesses: Local Authority Support
(Glasgow South West)
(SNP):...How vital is that service? The saving for a weekly shop
using one of these Good Food larders is on average £20 a week,
but we had an example just this week from the Linthouse Larder. A
couple who go to a regular supermarket
calculated their weekly shop at £80; using the larder, their
weekly shopping is now £30. We not only need to promote the great
work of co-operatives, we also need to look at supermarkets’
excess profits, and we should be debating whether companies that
are making excess profits should perhaps be contributing a bit
more in the taxation system...
...Co-operatives provide a vital service to those struggling
through the crisis. The soaring food prices in supermarkets
are a clear example of why we need organisations that prioritise
fairness and support local communities. This cost of greed crisis
is a stark reminder of the danger of companies that sell
essential supplies prioritising profit margins above all else...
To read the whole debate, OPEN HERE
