Results 1-20 of 780 for (in the 'Commons debates' OR in the 'Westminster Hall debates' OR in the 'Lords debates' OR in the 'Northern Ireland Assembly debates') speaker:John Thurso

Business, Innovation and Skills: Small and Medium-sized Businesses (12 Nov 2009)

John Thurso: Access to, and the cost of, bank credit remains a critical issue for many small and medium-sized businesses. However, the financial crisis has equally shown the need for better access to equity finance. In that regard, does the Minister agree that to address the equity gap we need to put in place mechanisms, including local enterprise funds and even regional stock exchanges, such as the very...

Economic Recovery (22 Oct 2009) has video

John Thurso: Those of us who were working or in business during the recessions in the '70s, '80s and '90s will remember not only the immense damage that was done to our businesses and the time it took to recover and get back to growth, but the social evils that followed from the unemployment caused at those times. Therefore, to me, securing economic recovery is of the first importance, not simply so that...

Economic Recovery (22 Oct 2009) has video

John Thurso: As is often the case, my party is represented by quality rather than quantity, which I might say. To return to financial stability and banking, the recession is a direct result of a financial crisis. The Government were absolutely right to launch a rescue. That is not to say that they are not culpable for the reasons why we arrived in that position—that is not today's debate—but...

Economic Recovery (22 Oct 2009) has video

John Thurso: The hon. Gentleman, who is my colleague on the Treasury Committee, tempts me into a debate for which I do not have time. Suffice it to say that I believe it possible to construct institutions in this country that can compete very effectively internationally. I think Glass-Steagall is old language. "Narrow bank" is also difficult language, but such banks would have a separation of functions...

Economic Recovery (22 Oct 2009) has video

John Thurso: The hon. Gentleman makes the point that I am coming to in a moment. We will be living beyond our means, and cuts in public expenditure are inevitable. We need a grown-up debate to decide where they should fall. Increases in taxation will almost certainly also be necessary. The really important thing is to get the recovery going to improve the employment situation. We need employment that...

Nato: Royal Mail (20 Oct 2009)

John Thurso: I am grateful to the Minister for the courtesy of an advance copy of his statement. As the Minister made clear, Royal Mail is no longer the essential business tool that it once was. The combination of electronic communications, growth in parcel delivery services and competition for business mail means that Royal Mail has a future only if it becomes competitive in that new environment. The...

Opposition Day — [18th Allotted Day]: Economic Recovery and Welfare (19 Oct 2009)

John Thurso: I, too, welcome this debate, as these are extremely important issues. I particularly welcome the opportunity to discuss unemployment, which is the most pernicious effect of recession. It is right to discuss not only what should be done in a crisis—what emergency measures are required—but what could and should be done to deal with unemployment in the longer term and what can be...

Opposition Day — [18th Allotted Day]: Economic Recovery and Welfare (19 Oct 2009)

John Thurso: I do, and I am even on record as having urged the Government to do that, although it may have been in the Treasury Committee rather than in the Chamber. The Government were, to a degree, taken by surprise, and the resource at the Treasury was not sufficient to undertake a great deal of extra work, so some of those details were missed out. There is an argument—I will not go into it in...

Opposition Day — [18th Allotted Day]: Economic Recovery and Welfare (19 Oct 2009)

John Thurso: The hon. Gentleman tempts me into a debate on Glass-Steagall, but I will not go into that given the time available. Canada is an interesting example to study, not least because of the banking problems that it had already suffered and the regulatory changes that it had made. There are as many people in favour of narrow banking as there are those who take the opposite view. It is a valid...

Opposition Day — [18th Allotted Day]: Economic Recovery and Welfare (19 Oct 2009)

John Thurso: Indeed I can, but I will not be drawn into that debate when there is much else to say. I suggest that the right hon. Gentleman take a look at the Treasury Committee's report on the subject, which explains it extremely well; it is to do with the banks' business model and the functioning of the capital markets. The purpose of financial services is not to spin round in self-interested...

Opposition Day — [18th Allotted Day]: Economic Recovery and Welfare (19 Oct 2009)

John Thurso: My party leader has pointed out, very honestly, that we cannot sustain the level of public expenditure to which this Government are committed over the long term, and that if we are to deal with the structural deficit, we will almost certainly need to cut public expenditure. Furthermore, he and my hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham have set out a range of possibilities as to where those...

Opposition Day — [18th Allotted Day]: Economic Recovery and Welfare (19 Oct 2009)

John Thurso: Well, I would get rid of the regulations to do with the water directive, because of the impact that they have on whisky in particular; I would get rid of the sheep tagging regulations that are coming down the track and I would improve the system; and I would amend the slaughterhouse regulations to allow more British slaughterhouses to operate. The hon. Gentleman has succeeded in making me...

Opposition Day — [18th Allotted Day]: Economic Recovery and Welfare (19 Oct 2009)

John Thurso: Absolutely, and one of the most pernicious things in our culture at the moment is the fact that people seem to have failed to understand that risk is made up of two factors. It is the severity of the consequence multiplied by the probability of its occurrence. If that consideration were applied properly, many of the risks that people are asked to mitigate, at great cost, might well not affect...

Opposition Day — [18th Allotted Day]: Economic Recovery and Welfare (19 Oct 2009)

John Thurso: My hon. Friend is absolutely right. A number of European countries already have that enshrined in their legislation. When I was running a business in Paris 20 years ago, there were clear distinctions between businesses that had fewer than 50 employees and businesses that had more. I would happily see that principle adopted. My party made three proposals to deal with the problem in a policy...

Opposition Day — [18th Allotted Day]: Economic Recovery and Welfare (19 Oct 2009)

John Thurso: That is a possibility, but it really depends on where we are to put the point of contact. I cannot believe that it is beyond the wit of man—I know of examples of this happening in other countries—to have, at local government level, somebody who is the basic point of contact. With the vast bulk of regulation, it is not terribly difficult to assess whether someone is generally...

Oral Answers to Questions — Scotland: Oil and Gas Fields (14 Oct 2009) has video

John Thurso: Does the Secretary of State agree that one of the major opportunities for companies that are currently engaged sub-sea in oil and gas is to work sub-sea on tidal and offshore wind? Does he share my disappointment that the Crown Estate has yet again delayed its announcement of licences to February, and what can he do to encourage it to be more expeditious?

Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism: UK Manufacturing (9 Jul 2009) has video

John Thurso: May I begin by reiterating the written apology that I have made to you, Mr. Speaker, and through you, to the House? I may have to leave a few minutes before the end of the debate, although our timing is such that I hope to be able to stay for the full debate. There is no doubt that UK manufacturing has been going through a particularly difficult time and has been deeply affected by the...

Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism: UK Manufacturing (9 Jul 2009) has video

John Thurso: I am happy to welcome that development in Campbeltown. The danger is that other countries will see what we are doing and latch on to the technology. How often in the past has British innovation become somebody else's production? We must not lose the opportunity; the threat is that things will go elsewhere. I make a plea to the Government, and I am meeting Ministers at the Department of Energy...

Oral Answers to Questions — Prime Minister: Reforming Financial Markets (8 Jul 2009)

John Thurso: At the beginning of his statement the Chancellor mentioned the importance of competition. Does he accept that the shotgun marriage that he oversaw of Lloyds with HBOS was bad for competition, as well as proving to be a bad deal for both the shareholders and the taxpayer? Will he now do the honourable thing and oversee an amicable divorce?

Oral Answers to Questions — Home Department: MG Rover (6 Jul 2009)

John Thurso: The decision to make a referral in this way raises extremely serious questions—not least, as has already been mentioned, concerning the manner in which the original investment decisions were taken, and what due diligence may or may not have been undertaken with regard both to the deal itself and to those involved in it. It also raises some fairly serious questions about what...