Speeches by Grady.

“I have two brief questions, if I may, following that. Presumably any simplification of the tax code makes the implementation of Making Tax Digital easier. The simpler it is, the less work there is in devising the IT to support it.”

“The Chancellor may be able to learn a bit about emergency spending cuts from the Scottish Government in Holyrood, who have had three years of emergency spending cuts. Does the Chancellor agree that it is essential to engage with large economies like China so that we can export our brilliant financial services sector an…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Lewell-Buck, as you are from South Shields—I have some family there too and it is a wonderful place. I thank the hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (John Lamont) for securing today’s important debate; he spoke eloquently about transport in his constitu…”

“As my dear friends tussle, I want to make a minor point. The Conservative Government were in power for 14 years until July, and the SNP Government have been in power in Holyrood for about 18 years. It is quite remarkable for the hon. Member to criticise a Government who have been in power for just six months and have b…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Vaz. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Livingston (Gregor Poynton) for securing this debate, and for his excellent survey of the considerable benefits of the Budget for Scotland. On economic forecasts, I am a somewhat boring Member of Parliament—I like to read the …”

“No, I will not. Time is marching on, and many people wish to speak. The SNP cannot be trusted with public money—remember that this is the public’s money. People in Glasgow East face much higher income tax rates than their counterparts in England because of the SNP Government’s mistakes. As my friend, the Scottish Labou…”

“Q7. Recent data shows that almost 11,000 Scots have been waiting more than two years for hospital treatment since their referral. The equivalent number in England is around 113. Does the Prime Minister agree that that shows the catastrophic damage the SNP Government have done to the Scottish NHS?”

“Like many on the Government Benches, I have spent many years of my career in business—in my case, as a lawyer. I have worked with some of the largest companies investing in the United Kingdom and some of the smallest companies in the country, such as charities, third sector organisations and others. What they value mos…”

“There is a paradox there, is there not? With larger transactions with your credit card you get consumer protections, and you lose those if you pay directly with your bank. That is for another day, perhaps. Another interesting point in your written evidence is that you talk about active management of a transition away f…”

“I am taking from that that you are not seeing a pattern among your members where, as a group—say, 60%—they are saying, “We want to actively move away from cash”? It is a mixed bag.”

“I want to pick up on what Mr Borkett said about the lack of certainty about the future of cash in the longer term, which means people will not necessarily invest in the cash mechanisms. But cash is a competitor to the card systems, is it not? Is there a risk that, with the lack of certainty about cash, unlike in other …”

“Are you seeing groups of retailers, or shall we say a reasonable body of retailers, actively managing their operations away from cash?”

“That makes sense to me. In your evidence you also say that cash usage is gradually declining, but it is expected to remain a significant payment method for at least five years. What happens at the end of five years?”

“I am mindful of time, so that is enough from me.”

“In your written evidence, you say that payment methods are diversifying. Could you just talk us through a bit what you mean by that?”

“Do you have a feel for when you think this would hit the smaller stores that you look after?”

“Is there a point at which the cost of accepting cash overrides the wish of your members to serve their customers by accepting cash? Is there a point at which your members would say, “We just can’t afford to accept cash; relatively, it is better to accept card”?”

“Mr Lowman, are the operational costs of accepting cash for your members increasing, decreasing or staying the same?”

“In 2022, your survey found that half of market operators no longer carried out cash collection from stalls. What is the trend? Is it still reducing? Are these markets going cashless, or are traders making their own cash handling arrangements?”

“I should first mention that I am a member of USDAW, and of course, Ms Aspin works for USDAW. I should also mention that my first job was on a market stall, when I was 14, and it was a brilliant job; I would still say it is the best job I have ever had until this one. Mr Wilson, just a few quick-fire questions: in 2020 …”