Speeches by Dickson.

“That is helpful.”

“One of the barriers that is suggested by consumers, particularly those on low incomes, is that you do not always have the products they need—for instance, small-sum loans for people in emergency situations who need a loan quickly because of a life event. It could be something seemingly small but major for the individua…”

“The strategy places a certain amount of reliance on the notion of total signposting. Obviously, we applaud the idea of trying to create as much transparency as possible around products so that people can choose what is suitable for them. How will you understand whether people are actually getting the cover that they ne…”

“Picking up on your conversation with Mr Glen, which touched on affordable credit and credit generally, the financial inclusion strategy was clear that 22% of people who apply for credit are turned down. A further 10%, at least, do not apply at all because they do not think they would be eligible. Why is it such a large…”

“Will we see regular figures, so that we can understand whether that is successful?”

“Does anyone have anything to add?”

“Will there be some follow-up work to understand whether people are self-excluding? That would help us to understand whether people are being missed by the market.”

“May I express my support for the Government’s handling of the events this weekend? I am grateful for the Prime Minister’s clarity today that international law is paramount and that priority is being given to the safety of UK citizens. Does he agree with me, however, that this will end only when Iran, the US and allies …”

“Sir Robert, there was speculation back in the day when you were chairing the OBR, though perhaps not to the same extent as we saw in November. What was your sense of what happened with speculation prior to the Budget, and how did you manage it? Do you have any suggestions for how we can make sure it is reduced and mana…”

“Do you think that speculation generally is a symptom of the way in which the pre-measures forecast process works? Are there some lessons that you would look for us to learn about the interaction that the pre-measures forecast represents, and how to do it better so that we do not get some of this speculation, which is c…”

“I have a couple of questions about the speculation prior to the November Budget. I think most observers saw it as being more speculated about than many past Budgets. Indeed, you wrote a letter to Dame Meg just before the Budget in which you talked about the “unusual volume of speculation” around the pre-measures proces…”

“Great to hear.”

“Just quickly, I believe this Government have a very good record of putting investment into infrastructure, and it would be a shame if some of the consequences of that around the ability to use that infrastructure prevented it from contributing to economic growth in the way that the Government would wish it to, as we mi…”

“Something that significantly affects the Kent economy, and therefore my constituents, is transport across the county. I understand from London St Pancras High Speed—the railway that runs from London, across Kent and over to France and beyond—that its rateable value is increasing from £25 million to £75 million from Apr…”

“Would you see that resulting in a geographical shift in the pattern of investment, as a result of changing, effectively, the criteria by which investment gets approved in the Treasury?”

“It is good to see the arrival of the new version of the Green Book. A previous criticism was of an over-reliance on benefit-cost ratios as a pass or fail, rather than taking a more rounded view. The Chancellor said that she thinks the new Green Book may well unlock billions in investment for the north. What would succe…”

“Do we expect that to significantly increase affordability for the young people who really need to get that step on to the housing ladder soon, if possible?”

“Obviously, the dream of home ownership for young people has receded over the last 15 years or so. We have seen house prices consistently rise faster than incomes. As the Chair has said, Minister Pennycook, you have been on record recently in the Financial Times saying that, as more units and homes are built, you think …”

“Thank you. That is very helpful.”

“It will potentially be this year.”