On the 14th July 2015, Jo Churchill spoke in the Budget Debate.
Mrs Churchill said: " I want first to add a few notes of caution to what was said last week, and I would like to ask my right hon. Friend the Chancellor what he is going to do to address these concerns.
Our national living wage goes further than the SNP’s pledge to increase the minimum wage to £8.70 by 2020 and further than the Labour party’s pledge of an £8 minimum wage, but a number of my constituents have contacted me and said that such a steep rise will put a strain on their businesses. In particular, small shops and rural post offices will find it difficult. Many argue that the higher costs will not be paid for through redundancy, but through higher prices for the consumer. Many small and medium-sized enterprises are already working with minimal staff, and hope alone will not increase their turnover. My family-run local baker suggests that his wage bill will increase by 2020 by £2,000 a week. He is working, as the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent South (Robert Flello) put it, speaking from the back of the Chamber, that 60-hour or 70-hour week. Small business owners run this country and they work hard....
My second area of concern is about the delivery of adult care. Many of my constituents are elderly; indeed, one of my wards has the highest longevity in the country, but a great number of people are required to care for them. Many of these carers are over 25 and occupy some of the lowest-paid jobs in our economy. They will receive the enhanced living wage. The care is essentia. It keeps many constituents in their own homes, living independently and not putting a strain on the NHS. But adult social care is feeling the strain, as are private providers, and their ability to absorb costs is challenging. Where statutory obligations place pressure on businesses, adult care and nurseries providing childcare, to name but two."
For a full hansard transcript, please go to: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201516/cmhansrd/cm150714/debtext/150714-0004.htm#15071446003293