← Back to House of Commons Debates
Economic Outlook and Furlough Scheme Changes
16 June 2020
Lead MP
Jesse Norman
Debate Type
Ministerial Statement
Tags
NHSEmployment
Other Contributors: 49
At a Glance
Jesse Norman raised concerns about economic outlook and furlough scheme changes in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Government Statement
The Government’s priority during the pandemic has been protecting the NHS and saving lives, alongside supporting people, jobs and businesses. The economy contracted by a record 20.4% in April due to lockdown measures. However, external forecasters like OECD highlight that the swift action taken by the government through schemes such as the CJRS (coronavirus job retention scheme) has limited adverse impacts, protecting nearly 9 million jobs and over 1 million businesses. The CJRS will be extended until October, allowing for part-time work during this period to avoid a cliff edge. The government is focusing on planning for recovery with measures to grow the economy, back businesses, and boost skills.
Anneliese Dodds
Lab Co-op
Oxford East
Question
The shadow criticises the government's response as slow and confused, highlighting the large reduction in GDP and unemployment data. She questions the one-size-fits-all approach to furlough and self-employed schemes and calls for a back-to-work Budget.
Minister reply
The minister thanks the hon. Lady for her comments but notes that she praised the Government's tripartite working on schemes earlier. He acknowledges the work done with hospitality and leisure industries, demonstrating a more differentiated approach.
Mel Stride
Con
Central Devon
Question
The MP recognises the considerable support provided but highlights gaps for over 1 million people who should qualify for furlough or self-employed support. He asks the minister to look closely at Treasury Committee report recommendations and take action.
Minister reply
The minister thanks his right hon. Friend for his comments and acknowledges the constraints under which the government operated in bringing schemes into play. He assures that they will consider the report’s constructive suggestions carefully.
Alison Thewliss
SNP
Glasgow Central
Question
While the support under the schemes, including the coronavirus job retention scheme, is welcome, many of those who have not been supported still stand. The Treasury Committee agrees that the 1 million who have been left out of this support have been left out due to Government's choice and further issues remain about maternity, refugees, and those with no recourse to public funds. Will the Minister now accept winding up the furlough scheme is a significant risk and will put people out of jobs? Will he extend it beyond October for sectors that are particularly pressed? Will he look at extending the self-employed support scheme, as many of those people will still require support on an ongoing basis because their work is no longer there?
Minister reply
The job retention scheme has supported nearly 9 million people and 1.1 million businesses, while the self-employed scheme has supported 2.3 million individuals at a cost of £6.8 billion. Both schemes were brought in at record speed precisely to address critical needs and target support on vulnerable groups. The Minister believes these measures have been effective despite challenges.
Richard Graham
Con
Gloucester
Question
Getting skills is the key to employment opportunities for the young, proposing that the Government should shoulder the entire costs of the first year of all new apprenticeships awarded this autumn.
Minister reply
The Minister agrees on the importance of apprenticeships and highlights efforts in Hereford towards a new model combining higher education and further education. The Budget has been very supportive of further education, with the Education and Skills Funding Agency publishing guidance in this area.
Edward Davey
Lib Dem
Kingston and Surbiton
Question
Will the Treasury Minister confirm that the Government are considering reversing their previous opposition to onshore wind farms in England and Wales, tidal power investment, zero-carbon homes regulation, and green economic policies?
Minister reply
The Minister acknowledges that an opportunity exists for a big recalibration of green infrastructure with colleagues in the Treasury. The government has supported the green economy but is open to further measures.
David Amess
Con
Southend West
Question
Some 290,000 people in the theatre and performing arts are really struggling financially at the moment. Will the Treasury look at extending the job retention scheme at least until October, and at extending the self-employed income support scheme?
Minister reply
The job retention scheme runs until October and the self-employed scheme covers that period as well. The Minister acknowledges this is a source of great concern and notes the arts have been supported by these schemes.
Chris Elmore
Lab
Bridgend
Question
Will the Minister announce a specific sector deal for the aviation sector to support highly skilled, well-paid jobs across the UK?
Minister reply
The aviation sector has already received significant support through various schemes and continues to engage closely with the industry. The Minister understands the strategic nature of the industry and its relevance to constituencies.
Kieran Mullan
Con
Bexhill and Battle
Question
Will my right hon. Friend agree to look at whether some businesses and sectors will need more support in the medium and long term?
Minister reply
The Minister highlights that schemes such as the bounce back loan scheme are specifically targeted at SMEs, and organisations should be able to benefit from these loans.
Caroline Lucas
Green
Brighton Pavilion
Question
Will his Department establish a new taskforce on jobs for nature, maximising employment in protecting the natural world?
Minister reply
The Minister is aware of many good things done and continues to do regarding the green economy.
Question
Will he push for those sectors of the economy to be able to open fully as soon as it is safe for both them and their customers, maintaining Britain’s rightful place as one of the most attractive tourist venues in the world?
Minister reply
The Minister acknowledges significant support has been put in place already and shares her desire for swift and safe emergence from lockdown.
Toby Perkins
Lab
Chesterfield
Question
I associate myself with the remarks that others have made about our colleague Jo Cox. The Chairman of the Treasury Committee, the right hon. Member for Central Devon (Mel Stride), was right about those people who are missing out on the self-employed scheme. We recognise that the scheme was put together urgently. My hon. Friends and I on the shadow Front Bench were calling for the scheme, so of course we welcomed it. But alongside the 1 million people who are unable to work and are missing out on the scheme, the scheme also means that if people continue to work and are unaffected because of their self-employment, they are benefiting from the scheme, while others who need it are not able to. Would it not be sensible for the Government to accept the comments that have been made and scrutinise the scheme? Let us try to make it better and work together, rather than say that it does not need any improvement at all.
Minister reply
Actually, we have not said that. We remain interested in positive, detailed suggestions for improvement of the scheme. We have received some that do not appear workable. I will remind the Chamber of what the problem is. Let us not forget that the £50,000 trading profit margin implies average sales of £200,000, so these are not small businesses compared with many sole proprietorships around the country. With these businesses, it is impossible to tell by any rule-based system the source of any dividends that they are paying, what may be the pay component of them and what may be simply earned from other sources but routed through the company.
Question
The Government have done a huge amount to support jobs in Peterborough, with around one in four workers protected through the furlough scheme. Peterborough remains a city on the up, with a new university, city centre regeneration and new businesses coming to us. With that optimism in the air, will the Minister assure me that he will continue to support businesses and workers in Peterborough as we move beyond the furlough scheme?
Minister reply
I can of course give my hon. Friend that assurance. I suspect that there is not a Member of this House who, if they look down the lists, will not see the positive benefits of the CJRS and the self-employment income support scheme in support of employed people on furlough and self-employed people in their constituencies.
Rupa Huq
Lab
Ealing Central and Acton
Question
As a Labour member of the class of 2015, may I echo the remarks made about Jo Cox? She is much missed, and was murdered in cold blood while doing an advice surgery, which we all do every week in normal times. I must say that I am disappointed by the Minister’s response. I wrote to the Chancellor on 24 April identifying a number of holes in his safety net, including brand new start-ups, people on dividend pay and the forgotten freelancers in the arts. I have had a make-up artist and a BBC contractor write to me in the last couple of days. Initially, he was thought eligible for furlough pay, but now, as he is not an employee per se, he cannot have it, and he has too many savings to get universal credit. I had no reply—not a sausage. Does the Minister not agree with the OECD’s analysis that, with these overly ungenerous levels of social security support, he is just storing up productivity problems and record unemployment for further ahead?
Minister reply
I am surprised that the hon. Lady should say that. As I recall, she and I have had two telephone conversations with colleagues in which we have discussed in detail the strengths and weaknesses and the potential to improve both the self-employed scheme and the job scheme. I do not recognise the view that she takes at all. It is in the nature of these schemes to seek to be as comprehensive and swift as possible, which, I think I recall, was exactly the language used by the OECD in describing the Government’s response.
David Mundell
Con
Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale
Question
Scotland has benefited from the broad shoulders of the United Kingdom, with well over £10 billion of resources coming to Scotland to help fight this pandemic, from the furlough scheme to Barnett consequentials. Will the Minister commit to continue a UK-wide approach in tackling the pandemic, which will have to recognise that different parts of the United Kingdom will see recovery on different timescales and, of course, will see different sectors needing different levels of support?
Minister reply
My right hon. Friend is right. I defer to no one in my admiration for Scotland as a country and for its history and people. It is true that in this crisis, as in the crisis of 2007-08, there has been enormous benefit to Scotland from being embedded within a wider Union, where the collective security and financial strength of all can be drawn on. In the case of Scotland, the self-employment scheme alone has 146,000 claims and the job scheme some 628,000 claims.
Question
With more than 600,000 jobs lost between March and May, it would be nothing short of a social catastrophe to end the furlough scheme before businesses start rehiring. France and Germany are continuing their support for as long as it takes. With the right hon. Gentleman’s Government denying Scotland the borrowing powers to take her own action—powers that even councils have—can he now see why Scots are concluding that Britain is not working and why support for independence continues to rise and rise?
Minister reply
I do not think that the Scots are concluding that at all. Any rational person looking at the position would understand that Scotland had been immensely strengthened by its relationship and its position within the United Kingdom, and rightly so, because of the hundreds of thousands of people who have been supported.
Gareth Davies
Con
Grantham and Bourne
Question
I thank the Minister and all his colleagues for protecting 13,400 furloughed jobs in my constituency, as well as for the £27 million in grant funding to 2,261 businesses. Does he agree that the best way of getting the Lincolnshire economy back on track is to reopen as many businesses as possible as quickly and as safely as possible?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is of course absolutely right. The whole point of the strategy that we have adopted is to cushion the immediate shock, protect the vulnerable, and then move as swiftly and safely as we can towards economic growth. As he says, we need businesses flourishing, functioning and working together as effectively as possible.
Question
Does my right hon. Friend agree that one thing all Members of the House could do is to encourage their constituents to support local independent businesses, such as those we have in Wantage, Didcot and everywhere else in the country, to give them the best chance of survival?
Minister reply
Of course I agree with my hon. Friend on that. One of the great sadnesses of this has been the extent to which it is often the smallest and most local businesses—the most independent—that are most adversely affected by the coronavirus.
Meg Hillier
Lab Co-op
Hackney South and Shoreditch
Question
In my constituency, around 25% of the population, aged 16 to 64, are being furloughed or are receiving universal credit. The additional support for people on the self-employment scheme probably takes the figure to 30%. We recognise, therefore, the scale of the Government’s intervention, but there are many freelancers on short-term contracts or on different ways of working for freelance industries who are not getting a penny, many of whom have a strong and detailed track record with HMRC, so the reverse engineering that took place with the main scheme could be applied to them. The Minister repeatedly keeps talking about the generosity of the scheme, which suggests no shift I assume. Will he be categoric now and tell us whether there is any hope for these forgotten freelancers?
Minister reply
What I have said is simply that international and national bodies recognise the comprehensiveness and the relative generosity of our schemes—[Interruption.] They have done that, so that is the fact of the matter. The point that the hon. Lady raises is one on which we continue to reflect.
Gagan Mohindra
Con
South West Hertfordshire
Question
The latest figures show that almost 9 million jobs have been furloughed, including 12,500 in my own constituency—jobs that would undoubtedly have been lost. As we begin to rebuild and reopen our economy, will my right hon. Friend assure me that he will continue to support both businesses and workers as they transition away from Government schemes?
Minister reply
As my hon. Friend points out, we are working very hard to protect people in employment. That is what the latest numbers recognise, with the employment number as opposed to the unemployment number.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Question
Will the Financial Secretary outline steps taken to mitigate redundancies in manufacturing, especially concerning Bombardier and the aerospace industry? Will he meet a working group to discuss saving jobs?
Minister reply
Acknowledges the strategic importance of Bombardier. Government remains engaged with various sectors but cannot comment on specific companies.
Rehman Chishti
Con
Gillingham East
Question
Will the Government use its procurement power to support SMEs, especially distilleries that contributed during the crisis?
Minister reply
Commits to continue reviewing concerns and pushing for solutions on various fronts.
Gavin Newlands
SNP
Paisley and Renfrewshire North
Question
Does the Minister think it fair that employers should make employees redundant from non-redundant roles only to rehire them on reduced terms?
Minister reply
Will look at the Bill introduced by the hon. Member with interest.
Gareth Johnson
Con
Dartford
Question
Should shopping centres be praised for allowing us to return to normality?
Minister reply
Absolutely; praises Bluewater and others for ensuring safety within regulations.
Kerry McCarthy
Lab
Bristol East
Question
What is the strategy now to ensure a green recovery, in response to 57 charities urging action?
Minister reply
Gives attention to these issues but cannot announce actions from the Dispatch Box.
Damian Green
Con
Ashford
Question
Should the Government move from a 2-metre gap to a 1-metre gap to preserve jobs?
Minister reply
Prime Minister has launched a review and direction of travel will be clear soon.
Margaret Hodge
Lab
Birkenhead
Question
What support can theatres receive beyond October to survive post-pandemic?
Minister reply
Acknowledge the importance of theatres and commitment by DCMS but cannot extend furlough scheme.
Douglas Ross
Con
Ochil and South Perthshire
Question
What will UK Government do to help businesses in Moray post-pandemic?
Minister reply
Acknowledges the importance of Moray and oil and gas sector support but continues review.
Rushanara Ali
Lab
Bethnal Green and Stepney
Question
Can the Minister commit to urgently supporting those who have fallen through gaps in provision, such as new starters and freelancers?
Minister reply
Graduated return to employers paying wages is necessary for sustainability; will look at Treasury Committee report.
Virginia Crosbie
Con
Ynys Môn
Question
Is the Department looking at new measures to support businesses in tourism and hospitality?
Minister reply
Acknowledges importance of tourism, already received substantial Government support; continues review.
Graham Brady
Con
Altrincham and Sale West
Question
Would it make more sense to cap the number of hours or total cost for each firm instead of the number of employees furloughed?
Minister reply
Reflects upon the question.
Jamie Stone
Lib Dem
Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
Question
Further to the previous questions, when the highlands tourism industry eventually reopens, it is likely that very few businesses will make enough money to see them through the dark winter months. In the spirit of the Minister’s previous answers, would he agree to meet me to discuss how the furlough scheme and other support schemes can be fine-tuned to make sure that those businesses survive to next year?
Minister reply
Nothing could silence the hon. Gentleman’s voice; I am glad to have been able to hear his question. I would be very happy to talk to him. I suspect that there are several hundred miles between us, but I will make sure that we find some way to talk to each other.
Angela Eagle
Lab
Wallasey
Question
I congratulate the Minister on getting through the entire UQ without making a single commitment, although he has made many observations. As a member of the Treasury Committee, I look forward to the Government’s formal response to our report on the 1 million people who are currently missing out on the Government’s schemes. Will he see if he can at least make a commitment before today’s UQ ends? What is he doing as a Treasury Minister to ensure that, as we move from the acute stage of the pandemic to furlough schemes beginning to end, the furlough scheme is not remembered as a waiting room for unemployment rather than the job saving scheme that it should have been?
Minister reply
The hon. Lady will recall that the topic of the UQ is the job retention scheme and the self-employment scheme, and their relation to the UK economy in the face of covid, and that is what I have focused on. Of course, as a former member of the Treasury Committee myself for five years, I will take its report very seriously, as she suggests. In many ways, it may well be that people will look back on the job retention scheme and conclude, as the shadow Chancellor has, not only that it was considerably better than any possible alternative or inaction, but that it saved an enormous number of jobs.
Question
The figures released last week showed just how much of an impact the Treasury’s measures are having. In Hyndburn and Haslingden 11,200 people benefited from the furlough scheme and 3,300 claims were made under the self-employment income support scheme, saving so many jobs and livelihoods in my constituency. As we begin to reopen our economy, will the Minister assure me that he will continue to support both people and businesses in the difficult months ahead?
Minister reply
Of course my hon. Friend is right that there will be difficult months ahead. There is no doubt about that. We specifically gave forward guidance on the two schemes in order to give people the reassurance that there would be that tailored support in place for a number of further months, and we will continue to keep the situation under review.
Olivia Blake
Lab
Sheffield Hallam
Question
As we know, regional disparities will occur as a result of this economic downturn. I am proud to say that Labour Mayors and local authorities, in Sheffield and up and down the country, are making regional plans to bring more people out of unemployment. They will not be able to deliver that if they do not have sufficient powers and resources. Has the Minister met local authority leaders, and will he make those powers and resources available?
Minister reply
That is a very important question. Of course it is not just Labour Mayors; there are plenty of Conservative Mayors of cities who are—[Interruption.] Well, Andy Street for one. They have been taking a lead in this area too. One of the great things of which this Government and their predecessors can be proud is the extent to which devolution permitted those mayoralties to come into being. The hon. Lady is right about that. As she will be aware, we have made a significant amount of support available already to local authorities as spending bodies. It is for Mayors to work with them, as well as with the substantial amount of infrastructure money that was made available through things such as the transforming cities fund, to help to create an integrated response to the coronavirus crisis at local level.
Question
Given the amount of work that continues to take place on making workplaces covid secure, I wonder whether the Minister thinks that we need to revisit the “work from home if you can” message. Is that under review in the context of the furlough scheme being phased out through its taper? If so, on what sort of timetable does he envisage that being done?
Minister reply
As a former Health Minister, my hon. Friend will understand very well the importance of this issue, and I thank him for raising it. This question is very much one that is being discussed across Government at the moment. One of the few silver linings to this crisis has been the understanding that, actually, the nature of work is changing as between home and work. One of the things that has not received much notice but I am intensely proud of is the way in which HMRC has been able to organise itself into much more of a disaggregated place in order to support from home all the services that it continues to deliver.
Question
I warmly welcome the Government’s U-turn a moment ago on school meals and any role the Treasury might have played in that decision. Given its devastating impact on jobs, the wider economy and, indeed, Treasury receipts, and as the rest of Europe is opening up, may we please have a U-turn on the Government’s ridiculous quarantine policy?
Minister reply
I am afraid I am not qualified to comment on the ridiculousness or no of the quarantine policy. It remains in place in order to protect people, and it will be for colleagues to make a decision about that in due course.
Question
Under this Government we have record numbers of women in work in our country, and under the lockdown around 140,000 women—maybe more—will have become pregnant. We are already hearing that some businesses are routinely making pregnant women redundant, despite the law and the furloughing scheme. What message does the Treasury have for those businesses?
Minister reply
Clearly, that is an abhorrent practice. My right hon. Friend is right to highlight it, to the extent that it is going on, and, as she says, it is illegal. I am very proud of the support the Government have given to women, as she has said, including through the national living wage and many other matters. I am also pleased that we have been able to make sure that the structure of the jobs scheme goes over enough years so that any impact on maternity is mitigated, so that those women are not affected, or are affected as little as possible, by the decisions they may have made—
Catherine West
Lab
Hornsey and Friern Barnet
Question
The economic outlook is predicted to be 10 times worse than the 2008 global financial crash. In this House, we all know the devastating impact that crash had, but this could be 10 times worse. What urgent measures can be taken to protect people in the creative sector, thousands of whom have been in touch with me, as the Member for Hornsey and Wood Green, desperate to save themselves from penury in the coming months?
Minister reply
We do not know how much worse this will be than the 2007-08 crash, if indeed it is worse, and over what period of time we are talking about. We can be more precise about the causation, because the crash was caused by overleveraging in the banking sector and so the UK was hit harder by the crisis than other countries as a result. That was a result of Government inaction. We have touched on the position of people in the creative sectors and there is not much more I can add in the time available, but I am very supportive of the situation and we are trying to assist them.
Question
The Select Committee on Transport’s report on aviation has noted that British Airways is looking to make almost a third of its workforce redundant, while taking the job retention scheme for more than half of its employees and at the same time looking to invest £1 billion in a new airline. Will the Minister consider changing the job retention scheme so that companies cannot behave in this manner and rip off the taxpayer at the same time?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend will know that I cannot possibly comment on any specific circumstances, but I recognise the work he has done in putting this so squarely in the public mind.
Question
I thank the Treasury team for the incredibly agile and decisive support they have given to workers and businesses during this pandemic—across my constituency, we are very grateful. As part of the transition to the new covid economy, will the Minister consider supporting a network of innovative technology accelerators, in Telford and across the country, to create jobs and new start-ups? Will he meet me to discuss this further?
Minister reply
I am very interested in my hon. Friend’s suggestion. It is not squarely a Treasury matter—it is more an industrial strategy and Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy matter—but I would be delighted to meet her on the topic.
Stella Creasy
Lab Co-op
Walthamstow
Question
May I associate myself with my many colleagues in remembering our dear lost friend Jo Cox today? On 11 May, the Prime Minister told us: ‘If people cannot…get the childcare that they need, plainly they are impeded from going to work, and they must be defended and protected on that basis.’—[Official Report, 11 May 2020; Vol. 676, c. 29.] A survey by Pregnant Then Screwed shows that 71% of women trying to return to work in the next three months cannot do so because of childcare. So will the Minister set out exactly what he is going to do to protect and defend those women from redundancy and discrimination in the workplace?
Minister reply
I thank the hon. Lady for her question. I have not seen the survey that she describes. but I will look at it and discuss it with the Minister for Equalities, my colleague the Exchequer Secretary. Of course there can be no shying away from this issue and if it is as the hon. Lady describes, we will look closely at it. I thank her for that.
Question
I thank the Minister and all his team for the extraordinary work they have done to support our economy during the first phase of this crisis. As we look towards the future and our recovery, may I ask him to continue to make bold and innovative interventions in our economy to protect as many jobs and businesses as possible, in both Basildon and Thurrock?
Minister reply
I almost did not recognise my hon. Friend with his new coronavirus growth, but I very much accept and recognise the point he makes. I thank him for it, and we will continue to work hard in this area.
Rachel Hopkins
Lab
Luton South and South Bedfordshire
Question
As aviation and associated businesses create stable jobs and economic growth in Luton, does the Minister recognise that replicating the French Government’s commitment to ensuring short-term work schemes and support are available for longer would help industries impacted by Coronavirus recover more effectively?
Minister reply
We consider other countries' support schemes but have some doubts about a long-term scheme as it might counteract returning businesses and people to normality. We will continue reviewing alternative arrangements.
Ben Spencer
Con
Runnymede and Weybridge
Question
Given that we are extending support schemes, will the Minister look into how we can assist those navigating between self-employment and PAYE who may miss out on both schemes due to their working practices?
Minister reply
We acknowledge it is unfortunate for some people not to qualify for either scheme. While reaching these individuals poses challenges, we continue to closely examine this issue.
Andrew Gwynne
Ind
Gorton and Denton
Question
Today’s unemployment data indicates a significant number of furloughed workers and claimants in Greater Manchester. What additional national measures can the Government implement to ensure young people are not left behind during recovery?
Minister reply
We recognise the differential impact of the pandemic across age groups. The government will focus on supporting young people making transitions between jobs or re-entering the workforce over the next few years.
Question
Tourism businesses, particularly smaller hospitality businesses, need certainty to survive. Given that part-time furlough commences in July, can it commence sooner as some staff must be taken off furlough now for reopening on 4 July?
Minister reply
The rules are as laid out in the guidance and have a start date at the end of June; however, we hope to see wider reopening after or around the first week of July.
Question
Given today’s employment and vacancy rates, and OECD predictions for one of the worst slumps in developed countries, does the Minister share concerns that ending support schemes too early will push many off a precipice?
Minister reply
We aim to ensure a phased return to normality. The extension of support schemes is designed to mitigate such risks, but we recognise these concerns. We also note OECD’s prediction for strong bounce-back due to flexible labour markets.
Laura Trott
Con
Sevenoaks
Question
Welcoming the stable unemployment figures this morning, may I urge my right hon. Friend to put effort into creating jobs during recovery, including encouraging inward investment and tech hubs in areas like Sevenoaks?
Minister reply
Tech hubs are part of our industrial strategy for a sustainable, greener economy. Continued support for technology is crucial as we transition towards this vision.
Shadow Comment
Anneliese Dodds
Shadow Comment
The shadow criticises the slow response to saving jobs despite the high costs of unemployment. She calls for a more tailored approach to furlough schemes to avoid additional waves of unemployment and requests support for young unemployed people through schemes like the future jobs fund. Additionally, she demands extra support for apprenticeships and conditions on government investment to promote upskilling and re-employment.
▸
Assessment & feedback
Summary accuracy
About House of Commons Debates
House of Commons debates take place in the main chamber of the House of Commons. These debates cover a wide range of topics including government policy, legislation, and current affairs. MPs from all parties can participate, question ministers, and hold the government accountable for its decisions.