Chamber and committees

That is what I was alluding to earlier in respect of endemic structural issues in our financial system.

I am keen to ensure that, before we finish, everyone has the chance to put on the record their findings about debt. However, I am aware of the time, so you should be brief before the convener calls me to order.

I will carry on with that in a moment, but I understand that Dave Moxham wants to come in.

I am sorry to interrupt you, Charandeep, but I am asking whether you disaggregate all data in all of your surveys.

I want to pick up on that before I go to Charandeep Singh. I am aware of the time. Given your experience and background, and in light of what you have said about the nature of women’s businesses, to what extent does the structural management of debt exclude gender considerations in how banking is currently run?

Going back to the general question about structural issues, I am sure that we will be very vexed with the issue of cause and effect throughout this session of the Parliament, but, with regard to effect, we would all agree that much more needs to be done. With regard to cause, going right back to the top, there is the fact that the law was developed by men for men, and there are issues with banking regulation and with artificial intelligence embedding some of that thinking, and so on. Given that, my question to all of you is: rather than women-designed programmes, to what extent have you looked specifically at the nature of the business environment—which, post Covid, presents us all with an opportunity—as though it were entirely led by women as a way of bringing out data? Are you planning on doing any further research? Have you undertaken any research post Covid, in the light of Carolyn Currie’s data?

I want to talk briefly about debt in small businesses, which has been talked about frequently—indeed, it was mentioned in many of the submissions. What is your sense of the debt burden for small businesses, and what are your thoughts about how they can be supported in dealing with that?

Good morning, everybody. It is nice to be able to reacquaint myself with some people whom I knew previously.

I was very struck by Carolyn Currie’s comment about the disaggregation of data and how important that is. However, before I move on to ask Carolyn some questions about that, I want to ask the other representatives whether they disaggregate all the sample data by women-led businesses? That question is for everyone, bar Carolyn.

Okay—I will carry on for now then.

The responses were illuminating. In relation to the disaggregation of data, I was extraordinarily struck by the data set that Carolyn Currie provided, and by her point about people who become entrepreneurs out of necessity versus opportunistic entrepreneurs, as we might say. The former have different needs because of how they have arrived at running their own businesses.

I am particularly interested in following up on Carolyn Currie’s comment about structural issues. She has said:

“structural inequalities prevail”.

Perhaps we have a slight example of that in the point that we are routinely not gathering disaggregated data, but I am interested in hearing and understanding more about what specifically she meant by that.

Yes. I am talking about the new funding streams on levelling up, community renewal, UK shared prosperity and so on.

There might well be a residual benefit in letting the larger public understand the dog’s dinner of the current fiscal framework, but that is by the by.

Local government faces very similar challenges with regard to its being confident about when money will appear and so on. On the review of capital accounting, which I believe you requested and which is being led by directors of finance on behalf of local government, are you able to express any view on the extent to which the focus should be on understanding service concession flexibilities to facilitate financial planning, or do you intend to wait for the outcome of the review before local councils can get some more certainty about what flexibilities they have?