Browse content similar to Live Work and Pensions Questions. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
Line | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|
Hello and welcome to BBC Parliament live coverage from the House of | :00:08. | :00:12. | |
Commons. And in our time there will be an urgent question but a deputy | :00:13. | :00:20. | |
leader in connection with the EU referendum. After that MPs will | :00:21. | :00:23. | |
spend the rest of the day debating the remaining stages of the energy | :00:24. | :00:28. | |
bill. But now live to the House of Commons. | :00:29. | :00:47. | |
Order order. The clock will now proceed to read the title of the | :00:48. | :00:56. | |
private bill sat down for this day. Further consideration for Bill as | :00:57. | :01:05. | |
amended. What day? Monday the 21st of March. Monday the 21st of March, | :01:06. | :01:12. | |
thank you. Order, questions to the Secretary of State for Work and | :01:13. | :01:22. | |
Pensions. The Secretary of State. As a result of our reforms I can say | :01:23. | :01:26. | |
honourable gentleman that number of people and work is at a record high. | :01:27. | :01:33. | |
A number of work is household is also a record low. The number of | :01:34. | :01:38. | |
children living in borderless households is record low. On a | :01:39. | :01:43. | |
bulimia for the lowest level in a decade and employment for women and | :01:44. | :01:50. | |
that a record high. It is not about work is not low income. If you are | :01:51. | :01:56. | |
in work that does not pale enough to learn -- earn a living. The latest | :01:57. | :02:07. | |
changes from the system will make it difficult or impossible for them to | :02:08. | :02:16. | |
live to the end of their lives. Does he not accept the changes that's | :02:17. | :02:23. | |
start with a target saving... Is worth reminding him that he talked | :02:24. | :02:29. | |
about my comments and answers to him concerning work. Work is the best | :02:30. | :02:35. | |
route out of poverty and by getting people back to work we're getting | :02:36. | :02:40. | |
people out of poverty. It is worth him that poverty has fallen both for | :02:41. | :02:45. | |
adults and children. That is the critical bit. The changes and | :02:46. | :02:49. | |
reforms we are making are helping people to get beyond dependency and | :02:50. | :02:55. | |
back into full-time work. Can my right honourable friend confirmed | :02:56. | :02:58. | |
that he latest low income statistics show the percentage of individuals | :02:59. | :03:03. | |
and children in low income is that is lowest levels since the 1980s? I | :03:04. | :03:10. | |
can say to my Honorable friend that it is worth noting that income | :03:11. | :03:15. | |
inequality is lower than 2009 and ten. For all the complaining that | :03:16. | :03:23. | |
goes on the other side under Labour inequality rose the highest levels | :03:24. | :03:28. | |
has ever been. But the Secretary of State will know that research | :03:29. | :03:34. | |
analysis from the House of Commons libraries shows that three in four | :03:35. | :03:38. | |
people who are currently receiving tax credits will see that in a work | :03:39. | :03:43. | |
support reduced when they are naturally migrated over to Universal | :03:44. | :03:48. | |
credits. What is the Secretary of State got to say to those millions | :03:49. | :03:52. | |
of workers who will see there in work support revised downwards? As I | :03:53. | :03:59. | |
have made clear on a number of occasions and even migrating across | :04:00. | :04:02. | |
from tax credits will see no change to those incomes, we have made that | :04:03. | :04:08. | |
clear. It is worth reminding him because his party seems to... | :04:09. | :04:15. | |
Universal credit in the latest research are much more likely to go | :04:16. | :04:19. | |
into work and they would be other jobseeker's allowance and then | :04:20. | :04:22. | |
moving to work faster and stay in work longer and they earn more | :04:23. | :04:27. | |
money. Those are major positives for people who are trying hard and | :04:28. | :04:31. | |
working unlike the last Labour government that penalised anyone who | :04:32. | :04:37. | |
wanted to go to work. I report published just yesterday from the | :04:38. | :04:46. | |
women's budget group are going to be more aggressive than its Coalition | :04:47. | :04:52. | |
predecessor. Single women and single female pensioners will see their | :04:53. | :04:56. | |
standard of living produced by an average of 23% by 2020. His the pile | :04:57. | :05:07. | |
-- policies are negatively impacting women. But a good way policy that is | :05:08. | :05:12. | |
fair and equitable? I think the honourable gentleman that we have | :05:13. | :05:16. | |
had lots of forecasts and most of them have been wrong. Even the | :05:17. | :05:18. | |
forecast about child poverty has been wrong. It is worth reminding | :05:19. | :05:23. | |
him that with reforms that we brought through including the | :05:24. | :05:30. | |
national living wage was boosted by ?900 for full-time workers who are | :05:31. | :05:35. | |
currently on wage. It is raising 212,500 on low income and there is | :05:36. | :05:44. | |
generous childcare. Euros a credit now makes those parents better off | :05:45. | :05:49. | |
than they ever would have been before that is why more people are | :05:50. | :05:54. | |
going to work. That answer will not provide a crumb for comfort for is | :05:55. | :05:58. | |
being hammered by a Social Security cuts up and down this country. Today | :05:59. | :06:01. | |
hybrids into the Chancellor highlighting the devastating impact | :06:02. | :06:05. | |
that cuts to ESA and universal credits will have two disabled and | :06:06. | :06:14. | |
sick recipients. This is ?1.4 billion and yet just ?100 million is | :06:15. | :06:20. | |
set aside for the white paper on health and work. Does he agree with | :06:21. | :06:29. | |
me that white paper must be resourced to provide direct | :06:30. | :06:32. | |
financial resource to sick and disabled people. Can he find the | :06:33. | :06:35. | |
confirm when a white paper will be published? It will be published well | :06:36. | :06:39. | |
before the summer break. I also cut back to him as they set of thereon. | :06:40. | :06:46. | |
It is worth reminding him half of living on welfare and public | :06:47. | :06:49. | |
services still goes to the poorest 40% even as it did to 2009 at ten | :06:50. | :06:56. | |
and is also important to note that no change in spending is projected | :06:57. | :07:08. | |
to be lost... Becomes from the Scottish Nationalists who are in the | :07:09. | :07:14. | |
government we now face deficit which would have ruined them it had they | :07:15. | :07:17. | |
gone from independents. Not once do we hear about the tough choices they | :07:18. | :07:20. | |
would have to have about their deficit. Politics is always about | :07:21. | :07:28. | |
choices. About priorities and about values. We saw the values in the | :07:29. | :07:36. | |
priorities this last week and laid bare. Their decision to implement a | :07:37. | :07:42. | |
so-called welfare reform that would see ?1.2 billion Company incomes of | :07:43. | :07:49. | |
disabled people to pay for a tax cut for top rate taxpayers. Kenny | :07:50. | :07:53. | |
Secretary of State come back to the dispatch box and described that | :07:54. | :07:57. | |
honestly as a welfare reform and he justified those choices? The changes | :07:58. | :08:05. | |
that have been announced are actually about changing and | :08:06. | :08:09. | |
reforming and improving what goes to those who most needed in busy | :08:10. | :08:13. | |
disability allowance. The key point about this which has been made by my | :08:14. | :08:18. | |
Honorable friend is that we put a consultation out long before the | :08:19. | :08:22. | |
Christmas period and the opposition had the opportunity to make their | :08:23. | :08:27. | |
submissions and he did. We listen to all of the submissions that came | :08:28. | :08:31. | |
back and as a result of this omissions we are not implementing | :08:32. | :08:36. | |
any of the first four options. It is right to continue to recognise aids | :08:37. | :08:39. | |
and appliances and all the activities that we did but with a | :08:40. | :08:43. | |
change and activity five and six we are changing numbers to two and one. | :08:44. | :08:48. | |
That three to three which has always been awarded to aids and appliances. | :08:49. | :08:55. | |
Activities five and six are less reliable. This all came on the back | :08:56. | :08:59. | |
of an independent review published just after the last election asking | :09:00. | :09:03. | |
us to look again at the way these indicators are used, we have done | :09:04. | :09:07. | |
that and in fairness I believe this is the right way to go. May I for | :09:08. | :09:16. | |
the house translator with the secretary has just said? What he | :09:17. | :09:21. | |
means is that he is going to take away ?1.2 billion company eroding | :09:22. | :09:29. | |
access to universal independence payments for 200,000 people and | :09:30. | :09:35. | |
cutting it by a third from ?7,250 for a further 450,000 people. People | :09:36. | :09:40. | |
who are unable quite often to use the toilet or get dressed unaided. | :09:41. | :09:45. | |
That comes on top of the cuts two ESA that went to the house last | :09:46. | :09:51. | |
week. Before I came here this afternoon I asked disabled people | :09:52. | :09:55. | |
what question they would like to ask and one answer stood out. It was | :09:56. | :10:00. | |
quite simply how does he sleep at night? Can I remind the honourable | :10:01. | :10:08. | |
gentleman under this government spending on sickness and disability | :10:09. | :10:11. | |
benefits has risen every year. We spend over ?50 billion which is more | :10:12. | :10:20. | |
than any other OECD countries as Germany. We will continue to see | :10:21. | :10:34. | |
spending on pet rise every year. What we had done to reform this is | :10:35. | :10:38. | |
to make sure those in need get the full support that they do to ensure | :10:39. | :10:42. | |
the way the wiki which it's fair to everybody and this represents 6% of | :10:43. | :10:46. | |
all government spending which I have to say I am of because I reforming | :10:47. | :10:51. | |
the economy and reforming welfare we can get the money to those that most | :10:52. | :10:55. | |
needed. Unlike when they were in government a lot of promises, a | :10:56. | :11:04. | |
broken economy, and cuts all around. With permission I would like to | :11:05. | :11:09. | |
answer this question with question number 12 and 16. This committed... | :11:10. | :11:18. | |
We now see real-time spending increase and in the last year under | :11:19. | :11:25. | |
52,000 disabled people into employment and we will support more | :11:26. | :11:31. | |
disabled people into work. I recently met the kids learning | :11:32. | :11:34. | |
disability partnership and bubo there with disabilities told me they | :11:35. | :11:37. | |
are keen to work into working the government support for this. They | :11:38. | :11:40. | |
asked me whether the government would consider following the example | :11:41. | :11:45. | |
of the NHS and introducing a successful information stated. They | :11:46. | :11:49. | |
said they found the communications for my Honorable friend public | :11:50. | :11:52. | |
department often too confusing and would like to be easy understand. I | :11:53. | :11:56. | |
think my Honorable friend that a very powerful point. I lost a task | :11:57. | :12:10. | |
force that included many people to look at the specific issue and I | :12:11. | :12:16. | |
would be delighted if my Honorable friend joined the task force. Can I | :12:17. | :12:22. | |
urge the Minister to bring forward the white paper on employment | :12:23. | :12:27. | |
support for those on disabilities as soon as possible. I take note of the | :12:28. | :12:33. | |
Secretary of State's response. It has been some slippage on that. | :12:34. | :12:37. | |
Could he outlined what provisions they white paper will contain on | :12:38. | :12:40. | |
integrating employment and health support? I think my Honorable friend | :12:41. | :12:46. | |
and we'll be publishing the white paper which will be supporting those | :12:47. | :12:51. | |
with disabilities and long-term health conditions. Ways of | :12:52. | :12:57. | |
engagement employers to have this up Billy employment gap this is an | :12:58. | :13:09. | |
exciting opportunity. Superb work the Salvation Army Doctor Mike | :13:10. | :13:16. | |
consistency but also the fact that I myself... Could he Mr expand on | :13:17. | :13:21. | |
specifically what more his department could do to engagement | :13:22. | :13:34. | |
employers? There is a mid 50 cross party MPs doing that and supporting | :13:35. | :13:39. | |
our work to have the disability upon the gap. When I have funding for an | :13:40. | :13:45. | |
additional 25,000 places on top power near record 30,000 that we | :13:46. | :13:56. | |
currently hold. Do you wish to comment on this question? You may or | :13:57. | :14:08. | |
may not get to 21. Last Friday we heard that additional ?1.2 billion | :14:09. | :14:14. | |
would be kept from the budget. That translated 2000 thousand pound a | :14:15. | :14:29. | |
year less. ... We are continuing to make improvements for the claimant | :14:30. | :14:35. | |
across the assessment process and at the end of this Parliament will | :14:36. | :14:38. | |
continue to see increased number is going to the system and benefiting | :14:39. | :14:47. | |
from PIP. It is occasionally a mechanism for kicking the can down | :14:48. | :14:50. | |
the road but I would like to the Minister credit for his good | :14:51. | :14:52. | |
intentions on this particular aspect. I asked them to add to that | :14:53. | :14:57. | |
list for consult he is the role of the British Legion good is the days | :14:58. | :15:03. | |
a real issue for ex-servicemen and women having a real difficulty. It | :15:04. | :15:10. | |
is something we're already doing work and I was happy to discuss the | :15:11. | :15:20. | |
issue further. The government has sunk to a new low with this kind to | :15:21. | :15:27. | |
personal independence payments. By 2020 640,000 disabled people will | :15:28. | :15:33. | |
have their personal independence payments cut. A third by 2000 865 | :15:34. | :15:43. | |
pounds a year. Stripping and disabled people of the independence | :15:44. | :15:46. | |
and dignity. This is on top of the ?24 billion cut to four million | :15:47. | :15:55. | |
people since 2012. What are the government's estimates of how these | :15:56. | :15:58. | |
disabled people will be in work and how many will be unable to work as a | :15:59. | :16:06. | |
consequence of these cuts? PIP is about the extra costs for those that | :16:07. | :16:10. | |
disability would face. He made these changes on the back of independent | :16:11. | :16:16. | |
review published highlighted about the concerns of aids and appliances. | :16:17. | :16:23. | |
We saw a tripling of the number of claimants were of able to access | :16:24. | :16:28. | |
this purely on aid and appliances. Including feedback from you | :16:29. | :16:32. | |
Honorable member herself and for that reason aids and appliances will | :16:33. | :16:36. | |
be taken into account across all eight of the daily living | :16:37. | :16:42. | |
components. By the end of this Parliament there will be even more | :16:43. | :16:49. | |
benefiting from the PIP system. Again I am afraid that it is a | :16:50. | :16:54. | |
nonanswer. A hallmark of this dodgy inept, and in just government. So | :16:55. | :17:05. | |
Social Security spending on disabled people as a percentage on GDP is now | :17:06. | :17:10. | |
lower than it was in 1960. The conservative manifesto for last | :17:11. | :17:15. | |
general election pledged that the card Social Security support for | :17:16. | :17:21. | |
disabled people. How and why has the government gone back on this | :17:22. | :17:24. | |
commitments and how much more to the big disabled people will be able to | :17:25. | :17:33. | |
take? 6% of government spending is more than our police and defence | :17:34. | :17:47. | |
budgets combined. With permission I will enter question three and 15 | :17:48. | :17:55. | |
together. Demi is a busy is one of the main drivers of poverty. | :17:56. | :17:58. | |
Unstable families are more likely to have low incomes. Is from at the | :17:59. | :18:06. | |
heart of are doing in government and doubling the amount of free child | :18:07. | :18:11. | |
care and support. I welcome the government determination to tackle | :18:12. | :18:16. | |
the root causes of poverty. With respect to the doubling of funding | :18:17. | :18:21. | |
for relationship support scheme could be Secretary of State -- state | :18:22. | :18:36. | |
tell the house... My Honorable friend is vastly right and I pay | :18:37. | :18:39. | |
tribute to the work that he has done hugely in backing this up and | :18:40. | :18:48. | |
supporting it. We're clear here that any new or extended support that we | :18:49. | :18:55. | |
provide me to be accessible by all families no matter where they are or | :18:56. | :19:03. | |
their genes. I can guarantee to him that is the number one priority to | :19:04. | :19:05. | |
make sure that everyone who need to get that. The message violence is a | :19:06. | :19:12. | |
stain on our society and often a cause of family instability am a | :19:13. | :19:17. | |
Southern innocent abuse service supports this terms of domestic | :19:18. | :19:21. | |
violence providing help in a community as an alternative to | :19:22. | :19:26. | |
fleeing for refuge. This often more costly and disruptive to the family. | :19:27. | :19:30. | |
My Honorable friend join me in congratulating the service for the | :19:31. | :19:34. | |
vital and important work that they do? I certainly do. I myself have | :19:35. | :19:43. | |
absolutely been in the house to try and improve people in the layers... | :19:44. | :19:57. | |
This government has backed this up because we have now tripled the | :19:58. | :20:00. | |
amount of money going to these kind of organizations now would be happy | :20:01. | :20:04. | |
to meet them and congratulate myself. If you look at the current | :20:05. | :20:12. | |
poverty the data of those households where there is a parent in work and | :20:13. | :20:16. | |
one parent is available for part-time work there are almost no | :20:17. | :20:20. | |
poor children. What lesson does he draw from that? We want more people | :20:21. | :20:27. | |
to get back into work because the household with work at the household | :20:28. | :20:32. | |
more likely to be out of poverty. I pay tribute to the right honourable | :20:33. | :20:36. | |
friend because he has done a huge amount of work on this. We're making | :20:37. | :20:43. | |
sure that people get it to work and increase child hit -- childcare to | :20:44. | :20:48. | |
get more women into work to boost household income. Universal credit | :20:49. | :20:51. | |
also ensures the first person that work is better off that sense that | :20:52. | :20:56. | |
improves the likelihood of the household having more income and | :20:57. | :21:04. | |
less poverty. The question is the wrong around because I would like | :21:05. | :21:07. | |
the Secretary of State to explain how increasing levels of poverty | :21:08. | :21:10. | |
under his government are effecting spamming stability and how he might | :21:11. | :21:17. | |
answer that? Edited thousand fewer people in relative poverty including | :21:18. | :21:24. | |
people that her children. It is always awkward when the facts don't | :21:25. | :21:30. | |
bear out the rhetoric. It is the lowest of the 1980s, income | :21:31. | :21:34. | |
inequality is lower than when his government left office and household | :21:35. | :21:38. | |
disposable income is ?1500 higher than two years ago. It is improving | :21:39. | :21:43. | |
and it is not good enough, we will get further and further. The work | :21:44. | :21:48. | |
that we will doing to get people into work is the route that pays. | :21:49. | :21:54. | |
That is the route out of poverty. Instead of carping I wish they would | :21:55. | :21:59. | |
support it. Independent review seven carried out for work capability | :22:00. | :22:07. | |
assistant. It was undertaken and published December 24 2014 in been | :22:08. | :22:14. | |
five independent reviews of the work capability assessment. Disabled | :22:15. | :22:19. | |
people and particularly those with mental health challenges is | :22:20. | :22:24. | |
exacerbating their ill health. Even to the point of wanting to take | :22:25. | :22:28. | |
their own life. These constituents are vulnerable and fragile. This is | :22:29. | :22:32. | |
further made worse by changes and benefits and financial hardship and | :22:33. | :22:39. | |
threats to future cuts. With the Secretary of State ordered an | :22:40. | :22:41. | |
independent review to the mental health challenges on the impact of | :22:42. | :22:44. | |
the system from the service uses perspective? Following from Doctor | :22:45. | :22:51. | |
Litchfield recommendations we are improving training for staff and | :22:52. | :22:59. | |
into the jobs that stores we are improving conditions. In view of | :23:00. | :23:07. | |
Friday potluck statement what is the government has a compulsive need to | :23:08. | :23:13. | |
head out disabled people at every opportunity. Doesn't he realise how | :23:14. | :23:16. | |
difficult it is for these people to lead their lives and at the same | :23:17. | :23:24. | |
time their income is being undermined by the government. This | :23:25. | :23:28. | |
in only be described by an ongoing war against the disabled. I sadly | :23:29. | :23:34. | |
don't accept that we are increasing the numbers of people who are | :23:35. | :23:38. | |
benefiting from the PIP system we are continuing to improve the | :23:39. | :23:42. | |
claimants journey and we work with the stakeholders to make sure that | :23:43. | :23:46. | |
is not happening. We will be spending more money in this area | :23:47. | :23:53. | |
that we are today. One of my constituents is registered as blind | :23:54. | :23:57. | |
and yet he has been denied access to central work equipment to help him | :23:58. | :24:01. | |
work through the access to work scheme, the reason given that able | :24:02. | :24:05. | |
bottled people will also be able to use the equipment. I am interested | :24:06. | :24:10. | |
to know that what equipment coded able-bodied person cannot use that a | :24:11. | :24:17. | |
blind person could. We look into cases of others to faces the same | :24:18. | :24:21. | |
difficulty? I would very happily into that. Because that goes into | :24:22. | :24:25. | |
the broader issue that we are not helping 38,000 year was as close to | :24:26. | :24:31. | |
record numbers. We just secured funding for a further 20 5000. It is | :24:32. | :24:41. | |
also how vulnerable the asking -- access to work scheme has been in | :24:42. | :24:45. | |
getting him to work. His in new employee about his needs. It is a | :24:46. | :24:55. | |
truly valuable and supporting people such as my constituents. That is why | :24:56. | :24:59. | |
we were so delighted to secure the extra funding for a father 25,000 | :25:00. | :25:06. | |
places I would encourage employers take advantage of this scheme. The | :25:07. | :25:14. | |
rapid response service delivers tailored support for individuals and | :25:15. | :25:20. | |
those communities affected by large-scale redundancies. The | :25:21. | :25:23. | |
service was made to help steelworkers. I think the Minister | :25:24. | :25:35. | |
for the answer but a few weeks ago we had many jobs to be lost | :25:36. | :25:42. | |
alongside of us what support had the department provided to those 13 | :25:43. | :25:46. | |
individuals and their families? My Honorable friend is right to raise | :25:47. | :25:54. | |
that. I was support for the rapid response service in the department | :25:55. | :25:58. | |
team was offered to tartare and I was following the announcement of | :25:59. | :26:02. | |
the job losses. Given those individuals that it's very difficult | :26:03. | :26:08. | |
time support tour through our DWP network guidance on Java vacations | :26:09. | :26:11. | |
and training and support enabled them to get to work all over again. | :26:12. | :26:25. | |
Universal credit is rolling out the live service in other 90% of job | :26:26. | :26:29. | |
centres. As with reminding everybody that it is now complete in London | :26:30. | :26:33. | |
and Paris surely by the end this month into the next universal credit | :26:34. | :26:37. | |
will be an average job centre in the country. The Secretary made | :26:38. | :26:42. | |
reference to unreliable projections earlier. 8 million people would be | :26:43. | :26:49. | |
on universal credit. DWP confirmed last week that less people are on | :26:50. | :26:55. | |
universal credit a staggeringly pathetic success rate of 4.4%. Is | :26:56. | :27:00. | |
the only reason that they're pushing out now is to deliver the tax credit | :27:01. | :27:05. | |
can't know ahead thousands of working families and isn't it | :27:06. | :27:14. | |
I'd bet that look good when he wrote it down. It's utter rubbish. Mr | :27:15. | :27:27. | |
Speaker I hope he does not think it is rubbish. I just visited this | :27:28. | :27:31. | |
morning with Steve Shirley what a wonderful place world young people | :27:32. | :27:36. | |
with autism are prepared for work. I have very concerned when the | :27:37. | :27:40. | |
universal credit... They have already seen in the personal plan | :27:41. | :27:45. | |
education not being allowed. So many of these young people remember | :27:46. | :27:50. | |
autism cost this country 34 billion a year. If you don't get pushing | :27:51. | :27:53. | |
people into employment that some will increase. The misery of | :27:54. | :28:00. | |
families will also increase. Ill night I said to be honoured with | :28:01. | :28:03. | |
gentlemen absolutely he's right. Autism is a real problem and want to | :28:04. | :28:06. | |
help as much as we can with those young people and adults who actually | :28:07. | :28:10. | |
have this problem. Where universal credit does actually lend itself | :28:11. | :28:14. | |
easily to this is unlike in the past, where they've gone from | :28:15. | :28:17. | |
jobseeker's allowance to working tax credits, they would have gone by | :28:18. | :28:20. | |
themselves and had no advice or help or support once at work. The | :28:21. | :28:23. | |
universal credit adviser will stay with them all the way. What is | :28:24. | :28:26. | |
important about that, is that we have now committed | :28:27. | :28:48. | |
100 million to train advisors, to be specialists in helping people who | :28:49. | :28:50. | |
have medical conditions, such as autism. This should help enormously. | :28:51. | :28:53. | |
I'm very happy you like to come see me and discuss with myself and the | :28:54. | :28:55. | |
disabilities minister what more we can do. We are determined to make | :28:56. | :28:58. | |
sure universal credit helps those in the deepest need as much as it | :28:59. | :29:01. | |
possibly can. Don't let thank you Mr Speaker. The Secretary of State told | :29:02. | :29:04. | |
a marsh or last December that no one will lose any money on arrival of | :29:05. | :29:06. | |
universal credit from tax credits, because they are cash protected. | :29:07. | :29:08. | |
This means there is transitional production. They won't be losing any | :29:09. | :29:10. | |
money. If there's any doubt about that reassurance, the Secretary of | :29:11. | :29:12. | |
State repeated earlier to our Honorable friend yet according to | :29:13. | :29:19. | |
the House of Commons Library, only 27% of the final caseload for | :29:20. | :29:23. | |
universal credit will have gotten there through manage migration. 73% | :29:24. | :29:29. | |
of them won't have received transitional production. Apply that | :29:30. | :29:34. | |
Mr Speaker to the current tax credit claimants and work. This is to .3 | :29:35. | :29:39. | |
million families. To .3 million families worse off moving from tax | :29:40. | :29:44. | |
credits to universal credits. I will give you the question. Will the | :29:45. | :29:48. | |
Secretary of State apologise for such nonsensical reassurance with my | :29:49. | :29:55. | |
Hear, hear! . I said to be old gentleman he is completely wrong on | :29:56. | :30:00. | |
all this. The reality is the Institute for Fiscal Studies has | :30:01. | :30:06. | |
made it absolutely clear. I quote, "No family will take an immediate | :30:07. | :30:11. | |
hit on transfers universal credit. That is a reality. They are cash | :30:12. | :30:16. | |
protected. Therefore as they move across their income levels at the | :30:17. | :30:19. | |
time will remain exactly the same." As we said we are transitioning | :30:20. | :30:25. | |
protecting them. I wish that the opposition, would get within an | :30:26. | :30:28. | |
support universal credit instead of attacking at all the time. Hear, | :30:29. | :30:38. | |
hear! . Thank you Mr Speaker the effective changes to universal | :30:39. | :30:43. | |
credit can not be considered in isolation. They are brought up part | :30:44. | :30:48. | |
of a broader package. They will increase that to personal tax | :30:49. | :30:55. | |
allowance. I met thank the Minister for that response. Next year | :30:56. | :30:58. | |
disabled people will lose ?1700 on average. Can I suggest to the | :30:59. | :31:03. | |
Minister respectively, that no one is disabled that Hadley chooses to | :31:04. | :31:08. | |
be disabled. They are there because of its illness or accident or bad | :31:09. | :31:12. | |
luck. This is not the time to pass more misery on these unfortunate | :31:13. | :31:16. | |
people. They need a bit of dignity shown. The only point I would like | :31:17. | :31:22. | |
to make Mr Speaker is that this government is supporting more | :31:23. | :31:25. | |
disabled people to get them back into work and of course the point of | :31:26. | :31:29. | |
agreement that I have with the Honorable member is that we | :31:30. | :31:33. | |
absolutely are providing dignity to individuals. And supporting them to | :31:34. | :31:37. | |
work. Giving them the financial support that will actually secure | :31:38. | :31:44. | |
their employment in the long one. Women whose pensions age was | :31:45. | :31:49. | |
increased at a notice period between four years and eight months and 14 | :31:50. | :31:54. | |
years and five months, between the new state pension age. The average | :31:55. | :31:57. | |
notice period was ten years and 11 months. Thank you Mr Speaker. One of | :31:58. | :32:05. | |
the women in my constituency recently told her that she is | :32:06. | :32:09. | |
actually still waiting for official notification, from his department. | :32:10. | :32:12. | |
Does the Minister accept that there has been an abject failure on the | :32:13. | :32:17. | |
part of us to communicate these changes to women affected by them? | :32:18. | :32:20. | |
Does he think it is acceptable that some women have actually only found | :32:21. | :32:26. | |
out, the brilliant work of the Waspy campaigners? Hear, hear! . Can I say | :32:27. | :32:33. | |
to the Honorable Lady that between 29 and 2010 there were over 5 | :32:34. | :32:37. | |
million notices sent to people as regards the records that were held | :32:38. | :32:42. | |
by HMRC. Can I point out to her that in 2012, only 6% of women within ten | :32:43. | :32:46. | |
years of state pension age thought that the state pension age would be | :32:47. | :32:54. | |
at age 60. Thank you Mr Speaker. Given the record we had a opposition | :32:55. | :32:59. | |
debate about the patient exchanges, to the Minister share my surprise | :33:00. | :33:02. | |
when he read the six options put forth by the sector state. They | :33:03. | :33:06. | |
would not make much difference to people at all the 1950s. It is time | :33:07. | :33:09. | |
for the opposition to be clear about the choices that would make and pay | :33:10. | :33:13. | |
for them. And about the change they would not make as well. I think the | :33:14. | :33:22. | |
Minister would want to focus exclusively. Minister. I met Mr | :33:23. | :33:31. | |
Speaker so eloquently put that. I hope you allow me to make the odd | :33:32. | :33:36. | |
comment as to why would be impractical. They have no sense of | :33:37. | :33:44. | |
arithmetic. Thank you very much Mr Speaker. There is also a fundamental | :33:45. | :33:50. | |
unfairness. For example the constituent likely that retired in | :33:51. | :33:56. | |
1950 or born in 1953 that would retire in 63. I was born on the 10th | :33:57. | :34:02. | |
of February 1954 would not retire until July 2019 to a half years | :34:03. | :34:05. | |
later. That is completely unjust will stop with the government can do | :34:06. | :34:09. | |
is mitigate the timetable so people have time to react. That is the | :34:10. | :34:13. | |
right thing to do. The government should act. Hear, hear!. Can I just | :34:14. | :34:19. | |
say to the Honorable gentleman that when he talks about mitigating this. | :34:20. | :34:23. | |
There were at the time transitional arrangements made. Those | :34:24. | :34:26. | |
transitional arrangements cost will billion. The period was reduced in | :34:27. | :34:31. | |
terms of how long one would have to retire from to years to 18 months. | :34:32. | :34:36. | |
Of that 18 months, 81% of the women affected will have an extension: -- | :34:37. | :34:44. | |
beyond 12 months. Thank you Mr Speaker. I have to say I am really | :34:45. | :34:47. | |
disappointed that the Minister is still not giving recognition about | :34:48. | :34:52. | |
the total in adequacy that these women were given, in terms of the | :34:53. | :34:57. | |
notice period. Given this unfairness and the earlier comments made by the | :34:58. | :35:04. | |
Minister, will the Minister now look at the six options that we presented | :35:05. | :35:12. | |
to government. Also included as many members of his own have supported | :35:13. | :35:17. | |
and allowing those affected and coming to there, if you listen, | :35:18. | :35:23. | |
allowing those affected to take a reduced state pension at an earlier | :35:24. | :35:27. | |
age and pay a lower state pension for a longer period? By Matt Asay to | :35:28. | :35:34. | |
be young lady, that as far as the six options are concerned, all of | :35:35. | :35:38. | |
the cards. It is time that the opposition started to think in terms | :35:39. | :35:41. | |
of where the money would come from. If she's going to blame the blame on | :35:42. | :35:46. | |
this government, she might just wish to reflect on a 13 year Thai | :35:47. | :35:49. | |
government was in power, when they did absolutely nothing. The | :35:50. | :35:56. | |
honourable lady, just on about 13 billion or something. Message to her | :35:57. | :36:00. | |
that the cost of an doing 2011 pages that would be ?30 billion. Thank you | :36:01. | :36:09. | |
Mr Speaker. With permission I would like to answer this question along | :36:10. | :36:17. | |
with 13. Visit 2010, the unemployment rate of 8%. We have | :36:18. | :36:23. | |
made excellent progress on the unemployment rate. It is not 541%, | :36:24. | :36:26. | |
which is the lowest rate in a decade. Bookmark I would like to | :36:27. | :36:31. | |
thank the Minister for the answer. As I am sure we all aware, I will | :36:32. | :36:36. | |
ask the Minister what steps are being taken for the positions, | :36:37. | :36:44. | |
particularly in my constituency of Derby North? She is right. It is | :36:45. | :36:52. | |
national pension week. In her area there have been over 5000 printed | :36:53. | :36:57. | |
shifts. We are working within four years and we now have an employment | :36:58. | :37:02. | |
strategy across government. We are not only leveraging the work that we | :37:03. | :37:05. | |
are doing in terms of encouraging all employees to take | :37:06. | :37:10. | |
apprenticeship, but also that they are led into careers and lifelong | :37:11. | :37:18. | |
careers are not as full-time jobs. We thank you Mr Speaker. Many of my | :37:19. | :37:22. | |
constituents were part of the tourist industry. Forward thinking | :37:23. | :37:27. | |
employees or analysing those series seasonal contracts. So the people | :37:28. | :37:31. | |
are better able to plan their money, and fewer people become unemployed. | :37:32. | :37:35. | |
Can my Honorable friend Tommy this government is doing to encourage the | :37:36. | :37:43. | |
active in analysing contracts? As a marble friend for this question. He | :37:44. | :37:47. | |
is right in terms of seasonal work. Of course working with employees is | :37:48. | :37:52. | |
absolutely crucial to make sure that our job centres as well understand | :37:53. | :37:56. | |
the low and passes that take place in the local Labour market. Also | :37:57. | :38:02. | |
that we are doing this in DWP that are working with those individuals | :38:03. | :38:04. | |
that find seasonal work and changes not seek -- suit their own | :38:05. | :38:09. | |
individual needs and flexibility. Others who are working with JCP to | :38:10. | :38:12. | |
make sure that we are supporting people to fill those roles. Mr | :38:13. | :38:19. | |
Speaker I think it's fair to say that many of us in this house have | :38:20. | :38:23. | |
had discussions with members of the Washington campaign to have had... | :38:24. | :38:30. | |
Iran will generally be aware that in recent weeks we've had debates here | :38:31. | :38:33. | |
where members of Parliament and both sides of the House have expressed | :38:34. | :38:39. | |
the views their constituents. I am grateful to the Minister of our | :38:40. | :38:43. | |
current shift to in to continue the engagement. One of the achievements | :38:44. | :38:47. | |
we need to bring forward our an army of women who now said that they were | :38:48. | :38:52. | |
not giving proper or fair notice of what was coming towards them entire | :38:53. | :38:59. | |
terms of their retirement needs. The wrong thing to do this no longer the | :39:00. | :39:02. | |
issue. The fact is that it was done badly and that needs provocation. I | :39:03. | :39:11. | |
have a huge amount of respect for the honourable gentleman and had the | :39:12. | :39:14. | |
crib which of serving in an office with him. He of course at the time | :39:15. | :39:21. | |
supported the 2011, pensions act, and he was responsible for | :39:22. | :39:23. | |
persuading his colleagues to do otherwise. One thing that was always | :39:24. | :39:29. | |
the case, was that they always blew with the wind and there was a | :39:30. | :39:34. | |
temporary pause during the Coalition Government. What the right | :39:35. | :39:36. | |
honourable gentleman is now proving is that flow with the wind is part | :39:37. | :39:41. | |
of their DNA and it's back to normal. Mr Speaker of the suggestion | :39:42. | :39:48. | |
by the opposition that the government could allow the certain | :39:49. | :39:51. | |
group of women to take their pages early from the current age of 63, | :39:52. | :39:56. | |
has not been fully costed by anyone. Can my honourable friend share with | :39:57. | :40:00. | |
the indications of this might be in terms of cost and whether he needs | :40:01. | :40:05. | |
primary legislation. Our men over the age of 65 also going to be | :40:06. | :40:12. | |
affected? Mr Speaker we have today published some information regarding | :40:13. | :40:16. | |
this very issue, and it would cost additional funds. I think something | :40:17. | :40:19. | |
that the opposition and others who are supporting a particular issue | :40:20. | :40:22. | |
might want to take into account is that. We are determined that young | :40:23. | :40:33. | |
people should not slip into a life but that they are either earning or | :40:34. | :40:37. | |
learning. We are supporting schools and that is why we are also being | :40:38. | :40:41. | |
introduced in the youth obligation in 2017, to ensure that young people | :40:42. | :40:48. | |
get the best possible start in life. Thank you Mr Speaker and my own | :40:49. | :40:54. | |
constituency we have seen a welcome form by 81% from 505 and 2010 to 95 | :40:55. | :41:00. | |
now. This has been achieved through the strong joint work between my | :41:01. | :41:04. | |
honourable friend department and local authorities such as district | :41:05. | :41:11. | |
councils and local enterprise partnerships. Does my right | :41:12. | :41:14. | |
honourable friend agree with me that it is through empowering and | :41:15. | :41:17. | |
devolving responsibilities to those closest to the communities that we | :41:18. | :41:23. | |
are most able to provide the support needed to help young people get back | :41:24. | :41:28. | |
to work? I think my honourable friend for his question and pay | :41:29. | :41:32. | |
tribute to all of those stakeholders in this constituency who have been | :41:33. | :41:35. | |
providing vital employment support to people to get the claimant count | :41:36. | :41:40. | |
down so low. He is right to say that local decisions help when it comes | :41:41. | :41:43. | |
to placing people and getting people into work. That is why we are | :41:44. | :41:53. | |
mindful of the local market trends. Next month they will hold a | :41:54. | :41:58. | |
apprenticeship there. This event will allow constituents to meet with | :41:59. | :42:03. | |
the 50 participating organizations. What Orwell my right honourable | :42:04. | :42:07. | |
friend agree with me that local organizations working together can | :42:08. | :42:09. | |
help us toward the goal of full employment? He's actually right. I | :42:10. | :42:18. | |
speak about my consistency and many others, where job fairs and | :42:19. | :42:20. | |
apprenticeship pairs have been taking place. There is a crucial | :42:21. | :42:24. | |
point to make your Mr Speaker. That is that this is can only happen | :42:25. | :42:27. | |
through the support of local employers and of course this | :42:28. | :42:32. | |
department worked on pensions will continue to work with local | :42:33. | :42:37. | |
employers on a national level and to support apprenticeship there is not | :42:38. | :42:46. | |
the one he's referring to. Supported by welfare reform and that | :42:47. | :42:48. | |
governments long-term economic plan, we have seen workers fall. This has | :42:49. | :42:55. | |
helped reduce private sector employment. Now there are record 26 | :42:56. | :42:58. | |
million people working in the private sector of fun to .7 million | :42:59. | :43:05. | |
thousand ten. Is the Minister aware that unemployment of my | :43:06. | :43:10. | |
constituencies is has fallen by 57% since 2010. Would she agree with me | :43:11. | :43:17. | |
that if you look behind the statistics and active look at all | :43:18. | :43:20. | |
those lives that are being transformed where families would | :43:21. | :43:26. | |
hope for the future and priding themselves? Marble friend is | :43:27. | :43:31. | |
absolutely right. Of course work and employment leads to turning around | :43:32. | :43:35. | |
lives and families lies. Also communities as well are turned | :43:36. | :43:39. | |
around. If we look at the Honolulu gentleman and constituency in his | :43:40. | :43:44. | |
region as well, we have seen record levels of unemployment that is down | :43:45. | :43:47. | |
to the governments policy. It is also down to the support that we've | :43:48. | :43:50. | |
had for the employers, who are ultimately the job creators in our | :43:51. | :44:03. | |
economy. Mr Speaker when we took office almost one in five household | :44:04. | :44:07. | |
had no one in work. Many people on benefits for most of the previous | :44:08. | :44:11. | |
decade. Since 2010, and the number of workers households has fallen by | :44:12. | :44:15. | |
direct 680,000 to its lowest level since records began. The number of | :44:16. | :44:18. | |
children workers households is that a record low also down nearly | :44:19. | :44:27. | |
450,000 50,010. Does he agree with me that making progress in reducing | :44:28. | :44:31. | |
the number of people and workers households is key to improving the | :44:32. | :44:36. | |
life chances of millions of children? I do agree. In workers | :44:37. | :44:45. | |
hostile children grow out without the aspiration to achieve if they | :44:46. | :44:49. | |
might be in families that were in work. I am almost certain to repeat | :44:50. | :44:52. | |
those difficult lives of their parents. We want to turn the flies | :44:53. | :44:56. | |
around. Since 2010, number of workers households and the social | :44:57. | :45:01. | |
roots of sector has fallen by over to hundred 80,000 to as record low. | :45:02. | :45:05. | |
It is worth remembering, that the number of households we took off | :45:06. | :45:09. | |
originally back into thousand ten, where no one had ever worked, had | :45:10. | :45:17. | |
nearly doubled under the last level government. . Where is he? LAUGHTER. | :45:18. | :45:35. | |
I congratulate the Honorable Eddie forgetting a question. We have seen | :45:36. | :45:43. | |
this fall that. The number of children living in workers | :45:44. | :45:47. | |
households also down 480,000 to a record low. Living standards 343%. | :45:48. | :45:52. | |
Income inequality which rose in the last that the government, is now | :45:53. | :45:58. | |
down since 2010. I thank the Minister for his response. 104,000 | :45:59. | :46:07. | |
children have been adversely affected by the benefit. In my | :46:08. | :46:11. | |
constituents lead: 29 and a half thousand children living in poverty | :46:12. | :46:14. | |
poverty. Does the Minister think that he might better to argue about | :46:15. | :46:21. | |
the budget rather than pushing more children to poverty. ? I don't agree | :46:22. | :46:28. | |
with her at all. The figures don't bear that out. It is worth the | :46:29. | :46:32. | |
memory that in work and out of work poverty rose under the last Labour | :46:33. | :46:36. | |
government. Under this government, the Ottawa property which was 71% | :46:37. | :46:42. | |
into thousand ten has actually fallen to 61% and is still falling. | :46:43. | :46:45. | |
As we know three quarters of poor children living in them that move | :46:46. | :46:49. | |
into employment leave poverty altogether. A child poverty | :46:50. | :46:52. | |
transition report made that very clear. Getting people back to work | :46:53. | :46:56. | |
as we have been doing, getting families back to work, giving them a | :46:57. | :46:59. | |
real chance to earn and have aspiration, is something I think we | :47:00. | :47:05. | |
should all celebrate. . Topical questions. Mr Speaker as agree with | :47:06. | :47:13. | |
the select committee, I can now afford a house that today we are | :47:14. | :47:17. | |
working the sanctions early warning trial for claimants from able | :47:18. | :47:21. | |
underling warning letters will be issued. The trial is being run in | :47:22. | :47:26. | |
Scotland and gives job seekers extra 14 days to provide further evidence | :47:27. | :47:28. | |
of their reasons for not complying to sanctions. My constituents that | :47:29. | :47:36. | |
Taylor is 36-year-old with disabilities. His care package has | :47:37. | :47:42. | |
been reduced from 17 hours a week to six and a half. The council tells | :47:43. | :47:45. | |
him he should not see this negatively but if I way to utilise | :47:46. | :47:48. | |
the strength and resources that he may not realise he has within | :47:49. | :47:54. | |
himself. His mother is appalled by his loss and a patronizing tone from | :47:55. | :47:59. | |
the government. Mr Speaker, if I list the Secretary of State scorers, | :48:00. | :48:03. | |
this help him utilise hidden strength that he didn't realise he | :48:04. | :48:08. | |
had? Would he be as serious as I am about the way Nick Taylor is being | :48:09. | :48:13. | |
treated? I thank the Honorable member and I'm happy to look at that | :48:14. | :48:17. | |
case. The social act of 2015 should've put more in place. I will | :48:18. | :48:27. | |
look at this further. Many local businesses supporting the inevitable | :48:28. | :48:33. | |
apprenticeship the job fair. With the Minister agree that supporting | :48:34. | :48:36. | |
young people for apprenticeship is vital. When she agree to open my job | :48:37. | :48:46. | |
fair? I thank my Honorable friend for his very kind invitation. I | :48:47. | :48:49. | |
would be happy to look at this and try to come to his constituency. He | :48:50. | :48:53. | |
is right. It is national apprenticeship week as well. The | :48:54. | :48:58. | |
employers he has referred to, that continues to do the utmost to | :48:59. | :49:03. | |
support young people. I myself will be visiting many employers in Essex | :49:04. | :49:09. | |
this week to make that point. Thank you Mr Speaker. Last month the | :49:10. | :49:12. | |
Minister said the idea that there was a 20 metre rule for assessing | :49:13. | :49:18. | |
eligibility for enhanced allowance was an urban myth. However in the | :49:19. | :49:24. | |
case of my constituents, Kathy Walsh, who I must acknowledge that | :49:25. | :49:28. | |
Mr listened to the case I made. It was only when her consultant | :49:29. | :49:30. | |
provided evidence that she could walk no more than 20 metres that her | :49:31. | :49:34. | |
case was reviewed and benefits reinstated. What steps will the | :49:35. | :49:38. | |
government take to clarify this issue with processes and ensure that | :49:39. | :49:42. | |
other disabled people don't have to suffer as my constituents have? | :49:43. | :49:47. | |
Attend the Honorable member for that. To be absolutely thick clear | :49:48. | :49:53. | |
is can an individual safely and repeatedly to an acceptable standard | :49:54. | :49:56. | |
and in a reasonable time period, walk a certain distance. If you get | :49:57. | :50:03. | |
to 19.9 metres you qualify and then it is less than you don't get it. It | :50:04. | :50:07. | |
is that that criteria that were continued to make sure that it is | :50:08. | :50:14. | |
assessed by. Unemployment has fallen by 6% in 2010. With the Minister go | :50:15. | :50:19. | |
with me in thanking the office for hosting a very successful job fair | :50:20. | :50:23. | |
recently? They're working so hard to bring opportunities to those seeking | :50:24. | :50:25. | |
to get on in life and provide for their families. I think my | :50:26. | :50:32. | |
girlfriend for his question. I am delighted to hear if he had steady | :50:33. | :50:39. | |
work... All our JCP staff across the country, do great work to support | :50:40. | :50:42. | |
people and get them off benefits and help them to transform the lives. | :50:43. | :50:46. | |
With regards to the employment rates in this consistency I'm delighted to | :50:47. | :50:52. | |
see that they're making progress. There are hundreds of thousands of | :50:53. | :50:58. | |
pensioners in this country. With the EU referendum there are 400,000 with | :50:59. | :51:05. | |
distended. Can the Minister tell us what will happen to British | :51:06. | :51:11. | |
pensioners if we leave the EU? Can I remind the Honorable gentleman that | :51:12. | :51:15. | |
we are better off in the EU and that is the position of the government. | :51:16. | :51:32. | |
Thank you Mr Speaker. It will improve accessibility to disabled | :51:33. | :51:36. | |
people. Can my Honorable friend give an update on the work being done to | :51:37. | :51:41. | |
ensure more public venues have more assets that are accessibility to | :51:42. | :51:46. | |
disabled people. I thank my Honorable friend for recognising the | :51:47. | :51:49. | |
extensive work we're doing in this area. We do particular work, making | :51:50. | :51:55. | |
cultural and music venues accessible. Attach looking at | :51:56. | :52:01. | |
restaurants with leading operators and sports facilities, particularly | :52:02. | :52:08. | |
with the Premier League. Thank you Mr Speaker. The Minister dismisses | :52:09. | :52:12. | |
My Noble friend suggestions for transitional arrangements as being | :52:13. | :52:18. | |
somehow mathematically challenged. This issue is about fairness. It is | :52:19. | :52:23. | |
about establishing a fair transitional arrangement for the | :52:24. | :52:28. | |
Waspy women. As the Minister actually costed any of the six | :52:29. | :52:31. | |
suggestions. Or has he just dismissed them all? Yes we have | :52:32. | :52:40. | |
costed it. When she talks about fairness in the transition | :52:41. | :52:46. | |
arrangement, I simply ask her to look back at 2011 where she will | :52:47. | :52:50. | |
find that in the second reading the Minister of the Secretary of State | :52:51. | :52:53. | |
and the president of the Secretary of State said that he would go away | :52:54. | :52:57. | |
and consider and he did. Four months later transitional arrangements were | :52:58. | :53:04. | |
affected. They caught ?1.1 billion and an reduction was made from to | :53:05. | :53:07. | |
years to 18 months. So transitional arrangements have taken place. Thank | :53:08. | :53:20. | |
you Mr Speaker. My Honorable friend cabinet based charity was providing | :53:21. | :53:24. | |
specialist to stability equipment to the country. Will my Honorable | :53:25. | :53:30. | |
friend join me in commending new life to work? Does he agree with me | :53:31. | :53:36. | |
that provisioning this equipment at a early stage meets children will | :53:37. | :53:42. | |
have a better quality of life? They were a fantastic organisation. I | :53:43. | :53:45. | |
have enjoyed meeting with them and I've taken the opportunity to | :53:46. | :53:47. | |
highlight their work and would like to promote this further with that | :53:48. | :53:51. | |
our colleagues in the Department of Health. Thank you Mr Speaker. In | :53:52. | :53:56. | |
December, the Secretary of State said that there is already Universal | :53:57. | :53:59. | |
credit advice to ensure their status. However the governments | :54:00. | :54:05. | |
position appears to have changed. Now it's saying that if the | :54:06. | :54:10. | |
discretion of work cartoons. Can the Secretary of State therefore | :54:11. | :54:14. | |
confirmed that the 60,000 workers currently on universal credit will | :54:15. | :54:17. | |
in his own words, have the status remained the same? Is said to the | :54:18. | :54:23. | |
Honorable Lady that universal credit is now pretty much rolled up all | :54:24. | :54:28. | |
over the country. It is made clear that anyone transitioning from tax | :54:29. | :54:32. | |
credits. As a quote no family will take animated hit because they are | :54:33. | :54:36. | |
transitioning protected. What I said at the time is that we will do our | :54:37. | :54:41. | |
level best with the advisors to make sure that peoples situation | :54:42. | :54:46. | |
continues and actually improves. That is exactly what universal | :54:47. | :54:49. | |
credit will do. That's why wonder why they don't support more people | :54:50. | :54:53. | |
going to work quicker and they get into work faster they actually earn | :54:54. | :54:58. | |
more money and stain work longer. The Minister will be aware that | :54:59. | :55:02. | |
almost 50% of the working population is self-employed and there will be | :55:03. | :55:06. | |
over 40,005 years' time living in Berkshire. Will you please agree | :55:07. | :55:11. | |
with me that something needs to be done and potentially that the | :55:12. | :55:20. | |
involvement think having looked at? That is a very important issue that | :55:21. | :55:26. | |
this government is undertaking. 6 million people have taken part in | :55:27. | :55:30. | |
that initiative. I would also say that it is also something that is | :55:31. | :55:33. | |
going to be of particular benefit to women. They will have the | :55:34. | :55:37. | |
opportunity to enroll as part of the pension and that will certainly help | :55:38. | :55:45. | |
their chances in the future. Thank you Mr Speaker with a disability | :55:46. | :55:53. | |
unit recently met with the Trail Blazers group, he heard first-hand | :55:54. | :55:57. | |
the challenges that young disabled people face looking for work. Will | :55:58. | :56:01. | |
he confirm that he can and will arrange for these young people to | :56:02. | :56:07. | |
meet with his access team so their experiences can be directly | :56:08. | :56:13. | |
influenced upon the data from future policy? I thank the Honorable | :56:14. | :56:19. | |
member. I pay tribute for continuing to introduce these young | :56:20. | :56:22. | |
ambassadors. They were brilliant in the meeting. I look forward to them | :56:23. | :56:30. | |
accessing our progress. Thank you Mr Speaker one the welcome provisions | :56:31. | :56:33. | |
of the 2014 pensions Bill, Wesley lived Dean of the PPF. This Clause | :56:34. | :56:39. | |
is still to be implemented. With the Secretary of State agree to meet | :56:40. | :56:42. | |
with me across party delegation to make sure and discuss how we can | :56:43. | :56:48. | |
move this issue forward? And bring security to those who find their | :56:49. | :56:51. | |
pensions delayed at no fault of their own? I'm very happy to meet | :56:52. | :56:57. | |
with him in any of the others that he would like to bring with him. | :56:58. | :57:01. | |
This government single tier will mean that pension incomes improve | :57:02. | :57:05. | |
dramatically, particularly for those who have broken clear. Amongst those | :57:06. | :57:11. | |
who have never said before. Finally of course the freedom to be able to | :57:12. | :57:15. | |
take during annuity or not when you're pension becomes due, I think | :57:16. | :57:20. | |
is enormous. I am very happy to make sure that Reform programme | :57:21. | :57:26. | |
It his Secretary of State tell me how many GSC claimants have been | :57:27. | :57:33. | |
signed or offered worker taking up work? I don't have the figures on | :57:34. | :57:41. | |
hand. The number of people that have been sanctioned have fallen | :57:42. | :57:44. | |
dramatically in the last 12 months and I'm sure she would be happy to | :57:45. | :57:49. | |
see the figures. Can I thank my Honorable friend the Minister for | :57:50. | :57:53. | |
disabled people for attending a highly successful disability | :57:54. | :57:57. | |
conference in my constituency of North Devon on Friday ten days ago. | :57:58. | :58:01. | |
Does he agree with me that these are vital in ensuring that employers get | :58:02. | :58:09. | |
the help that they need. And that people with disabilities are closer | :58:10. | :58:14. | |
to the world of employment. My friend has championed disabilities. | :58:15. | :58:20. | |
We have really seized the opportunity and will make it did -- | :58:21. | :58:26. | |
different in that local community. How many DUP ministers had | :58:27. | :58:28. | |
conversations with Department of Health ministers about the | :58:29. | :58:34. | |
consultation on financial support on those people who received | :58:35. | :58:36. | |
contaminated blood in the 70s and 80s and whether they should have | :58:37. | :58:41. | |
their benefits passport approved to the new PIP scheme. I'm very happy | :58:42. | :58:47. | |
to meet with the Honorable member to discuss this further. Order. Before | :58:48. | :58:56. | |
I call the honourable gentleman another asked an urgent question | :58:57. | :59:02. | |
which I'm allowing him to ask. I reminding that all members from the | :59:03. | :59:08. | |
house that's Her Majesty cannot be supposed to have a private opinion | :59:09. | :59:16. | |
apart from that from her responsible advisors. Any attempt to use her | :59:17. | :59:20. | |
name in debate to influence the judgement of Parliament is | :59:21. | :59:25. | |
immediately checked and censored. And Mr | :59:26. | :59:26. |