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lifetime ISA. Remember to in join me -- to join me for a round-up of the | :00:00. | :00:00. | |
day in Parliament at 11:30pl. But first, questions to Damian Green and | :00:00. | :00:09. | |
his team of ministers. Order, order. Questions to the Secretary of State | :00:10. | :00:13. | |
for Work and Pensions. Mr Kdvin Holt break. Mr Speaker, on the d`y the | :00:14. | :00:23. | |
country is celebrating our Paralympic athletes, I am stre the | :00:24. | :00:26. | |
House will want to join me hn thanking them for a summer of | :00:27. | :00:30. | |
thrilling and inspirational sport. It is right that we continu`lly | :00:31. | :00:35. | |
review the way that sport is offered to and accessed by disabled people | :00:36. | :00:40. | |
and that is why I was pleasdd to announce an end to stressful | :00:41. | :00:44. | |
reassessment is for people with the most severe lifetime condithons We | :00:45. | :00:47. | |
are also transforming the w`y that disabled people access port through | :00:48. | :00:52. | |
our digital access to work platform, providing help to budding dhsabled | :00:53. | :00:54. | |
entrepreneurs to set up thehr own business. I am holding a rotndtable | :00:55. | :01:01. | |
on October 31 for those with disabilities, parents and elployers, | :01:02. | :01:04. | |
to try to remove the barriers to employment. Would the Secretary of | :01:05. | :01:09. | |
State agree that for some, the barriers recently too high `nd would | :01:10. | :01:17. | |
he applaud the recent announcement from disabilities rights UK that | :01:18. | :01:22. | |
those with long-term condithons will not have to undergo regular | :01:23. | :01:25. | |
reassessment of their conditions? I congratulate my friend on hhs recent | :01:26. | :01:32. | |
roundtable. I agree that thdre are too many barriers to work for | :01:33. | :01:35. | |
disabled people in this govdrnment is determined to do everythhng | :01:36. | :01:39. | |
possible to break down thosd barriers. Like him I was pldased | :01:40. | :01:44. | |
that a number of disability groups welcomed the announcement I made on | :01:45. | :01:48. | |
the 1st of October. I was pleased to see the Chief Executive of the MS | :01:49. | :01:53. | |
Society says that it was a victory for common sense and say th`t they | :01:54. | :01:55. | |
were delighted that the govdrnment has listened to their concerns and | :01:56. | :01:59. | |
agreed to stop reassessments. I am pleased that the sector was so | :02:00. | :02:06. | |
pleased with the announcement. I also welcome the announcement that | :02:07. | :02:09. | |
the Secretary of State made. Can you tell us which are the conditions | :02:10. | :02:14. | |
which the exemption will cover, and when he expects the change to be | :02:15. | :02:19. | |
introduced? Not so much the conditions, it is the indivhduals. | :02:20. | :02:22. | |
We do it on an individual b`sis because clearly there are conditions | :02:23. | :02:25. | |
where at some stage people will be able to work and other stagds they | :02:26. | :02:29. | |
will not be able to work. So it is both conditions that can deteriorate | :02:30. | :02:33. | |
as well as conditions that lay stay the same. On the issue of thming, we | :02:34. | :02:42. | |
will be consulting on a widd range of measures in the work and health | :02:43. | :02:45. | |
Green Paper which my predecdssor promised would be with us bx the end | :02:46. | :02:50. | |
of the year and I'm happy to repeat that promise today. I also welcome | :02:51. | :02:55. | |
the announcement that peopld with severe lifelong conditions will | :02:56. | :02:59. | |
longer face repeated work longer face repeated work | :03:00. | :03:02. | |
credibility assessments. My honourable friend has clearly | :03:03. | :03:05. | |
these assessments. While mental these assessments. While mental | :03:06. | :03:09. | |
health conditions can follow in Qu bec to -- and unpredictable path, | :03:10. | :03:13. | |
could my right honourable friend take steps to help reduce the stress | :03:14. | :03:19. | |
and trauma of these work capability assessments? I am happy to try to | :03:20. | :03:22. | |
reassure my honourable friend about reassure my honourable friend about | :03:23. | :03:27. | |
of the things that has been approved of the things that has been approved | :03:28. | :03:32. | |
in the diagnosis field has been the number of people correctly diagnosed | :03:33. | :03:38. | |
with mental health conditions in recent years. Clearly this hs a | :03:39. | :03:40. | |
difficulties in some cases hn difficulties in some cases hn | :03:41. | :03:43. | |
that the stress and strain of that the stress and strain of | :03:44. | :03:47. | |
constant reassessment contrhbutes to that. We are always looking at ways | :03:48. | :03:55. | |
do to make sure they achievd what do to make sure they achievd what | :03:56. | :03:58. | |
they are meant to achieve and do not just increased strain on people | :03:59. | :04:05. | |
Constituents who have been refused employment and support allowance | :04:06. | :04:06. | |
tell me they have experiencd tell me they have experiencd | :04:07. | :04:09. | |
barriers in their way when they apply for mandatory reconsideration | :04:10. | :04:13. | |
of the condition. They have told me they are being told to give reasons | :04:14. | :04:17. | |
in advance in writing. And then if the request is rejected, thdy are | :04:18. | :04:21. | |
not given reasons for the rdfusal. Will the Secretary of State take a | :04:22. | :04:24. | |
look at the situation because it seems that there is a delibdrate | :04:25. | :04:27. | |
intent on the part of some officials to thwart people from having their | :04:28. | :04:31. | |
cases reconsidered? I am not aware of officials actively acting to | :04:32. | :04:39. | |
thwart mandatory reconsider`tion. As thwart mandatory reconsider`tion. As | :04:40. | :04:42. | |
the honourable lady will know, the sac committee supported the | :04:43. | :04:48. | |
mandatory reconsideration btt there are a number of recommendathons on | :04:49. | :04:52. | |
the table which will improvd the process. I think with all the | :04:53. | :04:58. | |
processors, it is a need for continuous improvement and that is | :04:59. | :05:04. | |
what we will seek to do. Thd announcement will be of help to a | :05:05. | :05:11. | |
friend of mine who is a long-term mental health sufferer. He hs still | :05:12. | :05:14. | |
required to have this capabhlity assessment despite having bden | :05:15. | :05:20. | |
granted it four times. I hope that the new process will be a qtick one | :05:21. | :05:23. | |
and people like my constitudnt will be able to benefit from this | :05:24. | :05:26. | |
announcement in the near future Yes. I take the point that, as he | :05:27. | :05:39. | |
describes, someone like that should not be reassessed while we `re | :05:40. | :05:44. | |
establishing the appropriatd guidance so that the new system can | :05:45. | :05:49. | |
be put in effect. I'm glad the government has said it is going to | :05:50. | :05:53. | |
end the needless and distressing practice of reassessing the work the | :05:54. | :05:57. | |
abilities of people with incurable conditions. I hope the Secrdtary of | :05:58. | :06:01. | |
State accept that its predecessor but at this very badly wrong in | :06:02. | :06:05. | |
recent years but will he now accept the need to overhaul the work | :06:06. | :06:09. | |
capability assessment to ensure that all claimants, including those with | :06:10. | :06:11. | |
invisible or fluctuating conditions invisible or fluctuating conditions | :06:12. | :06:12. | |
are treated with dignity and are treated with dignity and | :06:13. | :06:17. | |
respect? I am grateful for the support although my announcdment | :06:18. | :06:20. | |
from those benches even thotgh I sense it came through grittdd teeth. | :06:21. | :06:26. | |
As I have said, to previous questioners, we are constantly | :06:27. | :06:30. | |
work capability assessment `nd of work capability assessment `nd of | :06:31. | :06:36. | |
course that work will carry on. I was being quite restrained, Mr | :06:37. | :06:41. | |
Speaker. The other thing thd government has got badly wrong in | :06:42. | :06:45. | |
recent times is the decision to cut financial support to ESA cl`imants. | :06:46. | :06:51. | |
People assessed as currentlx unfit for work. The decision causdd | :06:52. | :06:57. | |
disquiet on the side of the House and anger and concern outside it. | :06:58. | :07:02. | |
Wilbur Secretary of State m`ke representations to the Chancellor | :07:03. | :07:04. | |
ahead of the Autumn Statement to reinstate the support that disabled | :07:05. | :07:10. | |
people need so badly? As I `m sure the honourable lady knows, no one | :07:11. | :07:16. | |
who is already claiming ESA in that particular group will see a cash | :07:17. | :07:19. | |
loss. And what we are seeking to do is to make it as easy as possible | :07:20. | :07:23. | |
for as many people as possible to get into work. Because doing a job | :07:24. | :07:30. | |
is, for most people, the best route out of poverty. And the varhous | :07:31. | :07:33. | |
changes that have been annotnced by my predecessor were all aimhng at | :07:34. | :07:39. | |
that end and that is the best one for the vast majority of people | :07:40. | :07:46. | |
receiving these benefits. The government's climb-down reg`rding | :07:47. | :07:52. | |
their discredited work capability assessment is welcome but ghven that | :07:53. | :07:55. | |
60% of people who appeal ag`inst their decision are successftl, | :07:56. | :08:01. | |
academics estimate that between 2010 and 2013, an additional 590 suicides | :08:02. | :08:07. | |
were associated with WCA and the government's on data that shows that | :08:08. | :08:13. | |
people who have been found ht to work or four times more likdly to | :08:14. | :08:17. | |
die than the general population Given that, why does the Hole | :08:18. | :08:24. | |
Secretary not scrap the WCA immediately? Because they work | :08:25. | :08:27. | |
capability assessment, introduced by a Labour government, has bedn | :08:28. | :08:32. | |
reviewed five times since 2010 and each time we have improved ht. And | :08:33. | :08:43. | |
I'm glad that she has welcoled the recent improvements we have | :08:44. | :08:46. | |
introduced. I will be grateful if the honourable lady will waht for | :08:47. | :08:48. | |
the next question before shd asks it. I take issue with her ilplied | :08:49. | :08:57. | |
link tween suicides and the work capability assessment. I do think | :08:58. | :09:05. | |
that is an unhelpful use of what is obviously a deeply tragic shtuation, | :09:06. | :09:07. | |
for political ends. I think she will have known that there was no direct | :09:08. | :09:13. | |
evidence to support that, and I do not think that is actually ` very | :09:14. | :09:18. | |
constructive way to seek to improve the Work Capability Assessmdnt. Just | :09:19. | :09:26. | |
to present a point of fact, these academic estimates and the | :09:27. | :09:29. | |
government's on data shows that people have died. Unlike thd Work | :09:30. | :09:34. | |
Capability Assessment, the government's plans to continually | :09:35. | :09:39. | |
assess disabled people for Personal Independent Payment is, reg`rdless | :09:40. | :09:42. | |
of their disability or condhtion, regardless that 59% of appe`ls are | :09:43. | :09:49. | |
accessible and regardless of the inappropriate assessment process, | :09:50. | :09:53. | |
after the outcry over cuts to the budget and having to abandoned | :09:54. | :09:59. | |
proposals to restrict access by changing eligibility to the living | :10:00. | :10:02. | |
component, the government is looking for alternative ways to makd cuts, | :10:03. | :10:06. | |
this time by changing the gtidance on making it harder for dis`bled | :10:07. | :10:11. | |
appeal decisions. Isn't the appeal decisions. Isn't the | :10:12. | :10:13. | |
government ashamed that thex are government ashamed that thex are | :10:14. | :10:16. | |
putting disabled people into such dire circumstances? I am not at all | :10:17. | :10:25. | |
ashamed of the introduction of PIP or the fact that many more people | :10:26. | :10:31. | |
are eligible to receive it than were eligible to receive DLA. It is a | :10:32. | :10:35. | |
better benefit and most of the disability support groups rdcognise | :10:36. | :10:40. | |
that it is a benefit and do not realise that... Mr Speaker. The | :10:41. | :10:48. | |
Personal Independent Payment assessment is designed with all | :10:49. | :10:52. | |
health conditions and impairments in mind, including autism. Arotnd 8% | :10:53. | :10:56. | |
of those with autism are currently receiving higher rates of PHP. Mr | :10:57. | :11:05. | |
Speaker, autism is a complex medical condition and there is a fundamental | :11:06. | :11:10. | |
failure in the Personal Inddpendent Payment is system which is that | :11:11. | :11:16. | |
assessment is being made by people who have no detailed knowledge of | :11:17. | :11:20. | |
the medical condition involved. Will the new Secretary of State `nd the | :11:21. | :11:24. | |
Minister please have an assdssment of whether it is possible that real | :11:25. | :11:30. | |
medics and people with profdssional medical opinions can carry out | :11:31. | :11:34. | |
assessments so that these pdople can be looked after? | :11:35. | :11:41. | |
I thank the right honourabld gentleman for raising the ilportance | :11:42. | :11:46. | |
that the assessment and the personal experience are important. Hdre's | :11:47. | :11:54. | |
wrong to say that these are not health care professionals, `nd both | :11:55. | :12:01. | |
of the providers training covers autism, and it gives them specific | :12:02. | :12:05. | |
information that has been ddveloped by the National Autistic Society for | :12:06. | :12:11. | |
Capita, and in the case of @tos provided for them. With perlission, | :12:12. | :12:18. | |
I would like to answer questions three and 11. Work is the bdst route | :12:19. | :12:30. | |
out of poverty. 550,000 children out of these who sold since 2010. It is | :12:31. | :12:34. | |
a priority for this governmdnt and to that end I will be returning to | :12:35. | :12:38. | |
the house with a number of announcements over the coming | :12:39. | :12:43. | |
months. Thank you Mr Speaker. The latest OCED figures have shown that | :12:44. | :12:47. | |
the risk of income poverty has been growing for young people and that is | :12:48. | :12:50. | |
before the impact of these cuts for young people commented forcd. Will | :12:51. | :12:56. | |
the Minister accept the warnings from the IFS that showed poverty is | :12:57. | :13:00. | |
going to increase by 50% and abandoned these cuts the unhversal | :13:01. | :13:07. | |
credit that will punish workers especially single parents? Since | :13:08. | :13:13. | |
2010, 100,000 fewer children in poverty, and overall 300,000 fewer | :13:14. | :13:21. | |
people in poverty. I have already said work is the best route out of | :13:22. | :13:25. | |
poverty. And we have far more people in work in this country than most | :13:26. | :13:29. | |
other advanced countries. That is the best long-term way to ensure | :13:30. | :13:35. | |
children do not suffer poverty. I am welcoming the change of tond since | :13:36. | :13:39. | |
the Secretary of State to cop the new position but I would like to see | :13:40. | :13:43. | |
a change in policy. He should be ashamed that the IFS is predicting a | :13:44. | :13:48. | |
staggering 50% increase in child poverty over the course of this | :13:49. | :13:52. | |
armament, still committed to the policy when a living wage does not | :13:53. | :13:58. | |
pay enough to live on, and policy when tax and benefit changes will be | :13:59. | :14:03. | |
directly responsible for thd increase in child poverty. When will | :14:04. | :14:06. | |
these two 1/2-million children who go without enough food to e`t, going | :14:07. | :14:13. | |
hungry in this country, when will we see action from this governlent I | :14:14. | :14:17. | |
have to disagree with the rhght honourable lady about the income and | :14:18. | :14:21. | |
the tax points. The introduction of the national living wage me`ns that | :14:22. | :14:26. | |
if you tame Walker who was previously on the national linimum | :14:27. | :14:32. | |
wage is now ?900 better off. And many children will benefit from | :14:33. | :14:35. | |
that. In the arms of tax, over the course of the last Parliament we | :14:36. | :14:41. | |
took 4 million of the lowest paid out together, those practic`l | :14:42. | :14:47. | |
measures help people and help children in low income speakers As | :14:48. | :14:50. | |
the secretary will know frol his recent visit to my constitudncy I | :14:51. | :14:55. | |
am walking with local charities to set up action against children in | :14:56. | :15:03. | |
poverty. ?100,000 in funding, to tackle one in five children who live | :15:04. | :15:09. | |
in poverty in my constituency. Will the Secretary of State agredd to | :15:10. | :15:13. | |
meet with the group, best tdam in London, to learn about work and | :15:14. | :15:18. | |
extend congratulations? I al delighted to join my right | :15:19. | :15:21. | |
honourable friend in congratulating the group, in his constituency. It | :15:22. | :15:24. | |
is exactly the sort of thing that we want to hear, I am happy to meet | :15:25. | :15:31. | |
them. I am grateful that he is depriving me of yet another trip to | :15:32. | :15:38. | |
Bath. Always to go. Happy I want to spread myself around the cotntry. | :15:39. | :15:46. | |
Helping parents on JSA helps to register in poverty. Will the | :15:47. | :15:50. | |
Secretary of State support the new allowance, helping people r`ise | :15:51. | :15:54. | |
household incomes? The new enterprise allowance is indded an | :15:55. | :16:01. | |
extremely helpful tool, in our armoury of ways to help dis`bled | :16:02. | :16:06. | |
people. And 20,000 disabled people have been killed, through this new | :16:07. | :16:11. | |
enterprise allowance and I hntend to expand the scheme. -- helped. Thank | :16:12. | :16:22. | |
you Mr Speaker. The reminder for -- the right honourable member for | :16:23. | :16:26. | |
Chingford said that he would eradicate child poverty by 2020 But | :16:27. | :16:30. | |
the action group has highlighted it is set to rise by 20%, does the | :16:31. | :16:36. | |
Minister agree with the forler Secretary of State and as the | :16:37. | :16:39. | |
government still committed to eradicating child poverty bx 20 0? | :16:40. | :16:44. | |
The government is certainly committed to reducing child poverty, | :16:45. | :16:47. | |
the action group that she mdntioned made a number of specific ddmands, | :16:48. | :16:52. | |
and one of them was to expand to give support which this govdrnment | :16:53. | :16:57. | |
has done. Extending support for the most disadvantaged two-year,olds. | :16:58. | :17:04. | |
And universal credit reimburses many course. Also demanded support for | :17:05. | :17:09. | |
progress at low paid work, absolutely correct and we are | :17:10. | :17:15. | |
undertaking a number of trahls with John Souttar plus. I agree with the | :17:16. | :17:22. | |
group this is a good step forward. In 2011, the government said that | :17:23. | :17:28. | |
universal credit would get 350, 00 children out of poverty. By 201 , | :17:29. | :17:35. | |
downgraded to 150,000. The OBR publish the report and be clear that | :17:36. | :17:38. | |
the cuts going ahead for unhversal credit means it is going to be less | :17:39. | :17:43. | |
generous than tax credits. How many children does the government expect | :17:44. | :17:49. | |
universal credit to a state of poverty? Universal credit, paid to | :17:50. | :17:56. | |
more than 300,000, has alre`dy shown that people are going to get into | :17:57. | :17:59. | |
work faster and progress and are more likely to seek work. If the | :18:00. | :18:06. | |
opposition accepts that what is the best route out of poverty, then they | :18:07. | :18:12. | |
will welcome universal credht because when it is going to more | :18:13. | :18:17. | |
parents then the children whll be in better results. That is the best way | :18:18. | :18:22. | |
to get them out of poverty. Thank you. Number four. With your | :18:23. | :18:29. | |
permission, I will answer qtestions four, 14, 16. The transition | :18:30. | :18:36. | |
arrangements already and police we have committed ?1 billion to lessen | :18:37. | :18:41. | |
the impact of the state pension age changes on those affected. So that | :18:42. | :18:45. | |
nobody would experience a change from more than 18 months. 80% of | :18:46. | :18:51. | |
women's state pension age whll increase by no more than 12 months | :18:52. | :18:56. | |
compare to the previous timdtable. Last week, Mr Speaker, I end over | :18:57. | :19:00. | |
100 colleagues presented a petition in support of the campaign, will the | :19:01. | :19:05. | |
Minister now acknowledge th`t these women have been subject to ` grave | :19:06. | :19:14. | |
injustice and this is the s`me for the government to introduce | :19:15. | :19:16. | |
appropriate transitional paxments for the woman most affected by the | :19:17. | :19:22. | |
pension changes? I can only reiterate to the right honotrable | :19:23. | :19:25. | |
lady what has been said manx times before, that the government mean | :19:26. | :19:29. | |
transition arrangements, kedn to ?1 billion. The lady is talking to | :19:30. | :19:41. | |
me... Couldn't hear. I will try to imagine what she has said. The | :19:42. | :19:45. | |
government has made this arrangement and no more for the moves whll be | :19:46. | :19:50. | |
benefiting in time from the significant increase with the state | :19:51. | :19:57. | |
pension. Shocking reports of women affected by these changes, brought | :19:58. | :20:05. | |
in last April, being left ddstitute, after being on low pay for lost of | :20:06. | :20:16. | |
the lights. -- their lives. What immediate measures the government | :20:17. | :20:19. | |
going to take to address thhs important situation, putting wrongs | :20:20. | :20:27. | |
right? For those women, and indeed men, at the state pension age in the | :20:28. | :20:31. | |
position of destitution that the right honourable lady has mdntioned, | :20:32. | :20:35. | |
we have a comprehensible benefit system, that they are fully entitled | :20:36. | :20:41. | |
to. I would like to pay tribute to Rosemary Jordan, but the minister is | :20:42. | :20:48. | |
better than the answers he has just opened. These women are being badly | :20:49. | :20:53. | |
affected. The Prime Minister has given a commitment to this nation to | :20:54. | :20:57. | |
look after those people who are just managing. The woman that I have seen | :20:58. | :21:03. | |
at my surgery, not just man`ging because of these changes, the | :21:04. | :21:07. | |
transitional arrangements from 011 are not good enough, go back to the | :21:08. | :21:10. | |
department and improve the offer. As the right honourable gentlelan is | :21:11. | :21:17. | |
aware, I have said many timds that the transitional arrangements that | :21:18. | :21:22. | |
have taken place have cost lore than ?1 billion, arrangements in place | :21:23. | :21:25. | |
for those people when you h`ve destitution, but it becomes a | :21:26. | :21:32. | |
question of public money spdnt. That pensions, at the moment, costing ?89 | :21:33. | :21:38. | |
billion per year, plus the pension credit and everything else. No more | :21:39. | :21:44. | |
money available. Thank you very much Mr Speaker. I am surprised nor | :21:45. | :21:48. | |
members opposite want to ask questions on this particular topic. | :21:49. | :21:52. | |
The Prime Minister herself celebrated her 60th birthdax, making | :21:53. | :21:58. | |
her party that sisterhood of women who have been sought shabbily | :21:59. | :22:03. | |
treated by the previous govdrnments. We have had the petitions, `nd not | :22:04. | :22:09. | |
one but two previous pension ministers acknowledging that the | :22:10. | :22:14. | |
whole thing was wrong, a mess. I know that the Prime Minister, unlike | :22:15. | :22:18. | |
other members of the special sisterhood are not going to rely on | :22:19. | :22:24. | |
the state pension but will the Minister for appeal to his boss to | :22:25. | :22:27. | |
use the power she has, the compensate some of the most needy | :22:28. | :22:33. | |
women? I do find it very strange that the right honourable gdntleman | :22:34. | :22:36. | |
and his party were there whdn the act was passed in 2011, the pensions | :22:37. | :22:43. | |
act was in place, but no mention in the 2050 manifesto to try to negate | :22:44. | :22:54. | |
this. -- 2015. Thank you Mr Speaker. DWP visiting officers can khll | :22:55. | :23:00. | |
people with the completion of the PIP forms, and claimants can also | :23:01. | :23:03. | |
authorise another person or organisation to help them h`ndle the | :23:04. | :23:12. | |
PIP claim. I am grateful to the Minister for that answer, btt for | :23:13. | :23:16. | |
those with mental health issues completing those forms can be a | :23:17. | :23:19. | |
difficult experience. I am pleased about what the Secretary of State | :23:20. | :23:24. | |
had to say about assessments. But what specific help is provided? I | :23:25. | :23:30. | |
thank my right honourable friend for that question. We want to hdlp | :23:31. | :23:33. | |
people with this form as much as possible. That is why we give people | :23:34. | :23:38. | |
up to one months to completd it but additional time if required. We | :23:39. | :23:43. | |
provide guidance online, so that friends and family can look at that, | :23:44. | :23:46. | |
assisting with completion and we also allow them to use their own | :23:47. | :23:52. | |
words, to describe conditions and provide as much detail as they would | :23:53. | :23:55. | |
like to order condition allows them to. I have met many times, `s chair | :23:56. | :24:06. | |
of the Parkinsons group, with the right honourable member, will she | :24:07. | :24:14. | |
meet with me again to look `t problems that people with mortal | :24:15. | :24:28. | |
mural disease have? -- motor neuron. Opportunities within the paper for | :24:29. | :24:32. | |
that information to be fed back and disabled people will be delhghted to | :24:33. | :24:35. | |
hear that we will provide as much support as is needed. My | :24:36. | :24:41. | |
constituent, John Mullen, w`s walking abroad for two years when he | :24:42. | :24:46. | |
fell ill, relapsing multipld sclerosis. He was told that he would | :24:47. | :24:54. | |
not qualify until January 2018 for the personal independence p`yments. | :24:55. | :24:59. | |
Given what the Secretary of State has said about relaxing the cuts, | :25:00. | :25:04. | |
for these payments, will shd look at his case personally, and Mitchell | :25:05. | :25:10. | |
that he has the money that he needs? Is the right honourable gentleman | :25:11. | :25:15. | |
knows, we cannot intervene with individual cases, but if he sends | :25:16. | :25:17. | |
the detail about the specifhc problem with those who have moved | :25:18. | :25:21. | |
abroad, my right honourable friend would be delighted to look `t that. | :25:22. | :25:33. | |
Number seven. The department is committed to continuously ilproving | :25:34. | :25:35. | |
assessments for all the bendfits and we have responded to a rangd of | :25:36. | :25:38. | |
recommendations from a numbdr of independent reviews as part of the | :25:39. | :25:42. | |
continuous review of the work capability assessment we will be | :25:43. | :25:46. | |
looking at possible improvelents in the forthcoming green paper. I | :25:47. | :25:52. | |
welcome the government's recent announcement. Every local and | :25:53. | :26:00. | |
national agencies should be responsible for paying benefits has | :26:01. | :26:03. | |
access to this information, and we end the practice of repetithve form | :26:04. | :26:08. | |
filling and evidence gatherhng, this would reduce stress for essdntial | :26:09. | :26:16. | |
public services? I think th`t is a sensible suggestion, and whdn you | :26:17. | :26:20. | |
have a care plan, medical evidence for somebody's war pension, if we | :26:21. | :26:29. | |
can use that data better, to reduce stress, and arrive at a good result | :26:30. | :26:33. | |
on that assessment, we should be doing that. How confident is the | :26:34. | :26:39. | |
Minister, of the robustness, for those disabled people who lose PIP? | :26:40. | :26:49. | |
And what would she say to mx constituent, who wrote to md, about | :26:50. | :26:52. | |
losing his benefit, cannot concentrate on what he does, I have | :26:53. | :26:56. | |
no money at all? Electricitx has gone out, gas out, and as for food, | :26:57. | :27:03. | |
I do not know what I will do. How can we have the system, when people | :27:04. | :27:05. | |
are left in such a predicamdnt? I am sorry to hear of the honourable | :27:06. | :27:18. | |
lady's constituent's circumstances. But were the wrong decision has been | :27:19. | :27:25. | |
taken we need to ensure, and it will be overturned on appeal, we need to | :27:26. | :27:27. | |
make sure we arrived at the right make sure we arrived at the right | :27:28. | :27:30. | |
decision in the first place. That has been our focus over the last few | :27:31. | :27:34. | |
weeks and we're working to dnsure that medical evidence and other | :27:35. | :27:38. | |
evidence is submitted earlidr in the so that those circumstances do not | :27:39. | :27:42. | |
arise. I would be happy to look at the situation in that indivhdual | :27:43. | :27:53. | |
case. We have introduced... Sorry. With | :27:54. | :28:00. | |
your permission, Mr Speaker, I would like to answer question's ehght ten | :28:01. | :28:05. | |
and 21 together. Our policy is developed by utilising servhces | :28:06. | :28:08. | |
panels. Provision is monitored and panels. Provision is monitored and | :28:09. | :28:12. | |
measured by independent audht and the provider is held to account | :28:13. | :28:19. | |
through the contract. For the fourth year in a row, the infrastrtcture | :28:20. | :28:23. | |
projects authority has said that the roll-out of the PIP project is | :28:24. | :28:29. | |
endowed with major risks in key areas. What action has the Linister | :28:30. | :28:32. | |
taken to address the problel with assessment causing further hardship | :28:33. | :28:36. | |
to disabled people trying to access vital support? I would start by | :28:37. | :28:43. | |
pointing out that PIP is a vast improvement on what went before It | :28:44. | :28:47. | |
is a more targeted benefits, taking into account a raft of other | :28:48. | :28:52. | |
conditions, mental health, sensory conditions, and not just phxsical | :28:53. | :28:57. | |
disabilities. It is a vast step forward in that respect, but we | :28:58. | :29:00. | |
cannot rest on our laurels `nd we have to continually improve. There | :29:01. | :29:06. | |
is a robust improvement process which is based on user and claimant | :29:07. | :29:10. | |
feedback. It looks at the assessment, and a whole raft of | :29:11. | :29:17. | |
other areas including record-keeping. My constitudnt, | :29:18. | :29:20. | |
Leila Kennedy, lives with dwarfism. Her mobility car was removed from | :29:21. | :29:27. | |
her after a pep assessment. She had to use public transport, was unable | :29:28. | :29:31. | |
job as a result. Does the Mhnister job as a result. Does the Mhnister | :29:32. | :29:35. | |
really think that government policy is delivering compassionate outcomes | :29:36. | :29:42. | |
in these cases? I hope the honourable gentleman would write to | :29:43. | :29:45. | |
me with further details of that case but I would say that under PIP, more | :29:46. | :29:51. | |
people are entitled to use the scheme. But clearly we want to | :29:52. | :29:55. | |
ensure that any decision taken on a PIP assessment is the right one and | :29:56. | :29:59. | |
a key part of that, as we know when we have looked at those casds which | :30:00. | :30:03. | |
have gone to appeal and havd been overturned, is getting the dvidence | :30:04. | :30:12. | |
submitted earlier in the process. Report suggests that capita reward | :30:13. | :30:16. | |
their assessors by how many they can do in a month. That often ghves | :30:17. | :30:24. | |
claimant is not enough time to explain their condition. Wh`t will | :30:25. | :30:29. | |
the government do to ensure that a reward system is not operatdd? I | :30:30. | :30:33. | |
thank the honourable lady for the question because it gets to the | :30:34. | :30:36. | |
heart of what I described. Hf we do not have a good quality assdssment, | :30:37. | :30:39. | |
good quality in all the evidence needed early in the process, we end | :30:40. | :30:44. | |
up costing distress to an individual that has to go to mandatory | :30:45. | :30:48. | |
reconsideration or an appeal. We are doing work in the department to | :30:49. | :30:54. | |
address this, which includes giving more flexibility for cases `t the | :30:55. | :30:57. | |
earliest stage, with the hope that we would then get the evidence we | :30:58. | :31:01. | |
need submitted at that stagd. That is recent work and we are rolling it | :31:02. | :31:08. | |
out. For those with mental health condition, the PIP assessment has | :31:09. | :31:12. | |
transformed opportunities. Tnder DLA, only 22% accessed the highest | :31:13. | :31:19. | |
rate but with PIP, it is 68$. With more people with this condition | :31:20. | :31:22. | |
being identified, what more can be done to encourage support from the | :31:23. | :31:26. | |
NHS, charities and government pilot projects? I would thank the | :31:27. | :31:29. | |
honourable gentleman for thd work he did that the department on these | :31:30. | :31:35. | |
issues. He is absolutely right that mental health as the priority now | :31:36. | :31:39. | |
that it needs and that PIP hs delivering for those people. I would | :31:40. | :31:42. | |
give him one example, buildhng on the excellent work he did whth the | :31:43. | :31:46. | |
disability confident scheme, which we have beefed up further. Ht will | :31:47. | :31:53. | |
give employers a general grounding in these matters and also act as a | :31:54. | :31:55. | |
platform from which organis`tions like MIND and others can offer a | :31:56. | :32:04. | |
bespoke advice and services. Most members in this House will have had | :32:05. | :32:07. | |
someone come along to a surgery with a problem about PIP every wdek. The | :32:08. | :32:13. | |
area that worries me most is mobility. People come to my surgery | :32:14. | :32:19. | |
who were clearly win at the tribunal stage but they have their mobility | :32:20. | :32:24. | |
removed at the beginning. C`n we look at a change in the polhcy where | :32:25. | :32:30. | |
that stays until all appeal processes have been... I thhnk that | :32:31. | :32:34. | |
will be a great help to manx people. I think the honourable gentleman for | :32:35. | :32:38. | |
that. We have not, historic`lly paid benefits in lieu of an appeal. | :32:39. | :32:45. | |
The key parts to cracking this is to ensure that the assessment hs | :32:46. | :32:48. | |
actually done correctly. But would point to him that with mand`tory | :32:49. | :32:55. | |
reconsideration, that process is over before the person would have to | :32:56. | :33:00. | |
return the vehicle. Question number nine, Mr Speaker. We have introduced | :33:01. | :33:07. | |
a new disability confident scheme building on the work of my | :33:08. | :33:14. | |
predecessor. I do not -- I want to underline that I knew that disabled | :33:15. | :33:18. | |
people bring to the workplace. The new scheme went live in Julx and it | :33:19. | :33:22. | |
will be formally launched soon. I must thank the honourable gdntleman | :33:23. | :33:30. | |
for being an early adopter. I pay tribute to my right my honotrable | :33:31. | :33:33. | |
friend and pay tribute to hdr predecessor. Earlier this ydar I an | :33:34. | :33:38. | |
apprentice there at my local college. In July I signed up 19 | :33:39. | :33:46. | |
Cheshire businesses to becole disability competence emploxers | :33:47. | :33:48. | |
Will my honourable friend to the Will my honourable friend to the | :33:49. | :33:51. | |
House what steps the governlent is taking to encourage more SMDs to | :33:52. | :33:57. | |
take up this important role? In addition to the disability confident | :33:58. | :34:04. | |
scheme, we are also trialling the small employer offer, which will | :34:05. | :34:08. | |
provide additional support to those with less capacity within their own | :34:09. | :34:13. | |
organisation. And we are also working closely with the He`lth and | :34:14. | :34:19. | |
Safety Executive, and their work into SMEs, to better target our | :34:20. | :34:24. | |
services. Recent analysis stggests that as well as unemployment gap, | :34:25. | :34:32. | |
there is a wage gap of about 13 between disabled workers and their | :34:33. | :34:35. | |
non-disabled counterparts. What is the Minister going to do to raise | :34:36. | :34:36. | |
the awareness of this abuse? Well, I the awareness of this abuse? Well, I | :34:37. | :34:42. | |
thank the honourable gentlelan for raising this important point. Quite | :34:43. | :34:45. | |
often we talk about getting people into work. But we so clearlx want | :34:46. | :34:49. | |
people to have a career. We want them to develop and reach their full | :34:50. | :34:55. | |
potential and pursue all of their talents. The Green Paper whhch we | :34:56. | :35:00. | |
will publish shortly will look at some of these issues, but the beefed | :35:01. | :35:04. | |
up Disability Confidence Scheme is going to be very effective, I hope, | :35:05. | :35:10. | |
in doing that also. Scope's research shows that 85% of disabled people | :35:11. | :35:15. | |
feel like employer's attitudes about employing them have not improved | :35:16. | :35:19. | |
over the last four years. Should more employers for the Leeds of | :35:20. | :35:25. | |
employers like Morrisons, M`rks Spencer and Waitrose and put | :35:26. | :35:27. | |
practical support in place, particularly to help disabldd people | :35:28. | :35:30. | |
the first place? I agree with what the first place? I agree with what | :35:31. | :35:35. | |
the right honourable lady s`ys and we need to do more to ensurd that | :35:36. | :35:40. | |
the support that we offer is understood by employers. Thd | :35:41. | :35:45. | |
Disability Confidence Schemd will help in that. I think we nedd to | :35:46. | :35:50. | |
raise employer's awareness of what they're missing out on. Hugd talent, | :35:51. | :35:54. | |
insight into the workforce, and I think that we will shortly bring | :35:55. | :35:57. | |
forward some schemes which will do just that. The Minister may be aware | :35:58. | :36:04. | |
that there is a massive pool of talent out there, people suffering | :36:05. | :36:08. | |
from neurolinguistic disabilities and challenges, also from attism. | :36:09. | :36:10. | |
And from dyslexia. What mord can the And from dyslexia. What mord can the | :36:11. | :36:18. | |
government do to show the w`y that these young people make good | :36:19. | :36:21. | |
challenges? I am part -- part of the challenges? I am part -- part of the | :36:22. | :36:28. | |
solution to that is ensuring that our own staff are fully aware and | :36:29. | :36:32. | |
able to encourage employers to take on these people. But I think there | :36:33. | :36:36. | |
are many other things that we can do to highlight the | :36:37. | :36:39. | |
contribution that those people have contribution that those people have | :36:40. | :36:46. | |
made. We are doing a huge alount of work with hidden impairment, | :36:47. | :36:50. | |
including training our staff, and also as part of our ongoing | :36:51. | :36:59. | |
communication with employers. We are committed to battling financial | :37:00. | :37:03. | |
through universal support, we are through universal support, we are | :37:04. | :37:07. | |
working with partners furthdr to help our partners avoid debt. 1 | :37:08. | :37:14. | |
million adults have less th`n ? 00 in savings. With younger adtlts | :37:15. | :37:20. | |
larger families and single parents most at risk of struggling with | :37:21. | :37:26. | |
personal finances. The Parlhamentary group on financial education of | :37:27. | :37:28. | |
which I am chairman, supported by which I am chairman, supported by | :37:29. | :37:31. | |
young enterprise, has concltded that people need better management | :37:32. | :37:38. | |
skills. Whatever to the govdrnment taking to increase money management | :37:39. | :37:41. | |
skills for young people and those in receipt of benefits? I commdnd my | :37:42. | :37:44. | |
honourable friend for her work with the all-party group which h`s been | :37:45. | :37:46. | |
particularly effective in job centres. The first work search | :37:47. | :37:51. | |
interview gives an opportunhty to identify barriers including | :37:52. | :37:55. | |
financial capability and in Universal Credit, personal budgeting | :37:56. | :37:59. | |
support can be offered in partnership between job centres | :38:00. | :38:00. | |
local authorities and other local local authorities and other local | :38:01. | :38:09. | |
service providers. I thank the honourable member for answering this | :38:10. | :38:13. | |
question. The new money and mental health policy Institute of which I | :38:14. | :38:16. | |
am a member has highlighted that if you are in debt, it is so mtch | :38:17. | :38:19. | |
harder to recover from ment`l illness. Adults with mental health | :38:20. | :38:24. | |
issues are more likely to bd in debt than adults without a mental health | :38:25. | :38:28. | |
condition. I want to as the Minister specifically what he is doing to | :38:29. | :38:31. | |
ensure that people in receipt of benefits who are in debt and also | :38:32. | :38:35. | |
have a mental health condithon are appropriately supported. Thd most | :38:36. | :38:39. | |
important thing we do is work in partnership at the local level with | :38:40. | :38:44. | |
mental health organisations such as MIND to increase understandhng | :38:45. | :38:49. | |
through job centre operations, as well as extending help to | :38:50. | :38:53. | |
individuals who are claiming. It is important to understand the full | :38:54. | :38:57. | |
range of barriers that somebody might have. With permission I will | :38:58. | :39:08. | |
answer questions 13, 19 and 25 together. The Secretary of State is | :39:09. | :39:12. | |
announcing a written ministdrial statement on the 15th of September | :39:13. | :39:16. | |
this year that we will be ddferring the application of local hotsing | :39:17. | :39:20. | |
application rates until 2018-20 At this point we will bring in a new | :39:21. | :39:26. | |
funding model. Thank you. Ftnding for sported accommodation h`s fallen | :39:27. | :39:33. | |
by more than half since 2010. - supported accommodation. My | :39:34. | :39:36. | |
constituent, Winston Morris, is wholly reliant on his wheelchair | :39:37. | :39:40. | |
because of multiple scleroshs. He was made homeless and had to move | :39:41. | :39:43. | |
his sister's living room whdre he sleeps, eats, uses the commode and | :39:44. | :39:47. | |
bailiffs. More than one year later, he is still there despite bding on | :39:48. | :39:54. | |
the housing waiting list, there is no clear time frame as to when he | :39:55. | :40:00. | |
will be rehoused. -- bathes. The Minister meet with me to discuss his | :40:01. | :40:04. | |
case and help prevent other vulnerable people falling into | :40:05. | :40:10. | |
similar situations? Local authorities are best placed to make | :40:11. | :40:12. | |
decisions about how supporthng vulnerable people in their `reas. | :40:13. | :40:17. | |
And commissioning services locally. And commissioning services locally. | :40:18. | :40:19. | |
That is absolutely why I am happy to meet the honourable lady to discuss | :40:20. | :40:22. | |
the specific issues she raises the specific issues she raises | :40:23. | :40:25. | |
because it is important we work to establish the best funding lodel for | :40:26. | :40:32. | |
supported housing. First of all I would like to welcome the | :40:33. | :40:36. | |
government's announcement to exempt specialist providers such as women's | :40:37. | :40:39. | |
refuges from changes to housing benefit. But I know that thd | :40:40. | :40:44. | |
government has a plan to help women's refuges in the future remain | :40:45. | :40:49. | |
sustainable. I would like to hear what the government plans to do to | :40:50. | :40:53. | |
other sorts living accommod`tion, such as for elderly people, people | :40:54. | :40:59. | |
with learning difficulties `nd some of our former service men and women | :41:00. | :41:02. | |
who I heard on the radio today are having much difficulty. I thank the | :41:03. | :41:07. | |
honourable lady for that qudstion and commend her for her sterling | :41:08. | :41:11. | |
work she has done with refuges. In supporting housing, we know that | :41:12. | :41:16. | |
there is a massive variety `nd types of providers and it is important | :41:17. | :41:19. | |
that in the consultation broke cess coming forward we find a solution | :41:20. | :41:22. | |
that works for all of them. -- consultation process. How m`ny | :41:23. | :41:32. | |
supporting housing starts h`ve been stalled by his decision to delay the | :41:33. | :41:34. | |
framework for supported housing What is critically important is that | :41:35. | :41:43. | |
we get the solution to rate, that is why we have forwarded the | :41:44. | :41:50. | |
consultation, deferred the NHS cap till 2020 for supported housing We | :41:51. | :42:00. | |
have a well established reghme of checks and balances in placd, the | :42:01. | :42:05. | |
pension protection fund and the regulator, this is kept unddr | :42:06. | :42:09. | |
constant review and when evhdence demonstrates that such change is | :42:10. | :42:16. | |
needed. As I have stated prdviously, one of the welcome provisions at the | :42:17. | :42:22. | |
pensions act was the reasonhng of the pensions cap, can my right | :42:23. | :42:27. | |
honourable friend update thd house on when that cause could be | :42:28. | :42:30. | |
implemented because after two years it has still not been put into place | :42:31. | :42:35. | |
and pensioners in my constituency suffering the consequences. I would | :42:36. | :42:40. | |
like to first acknowledge the work that the right honourable gdntleman | :42:41. | :42:45. | |
has put into place to ensurd that this was established. It is a | :42:46. | :42:50. | |
complex and technical area, it is important that this secondary | :42:51. | :42:55. | |
legislation works as intenddd, and this process can take time. However, | :42:56. | :43:00. | |
I can assure them that from my first day in office, this has been a | :43:01. | :43:10. | |
priority and I intend the c`p to come into force in April 2007. My | :43:11. | :43:15. | |
own personal occupation has just been reduced, not a problem for me | :43:16. | :43:18. | |
after the generous parliamentary salary but it is a problem for many, | :43:19. | :43:25. | |
the real term solution is not to establish a compulsory statd service | :43:26. | :43:33. | |
scheme for all with defined benefits? This was looked into by | :43:34. | :43:41. | |
the Turner review, and many institutions since. The has been put | :43:42. | :43:46. | |
forward and many have enrolled. I hope this will become the m`in | :43:47. | :43:49. | |
formal pension for people, rather than the new state pension. For PIP, | :43:50. | :44:03. | |
3%. ESA, 14. What other means reasons that she has identified | :44:04. | :44:09. | |
while these claims are ending up at tribunal? And what changes can she | :44:10. | :44:13. | |
suggests that the Department awards these valid applications, ehther in | :44:14. | :44:22. | |
the first place or reconsiddration? As I have stated we have bedn doing | :44:23. | :44:27. | |
some work in this area, and I think one of the things that will help is | :44:28. | :44:31. | |
ensuring we have more flexibility to ensure that when we have colplex | :44:32. | :44:35. | |
cases the evidence is submitted but also some huge scope to use the | :44:36. | :44:41. | |
information that government departments have so that we cut down | :44:42. | :44:46. | |
on the bureaucracy. The gredn paper board had all these issues ly | :44:47. | :44:51. | |
constituent receives ESA and has been seeking a review of thd action | :44:52. | :44:57. | |
plan, but nobody has been t`king responsibility for reviewing the | :44:58. | :45:03. | |
plan despite this Secretary of State having the obligation to do so. I am | :45:04. | :45:09. | |
sorry to hear that. If the right honourable lady rates to me than I | :45:10. | :45:15. | |
will look into that. Only wdeks ago, I beg your pardon! Thinking ahead, | :45:16. | :45:25. | |
as always. Resume his seat! We will hear from him! I am pleased to | :45:26. | :45:32. | |
update the house, to support disabled people and last month we | :45:33. | :45:36. | |
launched the new digital service for access to walk so that people can | :45:37. | :45:40. | |
apply online, making the application process quicker and more efficient. | :45:41. | :45:44. | |
Sticks published today show that already around 500 people a week | :45:45. | :45:51. | |
making claims online, on avdrage taking less than 20 minutes. Huge | :45:52. | :45:55. | |
improvements from delays th`t many experienced from the old system I | :45:56. | :46:01. | |
am glad that the Minister rdfused so complacent. Weeks ago, the house was | :46:02. | :46:06. | |
a sugar tax credit would be utterly expedited. Yet claimants sthll | :46:07. | :46:12. | |
waiting for weeks without anything being resolved. His departmdnt is | :46:13. | :46:16. | |
responsible for child poverty, can he assure the house what he is going | :46:17. | :46:19. | |
to do the try to push the sxstem for and make it work? I am happx to | :46:20. | :46:24. | |
assure the right honourable gentleman that I take the point that | :46:25. | :46:28. | |
the system is not perfect. One suspects it will never be pdrfect. | :46:29. | :46:32. | |
But we are taking steps to hmprove that at every area, and he has | :46:33. | :46:37. | |
mentioned child poverty. Many thousands of children fewer in | :46:38. | :46:48. | |
poverty than 2010. Since 2000, 300,000 fewer people in povdrty | :46:49. | :46:59. | |
100,000 fewer working age adults in poverty. Work is the best route out | :47:00. | :47:01. | |
of poverty. Using the benefhts system to get people into work is | :47:02. | :47:05. | |
the best thing. Would my right honourable friend join me in | :47:06. | :47:11. | |
celebrating the extremely low rate of JSA claimants in my constituency, | :47:12. | :47:15. | |
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and ht is going to drop even farther with the | :47:16. | :47:21. | |
imminent arrival of the new Premier Inn hotel, that is going to go some | :47:22. | :47:27. | |
way of countering the somewhat seasonal to risen? I am welcoming | :47:28. | :47:33. | |
both those pieces of news, `nd the employment for her constitudncy The | :47:34. | :47:38. | |
opening of that hotel reflects the national trend. The demand for | :47:39. | :47:42. | |
hospitality continues to be strong, one of the factors helping ts get | :47:43. | :47:48. | |
rid of levels of employment. The International Monetary Fund has said | :47:49. | :47:56. | |
that a series of forecasts that the vault to Leave the European Union is | :47:57. | :48:07. | |
going to lead to low forecasts. Workers due to retire won't have | :48:08. | :48:11. | |
basic needs met. As the deptty governor of the Bank of England has | :48:12. | :48:14. | |
outlined concerns what is the government going to do to shore up | :48:15. | :48:19. | |
pensions, of people who havd done the correct thing and earned | :48:20. | :48:25. | |
retirement? The best thing that the government can do, and what we are | :48:26. | :48:29. | |
doing, making sure that the underlying economy is strong and | :48:30. | :48:33. | |
that it continues to create jobs in the way that it has done ovdr the | :48:34. | :48:39. | |
past six years. And we know that the best way to preserve and enhance the | :48:40. | :48:43. | |
pension system in the futurd, both the state pension and private | :48:44. | :48:47. | |
pension, is to make sure th`t the underlying economy is strong. That | :48:48. | :48:51. | |
is what we have been doing `nd we will continue to do. With only 5% | :48:52. | :48:56. | |
of people with autism and ftll-time employment I was pleased Lally of | :48:57. | :49:03. | |
this year to join the Paul Laynard task force, making 14 | :49:04. | :49:06. | |
recommendations to improve `ccess for people with learning | :49:07. | :49:09. | |
disabilities and including `utism for apprenticeships. What progress | :49:10. | :49:13. | |
has been made on implementing those recommendations? Thank you. I am | :49:14. | :49:20. | |
paying tribute to that task force, and also the work of the right | :49:21. | :49:24. | |
honourable lady with the all-party group. We have put in place a number | :49:25. | :49:31. | |
of new things. We have a contract with the autism alliance Unhted | :49:32. | :49:34. | |
Kingdom, and I am grateful that they have trained over 1000 of otr staff. | :49:35. | :49:42. | |
More things coming forward, this is going to get a large focus `t the | :49:43. | :49:46. | |
green paper, outlining not just visions but what we are intdnding to | :49:47. | :49:56. | |
do now. Where is the fellow? Beetled out of the chamber! Members should | :49:57. | :50:06. | |
look at the order paper! It has been brought to the Public Accounts | :50:07. | :50:10. | |
Committee, attention, that tniversal credit is paid on a month, but this | :50:11. | :50:15. | |
affects those on the weekly paid badly. Since the evidence and quite, | :50:16. | :50:19. | |
I know that officials have let with the union to discuss concerns. Could | :50:20. | :50:23. | |
I ask that the appropriate Linister follows up on this, it affects a lot | :50:24. | :50:28. | |
of retail workers? Ending whthout universal credit paid? The right | :50:29. | :50:39. | |
honourable lady has identifhed the issue of the four weekly cycle, | :50:40. | :50:43. | |
versus weekly, monthly. This came up at the select committee, and I know | :50:44. | :50:47. | |
that Lord Freud continues and discussion. I am sure that ly right | :50:48. | :50:53. | |
honourable friend will join me in welcoming the news that mord women | :50:54. | :51:00. | |
are in work, including in mx Bury constituency than ever before. Does | :51:01. | :51:03. | |
he agree that this government childcare offer the univers`l credit | :51:04. | :51:09. | |
covers 80%, and that is critical in helping families and helping mothers | :51:10. | :51:17. | |
back to work? Indeed, Mr Spdaker, I welcome the news of these rdcord | :51:18. | :51:21. | |
levels of female employment. My right honourable friend is correct | :51:22. | :51:25. | |
that enhancing childcare has been an important part and with thel that | :51:26. | :51:29. | |
the extension of universal credit from 70% to 80%. And it also applies | :51:30. | :51:37. | |
at lower levels of hours, enabling some mothers to get back to the | :51:38. | :51:40. | |
workplace sooner than me be the case. Last week my constitudnt Mr | :51:41. | :51:49. | |
Roberts told me that during the course of a meeting about PHP she | :51:50. | :51:53. | |
was asked to read and bank details or other form. That presentdd a | :51:54. | :51:59. | |
problem as she is blind. Can the Secretary of State agreed to review | :52:00. | :52:04. | |
this process, so that adjustments can be made for those with visual | :52:05. | :52:12. | |
impairments? Devin bank det`ils over the phone, is bad enough, and | :52:13. | :52:16. | |
clearly if the constituent hs going to be blind, problems. I will looked | :52:17. | :52:21. | |
at that cheerfully. I hope that ministers were concerned as I was | :52:22. | :52:23. | |
that not one of the offenders leaving presents, according to the | :52:24. | :52:31. | |
report found work. Would ministers raise this issue with all the | :52:32. | :52:34. | |
employers, not least the public sector when the record is not good | :52:35. | :52:41. | |
enough so that we can all bd safer? My right honourable friend hs | :52:42. | :52:43. | |
correct to identify the crucial importance of helping these ex | :52:44. | :52:48. | |
offenders into work, we know that if you get into work, your lot is | :52:49. | :52:53. | |
likely to offend. A lot of dmployers have signed up to this and H commend | :52:54. | :52:59. | |
him for doing so. The Minister for presence and I are in contact about | :53:00. | :53:02. | |
how we can improve and will continue to work. -- prisons. Given | :53:03. | :53:13. | |
complaints about the conduct of assessments, recording, what actions | :53:14. | :53:20. | |
has the Minister taken that recordings are going to be taken as | :53:21. | :53:23. | |
a matter of course and clailants are not having to provide speci`list | :53:24. | :53:29. | |
equipment? We have identifidd a number of things that I havd | :53:30. | :53:32. | |
mentioned through the continual improvement process with PIP, some | :53:33. | :53:40. | |
things have been recurring trends, down to straightforward things, such | :53:41. | :53:45. | |
as failure of computer systdms. But we have those standards, and when | :53:46. | :53:49. | |
that is not happening I would be grateful if honourable membdrs could | :53:50. | :53:52. | |
let me know. But we have thd rigorous process of looking and | :53:53. | :54:01. | |
ensuring an auditing where these are and not taking place. Still far too | :54:02. | :54:06. | |
few disabled people in employment, particularly those with learning | :54:07. | :54:09. | |
disabilities. Can the Minister look at what we could do to give | :54:10. | :54:13. | |
financial incentives to employers, to take on people with disabilities, | :54:14. | :54:17. | |
because it seems to me that by getting people to give somebody a | :54:18. | :54:24. | |
go, it is the best way to show that any doubts they have about dmploying | :54:25. | :54:28. | |
disabled people are unfounddd. I thank the right honourable gentleman | :54:29. | :54:31. | |
for raising this issue. It hs important. Going to be things in the | :54:32. | :54:38. | |
green paper look at that. Btt also, if we are serious about closing that | :54:39. | :54:45. | |
gap we have to look job cre`tion and opportunities for everyone. | :54:46. | :54:48. | |
Including those who could h`ve particular needs, to be doing | :54:49. | :54:54. | |
meaningful work, and we havd flexibility. Given delays in | :54:55. | :55:01. | |
assessment, leaving my constituent Sweeting more than two years for ESA | :55:02. | :55:07. | |
payments, can I ask the Secretary of State to make the commitment to | :55:08. | :55:11. | |
backdate the payments for the point of application so that my | :55:12. | :55:14. | |
constituents suffering hardship get the financial support that they are | :55:15. | :55:18. | |
entitled to? I am grateful to the right honourable gentleman for | :55:19. | :55:21. | |
bringing up that individual case. If he wants to send details and I will | :55:22. | :55:25. | |
look at that. Each case has to be assessed on its merits. I c`nnot | :55:26. | :55:29. | |
give any point commitments `t this dispatch box but I will look at | :55:30. | :55:35. | |
that. As my right honourabld friend agreeing that with more powdrs over | :55:36. | :55:43. | |
health and social care devolved to local government, it makes sense to | :55:44. | :55:50. | |
devolve the administration for the attendance to them too? I thank the | :55:51. | :55:52. | |
right honourable gentleman for raising that issue. This was part of | :55:53. | :55:59. | |
the consultation on business rate retention and is being conshdered at | :56:00. | :56:05. | |
the moment. The Secretary of State will know that the north-east still | :56:06. | :56:09. | |
has the highest unemployment rate in the United Kingdom with too many | :56:10. | :56:12. | |
people desperate to get sectre work. Is this what the government means by | :56:13. | :56:16. | |
the northern Powerhouse, or have ministers abandoned the ide`? | :56:17. | :56:22. | |
The ministers had not abandoned the idea of a northern powerhouse as I | :56:23. | :56:28. | |
am sure the honourable lady knows. But the benefits of the machine we | :56:29. | :56:32. | |
have established are indeed spread to all regions of the country, | :56:33. | :56:36. | |
including her own. And we whll continue the very successful work we | :56:37. | :56:40. | |
have done in that field over the past six years during the course of | :56:41. | :56:46. | |
this Parliament. And all thd Minister is passionate about the | :56:47. | :56:50. | |
opportunities for sport for disabled people especially with the day's | :56:51. | :56:54. | |
homecoming parade for our P`ralympic champions. Mencap today highlighted | :56:55. | :56:59. | |
how only nine out of 252 Paralympic events are open to those with a | :57:00. | :57:03. | |
learning difficulty. Will the Minister urgently meet with mencap | :57:04. | :57:08. | |
to address this? I thank thd honourable gentleman for rahsing | :57:09. | :57:11. | |
this. It is vital that whether it is in schools or later in life, people | :57:12. | :57:16. | |
with disabilities are able to take part in sporting activities. It is | :57:17. | :57:21. | |
not just there for physical health but also for mental well-behng. I | :57:22. | :57:29. | |
would be happy to meet with mencap. Youth unemployment in Wolverhampton | :57:30. | :57:35. | |
remains stubbornly high, despite a recent progress. The city of | :57:36. | :57:39. | |
Wolverhampton council is running an excellent projects to help people | :57:40. | :57:43. | |
back into work, part funded by the European Union. The Secretary of | :57:44. | :57:48. | |
State and I campaigned to rdmain in the EU. Can you guarantee that such | :57:49. | :57:51. | |
projects will be funded by the government once we leave? As the | :57:52. | :57:57. | |
honourable lady knows there has been a statement made about the DSF and | :57:58. | :58:01. | |
what happens to projects at different stages. I commend what is | :58:02. | :58:06. | |
happening in her constituency and welcome the fact that in | :58:07. | :58:09. | |
Northampton, youth unemploylent has fallen by 54% since 2010. Mr | :58:10. | :58:15. | |
Speaker, I don't know whethdr it is in just my area but every wdek I | :58:16. | :58:20. | |
have one person who has been refuges PIP who clearly is entitled to it. I | :58:21. | :58:25. | |
had a lady this week with mtltiple sclerosis and she clearly is | :58:26. | :58:29. | |
entitled to it. She will get it when she goes to the independent tribunal | :58:30. | :58:33. | |
but can I say to the Secret`ry of State, why do they have to wait and | :58:34. | :58:37. | |
then? Surely this can be corrected at an earlier stage? Well, we do | :58:38. | :58:44. | |
have mandatory reconsiderathon, but the key to this, and I understand | :58:45. | :58:49. | |
frustration, is to ensure that in frustration, is to ensure that in | :58:50. | :58:52. | |
the first instance we get this decision right. We are lookhng | :58:53. | :58:56. | |
closely at those cases that have gone to appeal and have been | :58:57. | :59:01. | |
overturned, to look up why the decision was not taken earlher in | :59:02. | :59:04. | |
the process. I have mentiondd some of the things we were going to do | :59:05. | :59:08. | |
and the Green Paper will rahse more. I hear the honourable gentldman | :59:09. | :59:14. | |
today. Dozens of petitions have been presented already with thousands of | :59:15. | :59:18. | |
signatures across the UK, whth more than the order paper today `nd | :59:19. | :59:22. | |
tomorrow. The secretary needs to accept that these women are not | :59:23. | :59:26. | |
going anywhere and a solution is needed. Does the Minister agree that | :59:27. | :59:30. | |
if there is no money for pensions, there is no money for weapons of | :59:31. | :59:37. | |
mass destruction? The government has already made a concession to this | :59:38. | :59:47. | |
issue. The state pension is part of government and the church and the | :59:48. | :59:54. | |
two cannot be compared. The most recent figures from HMRC show that | :59:55. | :59:58. | |
my constituency now has the highest level of child poverty in the | :59:59. | :00:02. | |
country. And we know that two thirds of children living in poverty live | :00:03. | :00:07. | |
in working households. For ly constituents, this is not a country | :00:08. | :00:11. | |
that works for everyone. Will the Secretary of State now agred that he | :00:12. | :00:14. | |
must come to this House and reverse the cuts to Universal Credit so that | :00:15. | :00:16. | |
my constituents and others `re my constituents and others `re | :00:17. | :00:19. | |
supported rather than penalhsed for this government's choices? H think | :00:20. | :00:25. | |
the honourable lady will recognise that the figures I have quoted on a | :00:26. | :00:30. | |
number of occasions during this session show that actually child | :00:31. | :00:34. | |
poverty has fallen, children living in workless households have fallen | :00:35. | :00:39. | |
and clearly there will be dhfferent percentages in different | :00:40. | :00:43. | |
constituencies in the country. We will continue on a path that gets | :00:44. | :00:46. | |
more people into work that leans that fewer children are in workless | :00:47. | :00:50. | |
households and means that prosperity can be spread across all parts of | :00:51. | :00:55. | |
this country. The Minister will be aware that the SNP commissioned | :00:56. | :00:58. | |
independent research that found that government figures are wrong on this | :00:59. | :01:09. | |
issue. Given that we know there is a surplus in the national instrance | :01:10. | :01:12. | |
fund, why do you not to the right thing and make sure these women get | :01:13. | :01:19. | |
litigation. Since September, the Scottish Government has the powers | :01:20. | :01:24. | |
to pay benefits in many new areas. It can create new benefits, top are | :01:25. | :01:28. | |
preserved benefits. So I thhnk the days where this chamber is just a | :01:29. | :01:33. | |
relaxing place for the SNP to come and whinge I no longer true. They | :01:34. | :01:38. | |
actually control a government which have the power to do somethhng about | :01:39. | :01:50. | |
this. Urgent question, Lisa Nandy. I want to ask the Home Secret`ry to | :01:51. | :01:54. | |
make a statement on the remht, organisation, budget and st`ffing of | :01:55. | :01:57. | |
the independent enquiry into child sexual abuse. And the chaos. The | :01:58. | :02:04. | |
Secretary of State for the Home Department, Secretary Amber Rudd. I | :02:05. | :02:09. | |
would like to make a statemdnt on the | :02:10. | :02:10. |