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Order, order! Questions to the Secretary of State for Work and | :00:09. | :00:18. | |
Pensions. Number one. Thank you Mr Speaker and with your permission I | :00:19. | :00:22. | |
would like to answer questions one, two, seven, 11 and 15 together. | :00:23. | :00:27. | |
Working age benefits are available for those not yet sure beach | :00:28. | :00:34. | |
statement eight. 81% of those affected would see a delay of one | :00:35. | :00:38. | |
year or last and for the rest the delay would be no more than 18 | :00:39. | :00:42. | |
months. There are no plans for further transitional arrangements. | :00:43. | :00:50. | |
It is with ten and 14 rather than a 11 and 15, probably the result of | :00:51. | :00:55. | |
withdrawals of his officials rather than he, they did not take notes. | :00:56. | :01:03. | |
And 20 05, the commission say that the policy of significant notice of | :01:04. | :01:09. | |
any increase, of at least 15 years to be possible, to mitigate the | :01:10. | :01:13. | |
impact of sex changes I would argue the start of the 15 year process | :01:14. | :01:17. | |
should be the the beginning of the changes in 2010. That would mean | :01:18. | :01:23. | |
that we are effectively going to have a retirement age of 63 for | :01:24. | :01:28. | |
women of April this year and his department will therefore begin | :01:29. | :01:35. | |
smoothing that the increase of 63 and 66 22025. The equalization | :01:36. | :01:43. | |
measures of 2011 were introduced in the matter with expert guided to | :01:44. | :01:46. | |
ensure that we covered for the fact that there had to be a sustainable | :01:47. | :01:52. | |
pensions budget. Also it is important to remember that people | :01:53. | :01:55. | |
are living longer and would have to take that into account and that is | :01:56. | :02:00. | |
why we have to accelerate the issue. Thank you Mr Speaker the Minister | :02:01. | :02:06. | |
speaks often of equality when his department's policies have a | :02:07. | :02:10. | |
disproportionate impact of so many women in this country. Women born in | :02:11. | :02:19. | |
the 19 1950s will lose out under the single tier pension rules, should | :02:20. | :02:25. | |
the government not act now to opt as having a qualifying year if by | :02:26. | :02:29. | |
including the income of 200 or more jobs that that person's earnings are | :02:30. | :02:32. | |
equal to the earnings factor for that year? May I just remind | :02:33. | :02:40. | |
Honorable Lady of the record issues that we have achieved for female | :02:41. | :02:46. | |
employers. Employees. We now have record of female employment at the | :02:47. | :02:52. | |
rate of 69 Qiang 1%, there are 1 million more women and works as 2010 | :02:53. | :02:55. | |
and a number of older women and work is that a record high level over | :02:56. | :03:00. | |
100,000 more older women and worked in was the case last year. The | :03:01. | :03:06. | |
people she refers to are all benefiting from measures I have just | :03:07. | :03:12. | |
sad. Thank you Mr Speaker and I hope the Minister will answer my | :03:13. | :03:17. | |
questions as he ignored my colleague. Would heap apologise | :03:18. | :03:22. | |
formally the utter shambles that his department has made of communicating | :03:23. | :03:27. | |
the changes and for the and accurate communication of branches the Mike | :03:28. | :03:33. | |
pensions. We learned over the weekend of the governing day when | :03:34. | :03:37. | |
A's still showing the women's pension age as 60. How does he | :03:38. | :03:43. | |
expect the public to have confidence in the ability since they have | :03:44. | :03:47. | |
failed so spectacularly Ely in communicating. The issue he refers | :03:48. | :03:56. | |
to is isolated and should be regarded as such. The matter has | :03:57. | :04:00. | |
been corrected and it is about time that he took on board all the other | :04:01. | :04:05. | |
arguments that have been raging about this particular issue rather | :04:06. | :04:10. | |
than one solitary individual mistake on a website that has been | :04:11. | :04:17. | |
corrected. Following these issues sums of money that we were talking | :04:18. | :04:22. | |
about when I was here in 1995 when we first announce these changes but | :04:23. | :04:26. | |
what my Honorable friend consider whether the government has taken | :04:27. | :04:30. | |
appropriate action in communicating these significant changes to women | :04:31. | :04:34. | |
so that they can make preparation for their retirement? And has been | :04:35. | :04:39. | |
clearly advertised on the website? May I just say to the honourable | :04:40. | :04:43. | |
gentleman that the initial changes were made in 1995 and until 2010, | :04:44. | :04:49. | |
when the Coalition government into place, there were at least ten | :04:50. | :04:53. | |
Labour pensions ministers. In one case he came back twice and amino | :04:54. | :04:58. | |
effort in terms of communication I want to put it on the record that as | :04:59. | :05:03. | |
far as the pensions act of 2011 is concerned, over 5 million people | :05:04. | :05:06. | |
were written to, women who would have been affected with the | :05:07. | :05:11. | |
addresses we had from HMRC. And information is available on the | :05:12. | :05:14. | |
government website for those who want to seek more information. Thank | :05:15. | :05:20. | |
you Mr Speaker. Many of the who we are talking about are caring for | :05:21. | :05:24. | |
elderly parents or grandchildren. Many have been working since they | :05:25. | :05:29. | |
were 15 years old and very few of them have significant pension | :05:30. | :05:34. | |
saving. Will the Minister give these women some help and look at | :05:35. | :05:38. | |
transitional arrangements. So that they can drop pension credit early | :05:39. | :05:45. | |
to help into this time. A concession was made in 2011 and at sacred | :05:46. | :05:51. | |
reading, the secretary of state said he would go away and think about | :05:52. | :05:55. | |
matters and he did and made a concession worth ?1.1 billion and | :05:56. | :06:00. | |
ensure that the two-year extension was reduced to 18 months. In the | :06:01. | :06:05. | |
case of 18 months, 81% of women affected will have to work no more | :06:06. | :06:13. | |
than 12 months. Thank you Mr Speaker. Over two points 6 million | :06:14. | :06:18. | |
woman will be hit by this change. More than 5000 in the Minister's own | :06:19. | :06:24. | |
constituency. Mr Speaker, the least they deserve is the fax to allow an | :06:25. | :06:30. | |
honest debate. We also know the government considered ?3 billion | :06:31. | :06:35. | |
worth of transitional protection but only allocated 1 billion as the | :06:36. | :06:39. | |
Minister outlined earlier. In a spirit of the open honesty debate, | :06:40. | :06:45. | |
will the Minister and now released details all options of transitional | :06:46. | :06:48. | |
protection to the government as the government has considered? Grabs the | :06:49. | :06:54. | |
apology should come from the honourable lady that there is no | :06:55. | :06:57. | |
element of communication when her people were in power for 13 years. | :06:58. | :07:02. | |
And let us not forget, precisely the honourable lady says 1995 and if she | :07:03. | :07:07. | |
recalled within two years it was a Labour government and they were | :07:08. | :07:11. | |
around for 13 years and as I said earlier on, ten pensions ministers | :07:12. | :07:14. | |
and there was no element. As far as the transitional arrangement is | :07:15. | :07:19. | |
concerned I responded to the lady earlier on when I responded that the | :07:20. | :07:22. | |
concession was made and it was worth over ?1 billion in the time period | :07:23. | :07:27. | |
was reduced. I'm not sure it really helps these ladies, some of whom | :07:28. | :07:34. | |
are... For both front benches to trade in. He the fact is that | :07:35. | :07:40. | |
everybody except there should be equalization. A widow came to see me | :07:41. | :07:44. | |
and she has worked hard all her life and she has no occupational pension, | :07:45. | :07:50. | |
she was going to lose up to ?55,000 and I deserve real blow for her, she | :07:51. | :07:55. | |
has very little saving. Is there way that we could look for more | :07:56. | :07:59. | |
transitional concessions to help some of these this advantage ladies? | :08:00. | :08:05. | |
My Honorable friend is absolutely right that we need to discuss this | :08:06. | :08:09. | |
in a measured way. But that means we need to look at things in a broad | :08:10. | :08:13. | |
context. There are a whole lot of other benefits that are available to | :08:14. | :08:18. | |
the women who may be affected. Jobseeker's allowance, implement and | :08:19. | :08:22. | |
support allowance, carers allowance, personal independence payments him | :08:23. | :08:27. | |
and let us not forget that there is a triple lock. There is the simple | :08:28. | :08:32. | |
by new State Pension coming in April, pension freedom which allows | :08:33. | :08:35. | |
those who have a penchant able to have some flexibility, and cold | :08:36. | :08:40. | |
weather payments, there is a permanent increase there. Over 12 | :08:41. | :08:44. | |
million pensioners benefited from that last year and as far as being | :08:45. | :08:48. | |
mullah employment is concerned, I mentioned a number of benefits that | :08:49. | :08:51. | |
we brought in for them. So it is important Mr Speaker that we look at | :08:52. | :08:55. | |
things in a broad context rather than simply looking at people in a | :08:56. | :08:59. | |
narrow confines that people prefer to debate in this chamber at the | :09:00. | :09:04. | |
moment. The Minister excluding from his answer any matter which might in | :09:05. | :09:08. | |
any way or at anytime to any degree be judged to be material. We are | :09:09. | :09:14. | |
grateful them. The Minister talks about life expectancy but he is not | :09:15. | :09:18. | |
giving us up the full picture because life expectancy for women | :09:19. | :09:27. | |
fell in 2013 and female life expectancy in my constituency is | :09:28. | :09:31. | |
only 72 and healthy life expectancy is only 54. Can the Minister tell me | :09:32. | :09:37. | |
why shouldn't 1950s born women carry the burden of the equalization of | :09:38. | :09:41. | |
the state pension age when working till 66 will clearly be so difficult | :09:42. | :09:46. | |
for them? They need transitional arrangements. The general trend for | :09:47. | :09:55. | |
longevity is increasing. And as far as women are concerned, the new | :09:56. | :09:58. | |
State Pension will ensure that 650,000 women will be receiving more | :09:59. | :10:05. | |
excerpt or week and a live longer and over the longer run they will be | :10:06. | :10:10. | |
able to benefit a lot more. While I appreciate the motions are Hal -- | :10:11. | :10:16. | |
while I appreciate the emotions are high on both sides of the House. The | :10:17. | :10:20. | |
Labour government did nothing to address this issue especially | :10:21. | :10:24. | |
knowing that they knew women were living a longer age. Will he agree | :10:25. | :10:29. | |
with me a triple lock, single rate flat rate pension will be better in | :10:30. | :10:34. | |
a long-running? It would be most fair and it will be worth | :10:35. | :10:38. | |
remembering that while we have such passionate comments coming up with | :10:39. | :10:41. | |
oral questions in the various debates we have on this issue, but | :10:42. | :10:47. | |
not one party, the SNP or the Labour Party but this measure in their | :10:48. | :10:51. | |
manifesto because that would cost just to reinstate the 1911 measure | :10:52. | :10:58. | |
-- 2011 measures, simply to reverse those would cost over ?30 billion. | :10:59. | :11:05. | |
And countless more billions if we went back to reversing 1995. It was | :11:06. | :11:08. | |
not in either manifesto and that is where they should be mine. He -- | :11:09. | :11:26. | |
mine. He -- mindful. Over half a million in the past year and by two | :11:27. | :11:32. | |
points 7 million since 2010. Thank you Mr Speaker, the secretary of | :11:33. | :11:38. | |
state join me in welcoming the unemployment rate has fallen by 48% | :11:39. | :11:43. | |
since 2010. Would you further agree that the roll-out of universal | :11:44. | :11:48. | |
credit that came to me on the 25th of January is a part of our wealth | :11:49. | :11:51. | |
were reformed to make sure everybody can benefit from work. I say to my | :11:52. | :11:57. | |
Honorable friend that it provides important incentives people need to | :11:58. | :12:00. | |
get back into work. Evidence shows the least few weeks ago, universal | :12:01. | :12:07. | |
claimants would spend longer time in appointment and it will earn more | :12:08. | :12:13. | |
then in the jobseeker's allowance. Universal credit has been ruled out | :12:14. | :12:25. | |
across the whole County of Kent. Used Bell long-term unemployment is | :12:26. | :12:28. | |
down by over a third, but does my right honourable friend agree with | :12:29. | :12:31. | |
me that we cannot be complacent and there is important community | :12:32. | :12:38. | |
initiatives such as into, back to, install. That takes local small | :12:39. | :12:44. | |
business to help even more young people and an implied back into | :12:45. | :12:50. | |
work? I commend to my Honorable friend for working with those | :12:51. | :12:54. | |
organizations and he is looking with me about that in the past and we | :12:55. | :12:57. | |
have had a huge amount of progress take place in this area as worth | :12:58. | :13:03. | |
noting. What we were doing with reforms and organizations like his, | :13:04. | :13:07. | |
that used the claimant has been the lowest level since the mid-19 70s | :13:08. | :13:12. | |
and doesn't unemployment are down. Most important lead those who are | :13:13. | :13:16. | |
not in full-time education, the unemployment rate for them as | :13:17. | :13:19. | |
5-point a present which is pretty near the lowest it has ever been. We | :13:20. | :13:27. | |
will continue on, but this is good evidence of welfare reform working. | :13:28. | :13:34. | |
2011, the Secretary of State did a press release that said the | :13:35. | :13:39. | |
universal credit is progressing well with 30% of the new technology | :13:40. | :13:45. | |
required to deliver it now complete. Will the Secretary of State state | :13:46. | :13:53. | |
what is now the portion of IT that is completed? It will nearly be | :13:54. | :14:00. | |
complete and it will be complete in the roll-out nationally before April | :14:01. | :14:03. | |
as I said the last time he asked the same question. But it is always good | :14:04. | :14:10. | |
to the old ones, it is always best. It is progressing well and he is | :14:11. | :14:24. | |
welcome to visit. In Worchester, unemployment is down since it peaked | :14:25. | :14:30. | |
under the last Labour government, but how can we go further to | :14:31. | :14:36. | |
illuminate youth unemployment and I will youth apprenticeships play | :14:37. | :14:40. | |
goal? I say to my Honorable friend that there are two elements to the. | :14:41. | :14:44. | |
We introduced, the work experience programme which has been hugely | :14:45. | :14:48. | |
successful in getting young people back into work, before when you came | :14:49. | :14:51. | |
and you could only take work expands in the job centre for two weeks but | :14:52. | :14:56. | |
now we increase it to two months and three months if you get a chance at | :14:57. | :15:00. | |
an apprenticeship Those with orcas grants have gone back to work in the | :15:01. | :15:04. | |
huge increase that we are now planning for apprenticeships that | :15:05. | :15:08. | |
will be scale our young people and sure that the work they do is high | :15:09. | :15:14. | |
skilled, high valued and well-paid. Number four Sir. With respect to Mr | :15:15. | :15:26. | |
Speaker four and 11. This strategy marks our commitment to transforming | :15:27. | :15:29. | |
children's lives by tackling the root call causes and educational | :15:30. | :15:35. | |
attainment and family breakdown and addiction. Am grateful for the reply | :15:36. | :15:43. | |
in my constituency it is very important the high levels of | :15:44. | :15:45. | |
deprivation often leads to the House. What more can -- will help. | :15:46. | :15:57. | |
I commend him because his huge work that he does tightly in his consist | :15:58. | :16:08. | |
to the mic and ... I commend him for it. He knows that we introduced a | :16:09. | :16:15. | |
new programme called that for work which is to help employees facing | :16:16. | :16:18. | |
long-term sickness get back into work sooner and help employers | :16:19. | :16:22. | |
rather than just allowing people to follow away having difficulties to | :16:23. | :16:25. | |
actually get them properly assessed so occupational health can look at | :16:26. | :16:31. | |
them. That will help introduce a new way of looking at people to keep | :16:32. | :16:35. | |
them in work because the health department now agrees that it is | :16:36. | :16:39. | |
part of the help treatment and that is what the white paper will be | :16:40. | :16:42. | |
talked about when I bring it forward shortly. Will my Honorable friend | :16:43. | :16:47. | |
agree that family stability is hugely important to life chances and | :16:48. | :16:50. | |
will the update bows on what his department is doing to strengthen | :16:51. | :16:56. | |
family support services? I agree with my friend and it has our he | :16:57. | :17:01. | |
done a huge amount to try to get better advice and support for those | :17:02. | :17:06. | |
who are thinking about breaking up. We invested over 30 million into | :17:07. | :17:10. | |
relationship support over last parliament and that meant 160,000 | :17:11. | :17:14. | |
people had access to preventive support. As the prime minister | :17:15. | :17:18. | |
announced recently, we are doubling that funding to 78 million and the | :17:19. | :17:22. | |
light chancellor strategy includes the whole really important part of | :17:23. | :17:32. | |
strengthening and stabilising. As he has taught the House the | :17:33. | :17:37. | |
fundamentally important of life chances for children being | :17:38. | :17:40. | |
determined before they are five, might I ask him if he brings word | :17:41. | :17:43. | |
and debate in Government time, so we can look at how this policy of it is | :17:44. | :17:51. | |
developing so views of the House might be taken into account before | :17:52. | :17:57. | |
the government publishes its white paper in spring and summer? Am happy | :17:58. | :18:03. | |
the door is open the chairman of the select committee. He has had a huge | :18:04. | :18:06. | |
part to blame the. I know one recommendation he made is legitimate | :18:07. | :18:15. | |
is Dunn we are looking about that the moment I will be happy to | :18:16. | :18:19. | |
discuss it further with you. There is increasing inequality across | :18:20. | :18:24. | |
society if you are disabled and need access to aid and adaptation. If you | :18:25. | :18:28. | |
can afford to buy them, you are fine but there is a real postcode lottery | :18:29. | :18:35. | |
to aid in adaptation. Is it not unfair to look at AIDS and | :18:36. | :18:40. | |
adaptations and assessments for pets. Will the Secretary of State | :18:41. | :18:48. | |
withdraw adaptations and eight as part of the pit assessment? I have | :18:49. | :18:56. | |
to say to the Honorable lady that we are consulting what necessary | :18:57. | :19:00. | |
changes to aides and adaptations to make sure the support as necessary | :19:01. | :19:04. | |
and always bound into the personal independence behind gives to those | :19:05. | :19:07. | |
who need it most. That is the critical bit, all of us sure want to | :19:08. | :19:10. | |
make sure that people get the support they need for the things | :19:11. | :19:13. | |
that they need most to help them get by. I am very happy to talk further | :19:14. | :19:18. | |
to her if she wishes, the door is always of inter and always has been. | :19:19. | :19:22. | |
If you want to see me then I would like to discuss with her. The right | :19:23. | :19:29. | |
honourable gentleman would be aware that the index published over the | :19:30. | :19:34. | |
weekend, and he will share my concern of children growing up in | :19:35. | :19:40. | |
the Orange city area will have the lowest chances in life. Our ambition | :19:41. | :19:45. | |
for the children of nor age should be the highest possible and what | :19:46. | :19:51. | |
can't we do locally to combat the. There is a huge amount that can be | :19:52. | :19:54. | |
done locally, one thing that universal credit has is universal | :19:55. | :20:00. | |
support. This is now being trialed with a lot of councils and we are | :20:01. | :20:04. | |
doing there is try to look at families with greatest difficulty | :20:05. | :20:07. | |
and involve the councils and looking to get financial support to them in | :20:08. | :20:12. | |
areas where they might have drug or alcohol abuse to help them sort that | :20:13. | :20:16. | |
out so that as they get special pavements, at the same time we are | :20:17. | :20:19. | |
expressing the mind expecting councils to work with as subproblems | :20:20. | :20:23. | |
are put right and said being ignored and looked aside. In terms of life | :20:24. | :20:34. | |
chances, ... Can the Minister provide an update of removing the 28 | :20:35. | :20:43. | |
day waiting room that are transferring from DLA to the IP? | :20:44. | :20:47. | |
We're actually looking at that and I will give him a full answer to that | :20:48. | :20:56. | |
in full course. Thank you Mr Speaker and my Honorable friend is | :20:57. | :21:05. | |
absolutely right, poverty affects life chances. And disabled people | :21:06. | :21:10. | |
are twice as likely to be living in poverty than the non-disabled | :21:11. | :21:13. | |
population. We also know from the own figures that disabled people on | :21:14. | :21:23. | |
IAB are more likely to die than the population as a whole. Is my | :21:24. | :21:27. | |
Honorable friend mentioned, the recent consultation reviewing | :21:28. | :21:31. | |
eligibility for independence payment is two years after it was | :21:32. | :21:37. | |
introduced, we there are more cuts to disabled people on top of the | :21:38. | :21:43. | |
proposed cut in ?23.8 billion that has been taken from disabled people | :21:44. | :21:51. | |
as part of the 2012 welfare act. With 5.1 million disabled people | :21:52. | :21:55. | |
living in poverty, Mr Speaker, what is the government's estimate of how | :21:56. | :21:59. | |
many more disabled people will be living in poverty as a result of | :22:00. | :22:05. | |
these measures? I would say to the honourable lady that even though you | :22:06. | :22:08. | |
create a new benefit and I believe it is a better benefit the | :22:09. | :22:12. | |
disability living allowance and it is far better than for mental health | :22:13. | :22:19. | |
problems, you have to keep a benefit like that under review to make sure | :22:20. | :22:23. | |
the money you allocate goes to those who most need it. She knows there | :22:24. | :22:27. | |
was a recent court case that widened the whole element of Dunn and ensure | :22:28. | :22:32. | |
that fewer people got the kind of money they needed it. They answer is | :22:33. | :22:39. | |
very simple. The Independence plan is far better and deliver exactly | :22:40. | :22:43. | |
what we expected those who need it most and our job here is to support | :22:44. | :22:49. | |
those who need it. And honestly, the government she was part of, and | :22:50. | :22:53. | |
power, did absolutely nothing to sort out the mess of disability | :22:54. | :22:56. | |
living allowance in the whole time they were there. Number five Mr | :22:57. | :23:04. | |
Speaker. Providing people have at least ten national... And then they | :23:05. | :23:13. | |
would have already built up under the current system. The truth is | :23:14. | :23:22. | |
under the government new pension system pensioners will lose money. | :23:23. | :23:25. | |
Why did they turn its face against its own solution which is -- simpler | :23:26. | :23:43. | |
solution. I think it is important... That many people have contracted | :23:44. | :23:48. | |
out. And a small portion of the National Insurance has actually gone | :23:49. | :23:52. | |
towards a work pension or a private pension and if they add up the new | :23:53. | :23:57. | |
State Pension with their other pension, which was paid for by | :23:58. | :24:02. | |
national contribution. They would actually be better off than the | :24:03. | :24:05. | |
amount the new State Pension would be at ?155. Is it not the case that | :24:06. | :24:16. | |
the new State Pension will remove ... One of the other things to note | :24:17. | :24:24. | |
is that as of April of this year a new State Pension and the triple | :24:25. | :24:28. | |
lock him up he will be ?1000 better off than they would have been under | :24:29. | :24:32. | |
the old system whereby the pensions were operated. The triple lock is | :24:33. | :24:36. | |
going to benefit people by ?1000 by April of this year. Number six are. | :24:37. | :24:45. | |
To a reduction to occupancy is reduced by 18% since the | :24:46. | :24:50. | |
introduction of this policy. It has already saved the taxpayer 1 | :24:51. | :24:54. | |
billion. We would ever be maintaining this policy and continue | :24:55. | :25:02. | |
take. But that is by no means the worst affected region as a ripple | :25:03. | :25:06. | |
the back of result. My constituency just one of four and those affected | :25:07. | :25:10. | |
have been able to downsize says that three years that the policy came in. | :25:11. | :25:15. | |
The government's on research that three quarters of people hit by the | :25:16. | :25:19. | |
bedroom tax have had to cut back on food and 46% have had to cut back on | :25:20. | :25:25. | |
eating. What steps will be minister Tate would make sure that those | :25:26. | :25:28. | |
people who are unable to downsize their homes are not left cold and | :25:29. | :25:36. | |
hungry? The 800 and ?700 million of discretionary housing payments that | :25:37. | :25:41. | |
have been set aside the one and for who. 1.7 million on the housing | :25:42. | :25:50. | |
waiting list. What guidance has been made available to local authorities | :25:51. | :25:54. | |
on the use of discretionary housing payments so that we can make sure | :25:55. | :26:00. | |
that exceptional cases such as warehouses have been adapted for | :26:01. | :26:05. | |
disability can benefit from the additional money? I think my | :26:06. | :26:08. | |
Honorable friend for raising that point. It provides the flexibility | :26:09. | :26:13. | |
to allow local authorities to work with organizations like the police, | :26:14. | :26:19. | |
social services, medical professionals, and so the council | :26:20. | :26:21. | |
scampering local services together and maybe that's central government | :26:22. | :26:24. | |
would not be able to do to ensure that no one falls through the | :26:25. | :26:32. | |
cracks. Last week ruling that the bedroom tax discriminate against | :26:33. | :26:35. | |
disabled people falls hard on the heels of a ruling in November that | :26:36. | :26:40. | |
the inclusion of allowance and the benefits cap also discriminates | :26:41. | :26:45. | |
against disabled people. Why want the government just do the same on | :26:46. | :26:49. | |
the bedroom tax and end discrimination against disabled | :26:50. | :26:54. | |
pupils? It was about whether it is possible to find exceptions where | :26:55. | :26:59. | |
were the discretionary housing payments give the right flexibility. | :27:00. | :27:03. | |
We don't want to create an artificial mind that some people | :27:04. | :27:06. | |
will just fall underneath and not be able to get his support. The fund is | :27:07. | :27:13. | |
giving that flexibility to work with different agencies. With 1.7 million | :27:14. | :27:17. | |
people on the housing waiting list, 241,000 families will be able to | :27:18. | :27:29. | |
free up arms. That is. The is currently investigating the UK for | :27:30. | :27:37. | |
systematic. Minister should be a shame that the UK is the first | :27:38. | :27:40. | |
countries to face such an investigation. Does the Minister | :27:41. | :27:43. | |
agree that scrapping the bedroom tax is the best thing that the | :27:44. | :27:46. | |
government could do to bring its policy into line with articles nine | :27:47. | :27:50. | |
and 20 of the convention, which insured accessibility for disabled | :27:51. | :27:55. | |
people and adequate standard of living and social protection. We are | :27:56. | :28:01. | |
proud of our record. We refute the allegations of that investigation. I | :28:02. | :28:08. | |
will not abandon those 241,000 families and 1.7 million on the | :28:09. | :28:11. | |
housing waiting list. They want us to do this and we will carry on | :28:12. | :28:18. | |
doing it. Does my Honorable friend agree that what affects of this | :28:19. | :28:28. | |
policy is that it serves taxpayers. Is it incumbent to explain where | :28:29. | :28:34. | |
they would find money from. Over the course of this Parliament that would | :28:35. | :28:38. | |
deliver a saving of ?2.5 billion. I suspect they will be waiting a long | :28:39. | :28:41. | |
time to get an alternative from the benches opposite. Thank you Mr | :28:42. | :28:47. | |
Speaker. And the light of lax week court of appeal ruling. Could the | :28:48. | :28:51. | |
Minister tell us how many victims of domestic violence the bedroom tax | :28:52. | :28:55. | |
currently discriminate against and what it would cost to exempt them? I | :28:56. | :29:06. | |
don't believe it discriminates. . As a government we have tripled the | :29:07. | :29:13. | |
amount of support for those victims, and I think that all the people | :29:14. | :29:20. | |
across this house but agreed. The court of appeals said that he do | :29:21. | :29:24. | |
discriminate. It also said that the government admitted that it | :29:25. | :29:28. | |
discriminated against those victims. I am sure the Minister knows the | :29:29. | :29:33. | |
answer to my question. It is 280 victims of domestic violence. It | :29:34. | :29:37. | |
would cost around ?200,000 to exempt them. Would he tell me how much it | :29:38. | :29:43. | |
is going to cost them instead to try and defeat those victims in the | :29:44. | :29:47. | |
Supreme Court? Is it more or less than the cost of accepting them? -- | :29:48. | :29:56. | |
exempting them. Some people don't fall for anything artificial mind. | :29:57. | :29:59. | |
But this is so wrong then why did the benches opposite it not | :30:00. | :30:04. | |
introduced as? At his right to make sure that nobody needs the support | :30:05. | :30:08. | |
that a vulnerable side is given the right support. Question eight please | :30:09. | :30:18. | |
Mr Speaker. This government will triple lock the basic and new state | :30:19. | :30:24. | |
pension top of income to a guarantee minimum level for the poorest | :30:25. | :30:29. | |
pensioners, and protect benefits for older people including free eye | :30:30. | :30:33. | |
tests, NHS prescriptions, bus passes, television licenses for | :30:34. | :30:37. | |
those aged 75 and over, and winter fuel payments. I think the Minister | :30:38. | :30:45. | |
for his response. My constituents being over age of 65, this compares | :30:46. | :30:51. | |
to a national average of 70%, this is welcome indeed. What step is the | :30:52. | :30:57. | |
government taking to ensure the pensioners claim all of the state | :30:58. | :31:00. | |
entitlements? I could assure him that this government uses a wide | :31:01. | :31:05. | |
range of channels for pension credit, we believe what are the best | :31:06. | :31:08. | |
ways to reach people is through community partners and we provide a | :31:09. | :31:14. | |
web based pension played Democrats credit to. Information and leaflets | :31:15. | :31:21. | |
and other benefits are also available from the Department's | :31:22. | :31:24. | |
offices, advise agencies, local authorities, as well as post offices | :31:25. | :31:29. | |
and doctors surgeries. Information about all of these benefits and how | :31:30. | :31:33. | |
they may be claimed is on the F .uk website. | :31:34. | :31:38. | |
We have got to the women who have been served a real injustice by this | :31:39. | :31:50. | |
conservative government. We also know there is a group of women from | :31:51. | :31:55. | |
1856 who will miss out on the new state pension benefits also. What | :31:56. | :32:00. | |
has this minister brought against women from the 1950s? Mr Speaker, | :32:01. | :32:08. | |
the Honorable gentleman has a problem in understanding things. I'm | :32:09. | :32:12. | |
going to do this very subject. As a consequence of the triple lock which | :32:13. | :32:17. | |
means that pensioners out there well get the higher of inflation or | :32:18. | :32:21. | |
earnings were the 2.5%, they will have an increased which will ensure | :32:22. | :32:26. | |
that when the new state pension comes into play in April as a | :32:27. | :32:32. | |
consequence of that they will have 1000 more pounds per year then under | :32:33. | :32:39. | |
the old system. He should remember that Gordon Brown who insulted | :32:40. | :32:48. | |
pensioners but a 75 pence rise. We are not taking any lectures from | :32:49. | :32:51. | |
outside of the House as to who really cares about pensioners. | :32:52. | :32:59. | |
Number nine Mr Speaker. The effect of the work allowance is a part of a | :33:00. | :33:08. | |
broader package. It increases a tax allowance, and allows childcare | :33:09. | :33:12. | |
support. The single table rate of 65% ensures the benefits are clear | :33:13. | :33:18. | |
and that support is withdrawn at a predictable and consistent rate I | :33:19. | :33:23. | |
might as it exists at the moment under tax credit. The government was | :33:24. | :33:28. | |
forced into a climb-down over tax credit cut, but it was only a | :33:29. | :33:33. | |
temporary reprieve because cuts to the working allowance meant the 2.5 | :33:34. | :33:40. | |
million families will be ?1600 per year worse off by 2020. How can he | :33:41. | :33:47. | |
say that he is making work pay when it is Lope, working families who are | :33:48. | :33:51. | |
paying the price of his guards? I disagree with the Honorable Lady. | :33:52. | :33:56. | |
The universal credit already do that independent studies of the people | :33:57. | :34:00. | |
who are going to work faster, and sing and work longer, and end at the | :34:01. | :34:03. | |
micro progress faster and earnings. He cannot take this in isolation. | :34:04. | :34:09. | |
The national minimum wage is raising some ?9. Under universal credit, is | :34:10. | :34:15. | |
that of 17% of childcare costs, women will get 85% of childcare | :34:16. | :34:21. | |
costs, free child care for two-year-old, and childcare support | :34:22. | :34:24. | |
free for three and four-year-olds. The total package it's usually been | :34:25. | :34:27. | |
officials for people who want to work, and that is why it our record | :34:28. | :34:32. | |
will only improve as we get more people back to work rather than the | :34:33. | :34:35. | |
last government record he was shocking. One in five households had | :34:36. | :34:45. | |
nobody and work. It is good to see the secretary of state here to | :34:46. | :34:49. | |
answer questions. According to the government's own advisers, some | :34:50. | :34:56. | |
working families and those countries will be ?210 per week worse off as a | :34:57. | :35:03. | |
vehicle of cuts to universal credit. Someone on the minimum wage working | :35:04. | :35:08. | |
full-time. It's to work an extra 30 hours a week to make up the | :35:09. | :35:14. | |
difference. We know the -- they are claiming that the conservative | :35:15. | :35:18. | |
parting as the party of work, did he mention that it is 70 hours a week | :35:19. | :35:24. | |
for the love of space? It takes no care was to sit there with a leader | :35:25. | :35:28. | |
who talks about getting into bed with all sorts of exhibits. I find | :35:29. | :35:33. | |
that takes no courage whatsoever. Let me say to him about universal | :35:34. | :35:39. | |
credit, while we are at it, Guy I see my opposite number SHOUTING | :35:40. | :35:40. | |
On the benches opposite that he has under tax credit right now which is | :35:41. | :35:53. | |
why his figures don't add up when circumstances change people actually | :35:54. | :36:00. | |
have lower payments. The difference between us and the Labour Party is | :36:01. | :36:06. | |
that we have cash protected through transitional protection when people | :36:07. | :36:11. | |
move off tax credits universal credit, they will suffer no loss. | :36:12. | :36:21. | |
Number 13 Mr Speaker. Thank you Mr Speaker. Supported by this | :36:22. | :36:24. | |
government perform to welfare and equalization of the state pension | :36:25. | :36:27. | |
age, the earn out more women and work than ever before. It is for | :36:28. | :36:37. | |
vital that women have had children have the option to go back and they | :36:38. | :36:41. | |
want to. What steps is the Minister taking to make sure that her | :36:42. | :36:45. | |
department encourages that? My Honorable friend is absolutely | :36:46. | :36:49. | |
right. And encouraging more women back into work, this government is | :36:50. | :36:52. | |
committed to increasing and providing more childcare. I am going | :36:53. | :37:05. | |
out to speak with and... Increasing the national living wage. The | :37:06. | :37:08. | |
increasing and national allowance that is more support from woman to | :37:09. | :37:15. | |
get back into work longer hours. This is a special category of women, | :37:16. | :37:20. | |
women on the autistic spectrum, who find it very difficult to get into | :37:21. | :37:24. | |
employment. With the right kind of support they can make a very | :37:25. | :37:28. | |
valuable contribution to our economy. Could she look at people | :37:29. | :37:37. | |
who were trying to be employed with autism quiz we all of we are working | :37:38. | :37:43. | |
with that organisation. I have seen the national autistic Society as | :37:44. | :37:46. | |
Ball to discuss what more we can do to work with employers and find | :37:47. | :37:51. | |
employment engagement for people on the stretcher. He is absolutely | :37:52. | :37:54. | |
right to highlight the need for more support for women with autism. That | :37:55. | :37:57. | |
is exactly what this government is committed to do. Increasing the | :37:58. | :38:03. | |
number of women employment is a key goal for this government. Lots of | :38:04. | :38:06. | |
good things are happening. One area and my constituency that needs more | :38:07. | :38:11. | |
work is helping people who aren't on ESA backed into employment. In this | :38:12. | :38:16. | |
context, would she join me in getting things to a part of SIDS led | :38:17. | :38:21. | |
by the county Council was together with organizations is making a huge | :38:22. | :38:25. | |
difference to the last of individuals who are covered to work | :38:26. | :38:30. | |
for the first time. I think my idol fans are making that point. He is | :38:31. | :38:36. | |
right to say that there is more support that can be provided for | :38:37. | :38:39. | |
women on ESA. Also for people who are on ESA in general as well. That | :38:40. | :38:43. | |
is why this government is committed to these reforms that we have | :38:44. | :38:47. | |
outlined. In terms of working in partnership with other | :38:48. | :38:50. | |
organizations, charitable organizations as well as local | :38:51. | :38:56. | |
parties. What is the Minister doing to help women on zero hours context | :38:57. | :39:05. | |
to get tax credits? I would say to the honourable gentleman that the | :39:06. | :39:08. | |
most important thing that we have done as a government is to abolish | :39:09. | :39:12. | |
the exclusivity clauses which his party did nothing about. More and | :39:13. | :39:20. | |
more people are taking on caring responsibilities. Can I think the | :39:21. | :39:24. | |
Minister for meeting with me and care as a resource for my | :39:25. | :39:27. | |
constituency about this particular issue. Does she agree with me that | :39:28. | :39:31. | |
it is important that more employers have more carer friendly employment | :39:32. | :39:37. | |
practices if we need to do more to encourage that to happen so that we | :39:38. | :39:41. | |
get the best that affect people. Will the government do something | :39:42. | :39:45. | |
ensure that she recognises the success of those employers that are | :39:46. | :39:50. | |
carer friendly? I think my Honorable friend. He is absolutely right. It | :39:51. | :39:54. | |
is with great pleasure that I met carriers resource on the Cinemas | :39:55. | :40:02. | |
constituency. To support more women with caring responsibilities to get | :40:03. | :40:06. | |
employment. But also to work with employers to do more to support | :40:07. | :40:11. | |
getting people into work, carers and particular. I look forward to | :40:12. | :40:14. | |
working with the honourable gentleman and carriers to in his | :40:15. | :40:18. | |
constituency to look at what they can do locally. Number 15 Mr | :40:19. | :40:24. | |
Speaker. The commission I will answer questions 15 and 21. Fergus | :40:25. | :40:29. | |
households are at their lowest level. -- work less households. | :40:30. | :40:39. | |
Fewer children are going up in hostels were that her work is. Every | :40:40. | :40:45. | |
family has someone who is in work. The best way out of poverty offers a | :40:46. | :40:50. | |
great role model for any children out of. Giving children stability | :40:51. | :40:53. | |
and security they need, have the best legends as possible. I agree | :40:54. | :40:59. | |
with my Honorable friend. We know that unemployment is a cause of | :41:00. | :41:03. | |
family breakdown. Having a family member and work poster make a strong | :41:04. | :41:07. | |
and stable family which is crucial for providing children with the best | :41:08. | :41:11. | |
art and life. It is most welcome at the number of work less households | :41:12. | :41:16. | |
in the East Midlands, which he hugely represents, has fallen by | :41:17. | :41:20. | |
68,006 he came into power. I remind him and the House that despite all | :41:21. | :41:26. | |
the nonsense on the other side, when they left office some 2.5 million | :41:27. | :41:30. | |
children grew up in work less households. That is not a record. | :41:31. | :41:37. | |
Will my right honourable friend went with me in welcoming the wood touch | :41:38. | :41:41. | |
it and work less households by over 50,000 since 2010 in the South East. | :41:42. | :41:47. | |
Does he share by dismaying that in party opposite still set against | :41:48. | :41:53. | |
welfare reform and want a high tax and high spending economy to take us | :41:54. | :42:01. | |
back to the pre--2010 days. It is a strong endorsement of the reforms | :42:02. | :42:07. | |
that the number of workers households is down by such a large | :42:08. | :42:14. | |
number and the South East. Since 2010, the claimant count has fallen | :42:15. | :42:21. | |
60%,. I must say to him that he should not be too unkind to the | :42:22. | :42:24. | |
opposition, because I know that many of them who are not now on the front | :42:25. | :42:29. | |
bench actually think they should be engaging and welfare reform, but | :42:30. | :42:31. | |
their new leadership does not bleed and that. Many thanks Mr Speaker. | :42:32. | :42:41. | |
What assessment has the department made for lower the barriers faced by | :42:42. | :42:45. | |
household with disability and accessing work and what does what he | :42:46. | :42:51. | |
put in place to address these? We are increasing the number of | :42:52. | :42:55. | |
advisors and job centres to help and we are also training advisers far | :42:56. | :42:59. | |
better. There is a huge amount of money coming into helping train | :43:00. | :43:02. | |
advises to be able to look at the wider perspective. The picture for | :43:03. | :43:05. | |
those who have difficulties to get into work and support them and work. | :43:06. | :43:10. | |
It is important to note that the universal credit opens a door to a | :43:11. | :43:13. | |
much better package of support and care, because the advises don't need | :43:14. | :43:17. | |
them. Instead of getting a tax credit where they don't see anybody, | :43:18. | :43:20. | |
when the go into what they will be able to go back and see the same | :43:21. | :43:24. | |
advisor and talk to them if they have a problem. This is a huge | :43:25. | :43:26. | |
positive step, and I congratulate her for asking that question topical | :43:27. | :43:34. | |
questions. Doctor Rupe a hawk. Thank you Mr Speaker. Topical number one. | :43:35. | :43:40. | |
I can announce to the House that we are. We will be testing the use of | :43:41. | :43:46. | |
personal budgets. These will allow disabled people who shoot old -- who | :43:47. | :43:55. | |
receive grants. Stay in work and to help them start work, or even start | :43:56. | :44:00. | |
a business. Thank you Mr Speaker. Last week the bedroom tax was | :44:01. | :44:05. | |
declared unlawful in the court of appeals for discriminating against | :44:06. | :44:09. | |
domestic violence victims and disabled children, yet the | :44:10. | :44:15. | |
government said to spend more on the -- appealing the decision. Surely | :44:16. | :44:19. | |
the Minister must agree that that is poor value to the taxpayer and this | :44:20. | :44:26. | |
policy needs to go. I have to say that the Honorable lady needs to | :44:27. | :44:30. | |
check her lines before she makes a statement like that. The truth is | :44:31. | :44:33. | |
that that was not what the court of appeals of last week. The debate is | :44:34. | :44:38. | |
whether or not we should isolate individual groups and throw them out | :44:39. | :44:42. | |
of a benefit system, or the bit to local authorities with extra monies. | :44:43. | :44:46. | |
We absolutely believe that the local authority is quite capable with | :44:47. | :44:50. | |
extra money that we are giving them the discretionary housing payments | :44:51. | :44:56. | |
to allow people to be able to stay there where they think that is | :44:57. | :44:58. | |
necessary without limitation. The thing I really wonder about is that | :44:59. | :45:04. | |
they never talk about those who they left and overcrowded homes on | :45:05. | :45:09. | |
waiting lists, and unable to get a decent home. They were the ones that | :45:10. | :45:12. | |
introduces policy and because follow through. Can the secretary of State | :45:13. | :45:22. | |
give some indication of when he will publish the draft regulations for 18 | :45:23. | :45:26. | |
to 21-year-olds. Did he give an indication of whether she will look | :45:27. | :45:31. | |
sympathetically at exempting from those regulations those who cannot | :45:32. | :45:34. | |
live safely in their neighbourhoods because of sexual abuse, overcrowded | :45:35. | :45:41. | |
housing, or gang-related activity. We will be publishing of those | :45:42. | :45:47. | |
shortly. I am happy to discuss those elements because there always are | :45:48. | :45:50. | |
exemptions for those most in need, and I am happy to discuss those -- | :45:51. | :45:58. | |
that would have. Last week the government was significantly | :45:59. | :46:01. | |
defeated in the House of Lords over their plans to cut the benefits of | :46:02. | :46:05. | |
sick and disabled people. More than half the people in the group have a | :46:06. | :46:09. | |
mental health condition. They face barriers getting into work as a | :46:10. | :46:14. | |
result of their condition and often stigma from employers. Pull the | :46:15. | :46:18. | |
Secretary of states now accept how unfair and ineffective this proposed | :46:19. | :46:25. | |
cut is in Debian and abandon it? All I would say to the honourable lady | :46:26. | :46:29. | |
is when it comes to ESA and the changes that we are making, no one | :46:30. | :46:35. | |
will lose out as of this change. There will be no cash losers. This | :46:36. | :46:41. | |
work is reflected on the point that the secretary of state made that | :46:42. | :46:45. | |
this government is focused on the supporting those on ESA in a way | :46:46. | :46:49. | |
that the previous Labor government did not win the introduced the work | :46:50. | :46:53. | |
and ability assessment. That is why be kept that to review and also the | :46:54. | :46:59. | |
publication of a white paper in the spring was to look at the further | :47:00. | :47:03. | |
reforms that will come. Thank you very much Mr Speaker. As chairman of | :47:04. | :47:08. | |
the all party group, will my right honourable friend join me and the | :47:09. | :47:13. | |
work with. How is are they supporting those | :47:14. | :47:25. | |
with MS. I thank my Honorable friend for that. I would like to join him | :47:26. | :47:29. | |
in pain should be for the fantastic work of the MS Society. Only two | :47:30. | :47:36. | |
weeks ago I was at the branches 50th anniversary. A huge number of | :47:37. | :47:39. | |
volunteers across the country are making. For employers and fleas. A | :47:40. | :47:46. | |
Yankee for this to be highlighted and that best practices be shared | :47:47. | :47:50. | |
with other organizations. Thank you Mr Speaker. The Minister's latest | :47:51. | :47:58. | |
proposal is a further blow to disabled people who have been | :47:59. | :48:02. | |
amongst the hardest hit by the UK government austerity measure. I know | :48:03. | :48:04. | |
from my constituents who are experienced delays that the | :48:05. | :48:09. | |
assessment process is not yet working. Will the Minister abandon | :48:10. | :48:13. | |
these latest proposals that will narrow the eligibility of benefits | :48:14. | :48:17. | |
for disabled people, and instead focus on getting this part of the | :48:18. | :48:21. | |
process right rather than having complex changes which reduce the | :48:22. | :48:23. | |
support available to disabled people? We have ongoing groups | :48:24. | :48:33. | |
following the review. We urge determined to get a consistent | :48:34. | :48:40. | |
policy. The length of time for an assessment has fallen by three | :48:41. | :48:43. | |
quarters since June 14. It is now down to five weeks for assessments. | :48:44. | :48:47. | |
That has been a settled position for quite some time now. Job fairs are | :48:48. | :48:54. | |
an effective way for local employers to promote their partnerships. A key | :48:55. | :48:58. | |
element of this governments economic plan. Will my minister join me in | :48:59. | :49:05. | |
supporting -- making the point of the great work | :49:06. | :49:13. | |
that is taking place and his own constituency. I endorsed the amount | :49:14. | :49:19. | |
of commitment that he has for having apprenticeships and job fairs, | :49:20. | :49:23. | |
because they are the gateway to getting new jobs and employment | :49:24. | :49:26. | |
opportunities for many young people. I commend them for the work that he | :49:27. | :49:31. | |
is doing in his own exigency. Can I ask the Minister if people speed of | :49:32. | :49:37. | |
the review process for benefit claimants whose claims have been | :49:38. | :49:44. | |
investigated. I have had a number of constituencies -- constituents of | :49:45. | :49:46. | |
over the Chris's period that have ended up having to borrow money. | :49:47. | :49:54. | |
After the Chris's period as well. And that it actually happened. There | :49:55. | :50:00. | |
are now both available immediately. If somebody has been sanctioned they | :50:01. | :50:04. | |
are immediately told about hardship loans. That is advertised and said | :50:05. | :50:07. | |
the job centre. The delay times have fallen to the lowest level. If he | :50:08. | :50:13. | |
has individual cases where that has happened, write to us immediately or | :50:14. | :50:17. | |
give us a call and we will help solve that immediately. Will my | :50:18. | :50:24. | |
right honourable friend congratulate team plastics and other | :50:25. | :50:26. | |
manufacturing firms which are creating new jobs and | :50:27. | :50:36. | |
apprenticeships. Can he help to turn job centres into recruitment | :50:37. | :50:40. | |
agencies for better skilled roles. There is no doubt working the job | :50:41. | :50:44. | |
centre plus that there is a great deal of work that has taken place to | :50:45. | :50:48. | |
support local farms like a team plastics when it comes to recruiting | :50:49. | :50:52. | |
new employees, but also supporting a skills bus but -- base. Last week | :50:53. | :51:01. | |
the government suffered another embarrassing defeat in the House of | :51:02. | :51:05. | |
Lords on the proposal to cut ESA back support. This believe many | :51:06. | :51:11. | |
disabled people and a difficult financial position. Despite what has | :51:12. | :51:16. | |
been said, will the secretary of state re-examine the argument and | :51:17. | :51:24. | |
commit that's no one will lose out on this critical financial support? | :51:25. | :51:28. | |
That we remind the honourable lady that's no one currently on ESA will | :51:29. | :51:36. | |
lose out on the changes. Importantly, we are a government | :51:37. | :51:39. | |
focused on supporting individuals that have held conditions and are on | :51:40. | :51:44. | |
ESA. That is why those who are a need will automatically go to a | :51:45. | :51:50. | |
support group. Job centres is especially important for those who | :51:51. | :51:54. | |
do not have the necessary support at home. Does my right honourable | :51:55. | :51:57. | |
friend agree that in addition to the youth obligation there should be an | :51:58. | :52:01. | |
obligation of job centres to offer more special support? My Honorable | :52:02. | :52:06. | |
friend raises an important point that job centres have a very | :52:07. | :52:11. | |
important role to play here. In terms of providing support for young | :52:12. | :52:15. | |
people, which is why we have just starting a pilot taking job centre | :52:16. | :52:20. | |
plus with employers into schools to act as a gateway to provide new | :52:21. | :52:23. | |
employment opportunities in markets with opportunities, and work | :52:24. | :52:27. | |
placement opportunities as well. He has also made the point that the new | :52:28. | :52:31. | |
youth obligation focuses on making sure that young people are either | :52:32. | :52:34. | |
earning or learning, and that they don't end up trapped in the benefits | :52:35. | :52:38. | |
system which is what happened to the Labor government. We have already | :52:39. | :52:46. | |
heard that DWP have changes afoot in relation to benefits for people with | :52:47. | :52:51. | |
disabilities, not least the narrow ring of EAP. Isn't the case that | :52:52. | :52:55. | |
ministers are hoping to extend that Northern Ireland as well using the | :52:56. | :53:02. | |
direct route as has the same -- which is until the end of the | :53:03. | :53:05. | |
calendar year? We have no place to do that. Mr Speaker. Following on | :53:06. | :53:13. | |
from the comments around the changes to ESA a rag and the ball having | :53:14. | :53:18. | |
dashboards having past that. I am excited to see the context of the | :53:19. | :53:23. | |
white paper. Kenny minister give us any deal at all for what any cost | :53:24. | :53:27. | |
recognition there may be for claimant in the future. I think my | :53:28. | :53:35. | |
Honorable friend for her point and question. I come back Mr Speaker to | :53:36. | :53:39. | |
the comments I made earlier on. The changes that we are making | :53:40. | :53:45. | |
particularly to the welfare reform and workflow, shows that we are | :53:46. | :53:48. | |
committed to changing peoples lives by supporting more people with | :53:49. | :53:53. | |
disabilities and barriers to work. This means increased funding support | :53:54. | :53:56. | |
as well for those with help conditions and disabilities by 50%. | :53:57. | :54:00. | |
We will be bringing the sport and any work and health programme. With | :54:01. | :54:04. | |
the Minister agreed to work in the case of my constituents who has home | :54:05. | :54:09. | |
dialysis three times a week, but is also trying hard to keep his job to | :54:10. | :54:14. | |
support his family. He has been turned down twice, and I wondered if | :54:15. | :54:18. | |
the Minister feels like I do that if a person has been receiving dialysis | :54:19. | :54:22. | |
it seems to be that he is able to receive the payment. I would be | :54:23. | :54:27. | |
happy to look at this case with the honourable lady and see what support | :54:28. | :54:31. | |
we can provide her constituents. She makes an important point that he | :54:32. | :54:34. | |
wants to work and a should be supported just day and employment as | :54:35. | :54:40. | |
well. Thank you Mr Speaker. Next month I look forward to welcoming my | :54:41. | :54:44. | |
friend the Minister for disabled people to North Devon for an event. | :54:45. | :54:50. | |
Would he agree with me that these are really important events not only | :54:51. | :54:52. | |
for people with disabilities to bring them closer to the world of | :54:53. | :54:56. | |
work, but for the employers as well who don't realise what an untapped | :54:57. | :55:00. | |
talent there is. I think my Honorable friend. I am excited about | :55:01. | :55:05. | |
going to visit his constituency to support his events, and I would like | :55:06. | :55:09. | |
to pay tribute to the other 48 MPs who came to our event last week to | :55:10. | :55:13. | |
have committed to hold their own and their own constituencies. | :55:14. | :55:29. | |
Proposals that we will bring forward a make absolute certain that all of | :55:30. | :55:36. | |
those who suffer rape will not buy themselves put upon themselves by | :55:37. | :55:43. | |
the proposal. To support steps the government taking it all employees | :55:44. | :55:50. | |
are fully informed our of the new pensions. I can assure my noble | :55:51. | :55:55. | |
friend of the government is working closely with the pension regulator | :55:56. | :55:59. | |
to assure small employees of informed of the changes coming on. | :56:00. | :56:03. | |
On the facilities of the regular has are easy and simple to use for a lot | :56:04. | :56:08. | |
of people and also off-line leaflets and so on, I made as easy as | :56:09. | :56:13. | |
possible. The government has agreed to remove the 20 day waiting rule | :56:14. | :56:16. | |
for terminally ill people transferring to pick for those | :56:17. | :56:23. | |
unable to afford to travel to love once in a word about bills in the | :56:24. | :56:26. | |
final mix it cannot come soon enough. Can you update us on | :56:27. | :56:30. | |
progress? I like to pay tribute to the Honorable member for Sheffield | :56:31. | :56:36. | |
that I remember from other places for contract work in this area, | :56:37. | :56:40. | |
something I'm delighted to fully support. In parliament we intend | :56:41. | :56:46. | |
make regulations and we will write shortly to update the timetable. | :56:47. | :56:52. | |
Will DWP ministers hold a discussion quite urgently with other ministers | :56:53. | :56:59. | |
about the conservative manifests cap a very large redundancy payments. | :57:00. | :57:04. | |
Are you aware of serious concerns that by including early retirement | :57:05. | :57:10. | |
and the capping scheme we may penalise long serving but low paid | :57:11. | :57:15. | |
public employees by a measure rightly intended to limit undeserved | :57:16. | :57:24. | |
golden goodbyes to very highly paid? This is a matter of the tragedy. I'm | :57:25. | :57:28. | |
very happy to undertake such discussions. If you would like to | :57:29. | :57:34. | |
add this extra information to this I would be glad to take it. Half of | :57:35. | :57:42. | |
those receiving employments from Scotland qualified from a mental | :57:43. | :57:49. | |
health problem. Database might constituency. It finds to blend with | :57:50. | :57:56. | |
the work activity group report inappropriate expectations put upon | :57:57. | :58:00. | |
them make their mental unless worse. Does the Minister agree that this | :58:01. | :58:05. | |
would be exacerbated by government's changes? I think the Honorable Lady | :58:06. | :58:10. | |
that she is wrong. This government has invested more than ever before | :58:11. | :58:15. | |
than other previous governments to provide financial support and pilot | :58:16. | :58:18. | |
new projects as well, to make sure that those who have mental health | :58:19. | :58:21. | |
challenges and problems are given the right kind of support. I think | :58:22. | :58:25. | |
we should make the distinction here Mr Speaker that this is not about | :58:26. | :58:29. | |
the financial support, it is about the about the wider support of they | :58:30. | :58:32. | |
get their DWP through the networks in the community to help them get | :58:33. | :58:40. | |
work. I welcome the news that nine of ten businesses started with new | :58:41. | :58:45. | |
enterprise allowance support from five to 12 months. Can is to update | :58:46. | :58:51. | |
us on further progress for job seekers looking to start their own | :58:52. | :58:57. | |
business? I think my friend for how to integrate work of the results of | :58:58. | :59:02. | |
the NEA in particular what is been outstanding and supporting more and | :59:03. | :59:05. | |
more people for people starting businesses. There's support going to | :59:06. | :59:12. | |
mental help to engage those individuals who want to start up | :59:13. | :59:15. | |
their businesses and have more reviews coming, but I think whole | :59:16. | :59:20. | |
house can join me in committing the success of this particular programme | :59:21. | :59:23. | |
and how it has enabled people to get on the life and set up their own | :59:24. | :59:28. | |
businesses and become successful. Urgent question. To ask his | :59:29. | :59:41. | |
Secretary of State for house if you'll make a statement on what | :59:42. | :59:45. | |
steps are being taken to improve the financial situation of NHS trusts. | :59:46. | :59:54. | |
They you Mr Speaker, the house and know that the NHS as that of its | :59:55. | :00:00. | |
plans for the next five years. Because of our strong economy, this | :00:01. | :00:04. | |
government has built to honour that request and will be fun to get in | :00:05. | :00:05. |