:00:00. > :00:00.of parliament at 11 o'clock this evening. Firstly questions of the
:00:00. > :00:26.work and pageant secretary Steven Crabbe and his team of ministers.
:00:27. > :00:31.Hors d'oeuvre. Order. Questions to the victory of state for work and
:00:32. > :00:44.pensions. Number one. Work coaches in Manchester have been
:00:45. > :00:47.working with a food bank since October last year. Feedback shows
:00:48. > :00:52.the service helps signpost support for people to move into work and
:00:53. > :00:55.navigate the welfare system. I am keen for all job centres to explore
:00:56. > :01:03.how they work with local initiatives in their communities. My local food
:01:04. > :01:09.bank in West Cheshire has seen a 6% increase in use in the last 12
:01:10. > :01:12.months. A disgraceful 13% extra children are committees of the bank
:01:13. > :01:16.in that period. Can the Minister give as an expert nation as to why
:01:17. > :01:23.there's been such an increase. Does he believe its welfare benefit cuts
:01:24. > :01:28.or another explanation? I would say and I'm happy to speak to an further
:01:29. > :01:31.about this situation, the trust recently found recently that there
:01:32. > :01:37.be no overall increase in the last 12 months. The average price of food
:01:38. > :01:41.has fallen by 2.5% over the last 12 months while average wages have gone
:01:42. > :01:46.up and we continue to spend more than ?80 billion on working age
:01:47. > :01:52.benefits to support those in need. I visited my food bank in rugby and I
:01:53. > :01:56.saw advisers not only meeting people's individual needs but also
:01:57. > :01:58.making a big effort to understand the circumstances of the people who
:01:59. > :02:06.were there and provide help and support and give direction. Isn't it
:02:07. > :02:09.entirely right that I should happen? He is absolutely right. I have been
:02:10. > :02:13.a trustee of a food bag and I know about how they work on the ground
:02:14. > :02:16.and food banks already effective are those who are partnering with other
:02:17. > :02:21.organisations like citizens advice, Christians against poverty they
:02:22. > :02:24.provide support and advice to tackle the underlying causes of why someone
:02:25. > :02:32.might be at the point of crisis and dependency. The latest Russell trust
:02:33. > :02:37.data shows a 2% rise in the last year in the banks. Is that growth at
:02:38. > :02:43.the Minister is proud of? One thing I am proud of and let me take this
:02:44. > :02:48.issue seriously is we are spending more than ?80 billion on working age
:02:49. > :02:50.benefits. That's the mark of a decent compassionate society. The
:02:51. > :02:55.same time we're working hard to the benefit system as I sit to help
:02:56. > :02:59.those who have most disadvantaged and greatest distance from the
:03:00. > :03:05.labour market. Give them a better chance of leading fulfilling lives.
:03:06. > :03:09.May I welcome my right honourable friend to DWP questions. I believe
:03:10. > :03:14.this is as first-time and I'm sure he'll make a huge impact. He did
:03:15. > :03:21.when I worked with him. Can I ask him does the require... What'll they
:03:22. > :03:25.shouting about? Can I ask him, does he recall that when the Labour
:03:26. > :03:29.government were in power the existence of food banks was more or
:03:30. > :03:33.less covered up and it's been since the coalition and now this biggest
:03:34. > :03:38.rage and does come along that we have advertised and helped food
:03:39. > :03:45.banks for existing and helping those people most in need? It's an
:03:46. > :03:51.important point being made. I'm not interesting in play the politics of
:03:52. > :03:55.this. The encouragement and into job centres around the UK is to explore
:03:56. > :03:57.fully how they work in partnership with local community initiatives so
:03:58. > :04:01.that together the third sector working with work coaches can
:04:02. > :04:08.provide the maximum support and advise. In publishing last month,
:04:09. > :04:13.the figures showing record food bank demand over the last year the trust
:04:14. > :04:17.will trust said that in some areas food banks are reporting increased
:04:18. > :04:22.referrals to the delays and arrays in Universal Credit payments. What
:04:23. > :04:25.steps is he taking to make sure that the introduction of Universal Credit
:04:26. > :04:31.doesn't drive food bank demand even higher? That's one of the reasons
:04:32. > :04:35.why were taking such a careful uncontrolled timetables are rolling
:04:36. > :04:40.out Universal Credit and much more interested in it being rolled out
:04:41. > :04:44.safety and securely and avoiding the kinds of problems we had under the
:04:45. > :04:47.last Labour government with tax credits blasting out and people
:04:48. > :04:54.receiving overpayments and being required to pay back thousands of
:04:55. > :04:57.pounds to... That what happened. What's the average length of time
:04:58. > :05:01.that they benefit recipient is making use of a food bank and are we
:05:02. > :05:05.asking these individuals who successfully away from food banks
:05:06. > :05:12.what advice they would like to have had when they attended? That's a
:05:13. > :05:16.very good suggestion from my honourable friend. Peer support and
:05:17. > :05:20.peer advice is an effective thing that can be provided for those
:05:21. > :05:25.people making the transition from worklessness into work and using
:05:26. > :05:30.some of the experiences and insights are people who have had to rely on
:05:31. > :05:37.food banks analyse is important. Number two. The government set out
:05:38. > :05:41.our assessment of the impact of the welfare policies in the welfare
:05:42. > :05:46.reform and work act on the 20th of July 20 15. Similar assistance for
:05:47. > :05:51.previous changes. People with disabilities and health conditions
:05:52. > :05:57.or be higher in real terms in 2020 than in 2012. Once Universal Credit
:05:58. > :06:04.have been fully implemented, so that disabled people will be entitled to
:06:05. > :06:17.250 pounds less a week with the current system. As the Minister
:06:18. > :06:20.concerned about young carers? I thank him for is question. I didn't
:06:21. > :06:27.pick up all the points but they are a number of exemptions in place. We
:06:28. > :06:33.will continue to review the best way to help young people and this will
:06:34. > :06:37.be a better benefit for them. Can he give me an update on the progress of
:06:38. > :06:43.the joint work and health unit which is a very sensible way to join up
:06:44. > :06:46.parts of the public sector? This is a significant part of our ongoing
:06:47. > :06:52.work to bring the two main departments together to create
:06:53. > :06:56.additional opportunities and it will be bringing forward is further
:06:57. > :07:02.details soon. The fact is that analysis by the House of Commons
:07:03. > :07:06.library shows that ?1.2 billion worth of support to disabled people
:07:07. > :07:10.is set to be cut in this Parliament. Is this what the Secretary of State
:07:11. > :07:15.means about having a new conversation with the sable people?
:07:16. > :07:23.I challenge back the honourable member on this. In my area spending
:07:24. > :07:26.will be ?16.6 billion competitor 7p on Velasco meant and overall we
:07:27. > :07:34.spend nearly 50 billion pounds a year for the benefit for disabled
:07:35. > :07:42.people and that is rising till 2020. Thank you. I recently met Nick
:07:43. > :07:45.Gregory and his team at the Grimsby job centre which serves my
:07:46. > :07:50.constituency. They are doing excellent work in getting disabled
:07:51. > :07:53.and those with learning difficulties back into work. Can the Minister
:07:54. > :07:58.enlightened as to what further initiatives are planned? I thank him
:07:59. > :08:01.for the question and it's great to hear of the fantastic work in the
:08:02. > :08:06.constituency. I will like to meeting to discuss that further but we
:08:07. > :08:09.continue the staff across the job centre network, increasing the
:08:10. > :08:17.number of disability and improvement in our work programme. The
:08:18. > :08:21.Children's Society and citizens advice report that families of
:08:22. > :08:25.around 100,000 disabled children who currently receive support through
:08:26. > :08:29.DLA are set to see that halved under Universal Credit. That will have an
:08:30. > :08:33.impact on the quality of life and the longer term life chances. With a
:08:34. > :08:37.new just later the helm, ministers have a jazz to step back from the
:08:38. > :08:41.Universal Credit to battle. Will they look again at the impact on
:08:42. > :08:47.disabled children and fairer alternatives? I would challenge her
:08:48. > :08:50.on that. Universal Credit analysis that you have to take into account
:08:51. > :08:53.the introduction of the national living wage, extending childcare
:08:54. > :08:56.support for working parents and decreases the personal tax
:08:57. > :09:00.allowance. It's more generous for Charles care provisions and support
:09:01. > :09:04.those who are working for just a few hours and as we seek premises at
:09:05. > :09:09.that before the hip benefit system which many people benefit from is
:09:10. > :09:14.more generous is than the old one. The research repeatable
:09:15. > :09:17.organisations doesn't simply bear that out. The reality is that
:09:18. > :09:22.disabled children are not the only people that will be losing out under
:09:23. > :09:26.the Universal Credit. A report by the resolution foundation last week
:09:27. > :09:32.found that under Universal Credit half a million working families will
:09:33. > :09:36.be significantly worse off even with tax allowances and an increasing the
:09:37. > :09:40.minimum wage. The sable people and children and come working families,
:09:41. > :09:46.are they really do people the Tories want to target to pay for a sturdy
:09:47. > :09:49.cut and tax cuts for the rich? We are doing more to sport working
:09:50. > :09:53.households. The proportion of people in relative poverty living in a
:09:54. > :09:57.family whose disabled has fallen since 2010 with our benefit cap and
:09:58. > :10:05.freeze announcements. A number of exemptions including those on lots
:10:06. > :10:10.of benefits, we will also be carers allowance and guardians allowance.
:10:11. > :10:13.Does the Minister agree with me that disability confident events can be
:10:14. > :10:17.crucial in this regard? I'm holding my own event in Gorleston to which
:10:18. > :10:21.the Minister would be more than welcome to attend and with the join
:10:22. > :10:26.me in encouraging all members from both sides of the house to get
:10:27. > :10:32.involved? I thank him for that and we had 22 MPs so far who've helped
:10:33. > :10:35.on disability confident events including a joint one between the
:10:36. > :10:40.conservative and Labour MP, there's a future coalition for you. This 515
:10:41. > :10:46.employers who have registered their interest in it. Up 169 is 23rd of
:10:47. > :10:50.March and over 100 registrations a month. This is all about creating
:10:51. > :10:55.opportunities for disabled people looking for work. What assessment
:10:56. > :11:02.has been carried out by the Minister into the 30%... ?30 per week at the
:11:03. > :11:09.Astor and the impact that will have our measures of deprivation amongst
:11:10. > :11:12.disabled people? As that was announced there was analysis
:11:13. > :11:15.published as part of a cumulative distribution analysis including the
:11:16. > :11:20.impacts of welfare spending, health spending, and its investment but
:11:21. > :11:24.let's not forget only 1% of those on the SA were coming off that benefit
:11:25. > :11:28.and that the case of our government, the coalition, the former Labour
:11:29. > :11:30.government, we've all try to make changes but fundamental reform is
:11:31. > :11:36.needed and that is what this covenant will deliver.
:11:37. > :11:43.With permission I will take questions three, 16 and 18 together.
:11:44. > :11:47.This government continues to run the programme of automatic enrolment to
:11:48. > :11:52.all eligible workers into workplace pensions. Of those eligible workers,
:11:53. > :11:56.approximately half are under 40 and the largest increases in pension
:11:57. > :12:05.membership in 2015 was amongst those aged 22 to 29. Can I welcome that.
:12:06. > :12:09.Would the Minister consider whether now we have announced the lifetime
:12:10. > :12:14.ice, that perhaps we should allow younger people to be able to
:12:15. > :12:23.enrolled in a lifetime ice rather than a pension so they could have a
:12:24. > :12:29.chance to save for House. May I say to my honourable friend that the
:12:30. > :12:36.lifetime ice that is something designed to supplement a pension,
:12:37. > :12:42.but is not a pension as such. The new state pension brings clarity for
:12:43. > :12:46.workers, with that knowledge, does he not agree he will have a positive
:12:47. > :12:55.impact on the amount they choose to save into a Private pension during
:12:56. > :12:59.their lifetime? I most utterly agree with my honourable friend. The
:13:00. > :13:02.previous state pension system would extremely complex, it was difficult
:13:03. > :13:07.for people to know how much they would get before they reached state
:13:08. > :13:10.pension age. The new state pension provides clarity from an early age
:13:11. > :13:14.from what they could expect. In future, people will know they will
:13:15. > :13:18.be able to expect over ?8,000 a year from the state. Providing a solid
:13:19. > :13:25.foundation upon which they can plan their own retirement savings. Having
:13:26. > :13:29.spent time with charities and high Street banks, I have been surprised
:13:30. > :13:32.by the low level of financial literacy they report even amongst
:13:33. > :13:35.people with secondary and tertiary education. What steps is the
:13:36. > :13:38.government going to take to ensure young people receive the high
:13:39. > :13:41.quality information and guidance they need, particularly about
:13:42. > :13:49.pension planning which is something that often feels very long way off
:13:50. > :13:56.to younger people. He will be aware that in October last year the
:13:57. > :14:00.department and the... The pensions regulator jointly launched a fresh
:14:01. > :14:05.communications campaign entitled Don't Ignore The Workplace Pension
:14:06. > :14:14.to build on the success of the previous campaign. They campaign
:14:15. > :14:20.included advertising. This is helped raise awareness and guide people
:14:21. > :14:24.towards further information. It was pleasing to the ministers say that
:14:25. > :14:32.predictability and clarity are very important in pensions. Will he not
:14:33. > :14:38.apply those same principles to the 2.6 million women? We have applied
:14:39. > :14:44.clarity and that is what I have been saying on many occasions and during
:14:45. > :14:49.because of many debates. The younger generation are more likely to be
:14:50. > :14:54.self-employed, 15% of the workforce are now some employed and yet only
:14:55. > :14:57.one third are providing savings into a pension pot. Will he look at the
:14:58. > :15:01.recommendations from the federation to small business that are calling
:15:02. > :15:09.for incentives and support. Employed pension provision? The honourable
:15:10. > :15:13.gentleman raises a good point. We will certainly look at anything that
:15:14. > :15:17.is put forward but I must emphasise that this government is very keen to
:15:18. > :15:20.ensure people, whether they are working or whether they are
:15:21. > :15:23.self-employed, that they all try to think for the future and make for a
:15:24. > :15:30.better future in terms of their pension. Pension savings have been
:15:31. > :15:40.undermined by the new lifetime ISA, a new game at -- new gimmick
:15:41. > :15:46.undermined pension saving. No employee will be better off by
:15:47. > :15:49.saving into a ISA than they would into workplace pension savings. It
:15:50. > :16:00.has been forecast that someone saving 4% of their income at 35,000,
:16:01. > :16:13.would be ?23,000 of. Would he tell the Chancellor to stop these
:16:14. > :16:21.gimmicks, stop this nonsense. I think the length needs to be
:16:22. > :16:25.shorter! I am sorry the honourable member takes the hostile flu without
:16:26. > :16:33.doing any research. May I just point out that with the auto enrolment
:16:34. > :16:35.scheme, by 2020 there will be between 14 and ?16 billion more in
:16:36. > :16:45.pension savings than a has-been before. Question four. Since 2010,
:16:46. > :16:56.long-term youth unemployment has harvest. -- halved. This government
:16:57. > :17:00.is determined to support young people so they are either earning or
:17:01. > :17:14.learning when they leave school. Since March 22 that by 2010,... Does
:17:15. > :17:31.the honourable friend agree that ... He highlights the important role
:17:32. > :17:34.that training providers give because they are the ones providing
:17:35. > :17:38.opportunities for young people to get their foot on the employment
:17:39. > :17:42.ladder and so they can gain experience and skills that employers
:17:43. > :17:45.are looking for. Minus it to him and other employers is that I hope the
:17:46. > :17:52.work in partnership with us will encourage this activity. A young
:17:53. > :17:56.autistic constituent of mine was asked by his DWP work adviser what
:17:57. > :18:02.he enjoyed doing. He replied that he enjoyed being a DJ as a hobby. His
:18:03. > :18:09.reward was to have a demand for repayment of ?7,000 in benefits,
:18:10. > :18:15.accusing him of working while he did the DJ in as a hobby. Is that the
:18:16. > :18:18.type of understanding approach for autistic people that this minister
:18:19. > :18:23.likes to see from people working from the DWP? Let me say to the
:18:24. > :18:29.honourable gentleman, I would be very happy to look at this
:18:30. > :18:37.particularly case. I would also make the point that work coaches do a
:18:38. > :18:41.tremendous amount of important work. I had to stand here is highlighting
:18:42. > :18:48.a particular case and as I said, I would be happy to look at the
:18:49. > :18:53.details. I would also be happy to provide some advice and guidance. I
:18:54. > :18:59.was just curious to know on the subject of long-term youth
:19:00. > :19:08.unemployment, what are work coaches doing to help some of the softer
:19:09. > :19:13.skills? Work coaches have a range of tools at their disposal but they
:19:14. > :19:21.work with the individual to look at what kind of skills they may not
:19:22. > :19:27.have, we have extra adviser time to improve job search skills for
:19:28. > :19:36.example, author getting onto apprenticeship schemes. To do that,
:19:37. > :19:44.that means working with providers. The Prime Minister and toddler
:19:45. > :19:49.regular tell us the EU is good for job prosperity. What would the youth
:19:50. > :19:53.unemployment rates be in the rest of the EU and can the government find
:19:54. > :20:01.any learning from those other EU countries? And he will be aware, as
:20:02. > :20:07.will all manners of the House, that the ongoing economic turmoil in the
:20:08. > :20:12.Eurozone is really where the European is right now. That serves
:20:13. > :20:16.as a warning in terms of the employment challenges that they
:20:17. > :20:20.face. I am delighted to say to the House that the UK is a bright spot
:20:21. > :20:26.when it comes to employment and that is thanks to the long-term economic
:20:27. > :20:33.plan of this government. A very well-informed answer, I am bound to
:20:34. > :20:37.say! Does my right honourable friend agree with me that one way in which
:20:38. > :20:42.manners of the House can help young people find work is through posting
:20:43. > :20:46.jobs and apprenticeships fares and does she look forward to the
:20:47. > :20:52.first-ever jobs and apprenticeship fares in my constituency? Let me
:20:53. > :20:56.start by commending my honourable friend for hosting the jobs and
:20:57. > :20:59.apprenticeship there. She is absolutely right and many colleagues
:21:00. > :21:03.across the House been doing the same. They provide a gateway for
:21:04. > :21:06.young people looking for work and I think we would all encourage that,
:21:07. > :21:09.and I would encourage all honourable members to do exactly the same and
:21:10. > :21:12.bring your employee and is together in your constituency to give young
:21:13. > :21:19.people the opportunities they are looking for. Number five. The number
:21:20. > :21:26.of workless households had reached the lowest level since since records
:21:27. > :21:30.began. This demonstrates that not only is our approach to the economy
:21:31. > :21:36.work but crucially, more families are benefiting from security and
:21:37. > :21:40.dignity that work brings. Does he agree with me that too many people
:21:41. > :21:43.are suffering from drug and alcohol abuse and that is preventing them
:21:44. > :21:47.from getting back into work? Does he agree that supporting those people
:21:48. > :21:53.to get drug and alcohol free is essential and will he come and visit
:21:54. > :21:56.the addiction Centre in my constituency to see how we can
:21:57. > :22:06.transform lives, get people free of addiction and get them back into
:22:07. > :22:09.work? Is probably aware I visited the centre in Newcastle underlined
:22:10. > :22:13.two weeks ago and saw a group of addicts and recovery making that
:22:14. > :22:17.difficult journey back into work and the role of voluntary work, work
:22:18. > :22:21.placements, with the end goal of achieving a paid job at the end of
:22:22. > :22:27.it, that is what motivates many of them. For them, the dream is to get
:22:28. > :22:32.into paid work and these centres are absolutely crucial. With the
:22:33. > :22:35.Secretary of State except that even in areas where there is lower areas
:22:36. > :22:39.of unemployment and they have been recently, there are still areas with
:22:40. > :22:43.persistent high levels of unemployment. Would he agree to work
:22:44. > :22:49.with Labour's newly elected Welsh Assembly to look at award in my
:22:50. > :22:56.constituency with high levels of unemployment work policies have
:22:57. > :23:02.helped reduce that and that was rewarded with a good outcome last
:23:03. > :23:05.Thursday. I have a good track record of working with the Welsh
:23:06. > :23:11.government, regardless of who is in power. Regarding the important point
:23:12. > :23:18.about entrenched poverty, it is right we look at this. We will be
:23:19. > :23:21.shortly launching a life chances strategy addressing complex
:23:22. > :23:24.underlying factors that lead to persistent pockets of entrenched
:23:25. > :23:33.poverty in the kind of what he describes. Question number six.
:23:34. > :23:37.There are now 9.6 million workers at 50 and over in the UK, and increases
:23:38. > :23:41.of 1.3 million in the last five years. The government is doing a lot
:23:42. > :23:44.to support older workers including the removal of the default
:23:45. > :23:50.retirement age and in people's choice as to when they retire. The
:23:51. > :23:54.fact the Leader of the Opposition and myself both have a vested
:23:55. > :23:58.interest in the future of older workers, will my right honourable
:23:59. > :24:04.friend join me in welcoming the fact that those who are unemployed has
:24:05. > :24:10.fallen by 37% in Southend and would she ensure we continue with policies
:24:11. > :24:16.to secure that downward trend? I thank my honourable friend for his
:24:17. > :24:21.comments. He is absolutely right and I know in his own constituency we
:24:22. > :24:25.are seeing unemployment rates plummet very substantially. Of
:24:26. > :24:28.course, this is about how we are focusing and committing to
:24:29. > :24:38.delivering first-class support for all age groups. Statistics published
:24:39. > :24:45.last month so that more than six and a thousand people in their 50s and
:24:46. > :24:49.60s are supported into work by the tax credit system. Cani Minister
:24:50. > :24:52.tell the House how many of those 600,000 will be eligible to receive
:24:53. > :25:02.in work support and Universal Credit? The honourable gentleman
:25:03. > :25:06.will know, as we have discussed, that Universal Credit is a simple
:25:07. > :25:09.benefit that provides much more targeted support to support people
:25:10. > :25:13.into work but also securing long-term job outcomes as well. When
:25:14. > :25:18.it comes to older workers, as I have just said to be House, we are
:25:19. > :25:21.committed to delivering the first-class support for people of
:25:22. > :25:25.all ages in addition to older workers as well to make sure that we
:25:26. > :25:31.work closely with them to secure employment for the long run. On the
:25:32. > :25:37.basis of that answer, it would seem the Minister has a good those grasp
:25:38. > :25:41.of numbers as the schools minister has of words! Let me assist, perhaps
:25:42. > :25:46.as she read the resolution foundation reported would help. The
:25:47. > :25:50.answer is that one third of working families on tax credits would be
:25:51. > :25:56.eligible for any support under Universal Credit, 200,000. Another
:25:57. > :26:02.200,000 will lose ?2000 a year. Cani Minister tell the House why it is
:26:03. > :26:09.that this government is so intent on attacking older people in work? --
:26:10. > :26:12.can the Minister. The honourable gentleman is talking about older
:26:13. > :26:16.workers and working families. We need to look at Universal Credit
:26:17. > :26:20.within the context of the supported provides. He'll so mention is a
:26:21. > :26:25.resolution foundation report which failed to take on board various
:26:26. > :26:29.factors such as childcare support for working families and the ongoing
:26:30. > :26:30.support that Universal Credit and our work coaches provided to working
:26:31. > :26:42.families. The development of the work and
:26:43. > :26:46.health programme design is well underway including engagement with a
:26:47. > :26:49.wide range of stakeholders, the department has commenced the
:26:50. > :26:54.commercial process of the information notice for potential
:26:55. > :26:58.providers on the 20th of April. A constituent mimes volunteering last
:26:59. > :27:02.year at Green futures and that is directed related to his degree
:27:03. > :27:05.subject while it is applied for work. The job centre put him on the
:27:06. > :27:08.community work placement scheme saying that a voluntary placement
:27:09. > :27:16.would be better than them friends through them. This private company
:27:17. > :27:21.paid by the job centre arranged a unpaid arrangement that he was
:27:22. > :27:26.already working for. Does the Minister agree that this incompetent
:27:27. > :27:29.should not be repeated under the new scheme? I'll be happy to look into
:27:30. > :27:35.that example. I think she highlights some clear practices that need to
:27:36. > :27:39.change going forward. I should say when it comes to the working health
:27:40. > :27:42.programme of course that'll be designed to support claimants with
:27:43. > :27:46.health issues who have been unemployed what at least two years
:27:47. > :27:53.but I will be happy to look at the case she raises. My friend knows
:27:54. > :27:55.that one of the key challenges in supporting autistic people into work
:27:56. > :28:01.is ensuring that we can identify what works and there is very little
:28:02. > :28:07.data and work outcomes for autistic adults. Eugene shortly that the new
:28:08. > :28:11.working health programme records whether someone on the programme is
:28:12. > :28:15.on the autism spectrum so that we can actually track whether or not
:28:16. > :28:23.this programme has been successful for this very important group? She
:28:24. > :28:27.raises some very important points. I would like to assure her that in
:28:28. > :28:31.designing the provision we are working both at the local level in
:28:32. > :28:36.terms of harnessing expertise but also engaging in a wide range of
:28:37. > :28:39.stakeholders as well and by doing that we will take on important
:28:40. > :28:43.lessons from the work part programme in the past but at the same time at
:28:44. > :28:53.how can achieve those sustained long-term outcomes. Number eight.
:28:54. > :28:55.With permission I'll and search this with question 20. Last month we
:28:56. > :29:01.deduce the new simpler state pension as part of wider package of pension
:29:02. > :29:05.reforms. The coronation of the state pension with automatic enrolment,
:29:06. > :29:09.the triple lock, giving people power of their pension pot will ensure
:29:10. > :29:15.that pensioners male and female would have greater protection and
:29:16. > :29:19.security and choice in retirement. Protection is all very well but
:29:20. > :29:25.introducing the new state pension in 2016 means that 350,000 women born
:29:26. > :29:28.between 1951 and 1953 will retire on the old system just before the
:29:29. > :29:33.proposals come into force whereas a man born in same day will retire
:29:34. > :29:40.slightly later but receive a pension under the new arrangements. Will the
:29:41. > :29:47.Minister heed calls to end these inequalities gotcha Mark I would say
:29:48. > :29:51.that we debated and voted on these changes last Parliament, we debated
:29:52. > :29:55.them at enormous length. A decision was taken by the last Parliament and
:29:56. > :29:59.is part of that a concession above ?1.1 billion is introduced to limit
:30:00. > :30:02.the impact of the rising state pension age and those women most
:30:03. > :30:07.affected and let's be clear, there is no party in this chamber who has
:30:08. > :30:11.a clear and inherent proposal for unwinding those changes made his
:30:12. > :30:19.1995 and equalising the state pension age. I have no plans to
:30:20. > :30:23.bring forward a further concession. I listen very carefully to what the
:30:24. > :30:30.Minister said at state pension equal as a has left 500,000 women born
:30:31. > :30:36.between 1953 and 1955 much worse off with some facing a financial loss of
:30:37. > :30:40.up to ?30,000. When will this government take responsibility for
:30:41. > :30:44.the severe financial impact on these women and in the interest of justice
:30:45. > :30:49.do the decent thing, relent and put in place transitional arrangements?
:30:50. > :30:54.The last Parliament we were very clear about the reasons why these
:30:55. > :30:57.changes were taking place will stop it was to address the long-term
:30:58. > :31:02.serious fiscal impact of increasing life expectancy and nations all
:31:03. > :31:06.round the world are having to take exactly the same kind of decisions.
:31:07. > :31:11.Let's be clear, unwinding those sessions would involve people of
:31:12. > :31:15.working age, younger people, having to bear an even greater share of the
:31:16. > :31:18.burden of getting this country back living within its means so we do
:31:19. > :31:27.take a broader perspective here than she and the SNP are. Two weeks ago,
:31:28. > :31:31.the Lake of front bench held constructive talks with the coal
:31:32. > :31:34.founders. We'll work together to find a fair solution to the
:31:35. > :31:37.injustice they and hundreds of thousands of have faced from the
:31:38. > :31:42.government state pension reforms which might honourable friend the
:31:43. > :31:48.site shadows sector of state previously. He too has said he will
:31:49. > :31:53.meet with them however he has also said there are no plans to change
:31:54. > :31:58.policy. Why is the Secretary of State going into that meeting with a
:31:59. > :32:04.closed mind and by doing so isn't he just repeating the mistakes of his
:32:05. > :32:08.predecessor? I would say to the honourable lady and members of the
:32:09. > :32:14.opposition that there is a question here of responsible opposition. If
:32:15. > :32:19.you know clear plan, costed, which the Labour policies were not, then
:32:20. > :32:22.they are simply playing along those women, pretending that they only
:32:23. > :32:26.position to unwind those changes when they said there and they know
:32:27. > :32:35.full well they have no serious proposal for doing that. Number
:32:36. > :32:40.nine. The department said where the climate and the professions, skills
:32:41. > :32:45.of the health providers that can be used to carry out assessments. We
:32:46. > :32:47.expect the high standards from the contractors and that measure their
:32:48. > :32:54.performance in several targets including quarterly and customer
:32:55. > :32:56.experience. In Neath they have recorded huge inaccuracies between
:32:57. > :33:02.the information they provide against personal independence payments
:33:03. > :33:05.descriptors. The conclusion drawn by capita staff which causes great
:33:06. > :33:09.stress for people already in difficult circumstances. Can the
:33:10. > :33:15.ministers stay what is the bombers is doing to make sure that cap the
:33:16. > :33:20.staff are trained to make the broker time and care so they are as
:33:21. > :33:23.accurate and fair as possible. All health professionals must be
:33:24. > :33:25.registered practitioners, met the requirements of trailing competence
:33:26. > :33:28.and use their expertise and disability provide advice on
:33:29. > :33:32.people's levels of functional ability and impact on day-to-day
:33:33. > :33:36.lives and there are a team of experts to provide support and we
:33:37. > :33:41.were greatly with a wide range of stakeholders to advise and further
:33:42. > :33:46.improvements. The Minister will be aware of the recent Public Accounts
:33:47. > :33:48.Committee report on the process of contracting out disability
:33:49. > :33:52.assessment. Would he agree with the recommendation that suggests
:33:53. > :33:59.publishing regular performance data, it would make sure it was conducted
:34:00. > :34:03.personally? That committee did some valuable work in that area and that
:34:04. > :34:08.was part of wide we have the extensive review and the performance
:34:09. > :34:15.and management within it and that was carried out by Doctor Paul Gray.
:34:16. > :34:20.The Minister 's response to my honourable friend and letters
:34:21. > :34:25.following the shocking revelations of last month as batches programme
:34:26. > :34:30.and the personal independence payments was complacent to say the
:34:31. > :34:34.least. I asked the minister once again given the evidence not just
:34:35. > :34:39.from the dispatches programme but already mentioned from the Public
:34:40. > :34:44.Accounts Committee in March, also from the National Audit Office in
:34:45. > :34:48.January, all raising concerns about the quality of assessments. Well
:34:49. > :34:57.Knowl View be investigating this including reviewing the contract? I
:34:58. > :35:00.gave a crystal clear conferences response and I'm sorry she was
:35:01. > :35:04.somewhat distracted. It is crystal clear that the individual in that
:35:05. > :35:08.film who acted disgracefully has rightly been removed and we are
:35:09. > :35:11.having weekly reviews of the progress in terms of training,
:35:12. > :35:13.policies and we have a zero tolerance of this behaviour. Number
:35:14. > :35:28.ten. Working with autism alliance UK we
:35:29. > :35:32.are training a network of over 1000 autism leads in jobs on the plus and
:35:33. > :35:35.developing an autism passport to record condition details and
:35:36. > :35:38.reasonable adjustments. In addition access the work has a hidden
:35:39. > :35:43.impairment specialist team to better support people including those on
:35:44. > :35:47.the autistic spectrum. With the Minister wake up and shake up his
:35:48. > :35:53.apartment because autistic people have a great deal of talent that
:35:54. > :35:58.goes wasted in this country? Only 15% of children and the autism scale
:35:59. > :36:04.end up working at a full-time job. Isn't it about time we took this
:36:05. > :36:07.seriously? I am and men of the newly formed autism commission, we will
:36:08. > :36:15.help you on a cross-party basis. That wake up to the potential that
:36:16. > :36:18.is unexploited. I thank him. He has a formidable track record doing work
:36:19. > :36:23.in this area. We have the think autism strategy, with working with
:36:24. > :36:27.the leading organisations and only two weeks ago I attended a very
:36:28. > :36:30.constructive table with the autistic Society with a real focus on getting
:36:31. > :36:34.more employers offer opportunities to take advantage of the huge wealth
:36:35. > :36:39.of talent that these individuals offer. Does the Minister think that
:36:40. > :36:46.the closure of employee factories three years ago helped with autism
:36:47. > :36:51.and other disabilities to find work? The independent review stated that
:36:52. > :36:54.that was a move that need to be done and our specialist employment
:36:55. > :36:57.training programme we'll be offering twice as many job outcomes which is
:36:58. > :37:00.what we need to do as part of our commitment to halve the disability
:37:01. > :37:07.employment gap. Following the success of national autism awareness
:37:08. > :37:11.week, month, it was welcome to see that the government have announced a
:37:12. > :37:14.task force to explore access to apprenticeships for those with
:37:15. > :37:20.learning disabilities. Ill be led by the honourable member for Blackpool
:37:21. > :37:24.North. I will be aware that it isn't a formal consultation period but the
:37:25. > :37:27.British Association for supported employment had been asked to provide
:37:28. > :37:31.evidence to the dust force. Does the Minister agree with me that as many
:37:32. > :37:34.people and organisations as possible should feed into the work of this
:37:35. > :37:43.task force to ensure that everyone has access to a life changing
:37:44. > :37:47.apprenticeship? I'm keen to listen for any experiences from different
:37:48. > :37:53.organisations as possible. This is important for myself and I'm happy
:37:54. > :38:02.to meet her if she would like to. Question 11. With permission I will
:38:03. > :38:08.answer questions 11, 12 Tom and 19, 21 and 22 together. Women affected
:38:09. > :38:11.by changes made in 2011 face a maximum increase in state pension
:38:12. > :38:15.age of 18 months rather than two years. As a result of a government
:38:16. > :38:19.concession. They will retire and the new state pension which will be more
:38:20. > :38:28.generous for many than the previous system. No further transitional
:38:29. > :38:30.arrangements are planned. Can I ask the secretary of state whether he
:38:31. > :38:35.will look again at these transitional arrangements and also
:38:36. > :38:41.have a look and see whether or not the cost of this could be offset by
:38:42. > :38:45.some adjustment in the budget? I say to him that the secure state has
:38:46. > :38:52.made it clear earlier on in his questions that he has no intention
:38:53. > :38:55.of revisiting this issue. Why is the Minister not use the opportunity of
:38:56. > :39:01.a majority Conservative governments to put right the wrongs of the last
:39:02. > :39:07.government impacting some 4290 women in my constituency by introducing
:39:08. > :39:12.proper transitional arrangements or is this just compassionate
:39:13. > :39:17.conservatism in action? I would say to the lady that Gerry and the
:39:18. > :39:22.debates that took place in 2011 Gerry second reading these Secretary
:39:23. > :39:28.of State for pensions said that they would go away and consider and
:39:29. > :39:32.reflect. They did that. At report stage they made a concession worth
:39:33. > :39:35.?1.1 billion and they reduced the time frame from two years to 18
:39:36. > :39:40.months. Transitional arraignments were put in place, they were under
:39:41. > :39:48.substantial cost notwithstanding the very tough economic climate of the
:39:49. > :39:52.time. Recent years in this house the Minister for business said that
:39:53. > :39:56.people were working for at the 30 years and paying in the pension fund
:39:57. > :40:02.with the expectation they'd have money to live on at a period in
:40:03. > :40:06.their life. The lady went on to state that there is an increasingly
:40:07. > :40:13.good case to make for the right thing to be done by people. Given
:40:14. > :40:18.the sudden change in the age of retirement for women, can I ask how
:40:19. > :40:22.the government can justify these this rank hypocrisy from one
:40:23. > :40:28.minister to another? Will he bring fairness for those women in his new
:40:29. > :40:33.role? He has an opportunity to show that he will consider things fairly
:40:34. > :40:37.and support the Minister for business. I think the honourable
:40:38. > :40:41.lady from the context of question was delivering the charge of
:40:42. > :40:47.inconsistency between ministers. She went accusing Minister behaving to
:40:48. > :40:51.another. If the reference work the government as a collective, that
:40:52. > :40:57.will be another way... Render it orderly. I am grateful to the member
:40:58. > :41:02.for Bolsover for proffering advice from a sedentary position. With
:41:03. > :41:06.permission I will take the reference to from one minister to another
:41:07. > :41:11.slightly broadly and remind the on-board lady that's when the
:41:12. > :41:14.pensions act of 1995 was passed. After that there was 13 years of
:41:15. > :41:18.Labour governments during which there was a succession of sector of
:41:19. > :41:23.state for work and pensions as well as pension ministers and they did
:41:24. > :41:26.absolutely nothing to try to change the system that she and her
:41:27. > :41:32.colleagues are now seeking to change.
:41:33. > :41:42.While ministers do nothing, my constituents and other people are
:41:43. > :41:44.suffering. One of my constituents said, I feel anxious and stressed
:41:45. > :41:50.how I will manage without an income in what has been for my generation,
:41:51. > :41:56.the expected retirement age. It is six months since we had our first
:41:57. > :41:58.debate on this. Will the Minister and Secretary of State commit that
:41:59. > :42:01.civil servants will assist with costing the various options for
:42:02. > :42:10.transitional and arrangements that have been put forward? May I just
:42:11. > :42:16.say that while she is asking for costing, a cost was incurred during
:42:17. > :42:24.the debate of 2011 and that cost was ?1.1 billion. There is no intention
:42:25. > :42:31.of revisiting this issue again. Does the Minister accept there were
:42:32. > :42:36.significant failures in his department to communicate the change
:42:37. > :42:39.in pension age and does he think it is despicable that someone in only
:42:40. > :42:45.found out about the changes months before they were to retire? A survey
:42:46. > :42:52.done by the Department for Work and Pensions, a small percentage of
:42:53. > :42:58.women thought the pension age was still 60. May I also say, in terms
:42:59. > :43:04.of notification, in 1995, people could ask for an estimate as to when
:43:05. > :43:09.they were likely to retire and in 2011, over 5 million people received
:43:10. > :43:15.notification, received a letter to the address that HM RC had informing
:43:16. > :43:19.them of the changes. With an all-party group on the WASPI
:43:20. > :43:22.campaign being set up later this week, will be Secretary of State
:43:23. > :43:26.confirm he is willing to meet a cross-party group of MPs and some
:43:27. > :43:32.members of the WASPI campaign to discuss this further and open up
:43:33. > :43:34.some good can in occasion? I know my right honourable friend the
:43:35. > :43:38.Secretary of State is more than happy to meet the all-party group.
:43:39. > :43:43.As far as meeting the man of the campaign, I know he has met some in
:43:44. > :43:54.his constituency. -- meeting members. Number 13. Last year access
:43:55. > :44:01.to work supported record numbers of young disabled people into work. DWP
:44:02. > :44:10.have supported the shadowing of job opportunities for young disabled
:44:11. > :44:15.people. Cani Minister update the House on what action has been taken
:44:16. > :44:20.to help these people into work, specifically through
:44:21. > :44:24.apprenticeships. Following my visit to foxes in Bridgewater where they
:44:25. > :44:29.have a staggering 45% of their young people getting into stable
:44:30. > :44:33.employment, I recognise a vocational pathway is important for young
:44:34. > :44:43.disabled people, and therefore myself any Minister for skills will
:44:44. > :44:51.work with the member to launch an initiative to help young disabled
:44:52. > :44:55.people into work. We will also look for opportunities and
:44:56. > :45:06.apprenticeships for people with autism.
:45:07. > :45:12.My constituents has had her motor ability car taken off her, will be
:45:13. > :45:24.Minister be willing to meet her to discuss this issue that affects her
:45:25. > :45:29.and other people across the country? Those that aren't successful during
:45:30. > :45:35.appeal are able to keep the car for a further seven weeks and have ?2000
:45:36. > :45:47.in cash to buy a similar car or Mapleton it of arrangements. The
:45:48. > :45:51.universe credit is transforming lives. Anyone been moved to
:45:52. > :45:56.Universal Credit will receive transitional protection so they are
:45:57. > :46:03.not cash losers. A single parent working full-time on universal
:46:04. > :46:07.credit will be up to ?3000 works off than someone on tax credits. How
:46:08. > :46:15.many single parents working full time doing the right thing does the
:46:16. > :46:24.Secretary of State feel these will affect? People who are being moved
:46:25. > :46:28.from a tax credit to Universal Credit will have transitional
:46:29. > :46:31.protections in place. He is making the mistake that so many of his
:46:32. > :46:35.colleagues have made in trying to compare full sleeve the situation
:46:36. > :46:41.that existed previously under tax credits, when there was no national
:46:42. > :46:45.living wage, there was no level of childcare support, there was be
:46:46. > :46:49.higher rate of personal allowance. We are transforming the landscape of
:46:50. > :46:57.support for people on lower incomes. We are running late but we will find
:46:58. > :47:02.time for one more. Number 17. The department has a range of quality
:47:03. > :47:04.measures to drive improvements in accuracy of decision-making and we
:47:05. > :47:07.are committed to getting our decisions right and there will
:47:08. > :47:10.always be more opportunities to learn where decisions have been
:47:11. > :47:20.overturned on appeal and wheat feedback on every single case.
:47:21. > :47:23.Latest figures show that 75% of PIP appeal is heard by courts and
:47:24. > :47:27.tribunals service were decided in favour of the appellant in Coventry.
:47:28. > :47:32.These figures clearly demonstrate the flawed and Coney and nature of
:47:33. > :47:40.the original refusal decision made by DWP. Cani Minister assure that
:47:41. > :47:43.improvements will be made to the decision-making process to increase
:47:44. > :47:49.accuracy and prevent more vulnerable people to be forced to go to the
:47:50. > :47:56.appeals process needlessly? Two points I would make, firstly, the
:47:57. > :48:01.Department has a range of quality measures to drive improvements in
:48:02. > :48:09.the accuracy of decision-making. I understand from I honourable friend,
:48:10. > :48:19.only 2% of PIP claims are changed. That is on the basis of new evidence
:48:20. > :48:27.being submitted. Topical questions. As part of our reforms, we are
:48:28. > :48:33.improving help on offer for people to keep track of their previous
:48:34. > :48:37.workplace pension pots. Our new online pensions tracing service goes
:48:38. > :48:40.live is today. This will make it simpler and quicker to reunite
:48:41. > :48:48.people with information about their pension pots in a matter of seconds
:48:49. > :48:56.rather than days. I welcome that, but what more can he do, can we do,
:48:57. > :49:02.to enable people how much they are likely to receive from the pension
:49:03. > :49:06.pots when they find them? That is exactly the reason why so many of
:49:07. > :49:11.our reforms are designed to make things simple and less confusing for
:49:12. > :49:15.people. Everyone has been able to get a personalised state pension
:49:16. > :49:19.statement based on the new rules and there is a mail online service which
:49:20. > :49:27.offers a quick and accessible way for people to access information
:49:28. > :49:34.about their state pension. I welcome the Secretary of State for his first
:49:35. > :49:42.DWP questions. He has started by trying hard to strike a different
:49:43. > :49:48.tone to his predecessor. Can I ask him, what does he think the human
:49:49. > :49:51.impact will be of his plans to cut ?1.2 billion away from disabled
:49:52. > :49:57.people throughout this next Parliament? What does he think the
:49:58. > :50:06.impact is for the 500,000 people who are set to lose ?1500 a year in ESA.
:50:07. > :50:10.I thank the honourable gentleman for the kind words he started with. Your
:50:11. > :50:13.beastly wasn't listening to the earlier questions on this subject
:50:14. > :50:18.because throughout this Parliament, we will be spending more than at the
:50:19. > :50:21.beginning of the Parliament on supporting disabled people, around
:50:22. > :50:27.?50 billion supporting disabled people. Far more than has ever been
:50:28. > :50:32.spent under the previous Labour government. The Secretary of State
:50:33. > :50:36.seems to have forgotten it is -- in his first speech he said behind
:50:37. > :50:40.those statistics are human beings and disabled people will be
:50:41. > :50:44.disappointed that want more today, he hid behind statistics. They will
:50:45. > :50:52.be disappointed he won't reverse the ESA cuts, others will be
:50:53. > :50:57.disappointed by his refusal to address the concerns of women born
:50:58. > :51:05.in the 1950s. Could the Secretary of State tell us in what way is he
:51:06. > :51:08.different to his predecessor? I would say to the honourable
:51:09. > :51:15.gentleman that we are a government that has helped deliver the changes
:51:16. > :51:18.that have seen a huge fall in workless households, nearly half a
:51:19. > :51:22.million more children growing up in a home seeing a mum or dad going out
:51:23. > :51:25.to work. There is no reason to change policies which are changing
:51:26. > :51:31.things will be better for those who have the least in our society. Last
:51:32. > :51:36.week I had the honour of attending the National Young enterprise
:51:37. > :51:42.challenge final were two students from my local school in my
:51:43. > :51:50.constituency received an award for turning ?10 into a staggering profit
:51:51. > :51:54.of ?3289. Does my honourable friend agreed that such initiatives could
:51:55. > :52:00.help ensure young people acquire valuable skills for the future. I
:52:01. > :52:07.wholeheartedly agree with my noble friend. I think he has highlighted
:52:08. > :52:17.not only the entropy and not -- entrepreneurial spirit of those
:52:18. > :52:19.young people and also brings it back to what we are doing in our own
:52:20. > :52:30.government. Almost 14,000 people have lost
:52:31. > :52:34.access to their motor ability vehicles causing people to lose jobs
:52:35. > :52:40.and independence. Why is the Secretary of State punishing people
:52:41. > :52:43.in this way? There are 22,000 more people accessing the moat ability
:52:44. > :52:49.scheme since PIP was introduced and that is not something I recognise.
:52:50. > :52:54.The business case for Universal Credit, identifies savings of ?80
:52:55. > :52:58.million a week after implementation. These come both from IT simply
:52:59. > :53:03.vacation but also removal of barriers to getting back into work
:53:04. > :53:06.quickly. Could the Secretary of State confirm there is a folk is not
:53:07. > :53:15.just on delivering technology but also ensuring benefits will be
:53:16. > :53:20.delivered when the time comes. I have made a number of changes to the
:53:21. > :53:24.way the roll-out of Universal Credit is being overseen to stressing the
:53:25. > :53:27.importance of having a careful and controlled roll-out. The one outcome
:53:28. > :53:31.that matters but everyone is that everyone gets their benefits paid on
:53:32. > :53:37.time and correctly and our approach is making sure that happens. The
:53:38. > :53:43.resolution foundation has calculated Universal Credit could leave 2.5
:53:44. > :53:48.million families worse off by more than ?3000 a year. Does the Minister
:53:49. > :53:51.agree with me that Universal Credit is abjectly failing to provide
:53:52. > :54:07.incentives to work and lift families out of Lope as we were told was that
:54:08. > :54:11.intention. -- low pay. As I said previously, go to your local job
:54:12. > :54:15.centre plus, go and sit with the teams of work coaches who were
:54:16. > :54:18.rolling out Universal Credit and you will see the enthusiasm and
:54:19. > :54:23.motivation as they see Universal Credit transforming peoples lives
:54:24. > :54:26.for the better. In anticipation of the government White Paper on
:54:27. > :54:32.disability, will my honourable friend embrace Leonard Cheshire's
:54:33. > :54:41.change 100 programme which allows disabled graduates to gain paid
:54:42. > :54:45.employment with major employers? This is an example of some fantastic
:54:46. > :54:49.initiatives. I worked closely with Leonard Cheshire. This is exactly
:54:50. > :54:55.the type of programme that would hate our future plans to help
:54:56. > :55:07.disabled people access work. -- that would help our future plans. I was
:55:08. > :55:11.astounded to find out that the department only has to pay due
:55:12. > :55:16.regard to the quality aspects of decisions and then it was up to them
:55:17. > :55:21.whether or not they had to publish that analysis. Does the Secretary of
:55:22. > :55:25.State not agree with me that in the spirit of transparency, equality
:55:26. > :55:32.analyses must be published and made publicly available? We also have the
:55:33. > :55:35.independent reviews which were the previous one was carried out by
:55:36. > :55:41.Doctor Paul Gray and we will be looking to do a further one. Under
:55:42. > :55:47.PIP 22% of claimants access the higher rate of benefit. A
:55:48. > :55:52.constituent of mine has multiple sclerosis and for the past nine
:55:53. > :55:56.years acting on advice from the council, she has used her DLA award
:55:57. > :56:01.to pay the mortgage on the family's adapted bungalow. She has now been
:56:02. > :56:04.informed that with PIP she will not be allowed to do this and she and
:56:05. > :56:10.her family risk losing their home. This could have a devastating impact
:56:11. > :56:13.on many families right around the country. Could the Secretary of
:56:14. > :56:22.State look into the matter and ensure that this does not happen?
:56:23. > :56:29.We have been regularly updating the guidance for local authorities to
:56:30. > :56:32.help individuals like this. The Government intends to replace the
:56:33. > :56:38.current statutory child poverty measures with new measures of life
:56:39. > :56:41.chances. Researchers at the London school of economics have responded
:56:42. > :56:45.to the Government consultation on child poverty measurement and found
:56:46. > :56:48.99% of respondents believe the income and approbation should be
:56:49. > :56:56.included. Does the Minister agree or disagree? Look, what we are focused
:56:57. > :57:00.on more than any other previous Government is tackling the
:57:01. > :57:03.underlying causes of poverty. And one of the colleagues talked about
:57:04. > :57:08.entrenched poverty earlier. If we will tackle about, we need a
:57:09. > :57:11.coherent, in life chances shattered that focuses on the underlying
:57:12. > :57:17.causes and some of the measures and indicators that attract those. He is
:57:18. > :57:21.not Minister be told, but there was a quick change of air. I thought I
:57:22. > :57:27.was getting one minister and got another. Rugby was on the first
:57:28. > :57:30.group of job centres to introduce Universal Credit for single people
:57:31. > :57:35.and is now introducing it to families. Will the minister join me
:57:36. > :57:37.in paying tribute to the staff there for their hard work and flexibility
:57:38. > :57:44.in implementing this important strange. I thank my honourable
:57:45. > :57:50.friend. He is correct, the staff there did a wonderful job and bars
:57:51. > :57:57.have stuffed all of the country in rolling out Universal Credit and are
:57:58. > :58:02.achieving important things. They are waiting to long. There are a couple
:58:03. > :58:11.more Irish to accommodate at the least. The latest analysis shows
:58:12. > :58:18.that the young people referred to in question three earlier in the
:58:19. > :58:22.proceedings stand to lose between 13 and ?20,000 over the duration of
:58:23. > :58:27.their retirement as a direct result of Government policy. Can the
:58:28. > :58:33.minister explain how that contributes to intergenerational
:58:34. > :58:37.fairness? The whole purpose of the system is to make sure people can
:58:38. > :58:42.supplement the state pension and at the moment, what we have is 10
:58:43. > :58:45.million people eligible for auto enrolment and we expect that 9
:58:46. > :58:51.million of them will take up that offer and of those, they will end up
:58:52. > :58:57.saving and in many cases saving more than they do at present. Is the
:58:58. > :59:01.secretary at both state aware that he himself will be assessed and how
:59:02. > :59:07.far is he willing to stand up to the Chancellor against cuts which hit
:59:08. > :59:11.the most vulnerable? His predecessor was not willing to do so until the
:59:12. > :59:17.last moment. Does he have more courage and guts than his
:59:18. > :59:22.predecessor? I think the honourable gentleman is wrong Sir focus on
:59:23. > :59:26.division between Treasury and DWP. When you have won its beams --
:59:27. > :59:30.spends between a cause and a third of taxpayers money, you need to make
:59:31. > :59:31.sure your department is working to achieve things we want to as a
:59:32. > :59:46.Government. She was forced to struggle at 25
:59:47. > :59:53.metres from the reception area to an assessment room for PIP. She was
:59:54. > :59:57.classified as being able to walk more than 25 metres. Can he convince
:59:58. > :00:06.her that was a fair and judged assessments? Two things, first of
:00:07. > :00:09.all, any claim on to our difficulty attending an assessment can request
:00:10. > :00:13.a face to face assessment in their own home. With regard to whether how
:00:14. > :00:18.fast somebody can travel in an assessments, it has to not just be
:00:19. > :00:21.about 20 meters, it's about can it be done safely, repeatedly, to
:00:22. > :00:25.unacceptable standard and a reasonable time period. If the
:00:26. > :00:30.claimant is unhappy, they can ask for a monetary consideration or
:00:31. > :00:33.independent appeal. One of my constituents who worked 16 hours a
:00:34. > :00:37.week as a carer for a disabled relative has discovered that because
:00:38. > :00:40.of the living wage, she no longer qualifies for carers allowance,
:00:41. > :00:44.leaving her with a substantial shortfall. Why is this Government is
:00:45. > :00:50.forcing down thousands of others into this desperate situation? We as
:00:51. > :00:53.the Government spent ?2.3 billion a year supporting the invaluable work
:00:54. > :00:56.that carers do in this country. The issue of the National Living Wage
:00:57. > :01:04.and the impact on that is something I will always be reviewed. 140,000
:01:05. > :01:08.pensioners who paid into occupational pension schemes
:01:09. > :01:12.including a male constituency have been historically than an injustice
:01:13. > :01:19.by the full amount they are entitled to. I wonder whether the new
:01:20. > :01:23.Secretary of State will represent those pensioners and discuss their
:01:24. > :01:29.concerns. I have met with the action group on previous occasions. We
:01:30. > :01:32.continue to look at these issues and high-profile cases, looking for the
:01:33. > :01:40.support of the pension protection fund. It costs the UK some ?8
:01:41. > :01:43.billion through physical inactivity. I had an excellent meeting with his
:01:44. > :01:51.predecessor before he decided to leave the job. Could I also have a
:01:52. > :01:58.meeting to discuss this with him? I would be very happy to meet. The
:01:59. > :02:02.Secretary of State has reportedly set to read Jews the benefits come
:02:03. > :02:08.out of ?6,000 per year. Who does he think will miss out most? Private
:02:09. > :02:12.landlords, with out-of-control rents will just accept five and a month or
:02:13. > :02:19.does he think children who who have no control over their lives to
:02:20. > :02:22.suffer yet again? The changes to the benefit cab have already been
:02:23. > :02:26.legislated and passed by this Parliament. I would urge her to look
:02:27. > :02:28.at the earlier changes will benefit cab which have had positive outcomes
:02:29. > :02:37.in terms of encouraging and supporting people into work. Order,
:02:38. > :02:44.order. Will members wishing to take their seats please, to the table. --
:02:45. > :02:48.please come to the table.