:00:00. > :00:11.teachers and a review of services for children. Join me, Christina
:00:12. > :00:13.Cooper, for a round-up of the day in both Houses of Parliament at 11pm.
:00:14. > :00:14.First, questions to the House and pensions secretary Damian Green and
:00:15. > :00:24.his team of ministers. Order, order, questions to the
:00:25. > :00:31.Secretary of State for Work and Pensions of Mr Gerald Jones. Where
:00:32. > :00:46.is the fella? Not here? Mr petered out. -- Peter Dowd. Number two. The
:00:47. > :00:51.Government supports those who aspire to be their own boss. There are
:00:52. > :00:57.nearly 800,000 more self-employed people in the UK labour market since
:00:58. > :01:01.2010 and 129,000 more in the last year alone. We monitor and review
:01:02. > :01:08.the impact of self-employment on the wider labour market and benefits
:01:09. > :01:13.system. A Citizens Advice be a report in August 2015 said there
:01:14. > :01:18.were as many as 460,000 people in self-employment costing hundreds of
:01:19. > :01:22.millions of pounds in lost revenue. Isn't it time the Secretary of State
:01:23. > :01:26.started tackling exploitative companies, many with lucrative
:01:27. > :01:29.public sector contracts, who are forcing staff down the
:01:30. > :01:35.self-employment would rather than handling disabled people? The
:01:36. > :01:40.honourable gentleman is right that there should not be exploitation of
:01:41. > :01:44.workers, particularly of. Employment, but he will have noticed
:01:45. > :01:49.the Government is on that particular case, it set up the Matthew Taylor
:01:50. > :01:53.Ruby was specifically to explore alternative employment structures,
:01:54. > :01:57.considering how those rules need to be altered to keep pace with changes
:01:58. > :02:02.in the way people work in the modern economy, and I think if he is
:02:03. > :02:05.characterising the growth of self-employment as in some way
:02:06. > :02:11.harmful to the jobs market I would disagree with him about that. I
:02:12. > :02:15.think the new enterprise allowance is proving successful in making sure
:02:16. > :02:18.that people who want to work for themselves can work for themselves,
:02:19. > :02:23.and I am sure he, like me, would welcome the fact that in his own
:02:24. > :02:29.constituency since 2015 self-employment is up by 7% and the
:02:30. > :02:36.claimant count in the last year has fallen by 12%. Happy New Year to
:02:37. > :02:41.you, Mr Speaker. Does my right honourable friend agree with me that
:02:42. > :02:45.rather than denigrating people who are becoming self-employed, we
:02:46. > :02:50.should be celebrating the fact? They are taking a risk that many others
:02:51. > :02:55.are not and will my right honourable friend make it as easy as possible
:02:56. > :03:00.for them to take on new employees and become employers themselves? I
:03:01. > :03:04.completely agree with my honourable friend. I have already mentioned the
:03:05. > :03:08.new enterprise allowance which is specifically designed to help those
:03:09. > :03:13.who may have been claiming benefits to stop claiming benefits, to set up
:03:14. > :03:16.their own business and indeed to carry on and employ others in a way
:03:17. > :03:27.that I would hope on all sides of the House we would welcome. This
:03:28. > :03:29.scheme is proving extremely successful, a survey published last
:03:30. > :03:31.year showed 80% of businesses started with the new enterprise
:03:32. > :03:34.allowance and were still trading, more than twice as effective as
:03:35. > :03:38.those leaving the old jobseeker's allowance benefit in terms of
:03:39. > :03:45.keeping people off benefits, so it is doing good work. Thank you, Mr
:03:46. > :03:54.Speaker, happy New Year. Can the Secretary of State ensure that there
:03:55. > :03:59.is much closer cooperation between the investigation service and local
:04:00. > :04:02.authorities when prosecuting abusers including on self-employment status
:04:03. > :04:07.so that councils can be confident that when they report potential
:04:08. > :04:14.scams, including by employers, they are properly followed up? I am happy
:04:15. > :04:21.to take the right honourable lady's message and pass that on to the
:04:22. > :04:23.relevant bodies both councils and the fraud enforcement surface,
:04:24. > :04:29.because of course self-employment is a good thing for the -- but fraud
:04:30. > :04:35.involving any employment is wrong and we must get ever more effective
:04:36. > :04:38.at combating that. I am sure the Secretary of State would agree that
:04:39. > :04:41.online opportunities are giving many people a chance to set up a business
:04:42. > :04:47.and would he agree that schemes like the Pop Up Shop that Torbay Council
:04:48. > :04:51.ran to help micro-businesses onto the high street is what we should
:04:52. > :04:56.look at rather than the negative impressions given by the other side?
:04:57. > :05:00.I very much agree and I welcome Torbay's Pop Up Shop experiment. I
:05:01. > :05:04.had one in my constituency a couple of years ago and it proved very
:05:05. > :05:08.successful in allowing micro-businesses to start and
:05:09. > :05:12.develop, to become larger businesses, therefore creating more
:05:13. > :05:23.employment as well, so I am delighted to hear what is happening
:05:24. > :05:29.in Torbay. Many self-employed people don't earn a great deal of money and
:05:30. > :05:32.will be losing out by cuts to tax credits and the introduction of
:05:33. > :05:37.universal credit. Shouldn't the Government be supporting those who
:05:38. > :05:42.go self-employed? I'm sorry if I have not wished you happy New Year
:05:43. > :05:48.publicly, Mr Speaker, clearly it is a compulsory part of this questions
:05:49. > :05:51.and I do it publicly as well! I don't agree with the honourable
:05:52. > :05:58.gentleman in his characterisation about self-employed earners and
:05:59. > :06:03.universal credit. Universal credit reduces poverty by making work pay,
:06:04. > :06:06.it supports claimants both to enter work but also then to be able to
:06:07. > :06:11.keep some of their benefits while they are at work if they are not
:06:12. > :06:15.receiving or earning very much money. Universal credit does the
:06:16. > :06:23.opposite of what he says, it helps people who are getting into work for
:06:24. > :06:27.the first time. Isn't the biggest trend in self-employment the massive
:06:28. > :06:33.increase in women who are self-employed? 70% of those newly
:06:34. > :06:39.self-employed in 2014 were women, and yet self-employment is the area
:06:40. > :06:43.where the wage gap is biggest. According to the OECD, self-employed
:06:44. > :06:48.men earned ?17,000 a year on average, while average earnings for
:06:49. > :06:52.self-employed women stood at 9800. We know from his own department's
:06:53. > :06:58.figures that women are less likely to access loans and so on.
:06:59. > :07:03.Employment. What is he doing to deal with this gender inequality in
:07:04. > :07:06.self-employment? I agree that gender inequality in pay generally is an
:07:07. > :07:12.issue that we need to do more about and self-employment is one part of
:07:13. > :07:17.that. That is why we have introduced things like the new enterprise
:07:18. > :07:24.allowance which allows people, she says it is only men that take it up,
:07:25. > :07:28.that is patented not true. She says it is disproportionately men that
:07:29. > :07:31.take it up, I would urge more potential women entrepreneurs to
:07:32. > :07:35.take it up, we are improving the enterprise allowance later this year
:07:36. > :07:39.to make sure that the men touring and advice goes on for longer so
:07:40. > :07:43.that more people, both men and women, will be able to benefit from
:07:44. > :07:50.the Freedom of being able to start, set up and run their own business,
:07:51. > :07:56.which millions of people want to do. Mr Speaker, Resolution Foundation
:07:57. > :08:03.data shows that self-employment accounts for 81% of the net change
:08:04. > :08:07.in employment since 2008. The Government's plans to abolish class
:08:08. > :08:11.to national insurance contributions could lead low income self-employed
:08:12. > :08:16.women paying five times as much to access maternity allowance. Given
:08:17. > :08:20.that nearly 2 million self-employed workers earn less than the national
:08:21. > :08:24.living wage, why has the Government decided to make Social Security
:08:25. > :08:30.support harder to access for so many of Britain's's entrepreneurs? They
:08:31. > :08:38.haven't, and can I update the honourable lady's figures, which I
:08:39. > :08:43.know she has quoted before? Actually, since 2010, 20 9% of the
:08:44. > :08:49.increase has been self-employment, and in the last 12 months... I know,
:08:50. > :08:55.I am giving her more up-to-date figures, over the past year 38% of
:08:56. > :08:59.the increase in employment has been self-employment, so the figure is
:09:00. > :09:04.not as she suggests, and as I said in answer to one of her colleagues,
:09:05. > :09:09.the whole point of universal credit is that people, whether through
:09:10. > :09:15.self-employment or employment, will be able to keep their income, we
:09:16. > :09:22.have reduced the tape are so less of their income is lost when they go up
:09:23. > :09:25.the earning scale and get into work, so I'm afraid the honourable lady
:09:26. > :09:30.simply misunderstands what is happening in the welfare system.
:09:31. > :09:38.Number three, Mr Speaker. Minister Penny Mordaunt. This year we are due
:09:39. > :09:41.to spend 1.9 billion on supporting ill and disabled children to the
:09:42. > :09:45.disability living allowance. We have rules in place to grant immediate
:09:46. > :09:51.access to the benefit of those who are terminally ill. Thank you, Mr
:09:52. > :09:57.Speaker. Can I also add my happy New Year to you, Mr Speaker. Can I thank
:09:58. > :10:01.the Minister for her answer. Indeed, the family resource survey published
:10:02. > :10:06.last year showed there were nearly 1 million disabled children, a 20%
:10:07. > :10:08.increase over the last ten years. Can my honourable friend outline
:10:09. > :10:12.what measures the Government has taken to take account of this
:10:13. > :10:19.increase so that these children get access to the support and specialist
:10:20. > :10:20.equipment that they require? Local authorities and Clinical
:10:21. > :10:25.Commissioning Groups have a requirement to meet the needs of
:10:26. > :10:28.children with a special education need or disability, including
:10:29. > :10:31.providing specialist equipment, but in the last few months my department
:10:32. > :10:37.has set up a children and Young Persons Forum to set up -- to
:10:38. > :10:41.understand the need that is out there greater, and she will know
:10:42. > :10:45.from work that I have done with one of the organisations she is involved
:10:46. > :10:48.in that we are also looking to support charities, social
:10:49. > :10:53.enterprises and businesses that are providing these much-needed
:10:54. > :10:58.services. Many of us who like some of the elements when we first heard
:10:59. > :11:00.it about the big society now quite like some of the things being
:11:01. > :11:05.uttered in terms of the shared society. If it is going to work for
:11:06. > :11:10.children and not just for the terminally ill but for people with
:11:11. > :11:15.disabilities, and some disabilities are abilities, I am talking here
:11:16. > :11:18.about autism, if it is really going to happen this time this programme
:11:19. > :11:26.has got to have teeth, leadership and resources. Absolutely, and the
:11:27. > :11:29.announcements made by the Prime Minister today are accompanied with
:11:30. > :11:37.additional funding, and the approach that is being taken is to look at
:11:38. > :11:40.every age range in society, so we have announcements that are going to
:11:41. > :11:46.help children and young people, again I have outlined what my
:11:47. > :11:50.department is doing to ensure that we are looking at their needs, as
:11:51. > :11:56.well as new provision for those in the workplace.
:11:57. > :12:01.Some children with disabilities get disabled student allowed on some of
:12:02. > :12:09.those are not eligible for PIP or DLA, so why is the government
:12:10. > :12:16.cutting DSA? I would be happy to look at any particular case that the
:12:17. > :12:20.honourable gentleman has, but we are very conscious of the needs of
:12:21. > :12:25.children and young people in particular, which is why we have set
:12:26. > :12:29.up an additional forum. Yes, we are concerned about people in the
:12:30. > :12:34.workplace, but if we get it right for children and young people,
:12:35. > :12:39.including students, we will save the future ministerial teams problems.
:12:40. > :12:43.So I am happy to look at any case the honourable gentleman has.
:12:44. > :12:50.Michael Fabricant. You issue a papal order saying we don't have to say
:12:51. > :12:54.happy new year, Mr Speaker? But happy new year anyway. Very welcome.
:12:55. > :13:00.I appreciate the spirit of the honourable gentleman's observation.
:13:01. > :13:03.With permission, I will not say happy new year again, but I will
:13:04. > :13:07.answer questions four and 20 together. Evidence shows that being
:13:08. > :13:10.in the right work is good for health and that being out of work can have
:13:11. > :13:13.a detrimental effect on health. That is why I have launched the work,
:13:14. > :13:17.health and disability green paper jointly with the Secretary of State
:13:18. > :13:21.for Health. This expresses our intention to work with health care
:13:22. > :13:23.professionals to support people to work and our current consultations
:13:24. > :13:31.ask how we should best achieve this goal. Helen Stokes Lampard, who is
:13:32. > :13:34.the chair of the Royal General College of General practitioners,
:13:35. > :13:38.has spoken widely about the burden of work and general practitioners.
:13:39. > :13:42.Notwithstanding that, what analysis has my right honourable friend done
:13:43. > :13:48.on the effectiveness of fit notes and getting people back to work? I
:13:49. > :13:53.am very keen on improving the effectiveness of fit notes in
:13:54. > :13:59.getting back to work, and I take the point about the pressure on GPs.
:14:00. > :14:02.That is specifically why, in the consultation document, we have
:14:03. > :14:05.considered extending the possibility of issuing fit notes to other health
:14:06. > :14:11.care professionals and I will be very interested to see the response
:14:12. > :14:19.we get not just from those receiving the fit notes but also from the
:14:20. > :14:22.health care professionals involved. I support my right honourable friend
:14:23. > :14:29.on this policy, but does he agree with me that given the consultant to
:14:30. > :14:32.whom a patient will be referred is a work coach, is it critical that they
:14:33. > :14:35.have the training to deal with those hardest cases of unemployment,
:14:36. > :14:39.particularly those with mental health problems? I do agree with my
:14:40. > :14:46.honourable friend on that and I'm grateful for his support. I am happy
:14:47. > :14:51.to reassure him that all work coaches complete a specific training
:14:52. > :14:56.for their role, including a course which combines the knowledge, skills
:14:57. > :14:59.and behaviour they need to deal with the people they work with,
:15:00. > :15:05.specifically people who may have a mental health condition, because
:15:06. > :15:12.obviously, work coaches need to have the skills to deal with the issues
:15:13. > :15:18.that will arise from that. In Wrexham, one autistic constituent
:15:19. > :15:23.had his DWP caseworker take his benefits away when he told them he
:15:24. > :15:29.enjoyed a hobby as a disc jockey. He received a bill for a fictional
:15:30. > :15:35.figure in vented by the DWP for the cost of income that had to be
:15:36. > :15:40.recovered by them was that they work coach needs to assist individuals,
:15:41. > :15:47.not penalise them. Will he please do better? Well, I don't know the
:15:48. > :15:50.details of that case if the honourable gentleman would like to
:15:51. > :15:54.write to me or the minister for disabled people, we will look at
:15:55. > :15:59.that case. But I can assure him that the majority of cases that come
:16:00. > :16:04.before work coaches, those work coaches do their best to help people
:16:05. > :16:07.make the most of their lives, to get into employment or back into
:16:08. > :16:13.employment, and that is at the heart of what we do. After the big cut in
:16:14. > :16:18.employment support allowance takes place in April, the new work and
:16:19. > :16:21.health programme is in place. Department be spending more or less
:16:22. > :16:26.unemployment support for ESA claimants than is the case currently
:16:27. > :16:33.under the Work Programme and work choice? I can assure the right
:16:34. > :16:37.honourable gentleman that as part of the changes, there is an extra ?330
:16:38. > :16:42.million abroad programme for those who are on that group. We are going
:16:43. > :16:52.to target support more effectively to ensure that as many as possible
:16:53. > :16:59.can get back into work. There is a huge premium on helping ex-offenders
:17:00. > :17:02.into work for them, for their families and reducing the cost to
:17:03. > :17:07.society. Jobcentre plus has a dedicated resource of 150 prison
:17:08. > :17:10.work coaches helping support prisoners nationwide. I am grateful
:17:11. > :17:14.to the minister for his response. He will know from his own experience
:17:15. > :17:17.and from an excellent report from the Department for Work and Pensions
:17:18. > :17:23.select committee about supporting offenders that getting a job is one
:17:24. > :17:26.of the best means of preventing reoffending. As well as the work
:17:27. > :17:29.that is being done, will he look to see what can be done jointly with
:17:30. > :17:32.the Ministry of Justice to ensure there is better collaboration
:17:33. > :17:41.between Jobcentres and community rehabilitation companies to join up
:17:42. > :17:45.those agencies? We do work closely with the Ministry of Justice and
:17:46. > :17:51.numerous joint initiatives locally and nationally, and row supporting
:17:52. > :17:54.the elements of the Ministry of Justice's new employment strategy.
:17:55. > :17:56.But I do recognise that we need to improve opportunities for
:17:57. > :18:06.ex-offenders, so I welcome his and his committee's report, which we
:18:07. > :18:10.will respond to in due course. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of prisons
:18:11. > :18:15.and probation did not find that a single prisoner had been helped into
:18:16. > :18:19.employment ID through the gate provision, which is the government's
:18:20. > :18:22.flagship programme for seeing a step change in rehabilitation. Did that
:18:23. > :18:29.surprise him and what is his response? My response firstly is
:18:30. > :18:32.that this has been a challenge for successive governments for many
:18:33. > :18:37.years. We do need to do better. There is good work going on.
:18:38. > :18:40.Ultimately, to improve the situation, we need more prisoners to
:18:41. > :18:46.be work ready and we need more employers to be willing to take on a
:18:47. > :18:49.prisoner. Having governors control skills provision in prisons will
:18:50. > :18:53.have some beneficial effect on work readiness, but we also need to
:18:54. > :18:58.encourage more employers to step forward. Things like the seeing
:18:59. > :19:03.potential programme can help. Other things have a part to play, but we
:19:04. > :19:09.need to do more. The minister will be aware that people on the autistic
:19:10. > :19:11.spectrum are often disproportionately represented in
:19:12. > :19:17.the criminal justice system, and people with autism have great
:19:18. > :19:22.difficulty finding jobs. Could he reassure me that when he looks at
:19:23. > :19:25.the health and disability green paper consultation, he will look
:19:26. > :19:30.specifically at people with autism and ex-offenders with autism, is
:19:31. > :19:34.only 16% of people with autism are currently in employment? My right
:19:35. > :19:40.honourable friend highlights an important point. I know that my
:19:41. > :19:43.friend, the minister for people with disabilities, will indeed be looking
:19:44. > :19:49.at the issue of people with autism. It also highlights the point that
:19:50. > :19:52.one of the key determinants for post-release employment is what
:19:53. > :19:55.happened with that individual before they were convicted. It highlights
:19:56. > :20:02.again the importance of making sure nobody is left behind. We pay
:20:03. > :20:04.particular attention to all of these groups who face particularly
:20:05. > :20:11.difficult barriers to getting into work. Our select committee report
:20:12. > :20:15.found reoffending costs ?15 billion to the public purse, and yet fewer
:20:16. > :20:19.than one in four ex-offenders go on to find work. Alarmingly,
:20:20. > :20:23.Westminster Council's report before Christmas of rough sleeping found
:20:24. > :20:26.that one in three of their rough sleepers had come directly from
:20:27. > :20:30.prison. Why is it that this department is unable to provide
:20:31. > :20:34.proper transitional support for people leaving prison to make sure
:20:35. > :20:40.they are not on the streets and they are assisted? It is true that when
:20:41. > :20:44.you talk about ex-offenders and people on release from prison, it is
:20:45. > :20:49.vital to have help with finances, employment and housing. Among the
:20:50. > :20:55.things we have done to help on housing and making sure there are no
:20:56. > :20:58.waiting days, and also being able to keep the housing element in
:20:59. > :21:01.universal credit open for 26 weeks rather than 13 for certain types of
:21:02. > :21:13.prisoner, in order to enhance the support. If I were allowed to wish
:21:14. > :21:16.you a happy new year, I would! In the meantime, pension Wise provides
:21:17. > :21:20.guidance to people aged 50 and over with the defined contrition pension
:21:21. > :21:23.pot on their options under the pension fix abilities. We are
:21:24. > :21:28.consulting on a single finance guidance body to provide debt advice
:21:29. > :21:32.and guidance on money and pensions. In thanking the minister for his
:21:33. > :21:36.reply, I can't resist pushing him and the whole House a happy New
:21:37. > :21:41.Year's Eve. More specifically, can he said what information the
:21:42. > :21:47.government are providing in terms of what people know about their
:21:48. > :21:52.entitlement to the state pension? Attack Mata for his salutations and
:21:53. > :21:57.for that question. -- I thank my honourable friend. The DWP continue
:21:58. > :22:00.to run a multichannel communication campaign that includes radio, press,
:22:01. > :22:04.social media and other channels to raise awareness of the new state
:22:05. > :22:14.pension. As well as directing people to information on golf .uk --
:22:15. > :22:17.gov.uk, the priority has been to provide personalised information to
:22:18. > :22:21.individuals so they know what they are likely to get. Since 2016, the
:22:22. > :22:30.online check your state pension service has had over 2.1 million
:22:31. > :22:35.views. The minister's warm words do nothing to reassure women in my
:22:36. > :22:39.constituency with whom the government's advice and pensions has
:22:40. > :22:47.a terrible reputation because of the injustices that Waspy women face. If
:22:48. > :22:52.the government can do one thing, it would be to look again at those 2011
:22:53. > :23:04.changes and give justice to those women. The honourable lady will be
:23:05. > :23:07.aware that there are many issues involving the Waspi women. A lot of
:23:08. > :23:10.time and resources were spent on informing them of the situation
:23:11. > :23:20.including millions of letters from 2011. Happy new year to you and
:23:21. > :23:24.everyone in the House, particularly the Waspi women. Mr Speaker, a
:23:25. > :23:28.leaflet recently published by the Treasury named ways to save 2017
:23:29. > :23:33.mentioned the junior ice, the helped by ISA, premium Bonds, the cash and
:23:34. > :23:37.stocks and shares ISA and the new lifetime Isil, but completely omits
:23:38. > :23:40.pensions. This is a disgrace and confirms my fear is that the
:23:41. > :23:46.government have downgraded the role of pensions and are using the
:23:47. > :23:53.gimmick of Waspi to distract from pensionable savings. Does the
:23:54. > :23:58.minister agree that Isas are the best way -- pensionable savings are
:23:59. > :24:02.the best way to save for retirement? I totally disagree with the
:24:03. > :24:05.honourable gentleman's analysis of the government's importance for
:24:06. > :24:08.pensions. A lot of effort goes into communicating with people on
:24:09. > :24:12.television and elsewhere about auto enrolment and it is one of the great
:24:13. > :24:17.successes of this government and the coalition before of how successful
:24:18. > :24:24.auto enrolment is that so many people, and I hope that continues. I
:24:25. > :24:27.know the minister agrees on the need for greater transparency in the
:24:28. > :24:31.pensions world, particularly around costs. He will be keen to address
:24:32. > :24:35.the criticism of the government for failing to ensure that people get
:24:36. > :24:38.the best possible returns. The Financial Conduct Authority's report
:24:39. > :24:43.in November said there were a number of failures in the asset management
:24:44. > :24:46.industry around the transparency of costs and charges being applied to
:24:47. > :24:52.pension investments, with weak price competition having a material impact
:24:53. > :24:57.upon investment returns. Labour is committed to implementing all of the
:24:58. > :25:06.FSA's recommendations. Is the government? Yes. Question number
:25:07. > :25:11.seven. There are 100,000 fewer children in relative poverty than in
:25:12. > :25:15.2010, and 557,000 fewer children living in workless households. The
:25:16. > :25:19.forthcoming green paper on social justice will identify and address
:25:20. > :25:24.the root causes of poverty, building on the two statutory indicators set
:25:25. > :25:28.out in the welfare reform and work act 2016, namely worklessness and
:25:29. > :25:33.educational attainment. Stella Creasy. I note that the minister
:25:34. > :25:36.used the figures about relative poverty. I am a bit surprised,
:25:37. > :25:39.because we know that absolute poverty in this country has been in
:25:40. > :25:44.decline for the last ten years, except the children, were half a
:25:45. > :25:50.million more children in this country and living in absolute
:25:51. > :25:52.poverty since 2010. What responsibility does the minister
:25:53. > :25:57.think this government and the previous government have for that?
:25:58. > :26:02.The responsibility the government has is to make sure as many
:26:03. > :26:07.households as possible have work, because for children in particular,
:26:08. > :26:11.working age adults in nonworking families were almost four times more
:26:12. > :26:15.likely to be living on a low income and the child poverty transition's
:26:16. > :26:19.report of June 2015 found that 74% of poor children in workless
:26:20. > :26:24.families that moved into full employment exited poverty. That is
:26:25. > :26:28.what we can do and what we are doing for children who have been in
:26:29. > :26:32.poverty. As she neglected to say, there are 500,000 fewer people
:26:33. > :26:43.living in absolute poverty than in 2010. The key point is about getting
:26:44. > :26:46.people into work. I hope that she, as a reasonable member of the
:26:47. > :26:50.opposition party, would acknowledge that the fact that we have
:26:51. > :26:54.historically low levels of unemployment is the best thing we
:26:55. > :26:58.can do for children. It is the best way to get children and the
:26:59. > :27:02.households they live in out of poverty. In her own constituency, I
:27:03. > :27:06.am happy to tell her that the claimant count since 2010 is down by
:27:07. > :27:13.47%. And the youth claimant count has fallen by 2% in the past year.
:27:14. > :27:24.One of us in the chamber can learn about brevity. However the problem
:27:25. > :27:30.presenting my surgeries, scratch the surface and nine times out of ten,
:27:31. > :27:37.the swiftest cause a poverty is family breakdown and that is a
:27:38. > :27:41.harder nut to crack. It is, and that is why this government and
:27:42. > :27:45.previously the Coalition Government, has decided that having a simple
:27:46. > :27:50.income -based measure and target is not the right way. We need to look
:27:51. > :27:57.at the root causes of child poverty and having a range of indicators and
:27:58. > :28:01.targets, is the best way. One of which is family breakdown and that
:28:02. > :28:09.is the best way we have as few as possible children living in
:28:10. > :28:17.poverty... Happy New Year to you, Mr Speaker. The Secretary of State has
:28:18. > :28:24.talked about tackling poverty, but because of the change in universal
:28:25. > :28:31.credit, families will be ?1000 worse off, and some ?2500 worse off. Why
:28:32. > :28:36.does the government continued to downplay the role of income poverty
:28:37. > :28:39.in determining children's future health, job prospects and life
:28:40. > :28:44.expectancy, in spite of all the evidence? I am not downplaying, I am
:28:45. > :28:47.talking about the underlying causes of actually making sure we take a
:28:48. > :28:55.range of measures across the board, which actually help to eradicate
:28:56. > :29:00.child poverty. That, I think is the only sensible way to do it. Simply
:29:01. > :29:05.focusing on individual incomes or individual benefits is not the whole
:29:06. > :29:08.picture. It doesn't represent the realistic picture. We need to be
:29:09. > :29:12.more wide-ranging in the way we approach it. The Prime Minister has
:29:13. > :29:16.been talking about the pressures faced by people getting by on low
:29:17. > :29:21.and average incomes and our shared responsibilities to them. Fine
:29:22. > :29:25.sentiments, but does the Secretary of State admit they sound hollow
:29:26. > :29:30.when the government's plans to cut incomes for those families who were
:29:31. > :29:35.just getting by. Does he accept the government has a responsibility to
:29:36. > :29:39.support parents who are working hard in average low paid judge, not cut
:29:40. > :29:45.their already overstretched incomes? I would point out to the honourable
:29:46. > :29:48.lady, this government's introduction of the national living wage gave the
:29:49. > :29:54.lowest earners their fastest pay rise in 20 years last year. An
:29:55. > :29:58.increase of 6%. It is an example of a government measure introduced by
:29:59. > :30:04.employers. I cannot think of better early example of the shared society.
:30:05. > :30:07.What assessment has the government made of how many more children will
:30:08. > :30:14.be pushed into poverty given the cuts to the work allowance under
:30:15. > :30:19.universal credit? As I have said to a number of honourable members on
:30:20. > :30:24.all sides, the solution to this lies in a wider range of issues. We have
:30:25. > :30:27.the social Justice Green paper, which I'm sure we will have many
:30:28. > :30:32.discussions about in this House and elsewhere. At the root of it, it is
:30:33. > :30:37.making sure as many people as possible can earn a salary and can
:30:38. > :30:41.work. I am sure she will welcome the fact that in her own constituency
:30:42. > :30:47.since 2010, unemployment is down 53%. Thousands of families able to
:30:48. > :30:55.work and control their own lives and work their way out of poverty. She
:30:56. > :30:59.should welcome that. It is a poor government that fails to understand
:31:00. > :31:02.the value of children. In addition to the universal credit work
:31:03. > :31:06.allowance cuts, this government has abolished the child poverty unit,
:31:07. > :31:11.frozen Social Security payments and is removing tax credits from third
:31:12. > :31:16.and subsequent children. Does he think child poverty will go up or
:31:17. > :31:19.down as a result of these measures? I have given the honourable lady a
:31:20. > :31:28.number of figures relating to addle poverty and child poverty. The fact
:31:29. > :31:31.is, since 2010, there are 100,000 fewer children in relative poverty.
:31:32. > :31:36.I would also hope she would welcome the fact the work of the Child
:31:37. > :31:39.poverty unit is now covering a wide range of policies and is based
:31:40. > :31:50.inside the Department for Work and Pensions. Question May, Mr Speaker.
:31:51. > :31:55.With permission, I will answer questions eight, 14 and 21 together.
:31:56. > :31:59.This government is committed to supporting new enterprises. We are
:32:00. > :32:02.building on the success of the new enterprise allowance which has
:32:03. > :32:07.supported 96,000 claimants to start a new business. From this year,
:32:08. > :32:10.eligibility will be extended to include universal credit claimants
:32:11. > :32:18.who are already self-employed. Would my right honourable friend look
:32:19. > :32:21.again at small businesses and self-employed to use on my systems
:32:22. > :32:26.for their tax affairs and does he recognise often these people don't
:32:27. > :32:33.have equipment, knowledge of broadband capacity to download these
:32:34. > :32:38.complex forms and it costs time and money? I am happy to tell my
:32:39. > :32:40.honourable friend, tax affairs are not my direct responsibility but the
:32:41. > :32:48.Treasury will have heard what he said. But Jobcentre Pelous is always
:32:49. > :32:52.keen to help particularly, small businesses with individual problems
:32:53. > :33:06.they may have, such as the use of online forms. Unemployment has
:33:07. > :33:12.continue to fall in Cornwall to record low levels of the county now
:33:13. > :33:16.having 61,000 self-employed people. Does he agree it is only under a
:33:17. > :33:19.Conservative Government we can continue to increase employment in
:33:20. > :33:24.Cornwall and continue and further improve the creation of small
:33:25. > :33:29.businesses in those communities? He makes a very good point. In North
:33:30. > :33:35.Cornwall in his constituency, self-employment has increased by
:33:36. > :33:39.7.6% since 2010. As I have said in answer to previous questions, the UK
:33:40. > :33:45.labour market is in its strongest position for years. The best way to
:33:46. > :33:48.promote new and growth of jobs is to promote new and growth in small
:33:49. > :33:53.businesses and I am delighted to know it is going so well in
:33:54. > :33:57.Cornwall. Would he agree universal credit can help the self-employed,
:33:58. > :34:01.along with the other forms that got Demens is putting forward in
:34:02. > :34:05.benefits for the self-employed, because universal credit can help
:34:06. > :34:10.people who are working as well as trying to set up on their own? One
:34:11. > :34:17.of the differences about universal credit and the previous benefits, it
:34:18. > :34:22.is replacing, is people can continue to receive it when they are still in
:34:23. > :34:26.work and it is good at coping but people who may have fluctuating
:34:27. > :34:28.earnings, which a lot of self-employed people do, because it
:34:29. > :34:34.can be flexible enough to adjust to that. The introduction of universal
:34:35. > :34:40.credit is another brick of the edifice of helping people set up
:34:41. > :34:44.their own businesses. What does the Secretary of State going to do about
:34:45. > :34:48.the people who are classified as self-employed, because of the
:34:49. > :34:52.contracts of employment they have, not because they have set up their
:34:53. > :34:55.own business, but because their employer requires them to sign a
:34:56. > :34:59.contract saying they are self-employed, which means they get
:35:00. > :35:05.Nizic pay, no annual leave? How will he help them? I agree this is an
:35:06. > :35:11.issue and this is why we have set up the Matthew Taylor review.
:35:12. > :35:15.Investigating the new types of employment structures that have been
:35:16. > :35:19.set up in recent news and making sure employment laws keep up with
:35:20. > :35:25.new types of employment. Absolutely, I agree there is an issue and that
:35:26. > :35:32.is why we have set up the Matthew Taylor review. Question nine, Mr
:35:33. > :35:36.Speaker. The number of people in employment has increased by 104,000
:35:37. > :35:39.in the past year. The National living wage has given people a pay
:35:40. > :35:45.rise, helping to build an economy that works for all. Has the Minister
:35:46. > :35:51.considered the implication of the national living wage Raqqa wage
:35:52. > :35:54.coming in so quickly on small and medium-size businesses, particularly
:35:55. > :35:57.those in the manufacturing sector? What would he say to those
:35:58. > :36:02.businesses who will not be able to adjust in time or will be profitable
:36:03. > :36:09.because it looks like it is being brought in so quickly? It is right
:36:10. > :36:13.everybody should be able to benefit from strong economy, but as well as
:36:14. > :36:17.introducing the national living wage, the government has announced
:36:18. > :36:21.plans to reduce corporation tax further to 17% and increased the
:36:22. > :36:27.employment allowance which could be worth up to ?3000 a year. Isn't it
:36:28. > :36:30.perverse of the government to have reduced work allowance and universal
:36:31. > :36:34.credit at the same time as we have seen the increases in the national
:36:35. > :36:41.living wage, so the overall benefit to individuals in work is reduced?
:36:42. > :36:44.The government has done a range of things. Universal credit is a
:36:45. > :36:49.completely different benefit system from the legacy benefits that it
:36:50. > :36:54.replaces. It doesn't make sense to make a direct comparison against tax
:36:55. > :36:57.credits. You have to see it in the context greater help with childcare
:36:58. > :37:01.and that the national living wage. Band with an increased income tax
:37:02. > :37:08.personal allowance means you get to keep more of what you learn as well.
:37:09. > :37:10.When the national living wage was introduced, the Office for Budget
:37:11. > :37:14.Responsibility said it would cost 60,000 jobs in the economy. Does the
:37:15. > :37:18.Minister think it is a price worth paying or is it another forecaster
:37:19. > :37:25.custom expert economists are we should be ignoring? My honourable
:37:26. > :37:28.friend is correct about the OBR's projection, but he will have noticed
:37:29. > :37:37.it came in the context of projection of employment growth which was
:37:38. > :37:41.larger. Question Number Ten. We are investing significant resources
:37:42. > :37:46.including increased coverage of talking therapy services by 600,000
:37:47. > :37:50.a year by 2020. Mental health is a key part of our green paper in
:37:51. > :37:54.improving lives which we are consulting on. Can I thank members
:37:55. > :37:57.on all sides of this House who came to our drop-in event on the Green
:37:58. > :38:03.paper and are helping with the consultation. I welcome her response
:38:04. > :38:07.and also the intervention of the Prime Minister today on the subject
:38:08. > :38:11.of mental health. Would the Minister agree in order to best support those
:38:12. > :38:15.with mental health conditions into the workplace, we need to transform
:38:16. > :38:22.the way in which we deliver mental health for young people before they
:38:23. > :38:27.reach working age. I agree with my honourable friend absolutely. When I
:38:28. > :38:31.ask health care professionals working in DWP services, what is the
:38:32. > :38:35.single most significant health care intervention that would be
:38:36. > :38:39.transformative, it is mental health support services for young people.
:38:40. > :38:45.The Prime Minister's announcement on that today is very welcome. The
:38:46. > :38:50.five-year forward view on mental health which was released a year ago
:38:51. > :38:54.had two specific recommendations for the Department of work and pension
:38:55. > :38:59.is. One of which included employment support. Can the Minister update the
:39:00. > :39:05.House as to the progress on that specific recommendation? There were
:39:06. > :39:08.two particular targets, but there are a range of initiatives the
:39:09. > :39:13.Department has set out. Good progress has been made on all of
:39:14. > :39:17.those fronts, including developing specific mental health support for
:39:18. > :39:20.services we run, like access to work. There has been considerable
:39:21. > :39:24.work going on and the Prime Minister made reference to that today. She
:39:25. > :39:31.also said we need to dig up the pace on this issue and I agree with her.
:39:32. > :39:36.The proposed closure of eight Glasgow Jobcentres resulting in
:39:37. > :39:40.increased travel times, introduces further barriers for people with
:39:41. > :39:46.mental health conditions who are seeking help into work. How will the
:39:47. > :39:54.Minister ensure people with mental health conditions can continue to
:39:55. > :39:57.receive the help they need? My right honourable friend, the Minister for
:39:58. > :40:02.employment, has met all of the MPs who are concerned with that
:40:03. > :40:07.particular vocation across Glasgow. Also, the Minister for welfare
:40:08. > :40:12.reform, my honourable friend, has also met with Scottish ministers on
:40:13. > :40:17.this particular issue. We are very aware of the concerns members have
:40:18. > :40:22.raised and if she has any subsequent comments to make, she is more than
:40:23. > :40:26.welcome to have meetings with either myself or my colleagues. People with
:40:27. > :40:30.mental health conditions are more likely to fail the work capability
:40:31. > :40:35.sextant and to be sanctioned. At the same time we know from independent
:40:36. > :40:39.research how damaging both were capable assessments and sanctions
:40:40. > :40:43.are for mental health. With the announcements today, when will the
:40:44. > :40:48.government take responsibility for the impact on policies on mental
:40:49. > :40:51.health and make sure that support is available from trained mental health
:40:52. > :40:55.professionals for claimants of mental health conditions and will
:40:56. > :40:58.the Secretary of State committed to scrap the work capability assessment
:40:59. > :41:04.and punitive sanctions, as a Labour has? I would refer the honourable
:41:05. > :41:10.lady to three things. First of all, the Secretary of State speech where
:41:11. > :41:12.he announced his focus on the particular issues of sanctions for
:41:13. > :41:17.people with mental health conditions. The Prime Minister's
:41:18. > :41:22.statement today as well. I would also point to the green paper, and
:41:23. > :41:27.major tenant of that is that we are consulting on the work capability
:41:28. > :41:32.assessment. A Labour policy which is not delivering. I am pleased that
:41:33. > :41:36.enormous numbers of Labour MPs came to our drop-in numbers and will be
:41:37. > :41:37.helping us in that consultation. It is an important issue and we should
:41:38. > :41:54.get it right. Number 11, please, Mr Speaker. Over
:41:55. > :42:03.93.5% of assessments and over 90% of work capability assessments are
:42:04. > :42:06.deemed acceptable through independent audit. There was not
:42:07. > :42:14.deemed acceptable are returned to the provided to be reworked. And we
:42:15. > :42:22.maintain records and they are held to account through their contact.
:42:23. > :42:27.With the Minister include the use of body worn cameras which would
:42:28. > :42:32.include the accuracy of the much disputed health reports. It would
:42:33. > :42:36.safeguard claimants and assessors and it is proving very successful
:42:37. > :42:42.when in use by emergency services across the UK. There are detailed
:42:43. > :42:47.improvement plans, but one of the things that is being looked at is
:42:48. > :42:50.how assessments are recorded. If the honourable lady would like to write
:42:51. > :42:56.to meet with any specific suggestions, I will be happy to look
:42:57. > :42:59.at them. The vast majority of successful appeals are because of
:43:00. > :43:05.additional, late submitted evidence, so what more can be done to access
:43:06. > :43:13.and share medical evidence between professionals ahead of the decision?
:43:14. > :43:16.My honourable friend is absolutely right the department has carried out
:43:17. > :43:22.a number of pilot exercises to look at the more lenient of the early
:43:23. > :43:28.stages of assessment to give people time to get that health care
:43:29. > :43:33.information in front of assessors. It is paying dividends and we hope
:43:34. > :43:38.that will be rolled out. I would call on this question, the
:43:39. > :43:42.honourable member for air Carrick Cumnock if she were standing, but
:43:43. > :43:50.she is not, so I cannot. But she is standing now, so I will. Thank you,
:43:51. > :43:55.Mr Speaker. Many of my constituents have been refused home assessments
:43:56. > :44:01.and others have been unable to have their assessments recorded at home
:44:02. > :44:06.for the DWP. Given the fact that 61% of 90,000 claimants who have
:44:07. > :44:11.appealed against the decision at the tribunal period up to September 2016
:44:12. > :44:17.won the case, would the minister commit to a root and branch review
:44:18. > :44:22.of the assessment process? Although we are consulting on ESA, the green
:44:23. > :44:29.paper consultation does afford us the ability to look at PIP
:44:30. > :44:33.assessments and look at the journey that a person is going on. I had
:44:34. > :44:38.previously said we are looking at what further we can do in terms of
:44:39. > :44:41.recording assessments. If the honourable lady has cases where
:44:42. > :44:48.people need home assessments and they are not getting them, I would
:44:49. > :44:52.urge her to flag them with me. In my constituency those who are waiting
:44:53. > :44:57.for their PIP appealed to go through are having to wait nine months to
:44:58. > :45:01.have it heard. Given they receive no benefit during this period and can
:45:02. > :45:05.lose their vital mobility car, will the Minister say what ever is the
:45:06. > :45:11.department is going to make to speed up this process? I am sorry to hear
:45:12. > :45:18.this is happening in the honourable gentleman's constituency. That is a
:45:19. > :45:22.very unusual length of time to be waiting for an appeal and if he
:45:23. > :45:31.would like to give me the details of those cases, I would be happy to
:45:32. > :45:35.look at them. Number 13. Manageability is an independent
:45:36. > :45:40.charity responsible for its own management information, including
:45:41. > :45:45.the data it publishes. There are 70,000 more people with a mobility
:45:46. > :45:51.car than there were in 2010. By constituent Evelyn Campbell had her
:45:52. > :45:55.car removed on the 20th of December following a PIP assessment, leaving
:45:56. > :46:00.her housebound and distressed over Christmas. It will take months for
:46:01. > :46:05.her appeal to be heard and in the meantime her car has been sold. Is
:46:06. > :46:11.this not another example of a policy from this government which is both
:46:12. > :46:15.cruel and, given that 60% of PIP appeals are successful and the cars
:46:16. > :46:20.have to be re-provided, it is a totally false economy. Those that do
:46:21. > :46:28.lose their vehicle receive transitional support through motor
:46:29. > :46:34.ability, including the right to buy their vehicle and a ?2000 lump sum.
:46:35. > :46:42.Although only a small proportion of decisions are peeled and overturned,
:46:43. > :46:48.I am exploring a range, that is of those going to appeal, not the
:46:49. > :46:56.caseload, I am exploring a range of options and will be working closely
:46:57. > :47:02.with them on this. The key point is that I do not think that the car
:47:03. > :47:06.should be withdrawn until the appeal process has finished. As the
:47:07. > :47:12.minister said it was only a small number, could she be encouraged to
:47:13. > :47:16.look down that route? We are looking at this issue, we are also looking
:47:17. > :47:21.at the issue of those who may wish to travel overseas for whatever
:47:22. > :47:28.reason, whether it is a work reason, a travel option or some other
:47:29. > :47:34.reason, and we are working very closely to see what can be done in
:47:35. > :47:41.those instances. Topical question. Number one, sir. As part of the
:47:42. > :47:45.comprehensive package of reforms to improve mental health support and by
:47:46. > :47:51.the pro-minister this morning, my department will be undertaking an
:47:52. > :47:55.expert led review over how best to ensure mental health of employees
:47:56. > :47:58.can be best supported. This will include promoting best practice
:47:59. > :48:03.amongst employers and making available free tools to businesses.
:48:04. > :48:07.We will be conducting an internal review of discrimination in the
:48:08. > :48:10.workplace against people with mental health conditions. This will build
:48:11. > :48:18.on our green paper consultation to help build up the evidence base
:48:19. > :48:22.around mental health. I welcome the fact 90,000 businesses have been
:48:23. > :48:28.helped, put the Minister tell me how many of these are in Cornwall as a
:48:29. > :48:31.whole? I also welcome those figures and I can tell my honourable friend
:48:32. > :48:36.that the new enterprise allowance has helped create nearly 100 new
:48:37. > :48:43.businesses in North Cornwall since it began. We move into a second
:48:44. > :48:48.phase with improvements and it is encouraging that since it began over
:48:49. > :48:53.one in five businesses supported by the NEA had been started by disabled
:48:54. > :48:59.entrepreneurs. This is an extremely encouraging development. There is
:49:00. > :49:04.consensus on the need to implement the SCA's recommendations on
:49:05. > :49:08.transparency on pension scheme costs in full. We hope that is soon and we
:49:09. > :49:13.will hold the government and the Minister to on that. Labour is
:49:14. > :49:17.committed to the state pension triple lock, is the government? The
:49:18. > :49:25.government is committed to the triple lock for the whole of this
:49:26. > :49:31.Parliament. The District Council have been working proactively with
:49:32. > :49:35.the DWP to support the roll-out of the full service of Universal
:49:36. > :49:38.Credit. Although the council has committed resources to this work,
:49:39. > :49:44.local people are still facing challenges. And the Secretary of
:49:45. > :49:50.State assure me his department will urgently seek to resolve those
:49:51. > :49:54.issues that have been raised by the council and other authorities? I am
:49:55. > :50:00.happy to give my honourable friend that reassurance. He and I have been
:50:01. > :50:04.exchanging correspondence on this. A letter he may not yet have had
:50:05. > :50:07.offers him a meeting with my honourable friend the Minister for
:50:08. > :50:17.employment. We want to work with local councils. The motor neurone
:50:18. > :50:21.disease Association and Parkinson 's UK have welcomed proposals by the
:50:22. > :50:27.government to scrap the assessments for people with severe, lifelong
:50:28. > :50:31.conditions. The Secretary of State described it as pointless,
:50:32. > :50:33.bureaucratic nonsense. Will the government agreed to scrap
:50:34. > :50:37.reassessments in the same circumstances for people with
:50:38. > :50:44.lifelong conditions for a PIP and continuing health care? I would say
:50:45. > :50:51.that PIP is slightly different. For example, someone's needs might
:50:52. > :50:56.increase and they will need a reassessment to receive more support
:50:57. > :51:00.under PIP. What the green paper affords us the opportunity to do is
:51:01. > :51:04.to look at all of these things together and there are opportunities
:51:05. > :51:10.for PIP perhaps to have a lighter assessment, but we need to get dull
:51:11. > :51:16.process right. I wrote to the pensions minister on the 16th of
:51:17. > :51:20.December about my constituent Ruth Saunders who said there are certain
:51:21. > :51:26.defined benefit pension schemes were increases are not being paid per
:51:27. > :51:32.ounce pre-April 19 77. The point is there is discrimination and only
:51:33. > :51:39.10-15% of companies are not paying these increases. This is one of the
:51:40. > :51:44.burning injustice as the Prime Minister was talking about and I
:51:45. > :51:54.have a meeting with him and my constituent to discuss it further.
:51:55. > :52:00.The government have been reluctant to consider the arrangements for
:52:01. > :52:06.what the women who have been disadvantaged. What action is the
:52:07. > :52:13.Secretary of State taking at present and what changes is he proposing? As
:52:14. > :52:18.the honourable gentleman will be aware the government has had a ?1.1
:52:19. > :52:22.billion condition for Waspy women and this has been discussed in this
:52:23. > :52:26.has very many times and the government has no plans to do
:52:27. > :52:34.anything further in this respect. Can the Minister reassure a company
:52:35. > :52:41.in my constituency that the work and health programme will not result in
:52:42. > :52:46.a large reduction in the programme took up disabled people get back
:52:47. > :52:50.into work? I can give my honourable friend those reassurances. We are
:52:51. > :52:54.absolutely committed to closing the disability employment gap and we are
:52:55. > :52:58.picking up the pace on not just the programmes that we are running, but
:52:59. > :53:05.also asking businesses and employers to do more. On that very disability
:53:06. > :53:09.employment gap, the government has pledged to halve it by 2020, yet
:53:10. > :53:13.recently I would like to know what the government is doing to look at
:53:14. > :53:18.the impact on the public sector of cuts in jobs. The human equality and
:53:19. > :53:29.human rights commission has lost a third of its staff in redundancies.
:53:30. > :53:34.The honourable gentleman will no that under this government and the
:53:35. > :53:37.coalition the disability employment gap is closing. We recognise we need
:53:38. > :53:44.to do more. I think the public sector can do more and part of that
:53:45. > :53:50.is identifying particular roles that individuals can take up. This
:53:51. > :53:53.government is picking up the pace on this issue and it is a much better
:53:54. > :53:58.situation than existed under the previous Labour government. I
:53:59. > :54:03.welcome over 1 million more women are in employment, but would my
:54:04. > :54:06.honourable friend confirm what the government is doing to support women
:54:07. > :54:09.with children who might find it difficult to return back to work
:54:10. > :54:14.because of childcare responsibilities? I thank my
:54:15. > :54:18.honourable friend for that question. Our aim is to help parents into a
:54:19. > :54:25.job which fits around their care and responsibilities. Last year we spent
:54:26. > :54:29.a record ?5 billion supporting parents with the cost of childcare
:54:30. > :54:39.and this will rise to over 6 billion by 20 20. Finland has become the
:54:40. > :54:40.first country in Europe to place unemployed citizens with
:54:41. > :54:47.unconditional monthly sums to reduce poverty. When will the government
:54:48. > :54:53.produce research regarding similar schemes? As I understand it is a
:54:54. > :54:59.small pilot in a local area and I have read a lot and it is an
:55:00. > :55:03.interesting idea. It suggests this kind of scheme is fantastically
:55:04. > :55:08.expensive and some of the losers from it are those who are on the
:55:09. > :55:15.lowest incomes at the moment. The polite response is I am unconvinced
:55:16. > :55:18.by this proposal. Seasonal agricultural workers have benefited
:55:19. > :55:23.from auto enrolment into pensions, but many accrue only small pension
:55:24. > :55:25.pots. What can the government do to make sure that the bureaucratic
:55:26. > :55:31.burden does not fall disproportionately on the employers
:55:32. > :55:35.of these vital workers? My honourable friend has propped up a
:55:36. > :55:38.very good point. The government has to balance between wanting as many
:55:39. > :55:44.people as possible having pensions with economic sense and the impact
:55:45. > :55:47.to employers. My officials have discussed this issue with the
:55:48. > :55:52.National Farmers Union and the issue will be looked into in the course of
:55:53. > :56:00.the 2017 review. How can the government meet its target to reduce
:56:01. > :56:05.the disability unemployment gap, in fact to halve it, where it is
:56:06. > :56:09.cutting back 80% resources available for that? How can it do it? Is it
:56:10. > :56:17.not just empty words? The honourable gentleman is
:56:18. > :56:24.confused. We are putting more resorts is into these initiatives
:56:25. > :56:28.and also asking others to do more. Obviously we are consulting in the
:56:29. > :56:31.green paper, but some of the announcements the Prime Minister has
:56:32. > :56:38.made today included additional resources. We very much want to meet
:56:39. > :56:46.that target and we are putting the resources and the policies in place
:56:47. > :56:51.to do that. Last month I asked the government to introduce mandatory
:56:52. > :56:55.video recording of all assessments because a constituent of mine in
:56:56. > :57:03.Twickenham was treated with less respect than the character in the
:57:04. > :57:09.fictional film I, Daniel Blake. When will mandatory video recording
:57:10. > :57:18.commenced? We are looking at a range of issues to improve the assessment
:57:19. > :57:21.process and experience of it in both PIP and ESA and recording of
:57:22. > :57:30.assessments is one of those things, so we are looking at that. For many
:57:31. > :57:34.young people, housing benefit is a lifeline, not a lifestyle choice.
:57:35. > :57:42.When will the government clarify how their scheme will not see these
:57:43. > :57:45.people lose vital support? The regulations regarding the removal of
:57:46. > :57:51.housing benefit from 18 to 21 new roles will be published. We will
:57:52. > :57:55.provide full details, particularly the exemptions, which we will
:57:56. > :58:01.provide in March. I would like to say thank you to the schools and
:58:02. > :58:05.businesses of Corby and Northamptonshire who provide work
:58:06. > :58:08.experience for young people. These introductions to the world of work
:58:09. > :58:11.are important civil ministers continued to make sure this remains
:58:12. > :58:18.at the front of cross departmental discussions? We know one of the most
:58:19. > :58:24.important things to be able to get a job is to have had a job and be in
:58:25. > :58:26.work and demonstrate all of those employability skills. Specifically
:58:27. > :58:34.with work experience placements at Jobcentre plus, on average people
:58:35. > :58:43.spend 49 days longer in employment for having done one, so yes. Yvette
:58:44. > :58:47.Cooper. Can I urge the secretary of State to personally review what is
:58:48. > :58:54.happening to the moat ability scheme? 41,000 people have had their
:58:55. > :58:57.cars taken away as the result of assessments, including a severely
:58:58. > :59:03.disabled Castleford constituents who cannot get to work and may be about
:59:04. > :59:05.to lose her job. And Pontefract constituents with metal rods in her
:59:06. > :59:11.joints who cannot get out of the House and is at risk of into
:59:12. > :59:15.depression as a result, on the day the Prime Minister raise mental
:59:16. > :59:19.health injustice. Will he take seriously, the serious impact on
:59:20. > :59:26.people's mental health of being isolated in this way? Happy to
:59:27. > :59:32.assure the right honourable lady we are looking closely at the whole
:59:33. > :59:39.moat ability scheme, which he knows is an independent charity and we
:59:40. > :59:45.have formed a walking working group and we are looking at this
:59:46. > :59:51.carefully. Following on from the question, from the member for
:59:52. > :59:53.Pontefract and Castleford, my constituents who has limited
:59:54. > :59:58.mobility because of a stroke received a moat ability car last
:59:59. > :00:01.year and it was a lifetime -- lifeline. Last week it was removed
:00:02. > :00:05.from her now she's struggling to get her children to school and then get
:00:06. > :00:09.to work. She is appealing this decision and I hope she will win. In
:00:10. > :00:14.the meantime she is finding it hard to manage her disability as well has
:00:15. > :00:20.responsibilities as an employee and as a mother. Can the Minister look
:00:21. > :00:26.at this as a case of urgency to make sure she gets the help and support
:00:27. > :00:29.she needs? I will be happy to look at the particular case the
:00:30. > :00:33.honourable lady raises. We are looking at both the issue in the
:00:34. > :00:40.moat ability scheme but other issues as well, which mean people are not
:00:41. > :00:47.able to take up work or travel opportunities. We have recently met
:00:48. > :00:55.with moat ability on these issues. We hope very soon to be able to make
:00:56. > :00:59.some announcements. Indicators of child poverty are important as the
:01:00. > :01:05.Secretary of State early on, so our targets. Would he agree to adopt the
:01:06. > :01:08.provisions in the bill presented which would establish a statutory
:01:09. > :01:14.targets for the reduction of child poverty? I think that is the
:01:15. > :01:18.old-fashioned approach, which isn't necessarily the best way forward.
:01:19. > :01:24.Having the whole range of issues that can give child poverty
:01:25. > :01:28.addressed is the best way to do it. I look forward to his response to
:01:29. > :01:35.the social Justice Green paper that we will be publishing in the coming
:01:36. > :01:42.months. In the London Borough of Wandsworth, last year there was a
:01:43. > :01:46.25% increase in foodbank use. Shockingly, almost 50% of these
:01:47. > :01:51.users are children. Does the government agree it is an absolute
:01:52. > :01:55.disgrace and what will they do to assure us in this House today that
:01:56. > :02:02.the children and adults of tooting shall no longer have to rely on food
:02:03. > :02:07.banks? As I said to a previous question, the best route out of
:02:08. > :02:12.poverty is work. One of the great successes of the economic policy of
:02:13. > :02:16.this government has been more people are at work, women are at work and
:02:17. > :02:19.fewer children are growing up in workless households than ever
:02:20. > :02:24.before. I wish the Labour Party would accept that getting more
:02:25. > :02:28.people into work, reducing unemployment is the best attack on
:02:29. > :02:35.poverty any government can make. Stuart Malcolm Macdonald. It is now
:02:36. > :02:38.four weeks since the employment minister promised members of
:02:39. > :02:42.Parliament from Glasgow data on the new boundaries by which you want to
:02:43. > :02:47.close half the city's Jobcentres. Where is the information? I did
:02:48. > :02:53.indeed meet with the honourable gentleman and his colleagues and we
:02:54. > :02:58.had a Westminster Hall debate. One of the things I committed to was an
:02:59. > :03:04.online consultation and that is indeed proceeding, as I said to him.
:03:05. > :03:12.When we met, if there is other information they want to bring
:03:13. > :03:16.forward, I am sure they will do so. There are 13,000 children in my
:03:17. > :03:20.constituency of Bradford East living in poverty, which is almost a third
:03:21. > :03:26.of the total poverty figure for the whole district. Can the Minister
:03:27. > :03:35.answer this question and explain to my constituents, his decision to
:03:36. > :03:39.close the child poverty unit? The child poverty unit, the main
:03:40. > :03:44.function of the child poverty unit was to support ministers in meeting
:03:45. > :03:50.the 2010 act, which has now been superseded by the 2016 act, which
:03:51. > :03:56.the response to which, the response specifically to poverty is being led
:03:57. > :03:58.by my department so be unit is now working inside the Department for
:03:59. > :04:03.Work and Pensions. That is the straightforward answer to his
:04:04. > :04:07.question. Can the Secretary of State tell us if he has any New Year 's
:04:08. > :04:13.resolutions? Perhaps he could resolve to make sure that no one is
:04:14. > :04:17.sanctioned at Christmas and will he review the operations of his
:04:18. > :04:23.department, as I asked him before Christmas, to make sure nobody goes
:04:24. > :04:26.without over the festive period? My New Year's resolution is to make
:04:27. > :04:30.sure my department continues its successful work in getting ever more
:04:31. > :04:34.people into work and making sure we have a benefit system that helps
:04:35. > :04:41.people get into work and the pension system that provides security and
:04:42. > :04:47.dignity in old age. Order. Urgent question, Mr Peter Kyle. I would
:04:48. > :04:51.like to ask the Secretary of State for Justice to make a statement on
:04:52. > :04:55.the emergency review to determine how to ban perpetrators of domestic
:04:56. > :04:56.violence from directly cross-examining their victims within
:04:57. > :04:57.the family