:00:00. > :00:00.services built which applies only in England and aims to cut congestion.
:00:00. > :00:07.Over now live to the House of Commons. Thank you, Mr Speaker. The
:00:08. > :00:12.government is committed to providing free impartial advice on pensions to
:00:13. > :00:21.help people make informed and confident decisions as to how they
:00:22. > :00:29.use their savings in retirement. Can my honourable friend reassure me
:00:30. > :00:34.that as well as making sure people have access to information what
:00:35. > :00:39.steps is the government taking to protect people from being deceived
:00:40. > :00:45.out of their savings? My honourable friend is right to pose this
:00:46. > :00:50.question because the government takes the threat of scams very
:00:51. > :00:57.seriously. We highlight the risks posed by scams to savers, we wish to
:00:58. > :01:02.gather and share intelligence, we have also consulted on further
:01:03. > :01:06.evidence to tackle scammers including a proposal to ban cold
:01:07. > :01:12.calling to pensioners and the next step will be announced soon, Mr
:01:13. > :01:16.Speaker. Can he tell us when he will crack down on this cold calling,
:01:17. > :01:20.people trying to scam people out of their hard earned life savings taken
:01:21. > :01:24.advantage of this notion that there are these freedoms yet potentially
:01:25. > :01:35.putting pensioners at great risk, when will the legislation be brought
:01:36. > :01:40.forward? As to be expected from the gentleman is a pertinent question
:01:41. > :01:45.and the answer is very soon. Preying on elderly people to take advantage
:01:46. > :01:50.of their pensions, giving them bad advice, is a despicable crime. Is
:01:51. > :01:54.the Minister satisfied that the number of prosecutions of those who
:01:55. > :02:01.do this frankly evil activity is nearly enough? I would like to say
:02:02. > :02:06.to my honourable friend that I thought it was enough. I don't think
:02:07. > :02:13.it is and I think the steps that we intend to take should make
:02:14. > :02:16.prosecutions for cold calling and scamming much easier and hopefully
:02:17. > :02:21.if I am asked the question in the future I will be able to answer in
:02:22. > :02:24.the affirmative. Thank you, Mr Speaker. On the issue of accurate,
:02:25. > :02:32.clear information the report last week stated that an increase in the
:02:33. > :02:34.state pension every ten years, one year the decade representing an
:02:35. > :02:41.appropriate rate of change, with the Minister agree with that statement
:02:42. > :02:45.and if so will he revisit the case of the Worcester women facing an
:02:46. > :02:52.increase in pensionable age of more of five years? I know that the right
:02:53. > :02:56.honourable gentleman has read it in detail and I thank him for doing so.
:02:57. > :03:01.The government 's response will be published at the end of May and will
:03:02. > :03:05.become intensive. As far as these women are concerned, I have said
:03:06. > :03:08.many times here and elsewhere that the government has made the
:03:09. > :03:13.concession it was going to make, in terms of transition arrangements
:03:14. > :03:21.from the 1995 act, and I have no further news for him and that is it.
:03:22. > :03:28.Reducing fees and charges levied by companies, could administer update
:03:29. > :03:33.the house and what progress has been made? My honourable friend and I
:03:34. > :03:36.have discussed it. I am pleased that he has highlighted this. There has
:03:37. > :03:41.been consultation on this subject and the government, and no, will
:03:42. > :03:48.make an announcement threw ourselves and the regulator very soon. Thank
:03:49. > :03:51.you, Mr Speaker. The government missed an opportunity this you to
:03:52. > :03:54.tackle a range of issues in the pensions industry bid chose to
:03:55. > :03:58.ignore most of them, bringing forward instead the narrow pensions
:03:59. > :04:00.schemes bill. And the Secretary of State failed to follow his own
:04:01. > :04:05.agenda by instructing his ministers to resist any attempt to introduce
:04:06. > :04:09.transparency and greater clarity on cost. Why decisions to protect the
:04:10. > :04:14.industry instead of savers and what is the government going to do to
:04:15. > :04:24.correct this failure and help us all build trust in our pensions
:04:25. > :04:28.industry? I would like to thank the shadow spokesman for voting for the
:04:29. > :04:32.bill on its second reading and its positive approach to it. The bill
:04:33. > :04:39.has passed to a much broader agenda and the government will be making
:04:40. > :04:43.progress very soon. Tim Vickers. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I'm currently
:04:44. > :04:47.dealing with two constituency cases were old people have been robbed of
:04:48. > :04:54.their life savings. In both cases they have been disappointed with the
:04:55. > :04:57.police response. Will the cross departmental work include contact
:04:58. > :05:02.with the Home Office and individual police forces to ensure more work is
:05:03. > :05:06.done on this? Thank you Mr Speaker. I can confirm to my honourable
:05:07. > :05:16.friend that the police and the antifraud authorities are involved
:05:17. > :05:19.in this cross governmental body. Secretary of state secretary Damian
:05:20. > :05:23.Green. This government supports those who aspire to be their own
:05:24. > :05:29.boss, self employment grew by 148,000 in the last year to reach
:05:30. > :05:35.4.8 million. A record level. Self-employment has contributed 30%
:05:36. > :05:44.of the rise in employment since 2010 to its current record levels. It
:05:45. > :05:48.seems not under the week goes by without another story about a
:05:49. > :05:52.judgment of the self-employed. This is exploitation. Over one year ago
:05:53. > :05:55.the report recommended equal treatment for the self-employed and
:05:56. > :06:00.all we have is yet another review from the government. When are they
:06:01. > :06:07.going to take some action? Here come here. As the honourable gentleman
:06:08. > :06:11.knows, the government has commissioned Matthew tailored to
:06:12. > :06:15.investigate. He asked what we have done. The self-employed now have
:06:16. > :06:20.access to the new state pension, we have doubled the amount of free
:06:21. > :06:24.childcare, particularly useful for the self-employed, worth up to
:06:25. > :06:28.?5,000 per child per year and we have increased the personal
:06:29. > :06:35.allowance worth ?1000, the typical basic rate taxpayer. The Secretary
:06:36. > :06:42.of State is right that we have helped self-employment, what they
:06:43. > :06:45.are G1 is the government out of the business. They don't want to pay
:06:46. > :06:50.higher taxes. They don't want more benefits, they just want to get on
:06:51. > :06:55.with their business. Is that something the Secretary of State can
:06:56. > :06:59.support? And the government supports that more widely of course. We are
:07:00. > :07:01.looking all the time and regulations that might hinder the growth of
:07:02. > :07:11.entrepreneurship and self employment, and the actions taken by
:07:12. > :07:14.my department, for instance the new enterprise allowance actively
:07:15. > :07:16.encourage people into self-employment, 90,000 new
:07:17. > :07:25.businesses have been set up as a result. The governments proposed
:07:26. > :07:31.insurance contributions showed scandalous detachment from the
:07:32. > :07:34.orality, both the majority of self-employed workers lives, a
:07:35. > :07:38.failure to understand the boom in self-employment or the will to
:07:39. > :07:41.address the issues self employed workers face including one in three
:07:42. > :07:47.concerned if they become sick or injured doing their work. What
:07:48. > :07:50.discussions to the Secretary of State have with the Chancellor on
:07:51. > :08:00.this before the budget and is he concerned with the reliability given
:08:01. > :08:05.the comment by the OBR? I am confident in the minimum income
:08:06. > :08:08.floor calculation and as the honourable lady would expect we have
:08:09. > :08:12.discussions all the time with the Treasury on a wide range of matters,
:08:13. > :08:17.and I would point out first of all that as my right honourable friend
:08:18. > :08:20.the Chancellor said in his letter to the budget it is important that we
:08:21. > :08:24.comply not just with the letter but also the spirit of the commitments
:08:25. > :08:30.made. That's why the Chancellor decided not to proceed with the
:08:31. > :08:34.measures set out in the budget. Also, I think this is important, of
:08:35. > :08:38.all the spending measures set out in the budgets including on social
:08:39. > :08:43.care, technical education and new schools will be delivered in full.
:08:44. > :08:50.My right honourable friend is right to notice that new businesses have
:08:51. > :08:56.been started by job-seekers but still many do not know what help is
:08:57. > :09:01.provided for them and the universal credit system and the new enterprise
:09:02. > :09:07.allowance, so could my right honourable friend say what measures
:09:08. > :09:15.are being promoted to increase awareness of these measures? My
:09:16. > :09:18.honourable friend makes a good point, many of the self-employed may
:09:19. > :09:25.not be aware of the many benefits that arise from it for them
:09:26. > :09:27.specifically. The first time self-employed claimants will be
:09:28. > :09:33.offered help to increase their earnings, will test the offer of
:09:34. > :09:37.support to tax credit claimants, and also there is an issue and level of
:09:38. > :09:42.earnings but new self-employed claimants will be exempt from this
:09:43. > :09:46.five to 12 months following the application which I'm sure people
:09:47. > :09:53.thinking of setting up their own business will find very helpful.
:09:54. > :10:01.Nine Minister Penny Mordaunt. Minister, I will answer question
:10:02. > :10:06.three and question 17. Assessment reports deemed unacceptable are
:10:07. > :10:10.returned very work and a range of measures including contractual
:10:11. > :10:16.remedies are used to address performance falling below those
:10:17. > :10:20.standards. A constituent contacted me after she submitted a claim for
:10:21. > :10:23.personal independence payment and then had to wait 12 weeks for the
:10:24. > :10:27.home assessment appointed you need it. They finally telephoned giving
:10:28. > :10:32.her less than 48 hours notice of the visit only to cancel ten minutes
:10:33. > :10:35.before the appointed time. After three and a half months she is no
:10:36. > :10:39.nearer to receiving the support that she needs. I know from my
:10:40. > :10:43.discussions with the advice group that she is one of dozens of
:10:44. > :10:52.disabled people being let down by her department. When will she
:10:53. > :10:58.address this catalogue of failure? I thank the honourable lady and if she
:10:59. > :11:01.will allow me the details I will look into the case because that
:11:02. > :11:06.falls below the performance and the courtesy that we would want from our
:11:07. > :11:09.providers, thankfully. The personal experience of people is very
:11:10. > :11:13.important in getting this process right and I'm pleased to be able to
:11:14. > :11:17.say that from April we will be commencing the user wrap panels,
:11:18. > :11:22.about 300 people initially across the UK who we will be giving real
:11:23. > :11:26.experience, real-time experience of both PIP and Anier and I think
:11:27. > :11:35.that's an important step forward. We have all had cases like that, but
:11:36. > :11:40.can it only be an arrogant Tory Government that ignores legal
:11:41. > :11:45.decisions that overrides expert medical opinion in order to deprive
:11:46. > :11:50.people with mental health the right to benefits? What level of cuts has
:11:51. > :11:59.the minister promised the Chancellor in order to get this policy through?
:12:00. > :12:01.I'm afraid I think the honourable gentleman is being very
:12:02. > :12:05.irresponsible in saying that. There is no change to policy, budget or
:12:06. > :12:09.award amounts and I would remind him that people with mental health
:12:10. > :12:16.conditions are receiving the higher levels of benefit than they did
:12:17. > :12:20.under DLA. This benefit is not about people's conditions, it's about the
:12:21. > :12:26.impact that they have on that individual being able to thrive and
:12:27. > :12:31.live their life as they would wish and it's it's quite wrong and
:12:32. > :12:34.irresponsible to say otherwise. The vast majority of successful appeals
:12:35. > :12:38.are because of late additional submitted evidence. Therefore to
:12:39. > :12:41.avoid unnecessary appeals what steps is the minister taking to
:12:42. > :12:50.automatically access medical reports with the consent of the claimant?
:12:51. > :12:56.This is one of the key reasons why not only are there still 3% of PIP
:12:57. > :13:00.case load being overturned at appeal but also we are not getting the
:13:01. > :13:11.right decision at mandatory reconsideration stage. We have been
:13:12. > :13:14.doing a number of trials to improve that, including telephoning claim
:13:15. > :13:21.Arndts to ensure a good decision is made and is in place. There are
:13:22. > :13:33.other measures as well. Any delay in making an award... A
:13:34. > :13:37.number of cases successful at first day of tribunal are ultimately
:13:38. > :13:42.upheld so can the minister assure me that this number is both monitored
:13:43. > :13:48.statistically insignificant and in light of improvements in assessment
:13:49. > :13:51.falling? I can give the honourable lady those assurances and, in
:13:52. > :13:55.addition to the measure that I've already mentioned, there are a
:13:56. > :13:59.number of other trials going on and a number of changes that our
:14:00. > :14:01.providers are making, for example sitting down with someone and
:14:02. > :14:06.talking about the effects of their condition on their ability to live
:14:07. > :14:17.their lives prior to a medical history being gathered. 1,099 people
:14:18. > :14:21.use the motability system in Inverclyde. Claimants are without
:14:22. > :14:24.their car while their claims are going through. What is being done to
:14:25. > :14:28.address this specific issue? As I reported to the House before, we
:14:29. > :14:32.have been working ever closer with motability, a great scheme in its
:14:33. > :14:38.40th year. There are a number of issues we are looking at - appeals,
:14:39. > :14:42.people who may wish to leave the country, whether for study, work
:14:43. > :14:46.experience or any other reason and looking at potentially extending the
:14:47. > :14:53.scheme to other groups. We'll report as soon as we can on that review.
:14:54. > :14:58.Far from cutting support for the disabled people, can the minister
:14:59. > :15:04.confirm that disability spending will increase every year to 2020,
:15:05. > :15:08.both relative to 2010 and today? I thank the honourable gentleman for
:15:09. > :15:11.his question. He's absolutely right that spend will increase, but also
:15:12. > :15:16.it's vital that this Government looks at other issues which we are
:15:17. > :15:22.doing, for example, on the consumer agenda. It's no good us spending
:15:23. > :15:25.money, it's no good us getting the employment support right if
:15:26. > :15:30.buildings are not accessible and people can't make use of those
:15:31. > :15:36.opportunities. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Last Thursday
:15:37. > :15:40.at business questions, the leader of the House stated there would be a
:15:41. > :15:45.debate on the Government's emergency PIP regulations which will effect
:15:46. > :15:51.over 160,000 people's eligibility to PIP. Mainly those with mental health
:15:52. > :15:58.conditions. However, he failed to give a date and the period comes to
:15:59. > :16:05.an end on 3rd April. If there is no debate and the vote before the House
:16:06. > :16:09.rises for Easter, then even if the House vote against the regulations
:16:10. > :16:16.next month, they'll not automatically be revoked. This has a
:16:17. > :16:20.huge democratic deficit. Will the Secretary of State or minister now
:16:21. > :16:26.commit to schedule a debate and vote this week? I thank the honourable
:16:27. > :16:29.lady for her question. She will know that that is not within my gift,
:16:30. > :16:35.it's for the usual channels, but what I would say to her is that it
:16:36. > :16:43.is not correct to say that this is going to be affecting 160,000
:16:44. > :16:47.people. It is... No, there is no policy change, there is no change to
:16:48. > :16:54.budget, there is no change to the guidance, there is no change to the
:16:55. > :17:00.guidance that we have issued to our assessment providers. There isn't.
:17:01. > :17:03.And so it's quite wrong to say, and raise fears with people, that they
:17:04. > :17:08.are going to be affected. No awards will be affected an we are operating
:17:09. > :17:13.exactly the same policy and guidance in our assessment practices as we
:17:14. > :17:19.have done before. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
:17:20. > :17:26.Former sergeant... Sorry, number four. Th Mr Speaker, with permission
:17:27. > :17:31.I'll answer questions four, 14 and 146 together. We cent changes to the
:17:32. > :17:35.PIP regulations clarify the original criteria used to decide how much
:17:36. > :17:40.benefit a person receives. It's not a policy change or a budget change
:17:41. > :17:43.and it will not result in any claimants regardless of their health
:17:44. > :17:47.condition seeing a reduction in the amount of PIP they have been
:17:48. > :17:53.awarded. Thank you very much. Former sergeant
:17:54. > :17:56.William Bradley who's one of my constituents developed severe PTSD
:17:57. > :18:01.and depression whilst serving in the Gulf war and was medically
:18:02. > :18:06.discharged from the Army in 2003. Having been on the enhanced PIP rate
:18:07. > :18:11.since 2014, it was cut to the lower rate last year. On appeal, it's now
:18:12. > :18:15.been removed completely and the reply from the PIP hotline was that
:18:16. > :18:20.someone with mental health issues can work and that this is really a
:18:21. > :18:24.benefit for people with severe physical disabilities. So will the
:18:25. > :18:30.minister meet with me to discuss this often case or, if PIP is not
:18:31. > :18:34.the right benefit for those with mental illness, can she explain what
:18:35. > :18:40.is -- this awful case. What the honourable lady's told me has
:18:41. > :18:44.happened is truly shocking. I would be incredibly surprised if somebody
:18:45. > :18:50.manning that hotline said those things to the honourable lady. I'm
:18:51. > :18:55.not saying I doubt her story, but I would like to see that and I would
:18:56. > :19:00.like to know if possible the exact time that that conversation took
:19:01. > :19:05.place because that is quite wrong. I would be happy to meet the holt. The
:19:06. > :19:10.statistics show that if you have a mental health condition, you are
:19:11. > :19:14.better served under this benefit, if you have PTSD, a psychological
:19:15. > :19:19.disorder, a mental health condition or dementia, that is the case and
:19:20. > :19:23.it's important people know that. Why did the minister not consult the
:19:24. > :19:27.social security advisory committee where her contentions about the
:19:28. > :19:33.impact of this benefit could have been changed, could have been
:19:34. > :19:39.challenged? Well, the committee is within its rights to look at the
:19:40. > :19:44.decision. It did so and concluded that it would not formally review
:19:45. > :19:48.that decision. We have used the urgency procedure which was in our
:19:49. > :19:53.rights to do so to establish certainty. What we would not want to
:19:54. > :19:56.happen is for there to be a long period of uncertainty around this
:19:57. > :20:00.and we being in a position of actually having to take money off
:20:01. > :20:03.people. What we've done is actually restore that certainty. Everyone
:20:04. > :20:08.knows where they are and people know that there is no change and their
:20:09. > :20:12.awards will not be change. It was a constituent of mine whose
:20:13. > :20:17.case led to the recent tribunal ruling. Clarifying the eligibility
:20:18. > :20:20.criteria for PIP and the subsequent amendments to the regular laces by
:20:21. > :20:25.the Government. She lives with multiple health problems and was
:20:26. > :20:29.supported by Sheffield Citizens Advice, due to publish a report this
:20:30. > :20:34.week on the wider impact on the shift from DLA to PIP and the impact
:20:35. > :20:38.it's having particularly on the over 60s. Will she agree to meet with me
:20:39. > :20:43.and the Citizens Advice Bureau to discuss recommendations? I would be
:20:44. > :20:48.very happy to meet the honourable lady to do that. PIP is a better
:20:49. > :20:53.benefit than DLA, it serves a wider range of people with a wider range
:20:54. > :20:56.of conditions better, but there are always improvements that we can make
:20:57. > :21:00.to the system, I would be very happy to meet with him.
:21:01. > :21:05.Thank you, Mr Speaker. In relation to PIP, can the minister assure me
:21:06. > :21:08.that the DWP is engaging with those with experience of mental health
:21:09. > :21:12.conditions to ensure the programmes and frontline staff have a proper
:21:13. > :21:16.understanding of how a mental health condition can impact on someone's
:21:17. > :21:21.life? I can give him the assurances and in addition to the user rep
:21:22. > :21:27.panels we are introducing in April, we have also conducted a trial from
:21:28. > :21:31.mid-March which will take about six weeks, looking at audio recordings,
:21:32. > :21:35.involving about 400 claimants. I think that's not just a tool to
:21:36. > :21:42.guarantee quality, but also provide reassurance to the claimant.
:21:43. > :21:49.Some of those who are eligible for PIP may well be those who will lose
:21:50. > :21:54.entitlement to RAG come April 1st. Can the minister provide continued
:21:55. > :21:59.assurance that whether it be the through the hardship fund or third
:22:00. > :22:04.party deals, there'll be full mitigation for the losses that some
:22:05. > :22:08.will incur from April 1st? I thank the honourable gentleman for the
:22:09. > :22:13.question. I can give those assurances. Those financial channels
:22:14. > :22:17.that he mentioned are open to people to apply to if they need further
:22:18. > :22:21.support. We've also been doing some work in the department on social
:22:22. > :22:26.tariffs and budgeting and that will be rolled out across our Jobcentre
:22:27. > :22:28.Plus network and all of the elements of the support offer for that
:22:29. > :22:33.particular group are already in place.
:22:34. > :22:36.Last week, I had to deal with a constituent whose benefits had been
:22:37. > :22:40.stopped because she had missed an appointment to be assessed for PIP.
:22:41. > :22:45.She missed that appointment because she was an in-patient in hospital in
:22:46. > :22:50.Aberdeen. Even after evidence of that had been exhibited to the
:22:51. > :22:55.minister's department, they twice refused to reinstate her benefits
:22:56. > :22:58.because they said they had done nothing procedurally wrong. Is the
:22:59. > :23:02.minister content that that is how the system is supposed to work?
:23:03. > :23:09.Well, the honourable gentleman will know that's not how the system is
:23:10. > :23:13.supposed to work. If there is a reasonable reason why someone has
:23:14. > :23:17.not attended an appointment, then that should not count against them.
:23:18. > :23:19.I would be quite happy to look at the honourable gentleman's case but
:23:20. > :23:30.I would state that is not what should be happening.
:23:31. > :23:38.Mr Speaker, the number of 16-24s in work is 3.94 million, up 28,000 on
:23:39. > :23:45.the quarter and up 225,000 on 2010. At the last count, there were 145
:23:46. > :23:49.JSA claimants 18-24 in Kingston, yet when I go to businesses like Genuine
:23:50. > :23:53.Solutions and Meeting Point, they tell me they have jobs, particularly
:23:54. > :23:57.for young people. What can my honourable friend do to ensure young
:23:58. > :24:00.people are matched up with many opportunities, businesses in my
:24:01. > :24:04.area, and other jobs that people have available for them? Yes, Mr
:24:05. > :24:07.Speaker, the number of young people claiming out of the work benefits
:24:08. > :24:15.has fallen by more than half in the last four years and he's right to
:24:16. > :24:20.highlight the large number of vacancies, over 750,000 Countrywide.
:24:21. > :24:24.The Government will soon roll out the youth obligation, for young
:24:25. > :24:30.people. The minister can highlight what he likes but long-term youth
:24:31. > :24:33.unemployment in Darlington and the Tees Valley is completely stagnant
:24:34. > :24:40.and hasn't improved at all. What will he do to ensure that in six
:24:41. > :24:45.months' time, the picture improved? Long-term youth unemployment overall
:24:46. > :24:49.is down 111,000 since 2010, down 30,000 on the year and we put
:24:50. > :24:54.particular resource and particular focus on those parts of the country,
:24:55. > :24:58.on those individual areas that need additional support and I would
:24:59. > :25:00.encourage more people to come forward and enjoy the work
:25:01. > :25:05.experience programme for example because the experience is one of the
:25:06. > :25:09.most fundamental things people can do to make a regular job move. Young
:25:10. > :25:14.autistic people have a great contribution to make to our economy
:25:15. > :25:18.and society, yet a recent survey by the NAS reckons only 16% are in
:25:19. > :25:25.full-time work and that is a trend that hasn't changed over the past
:25:26. > :25:31.ten years. In this world autism awareness week, could the minister
:25:32. > :25:36.tell us how the Government could help because I think that not only
:25:37. > :25:40.are employers missing out on the skills and potentials of this group
:25:41. > :25:44.of people, but also we are wasting an awful lot of talent. How can the
:25:45. > :25:50.minister help and highlight their plight? Well, thank you Mr Speaker.
:25:51. > :25:52.May I first acknowledge and recognise my right honourable
:25:53. > :25:56.friend's particular expertise in this area. I met the national autism
:25:57. > :26:00.society at the Party Conference as I know a number of colleagues did.
:26:01. > :26:04.Some of the statistics she mentioned are very striking. From the green
:26:05. > :26:08.paper process, I know that th Minister for Disabled People is
:26:09. > :26:11.bringing forward a particular focus on the talents, abilities and
:26:12. > :26:17.potential of people with autism will be one key thing.
:26:18. > :26:21.Thank you, Mr Speaker. Research just published shows the forthcoming levy
:26:22. > :26:25.on apprenticeships will make the north south divide worse because it
:26:26. > :26:28.will focus investment on the south-east, not where it's needed in
:26:29. > :26:35.the north. What is the minister going to do to address that?
:26:36. > :26:41.Mr Speaker this is a generational shift in the skills base and this is
:26:42. > :26:46.an important part of the connection that all fans of a certain size
:26:47. > :26:50.aspire to take part in and also the new Institute of apprenticeships to
:26:51. > :26:57.guarantee quality and I think this will benefit the entire country.
:26:58. > :27:00.Finch we are making progress on the independent mental health and
:27:01. > :27:05.employers review, led by Lord Stevenson and Paul Farmer. We are
:27:06. > :27:07.also taking forward an internal review of discrimination law in
:27:08. > :27:11.relation to mental health and work. We continue to look at how we can
:27:12. > :27:15.improve employment support for people with mental health conditions
:27:16. > :27:20.and this approach is reflected in the work and health Green paper.
:27:21. > :27:26.Thank you, Mr Speaker. I recently trained as a mental health first
:27:27. > :27:30.aid. This training helps support others to look after their own
:27:31. > :27:33.mental health, will my right honourable friend encourage more
:27:34. > :27:38.employers to take part in initiatives like mental health first
:27:39. > :27:44.aid to create a culture in which everyone seems able to seek mental
:27:45. > :27:46.health support in the workplace. I congratulate my right honourable
:27:47. > :27:51.friend on that training and she is right, more employers should act on
:27:52. > :27:56.this. We are now providing a range of support to help employers recruit
:27:57. > :28:00.and retain the people with mental health conditions, these include the
:28:01. > :28:04.disability confident campaign and the mental health support service in
:28:05. > :28:07.the access to work scheme which I know many firms and many of those
:28:08. > :28:14.who suffer from mental health conditions find useful. I think the
:28:15. > :28:17.Secretary of State should beware of being so enthusiastic that he
:28:18. > :28:21.ignores the real needs of people who cannot go to work. I had an e-mail
:28:22. > :28:25.this morning from one of my constituents saying that her husband
:28:26. > :28:34.had taken his life on Friday. He first came to us in 2016 when his
:28:35. > :28:37.award was under review, despite the protests of his doctor he was made
:28:38. > :28:41.to have a face-to-face assessment. We sought an extension of the six
:28:42. > :28:48.month award, this was reviewed, at that point he was so stressed, he
:28:49. > :28:55.attempted suicide. The PIP award Dashti PIP award was then reviewed
:28:56. > :29:00.this January. Could the Secretary of State please ensure that when
:29:01. > :29:05.doctors say that people with mental health conditions should not have
:29:06. > :29:17.face to face assessment, they do not have face-to-face assessment is!
:29:18. > :29:20.Well, obviously, the case that the honourable lady brings up is
:29:21. > :29:26.dreadful and I'm sure the whole House will wish send condolences to
:29:27. > :29:32.the family and friends of the constituent, particularly his widow.
:29:33. > :29:37.We are of course not just investing more in mental health than ever
:29:38. > :29:41.before, a ?11 billion this year but specifically trying, and succeeding
:29:42. > :29:46.in improving clinical assessments. We now have more clinical expertise
:29:47. > :29:53.available to assessors who look at the individual cases and also as you
:29:54. > :30:00.will know those who have conditions which can only stay the same or get
:30:01. > :30:04.worse, we've now ended the assessments, so we are taking steps
:30:05. > :30:10.to try to minimise those effects. Thank you Mr Speaker. Ensuring that
:30:11. > :30:13.people with mental health conditions can remain in business as well as
:30:14. > :30:17.starting businesses is very important. What is the minister
:30:18. > :30:27.doing to encourage employers to make that a possibility? My honourable
:30:28. > :30:35.friend is right and some of the actions that we are taking such as
:30:36. > :30:39.Disability Confident, which I mentioned in my previous response,
:30:40. > :30:45.but think this needs to be part of a wider programme of education,
:30:46. > :30:48.specifically for employers. We have set up disability confident leaders
:30:49. > :30:54.business group because I suspect more employers will listen to other
:30:55. > :30:58.business people than necessarily to politicians! Is the issue not to
:30:59. > :31:04.make sure that employers have good access to occupational health
:31:05. > :31:07.services and particularly so that preventative action can be taken if
:31:08. > :31:14.an individual feels that they are suffering from a mental health
:31:15. > :31:19.problem but are able to get to an occupational health service quickly
:31:20. > :31:22.and easily to get advice. Like completely agree with the right
:31:23. > :31:28.honourable lady. She will have seen that in the work and health Green
:31:29. > :31:32.paper. We laid great stress on occupational health services. We
:31:33. > :31:41.have more than doubled the number of employment advisers in talking
:31:42. > :31:44.therapies to make sure we help people get the support that will
:31:45. > :31:50.help them stay in work. I think this is an important job that we need to
:31:51. > :31:56.do. Question number seven, Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker, the roll out of
:31:57. > :32:00.universal credit continues its roll-out to plan, around 1 million
:32:01. > :32:04.claims have been taken and the four universal credit service for all
:32:05. > :32:12.claimant types is available in 53 job centres. Thank you, Mr Speaker.
:32:13. > :32:16.I won't respond to the ridicule of the Minister's answer but wanted to
:32:17. > :32:22.ask about another point in relation to universal credit which is the
:32:23. > :32:25.interaction between benefits and universal credit and what progress
:32:26. > :32:30.the government is making with this. My constituents say that as they get
:32:31. > :32:33.into work and move through universal credit and lose their free school
:32:34. > :32:37.meals and bus passes for their children, they lose the free
:32:38. > :32:43.entitlement to a uniform, they are worse off in work than if they were
:32:44. > :32:48.to work. -- and if they were out of work. Mr Speaker we continue to work
:32:49. > :32:51.closely to make sure the service is a success, with partners and
:32:52. > :32:53.stakeholders. There are questions asked about passport and benefits
:32:54. > :33:01.and we continue to work through them. Sir Julian Brazier. Mr
:33:02. > :33:07.Speaker, may I thank the sexually estate the coming from Canterbury to
:33:08. > :33:10.see the successful roll-out of universal credit in Canterbury where
:33:11. > :33:14.nearly one third of the unemployed now enjoy universal credit. It is
:33:15. > :33:18.not only pushed the level of unemployment down, it has also
:33:19. > :33:25.resulted in remarkably few cases coming to my surgery. Thank you Mr
:33:26. > :33:28.Speaker come universal credit is a transformational benefit, six
:33:29. > :33:31.benefits into one means working with one organisation and not three and
:33:32. > :33:36.it supports people into work and makes sure that work pays, which is
:33:37. > :33:44.that it is indeed transformational in our system. In just a few days'
:33:45. > :33:48.time further cuts come into operation that will cut the incomes
:33:49. > :33:52.of millions of families including families of disabled children who
:33:53. > :33:58.could lose thousands of pounds a year and single parents full-time in
:33:59. > :34:02.work or could lose ?200 a month. Was the intention of universal credit to
:34:03. > :34:05.drive up poverty among children and why will it not admit that the
:34:06. > :34:10.system is failing those it was designed to help? Mr Speaker no such
:34:11. > :34:20.cut is about to happen in universal credit. The change moves from 65% to
:34:21. > :34:27.62% which will eventually benefit millions of households. Mr Speaker,
:34:28. > :34:31.mounting evidence exposes that the universal care system is beset with
:34:32. > :34:34.failures. It simply is not working. But arrears are soaring, claimants
:34:35. > :34:36.are waiting up to three months to have their claims processed and some
:34:37. > :34:41.people have already lost their homes. The government needs to take
:34:42. > :34:45.its head out of the sand. Will ministers call a halt to the full
:34:46. > :34:51.service role whether conduct an immediate review? We will not call a
:34:52. > :34:55.halt to the roll-out because it would be unfair and wrong to people
:34:56. > :34:59.in Scotland or elsewhere to deprive them of the advantages that the
:35:00. > :35:03.universal credit system brings. We continue to work on improving
:35:04. > :35:06.processes, accelerating delivery including with regards to housing, a
:35:07. > :35:14.number of improvements have been made and more are coming. The
:35:15. > :35:20.equality trust report published last week illustrates just how extreme
:35:21. > :35:26.inequality is in the UK, with the pay to limit average pay of CEO 's
:35:27. > :35:29.at over several million pounds a year, and families on universal tax
:35:30. > :35:32.credit will not receive support for the third and subsequent children in
:35:33. > :35:36.a family except for the child is disabled. Yet in that instance the
:35:37. > :35:41.money will be withdrawn from one of the other children. Will the
:35:42. > :35:46.government it withdraw this injustice and scrap the two child
:35:47. > :35:51.limit? Mr Speaker, the limit on support through universal credit and
:35:52. > :35:56.tax credits to the first two children is about making a reduction
:35:57. > :36:01.in our spent on welfare and targeting it inevitable away.
:36:02. > :36:04.Something like 85% of families with one or two children, and where
:36:05. > :36:08.necessary reductions have to be made, this was the correct way to do
:36:09. > :36:12.it. She talks about rising inequality. I would mention that
:36:13. > :36:24.inequality is down and household incomes are at a record level. Meet
:36:25. > :36:27.again? -- me again? Mr Speaker, the department has sought to maintain
:36:28. > :36:31.the services it offers while minimising the impact on claimants
:36:32. > :36:34.as far as possible. These proposals may mean slightly longer or shorter
:36:35. > :36:41.journeys for some claimants and this is taken into account when setting
:36:42. > :36:45.this criteria. May I congratulate my honourable friend the Member for
:36:46. > :36:50.Sheffield Healy the campaign she has run for local residents to keep open
:36:51. > :36:53.the Eastern Avenue job centre which serves both our constituencies. Mr
:36:54. > :36:59.Speaker, is it that the only reason for closing this is to save money
:37:00. > :37:02.and when it closes they will be a need for extra capacity at the job
:37:03. > :37:07.centres and will he begins the figures to show that with this extra
:37:08. > :37:16.capacity will there be any net savings from the closure of Eastern
:37:17. > :37:23.Avenue? Mr Speaker, I hope that I can provide the honourable gentleman
:37:24. > :37:26.some answers. Saving money is not in itself a bad thing. It is a good
:37:27. > :37:30.thing. And this overall programme will save ?180 million Nationwide
:37:31. > :37:35.which means we can reinvest in front-line staff which will have the
:37:36. > :37:38.biggest effect on helping people back into work, specifically with
:37:39. > :37:43.regard to Sheffield, these changes improve the utilisation of the
:37:44. > :37:48.entire estate in Sheffield from 51% to 69% by having some other business
:37:49. > :37:56.moving, as he rightly says, into the other two sites. Mr Speaker, I
:37:57. > :37:59.congratulate the Minister for surviving a grilling from young
:38:00. > :38:04.ambassadors and I welcome the news that there are too young people and
:38:05. > :38:08.employed in the first place, at 554,000 is still too high. Will the
:38:09. > :38:15.Minister look at the report to make sure there are fewer young claimants
:38:16. > :38:21.in the first place? Mr Speaker, I look forward to reading the report
:38:22. > :38:24.and we know that particularly at the start of your career any day is
:38:25. > :38:33.spent unemployed can have a lasting effect so it is especially important
:38:34. > :38:37.that we redouble our efforts. May I suggest that he does not know how
:38:38. > :38:40.much the closure of Eastern Avenue will save, we don't now how much
:38:41. > :38:43.rent is spent there, we don't know how much needs to be spent to
:38:44. > :38:47.increase capacity for the additional claimants that will have to go to
:38:48. > :38:50.the other job centres so Minister put those figures before the House
:38:51. > :38:56.before making his final statement to the House of Commons and Mike will
:38:57. > :38:59.he put those figures? Mr Speaker, all the staff and services from
:39:00. > :39:05.Eastern Avenue will be moving to West Street or bank Street and I
:39:06. > :39:07.want to reassure her that in our projections and modelling of course
:39:08. > :39:12.we have taken into account the particular space that will be
:39:13. > :39:23.required for those people and for the level of workload. Moving the
:39:24. > :39:30.job centre to the periphery of London, high Barnet, will cause a 40
:39:31. > :39:37.minute journey to my constituents. Would the Minister agree to revisit
:39:38. > :39:41.these proposals? Mr Speaker, we have embarked upon a programme of change,
:39:42. > :39:46.this comes at the end of the 20 year PFI contract and there is both an
:39:47. > :39:50.opportunity and requirement to review what we need in terms of the
:39:51. > :39:55.estate. It is the case that London and of course particularly high, and
:39:56. > :39:59.can be particularly challenging in the commercial market. What we have
:40:00. > :40:05.sought to do is minimise the effects on claimants, make sure there's a
:40:06. > :40:09.good coverage of services within reach, and outside, where the new
:40:10. > :40:14.job centre is beyond three miles by public transport, we run a
:40:15. > :40:20.consultation. Question ten, Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker, throughout the
:40:21. > :40:25.development of these proposals we've been mindful at every turn of the
:40:26. > :40:28.impact on staff and customers. Other statistical analysis and local
:40:29. > :40:33.knowledge have informed the proposals which are still subject to
:40:34. > :40:38.consultation with staff and, where appropriate, the public. Thank you,
:40:39. > :40:41.Mr Speaker. Almost one quarter of the job centres earmarked for
:40:42. > :40:47.closure are in London. And the Minister will know that both the
:40:48. > :40:55.disability unemployment rate and the B M E unemployment rate is higher in
:40:56. > :40:58.London and elsewhere. Is the reason why the Equality Impact Assessment
:40:59. > :41:01.has been delayed as the fact that it will show a disproportionate impact
:41:02. > :41:09.on those groups that typically need the most support to access
:41:10. > :41:14.employment? No, Mr Speaker, we have been mindful throughout our duties
:41:15. > :41:18.under section 149 of the equality act 2010. The quality analysis will
:41:19. > :41:20.inform the final decision making process and is an integral part of
:41:21. > :41:36.the thinking process throughout. What work is the minister doing for
:41:37. > :41:43.minority groups. Mr Speaker, there are a number of very good local
:41:44. > :41:48.projects. I don't have a list in front of me, but there's good work
:41:49. > :41:57.that carries on. It's best to see where best practice can be
:41:58. > :42:02.replicated. Thank you Mr Speaker. With your permission, I'll answer
:42:03. > :42:09.questions 11 and 20 together with the same answer that I gave the
:42:10. > :42:13.honourable gentleman from Ross Skye and Lock harbour before. The
:42:14. > :42:19.Government's been clear on the introduction of further transition
:42:20. > :42:25.arrangements cannot be justified. There are no plans to go beyond the
:42:26. > :42:32.billion concession which was introduced when Parliament
:42:33. > :42:36.considered the changes. In response to the minister's answer, will he
:42:37. > :42:40.respond to the comments made by his Government's former Pensions
:42:41. > :42:45.Minister, Baroness Altman who said she regretted the Government's
:42:46. > :42:50.failure to properly communicate the state pension age equalisation, an
:42:51. > :42:54.approach she described as a massive failure of public policy and Steve
:42:55. > :42:59.Webb, your former Pensions Minister who said the last Government made a
:43:00. > :43:06.bad decision on changing the state pension age. Will he look at
:43:07. > :43:11.rectifying that? Well, in the case of the latter case, the gentleman
:43:12. > :43:15.mentioned, Steve Webb, was Pensions Minister at the time, so I don't
:43:16. > :43:19.think there's much further I can say about that. As far as the
:43:20. > :43:23.communications of the changes of 1995 were concerned, there were
:43:24. > :43:28.extensive communications, millions of people checked their state
:43:29. > :43:30.pension requirements and it was publicised, there were leaflets
:43:31. > :43:38.produced and I feel this has been said many times on the floor of this
:43:39. > :43:43.House and I can reiterate them. Not for the minister to say earlier
:43:44. > :43:47.on that that's it for the was pill women - everything's been done that
:43:48. > :43:51.was going to be done. Has he given any consideration to one of the
:43:52. > :43:56.recommendations that came out of the DWP Select Committee which talked
:43:57. > :44:00.about allowing the was pill women the chance to claim their pensions
:44:01. > :44:04.at a reduced rate early which is cost neutral and fits in other areas
:44:05. > :44:11.where the Government have allowed pensioners to take their pensions
:44:12. > :44:14.early to reduce rate -- WASPI. The proposal is not cost neutral, it's
:44:15. > :44:19.impractical and impossible to do in the time concerned. I've made it
:44:20. > :44:22.very clear that the transitional arrangements that were made at the
:44:23. > :44:25.time of the Pensions Bill going through Parliament, are all that
:44:26. > :44:29.will be provided. What was the minimum notice received
:44:30. > :44:43.by those facing the maximum increase in age? There were two acts of
:44:44. > :44:47.Parliament that the changes took place, 1995 which was the main
:44:48. > :44:54.change, and then the Pensions Bill after that. I would like to make it
:44:55. > :45:06.clear that after the 1995 one, 18 months was the maximum time for
:45:07. > :45:09.change since the that Bill. The John Gridland report indicated
:45:10. > :45:13.that could be an increase. It's right and proper for any Government
:45:14. > :45:15.to consider increasing the state pension aid. However will my right
:45:16. > :45:20.honourable friend reassure the House if indeed there are any changes to
:45:21. > :45:23.the state pension age, that it will be communicated at a timely and
:45:24. > :45:28.inappropriate manner so those affected do actually know about it?
:45:29. > :45:32.The Government will be making a full response to the report that my right
:45:33. > :45:36.honourable friend mentions. The review's forward looking and I must
:45:37. > :45:39.make clear, will not make recommendations for any changes to
:45:40. > :45:42.happen before 2028. That was a commitment in the Autumn Statement
:45:43. > :45:48.of 2013. The minister said in terms the
:45:49. > :45:51.Government can't afford to fund transitional arrangements. Can I
:45:52. > :45:55.suggest he looks again with the Chancellor of the Exchequer at
:45:56. > :45:59.spending over ?30 billion on tax relief for pension contributions for
:46:00. > :46:05.which there is no evidence it encourages savings on pensions.
:46:06. > :46:10.Well, there's a lot happening in pensions at the moment. The answer
:46:11. > :46:12.to his question is, the point that he mentions from the Chancellor of
:46:13. > :46:17.the Exchequer is something completely different. But there'll
:46:18. > :46:21.be no change to the transitional arrangements that were billion.
:46:22. > :46:25.Thank you, Mr Speaker. Labour will oppose the earlier increase from the
:46:26. > :46:28.state pension age at the end of the triple lock as recommended in the
:46:29. > :46:31.report. We also welcome the statement from John Cridland that
:46:32. > :46:35.there should be at least ten years' notice given of any age increase, so
:46:36. > :46:39.yet another chance for the minister this afternoon, does the Government
:46:40. > :46:45.agree with Cridland and if so, will the minister now admit that they got
:46:46. > :46:49.it badly wrong with the WASPI women and back Labour's proposals at least
:46:50. > :46:52.for the pensions Tax Credit? As I said before, Mr Speaker, the
:46:53. > :47:02.Government will be responding to the Cridland Review by the end of May.
:47:03. > :47:07.With permission Mr Speaker, I'll answer questions 12, 18 and 23
:47:08. > :47:10.together. Every Government department is preparing for a
:47:11. > :47:14.smooth, orderly exit from the European Union, we are confident
:47:15. > :47:18.we'll be able to secure a deal that works in the mutual interests of
:47:19. > :47:23.both the UK and the rest of the EU. We are considering various policy
:47:24. > :47:27.options. 472,000 people who've retired to the
:47:28. > :47:31.EU currently get automatic annual increases in state pension. It's
:47:32. > :47:34.unclear whether this Government could strike a deal after the
:47:35. > :47:40.departure for the EU if it manages to do so. Can the minister guarantee
:47:41. > :47:44.the elderly EU ex-pats will not join the 550,000 retirees whose payments
:47:45. > :47:48.no longer increase under the triple lock? The Prime Minister's been
:47:49. > :47:51.clear, she wants to protect the rights of British citizens currently
:47:52. > :47:54.living in European member states in the same way that we want to protect
:47:55. > :47:58.the status of EU nationals already living here. This will clearly be
:47:59. > :48:02.one of the important matters for negotiations in the months ahead.
:48:03. > :48:07.Thank you, Mr Speaker. Does the Secretary of State agree with me
:48:08. > :48:16.that his Government have form in failing to protect workers' rights.
:48:17. > :48:20.How can we trust his department to guarantee work else' rights after
:48:21. > :48:25.Article 50 is triggered? I'm glad the honourable gentleman's
:48:26. > :48:32.brought that to the attention of the House. The Government has pledged to
:48:33. > :48:36.maintain workers' rights during the course of the negotiations and I'm
:48:37. > :48:40.glad that he gives me the chance to remind the House that the greatest
:48:41. > :48:45.right is the right to a job. Employment is at its highest level
:48:46. > :48:48.ever in this country. Reports over the weekend suggest the UK
:48:49. > :48:52.Government intends EU migrants currently living here are able to
:48:53. > :48:56.retain access to benefits, those who arrive after Article 50 is triggered
:48:57. > :49:01.will be denied that access. Does the Secretary of State agree this is
:49:02. > :49:04.dependent on the will of the EU member states and his Government
:49:05. > :49:07.can't guarantee any of the rights as it presses ahead dragging us into
:49:08. > :49:13.the unknown without any credible plan? I'm sure the honourable lady
:49:14. > :49:16.lady will know that nobody from this despatch box will comment on
:49:17. > :49:20.speculative leaks and she'll know that of course we are about to enter
:49:21. > :49:24.a negotiation and we are confident that we'll get a good result for the
:49:25. > :49:31.people of Britain and that's what we'll be doing.
:49:32. > :49:35.Thank you, Mr Speaker. The evaluation of the previous cap
:49:36. > :49:39.speaks for itself. Capped households were 41% more likely to move into
:49:40. > :49:42.work than similar uncapped households contributing to the
:49:43. > :49:47.record levels of employment we see today. Over 26,000 households who'd
:49:48. > :49:50.previously been capped are now in work since 2013.
:49:51. > :49:54.Can my right honourable friend give me some examples of how the benefit
:49:55. > :49:59.cap is working in my own constituency in Northampton?
:50:00. > :50:04.I thank manufacture for that question. In Northampton South, 110
:50:05. > :50:10.thousands holds have been capped since April 2013, of those, 90 are
:50:11. > :50:15.no longer caps, of these around 48%, 40 households, have moved into work.
:50:16. > :50:20.In Northampton South, they are outperforming the national average.
:50:21. > :50:23.Topical questions. Number one, Mr Speaker.
:50:24. > :50:28.Mr Speaker, I would like to draw the attention of the House to the more
:50:29. > :50:33.generous Universal Credit coming into effect on 10th April. This dem
:50:34. > :50:37.strays our commitment to helping people gain independence over their
:50:38. > :50:42.own lives by getting on and progressing in work. The new paper
:50:43. > :50:46.rate of 63% will boost the incomes of three million families by ?700
:50:47. > :50:51.million a year, a couple with two children benefits by as much as ?425
:50:52. > :50:54.a year. When combined with the introduction of the national living
:50:55. > :50:59.wage and increases in the personal tax allowance, the changes equate to
:51:00. > :51:03.the biggest pay rise for the lowest earners in a generation. Newcastle's
:51:04. > :51:08.paid a high price for being the first city to go full service
:51:09. > :51:12.Universal Credit with claims routinely lost, delayed and
:51:13. > :51:17.repeatedly deleted. But it's the sixth week wait period which is
:51:18. > :51:23.doing the most to drive so many into destitution and losing their home.
:51:24. > :51:28.80% of Newcastle's council house tenants on Universal Credit are now
:51:29. > :51:31.in rent arrears. Will the minister end Thwaite period or explain how
:51:32. > :51:41.you are supposed to keep a roof over your head with no money?
:51:42. > :51:48.Two points for the honourable lady. The National Association of Almos
:51:49. > :51:52.say under the legacy benefit, 75% of tenants by calculations are in
:51:53. > :51:56.arrears, so she's not suggesting this has happened... This is what
:51:57. > :52:00.has been happening for a very long time. The idea that Universal Credit
:52:01. > :52:05.causes housing arrears is just nonsense. The second point is, she
:52:06. > :52:09.will know there is a trail finder arrangement which she'll know that
:52:10. > :52:13.my don't is working with Newcastle City Council on, precisely to
:52:14. > :52:18.address the problems that may be here now, that have been there for
:52:19. > :52:25.many, many years. I warmly welcome the latest fall in
:52:26. > :52:28.unemployment, particularly the 52% reduction since 2010 in my
:52:29. > :52:32.constituency, that is Cornwall. Will my right honourable friend please
:52:33. > :52:36.endorse the work of Motivate South West which supports young people
:52:37. > :52:40.into employment and training and continue to do all he can to help
:52:41. > :52:43.those industrial struggling to find employment?
:52:44. > :52:47.Well, Mr Speaker, I do welcome the news from my right honourable
:52:48. > :52:53.friend's constituency which has seen such a strong fall in unemployment
:52:54. > :52:57.and I acknowledge the key roll played by third sector
:52:58. > :53:01.organisations. We continue to work with those programmes, work
:53:02. > :53:04.academies, the new youth obligation and the roll-out of course of
:53:05. > :53:08.Universal Credit. We heard earlier, Mr Speaker, about
:53:09. > :53:12.the cuts in PIP support to people with mental health conditions
:53:13. > :53:17.brought in ten days ago in which the Government estimate will affect
:53:18. > :53:21.160,000 people. This time next week, half a million sick or disabled
:53:22. > :53:25.people who've been found not fit for work and placed in the work related
:53:26. > :53:31.activity group will start to see a cut in support of 1500 a year. Given
:53:32. > :53:36.that disabled people are twice as likely to live in poverty as
:53:37. > :53:39.non-disabled people and the recent analysis which shows a significant
:53:40. > :53:44.increase in this, how does the Secretary of State justify these
:53:45. > :53:48.cumulative cuts to disabled people? Well, the first answer is that, when
:53:49. > :53:53.she talks about cuts to 160,000 people, she is of course wrong.
:53:54. > :54:02.Nobody is receiving a cut from the original award they were given by
:54:03. > :54:06.the DWP. On the ESA changes she mentions, she says how do I justify
:54:07. > :54:10.it. Disabled people and people with health conditions deserve better
:54:11. > :54:15.than the current system where only one in 100 RAG claimants leave ESA
:54:16. > :54:18.benefit each month. I hope the honourable gentleman who is cheering
:54:19. > :54:23.from a sedentary position agrees that we need to change the system
:54:24. > :54:27.that. Is why we are proposing a huge number of different types of help
:54:28. > :54:30.including financial help, advice help, across-the-board which will
:54:31. > :54:33.help them into work. Thank you Mr Speaker. Some of my constituents
:54:34. > :54:37.have raised concerns about changes to their PIP payments. Will the
:54:38. > :54:41.minister assure me that claimants will not see any reduction in their
:54:42. > :54:47.PIP payments and that changes are to ensure help is targeted to those
:54:48. > :54:51.most in need. I can give the honourable lady those reassurances.
:54:52. > :54:55.There is no change to award amounts. The budget or the policy. This
:54:56. > :54:59.benefit is not about a particular condition, it's about how that
:55:00. > :55:02.condition impacts on your life. It's the social definition of disability
:55:03. > :55:09.and I can assure her constituents it will continue to be the case.
:55:10. > :55:12.Last week the Scottish Government wrote to the Government to voice
:55:13. > :55:18.concerns about Universal Credits pushing more people into hardship
:55:19. > :55:22.and debt. The SNP asked for a complete and immediate halt to the
:55:23. > :55:27.roll-out of Universal Credit which is having an appalling impact on
:55:28. > :55:32.people across my constituency and is having a further knock-on to council
:55:33. > :55:35.resortses. When will the minister realise the changes are punishing
:55:36. > :55:38.some of the most vulnerable in society -- resources. There are
:55:39. > :55:42.warnings from the Scottish Government and others across
:55:43. > :55:47.Scotland to stop this process now. Mr Speaker, universe Al credit is a
:55:48. > :55:50.massive reform. I know of no other country where there is a comparable
:55:51. > :55:56.system that stays with people when they are out of work to go into
:55:57. > :55:59.work. Are there challenges, yes, but the transformational benefits in
:56:00. > :56:02.sight are immense. Can I put it to the honourable
:56:03. > :56:08.member for east Hampshire that whilst no MP wants a DWP office
:56:09. > :56:14.closure, nevertheless there may be significant advantages to the King's
:56:15. > :56:18.Lynn DWP office to collocate with a Borough Council where the Synergies
:56:19. > :56:27.are there for for example Housing Benefit. CCG, DWP and others.
:56:28. > :56:31.We are embarking on a number of colocations, which can be good for
:56:32. > :56:35.claimants and the taxpayer. More services claimants need to access
:56:36. > :56:42.because they're in one place and making good use of public estate.
:56:43. > :56:51.My constituent has obtained a court order obtaining custody to his two
:56:52. > :56:55.scans, yet has denied tax credits because a letter had been sent to
:56:56. > :56:59.his former wife and she had not responded, during this time tax
:57:00. > :57:02.credits were paid to her and it took four months and my intervention to
:57:03. > :57:06.make sure he received the tax credits that he and his sons were
:57:07. > :57:11.entitled to, will Minister review this process to ensure there is no
:57:12. > :57:18.longer happens, so few people do not have to depend on food banks and the
:57:19. > :57:26.kindness of relatives. The honourable lady will of course note
:57:27. > :57:34.that these cases for within the remit of the Treasury. I see what
:57:35. > :57:39.the Secretary of State was hinting, no doubt an answer will be finished
:57:40. > :57:43.in due course. As the team seen the news today about the one hour per
:57:44. > :57:47.month zero contract with Santander back. Could they guarantee that in
:57:48. > :57:53.no circumstances will the job ever be advertised like that in a job
:57:54. > :57:58.centre in this country? Mr Speaker I can't comment on an individual case
:57:59. > :58:02.but we know that something less than 3% of people report that they rely
:58:03. > :58:07.on zero hours contract. One of those people on average they get 25 hours
:58:08. > :58:10.a week and they have above average levels of job satisfaction. Zero our
:58:11. > :58:17.contracts are not for everyone that they do work for some people. 17% of
:58:18. > :58:20.the working age population suffers from the disability. With Labour
:58:21. > :58:25.shortage and issue in my constituency I am committed to
:58:26. > :58:27.signing up 30 employees to be disability confident organisations.
:58:28. > :58:31.Given that I am meeting my chamber of commerce this week with the
:58:32. > :58:42.minister have a message for those members? I thank the gentleman for
:58:43. > :58:47.signing up to be a member of this challenge. As many members
:58:48. > :58:51.cross-party have done. If every member of this House to the
:58:52. > :58:57.challenge we'd sign up enough employers to reach a quarter of the
:58:58. > :59:01.working population of the UK. And I thank him for his leadership in that
:59:02. > :59:07.and wish him well on his visit to the chamber. Mr Speaker the
:59:08. > :59:10.Secretary of State earlier talked about workers' rights. Surely
:59:11. > :59:14.workers' rights should also include the right to some certainty? Will he
:59:15. > :59:20.talked to his fellow ministers and the Home Office about the fact that
:59:21. > :59:25.many officers in this country who are European nationals and have
:59:26. > :59:27.lived here figures and have children who are British are told they must
:59:28. > :59:35.have comprehensive health insurance to stay here? The honourable
:59:36. > :59:38.gentleman has made his point forcefully. I am in constant
:59:39. > :59:46.discussion with colleagues in the Home Office about a wide range of
:59:47. > :59:53.issues involving the Labour market. Thank you, Mr Speaker, what steps is
:59:54. > :59:59.my right honourable friend taking to help more women in other parts of
:00:00. > :00:05.the country return to employment for example like my constituents? Mr
:00:06. > :00:10.Speaker we have female employment at a near record rate and we've seen
:00:11. > :00:15.the gender pay gap come-down that there's more to do. One of the key
:00:16. > :00:22.thing is happening this year is of course the extension of childcare
:00:23. > :00:31.with 30 hours and tax-free child killers well. Thank you, Mr Speaker,
:00:32. > :00:35.it was signed last year that of all women over 3024% have saved nothing
:00:36. > :00:40.for retirement compared to 15% of men. What does the Secretary of
:00:41. > :00:48.State Phil is responsible for this and what is he doing to challenge
:00:49. > :00:50.it? This has been designed specifically to help those
:00:51. > :00:57.underrepresented in pension schemes especially women and with the
:00:58. > :01:07.current rate, in 2017-2018 70% of the people coming into the new
:01:08. > :01:16.system is winning. People surveyed by epilepsy action saw the benefit
:01:17. > :01:19.removed and reduced. Our ministers confident that decision-makers
:01:20. > :01:22.properly understand the fluctuating sporadic and life limiting condition
:01:23. > :01:30.of epilepsy to make the right decisions? We are aware of that, one
:01:31. > :01:39.of the reasons why we increased the clinical support available to
:01:40. > :01:45.assessors, they are all on hand in the assessment centres, something we
:01:46. > :01:51.have brought in recently. Has the Secretary of State watched an appeal
:01:52. > :01:56.hearing from PIP applicants? I have been receiving information and
:01:57. > :01:59.representation from a number of constituencies feel intimidated by
:02:00. > :02:03.the process. What steps are being taken to make sure that the people
:02:04. > :02:11.involved in this process are dealt with with respect and dignity and
:02:12. > :02:18.the compassion which they deserve? I thank the honourable lady for her
:02:19. > :02:21.comments, we take this seriously, we haven't got it right earlier in the
:02:22. > :02:26.process. I have mentioned some of the things that we are doing to
:02:27. > :02:31.build that trust, confidence and support but we are also introducing
:02:32. > :02:35.a video relay service this may as well at will particularly help those
:02:36. > :02:38.who are deaf and hard of hearing. There are a number of small changes
:02:39. > :02:45.like that and we can make to make sure we get a good result earlier in
:02:46. > :02:49.the process. My 20-year-old constituent injured in the line of
:02:50. > :02:53.duty in 2010 was awarded the pension reserved for the most severely
:02:54. > :02:57.injured. He is due to lose his notability vehicle, a decision
:02:58. > :03:02.upheld on reconsideration. Is this the type of person that the
:03:03. > :03:06.government wishes to leave house band? Two things in response to
:03:07. > :03:11.that. Firstly, the particular issues around our Armed Forces are
:03:12. > :03:13.something that we have been particularly considering in the
:03:14. > :03:22.green paper, which gives opportunities not just for ESA but
:03:23. > :03:27.also PIP. And we are looking to passport information concerning
:03:28. > :03:30.medical history into our benefit system. I would be happy to look at
:03:31. > :03:37.the honourable lady's case with regards to notability. Melanie on.
:03:38. > :03:41.Thank you, Mr Speaker. One private landlord came to see me with his
:03:42. > :03:45.tenant with concerns about future eviction rate if there is no option
:03:46. > :03:52.and universal credit friend to be paid directly to landlords in
:03:53. > :03:57.future? -- no option under universal credit for rent to be paid directly?
:03:58. > :04:01.This option exists when necessary and we are streamlining the process
:04:02. > :04:06.of doing that. We do think the general principle is right, people
:04:07. > :04:11.should know their housing liabilities and pay their rent when
:04:12. > :04:14.they are out of work and in work. I am reminded that new unemployed
:04:15. > :04:18.claimants get a lower rate of benefit starting in about ten days.
:04:19. > :04:21.Some of those people will find themselves in difficulties, do
:04:22. > :04:26.ministers have new proposals for help? We do, in addition to the
:04:27. > :04:30.support of all the elements of which are in place, we have been doing a
:04:31. > :04:35.number of things in the department, one of which is a big piece of work
:04:36. > :04:39.looking at social tariffs and enabling people to have the right
:04:40. > :04:45.tools and information to reduce household outgoings and give them
:04:46. > :04:47.budgeting support. Mr Speaker coming in November last year my motion
:04:48. > :04:53.calling upon the government to at least pause ESA until green paper
:04:54. > :04:57.proposals were brought in was unanimously carried by the House. It
:04:58. > :05:02.was the last parliamentary week before the cuts happen before so can
:05:03. > :05:08.she confirmed that the mitigations she promised will be set before this
:05:09. > :05:11.House for scrutiny? They are already in place. I think this is a
:05:12. > :05:14.misunderstanding that the honourable gentleman card. The elements
:05:15. > :05:17.outlined in the Green paper will not speculative, there were not things
:05:18. > :05:21.we would consult on, they were things we were going to do. And all
:05:22. > :05:24.those elements including all of the recruitment for all community
:05:25. > :05:32.partners around the country are in place now. Thank you, Mr Speaker,
:05:33. > :05:37.turning back to travel times, given that different results have been
:05:38. > :05:41.presented by Google maps which has been shown to be inaccurate as some
:05:42. > :05:44.bus services are no longer in operation, can the Minister say
:05:45. > :05:47.which tests have been brought in to check the accuracy of the
:05:48. > :05:52.information and if there is a possibility of the rooms being
:05:53. > :05:56.breached, is there going to be further public consultation. Mr
:05:57. > :05:59.Speaker, the honourable gentleman and I and number of colleagues had
:06:00. > :06:05.several opportunities to debate these matters with opportunities to
:06:06. > :06:10.go to individual locations one by one. We used a variety of sources in
:06:11. > :06:17.order to determine travel times and reasonableness of travel, and the
:06:18. > :06:22.ministerial criteria say that if some places within three miles, or
:06:23. > :06:25.20 minutes by public transport is reasonable, we can ask someone to
:06:26. > :06:32.make that Jenny, otherwise there will be a consultation. Tracey
:06:33. > :06:35.Braeburn. Thank you, Mr Speaker, a constituent of mine lost a job on
:06:36. > :06:40.Christmas eve. She's denied universal credit because she is aged
:06:41. > :06:43.over 60 and is denied jobseeker's allowance because her husband has a
:06:44. > :06:47.small private pension. The life of this couple has been thrown into
:06:48. > :06:52.financial turmoil. With the Minister agree that it is time the government
:06:53. > :07:00.paid some compensation to this constituent as she has paid in all
:07:01. > :07:03.her life? Mr Speaker, jobseeker's allowance should be available to
:07:04. > :07:10.people of working age. I will have to look at the details of this case
:07:11. > :07:14.if she will be in contact with me. Urgent question, Rebecca Long
:07:15. > :07:17.Bailey. Thank you Mr Speaker. I want to ask the Secretary of State for
:07:18. > :07:21.business, energy and industrial strategy if he will make a statement
:07:22. > :07:33.on the nuclear decommissioning authority's early contract
:07:34. > :07:35.terminations on one estate. The Secretary of State for business
:07:36. > :07:43.energy and industrial strategy, Secretary Doctor Greg Clark. This
:07:44. > :07:54.morning I informed the House that the nuclear decommissioning
:07:55. > :07:57.authority had terminated its contracts, a tender process resulted
:07:58. > :08:09.in 40 new contract being awarded in September 2014. A joint-venture
:08:10. > :08:11.between one British firm. Work began on September one, 2014 and then they
:08:12. > :08:12.started