Live Work and Pensions Questions House of Commons

of Parliament at 11pm. First its

questions to the Work and Pensions

Secretary Esther McVey and her

ministerial team.

Question number

one.

Secretary Esther McVey.

Thank

you Mr Speaker. Where all the

sponsored employers have entered

insolvency they will enter an

assessment period. The pension

protection fund will actively work

with the scheme to assess whether

they are able to buy out their

pensions at a higher level than the

benefits. Where a scheme cannot do

this, PFF will provide compensation.

Contribution schemes do not need PFF

help because they do not promise the

level of pension.

The government has

presided over a regulatory scheme

where a deficit of about £1 billion

has been allowed to build up in the

pension fund. At the same time as

shareholders were receiving

dividends. Can the Secretary of

State guarantee that all former

Carillion employees will receive

their due pension in full?

Is what

the government has done and done

successfully back in 2004 was set up

the pension protection fund, which

is there to compensate people should

their businesses become insolvent.

This is what the fund will be doing.

It will be affording protection at

100% for those who have got a

pension and for those who are not a

pension yet, they will be getting

90% of the fund. What this

government is doing is ensuring that

businesses that should be held

responsible to their employees and

for their pensions, we will be

bringing in stronger corporate

governance rules to make sure that

the boards, the trustees, the

shareholders and the stakeholders

are holding those company executives

to account.

Financial directors must

not cause detriment to any private

sector pension scheme. Right

honourable friend ensure that the

rules and regulations regarding the

investigation of this sort of

practice are toughened up? We can't

allow this to happen in the future.

Absolutely right, and that is what

this government is seeking to do, is

ensuring that the regulator will, as

our new Bill comes out later in the

year, have more rights to find, to

follow criminal procedures, and also

looking to mandate to read

clearance. Any of us who have

studied corporate governance

realised rules changed back in 1991.

The rules were strengthened in 2002,

and I believe now under this

Conservative government will be

strengthening those corporate

governance rules again.

My

constituents who have paid into

pension funds deserve to have those

money is protected. Can the

Secretary of State be a bit more

specific? What changes does she want

to see the corporate governance to

ensure that high risk behaviour

towards pension funds doesn't happen

again?

We are getting feedback from

various businesses, how they think

we would be best to enable and

support businesses. We can't go off

on a knee jerk reaction because we

might actually have unintended

consequences. Where we shine a

spotlight on one area we could close

down loopholes but actually an array

of other ones open up. It's got to

be looked at in the round but like I

said, stakeholders, shareholders,

the executive team should be held to

account and that is what we'll be

making sure happens.

Can my right

honourable friend reassure my

constituents that the UK's pension

protection system has responded

effectively to the Carillion

situation?

I can indeed reassure my

honourable friend that what they are

doing and the avenues they are

pursuing are correct and thorough. I

met with the regulator last week,

and they are making sure that they

investigate these key matters and

provide the pensions support that is

needed. Where we need to strengthen

this up in the future, we will do

so. Equally make to wake aware of

what the pension regulator has done

the past with the British home

stores fiasco, totally different to

this. They did an anti-avoidance

measure, got Philip Green to pay 363

million to his pensioners and also

that the prosecution schemes coming

forward for Chapell who bought that

company for £1.

The government has

responsibility for the pensions

regulatory framework. How would the

Secretary of State describe a

regulatory framework that allows the

administrator of a pension scheme to

help bring about the downfall of the

company and the employees they

represent, and to profit from that

downfall?

If you will, Mr Speaker,

and if you'd allow me to do that.

When I hear some of the things that

the honourable lady on the opposite

bench has said and particularly when

she puts them out of context, she

will have received a letter from the

UK Statistics Authority in the last

two days saying many of the things

that she's said do not have

accuracy. So whether that was about

children waking up in poverty, at

Christmas, or whether that was

linking UC with poverty, actually

said they weren't supported, they

weren't true statistics, and the

sources could not be relied upon.

Could I ask the honourable lady to

make a statement about this letter

from the UK stats authority

straightaway.

I understand the

rhetorical significance of the point

the Secretary of State has made, but

I must exhort the honourable lady to

stick to her last. That is to say,

this is not the occasion on which

she is invited to speak on that

matter. She may find other

opportunities but she should stick

to the line of questioning that is

relevant to questioning a government

Minister.

Thank you Mr Speaker. In

respect that there was absolutely no

answer to my original question,

hundreds of thousands of ordinary

working people including my

constituent Philip wild have lost

half of their retirement income

because of the government's failure

to tackle pensions governance. From

Carillion to NPower, BHS -- from

Carillion to Capita.

Obviously in light of how the chair

of the stats authority has written

to the honourable member about how

we allude to how questions and

answers, what I will say is, and I

think it needs to be put on the

record, the vast majority of defined

benefit pension schemes are working

very well indeed. When we do see

instances of either abuse or illegal

goings-on, they are investigated.

Those people who have done that

brought to account and what we have

got is strong Pension Protection

Fund supported by other businesses

which are looking after pensioners

across the country.

We are committed

to ensuring consumers across the UK

have access to high-quality

impartial and free pensions and

money guidance services, that is why

we are setting up the new single

financial guidance body which is

presently in Bill committee in the

House of Commons. My honourable

friend will be aware the

Conservative government's commitment

is specifically to address debt.

In

a recent poll in the Guardian, 32%

of British workers were found to

have less than £500 in savings. What

is the government doing to promote

long-term savings and support

employers such as the 1340 in

Chichester who have auto enrolled

their employees currently benefiting

13,000 people?

My honourable friend

will be aware that when the debt

respite scheme and the breathing

space goes into law, we believe that

will make eight manifest difference

to how people are dealt with in

respect of debt, as will be single

financial guidance body. I would be

failing in my duty not to pay

tribute to the employers in her

constituency of Chichester who are

doing a brilliant job ensuring that

we have more people in

auto-enrolment, adding to the 9.1

million people across the country

who are now auto enrolled in a

private pension, something we should

be very proud of.

11p per year -- 11

million people per year use price

comparison sites. The FSA in 2014

found they were not delivering fair

and consistent practices. The CMA

says they should be using

easy-to-use systems. What can the

government do to ensure the sites

are easy and straightforward to use?

The simple answer is I will take

that matter up with my colleagues at

the Treasury who are particularly

handling that point. He will be

aware I'm in a Bill committee at the

moment with the exact same Minister

and probably will have an

opportunity tomorrow to have a

discussion about that point.

A

portal that shift supervisor, badly

advised by a pensions predator

preying upon him, made him take the

wrong choice. I will never forgive

myself, he said, because all 20 on

my shift followed my lead. In an

otherwise welcome Bill in the words

of baroness Altman, the government

seems to have bowed to industry

pressure and proposes to weaken

consumer protection for pensions

customers by removing a clause

introduced in the House of Lords. In

her words, more people are at risk

of losing their hard earned savings

in scams, fraud and an wife's

pension withdrawals. She is

absolutely right, will the

government think again?

At an grateful for the opportunity

to have the same debate we had last

Thursday Mr Speaker. I will give the

same answer, no disrespect to

Baroness Altmann, she is incorrect

on this point. The government are

addressing pensions guidance, have

introduced stringent new laws and

have improved upon their work and

pensions select committee points,

something that the honourable15-

honourable15- agreed with last

Thursday.

Thank you Mr Speaker.

Minister Kitt Malthouse.

Mr Speaker

all claims for mortgage loans will

be paid at the same rate, therefore

there will be no impact on income,

claimants will pay back the loan

only on the sale or transfer of the

property when the loan will be

recovered from any available equity.

My constituent, registered blind,

has paid into the system all his

working life and asks how it can be

fair that tenants can continue to

get quite rightly support now but

people like yourself are losing that

interest and support on their

mortgages. It's not enough to say

they will get back at the end.

People are worried about their

futures and worried about their

incomes now, it's not good enough,

Minister.

Mr Speaker mortgage

support is being offered at the same

rate as it currently was, the only

difference and is now deferred as a

lone recoverable against any equity

available in Atlas, should it be

sold in the future, as far as

current participants in the scheme

are concerned they should see

absolutely no difference, unless and

until they sell or transfer the

house at which point the taxpayer

will recover the support offered.

Jessica Morden.

Frankie Mr Speaker.

This change will affect thousands of

low income households, half of whom

are pensioners. Does the minister

act knowledge it has not been well

publicised and at the least the

government should pause and

communicate what this change will

mean for people financially?

I think

we need to recognise Mr Speaker that

we are dealing with support for

people accumulating significant

capital asset and it seems only

right that one equity becomes

available that the taxpayer should

be able to recover some or all of

that support. There has been

significant communication of the

scheme where people are

participating in that continues,

there will be between four and six

written communications, there will

be telephone calls, people will be

invited to call a number where they

can obtain information from a third

party adviser before we get to April

when the scheme comes into play so I

am confident the people taking part

will have enough information. We are

certainly seeing large numbers

making a decision either way at the

moment.

Mr Speaker I've been

contacted by a number of

constituents about this issue

including Mr Milner, a veteran

surviving now on a meagre state

pension. He fears that this change

will force him to sell his house or

repossessed. What assessment as the

Minister made of the impact of this

change especially on pensioners?

There is no reason for anyone to

fear for sale and possession of a

house, not least because the scheme

is designed to avoid exactly that.

If members have specific cases I

will be happy to take them up and of

the honourable15- lady writes to me

about this response I will take it

up.

Mr Speaker we have recently

completed consultations on support

for short term housing and sheltered

housing, we will respond in due

course, we will come forward with

proposals for long-term support and

social housing by 2020.

Thank you Mr

Speaker. My honourable friend is

making useful and valid changes to

this. Will my honourable friend sure

the House that accommodation of

short-term supported housing such as

women's refuges will still be funded

at existing levels with annual grant

to local authorities being ring

fenced?

And is typical of the

honourable lady to have the welfare

of the most vulnerable of her

constituents at the forefront of her

mind. I can confirm that the current

proposals on which we have just

consulted is that the grant will be

paid for provision of refuges and

short-term supported housing, that

it will be ring fenced.

Mr Speaker,

the government 's proposals are an

improvement on initial proposals,

but one has brought criticism from

virtually all providers and that is

with regard to short-term supported

housing. The select committee has

recommended that for agency very

short-term accommodation of 12 weeks

there should be ring fenced grant to

local authorities. The government

have change the definition from 12

weeks to two years. All providers

have condemned this. Will the

government think again about this

and bring accommodation lasting two

years into the welfare system.

Mr

Speaker we are in receipt of a

significant number of responses to

the consultation that only those

weeks ago and will consider those of

the weeks to come. I will be more

than happy to meet the honourable

gentleman and discuss these

concerns.

Thank you Mr Speaker. The

government has promised that all

short term provision currently

funded by the welfare system will

continue to be funded at the same

level by local authorities in 2020.

I'm not in a position to confirm

that Mr Speaker but it will be our

aspiration to provide the current

level of support, indeed enhanced,

better performing support which is

the purpose of the changes in the

future.

Colin Clark.

Question number

six, Mr Speaker. Universal Credit is

having a positive impact since its

start, shown to published research

and analysis. This independent

research shows as people are

spending more time looking for work

they are applying for more jobs and

even doing jobs they would not have

considered doing before.

Thank you

Mr Speaker. Constituents in Gordon

will face longer waiting times for

payments due to the Scottish

Government policy of fortnightly

payment. What support can might

right honourable friend offered to

help reduce this?

Want to thank my

honourable friend. The advice

support would be to take the

approach of England and Wales, which

we are doing because the Scottish

approach, as my honourable friend

refers to, actually delays payment

at the end of the assessment period

as well, to 75% rather than being

100% of money on time, due to this

fortnightly payment.

The

introduction of Universal Credit is

not helping to keep 250 highly

skilled HMRC staff working on tax

credits in Dudley in work. They were

told they would be transferring to

the department to work on Universal

Credit. Last week they were told her

department had cancelled this, their

office will close and they will be

made redundant. Will she ensure that

the transfer goes ahead as

originally planned so that my

constituents can keep their jobs and

will to meet me to discuss it?

I

will indeed meet the honourable

member to discuss this. Because back

in 2016 HMR MRC to denounce this

move, this transfer of jobs. It now

seems that as many jobs were not

needed for this purpose but I do

know that they want to retain the

staff and their skills and

knowledge. I will meet with the

honourable member to discuss the

best way forward.

Has the

temperament lady agree that

Universal Credit is helping people

and it is fairer to the other

employees in those purposes and the

taxpayers will end up supporting the

bill?

My honourable friend brings up

a very good point. Because the

reason we are doing this change, a

significant change from the legacy

system, is to make sure that every

hour of work counts. And what we

will not have missed the situation

whereby people are stuck not working

or having punitive rates of income

tax, 90% and above, if they take

work after 16 hours, this is cutting

edge technology, the UK is leading

the way on flexible benefit which

accompanies flexible working that no

one else has got.

Thank you Mr

Speaker. May I welcome the Secretary

of State to her position. Perhaps

she might show a little more

humility when answering some of

these questions. Has she considered

some of the other benefits that are

not included in Universal Credit,

such as free school meals, free

uniforms, free bus passes, that many

low-paid working families will lose

out on with Universal Credit so they

will be worse off in work than if

they were still on benefits?

Thank

you Mr Speaker. These are precisely

the things that have gone into

consideration when bringing forward

Universal Credit. One is the support

that we are giving the extra

childcare support, what is it,

tailor-made career career advice and

support, and we all need humility

but equally we all need, we all need

to hand out and deliver the correct

facts to people, not embellish, of

sound and fury and drama, and

obviously incorrect information, as

the UK starts authority have

levelled at the Labour Party!

Martin

Saggers.

Thank you Mr Speaker. Last

month I visited Grimsby job centre

which serves my constituency. It is

clear that the staff there are

handling the changeover to Universal

Credit and efficiently. Will the

Secretary of State join me in

complementing the staff? And also

the work that they are doing

providing motivation and

self-confidence in claimants so that

they can see can plummet?

My

honourable friend makes a very good

point. I have met his tremendous

workers in his constituency and I go

out and speak to them all the time.

They are saying to me, the change

that we are delivering to Universal

Credit is the best thing that they

have ever delivered. The support

they can give, and obviously rather

than people on the opposite benches

laughing, it would be well advised

if they would come and join me and

others and meet with work coaches. I

will tell you why we know this is

working. If it was not working, we

would not have an extra 3.1 million

people in work.

Thank you, Mr

Speaker, contrary to the broken

record for the Member for Gordon

will the Secretary of State join me

in welcoming recent introductions in

Universal Credit and what you

consider implementing the Scottish

model here especially since a

colleague in the Scottish Parliament

says he is very much in favour of

them. Mr Speaker, the underlying

principle of how we get people into

work... Equally, to agree with

devolved government and giving extra

powers to devolved governments,

Scotland has the right to do things

in its own way. What we pointed out

earlier is that some of those

changes Scotland are taking on board

a resulting in a slower payment to

people who need their benefits.

The

UK has the joint fifth lowest

employment rate in the EU, better

than France, the Netherlands and

Denmark. The UK's and aplomb and

great, 4.3%, is the lowest in 42

years -- its unemployment rate is

the lowest in 42 years, less than

half of that of the euro area and

three percentage points below the

Inu 28 average.

Thank you, Mr

Speaker, and implement in my

constituency is now less than 1.5%

and those able to work finding jobs.

Can the Secretary of State also

reassure constituents who need

financial support that they will

continue to be supported when

Universal Credit is rolled out later

this year?

I want to congratulate my

honourable friend on the work she

will now be doing is a new MP and

equally her constituents are finding

employment, getting careers and

moving forward, as I said, hand

support and opportunity is what this

government believes in. Equally

Universal Credit is a benefit that

supports people in and out of work,

that support will continue, not only

further constituents but for people

right across the country.

Mr Speaker

were the Secretary of State confirm

that of those who have gone into

work -- will she confirm, that's a

good thing, many are living in

poverty because of low pay, because

this is the inadequacy of our

benefits system.

Mr Speaker, it is

interesting how different people

measure people getting into work,

measure poverty and measure lives

chances because children being born

into workless households are five

times more likely to be in poverty

than those working. And under this

government we have seen 3.1 million

more people in work and the workless

numbers have gone down by over six

in the present, we are helping

people out of poverty and helping

them get a job.

Mr Speaker the

Secretary of State mentioned earlier

dodgy statistics from the party

opposite. I've heard people say that

a lot of the new jobs created or

zero-hours contracts and part-time.

Could she indicate the actual

figures with regard to the number of

jobs created that full-time

permanent jobs?

I thank my

honourable friend, it was not me

talking about dodgy statistics, it

was the chair of the UK stats

authority, but thank you for

pointing that out. The overwhelming

majority of jobs are full-time and

permanent jobs, and those people in

part-time jobs, the vast majority

have chosen to be in part-time jobs.

On the subject of Job searching can

I ask the Secretary of State if

she's had the opportunity to review

the helpful and generous offer from

Liverpool City Council to her

predecessor to provide office space

for closure threatened job centres?

There are two Jobcentres in my

constituency, one that her

government wishes to close leaving

them with zero Jobcentres and they

are due to close within weeks. Has

she had an opportunity to review

that offered to make sure my

constituents continue to receive

implement support?

It's really important everybody gets

the support they need. A lot of the

support going forward will be

outreach work. So they don't need to

go to the JobCentrePlus but actually

further support and support in the

community. But obviously I am

pleased that in the Liverpool city

area and in the north-west area,

which is my hometown, employment is

now far higher than it was in 2010.

When I look at the unemployment

rates by the Labour Party, 2.8

million in 2008 even before the

banking crisis but now it's 1.4

million. We are supporting people,

we will continue to support people

because that's what this

Conservative government does.

I

don't want to see anyone living in

poverty, and no Conservative member

of Parliament once people living in

poverty. Disabled people are some of

the biggest beneficiaries of

Universal Credit with around 1

million disabled households having

an average of £110 a month more on

Universal Credit than they would

have had on the legacy benefits.

As

disability charity in Cheshire has

pointed out, many disabled people

don't have internet access, assisted

technology or the necessary support

to fill in the online form to apply

for Universal Credit. Does the

Minister agree that the application

process needs to be more accessible

so disabled people can easily apply

for these benefits?

The honourable

lady raises a very important point

about accessibility for everyone to

our benefit system. It's something

we'll take very seriously. I'm very

grateful for the support that the

foundation and a range of

stakeholders give us in designing

the process, to make sure that it's

accessible as possible.

Does the

Minister agree it's important we are

absolutely scrupulous in our

presentation of the facts around

Universal Credit. I wrote to the UK

Statistics Authority to query the

claim that 40,000 children will wake

up in poverty on Christmas Day

because the Tories refused to pause

the roll-out of Universal Credit. On

Friday I was told it is clearly

important statements by a political

party should be fully supported by

the statistics and sources on which

they rely. We do not believe...

Order. He's got the thrust of it

across and how is doubtless will be

grateful to him but this isn't a

debate, it's question time about the

policies. He is finished for today

on this. It's about the policies of

the government. The Secretary of

State has made the point about

statistics authority which I allowed

her to make perfectly properly but

it's not now the occasion for

dilation on beatitude of the

opposition. It's questions to

ministers on the policies of the

government. Please don't dilate on

that matter because it's out of

order.

I think it's a very important

matter that anybody who stands up in

this Parliament take their

responsibilities towards the treat

extremely seriously.

Some specialist

employment services for people with

a distil -- with a disability are

subcontracted to these small local

agencies minus a management fee and

with an unsatisfactory remote

control. With these small local

agencies not have more resources

were needed, and also better value

for money for people?

He raises the

very important point of specialist

providers of employment for people.

This is a very important sector

which the government has a proud

tradition of supporting. I meet with

stakeholders readily and we are

always looking to see what more we

can do to help them sustainably

provide the invaluable employment

opportunities that they do.

Despite

the government's claim that most

severely disabled person moved on to

Universal Credit would be worse off,

we now know that that is not the

case. Scrapping the disability

premiums will have just that effect.

Transitional protection for existing

claimants can easily be lost where

there is a change in circumstance,

such as moving into work, and if

that job doesn't last. What

assessment has the Minister carried

out on the impact of abolishing

these disability premiums on

disabled people and will she agree

that transitional protection should

itself be retained so that it is not

lost where there is a change in

circumstance?

I thank the honourable

lady for her question. Unlike the

previous system, Universal Credit is

more targeted and supporters focused

on those that need it the most.

Transitional protection is available

for people who move into Universal

Credit from other benefits, provided

their circumstances say the same. My

honourable friend the Minister for

employment, when giving evidence to

the select committee last week, said

that he was aware of the situation

and he is thinking very carefully

about this issue.

The government has

taken a number of steps to reduce

the risk of problem debt including

capping payday lending costs and

promoting savings. Within Universal

Credit we also have interest-free

advances in the system to help

claimants who have got into arrears.

The government's own data showed

that rising numbers on Universal

Credit falling into rent arrears and

many claimants are going to food

banks and approaching payday

lenders. This is a loan which is to

be repaid at 40% of the standard

allowance. Another 40% can be

deducted to repay creditors, for

example utilities. That's a total of

80%. Can the Minister reassure me

that 80% of the individual allowance

cannot be a deducted and at

affordability checks are carried out

before any deductions are actioned?

Of course the honourable lady is

right to highlight the point that we

want to make sure that we help those

in arrears. She also knows that

research done by the National

Federation have found three quarters

of tenants were in rent arrears

already before they moved into

Universal Credit. She talks about

reductions but I would be happy to

meet with her to discuss this

further.

Thank you for arranging a

visit from eaters Universal Credit

working in his constituency this

Friday. Can my honourable friend

outlined the steps being taken to

ensure organisations on the ground

are able to how vulnerable people

access Universal Credit advances

rather than get into debt?

I can

confirm that work coaches and those

who performed the interview that Job

Centres make people aware that they

can access 100% advances which are

interest-free. The other aspect that

is available is support in terms of

personal budgeting support which

individuals who need it can also

receive.

1272 new jobs have been

created in Basildon South and

Warwick East since 2010, an increase

in no small part due to my

honourable friend's efforts. You'll

be aware that older work in

employment levels are at a record

high and in his region 85,000 50-64

-year-olds are in employment, and

increase since 2010. 120,000 with an

increase of 45,000 since 2010.

Does

my honourable friend agree with me

that encouraging businesses to be

flexible in the way they employ

older workers is one way to bridge

the skills gap and keep older

workers in the employment market for

longer, sharing their experience and

knowledge?

The full working life

strategy launched by this department

last year is there specifically to

support over 50s into employment and

provide them with the skills and

retraining they need, and which

businesses specifically value. There

are a number of exemplar businesses.

He'll also be aware that individual

people created over 26,000 new

businesses since 2011 which offer

over 50s.

Many older workers and

their necessarily by choice. I think

in particular the WASPI women who

are having to go into work because

of the inadequacies of their pension

provisions. What is the government

going to do about this?

The

government has no intention to

revise the pension acts introduced

by previous governments and by the

coalition, but I would make the

point very strongly that the average

employment throughout over 50s and

over 64 has increased dramatically

since 2010.

I'd like to answer

question 11 with question 12.

Universal Credit transforms the

welfare state and the roll-out is

proceeding to plan with Universal

Credit now available in one third of

Job Centres in Great Britain.

Easterhouse Housing and regeneration

is a coalition of independent

Housing associations in my

constituency. They have profound

concerns about the roll-out of

Universal Credit in Glasgow. Given

that the government has made

commitments to make people from

their own ventures, will he come to

my constituency and listen to their

concerns?

Where we have a role that

Universal Credit we have done it in

a manner that makes sense and works.

Right now 9% of those who will end

up on Universal Credit are on

Universal Credit, it will reach 11%

by June this year. I am undertaking

a range of visits across the country

to Job Centres and I will make sure

that I make a visit to Scotland and

we can have a discussion where there

is an opportunity to visit him as

well.

A terminally ill man has won

the right to raise a landmark

challenge to the government after

the introduction of Universal Credit

left him significantly worse off.

Having already acted unlawfully to

1.6 million PIP claimants, does the

Minister guarantee that his

government will not be found guilty

of unfairly treating the terminally

ill?

I will be absolutely clear. The

changes we are making in Universal

Credit and in the benefits system

are bare and focused on protecting

the most vulnerable. That is the

underlying policy of Universal

Credit and we will continue to do

that.

Has the Minister had any

discussions with colleagues in the

Department for Education about their

proposals for eligibility of

Universal Credit claimants to free

school meals? If the current

proposal went ahead it would

introduce a huge new benefit trap

into the system, far worse than

anything in the old system that

Universal Credit was supposed to

remove such traps not create new

ones.

1.1 million young people,

students, receive free school meals

currently. If the policy put forward

as part of the consultation goes

forward where there is an earnings

threshold of 7400, there will be an

additional 50,000 young people who

will benefit from free school meals.

Mr Speaker, with permission I'll

take questions 13 and 15 together.

Both honourable ladies are right to

recognise the role that welfare

reform is playing in alleviating

child poverty. Work is the best

route out of poverty and Universal

Credit enables parents to move into

and progress in work. It cannot be

considered in isolation, it's a key

component of a broader strategy to

move Britain to a higher wage, low

welfare and low tax society.

Due to

policies pursued since 2010, we have

20,700 children in poverty across

Hull, with food poverty and holiday

hunger growing. Including in working

families. Will the Minister tell us

whether restricting the free school

meals in Universal Credit will

create that cliff edge making the

situation even more dire in the most

disadvantaged communities?

Mr

Speaker, it's undoubtedly the case

as my right honourable friend said

earlier the children are five times

more likely to be in poverty if they

are in a workless household. The

thrust of this government is to get

as many people into work as we can.

We would never contemplate anything

that would get in the way of those

kind of incentives. The current

proposals on free school meals will

mean nobody loses out and there may

be more recipients in the future.

Mr Speaker figures published last

month showed 27% of children in my

constituency in Lincoln live in low

income households, these are

families relying on Universal

Credit. My question is, does the

Minister believe it is acceptable

that families in Lincoln, living in

poverty, have to rely on food banks

particularly due to problems with

the roll-out of Universal Credit.

Mr

Speaker I'm sure the honourable lady

welcomes the fall in the claimant

count in her constituency over the

last few years. To come to her

question, as many members will know,

the causes of people going to food

banks are complex. In my

constituency for example the food

tanker was established in 2006 at

the height of Labour's conduct of

the economy and the welfare system

but is a department we do need to

think carefully about some of these

issues and we will do in the future.

Michael Tomlinson.

Thank you Mr

Speaker. May I welcome my honourable

friend to his place and does he

agree that on the subject of

children living in poverty it's

important to have a grown-up debate

rather than bandying around and

qualified figures?

The right

honourable gentleman makes a strong

point and is right, looking at

National statistics on several

measures we've seen child poverty

fall and in particular we have seen

200,000 children over the last few

years move out of absolute poverty.

Thank you Mr Speaker, for too long a

parent has been able to hide their

income from child maintenance

authorities adding to child poverty,

what action is the government taking

to stop this.

As the honourable lady

knows the child maintenance system

was put in place to enable greater

co-operation between parents, it

often results in a better outcome

for children that some are reluctant

to and in those circumstances we

have invested in the service of the

child maintenance service and will

consult on what more we can do to

strengthen our enforcement powers.

Thank you Mr Speaker, I would like

to welcome the honourable member to

his place. When the benefit freeze

was introduced in April 2016

inflation was not .3%, it is no

other 3% and food prices in December

were 4% higher than a year earlier.

Recent studied at the Institute for

Fiscal Studies shows one in four

households struggling with problem

debt and new figures from the Child

poverty coalition show that in some

areas like Bethnal Green in London

over half of children are living in

poverty. Those families are no

longer just about managing. Will the

government and the Social Security

freeze pushing families into

poverty? If your Mac Mr Speaker I

would advise the honourable lady to

be careful about the statistics

uses. As we have heard earlier,

there are some that problems but in

that report in particular there are

enormous caveats saying that the

numbers were not necessarily

accurate. This government is

committed to a strategy to tackle

poverty that involves work. And

since 2010 we have moved 954,000

fewer households, we have 900

thousand fewer households out of an

implement and into work which is the

best we could do for their futures.

Questionable 14.

With your

permission Mr Speaker I would like

to greet this with question 20,

there are 5550 employers currently

signed up to Disability Confident.

This group is promoting the scheme

to other employers, all main

ministerial government departments

have now achieved Disability

Confident leader status and I would

encourage all members to come to a

drop-in centre of organised on

Wednesday, February 21, 3-5 in

Portcullis House holed so they too

can become disability confident

employers.

Always useful to have

more information, we are deeply

obliged to the Minister.

Last year I

attended a Disability Confident

workshop in my constituency where

unemployment is now at an all-time

low. Many businesses signed up

immediately, could my right

honourable friend give more feedback

on this programme which encourages

employers to take advantage of keen,

loyal staff who are disabled.

I

thank my right honourable friend for

his question and congratulate him on

his support for Disability Confident

locally and encourage all members to

get involved in these great events

where we see hundreds of people

signing up to the scheme. I think

that's really important, that we

carry on, to build on the very

positive feedback we get from

employers with the practical support

we are providing them with so that

they can employ more disabled

people.

Have recently visited an

excellent local school and I

constituency, the leadership are

working hard to get talented young

people with special needs into work

placements when they finish school.

Would my honourable friend

encourage, like I am, employers in

my area to join the Disability

Confident scheme so we can give

opportunities to those young people,

and not just give them hope for the

future but also get a number of

people into the Labour market that

will give a vast and experienced

difference to our workplaces.

I

thank my honourable and for his

question and I was pleased to get

about the important work done by

oak-wood School. Last over 500 young

people took part in supported

internships. This year the

Department for Education has made

just under an additional sum of £10

million of funding available which

will enable more work placements

particularly for young people with

special educational needs, I agree

with him, it is vital we give these

young people the opportunity to

work.

I am sure people will have the

chance to pour over the reply by

moving to the library where I am

sure copies will be located within

minutes. Brigid Philipson.

Mr

Speaker we had a record-breaking

2017 for employment, I am delighted

to see the trend continue as we

enter the New Year. The number of

people in work is at an all-time

high, 75.3% meaning 32.3 million

people are now in work which is a

rise of more than 415,000 compared

to last is figures. Figures show

there is a record 810,000 vacancies

in the economy at any one time,

proving this government is

delivering on our promise of

building a strong economy.

Brigid

Philipson.

Thank you Mr Speaker, no

child in Britain should grow up in

poverty, yet figures from her own

department show that we face a

growing crisis. Does she seriously

believe that ploughing ahead with

Universal Credit will do anything to

help the millions of children

trapped in avoidable poverty in this

country will bring that number down?

Mr Speaker, there is one thing that

we will both agree on, all sides of

the house will agree on, that no

child should grow up in poverty. And

it is thereby the actions that you

take and make sure that families are

working and those children are not

going to be in poverty, and what we

know for certain is that should

family be working, that child is

much less likely when it grows up to

be in poverty and also attain higher

school qualifications. That's what

this side of the House is doing.

Mr

Speaker, my local citizens advice

bureau has seen a drop in the number

of Universal Credit cases since they

measures were introduced. We have

seen cases of advanced payments to

help clear debts. What price are we

giving to claimants regarding

budgeting so that they can sensibly

unsustainably clear problem debt?

Mr

Speaker, whipped through universal

support providing personal budgeting

support which is available in

consultation with work coaches and

this is making a difference to those

who need this help.

We will have to

be brief because we are running

short of time so pithy sentence will

suffice. New grey.

The Secretary of

States response to the European

committee of social rights which

says studies repayments for those

seeking work is, and I quote,

"Manifestly inadequate" and

therefore in breach of the legally

binding European social chapter.

Mr

Speaker I am happy to have a

discussion with the honourable

gentleman on this point. What I

would say is that, all the policies

being put forward are based on being

as fair as we can to all recipients.

We've heard a lot about Universal

Credit today, making it work

properly will depend on DWP staff to

a great extent. Would my right

honourable friend join me in

congratulating the stuff in

Sittingbourne and sheerness job

centres who have shown immense

dedication and enthusiasm to ensure

benefit claimants in my constituency

not adversely reflected by the

roll-out of Universal Credit.

Of

course I joined my friend in

congratulating the staff at these

job centres. If I may say, when I

have spoken to work coaches in the

visits I've done they are incredibly

infused, they tell me this is the

first time they have been able to do

what they want to do which is help

people into work.

Mr Speaker, the

behaviour of Philip Green on the

edge as pendants was outrageous.

Mike was currently paying dividends

and big bonuses while running up and

£900 million pension deficit. We

expect better from our universities,

does the Secretary of State agree

that it cannot be right that they

are proposing to cut the pension

benefits of stuff when one vice

Chancellor alone at Edinburgh

University has accepted a 33% salary

hike as part of a package worth

£410,000?

With respect, this is not

a matter for government to respond

on, and joint negotiating committee

made up of employers and unions are

responsible for approving an

appropriate plan to ensure the

scheme is adequately funded and

universities are subject to regular

assessment of their overall

financial management, and I'm sure

the regulator will be watching this

particular situation.

Mr William

Reich.

Mr Speaker, I had the

pleasure of visiting my local job

centre on Friday. Will my temper my

friend Peter breached the

hard-working staff delivering record

levels of employment in my

constituency?

Absolutely, Mr

Speaker, I congratulate the stuff in

his job centre. They are also save

that by the end of the process of

rolling out Universal Credit will

have 5000 extra work coaches across

the country.

Mr Speaker 20,000

people in Davood have had their

personal independent payments cuts

due to the blatantly discriminates

league regulations that the

Secretary of State has not accepted

or not lawful. Can the secretary of

state tummy when my constituents

will get their money back and the

entitlement returned?

The first

decision I made was to make sure

that we did not appeal that question

about the personal independence

payments and what this side of the

House would do to live up to the

expectations of PIP. I think it is

true, honourable correct thing we've

done. However, to make sure we

deliver correctly and give the

correct and of money to the people

who need it, it will take time to us

to thoroughly research what needs to

be done.

Mr Speaker the

attractiveness to many of the two

weekly payments of Universal Credit

and obvious. Does my right

honourable friend show my concern is

that the Scotland decision to offer

this will lead to people worse off

than claimants and the rest of the

UK?

Mr Speaker it is the case that

under the Scottish system

individuals will be at a cash flow

disadvantage after several weeks.

Alternative payment arrangements are

available in England as well.

Following last December 's High

Court ruling, Secretary of State

tell me by what date all 1.6 million

PIP claims have been reviewed,

weeks, months, even years?

This

reviewing will be an administrative

process so we will not be muted to

see the people but what is most

important is that the right people

will get the right and of money and

that will take the time it needs.

Mr

Speaker we had an interesting

session on assistive technology the

other day. We'll is the government

committed to looking at how this

technology can help more disabled

people into work?

I thank my

honourable friend for that question

and I welcome the work the select

committee is doing. I believe the

fourth industrial revolution has the

most enormous impact to transform

the lives of disabled people and I

will of course read that report very

thoroughly.

Callum Smith.

One of my

constituents suffers from MS and has

been receiving PIP for several

months but was recently reassessed

and denied it on the grounds that

she can work part-time. She's now

working full-time and damaging her

health. Does the government

recognise that the disabled need

support to stay in work for as long

as possible and will the Minister

meet with me to see that this is

reviewed?

I think the honourable

lady for the question. I would be

delighted to meet with and discuss

the case of a constituent. Yet let

us be clear that what we want to

achieve is the maximum amount of

support from people who want to and

can get into work but by making sure

the right support for those that

cannot.

The child support agency was

set up to pursue absent fathers were

not paying anything towards their

children. Too often the child

maintenance service seems to file

everyone and are "Too difficult" and

just pursue people who are already

paying. Can the Minister guarantee

that the child maintenance service

continues to go after people paying

nothing to the upkeep of their

children rather than those already

making a contribution?

Mr Speaker I

can reassure Posch gentleman that

that will be the case and we will

shortly consult on what more we can

do to enforce the case against those

not willing to support their

children.

One of the challenges of the design

of Universal Credit is that it

doesn't take into account the

fluctuating income of people who are

freelance. At the end of the year,

if you earn £15,000 self-employed

you will get less than if you were

earning £15,000 employed. Will the

government commit to fixing this

anomaly?

As the honourable gentleman

knows come Universal Credit works on

a monthly basis. Of course where

people earn a large amount in a

month, we do then a portion that

over the following months. It's

worth pointing out to him that it is

entirely possible for people who

have these kind of earnings to

budget over the year, as indeed do

many businesses.

The GK and takeover

proposal announced last Thursday

seeks to pay a 1.4 billion sweetener

to shareholders, despite a 2 billion

pension deficit. Does the Minister

agree that governments should act to

protect the interests of GKN pension

fund contributors?

Here we have

actually seen the trustees of the

pension fund coming out and being

bold and wanting reassurance from

the company that they can indeed pay

for the pension scheme. There are

two sides of looking at the argument

here. GKN have to be strong and

robust and also Melrose should ask

the regulator to look at the cost in

that benefits scheme and make sure

it can afford as a company to take

over that companies.

On the fourth

week of December last year I asked

the Minister not to ignore the

voices of 7000 women in my

constituency affected by state

pension inequality, as we are not

going away. Can she tell me whether

the department is any closer to

paying us what we are due?

The

position has not changed, the

government do not intend to change

the 1995 pension act, the 2011 or

2007 pension act and there was a 1.1

transitional arrangements put

forward in the 2011 statute.

70% of

the rise in UK employment is higher

skilled jobs. This is true in

Wiltshire which expects 2500 jobs

from Dyson alone. What work is the

Minister doing to tackle the stem

skill gap?

I do of course have been

having conversations with

ministerial colleagues and she's

right, we need to make sure we have

high skilled jobs created across our

country.

With the significant rise

in household debt and the fear

payday lenders will seek to take

advantage, is not now the right time

to seek a significant expansion of

credit unions across the UK? What

bike the Minister do to facilitate

that?

We actually have a meeting in

our diaries for a week Monday when I

had to expand upon this point. He

will know that credit union

membership has doubled in the last

ten years and I can assure him we

are discussing matters with the

Treasury who have ultimate control

of credit Unions.

I'm a

mathematician and the mother and

when the head of UK statistics has

to write a Shadow Minister pointing

out the statements they have made

are not based on real sources or

real statistics, I'm concerned. Does

my right honourable friend agree

they should apologise?

My honourable

friend says it so eloquently. Is it

is about time the opposite benches

apologise for the scaremongering

they have been doing.

Even mothers

and mathematicians have to respect

new method. In the House the method

is you question the government

Minister about the policies of the

government. Order, order. I don't

blame the Secretary of State had

taking her opportunity and running a

home her point with force and

alacrity but members must understand

this is not question time about the

policies, the tactics, the

preferences of the opposition. Its

question time about the policies of

the government. Even if there is

some whip hand out saying ask the

Minister about the behaviour of the

Labour Party, that doesn't make it

in order. It is not in order, end of

subject.

Thousands of women born in

the 1950s are being left in serious

hardship as a result of accelerated

changes to the state pension age. As

my honourable friend said, they are

crying out for justice. In the week

when we are celebrating the

centenary of the first win in

gaining the right to vote, how dare

this government ignore their voices?

The honourable lady will know this

was a policy continued for 13 years

under the Labour government and

which between 1997 and 2010, have of

and could have done something about

it. She maintained it was the right

policy. We continue in this

government to maintain it was the

right policy and if there are

individual people who require

assistance, there is over £50

billion which this government gives

on an ongoing basis.

In fairness to

colleagues who haven't asked

questions, a short sentence will

suffice.

What benefit has

auto-enrolment provided for my

constituents?

7000 employees are now

signed up and 900 employers are

doing the right thing and providing

auto-enrolment to his constituents.

Later we'll be debating benefit

operating which will mean

maintaining a freeze on many of the

key worker age benefits, even while

consumer price index it is up 3%.

Will the Secretary of State take

this opportunity to lift the freeze

to ease the suffering of claimants,

yes or no?

As the honourable

gentleman knows the freeze was

enacted in primary legislation, it

would need of the whole house to

change it change it and it forms

part of a general suite of welfare

reforms which have driven enormous

numbers of people into work and out

of poverty.

A short sentence...

Will

the Minister look at how Universal

Credit is paid into credit unions

because there are real issues being

raised locally by my credit union as

to the efficiency and organisation

of the DWP in doing that.

I'm

certainly very happy to take

representations from the honourable

gentleman and I'm looking at that

point with colleagues handling

Universal Credit.

Bearing in mind

the Secretary of State's calls the

clear statistics, will she welcomed

the House of Commons library paper

today which clarifies that 113,000

children will cease to receive free

school meals under the proposed

changes to Universal Credit?

Withdraw the claim that 50,000 more

children will benefit at one point

in time.

There is a consultation

taking place all. The Department for

Education will respond to that.

Everyone currently on Universal

Credit will have that benefit

protected as long as they remain in

that setting of education.

We've had

23 Topical Questions and I'm sorry

for disappointed colleagues