Contributions
233 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDEmployment LevelI am pleased to say that, because of the changes made by this Government, we have record levels of employment—up 3.4 million since 2010—and the female unemployment rate is…11 Feb 2019HANSARDEmployment LevelI thank my hon. Friend for the good work that he does in his constituency to ensure that unemployment continues to fall. We are committed to providing targeted support to young…11 Feb 2019HANSARDEmployment LevelI urge the right hon. Gentleman not to be so despondent about the growth figures today. We are seeing growth. Overall employment continues to rise. If he would like to speak to…11 Feb 2019HANSARDEmployment LevelI am afraid that the hon. Gentleman may have his facts wrong. Zero-hours contracts are down; 780,000 people are currently on zero-hours contracts, down from 883,000 in the same…11 Feb 2019HANSARDSocial Security Benefits: Windrush GenerationI take a particular interest in ensuring that the Department for Work and Pensions liaises closely with the Home Office to make sure that the Windrush generation are properly…11 Feb 2019HANSARDSocial Security Benefits: Windrush GenerationI would like to reassure the hon. Lady that I have looked into this case, and I do take seriously, as she and the House would expect, the issue of ensuring that the Windrush…11 Feb 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsToday I am delighted to confirm that 10 million workers have now been automatically enrolled into a workplace pension. Since 2012 this policy has been transforming savings…11 Feb 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsI hope the women the hon. Lady refers to are engaging with their work coaches, who try to provide a tailored service to enable individuals to realise how much better supported…11 Feb 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsI thank my right hon. Friend for his support. In his constituency, 21,000 people and 4,290 employers are now auto-enrolled. It is working well in his constituency. In April, we…11 Feb 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsI do not recognise the hon. Lady’s description. I have been around jobcentres. I always make a point of speaking to work coaches, asking them about the way they impose sanctions…11 Feb 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsI am happy to say that that is exactly the aim of universal credit: to ensure that it helps people while they are in work, gives them the additional funds they may need, and…11 Feb 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsI thank my hon. Friend for his campaign. I share his view that we need to take action. We are developing policy and I will make sure that he is the first to know what action we do…11 Feb 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsThis was a policy that was introduced and voted on in the House in 2012. It is right that some people who are paid very low wages and are paying taxes should not have to pay for…11 Feb 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsI understand the hon. Gentleman’s approach to this, but I must remind him of the terrible financial inheritance that we took on, which required belt-tightening, from which we are…11 Feb 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsOf course, I will meet my hon. Friend to ensure that the right decisions have been made, but I would point out that she has drawn attention to one of the benefits of universal…11 Feb 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsAs I was able to say earlier, only under 2.5% are on zero-hours contracts. The facts do not support the hon. Gentleman’s approach. He can have his own views; he cannot have his…11 Feb 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsI certainly hope that that does not come forward, but I think this is the responsibility of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, so I am sure that the hon.…11 Feb 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsI thank the right hon. Gentleman for the extraordinary work he did that has led in part to our announcement that there will now be prison sentences for people who commit the sort…11 Feb 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsI thank my hon. Friend for bringing attention to that fact. It is good news for people who are earning and people living on lower incomes, and I certainly hope that it continues.11 Feb 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsI share the hon. Lady’s indignation. We have apologised to Mr Smith and his ESA payment has been repaid and reinstated in full. I will take a personal interest in ensuring that,…11 Feb 2019