Contributions
233 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDWelfare SupportI thank my hon. Friend and near parliamentary neighbour for pointing out the excellent work done by work coaches. The defining difference between universal credit and the legacy…18 Mar 2019HANSARDWelfare SupportMy hon. Friend is right that an extra £1.7 billion a year will be put into work allowances to increase them by £1,000 from April 2019. That will provide a boost to the incomes of…18 Mar 2019HANSARDWelfare SupportWhen fully rolled out, universal credit will be £2 billion per year more generous than the support it replaces. As a single system that integrates six legacy benefits, universal…18 Mar 2019HANSARDUniversal Credit: Managed Migration PilotUniversal credit is a vital reform. It overhauls a legacy system which trapped people out of work. The next stage, managed migration, will move claimants of legacy benefits on to…12 Mar 2019HANSARDHealth and DisabilityI would like to update hon. Members on the speech I will be delivering at Scope this afternoon. This Government have a clear ambition to support people with health conditions and…05 Mar 2019HANSARDWork and PensionsMay I just point out to the hon. Gentleman that, by 2023-24 , payments made under universal credit are expected to reach £64 billion , compared with £62 billion under the previous…14 Feb 2019HANSARDWork and PensionsMay I just point out to the hon. Gentleman that, by 2020, payments made under universal credit are expected to reach £62 billion, compared with £60 billion under the previous…14 Feb 2019HANSARDPrivate Pensions UpdateI am pleased to announce today, two important steps to ensure millions of people have greater security in retirement. A stronger pensions regulator Today, the Government have…11 Feb 2019HANSARDPIP Reassessments: Lifelong DisabilitiesIt is difficult to make policy based on individual cases discussed across the Chamber, but if the hon. Lady wants to show me that individual case, I will certainly look to see…11 Feb 2019HANSARDPIP Reassessments: Lifelong DisabilitiesI am happy to say that it has already started.11 Feb 2019HANSARDPIP Reassessments: Lifelong DisabilitiesThe hon. Lady will be aware that under disability living allowance there were also assessments and difficulties with getting people paid on time, so let us not pretend that this…11 Feb 2019HANSARDPIP Reassessments: Lifelong DisabilitiesI thank my hon. Friend for fighting so hard for his constituents and making sure that the most vulnerable in his constituency are well represented and looked after by their Member…11 Feb 2019HANSARDUniversal Credit: Food InsecurityMay I join you, Mr Speaker, in wishing a happy birthday to the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr Skinner)? I hope he finds it a cheery occasion, as the rest of us do. We are committed…11 Feb 2019HANSARDUniversal Credit: Food InsecurityI can reassure the hon. Lady, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on school food, which I briefly co-chaired some while ago, that I am as committed as she is to…11 Feb 2019HANSARDUniversal Credit: Food InsecurityMy hon. Friend draws attention to a real failing of the previous system. There was such a high rate of tax—sometimes up to £9 out of every £10—that there was no incentive for…11 Feb 2019HANSARDUniversal Credit: Food InsecurityI have acknowledged that people having difficulty in accessing money on time was one of the causes of the growth in food bank usage, but we have tried to address that. One of the…11 Feb 2019HANSARDUniversal Credit: Food InsecurityOf course I will take a look at any particular cases that the hon. Gentleman brings to me. I have addressed the issue of direct payments of rent to landlords being made more…11 Feb 2019HANSARDUniversal Credit: Food InsecurityMay I just point out to the hon. Gentleman that, by 2020, payments made under universal credit are expected to reach £62 billion, compared with £60 billion under the previous…11 Feb 2019HANSARDPIP Reassessments: Lifelong DisabilitiesOur new guidance, which was introduced last August, now ensures that claimants with chronic conditions that are unlikely to change over time will receive an ongoing award, with…11 Feb 2019HANSARDPIP Reassessments: Lifelong DisabilitiesI would caution the hon. Gentleman about being so negative about an assessment that, yes, works for the vast majority of people. Only a certain number of the appeals get through…11 Feb 2019