Contributions
276 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDPoverty and Human Rights: UN ReportMy noble friend makes a very good point. We are in very good shape in this country and we deliver the fourth most generous level of welfare support in the OECD. We spend more on…25 Jun 2019HANSARDPoverty and Human Rights: UN ReportMy Lords, nothing has changed since I answered exactly the same Question on this issue last week, when it was asked by the noble Baroness, Lady Janke. We have responded fully to…25 Jun 2019HANSARDPoverty and Human Rights: UN ReportMy Lords, it is right that any Government are held to account for the effectiveness of their approach to tackling poverty, which was always one of our key priorities. While we…25 Jun 2019HANSARDPoverty and Human Rights: UN ReportMy Lords, I am extremely grateful to my noble friend for what he says. I have just been at the United Nations in New York, representing Her Majesty’s Government at a disability…25 Jun 2019HANSARDPoverty and Human Rights: UN ReportI am pleased to report that we are looking at that very point at the moment and are about to carry out a pilot for a much easier work capability assessment, which will mean that…25 Jun 2019HANSARDExtreme Poverty and Human Rights: United Nations ReportMy Lords, I believe in equality. Some of the rapporteur’s recommendations show a rather myopic understanding of universal credit. When I broached the subject of this report while…19 Jun 2019HANSARDExtreme Poverty and Human Rights: United Nations ReportMy Lords, we have done an enormous amount to tackle poverty since we came into government. We have invested huge sums of additional money into developing a welfare system that…19 Jun 2019HANSARDExtreme Poverty and Human Rights: United Nations ReportMy Lords, nobody wants to see poverty rising and we treat the issues raised by the special rapporteur seriously. However, we seriously regret the inflammatory and overtly…19 Jun 2019HANSARDExtreme Poverty and Human Rights: United Nations ReportMy Lords, we have responded fully to the special rapporteur’s recommendations. A sustainable solution to poverty needs a strong economy and a benefits system that works with the…19 Jun 2019HANSARDExtreme Poverty and Human Rights: United Nations ReportMy Lords, we are tackling poverty across the country. I refer noble Lords to the leader article in the Times of 25 May: “The failings of Mr Alston’s report are legion … it is…19 Jun 2019HANSARDExtreme Poverty and Human Rights: United Nations ReportMy Lords, we continue to listen and to learn. The Government continue to spend more than £95 billion a year on benefits for people of working age. I say again, as I have said so…19 Jun 2019HANSARDExtreme Poverty and Human Rights: United Nations ReportI have answered it. We have listened; we have taken the questions and statements of the rapporteur very seriously. We do not accept, in the words of people at the United Nations…19 Jun 2019HANSARDChildren Living in PovertyMy Lords, the statistics expressed by the noble Baroness do not reflect the £1.7 billion a year cash boost to our welfare system announced in the Budget, which will enable 2.4…17 Jun 2019HANSARDChildren Living in PovertyMy Lords, I have already made it clear at this Dispatch Box that we intend to end the benefit freeze next year. Again, the stats produced by the Social Metrics Commission last…17 Jun 2019HANSARDChildren Living in PovertyMy Lords, again, we are doing a huge amount, quite a lot of which is not reported or reflected in the additional support we have injected. I have just returned from the G7 in…17 Jun 2019HANSARDChildren Living in PovertyAbsolutely. The increase in weekly earnings makes a huge difference. Tackling poverty will always be a priority for this Government; they have lifted 400,000 people out of…17 Jun 2019HANSARDChildren Living in PovertyMy Lords, there are 1.7 million children in families where at least one adult is in work in absolute poverty, before housing costs. However, the evidence shows that nearly half of…17 Jun 2019HANSARDHousing: Pensions and DepositsI entirely agree with the noble Lord that we must think carefully about how we encourage and support people to save for the long term and their retirement. That is why we are so…05 Jun 2019HANSARDHousing: Pensions and DepositsMy Lords, the Government have no plans to change access to accrued pension savings. Automatic enrolment has transformed pension participation, with over 10 million people enrolled…05 Jun 2019HANSARDHousing: Pensions and DepositsI entirely agree with the noble Baroness that one of our key concerns is to ensure that we encourage this culture of young people saving for their retirement. Of course, we do not…05 Jun 2019