Contributions
276 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDFood BanksI agree with the noble Baroness: everyone should have access to decent, healthy food. Tackling disadvantage will always be a priority for this Government. We welcome the new…01 May 2019HANSARDFood BanksMy Lords, while we have always said that there are many reasons why people use food banks and that their growth cannot be linked to a single cause, we have long acknowledged that…01 May 2019HANSARDFood BanksMy Lords, we are reforming the welfare system to better support the most vulnerable while encouraging more people into work, which is the most effective route out of poverty. We…01 May 2019HANSARDUniversal Credit and Child Tax Credit: Two-child LimitMy Lords, I do not accept that disabled children in such families are penalised by universal credit. We spend more than £50 billion a year on benefits to support those with…24 Apr 2019HANSARDUniversal Credit and Child Tax Credit: Two-child LimitMy Lords, a very important point in relation to universal credit is that when somebody is homeless, the first thing our work coaches do—through support, understanding and…24 Apr 2019HANSARDUniversal Credit and Child Tax Credit: Two-child LimitThere is no doubt that a cross-governmental strategy is incredibly important, and that is why we are working across government with our colleagues in the Department of Health and…24 Apr 2019HANSARDUniversal Credit and Child Tax Credit: Two-child LimitMy noble friend makes a good point. Although our welfare reforms—and, in particular, universal credit—are already transforming lives to lift children out of poverty and support…24 Apr 2019HANSARDUniversal Credit and Child Tax Credit: Two-child LimitMy Lords, the noble Baroness’s question is across government, but it is important from our standpoint at the Department for Work and Pensions that we concentrate on lifting people…24 Apr 2019HANSARDUniversal Credit and Child Tax Credit: Two-child LimitMy Lords, as I have made clear, the Government will be publishing statistics on this policy annually. Children growing up in workless families are almost twice as likely as…24 Apr 2019HANSARDUniversal Credit and Child Tax Credit: Two-child LimitMy Lords, to be clear, on 28 June last year we published the first annual statistics related to the policy and have committed to do so annually. The Government have a broad range…24 Apr 2019HANSARDUniversal Credit and Child Tax Credit: Two-child LimitMy Lords, the Government are committed to supporting child well-being, and keep the impact of all their policies under review. This policy ensures fairness between those…24 Apr 2019HANSARDHouseholds Below Average Incomes StatisticsMy Lords, with the leave of the House I shall now repeat a Statement made in another place by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Amber Rudd.…28 Mar 2019HANSARDHouseholds Below Average Incomes StatisticsI thank my noble friend for that question. Funnily enough, this was one of main reasons why I came into politics in the first place. I thought it was appalling that for women…28 Mar 2019HANSARDHouseholds Below Average Incomes StatisticsMy Lords, I remember well, when I was a shadow Minister, sitting where the noble Baroness, Lady Sherlock, sits, listening to history being written on an almost daily basis. I…28 Mar 2019HANSARDHouseholds Below Average Incomes StatisticsMy Lords, I reassure the noble Baroness that we spend hours and hours crafting what we will say at the Dispatch Box because it is hugely important that what we say is accurate. I…28 Mar 2019HANSARDHouseholds Below Average Incomes StatisticsI entirely agree with my noble friend. Of course this is very important. It is why I welcome a review of low wages. That is why I want to talk about the big picture; we talk in…28 Mar 2019HANSARDHouseholds Below Average Incomes StatisticsMy Lords, of course nobody wants to see poverty rising, and we take these statistics extremely seriously. But I hope the noble Lord heard me when I made it very clear that the…28 Mar 2019HANSARDHouseholds Below Average Incomes StatisticsMy Lords, in many ways we are approaching our support and the welfare system slightly differently from how we did it in the past in terms of where the money goes. We do not…28 Mar 2019HANSARDHouseholds Below Average Incomes StatisticsMy Lords, I will do my best to respond to the noble Baronesses, Lady Sherlock and Lady Thomas of Winchester, without repeating what I have already said in the Statement. It is…28 Mar 2019HANSARDChemicals (Health and Safety) and Genetically Modified Organisms (Contained Use) (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019I said that the UK could take into account evaluations made by other regulators, and would seek to do so where feasible. This includes the EU, which will continue to work to the…21 Mar 2019