Contributions
1,730 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDUniversal Credit and Working Tax CreditsI give way to my honourable neighbour from Suffolk.15 Sept 2021HANSARDUniversal Credit and Working Tax CreditsOf course, we now have a record number of vacancies, but we are also about being ready and anticipating. The OBR forecast that there would be a significantly higher unemployment…15 Sept 2021HANSARDUniversal Credit and Working Tax CreditsI have already given way a bit, so I will make some more progress. Let us recognise that not everyone was fortunate enough to be furloughed; sadly, many people were made…15 Sept 2021HANSARDUniversal Credit and Working Tax CreditsI would expect the hon. Gentleman to be welcoming the investment that we will be making in getting people not only into work but into better-paid work. I am sure that will have a…15 Sept 2021HANSARDUniversal Credit and Working Tax CreditsI am going to make a little more progress and then I will come to the hon. Gentleman. Those foundations meant that we had the fiscal firepower and responsive welfare system to…15 Sept 2021HANSARDUniversal Credit and Working Tax CreditsAs I will probably say a bit later as well, this was indeed a temporary uplift, recognising the financial impact on people newly unemployed and that the uplift would be somewhat…15 Sept 2021HANSARDUniversal Credit and Working Tax CreditsJust this week, the official jobs statistics showed that more people are getting back into work and there is a record number of vacancies. That is a tribute to the British people…15 Sept 2021HANSARDUniversal Credit: Removal of UpliftMy hon. Friend is right to raise that issue. The warm home discount is administered through the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in conjunction with the…13 Sept 2021HANSARDUniversal Credit: Removal of UpliftI am conscious of my right hon. Friend’s concerns. When we made the uplifts just over a year ago, we put an extra £900 million a year into support for housing costs through the…13 Sept 2021HANSARDUniversal Credit: Removal of UpliftAs was announced by the Chancellor at the March Budget, the £20 temporary uplift will come to an end within the next month.13 Sept 2021HANSARDSupport for Vulnerable ChildrenI am conscious, especially with my right hon. Friend’s leadership of the Select Committee on Education, of how passionately he feels about this particular area. My Department is…13 Sept 2021HANSARDSupport for Vulnerable ChildrenMinisters are meeting this week to discuss the success of the holiday activity fund, and good progress has been made on the digitalisation of Healthy Start vouchers. We will…13 Sept 2021HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe national insurance levy increase is there to tackle a long-standing issue and will be spread between businesses and employees. In fact, the top 15% of earners will pay roughly…13 Sept 2021HANSARDTopical QuestionsEvery family has a different situation and I encourage any of the hon. Gentleman’s constituents who are concerned to approach their jobcentre. We are very conscious that where…13 Sept 2021HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe hon. Lady is wrong to suggest that our Government have not supported the people of Luton throughout this difficult time. The furlough scheme was unique; it was not introduced…13 Sept 2021HANSARDTopical QuestionsMy hon. Friend is so right; it has been a successful recruitment programme. We wanted to reintroduce the face-to-face interventions because we know that that direct intervention…13 Sept 2021HANSARDTopical QuestionsI do not know the basis of the hon. Gentleman’s calculation and his suggestion, but what I do know is that the Labour Government did nothing to help people in the midst of the…13 Sept 2021HANSARDTopical QuestionsThis summer, we launched our national disability strategy, setting out more than 100 practical actions and a long-term vision for reform that will make a real difference to…13 Sept 2021HANSARDTopical QuestionsI am conscious of what the hon. Lady has said. Over the past couple of years, we have tried to improve the decision-making stages along the way. One of those important elements…13 Sept 2021HANSARDTopical QuestionsMy hon. Friend is right to praise his local jobcentres. One thing we have done as part of the plan for jobs is increase the number of work coaches, and indeed the number of…13 Sept 2021