Contributions
1,730 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDPensions UpdateIn response to the first part of the right hon. Gentleman’s question, the legislation is there regarding the earnings link and we are maintaining that. We will be doing further…07 Sept 2021HANSARDPensions UpdateIt would probably not be wise for me to go down that route, because we are still trying to estimate the likely uplifts in the different metrics. We will not actually use the…07 Sept 2021HANSARDPensions UpdateI think that the people of this country are very wise. I think that they will have seen the £407 billion package provided by this Government to support taxpayers. We are doing our…07 Sept 2021HANSARDPensions UpdateMy right hon. Friend is right that the triple lock policy was never anticipated for these extraordinary times. He will know that, as a former Secretary of State. The Lib Dem…07 Sept 2021HANSARDPensions UpdateI thank the hon. Gentleman for having read the statement and for recognising some of the challenges that we face. I accept that it is his role and that of the Opposition to…07 Sept 2021HANSARDPensions UpdateWith permission, Madam Deputy Speaker, I will make a statement on the annual uprating of state pensions and survivors’ benefits in industrial death benefit. Each year, as the…07 Sept 2021HANSARDPensions UpdateAs I have already pointed out, in terms of income guarantee, three in four of the people we have estimated may be eligible are taking up the approach. Ultimately, it is for people…07 Sept 2021HANSARDPlan for Jobs: Supporting People Back Into WorkThe Department for Work and Pensions has been at the heart of helping to deliver the Government’s plan for jobs to support, protect and create jobs following the pandemic. A year…08 Jul 2021HANSARDIn-Work Progression Commission: Report LaunchIn March 2020, I established the In-Work Progression Commission and appointed Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith to lead an independent review into the barriers that prevent people from…01 Jul 2021HANSARDBenefit SanctionsAs we approach 19 July, we have to have a business-as-usual approach in how we traditionally respond to the needs of our claimants, but I want to stress that, as ever, the…28 Jun 2021HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe hon. Gentleman is right to praise the staff at Maesteg jobcentre, and I join him in that. This is where the “Plus” is part of Jobcentre Plus. We are conscious that people may…28 Jun 2021HANSARDTopical QuestionsFirst, I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on his knighthood; it is well-deserved given his political and public service. I understand the point that the hon. Gentleman and other…28 Jun 2021HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe hon. Gentleman makes a valid point about the rural elements. That is taken into account in the prioritisation of people we may wish to see in face-to-face interventions. We…28 Jun 2021HANSARDTopical QuestionsProbably the most obvious element is the £2 billion of funding for the kickstart scheme. Let me give a recent example of where I have seen kickstart work well: a young man in…28 Jun 2021HANSARDTopical QuestionsDWP staff are real staff at the very frontline. We undertake risk assessments for every single jobcentre. Dealing with trade unions is an operational matter that is ably done by…28 Jun 2021HANSARDTopical QuestionsI am conscious that digital inclusion is a key part of the skills issue. We are working collaboratively with the DFE, particularly on digital boot camps, and we have even changed…28 Jun 2021HANSARDTopical QuestionsWell, there we are. By the way, Christine, the answer is none. On the topical statement, on the basis of a successful G7, at which the employers taskforce fed into the discussions…28 Jun 2021HANSARDTopical QuestionsMr Speaker, I was really looking forward to answering Question 35, from the hon. Member for Edinburgh West (Christine Jardine), but that is okay.28 Jun 2021HANSARDBenefit SanctionsI will be open: I do not know how the law applies in Scotland. I know that in England and Wales there is a duty on councils to continue to have an element of responsibility for…28 Jun 2021HANSARDLevelling-up AgendaI share the hon. Gentleman’s ambition and am very confident that Ryan Stephenson will make an excellent MP in the future to bring that to Batley and Spen. It is important to…28 Jun 2021