Contributions
1,730 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDSupporting Disadvantaged FamiliesThe universal credit system is designed to ensure that people are better off working than not working, and this Government introduced the national living wage, which has seen a…09 Nov 2020HANSARDSupporting Disadvantaged FamiliesMy hon. Friend is absolutely right on that, and I welcome his support for this package. We are taking that comprehensive, holistic approach, trusting our local councils to target…09 Nov 2020HANSARDSupporting Disadvantaged FamiliesI am afraid that the hon. Lady is completely wrong on that. One thing the Chancellor set out last week was a recognition that, through the Barnett formula, every time we do…09 Nov 2020HANSARDSupporting Disadvantaged FamiliesOne of the things the hon. Lady fails to mention is that if those who are new to benefits have had full contributions over the last nine months, there is no cap on the benefits…09 Nov 2020HANSARDSupporting Disadvantaged FamiliesMy hon. Friend is absolutely right about the purpose of the holiday activities fund. I do not want to call it a summer school because it is not, and we certainly do not want to…09 Nov 2020HANSARDSupporting Disadvantaged FamiliesWe did boost the local housing allowance to the 30th percentile, which cost more than £1 billion, and I am sure that that may have helped some of the hon. Gentleman’s…09 Nov 2020HANSARDSupporting Disadvantaged FamiliesI completely agree with my hon. Friend and neighbour on the excellent work that was done through the holiday activities fund in the summer in Ipswich. He will be conscious of the…09 Nov 2020HANSARDSupporting Disadvantaged FamiliesIndeed, my right hon. Friend, a former Secretary of State for Education—a notable one at that—is right to put his finger on this and say that it is a comprehensive approach. I am…09 Nov 2020HANSARDSupporting Disadvantaged FamiliesMy hon. Friend, with his vast educational experience, will have been a true witness to the benefits that activities like the holiday activity fund can bring to the future…09 Nov 2020HANSARDSupporting Disadvantaged FamiliesTo be honest, I do not really know what the hon. Lady is talking about, and I reject her assertion— [Interruption.] I reject her assertion and the comments that she made. I think…09 Nov 2020HANSARDSupporting Disadvantaged FamiliesI know that the hon. Lady is interested in universal basic income. She once asked me a question in this House that took more than a minute. The answer was no then and it is no now…09 Nov 2020HANSARDSupporting Disadvantaged FamiliesThroughout this pandemic, we have seen communities and councils come together to support those in more difficulty than themselves. It has been a tremendous response by the people…09 Nov 2020HANSARDSupporting Disadvantaged FamiliesI am sure that the holiday activities fund will be a huge success in my hon. Friend’s constituency, as it will have her full support. I am conscious that having a nutritious meal…09 Nov 2020HANSARDSupporting Disadvantaged FamiliesI know Basingstoke well, because that is where I worked for many years, and I am conscious of the wide variety of communities there that are supportive of one another. I hope my…09 Nov 2020HANSARDSupporting Disadvantaged FamiliesThis is a massive expansion of the holiday activities fund that we have been running for the past three years, and I am sure the hon. Gentleman will welcome that. In terms of…09 Nov 2020HANSARDSupporting Disadvantaged FamiliesI congratulate my hon. Friend. I know how dedicated he was, before entering the House, to social mobility and tackling poverty, and he continues to be so. I fully agree that a lot…09 Nov 2020HANSARDSupporting Disadvantaged FamiliesI heard part of the hon. Lady’s question, and I think the whole House can agree how much we value carers, not only as a Government but often through experiences in our own…09 Nov 2020HANSARDMinimum Income FloorAfter careful consideration of the ongoing public health situation and the national working environment, the current easement of the suspension of the minimum income floor in…03 Nov 2020HANSARD Free School MealsSome of the hon. Lady’s hon. Friends made important speeches. The hon. Member for Blaydon (Liz Twist) spoke in praise of the holiday activities and food in the summer. We share…21 Oct 2020HANSARD Free School MealsWe “are far more united and have far more in common than that which divides us.” —[ Official Report , 3 June 2015; Vol. 596, c. 675.] I think that feeling has come through in many…21 Oct 2020