Contributions
1,152 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDHealth-related Benefit ClaimsMy Lords, I ask the former Minister not to prejudge this—we have not even published the White Paper yet. He may not be convinced by it, but I hope to convince him yet. When it…05 Nov 2024HANSARDHealth-related Benefit ClaimsMy Lords, the noble Lord points out another of the contributory factors. A complex web of things brings people to this point. As far as we understand it, a number of contributory…05 Nov 2024HANSARDHealth-related Benefit ClaimsI thank my noble friend for some very good questions. Evidence shows that appropriate work is generally good for health and well- being, so we want everyone who can to get work…05 Nov 2024HANSARDHealth-related Benefit ClaimsMy Lords, this Government are committed to supporting people into work, improving outcomes for all and ensuring long-term fiscal sustainability. Our plans as announced in the…05 Nov 2024HANSARDPension CreditIt is a lot, but they include “name” and “date of birth”, so give us a bit of a break here. That said, there are days, I acknowledge, when some of these are beyond me. The great…04 Nov 2024HANSARDPension CreditMy Lords, the Government want all eligible pensioners to apply for pension credit. The Government have written to pensioners providing advice about claiming pension credit…04 Nov 2024HANSARDPension CreditMy Lords, on that final point, which, obviously, I cannot let go, the poorest pensioners are protected because those on pension credit will still have access to the winter fuel…04 Nov 2024HANSARDPension CreditMy Lords, I was so with the noble Lord for the first 20 seconds—all the way. I am grateful for his congratulations to the department, and I shall take them back to my colleagues,…04 Nov 2024HANSARDPension CreditAs I understand it, the staff are mainly being redeployed from within retirement services and the DWP. It is not uncommon for staff to get moved around to different areas of the…04 Nov 2024HANSARDPension CreditMy Lords, it is true that the last Labour Government lifted more than 1 million pensioners out of poverty and that the number of pensioners in relative poverty has increased by…04 Nov 2024HANSARDPension CreditMy Lords, I apologise to the noble Lord if I was not clear in my last answer—I acknowledge that I speak too quickly on occasion. Many of those 500 staff are being redeployed from…04 Nov 2024HANSARDPension CreditMy Lords, when the costings on this policy were done, the Explanatory Memorandum made it clear that the expectation was that it would save £1.3 billion in this financial year and…04 Nov 2024HANSARDPension CreditMy Lords, my department is working very closely with the devolved Administrations, including with colleagues in Northern Ireland, to make sure that campaigns for take-up are out…04 Nov 2024HANSARDFood BanksMy Lords, what we are going to do is to support families. People should be able to support their own families, but research has found that if you look at households where somebody…31 Oct 2024HANSARDFood BanksI absolutely agree about the importance of access to healthy food and there are schemes out there to help the lowest-income families access it, particularly pregnant women and the…31 Oct 2024HANSARDFood BanksMy Lords, the strategy came through loud and clear in my right honourable friend Rachel Reeves’s Budget yesterday. We have to get this country back to work and get it growing. If…31 Oct 2024HANSARDFood BanksMy Lords, obviously I dream of that day. I have visited a fascinating place in the north-east called REfUSE, based in Chester-le-Street in County Durham. It gets free food and has…31 Oct 2024HANSARDFood BanksMy Lords, our local jobcentres are doing very good work, as I am sure the noble Viscount will know from his time doing my job. There are incredibly good arrangements, including…31 Oct 2024HANSARDFood BanksI thank my noble friend for raising this extremely important issue. I join her in paying tribute to the Trussell Trust and to the many community and faith groups that run food…31 Oct 2024HANSARDFood BanksMy Lords, this Government are committed to reducing mass dependence on emergency food parcels. Tackling poverty and getting Britain working will be the foundation of our approach.…31 Oct 2024