Contributions
1,152 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDBenefit Sanctions on JobseekersMy Lords, let us take a step back. What the Government are doing is saying to somebody who has lost their job, “If you don’t get back into your own field within four weeks, you…03 Feb 2022HANSARDCapita: Turing Scheme ContractMy Lords, the Minister is talking about how well the Turing scheme started. She omitted to tell the House that the British Council in fact set the scheme up and ran it for the…27 Jan 2022HANSARDUnderpayment of Benefits: CompensationMy Lords, a vulnerable person with multiple health needs recovering from a heart bypass was left for years living on half the money she was entitled to when the DWP moved her on…18 Jan 2022HANSARDState Pension AgeMy Lords, I cannot let that go: relative poverty among pensioners is on the rise again, having fallen considerably for years. However, controversially, I will come back to the…18 Jan 2022HANSARDSick PayMy Lords, I am glad that the Government are thinking about this, but they have been doing so for a very long time. They have consulted more than once on this but they simply say,…17 Jan 2022HANSARDDWP: Support for Larger FamiliesMy Lords, I am not so sure. The Government may not have made any assessment of the position of families, but let me give the Minister one assessment. The director of the IFS has…11 Jan 2022HANSARDUniversal Credit (Exceptions to the Requirement not to be receiving Education) (Amendment) Regulations 2021My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Storey, for introducing his Motion and all noble Lords who have spoken. I reassure the noble Baroness, Lady Bennett, that while this may not…13 Dec 2021HANSARDDisabled Students’ Allowance SchemeMy Lords, I think the Government reformed DSA only last year, but the official evaluation quoted by the Commons Library found that only 55% of those getting DSA agreed that the…09 Dec 2021HANSARDOutsourcing: DWP Telephone ServicesMy Lords, on 4 November, in a Written Answer, the Minister for Pensions gave figures for call-answering rates on DWP helplines from January to September. These suggest that…30 Nov 2021HANSARDPersonal Independence PaymentsMy Lords, to return to the Question, before you are allowed to appeal, you have to undergo mandatory reconsideration by DWP. That takes two months, so the cases we are talking…22 Nov 2021HANSARDSocial Security (Up-rating of Benefits) BillMy Lords, I thank the Minister for introducing her Motion and all noble Lords who have spoken. I am going to get a new T-shirt for Christmas: “Proud to Be an Irritant”. Perhaps…16 Nov 2021HANSARDProfessor Kathleen Stock: ResignationMy Lords, the Bill that the Minister has just mentioned proposes to appoint a new free speech director in the Office for Students. For someone to be able to intervene in sensitive…16 Nov 2021HANSARDSocial Security (Up-rating of Benefits) BillMy Lords, I thank the Minister for her remarks and thank all noble Lords who participated in the debate on the Bill. For a short Bill, its impact is quite wide, affecting millions…08 Nov 2021HANSARDBenefit Cap: ReviewMy Lords, in his recent book, the noble Lord, Lord Freud, said: “The benefit cap made little sense in a system designed to provide each family what it needed.” Quite, so why do…03 Nov 2021HANSARDSocial Security (Up-rating of Benefits) BillMy Lords, I will speak to the other amendment in this group: Amendment 5, in my name and that of the noble Baronesses, Lady Janke, Lady Altmann and Lady Boycott. But first, I want…02 Nov 2021HANSARDSocial Security (Up-rating of Benefits) Bill02 Nov 2021HANSARDSocial Security (Up-rating of Benefits) BillMy Lords, I normally think my job is basically to help the House by offering an idiot’s guide to how things work, but I think it is beyond me this evening. My noble friend has…02 Nov 2021HANSARDSocial Security (Up-rating of Benefits) BillMy Lords, on Amendment 5, I thank the Minister for having listened to our representations on the impact of this Bill and for agreeing to publish an impact assessment. I would have…02 Nov 2021HANSARDSocial Security (Up-rating of Benefits) BillMy Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Altmann, for explaining her amendments, and all noble Lords who have spoken. I welcome my noble friend Lady Ritchie to the debate and…02 Nov 2021HANSARDSocial Security (Up-rating of Benefits) BillMy Lords, my apologies: I was too slow to leap up. I thank my noble friend Lord Davies for introducing his Motion and thank all noble Lords who have spoken. As I said in…02 Nov 2021