Contributions
1,152 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDPension Schemes Bill [HL]So could it never be the case that in the event of a triggering event, such as a wind-up, an employer pulling out or an employer downsizing, money would have to come from members’…24 Feb 2020HANSARDPension Schemes Bill [HL]May I, too, seek clarification? I was not entirely sure what the Minister was saying about where the money could come from for a buffer. I think I understood her to say that the…24 Feb 2020HANSARDBereavement ServicesMy Lords, in the Pensions Act 2014 the Government rather controversially reformed bereavement payments to families who had lost a parent. However, last Friday they lost a case in…13 Feb 2020HANSARDUniversal CreditMy Lords, I thank the Minister for repeating that Answer. Universal credit should have been rolled out by April 2017. It will now be September 2024—seven and a half years late.…04 Feb 2020HANSARDPension Schemes Bill [HL]My Lords, this has been an interesting and thoughtful debate and I have learned a lot during the evening. I now know a lot more about doctors’ pay, thanks to the noble Lord, Lord…28 Jan 2020HANSARDLow-income Families: Benefits FreezeMy Lords, the benefit freeze was not a reform but a straightforward cut: it simply cuts the value of certain benefits every single year, year on year, for five years. The result…13 Jan 2020HANSARDGender Pay GapMy Lords, my noble friend Lady Crawley is absolutely right: women’s pension wealth is on average one-third of men’s when they reach retirement age. The Minister mentioned the new…31 Oct 2019HANSARDQueen’s SpeechMy Lords, I thank the Minister for that introduction. She need not worry about repeating herself; I do that all too often—and I write my own speeches, so she has my sympathy. I am…22 Oct 2019HANSARDPolicy-making: Future GenerationsMy Lords, the Minister referred to The Green Book as being the means by which the Government decide how to adjudicate between the interests of different generations. But The Green…01 Oct 2019HANSARDUniversal Credit: Managed MigrationMy Lords, I thank the Minister for repeating that Statement. We have had a lot of Statements from DWP in the last year, and there is beginning to be a rule of thumb that the…23 Jul 2019HANSARDExtension of Franchise (House of Lords) Bill [HL]My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Naseby, for opening this debate and all noble Lords who have contributed. The noble Lord, Lord Norton of Louth, was quite right; it may be a…19 Jul 2019HANSARDUniversal Credit FraudMy Lords, I thank the Minister for repeating that Answer. Claimants need these advances because they have to wait five weeks to get their universal credit in the first place, and…10 Jul 2019HANSARDWork Capability AssessmentI thank the Minister for repeating that slightly opaque Answer. This is really serious. There have long been complaints about the WCA process from campaigners concerned about the…04 Jul 2019HANSARDMental Illness: Job Security and InequalityMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Bird, for using the initiative he described to us at the start to seize the opportunity of securing this debate and giving us the chance to…04 Jul 2019HANSARDChild Support (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2019My Lords, before the Minister sits down I want to thank her for her kind words. I should perhaps have reminded the House of a now rather historic interest, as a former board…02 Jul 2019HANSARDChild Support (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2019My Lords, I thank the Minister for her explanation of these regulations, and all noble Lords who have spoken, particularly my noble friend Lord McKenzie; he always comes up with…02 Jul 2019HANSARDExtreme Poverty and Human Rights: United Nations ReportMy Lords, perhaps I may offer the Minister a quote about the report: “we did a fact check of that report. He made a lot of good points. It was factually correct … in terms of the…19 Jun 2019HANSARDChildren Living in PovertyMy Lords, the Minister has talked a lot about what the Government are doing to help people in jobs, but if the aim is to get families out of poverty, it is not working. The facts…17 Jun 2019HANSARDEmploymentMy Lords, I too thank the noble Lord, Lord Leigh, for getting this debate off the ground, and I thank all noble Lords who have contributed to it. It has been much more interesting…06 Jun 2019HANSARDHousing: Pensions and DepositsMy Lords, I agree with the noble Lord, Lord Tebbit.05 Jun 2019