Contributions
1,367 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDFuture Earnings: Impact of Socioeconomic DisadvantageI am more than happy to do that. I congratulate the right hon. Gentleman on his work in this area and the attention that he has drawn to it, because it is a cause that we can all…18 Dec 2024HANSARDFuture Earnings: Impact of Socioeconomic DisadvantageI understand the hon. Lady’s important point. She will know that in the Budget we increased the threshold for the carer’s allowance and delivered a big boost to the payments that…18 Dec 2024HANSARDFuture Earnings: Impact of Socioeconomic DisadvantageI do not know which Bill the hon. Lady has been reading, but it is not the Bill that we presented to the House yesterday. I am determined to drive high and rising standards right…18 Dec 2024HANSARDFuture Earnings: Impact of Socioeconomic DisadvantageThe hon. Lady raises an important point about some of the differences in pensions. I am more than happy to pick that up with the relevant Minister to ensure that she receives a…18 Dec 2024HANSARDFuture Earnings: Impact of Socioeconomic DisadvantageI agree that the hospitality sector is crucial to our economy, and at this time of the year, when many people will be working across Christmas, I pay tribute to them for their…18 Dec 2024HANSARDTopical QuestionsEarlier this month the Government set out our “Plan for Change”—a plan to raise living standards for everyone. Everyone should have access to warm homes, a revitalised NHS and…18 Dec 2024HANSARDTopical QuestionsI thank my hon. Friend for that important question, and I pay tribute to the work of Northamptonshire Domestic Abuse Service and everyone working across domestic violence and…18 Dec 2024HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe Government will of course always keep such issues under review, and I will ensure that the Minister in the relevant Department speaks with the right hon. Lady on this topic.18 Dec 2024HANSARDFuture Earnings: Impact of Socioeconomic DisadvantageWe are tackling the root causes of poverty through measures to make work pay by boosting the living wage and investing in our public services, so that no one, including women,…18 Dec 2024HANSARDFuture Earnings: Impact of Socioeconomic DisadvantageThis Government are determined to break the link between background and success. Through the opportunity mission and the child poverty taskforce, we will break down the barriers…18 Dec 2024HANSARDChild PovertyI join my hon. Friend by extending my thanks to the staff at Stockton borough council for their hard work on the holiday activities and food programme over the past year. We are…09 Dec 2024HANSARDSkills TrainingWe are making good progress on our post-16 qualifications reform review, which will report by the end of the year, so the hon. Lady does not have long to wait to hear the outcomes…09 Dec 2024HANSARDSkills TrainingI agree that there is a very big pay gap for further education; I gently say to the right hon. Gentleman that it took place over the last 14 years, during which his party was in…09 Dec 2024HANSARDSkills TrainingMy hon. Friend is absolutely right that our further education colleges have a crucial role to play in providing opportunities for our young people and for adult returners to…09 Dec 2024HANSARDSkills TrainingAbsolutely. That is why we set out in the Budget an additional £300 million of capital investment for our colleges. I am sure that the opportunities that my hon. Friend sets out…09 Dec 2024HANSARDSkills TrainingFollowing on from small business Saturday, we all recognise that small employers are the backbone of our economy. My hon. Friend is right that it should not be the case that young…09 Dec 2024HANSARDSkills TrainingI join my hon. Friend in paying tribute to the staff at Shipley college. She is right that it is time that we, as a country, took skills much more seriously. We were left with…09 Dec 2024HANSARDSkills TrainingThe previous Government left behind a skills system that was fragmented and failing: falling numbers of apprenticeships for young people; adults unable to find the training…09 Dec 2024HANSARDTeacher Recruitment and RetentionI congratulate the hon. Lady on the important work that she does as a school governor. They are the unsung heroes across our communities in terms of the support they provide to…09 Dec 2024HANSARDTeacher Recruitment and RetentionThe hon. Lady is right to identify that challenge, and I have used that statistic many times myself. I am really concerned about the big numbers of experienced women, particularly…09 Dec 2024