Contributions
303 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Social Security and PensionsThis freeze in local housing allowance, which is such a critical element of people’s income, is causing such hardship for hundreds of thousands of families. That is not only…06 Feb 2023HANSARD Social Security and PensionsI totally agree with my right hon. Friend, who speaks with expertise on this issue. The fact is that we have seen the implications of freezes in benefits. We are seeing it in…06 Feb 2023HANSARDDraft Bereavement Benefits (Remedial) Order 2022It is a pleasure to respond to this important order under your chairmanship, Mr Dowd. I thank the Minister for her comprehensive opening remarks. We are all conscious of the fact…24 Jan 2023HANSARDSupporting People into Work: Childcare CostsSoaring childcare costs are indeed a major barrier to parents seeking to return to the workplace. Parents seeking to take a job may find that they have to have at least £1,000 in…23 Jan 2023HANSARDArts Council England: FundingI am grateful to the hon. Member for giving way, and I congratulate him both on securing this debate and on his speech. I also welcome the concession made in respect of English…18 Jan 2023HANSARD Child Maintenance ServicesIt is a pleasure to respond to the debate under your chairmanship, Mr Twigg. I congratulate the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross (Jamie Stone) on securing the…17 Jan 2023HANSARDThe Execution of Alireza AkbariThe vile Iranian regime are operating through proxies in this country. My hon. Friend the Member for Hampstead and Kilburn (Tulip Siddiq) and I have been working closely with the…16 Jan 2023HANSARD Benefit SanctionsSanctions are indeed an important driver of the increase in food banks, which is another symptom of widespread structural failure in the system. It would be refreshing if the new…13 Dec 2022HANSARD Benefit SanctionsIt is a pleasure to respond for the Opposition to this short and important debate under your chairmanship, Mr Pritchard. I, too, congratulate the hon. Member for Glasgow South…13 Dec 2022HANSARDLocal Housing AllowanceMay I also warmly welcome my hon. Friend the Member for City of Chester (Samantha Dixon) to her place? Fifty-nine per cent. of private renters on universal credit—844,000…05 Dec 2022HANSARDSocial Security Support for ChildrenOn the issue of absolute poverty, in a previous debate I raised the fact that the absolute poverty figures for larger families—those affected by the two-child limit—have been…23 Nov 2022HANSARDSocial Security Support for ChildrenIt is a pleasure to respond for the Opposition under your chairmanship, Sir Christopher. I congratulate the hon. Member for Airdrie and Shotts (Ms Qaisar) on securing this debate.…23 Nov 2022HANSARDSocial Security Support for Childrenrose —23 Nov 2022HANSARDSocial Security Support for ChildrenI will come to that later, but it is obvious that we need to look at the system as a whole. Indeed, we have to look at the issue of hardship and poverty not just in terms of the…23 Nov 2022HANSARDSocial Housing StandardsWhen the Government backed my Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, I knew that the law would not be enough. That will prove to be the case again. We have heard about…16 Nov 2022HANSARDDraft Cessation of EU Law Relating to Prohibitions on Grounds of Nationality and Free Movement of Persons Regulations 2022It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Bone. I am grateful to the Minister for setting out an explanation of the regulations. I do not intend to detain the…16 Nov 2022HANSARD Private Rented Sector White PaperI congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Brighton, Kemptown (Lloyd Russell-Moyle) and the hon. Member for Dover (Mrs Elphicke) on securing this debate, but I must be honest: I…03 Nov 2022HANSARDWestern Jet Foil and Manston Asylum Processing CentresIt is absolutely essential that the pressures on the Manston centre be relieved as soon as possible. It is also essential that we do not simply replicate its conditions in…31 Oct 2022HANSARDUniversal Credit SanctionsThe Secretary of State has indicated that there will be a difference in tone in the Department. There is a way that he can demonstrate that. The Department conducted an…31 Oct 2022HANSARD Health and Social Care UpdateFor some years now, and at any given time, my local hospital has had the equivalent of around one ward of patients who cannot be discharged because of a lack of social care for…22 Sept 2022