Contributions
1,125 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Autumn Statement ResolutionsI congratulate the hon. Member for Sevenoaks (Laura Trott) on her appointment as Chief Secretary to the Treasury. I am pleased to see a former Pensions Minister in that role, and…22 Nov 2023HANSARDAutumn StatementI welcome the Chancellor’s announcement on benefit uprating. It is not, as he claimed, a mark of compassion but it is at least delivering the essential minimum, and I congratulate…22 Nov 2023HANSARDIsrael and the Occupied Palestinian TerritoriesThe Minister referred in his statement to the appalling loss of life among children, and I was pleased that my right hon. Friend the Member for Tottenham (Mr Lammy) pressed him on…14 Nov 2023HANSARDTopical QuestionsThose Trussell Trust figures published last week made grim reading. Does the Secretary of State recognise that if working-age benefits are uprated by less than September’s rate of…13 Nov 2023HANSARDBreaking Down Barriers to OpportunityI think I had better wind up, considering the advice you have given us, Madam Deputy Speaker. The Chancellor must at least uprate working-age benefits in line with September’s…08 Nov 2023HANSARD Occupied Palestinian Territories: Humanitarian SituationI welcome the Minister’s statement and the response from my hon. Friend the Member for Wigan (Lisa Nandy). Will the Minister distance himself from the description of the Palestine…08 Nov 2023HANSARDBreaking Down Barriers to OpportunityI am grateful for the opportunity to speak in this debate. The Secretary of State’s attack on Sure Start, which was dismantled by the Conservatives, was completely ill-conceived.…08 Nov 2023HANSARDIsrael and GazaI welcome the Prime Minister’s commitment in his statement to challenging actions that undermine the prospects for Palestinian statehood. What is his assessment of the impact of…23 Oct 2023HANSARD Renters (Reform) BillThe Secretary of State has just mentioned the private rental ombudsman, a post that I welcome. Is he considering the case for giving that job to the existing housing ombudsman,…23 Oct 2023HANSARDIsrael and GazaI agree with the Prime Minister that Israel’s response needs to be constrained by international humanitarian law. What steps will the Government be taking to monitor compliance…16 Oct 2023HANSARD EU ProgrammesI am very relieved by today’s statement, hopefully just in the nick of time to avoid really serious damage to UK science. I welcome it, and particularly applaud the contribution…07 Sept 2023HANSARDSafety of School BuildingsMy hon. Friend is making a powerful case. The Work and Pensions Committee highlighted last year the growing number of retired schoolteachers succumbing to mesothelioma because of…06 Sept 2023HANSARDTopical QuestionsI welcome the new focus on engaging pension funds with productive investment, after many years when regulation has pushed the funds into Government gilts instead, but does the…05 Sept 2023HANSARDDisability Benefits: AssessmentsOn a point that was raised by me, and by my hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham, Deptford (Vicky Foxcroft), what will happen to people who are too unwell to work but not disabled,…04 Sept 2023HANSARDDisability Benefits: AssessmentsMy hon. Friend is absolutely right, and she has done a great deal of extremely valuable and important work on this subject, both on our Select Committee and in the Chamber. I do…04 Sept 2023HANSARDCost of Living: Means-tested Benefit ClaimantsRents have risen very sharply over the past couple of years, but the support for people claiming means-tested benefits to pay their rent, determined by local housing allowance,…04 Sept 2023HANSARDDisability Benefits: AssessmentsI am grateful for the chance to speak in the debate, to the Petitions Committee for having arranged it, and to the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Elliot Colburn) for…04 Sept 2023HANSARDDisability Benefits: AssessmentsI will gladly give way to the former Minister.04 Sept 2023HANSARDDisability Benefits: AssessmentsThe hon. Member is right: these are often difficult judgments, but I would like to know what discussions the Minister has had with Ministers in Scotland about how things have…04 Sept 2023HANSARDFinancial Services ReformsDefined-benefit pension funds have long been under pressure to invest in Government gilts rather than the productive economy, so I welcome the change of direction that the…11 Jul 2023