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1,831 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDOccupational Pension Schemes (Collective Money Purchase Schemes) (Amendment) Regulations 2023That the Grand Committee do consider the Occupational Pension Schemes (Collective Money Purchase Schemes) (Amendment) Regulations 2023.13 Feb 2024HANSARDWorkers (Economic Affairs Committee Report)My Lords, I am very pleased to close this debate on the Lords Economic Affairs Committee report Where Have All the Workers Gone? . I thank all noble Lords for their valuable…08 Feb 2024HANSARDDisability Action PlanMy Lords, I thank the noble Baronesses, Lady Sherlock and Lady Brinton, for responding to the Disability Action Plan . I appreciate that the noble Baroness, Lady Sherlock, said…06 Feb 2024HANSARDDisability Action PlanI thank my noble friend for not one but two questions. Perhaps I can answer the first one by saying, as I think my noble friend said, that the Government have set out their…06 Feb 2024HANSARDDisability Action PlanAbsolutely. I start by saying how pleased I am that the Northern Ireland Assembly is up and running. I was a Government Whip for the Northern Ireland Office, so I am very aware of…06 Feb 2024HANSARDHousehold Support FundI will certainly convey the noble Baroness’s entreaties on that front. I am the first to be aware that the Government recognise that pressures remain on certain household budgets.…30 Jan 2024HANSARDHousehold Support FundMy Lords, an evaluation of the current household support fund scheme is under way to better understand the impact of the funding. The current household support fund runs until the…30 Jan 2024HANSARDHousehold Support FundI alluded earlier to the fact that we were undertaking an evaluation of the household support fund; the HSF4 scheme is under way, which will seek to understand the delivery and…30 Jan 2024HANSARDHousehold Support FundI can reassure the House that allocations are targeted fairly and proportionally on the basis of population, weighted by the index of multiple deprivation. The distribution of…30 Jan 2024HANSARDHousehold Support FundI will need to check, but I feel certain that that will be the case. I will write to the noble Baroness if I am wrong. It is a very good point.30 Jan 2024HANSARDHousehold Support FundTo date, over £2 billion-worth of support has been allocated to local authorities in England via the household support fund to support those most in need. As I said, it is up to…30 Jan 2024HANSARDHousehold Support FundI hope I can provide some further reassurance to the House and to the noble Lord. He will know that the Government have announced initial measures for local authorities in England…30 Jan 2024HANSARDHousehold Support FundI have outlined some of the measures. Perhaps the noble Baroness is alluding to the benefit cap, which we always keep an eye on. We believe that this provides a very strong work…30 Jan 2024HANSARDHousehold Support FundMy noble friend is right that we should continue to recognise the important role that unpaid carers play around the country. Our guidance asks that local authorities consider the…30 Jan 2024HANSARDHousehold Support FundAbsolutely. That is a very good point, because local authorities have the funding and the autonomy to decide how it is directed. The government guidance is that the most…30 Jan 2024HANSARDHousehold Support FundFairness should be at the heart of this. I reassure the noble Baroness that we are providing support to households, directly and indirectly, to help with the high cost of living,…30 Jan 2024HANSARDEngineered Stone and SilicosisMy Lords, the Health and Safety Executive, HSE, is not currently considering restricting the use of engineered stone. The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations…15 Jan 2024HANSARDEngineered Stone and SilicosisIt is easy for the noble Baroness to say that we are complacent, but we are not. I have laid out a number of actions that we are taking. The HSE has continued to deliver…15 Jan 2024HANSARDEngineered Stone and SilicosisYes, the noble Lord makes some very good points. I reassure him that the current HSE silica intervention continues to raise awareness of the requirement to adequately control…15 Jan 2024HANSARDEngineered Stone and SilicosisIt is certainly not mine.15 Jan 2024