Menopause: Workplace Support Simon Jupp (East Devon) (Con) 1. What
steps his Department is taking to help improve workplace support
for women experiencing the menopause. (900000) The Secretary of
State for Work and Pensions (Mel Stride) We take the challenges of
the menopause very seriously, which is why the Government appointed
Helen Tomlinson as the menopause employment champion for England.
In terms of progress, I point my hon. Friend to the report, “No
Time...Request free trial
Menopause: Workplace Support
(East Devon) (Con)
1. What steps his Department is taking to help improve workplace
support for women experiencing the menopause. (900000)
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions ()
We take the challenges of the menopause very seriously, which is
why the Government appointed Helen Tomlinson as the menopause
employment champion for England. In terms of progress, I point my
hon. Friend to the report, “No Time to Step Back”.
I welcome the work by campaigners and Devon’s NHS to improve
access to menopause services in Devon. Almost 80% of menopausal
women are in work, yet all too often support can be lacking. What
steps is my right hon. Friend taking to raise menopause awareness
among employers?
I thank my hon. Friend for his question and for his extensive
work as my constituency neighbour, pushing for proper support in
all GP practices across the county. We lead by example: 64% of
the Department’s staff are female and we have a menopause and
workplace policy, which sees 350 menopause ambassadors across our
DWP network.
(East Renfrewshire)
(SNP)
Almost 900,000 women in the UK have quit their jobs due to the
menopause. The right to flexible work is a key part of tackling
economic inactivity, and it would particularly benefit people
managing menopause symptoms. What conversations have taken place
between Cabinet colleagues on removing the onus on employees to
request flexible working and instead ensuring that that is
provided as a day one right, by default?
The hon. Lady’s question is best directed to the Department for
Business and Trade rather than DWP, as it relates to employment
legislation and regulation. However, I am pleased to tell her
that we have our 50PLUS champions, work champions in our
jobcentres, the Midlife MOT and many other measures that are
there to help exactly the people she describes.
Welfare System: Impact of AI
(South Basildon and East
Thurrock) (Con)
2. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of AI on
the functioning of the welfare system. (900001)
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions ()
We have a number of projects that use artificial intelligence
within the Department to drive performance, efficiency and the
service we provide to our customers. One important point to bear
in mind is that we never replace a human when it comes to
judgments relating to a claim or an appeal.
Will my right hon. Friend tell the House what assessment he has
made of the potential merits of the use of AI in fraud
protection? How will his Department ensure that appropriate
safety measures are in place?
Let me take the second of my hon. Friend’s points first. As I
have outlined, there is always human intervention when it is
appropriate. None the less, he is quite right to raise the issue
of fraud and error. We have seen a reduction in the Department
over the past year of some 10% across the benefit system, and
much of that has been driven by machine learning and data
analytics.
Destitution: Children
(Gower) (Lab)
3. What steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of
children experiencing destitution. (900003)
(Blaydon) (Lab)
4. What steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of
children experiencing destitution. (900004)
(Putney) (Lab)
8. What steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of
children experiencing destitution. (900009)
(Selby and Ainsty) (Lab)
9. What steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of
children experiencing destitution. (900010)
(Slough) (Lab)
23. What steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of
children experiencing destitution. (900024)
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions ()
Child poverty and its reduction is absolutely core to the mission
of my Department, which is why we have focused on cost of living
payments, why we have put up benefits across the board by 10.1%
and why the Chancellor announced £3.5 billion in the spring
statement to support our back to work programmes to raise people
out of poverty.
One of the crowning achievements of the previous Labour
Government was to lift 1 million children out of poverty. How
does the Secretary of State think that that compares with the
Conservatives’ record given that new figures show that children
are experiencing destitution, and that that has actually tripled
since 2017?
I think that our record is extremely clear. Since 2010, we have
1.7 million fewer people in absolute poverty, 400,000 fewer
children in absolute poverty, and 200,000 fewer pensioners in
absolute poverty. Under Labour’s watch, we had 1 million people
parked on long-term sickness benefits for more than 10 years.
There has been a shameful increase in the level of destitution in
the UK, with 1 million children not having their basic needs met.
In my constituency of Blaydon, nine children in every classroom
are living in poverty. Across the north-east, there has been a
12% increase in emergency food bank parcels in the past year.
Does the Minister agree that his Government have completely
failed the most vulnerable children in the UK?
No, I am afraid that I cannot agree with that at all. I have just
gone through the various figures pointing to the decline in the
level of absolute poverty, including 400,000 fewer children in
absolute poverty since the hon. Lady’s party was last in
Government. The cost of living payments, the increase in the
level of benefits, and the £3.5 billion that the Chancellor has
made available to help people back into work are helping to drive
poverty figures in the right direction.
The Minister’s responses are disappointing. If the Government do
not recognise the problem of child poverty in this country, how
will they fix it? One million children experienced destitution in
the UK last year. Organisations such as Chantelle’s Community
Kitchen, Little Village and Wandsworth Foodbank in my
constituency work tirelessly to fill in the gaps, but they say
that there is increasing hardship and they are worried about the
winter ahead. What impact does the Minister think that crashing
the economy and unleashing a cost of living crisis have had on
child poverty?
The common theme in all the questions that we have had on this
substantive question is a lack of memory as to what happened
under the previous Labour Government. Under that Government, we
had 1 million more workless households and 680,000 more children
in those workless households.
In the past six months, the Trussell Trust has issued 769
emergency food parcels for children in my constituency. In some
schools that I visit, teachers bring food from their homes to
feed hungry kids. Will the Minister step up and take
responsibility for this, or, instead, move out of the way for a
Labour Government committed to making child poverty a thing of
the past?
Heaven forbid that we do have another Labour Government, Mr
Speaker, because I have just set out the case against the last
one and their appalling record on poverty. When it comes to cost
of living payments, those went to 8 million low-income households
and to 6 million people with disabilities. There will be further
payments of £300 for pensioners alongside the winter fuel payment
in the coming months.
Mr Dhesi
I wish to draw your attention, Mr Speaker, to a very distressing
case in my Slough constituency. A single mother, a victim of
domestic violence, is struggling to pay her rent and meet basic
needs due to cuts in her universal credit after being compelled
to find part-time work. Her living conditions, including mould in
her home, are very badly affecting the health of her children.
Will the Secretary of State explain how current policies are
helping to support such vulnerable families, and what immediate
measures will he put in place to ensure that we do not have such
dire situations of destitution?
I cannot comment on the specific case that the hon. Gentleman has
put forward, other than to say that what he has described is of
concern to me and I will want us to look into that extremely
carefully. I will be happy to make sure that he has the
appropriate time with the appropriate Minister—I think the
Minister for Employment—to look into those matters.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Islwyn) (Lab/Co-op)
In “A Christmas Carol”, published 180 years ago, Charles Dickens
wrote of a world where children lacked shelter, clothing, heating
and food. They were represented by a boy called Ignorance and a
girl called Want. Dickens died in 1870 and we live in the
sixth-largest economy in the world, so why, in 2022, according to
the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, did 1 million children experience
the type of destitution he chronicled long ago? We have heard the
Minister quote figures and programmes, and launch attacks on
previous Governments, but simply, as a human, would he not agree
that just one child living in destitution is one child too
many?
I completely agree with the hon. Gentleman that one child in
destitution is one too many. One person in poverty is one too
many. One person who is unemployed and badly wants a job to
support their family is one too many. The question we have to ask
is how best to go about improving those situations. I say it is
through encouraging people into work and through those cost of
living transfer payments for those targeted through universal
credit, which his party originally opposed, so that we can help
those who are most vulnerable and most in need.
Mr Speaker
I call the SNP spokesperson.
(Glasgow East) (SNP)
The cost of living crisis is plunging many families into
destitution. We know from the JRF that 1.8 million households and
1 million children were plunged into destitution last year. Will
Secretary of State use the upcoming autumn statement to bring
forward the mortgage interest tax relief and action to tackle
soaring food prices, and to reintroduce that £400 energy bill
rebate? Otherwise, more and more children will fall into
destitution. He has the power—will he respond at the autumn
statement?
The hon. Gentleman raises mortgage payments in particular; we
have extended the scope of the support for mortgage interest
arrangements, particularly for those who have not long been on
universal credit. I cannot comment on what may or may not be in
the autumn statement, but I can assure him that the kind of
issues he has raised are always at the centre of our
thinking.
Personal Independence Payment: People with Multiple Sclerosis
(Orkney and Shetland)
(LD)
5. If he will undertake a review of the Personal Independence
Payment assessment process for people with multiple sclerosis.
(900005)
The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work ()
The Department closely monitors all aspects of the assessment
process, including how we assess fluctuating health conditions
such as multiple sclerosis. Following the publication of the
recent White Paper, we are looking at ways to further enhance the
delivery of personal independence payments to all disabled
people.
(Orkney and Shetland)
(LD)
Orkney has the highest prevalence of multiple sclerosis anywhere
in the world, so we have seen the problems caused by PIP
assessments that do not cope properly with fluctuating
conditions. We now have the adult disability payment in Scotland,
but that still uses some of the same eligibility criteria. As the
Minister carries out the review, will he speak to Scottish
Ministers to make sure that we have a system that works for every
MS sufferer, wherever they are in the United Kingdom?
It is fair to say that I have a collaborative and strong working
relationship with Ministers in the Scottish Government, and I
would definitely be keen to talk them about the tests and trials
that we are introducing, which I hope will help to better capture
fluctuating conditions and help people to provide all of the
right evidence as early as possible in the claim journey, so that
we get people’s awards rights and make the right decisions. We
should certainly look to work UK-wide where we can.
(North Swindon) (Con)
Learning the lessons of our changes to special rules for the
terminally ill and the principles of the severe conditions
criteria should allow us to look at those who sadly have
degenerative conditions such as MS and motor neurone disease.
Will the Minister confirm that, as part of the testing and
piloting, the Department is looking at the potential for
automatic entitlement for those with degenerative conditions,
which would lift around a quarter of a million people a year out
of unnecessary assessments?
My hon. Friend has been a strong advocate for the severe
disability group work that we have been taking forward. I am
pleased to be able to say that Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS
Foundation Trust and the British Society of Physical and
Rehabilitation Medicine have agreed to work in partnership with
the DWP to test the SDG. Reducing the assessment burden where it
is inappropriate, and ensuring that people get the right support
and help, is the right thing to do.
Hospitality Sector-based Work Academy Programme
(Cities of London and
Westminster) (Con)
6. What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the
hospitality sector-based work academy programme in Cities of
London and Westminster constituency. (900006)
The Minister for Employment ()
We are working with UK Hospitality and local providers up and
down the country—from Liverpool to Manchester to Coventry; in
London, of course; and also, to come, in Wales—to ensure that we
have a hospitality work programme that provides employment
training, work experience and a guaranteed job interview. It is
free for all DWP jobseekers. It is early days, but the signs are
promising.
May I first thank the Minister for Employment for joining me this
morning at Ben Venuti, a brilliant café and deli in Pimlico, to
celebrate hospitality in Cities of London and Westminster? I am
delighted that the hospitality SWAP pilot has been launched in my
constituency, where we have thousands and thousands of
hospitality jobs. One of the businesses involved in the pilot is
the Raffles London hotel, just up the road at the Old War Office,
which I visited with UK Hospitality recently. What further steps
is the Department taking to ensure that the scheme benefits
minorities and those struggling the most with the cost of living
crisis?
It was a tough ministerial visit to an award-winning coffee shop
this morning—somehow, I missed the earlier hotel visit. I can
assure my hon. Friend that we are driving forward that
hospitality pilot to try to tackle the recruitment issues in that
vital sector, which permeate all across the United Kingdom. She
will be keen to know that every person who passes gets a
hospitality skills passport, which we believe can genuinely make
a difference across all age groups and all sections of the
community.
Work Capability Assessments: People with Neurological
Conditions
(Rutherglen and Hamilton
West) (Lab)
7. What assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness
of work capability assessments for people with neurological
conditions. [R] (900008)
The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work ()
May I start by welcoming the hon. Gentleman to his place in this
House? The work capability assessment is a functional assessment
based on how a person’s condition affects them, not on the
condition itself. Work capability assessors have training across
a range of health conditions, including neurological conditions,
and can access a range of resources that have been
quality-assured by relevant external clinicians.
My entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests has not
been published yet, but I am a trustee of an epilepsy charity. I
thank the Minister for his welcome and for that answer, but for
people with neurological conditions, particularly multiple
sclerosis and epilepsy, the condition is not uniform. One week
they might be affected in one way, and the next week in a
different way. so the capability assessments have to match that
so that they meet people’s capabilities as they are. The
published consultation on reforming the assessments is still
causing a lot of concern for people with those conditions, so
what more can the Minister do to make it a holistic process that
recognises people’s needs as they are?
I am not in a position to set out the outcome of recent work
capability assessment consultation, but a key principle
underpinning the test and trials that I touched on earlier is to
take better account of fluctuating conditions, helping people to
provide high-quality evidence as early as possible in the claim
journey. We are spending a lot of time working with stakeholders
to develop that work, and I would be very willing to have a
conversation with the hon. Gentleman about that.
Supporting People into Employment: Essex
(Witham) (Con)
10. What steps his Department is taking to support people in
Essex into employment. (900011)
The Minister for Employment ()
Employment in Essex is up 4% on 2020 figures and better than in
2010. Full credit goes to the Essex jobcentre staff, who, working
across the county with local skills providers, are providing real
opportunities for local men and women. They held a 50-plus event
in Witham recently, for example, and my right hon. Friend will be
aware that there is a jobs fair in Maldon on Wednesday, just down
the road from her constituency.
My hon. Friend is well aware of the fact that Essex is a
powerhouse when it comes to employment, job creation and economic
growth. That said, many businesses are still frustrated because
they find recruitment and training difficult. We have the autumn
statement coming up, but will he touch on some of the
cross-departmental discussions he has been having to look at how
we can support businesses by lowering taxes, getting rid of
regulation and red tape, and helping them to employ more people
and grow the economy?
I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for her question, and for
her robust championing of Conservative values and support for
businesses and jobs in her constituency and across Essex. We at
the DWP are working across Government to ensure that we consider
different ways of supporting jobs, investment, childcare support,
higher-paid skills and pathways into work. The views of my right
hon. Friend are strongly put, and I am quite sure that Treasury
Ministers and the Chancellor will have taken due notice.
Youth Unemployment
(Ashfield) (Con)
11. What steps his Department is taking to reduce youth
unemployment.(900012)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
The level of youth unemployment is down by 43.8% since 2010, and
this Government remain committed to delivering targeted support
to young people through our expanded DWP youth offer, providing
comprehensive employment support for 16 to 24-year-olds claiming
universal credit. That offer includes intensive support through
the youth employment programme, youth employability coaches and
youth hubs across Great Britain.
I visit businesses on a weekly basis, and one thing they tell me
in Ashfield is that they struggle to recruit apprentices. One of
the barriers is the requirement for English and maths, because a
lot of these young people would make great apprentices but they
either messed about at school or have not had that support. What
more can we do to get those young people into apprenticeships,
and then support them with their maths and English at a later
stage?
We fund apprentices to achieve English and maths qualifications
by the end of their apprenticeships. We understand how important
they are for people’s long-term career prospects, and we are
boosting the rate for those qualifications by 54% from January.
We are also piloting flexible English and maths requirements for
young people with learning difficulties or disabilities, to
ensure that they are not overlooked when it comes to
apprenticeship opportunities.
(Weaver Vale) (Lab)
Economic inactivity due to ill health has more than doubled for
18 to 24-year-olds over the past decade. Why does the Minister
think that is? Could she also please look again at the closure of
the local jobcentre in Halton Lea in my constituency because of
building safety issues?
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question—I will happily take
away his second point, have a look at it and get back to him in
writing. I want to assure him and the House that having DWP youth
hubs together in one location helps those young people who have
been going through very difficult times because of covid. They
help local youth experts and local partnerships to come together
and overcome those barriers, and ensure that young people have
the skills and confidence sought by local employers to take up
the opportunities that are around them, just down the road. It is
really important that we are there to support them through those
mixed youth hubs, which are a big focus for me and for our
Department.
Sir (Scarborough and Whitby)
(Con)
Anglo American and its contractors have just announced 70 new job
opportunities at its Woodsmith mine just outside Whitby, with
workshops both in Whitby and on Teesside for those interested.
Does the Minister agree that these sorts of opportunities in the
mining industry are just the sorts of opportunities that young
people need to grasp with both hands?
I thank my right hon. Friend for his question, which goes back to
the point about knowing what jobs are just down the road for
young people, so that the labour market comes closer to home for
them. That is what our youth employability work coaches do, and
we saw that with the kickstart programme: 163,000 jobs were
created by employers who want young people in their businesses.
Their feedback shows that they absolutely got something from
having young people in their businesses, and I appeal to
employers to keep doing what is happening in Whitby.
(Denton and Reddish)
(Lab)
But the number of young people unemployed in Denton and Reddish
is still far too high—the latest figures show a 7% youth
unemployment claimant count, which is not good enough. Given that
the share of young people not in full-time employment or
education rose last year, what more is the Minister doing to make
sure that young people in places such as Denton and Reddish get
the life chances they deserve?
I absolutely agree that, in the hon. Gentleman’s constituency and
more widely, it is absolutely right that young people get the
opportunities they deserve. In fact, since September 2020 the
DWP’s youth offer has seen over 600,000 starts. As I mentioned
earlier, our comprehensive support for young people now
encompasses those from age 16.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Wirral South) (Lab)
The Minister began answering these questions by claiming credit
for having better youth unemployment figures now than in the
aftermath of a global financial crisis, which seems to me to be a
low ambition. As she has heard, we have problems with inactivity
and we have more young people who are not doing anything. What
account can she give for the fact that, even after 13 and a half
long years of Conservative Government, we have worse youth
unemployment than Ireland, Norway and the Czech Republic, and
that here it is double what it is in Germany and treble what it
is in Japan? What on earth has gone wrong?
I think that is a reminder to continually speak up for
opportunities for our young people. The current youth employment
rate is 53.9%, up three percentage points since 2010. It has been
my absolute mission in this Parliament, over the last four and a
half years, to focus on young people, with around 140 new youth
hubs to support the complex needs of young people. I humbly
suggest that the hon. Member goes and looks at the changes that
are happening, to see the difference being made in communities up
and down the land. We are not writing young people off; we are
making sure that we support them. I went to see a new youth hub
only last week, and the work being done on housing and with
partners is innovative. It means young people with smiles on
their faces and their futures in their hands.
Cost of Living: Benefit Levels
(Glasgow South West)
(SNP)
12. What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of benefit
levels in the context of rises in the cost of living.(900013)
The Minister for Employment ()
The Government have never spent more on welfare and benefit
support than we presently do. From April 2023, we uprated
benefits by 10.1% and increased the benefit cap levels by the
same amount. That is on top of the cost of living support that
has been made to multiple households and individuals to address
the rising cost of bills.
I thank the Minister for that answer, but he will be aware that
the Trussell Trust has warned that food banks are at “breaking
point”, as more and more people across the UK are unable to
afford the essentials, with new figures showing that 1.5 million
emergency food parcels were distributed through the charity’s
network between April and September this year. Will the Minister
therefore back its joint campaign with the Joseph Rowntree
Foundation calling for an essentials guarantee within universal
credit, to ensure that the basic rate at least covers life’s
essentials and that support can never fall below that level?
The hon. Member will be aware that there has been £94 billion of
cost of living support over and above the 10.1% increase in
benefit rates. That support is over 2022-23 and 2023-24. For
example, the winter fuel payment will be paid to the tune of £600
or £500 over the next few weeks.
(Amber Valley) (Con)
Would the Minister agree that the journey we have been on with
benefit rates for the last decade and a half has perhaps been a
little haphazard, and it is pretty unclear to most people exactly
what basket of goods and services benefits are actually meant to
buy? If the Minister does not agree with the case for an
essentials guarantee, will the Government commission their own
study to work out if benefits are at the right level?
My hon. Friend makes an interesting point, which is clearly a
matter for the Secretary of State and the Chancellor when they
make their decisions on uprating, and I am sure they will take
that on board. There are always ongoing discussions about how one
assesses this process but, with respect, this is the system we
have had for some considerable period of time.
Employment for Disabled People
(North Tyneside) (Lab)
13. What recent steps his Department has taken to help disabled
people to find and remain in employment.(900014)
The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work ()
There are a range of initiatives for supporting disabled people
to start, stay in and succeed in work. This includes disability
employment advisers, the Work and Health programme, intensive
personalised employment support, Access to Work, Disability
Confident, the information and advice service, and support in
partnership with the health system.
(North Tyneside) (Lab)
Research by the charity Versus Arthritis has found that one in
five people described as economically inactive have a
musculoskeletal—MSK—condition. Arthritis and MSK conditions were
the cause of over 23 million working days lost in 2021 alone.
Will the Minister ask the Chancellor for additional support in
the autumn statement, to help people with arthritis and MSK to
find and remain in work, and will he meet me and Versus Arthritis
to discuss this serious issue further?
I am always happy to meet colleagues to discuss such issues. It
is fair to say that the Chancellor of the Exchequer has put a
real emphasis on this policy area in his previous spending
announcements; no doubt he will have heard the hon. Lady’s
comments in advance of the upcoming autumn statement. When we
consider initiatives such as Work Well—our work in respect of
occupational health and the consultations on that—we see that a
lot of effort and energy have gone into recognising that
retention is just as important as job starts.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Lewisham, Deptford)
(Lab)
In his conference speech, the Secretary of State said there would
be a revolution in employment support for people with health
conditions and disabilities. Does this revolution include a
backlog of 22,432 people waiting for an Access to Work decision,
with an average delay of 48 days? Ministers need to get a grip of
support for disabled people, rather than vilifying them. The
Government’s lack of real action often prevents disabled people
from working. Labour has a plan for delivery, so instead of
endless reshuffles, why does the Minister not ask his boss to
call a general election now?
I think I will pass up on the invitation at the end of the hon.
Lady’s question. The fact is that this Government are
concentrating on working hard to support more disabled people
into work. We are unlocking that potential with all the help and
support around it. The hon. Lady specifically mentioned Access to
Work; we now have more than 500 full-time staff members working
on that, compared with 375 in March. We are focused on
prioritising job starts and streamlining things to make it easier
for claims to be processed and for people to get support quicker,
as well as that staffing increase. We have a comprehensive plan;
the hon. Lady’s plan is hidden somewhere—I am sure we would all
love to hear it.
Pensioners: Cost of Living
John Mc Nally (Falkirk) (SNP)
14. What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of
Government support for pensioners in the context of rises in the
cost of living.(900015)
The Minister for Employment ()
The Pensions Minister is unavoidably detained in No. 10, so they
have wheeled out the old Pensions Minister to attempt to address
the hon. Gentleman’s question. The reality of the situation is
that April saw the biggest ever rise in the state pension, by
10.1%, thanks to the triple lock. Every pensioner is entitled to
a winter fuel payment and will receive a cost of living payment
this winter. The poorest pensioners will receive a £900 further
cost of living payment.
John Mc Nally
I thank the Minister for his answer, but many older people in my
Falkirk constituency are living below or on the poverty line.
Furthermore, 2 million older people in the UK live below the
poverty line, with many more hovering precariously above it.
Research by Independent Age has shown that older people are
significantly struggling and urgently need additional cost of
living support to help them through the coming winter. By
expanding the eligibility criteria for the existing cost of
living payments to people on housing benefits and those who
receive a council tax reduction, we could help to support this
group of older people who desperately need it. Will the Minister
commit to that?
With no disrespect to the hon. Gentleman, we have committed to
that, which is why there is the £900 further cost of living
payment, a doubling of the winter fuel payment and the highest
state pension we have ever had. This Government are passionately
supporting our pensioners and our most vulnerable on an ongoing
basis.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Sheffield, Brightside and
Hillsborough) (Lab)
New figures on pension credit update have shed light on the
catastrophic failure to get money to the people who desperately
need it. Up to 880,000 pensioners are now missing out. Thousands
of households would be so much better off and able to keep the
heating on and food on the table this winter. Underpinning the
figures is a huge drop in uptake among the under-75s, with a fall
of up to 20%. With so many new pensioners seemingly unaware of
their entitlement to pension credit, will the Government stop
burying their head in the sand and get a grip now?
It is good to welcome the hon. Lady to the Dispatch Box; I have
not previously had the chance to answer her questions. We have
undertaken TV campaigns, internet campaigns and campaigns on the
radio, in print and on social media—the great Len Goodman
assisted us in that regard before his passing—so there is
fantastic support across all aspects. The hon. Lady should be
aware that pension credit applications were up 75% in the year to
May, and we have never had so many people as we are now seeking
to encourage to apply. Absolutely, the Government are fully
behind the pension credit campaign.
Work Capability Assessments: People with Parkinson’s Disease
(Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
(SNP)
15. Whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of
proposed reforms to work capability assessments on the (a)
financial and (b) mental wellbeing of people with Parkinson’s
disease.(900016)
The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work ()
The Department has developed estimates of the number of claimants
impacted by options considered in the work capability assessment
consultation. Estimates are not based on specific conditions,
because the work capability assessment is based on how a person’s
condition affects them, not the condition itself.
The proposed changes to the work capability assessment could
actually see half a million people forced to look for work they
are not cut out for and then at risk of sanctions. The proposed
changes on continence, mobility and social engagement are putting
thousands of Parkinson’s sufferers at risk of being denied the
benefits they need, causing needless stress and financial
pressures. Will the Secretary of State meet me and Parkinson’s UK
to discuss the impacts on those suffering from Parkinson’s?
Hopefully the Government will then change their mind on these
cruel proposals.
What I can say to the hon. Gentleman is that no decisions have
been made. It is right and proper that the consultation responses
are properly considered in the normal way. I would be happy to
meet with Parkinson’s UK again; I met it previously, and it is an
important stakeholder for the Department. We do think it is right
that we look at the work capability assessment and review it
periodically, not least because of the changes we have seen in
homeworking and flexible working in recent years.
Supporting Parents into Work
(Buckingham) (Con)
16. What steps his Department is taking to support more parents
into work.(900017)
The Minister for Employment ()
There have been transformational changes in childcare, skills,
training and support for future employers, as announced at the
spring Budget. It is absolutely the case that from April 2024,
eligible working parents of two-year-olds will be able to access
15 hours of free childcare per week from the term after the
second birthday, plus there will be the delivery of more support
for working parents of children over the age of nine months with
30 free hours of childcare. There is nowhere in the world that
compares with our childcare offer on an ongoing basis. We have
virtually Scandinavian levels.
I am a huge supporter of the bold action that the Government are
taking to tackle the costs of childcare and get more parents into
work. However, some settings in my constituency report that the
rate the Government pay does not cover the full costs of
providing that place, putting them in an untenable position. Can
my hon. Friend work with me, alongside the Department for
Education, to ensure that the scheme is fully working and that
the childcare places are actually there to be able to take up
this generous Government support?
I am happy to convene a summit with the Department for Education,
my hon. Friend and his unitary authority to discuss the ways in
which we are ensuring that. We are already working in partnership
with the DFE to deliver this campaign, and clearly the Government
are committed to ensuring that the implementation of the
expansion to 30 hours is dealt with in an appropriate and
seamless way.
Jobcentres
(Don Valley) (Con)
17. What steps his Department is taking to expand the support
available through jobcentres.(900018)
The Minister for Employment ()
I am on a one-man mission to support my hon. Friend, who is a
doughty champion for Don Valley and getting more people into jobs
in his Yorkshire constituency. It was a pleasure to visit his
constituency recently and meet the jobcentre leads in his patch,
to understand what we can do to drive forward greater employment.
He will be aware of the £3.5 billion package of support across
the country, some of which is being spent in Yorkshire.
I thank members of Doncaster and Thorne jobcentres for the job
fairs they have done, subsequent to my meeting with the Minister
at Yorkshire Wildlife Park. Job fairs do a fantastic job. Does
the Minister agree that many people in their 50s are busying
themselves at home, when they could be having a wonderful second
career like me? If he does agree with me, what can he do to help
them jumpstart into a new career?
My hon. Friend will be aware of the 50-plus champions that we
have up and down the country. The midlife MOT is being rolled out
across the private sector and across jobcentres up and down the
country. Older Workers Week is coming up, and there is no doubt
that there are successes up and down the country of workers
beyond retirement age who are doing amazing work, whether that is
the 96-year-old shop owner I met in Macclesfield, or many of the
others I have met in the past few months. These are great people
whom we want to support into work on an ongoing basis.
(Glasgow Central)
(SNP)
Last week, I received a letter from the Minister for social
mobility, youth and progression, the hon. Member for Mid Sussex
(), saying that she intends to
close down the Jobcentre Plus on Renfield Street, which was
opened on a temporary basis in 2021. I know from having met the
staff there that they have done a huge amount of work to get
people in through the door—and in particular to work with
employers—and into employment, including a programme for
Ukrainians. Why does the Department want to throw that all away
and close it down?
I think the clue is in the name: it was a temporary jobcentre
during covid. I am happy that the specific Minister will write
and further explain the situation.
Mr Speaker
We now come to topicals.
Topical Questions
(Portsmouth South) (Lab)
T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental
responsibilities.(900025)
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions ()
Given that remembrance is still fresh in all our minds, I take
the opportunity to pay tribute to the armed forces champions who
work across our jobcentre network looking after armed forces
personnel and their families. They do a fantastic job, and we
should be very proud of them.
These are financially challenging times, but the DWP is up to
that challenge, hence all the cost of living payments that we
have been hearing about during questions. Inflation is coming
down and real wages are beginning to move up. We continue to take
a balanced and fair approach to encouraging employment, which has
resulted in economic inactivity falling by about 300,000 since
its peak, and almost three quarters of a million since 2010.
The Trussell Trust has reported a 68% increase in the number of
emergency food parcels provided to Portsmouth people in just one
year. Does the Secretary of State agree that more and more people
being pushed into poverty is not a lifestyle choice and that
urgent Government action is required to tackle the cost of living
crisis ahead of another difficult winter for constituents in my
patch?
I certainly agree with the hon. Gentleman that poverty is not a
lifestyle choice. We have gone through various statistics during
questions, with 1.7 million fewer people in absolute poverty
since 2010, 200,000 fewer pensioners in poverty since 2010 and
400,000 fewer children in poverty since 2010. We have also gone
through the cost of living payments, the increases to the
national living wage and all the other support that the
Government are providing.
(Kettering) (Con)
T3. The good people of Kettering would like to know what
proportion of working-age adults are neither employed nor
actively seeking employment and what the Department is doing to
reduce that.(900027)
The Minister for Employment ()
My hon. Friend is a doughty champion for Kettering. He will be
aware that 20.9% of working-age people are inactive, down 0.7
percentage points from last year and down 2.7 percentage points
from 2010, showing that our drive to get more people into jobs is
paying off. The UK now has a lower inactivity rate than the US,
France and Italy. We are doing more every single day, but we are
also aware that there is more to do.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Secretary of State.
(Leicester West) (Lab)
The health of our nation is critical to the health of our
economy, but after 13 years of this Government, both are in a
dire state. The Secretary of State should know that the number of
young people out of work due to long-term sickness has doubled on
the Government’s watch, predominantly driven by poor mental
health. Labour’s plan will recruit 8,500 more mental health
staff, with support in every school and hubs in every community
to tackle these problems early on. Because I am feeling generous
today, Mr Speaker—
Mr Speaker
So am I—at the moment. [Laughter.]
I would like to make the Secretary of State an offer. If he is
serious about getting Britain working, why does he not swallow
his pride, do the right thing and adopt Labour’s back to work
plan?
The reason for that—I am feeling rather less generous—is that we
have seen Labour’s plans in the past, and no Labour Government
have ever left office with unemployment anything other than
higher than when they came to office. Under the last Labour
Government, we saw 1.4 million people parked on long-term
benefits for over a decade, with many of them exactly as the hon.
Lady described: long-term sick and disabled. Under this
Government, we have near-record low unemployment, and we have 4
million more people on payroll employment than we had in
2010.
I am afraid that the Secretary of State is living in cloud cuckoo
land. Record numbers of people are out of work due to long-term
sickness. We are the only country in the G7 whose employment rate
has not gone back to pre-pandemic levels. It is not just young
people but the over-50s. The Office for Budget Responsibility
said that the rise poses a serious risk to our prospects for
growth and the stability of the public finances. Where on earth
is the Secretary of State’s plan to sort it out? Perhaps I am
being a bit unfair, because it turns out that the Government can
get the over-50s back to work, but only if they are former Prime
Ministers.
Mr Speaker
Order. I have been through this time and again. When Front
Benchers want to have an argument, they need to come in earlier
please, and not soak up the time of Back Benchers, whom I now
need to get to urgently.
Will the Secretary of State have a word with the current occupant
of No. 10, and ask him to put as much effort into saving other
people’s jobs and livelihoods as he does attempting to save his
own neck?
Very briefly, I have set out our employment record, which we are
proud of. In his last Budget, the Chancellor set aside £2 billion
to fund measures to tackle long-term sickness and disability.
That includes a consultation on occupational health, the roll-out
of universal support and Work Well, about which the hon. Lady
will hear more presently.
Paul Maynard (Blackpool North and Cleveleys) (Con)
T6. The proportion of new claimants for incapacity benefits who
receive the highest amount with no work requirements has gone
from 21% 10 years ago to 65% now—an astonishing increase. Will
the Secretary of State reassure me that following the proposed
reforms to the work capability assessment, it will work as
intended, and that those who want to work, and seek work, are
able to get the help they need to do so?(900031)
I thank my hon. Friend for his typically astute question and for
his advice in this area over a number of months. We have gone out
to consultation on the work capability assessment. We have not
come to our conclusions on how to move forward, but right at the
centre of that will be a strong belief that if people can work,
with our support and encouragement, that is the best of all
outcomes.
Mr Speaker
I call the Scottish National party spokesperson.
(Glasgow East) (SNP)
The freeze on local housing allowance is having a devastating
impact on housing providers. Scotland’s Housing Minister wrote to
the Secretary of State on 25 May to make that point and to make
the case for restoring it to the 30th percentile. Why has he not
replied? Will the Government use the autumn statement to raise it
back to the 30th percentile?
I will certainly look into the letter to which the hon. Gentleman
refers, but I assure him that LHA and other housing matters are
under constant review, and form part of the discussions that my
Department has with the Treasury from time to time.
(Keighley) (Con)
T7. What steps is the Minister taking to help ensure that parents
pay child maintenance and that the system is fair, particularly
if there has been a difficult divorce or separation?(900032)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
The Government are committed to ensuring that parents meet their
obligations to their children and that the CMS has robust
enforcement powers where parents refuse to pay child maintenance
that they owe. The Child Support (Enforcement) Act 2023 received
Royal Assent in July, and will substantially and rightly speed up
that process.
(City of Durham) (Lab)
T4. Due to a series of errors made by the CMS, a constituent of
mine has failed to receive child maintenance payments and is now
on the brink of homelessness. I have been in contact with the
DWP, but this case needs to be expedited. Will the Minister
assure me that my constituent will receive their payment and will
not be made homeless? Will she meet me to discuss this extremely
important case?(900029)
The hon. Lady is right; every child maintenance arrangement plays
a vital role in ensuring that both parents play their part to
support their children, whether they live with them or not. I am
happy to take up that case urgently, on behalf of our noble
Friend in the other place.
(South Cambridgeshire)
(Con)
T9. Pension auto-enrolment has been a great success, but it has
led to millions of people getting a new pension pot every time
they change jobs. Millions of people now have multiple pension
pots that they struggle to keep on top of, causing confusion and
increasing costs. Does my hon. Friend agree that employees should
have the option to save into a workplace scheme of their choice,
enabling them to build up a pot for life—a pot to save in, not a
pot to smoke?(900034)
Automatic enrolment has transformed savings across the country. I
welcome my hon. Friend’s strong support and his passion in this
area. The pot for life model offers attraction, with the
potential to help engaged individuals with their pension savings
if it maintains the gains achieved under automatic enrolment. I
am sure he will discuss that with the future pensions
Minister.
Anne McLaughlin (Glasgow North East) (SNP)
T5. If life is so peachy for pensioners and if the Minister
really is as passionate as he says he is about supporting
pensioners, why does Independent Age say that, despite the long
list he has given, the uptake in pension credit is not reaching
the people who need it the most? Why, in my constituency of
Glasgow North East, are pensioners, who I am passionate about
supporting, still missing out on several million every year? Will
he use that passion to follow the Scottish Government and have a
proper targeted benefit uptake strategy?(900030)
The hon. Lady will be aware that pension credit applications are
up 75%. Clearly, we are trying to get that even higher. There is
a nationwide campaign, which includes Scotland.
(Banff and Buchan) (Con)
According to the latest figures, there are 1,825 households
receiving pension credit in Banff and Buchan, but what more can
we do as Members of Parliament to encourage more pensioners to
apply?
My hon. Friend’s campaign in his constituency has been a massive
success and I thank him for that. It builds on our nationwide
campaign to support pension credit. There is much we can do to
promote it locally, which I know my hon. Friend is doing, through
our local councils, Citizens Advice and voluntary
organisations.
(Westmorland and Lonsdale) (LD)
T8. Does the Minister share my horror at rising homelessness
among refugees who have been granted asylum because the timescale
from decision to their being transitioned to mainstream benefits
is a mere 28 days? Will she meet me so that we can work together
to stop those who have been granted the right to a new life here
being forced to begin that new life in destitution on the streets
this winter?(900033)
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his point. Other ID forms are
there to help claim sooner. Those granted refugee status have
recourse to public funds and are able to apply for universal
credit as soon as they can. DWP staff are instructed to consider
all available evidence and work with the Home Office directly to
confirm status where unsure. We are reviewing our public guidance
to ensure that all those getting that status claim support as
soon as possible.
(Aylesbury) (Con)
The cost of living payments from the Government are undoubtedly
bringing real benefits to my constituents, but what support is
available for those who are not eligible for that specific
support?
I thank my hon. Friend for the opportunity to mention the
household support fund, providing local authorities with further
funding which is discretionary for those most in need,
particularly those ineligible for cost of living payments. The
latest year-long extension in England runs to March next year.
Buckinghamshire Council received nearly £4.8 million in its
latest extension.
(Motherwell and Wishaw)
(SNP)
The proposals in the work capability assessment activities and
descriptors consultation will mean some claimants will lose £390
a month if they are reassessed, pushing them even further into
poverty. Will the Minister or the Secretary of State please
explain this huge financial impact on low-income people with
disabilities or a serious health condition?
The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work ()
No final decisions have been made. We have had the consultation
and we will respond appropriately in the normal way.
Sir (New Forest East) (Con)
May we have specific detail on the help that jobcentres are
giving to armed forces veterans, who must live with the
consequences of decisions made by Governments?
A very pertinent point after the weekend when we paid tribute in
our local communities and after what we saw on the Elizabeth
Tower. The DWP continues to work to identify universal credit
claimants who are members of the armed forces community, with 11
dedicated forces champion leads and over 50 armed forces
champions across our jobcentre network working with spouses and
partners, too.
Mr Speaker
I call the Chair of the Select Committee.
Sir (East Ham) (Lab)
Those 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
inflation in April next year, there will inevitably be another
big surge in food bank demand and destitution?
The right hon. Gentleman has raised an important point. I take
the uprating process extremely seriously, and, as he will know, I
look at a number of factors, including the effects on poverty.
However, as he will also understand, I am not able to comment on
a parliamentary process that has not yet been concluded.
(Hitchin and Harpenden)
(Con)
May I ask a question about auto-enrolment and pensions? What can
the Secretary of State do to build on our good record by
extending and increasing the total amount that young people—I see
that there are schoolchildren in the Public Gallery—who retire on
defined-contribution pensions are likely to be able to save in
their retirement?
There are two key points here. Consolidation will make a massive
difference, but more important is the transformation of workplace
savings through auto-enrolment for young people. The figure has
risen from below 40% to well over 80%, and it will get bigger as
time moves on.
(Livingston) (SNP)
For those who suffer from endometriosis, Crohn’s disease and
colitis, incontinence is a daily challenge. For the purpose of
the Government’s proposed changes in the incontinence descriptor,
what capability assessment has been done, and was there any
consultation with those sufferers?
I hear the point that the hon. Lady has raised. We have, of
course, had the consultation, and many views were expressed. We
will now consider those views very carefully, and come forward as
appropriate in the normal way.
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