The Secretary of State was asked— Child Poverty Alex Cunningham
(Stockton North) (Lab) 1. What steps her Department is taking to
tackle child poverty. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
for Work and Pensions (David Rutley) As the economy recovers, and
with record job vacancies, our focus is on supporting parents to
secure a role and to progress in work. This is based on clear
evidence around the importance of parental employment, particularly
where it is...Request free trial
The Secretary of State was asked—
Child Poverty
(Stockton North) (Lab)
1. What steps her Department is taking to tackle child
poverty.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
As the economy recovers, and with record job vacancies, our focus
is on supporting parents to secure a role and to progress in
work. This is based on clear evidence around the importance of
parental employment, particularly where it is full time, in
substantially reducing the risk of child poverty. Our
multi-million pound plan for jobs, which has been expanded by
£500 million, will help people to boost their wages and their
prospects.
Every time I walk down the high street in Stockton, I see the
signs of poverty, with 51% of working-age families with children
receiving universal credit, the majority of whom are in work.
They are heading towards Christmas wondering how to put food on
the table, never mind buy presents for their children. Will the
Government accept responsibility for child poverty, recognise
that the £20 uplift to universal credit could have made all the
difference this Christmas, and tell me what parents should say to
their children on Christmas morning, when there will be very
little to celebrate?
The hon. Member talks about in-work poverty. Important steps were
put forward in the Budget to improve the taper rate and the work
allowance, which will really help many of his constituents—in
fact, the vast majority of them, about 3,966.
(Chingford and Woodford
Green) (Con)
I very much welcome the change to the taper rate for universal
credit. This will be of enormous help in reducing child poverty
for parents who are in work. As we run into the new year, could
my hon. Friend now persuade the Chancellor to look carefully at
further helping out by putting more money into the work
allowances for many of those who are trapped and unable to get
into work?
Having served as my right hon. Friend’s Parliamentary Private
Secretary in the past, I know his passion for these issues. In
the Budget, we set out that the work allowances were going to
increase by £500, and that has made a big contribution. For those
who are vulnerable, we have provided an extra £500 million of
support, which will be a real help over the winter.
(Glasgow East) (SNP)
Despite the recommendations made by the Work and Pensions
Committee, the British Government have no intention of developing
a strategy to reduce child poverty. This stands in stark contrast
to the SNP Scottish Government, who have declared tackling child
poverty a national mission and are doubling their game-changing
Scottish child payment to £20 a week, in contrast to this
Government’s decision to cut universal credit by £20 a week. Why
are the UK Government refusing to introduce proper proposals to
tackle child poverty as we have done in Scotland?
We do have proper plans in place, and we are working hard to help
parents to get into work. As the hon. Gentleman will know,
580,000 fewer children are in workless households than in 2010,
so we are taking the action that is required. I know, having
recently come to this post, how hard the Secretary of State is
working across Government to tackle this vital issue.
(Redcar) (Con)
The best route out of poverty is work, so does the Minister agree
that it is important to get more people into work through our
ambitious plan for jobs and through investment in Teesside such
as our freeport programme, which will produce 18,000 jobs over
the next five years?
Absolutely. It is pivotal that we get the plan for jobs working,
along with local councils, local enterprise partnerships,
hard-working Mayors and businesses. That is what we are seeing in
Teesside, which is setting a great example for the rest of the
country.
End of Universal Credit Uplift
(Oxford West and Abingdon)
(LD)
2. Whether she has made an assessment of the effect of ending the
£20 universal credit uplift on trends in the level of
homelessness.
(Dulwich and West Norwood)
(Lab)
8. What assessment she has made of the impact of removing the £20
uplift to the standard allowance of universal credit on household
budgets.
(Gower) (Lab)
14. What assessment she has made of the impact of removing the
£20 uplift to the standard allowance of universal credit on
household budgets.
(North Tyneside) (Lab)
21. What assessment she has made of the impact of removing the
£20 uplift to the standard allowance of universal credit on
household budgets.
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Dr Thérèse
Coffey)
The uplift to universal credit was a temporary measure, so we
have not completed an impact assessment on its withdrawal.
Charities warned that the cut to universal credit would risk
100,000 people falling into homelessness, yet the Government
ploughed on with it. Added to that is the freeze to housing
benefits, with the result that more families cannot afford their
rent and risk losing the roof over their head, and the fact that
the Government have yet to repeal the Vagrancy Act 1824, meaning
that the very same people who are being made homeless could then
become criminalised. Can the Secretary of State tell us how many
people she expects to fall into homelessness, and what the
Government are going to do about it?
Dr Coffey
We have provided £140 million of discretionary housing payments
to councils, specifically to target that element. We boosted the
local housing allowance in the covid Budget of 2020, and we have
kept it at that rate. As the Under-Secretary of State for Work
and Pensions, my hon. Friend the Member for Macclesfield (), has just said, there has
been a significant investment of some £2.5 billion in both
increasing the work allowance and reducing the taper rate. My
work coaches across the country are helping people to get into
work day in, day out.
Many of my constituents have caring responsibilities and can only
work part time, often at low wages. Does the Secretary of State
recognise that families in this situation will generally lose
more from the £20 a week cut to the standard allowance than they
could ever hope to gain from the reduced taper? What does she
have to say to those families?
Dr Coffey
I respect that people undertake care, and I am conscious that
they often choose to do it in partnership with their local
authority. We want to make sure that people take advantage of the
increase in the national minimum wage, which will be coming in
from April 2022, and of the changes that make it worthwhile for
people to work extra hours and progress in work, which will be a
big focus of what we do in 2022 and beyond.
Although the recent changes to the taper rate and the work
allowance are welcome, they simply do not go far enough. The
Resolution Foundation’s analysis found that huge increases in the
cost of living will wipe out any gains. Even with these changes,
three quarters of families on UC will still be worse off than if
they had kept the £20 uplift to the standard allowance. Does the
Secretary of State now see that the countless organisations, and
even former Tory Work and Pensions Ministers, who argued for the
uplift to be made permanent were actually right?
Dr Coffey
I am conscious of what the hon. Lady says, and I am sure she
welcomes the £25 million of the £0.5 billion spent on the
household support fund over this winter. I am also conscious that
we want to make sure people will be better off working than
not—that was the big change and the big announcement in the
Budget. I am conscious that, right now, right across the country
there are more people seeking work than ever before. More people
are on payrolls than ever before and companies across the country
are looking for workers, so we will be doing our best to help
people who have not been working to get into work. We will also
be responding to in-work progression early in the new year.
A survey by Christians Against
Poverty found that 67% of its service users will struggle to
pay for essentials in the coming months, with 35% already falling
behind with bills and 27% now further into debt. What message
does the Secretary of State have for these hard-pressed people in
the season of good will?
Dr Coffey
I am sure the hon. Lady will welcome the £1.6 million that has
been given to her local council specifically for targeted support
through the household support fund. I am sure she will be as keen
as I am to ensure that people seeking work in her constituency
get the benefit of the extra work coach support. We have invested
in that right across the country and we will continue to do
so.
Help for Jobseekers: Local Employers and Skills
Providers
(Berwickshire, Roxburgh and
Selkirk) (Con)
3. What plans she has to work with employers and skills providers
at a local level to help more jobseekers into work.
(Mansfield) (Con)
5. What plans she has to work with employers and skills providers
at a local level to help more jobseekers into work.
(North West Leicestershire)
(Con)
15. What plans she has to work with employers and skills
providers at a local level to help more jobseekers into work.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
Through our place-based approach, the DWP is working closely with
employers, skills providers and other Departments to support
people into work. Our jobcentres connect directly with local
employers to discuss their recruitment needs and to offer
tailored advice and support to help fill vacancies. This includes
offering work experience opportunities and increasing the number
of sector-based work academy programme places available.
I am delighted that more than 100 young people in the Scottish
Borders have already started work through the kickstart scheme.
What can the Government do to encourage employers to keep people
on after the scheme ends?
I am delighted, too. I am pleased to announce that more than
112,000 kickstart jobs have been started by young people across
the UK. Many young people have found permanent jobs through
kickstart, and we continue to work closely with employers to help
young people find those long-term employment opportunities. We
have helped employers to move kickstart participants into
apprenticeships more easily by working with colleagues in the
Department for Education to ensure employers receive the
incentive payments for doing so.
How has the Department worked with DFE to ensure that people on
universal credit who are accessing new training and
qualifications through the various Government schemes do not lose
their universal credit entitlement as a result?
I assure my hon. Friend that we work closely with the Department
for Education. With the existing flexibilities in the benefits
system for people taking up that training, DWP Train and Progress
allows universal credit claimants to participate in full-time
work-related training for up to 12 weeks and to attend DFE skills
boot camps for up to 16 weeks, including the recently announced
HGV boot camps, which have more than 10,000 places available.
In North West Leicestershire, we are fortunate enough to have 1.1
jobs for every individual. However, a large amount of our
unemployment is down to gaps in skills and training, so what will
the Department do to solve that problem?
Through my hon. Friend’s Jobcentre Plus support and the
flexibilities I described in DWP TAP, his constituents can now
access level 3 courses for free, skills boot camps and other
training opportunities that my Department has ensured all UC
claimants can access by extending the length of time they can
participate in full-time work-related training. In addition, we
are investing £10 million annually over the next three years in
the sector-based work academy programmes, delivering those
life-changing opportunities in those key sectors.
(Huddersfield)
(Lab/Co-op)
The Minister talks the talk, but does she walk the walk? In
places such as Huddersfield, we are creating a new syllabus for
people who are 16, 18 and 21 to get into green jobs and green
enterprise, but there is a lack of leadership from the Government
and things are fragmented at the local level. Get your act
together and do it properly. There is a whole green economy here,
where we can save this fragile planet, but we need action
now.
I thank the hon. Gentleman for asking me about walking the walk.
I assure him that through our national employer training
partnership, and the work we do across government and through the
green jobs taskforce, we are absolutely tackling that. We have a
direct strand of work, which I was engaged with just at the end
of last week, that is making sure that those skills, abilities
and opportunities in his constituency, and everyone else’s, are
there for those who want to go into that bit of the economy.
(St Helens North) (Lab)
The first Ways to Work centre opened in St Helens in June, with
one to follow in Earlestown in the new year. It is locally
designed and has been recently supported by Labour-led St Helens
Council and the Liverpool city region respectively. It brings
education, employment and training for local people together
under one roof. Will the Minister join me in congratulating the
project on making 1,300 unique interventions in just six months?
Does she agree that this type of local model works? If so, will
she help me to ensure it gets the funding it needs to be
sustainable?
I thank the hon. Gentleman for everything he has mentioned,
because we are doing that across the UK in 150 brand-new youth
hubs. If he will listen to my answer, I hope he will understand
that we are linked locally to the economy; we are keen for those
job outcomes to come to his constituents and more widely, and
this is being done through local interventions and local
engagement.
(Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
(SNP)
The Tory trope is that UC helps people into work, but it has been
a few years since the National Audit Office said that there is no
way of measuring the outcomes and success of UC. So will the
Minister tell me what measures are now in place to measure the
outcomes of UC in getting people into work, particularly at the
local level?
We absolutely measure the outcomes of all our programmes,
particularly the sector-based work academy programmes. Of course,
skills are devolved in Scotland. In my recent engagement with the
Welsh Government and at the Welsh Affairs Committee, I pointed
out that outcomes are not measured in Wales. I think this is a
thing we should be doing in all devolved areas.
Mr Speaker
We now welcome the shadow Minister to her new post. I call .
(Wirral South) (Lab)
Thank you, Mr Speaker. People across the country who have had a
really hard time at work in the past year need DWP Ministers
focused on their jobs. It will not have escaped your notice that
it was reported over the weekend that the DWP has joined the last
Christmas naughty list of Whitehall lock-ins during lockdown, but
it is not me the Secretary of State should be apologising to—it
is the more than 100,000 young people who will not be helped by
the time the underperforming kickstart scheme comes to a close
before Christmas. So may I ask the Minister: when kickstart comes
to a halt and thousands of young people still need help, what
then?
I thank the hon. Lady for her question and welcome her to her
post. I know that she has a strong interest in young people in
every constituency doing as well as they can. Kickstart has not
underperformed. Let us be honest: more than 112,000 young people
have joined the programme. Of course, when we created the
programme, we expected an unemployment level of perhaps 12%; it
is just over 4%. Let us focus on the outcomes for those young
people, which we are tracking carefully. We are linking up with
the Department for Education to ensure that the traineeships and
apprenticeships are there.
I know that visiting her jobcentre is on the hon. Lady’s to-do
list. When she does so, I am sure she will hear amazing stories
about what is happening to young people locally.
(Ynys Môn) (Con)
The Minister mentioned young people. The new inland border
facility in Holyhead means that more than 200 jobs are coming to
the island of Anglesey. How will the Minister ensure that those
new jobs go to local young people?
My hon. Friend is such an assiduous Member of Parliament in
standing up for Ynys Môn—I salute her for that. We have been
working through the local jobcentre. In fact, she helped reopen
the jobcentre and make sure it was safe, alongside the
Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my hon. Friend
the Member for Hexham (). Working with local employers and the jobcentre,
she has made sure that there are buses and that people can access
the jobs that are there. We will continue to work with her and
the jobcentre on that.
Increased Living Costs: Benefit Claimants
(Luton South) (Lab)
4. What steps her Department is taking to support benefit
claimants in meeting increased living costs.
(East Ham) (Lab)
6. What steps her Department is taking to support benefit
claimants in meeting increased living costs.
(Blackburn) (Lab)
7. What steps her Department is taking to support benefit
claimants in meeting increased living costs.
(Cambridge) (Lab)
23. What steps her Department is taking to support benefit
claimants in meeting increased living costs.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
The Government are taking action to make work pay for low-income
households. As was announced at the Budget, we are reducing the
universal credit taper rate and increasing the work allowance so
that working people can keep more of their earnings. We have
introduced a £500-million household support fund so that local
authorities can help those on the lowest incomes with their food
and utility costs.
About 12,000 households in Luton South are claiming universal
credit, and one in 10 people say that they could not afford a £5
per month increase in their cost of living. Does the Minister
accept that his Government’s failure to tackle increasing rents
and energy costs will impact the poorest in society more and push
more of my constituents into poverty?
I think the hon. Member will welcome the fact that the vast
majority of the nearly 6,000 claimants in work will gain from the
reduction in the taper rate and the increase in work allowances
in the Budget, which is terrific. For those who are vulnerable,
£1.8 million has been made available to local authorities to help
them through the household support fund.
A single father who is unable to work on health grounds told the
Select Committee in September that removing the £20 a week uplift
would force him to skip meals so that his children did not have
to. Christians Against
Poverty which supports him, says that he now cannot afford
the absolute basics: food, heating and bus fares to take his
children to school. He certainly cannot afford to buy his
children Christmas presents. With prices rising so fast, is not
the social security safety net just too low?
As I just set out to the hon. Member for Luton South (), we have introduced the
household support fund. In Newham, £3.3 million is available to
help people exactly like the right hon. Gentleman’s constituent
with the challenges they are facing this winter.
In effect, the new household support scheme, about which we have
heard quite a bit today, replaces the £20 universal credit uplift
with £1.60. Can the Minister tell me how that will help families
through this harsh winter, especially as increasing numbers of
people will have to self-isolate? It certainly will not do much
for the more than 16% of families in Blackburn who live in fuel
poverty—households that are now faced with even higher fuel
prices in the winter cost crunch. Will he reconsider the rate of
the universal credit standard allowance and ensure that it rises
in line with the cost of living?
I can reassure the hon. Member that steps are in place to help
people through various stages of the employment journey. For
those who are in work, there is the universal credit taper and
work allowance. For those who are out of work, as the
Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my hon. Friend
the Member for Mid Sussex (), has said, there is the plan
for jobs, which is making a big difference in people’s lives. For
those who are vulnerable and need extra help, there is the
household support fund, and in Blackburn and Darwen that comes to
£1.6 million over this winter.
Everyone in the food sector knows that costs are rising
dramatically and that margins are being eroded. We are already
seeing price rises in the shops. The Food and Drink Federation
thinks that it is £3 a week for households. Out of the £5 that
has already been mentioned, does the Minister understand just
what pressure that puts on vulnerable households? What will the
Government do to protect them when those price rises bite?
It is really important that we get more people into work, and
there are 1.3 million vacancies. We need to help those who are
unemployed into work, which will be the biggest, most sustainable
way that we can get them on to their own two feet. As I have
said, we have the household support fund, and in Cambridgeshire
that comes to £3.6 million, which will help the people whom the
hon. Member is talking about.
(Westminster North) (Lab)
With housing costs a major driver of poverty, the Government have
decided yet again to freeze the local housing allowance, hitting
millions of renters. As the Minister well knows, neither
discretionary payments nor the winter hardship fund will do
anything like meet the shortfall in that gap. Meanwhile, rents
are anything but frozen and more than half of all renters have a
shortfall between their rents and the help available. Will the
Minister tell us when the Government decided not to link the
support for housing costs to actual real world rents, and what
assessment have they made of the impact of that on household
incomes?
As the hon. Member will remember, we increased the local housing
allowance rates to the 30th percentile of local rents in April
2020. That is a boost of £1 billion in support and an average
gain of £600 for each person in private rented accommodation who
needed housing support. We have also maintained that at cash
levels, which will be a real help, and there are also
discretionary housing payments for those who need them as
well.
(Kettering) (Con)
To help pensioners with rising household bills, will the
Government do more to promote pension credit? In the Kettering
constituency, almost 18,000 retired people claim the state
pension, but fewer than 2,000 claim pension credit, yet this can
help with council tax bills, heating costs and so on. Across the
country, 1 million pensioners are not claiming the pension credit
to which they are entitled, so can the Government do more to
increase the uptake of that benefit?
My hon. Friend is a doughty campaigner on these matters, but we
also have a doughty Pensions Minister who is working incredibly
hard to increase the take-up. I also highlight to him that, as I
am sure he knows, winter fuel payments and cold weather payments
are also available to help pensioners on low incomes over the
winter period.
Pensioner Poverty: State Pension
(Kingston upon Hull East)
(Lab)
10. What recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of
the state pension in tackling pensioner poverty; and if she will
make a statement.
(Ealing Central and Acton)
(Lab)
13. What recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of
the state pension in tackling pensioner poverty; and if she will
make a statement.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
Let me take this opportunity to welcome the newcomers to the
Opposition Front Bench.
The state pension is the foundation of support for older people
and, under this Government, the full yearly amount of the basic
state pension will be more than £2,300 higher in April than in
2010. The latest figures show that 200,000 fewer pensioners are
in absolute poverty compared with 2009-10.
Fred from east Hull was left without any income whatsoever for
several months earlier this year because the Department for Work
and Pensions failed to pay him his state pension, to which he was
rightfully entitled. When my office intervened, he eventually got
paid, but it took us several weeks to sort it out. When people
such as Fred in areas like mine are already facing a cost of
living crisis, fuel poverty and the effects of the pandemic, does
the Minister feel that he should apologise to Fred and many
others?
I cannot comment on the individual case, but I can say that the
hon. Gentleman is right to say that there was a backlog over the
summer period by reason of covid and many other factors, which we
took great steps to address. A dedicated team of several hundred
individuals ensured that we caught up with the backlog, and we
are now operating business as usual.
Dr Huq
With winter biting and energy companies going to the wall,
approximately 13.2% of households in Ealing Central and Acton are
in fuel poverty—that is 6,864 pensioners struggling to heat their
homes. Will the Minister agree with Labour and cut VAT on
household heating bills during these winter months? The
Conservatives have pilfered enough of our manifesto before; they
could do this and make a real difference to pensioners.
The hon. Lady will be aware that we spend £2 billion on the
winter fuel payments. There is also the cold weather payments
fund, the household support fund, and the pension credit energy
rebate. There are a whole host of ways in which support can be
found for her constituents.
(New Forest East) (Con)
I know my right hon. and hon. Friends in the ministerial team are
doing their best, but is there any encouragement they can give,
perhaps in conjunction with the Treasury, to the women of the
Women Against State Pension Inequality Campaign who lost out on
the state pension start age?
With respect to my right hon. Friend, that matter has been
decided in the courts on two occasions—in the High Court and in
the Court of Appeal—and it is not proposed to change the
policy.
(Reading East) (Lab)
The Government have consistently failed to stand up for the
interests of pensioners on modest incomes. Food prices are up,
gas prices are up and electricity prices are up. The cost of
living is going up. Yet despite this, the Government are refusing
to cut VAT on fuel, even though they have had higher than
expected VAT receipts from across the economy, which would allow
them to do exactly that and offer much-needed help to pensioners.
To make matters worse, the Government are also failing to
increase the take-up of pension credit. When will they finally
start offering real help to our pensioners?
That is a bit rich. When the last Labour Government were in
power, the state pension was under £100; it is now going up to
£185 going forward. It is almost double what it was before thanks
to the triple lock introduced by this Government and the
coalition Government. It is also very much the case that pension
credit take-up is actually going up, not down. Over the two years
of the pandemic, both the basic and new state pension will have
increased by more than prices thanks to the cumulative effects of
the Social Security (Up-rating of Benefits) Act 2020 and the
Social Security (Up-rating of Benefits) Act 2021.
National Disability Strategy
(Bolsover) (Con)
11. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure
cross-Government delivery of the national disability
strategy.
The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions ()
The entire Government are committed to transforming the everyday
lives of disabled people through the national disability strategy
because we want to build back better and fairer. A number of
commitments have already been delivered. I chair quarterly
meetings with the ministerial disability champions to drive
progress.
Increasing employment opportunities is key to supporting
independent living for disabled people and people with health
conditions. Will the Minister reaffirm our commitment to
supporting 1 million disabled people into work by 2027?
I certainly will. The Government remain absolutely committed to
that. There is more to do but progress has been made since 2017.
The number of disabled people in employment has increased by
850,000, and the disability employment gap has closed by about
five percentage points since 2013.
(Denton and Reddish)
(Lab)
I suppose, looking at it favourably, at least the long-promised
strategy is now published, but the failure to co-produce the
strategy with disabled people or disabled people’s organisations
is unfortunate. What does the Minister say to people with
disabilities and their organisations who have been left
disappointed at what they call a “tokenistic” strategy?
The exercise leading up to the publication of that strategy was
one of the biggest listening exercises ever undertaken with
disabled people by Government. I am proud of it and proud of the
result that has been published. It is my personal priority to
implement it and to continue listening to disabled people and
disabled people’s organisations. Indeed, there is a commitment,
and several others through the strategy, to do more of precisely
that.
(North Swindon) (Con)
I commend the Minister for driving forward the national
disability strategy with a real zest. My inspirational
constituent Becky Maddern of the Benjamin’s Smile charity
champions accessible play parks for families up and down the
country, which became a key commitment in the national disability
strategy. Will the Minister reconfirm that this will remain a key
priority for her in her cross-Government work?
I certainly will. I pay tribute to Becky Maddern, who I too find
inspirational. Indeed, I was thinking about her only at the
weekend as I visited a playground with my own children and looked
at the range of swings and equipment that was available. This is
incredibly important because disabled children deserve to play as
much as their brothers, sisters and friends. That underlines why
our strategy is a very wide-ranging one that goes across the full
range of public services and into culture, leisure and play as
well, because it all matters greatly.
(Rhondda) (Lab)
One hidden disability often is an acquired brain injury, and 10
days ago, the Government committed to creating a national
strategy for acquired brain injury. Will this Department ensure
that it fully co-operates with the programme board, which will be
set up in the new year, so that we can radically transform the
opportunities and chances in life for those who have had an
acquired brain injury?
I am very grateful for that question, and I pay tribute to the
history that the hon. Member has and the work that he is doing in
this area. Two Ministers in this Department have some personal
direct experience of these issues, so yes, the Department for
Work and Pensions will be keen to make good progress with that
work.
Progression out of Low-paid Jobs
(Don Valley) (Con)
12. What steps her Department is taking to support progression
out of low-paid jobs.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
As announced in the spending review, the DWP will enhance its
support for universal credit claimants who are in work. From
April next year, they will have access to a dedicated work coach
to help individuals remove barriers, enabling them to progress in
work. We will be introducing new Jobcentre Plus specialists,
known as district progression leads, who will work with local
employers and partners to identify progression opportunities,
with support from work coaches.
Does my hon. Friend agree that with the introduction of various
skills initiatives by this Government and a booming job market,
people across the UK, and in particular in Don Valley, will be
finding it easier than ever to get on the job ladder and progress
in their chosen career?
I agree with my hon. Friend. The extensive support that the
Government have offered through our plan for jobs has protected,
supported and created jobs in Don Valley and beyond. In his
constituency, for example, we have continued funding our
successful sector-based work academy programme in new
opportunities such as rail, warehousing, care, security and
hospitality, where someone gets a guaranteed interview as part of
the programme, which is offered to all his constituents.
(Angus) (SNP)
The Government’s increase in the living wage does not make it the
real living wage. It does not reflect the increased cost of
living and it does not adequately support young people under the
age of 23. Why are the UK Government refusing to increase the
national living wage to the real living wage?
I understand that it is around 60% of the median wage. The
reality is that through kickstart, there will be young people in
the hon. Gentleman’s constituency who will have got on the jobs
ladder sooner and earlier than ever before in sectors that one
could not have believed, from viticulture to digital marketing to
working in architecture—all different areas. That is because of
the Government intervening in jobs and opportunities that can
lead to apprenticeships, traineeships and progressing in
work.
Universal Credit Taper Rate Reduction: Household Budgets
Karl MᶜCartney (Lincoln) (Con)
16. What assessment she has made of the impact of the universal
credit taper rate reduction on household budgets.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
The reduction in the taper rate and increase in the work
allowances mean that 1.9 million households will keep on average
an extra £1,000 a year, representing an effective tax cut for
low-income working households in receipt of universal credit that
will be worth £2.2 billion a year in 2022-23. We are allowing
working households to keep more of what they earn and
strengthening incentives to move and progress in work.
Karl MᶜCartney
Unlike the legacy system, which has in-built cliff edges,
universal credit ensures that it always pays to take on more
hours. Will my hon. Friend commit to working with employers,
especially those in my constituency of Lincoln, in low-pay
sectors to ensure that they can help their employees understand
that?
Throughout our job network, our employer partnership teams and
employment advisers are working closely with local employers to
ensure that they help claimants understand how best to benefit
from the recent positive changes to universal credit taper rates
and work allowances. I am sure that my hon. Friend, with his
fantastic shirt, will assist with his characteristic energy with
this important task.
Mr Speaker
I think you need to go to Specsavers, Minister.
Young Jobseekers
(Keighley) (Con)
17. What support her Department is providing to young
jobseekers.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
We are investing in tailored work coach support for young people
claiming universal credit and searching for work through our
enhanced DWP youth offer. As of 5 December, as announced, 112,000
young people have started a kickstart job. Until March next year,
young people can start that key six-month placement, which will
support even more young people at risk of long-term
unemployment.
Whether through the apprenticeship programme run by fantastic
businesses such as Byworth Boilers in Keighley or training
programmes run by Keighley College, my constituency has no
shortage of people who are passionate about getting young people
into the workplace. What further work is my hon. Friend’s
Department doing to ensure that businesses, colleges and others
can work together to create the best opportunities for our young
people to get into work?
The opportunity to speak about youth hubs is too tempting. We
have 150 new youth hubs across the DWP, crucially bringing
together local partners from employment, training and skills to
support young people. The Keighley youth hub, based in Keighley
College, is a prime example, working in close collaboration with
SkillsHouse, One Workforce and the community-led local
development programmes. I hope that sells the youth hubs to you,
Mr Speaker.
Legacy Benefits: People with Severe Disabilities
(Bradford South) (Lab)
18. What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of legacy
benefits for people with severe disabilities.
The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions ()
People on legacy benefits with severe disabilities are most
likely to get employment and support allowance. Income-related
ESA claimants may be entitled to the enhanced disability premium
or the severe disability premium. Claimants may also be eligible
for personal independence payments to help with the extra costs
of living faced by disabled people.
I am sure the whole House agrees that a good society is one that
helps those in great need. I have a constituent in great need.
She was in receipt of income support and the severe disability
premium, but her child is now aged five so she has been told to
claim universal credit, which will cause her severe disability
payment to end. What assurances can the Minister give my
constituent that we are still in a good society and that, by
being forced into this change in her benefits, she will be no
worse off?
It would be difficult for me to comment on the hon. Member’s
constituent’s precise circumstances, although I am happy to look
at the case if she wants to write to me with details. As a
general point, to support claimants previously entitled to the
severe disability premium who moved to universal credit after a
change of circumstances, there are transitional payments
protections in place.
(Lewisham, Deptford)
(Lab)
The DWP commissioned NatCen to undertake research on the uses of
health and disability benefits. As my hon. Friend the Member for
Bradford South () eloquently outlined, that
research, which assesses the adequacy of benefits for disabled
people, is vital. Several requests have been made for the report
to be made public, including by the Chair of the Work and
Pensions Committee, but they have all been refused. Will the
Minister release the report? If not, can she explain what the
Government are hiding?
The short answer is no. The longer answer was given by my right
hon. Friend the Secretary of State to the Work and Pensions
Committee only last week.
Universal Credit Transition: Severe Disability Premium
(Chesham and Amersham) (LD)
19. What steps her Department is taking to ensure that new
universal credit recipients, who were previously entitled to
severe disability premium, do not experience a reduction in
benefit payments when they transition to universal credit.
The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions ()
There is a little repetition with the answer that I gave to the
hon. Member for Bradford South (). To support claimants
previously entitled to the severe disability premium who moved to
universal credit following a change of circumstances, we have
introduced severe disability premium-related transitional
payments. Those eligible, depending on their specific
circumstances, will receive a transitional element of up to £405
a month.
I thank the Minister for that answer. One of my constituents was
previously in receipt of employment support allowance and housing
benefit with a severe disability premium. Earlier this year, she
relocated to my constituency to be closer to her daughter for
support. That triggered a transition to universal credit and,
even with transitional protection payments, she is more than £70
a month worse off, which, in the face of the current cost of
living squeeze, is having a significant impact. Will the Minister
meet me about this case? What additional steps will the
Government take to support people such as my constituent who are
being unfairly financially penalised by the move to universal
credit?
I am happy to meet the hon. Lady, who, as a relatively new member
of the House, I can see is getting stuck into casework. I welcome
her hard work in doing so. The design of universal credit has
concentrated support on the most severely disabled. That can be
taken in alignment with other points that I have made, including
on the support available through the national disability strategy
and the ideas put forward in our health and disability Green
Paper, as well as the many other things that the Department is
doing. I hope that they may be of some support and help to her
constituent.
Labour Market Shortages: Employment Schemes
(Sefton Central) (Lab)
20. What assessment she has made of the potential effect of her
Department’s employment schemes on labour market shortages.
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Dr Thérèse
Coffey)
Our plan for jobs is working. Since April 2020, over 1.9 million
people have moved into work from the universal credit intensive
work search group. We have done that by supporting thousands of
people through programmes such as kickstart, restart and
sector-based work academy programmes—SWAPs—to get back into work,
with over 110,000 young people being supported through kickstart
alone. There are over 200,000 kickstart jobs still waiting to be
filled in the final months of the programme.
Earlier, the Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the
hon. Member for Mid Sussex (), referred to the shortage of
HGV drivers, and retailers report fivefold delays in the delivery
of products, including wine and spirits, so I am wondering
whether the Secretary of State’s scheme is helping to address the
shortage of drivers in the run-up to Christmas. How many lorry
drivers have started work as a result of her Department’s
employment schemes?
Dr Coffey
I think it is worth explaining to the hon. Gentleman that a
couple of different schemes are ongoing. Our principal role is to
help people who are not working to get into jobs. We partner with
people such as the Mayor of West Midlands, but also with specific
programmes in the east midlands. More significant work is being
done by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for
Education, where we have bootcamps working and people are
actually getting into jobs. A really important part of what we
can do through SWAPs is getting people into new careers that they
had never thought about.
Topical Questions
(North Devon) (Con)
T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental
responsibilities.
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Dr Thérèse
Coffey)
Thanks to our taper rate cut and the increased work allowances
announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor, almost 2
million households will now benefit from a cash boost worth
£1,000 a year on average. Thanks to diligent work by my
officials, we have brought this change in a week earlier than
planned, so that up to 500,000 more working people can get that
extra boost before Christmas. We are also delivering today a less
welcome early Christmas present to criminals who target our
benefits system and steal from taxpayers, with a £500 million
cash injection to root out fraudulent benefit claims and stop
scammers. Finally and importantly, very much at the top of my
mind today is the booster programme and the acceleration scheme.
I am very pleased that our jobs army is going to become part of
the jabs army, as DWP civil servants right across the country
join the Government’s effort to get as many people boosted as
possible.
My right hon. Friend has already touched on the impact that the
recent changes in the taper rate and work allowances will have on
claimants’ net income, but will she expand on this? Also, will
she consider a major advertising campaign to highlight that now
is an excellent time to be in work?
Dr Coffey
My hon. Friend, who is of course on the Select Committee, is very
wise in her suggestions. That is exactly the sort of
communications that we will be doing in the coming months. This
is particularly of interest for people on working tax credits,
where we know that the cliff edges, which my hon. Friend the
Member for Lincoln (Karl MᶜCartney) mentioned, can be a real
barrier to people working extra hours. Those sorts of
communications programmes will be released as we continue to try
to help more people into work and to progress in work as
well.
Mr Speaker
I welcome the shadow Secretary of State to his new position.
(Leicester South)
(Lab/Co-op)
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. May I ask the Secretary of State
about Christmas? My question is not what her latest
recommendation is should I find myself under the mistletoe, or
indeed whether she hosted karaoke Christmas parties in lockdown
in her office, but a very simple one: how many children will go
hungry this Christmas?
Dr Coffey
I want to put on the record that no karaoke parties were hosted
by me during lockdown; the last time I did karaoke with the right
hon. Gentleman was a couple of years ago. I am conscious that he
has raised a very serious point about children this Christmas,
and that is why we have been working relentlessly on making sure
that people can get into work and progress in work, but have also
set aside half a billion pounds for the household support fund,
half of which is entirely ringfenced for families with
children.
I fear the Secretary of State’s answer betrays poverty of
ambition. The last Labour Government lifted 1 million children
out of poverty, and we did not need footballers to run campaigns
on child hunger. With universal credit still being cut for many
families, prices going up in the shops, heating bills going up
and taxes going up because this lot voted for them, can she
guarantee that in 2022 child poverty and the shame of destitution
will not also be going up?
Dr Coffey
I forgot to welcome the former shadow Secretary of State for
Health to his new position. The right hon. Gentleman should
reflect on the fact that his party opposed extra funding for the
NHS through the health and social care levy, which we voted for.
The different elements of trying to get people into work are key
to lifting many more children out of child poverty. We should
also flag up the £1 billion of child maintenance we have
collected in the last year; we will keep doubling down on that to
ensure deadbeat dads pay for their kids and help to lift their
children out of poverty.
(Thirsk and Malton)
(Con)
T2. I was surprised to learn that child benefit ceases at
the age of 16 for somebody starting an apprenticeship. That is
clearly a disincentive for some parents to recommend that their
children follow that route. Will my right hon. Friend look at
this policy and consider making changes?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
I believe it may be more appropriate for Her Majesty’s Revenue
and Customs and the Department for Education to respond to this
question, but I will happily flag up to the DfE anything that
deters young people from entering apprenticeships and the labour
market, and being able to move into long-term work.
(Glasgow East) (SNP)
We do not talk often enough in society about old-age poverty.
Besides the inadequate state pension and the latest triple-lock
betrayal, another factor is the low uptake of pension credit:
about 1 million pensioners in the UK miss out on £1,600 a year on
average, with single women being most affected. We have heard the
Pensions Minister say countless times that the Government want to
increase the take-up of pension credit, so why is the Department
refusing to introduce a proper take-up strategy for pension
credits and other benefits, as we have done in Scotland?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
We are doing a huge amount to increase the take-up of pension
credit. I have met repeatedly with the BBC, and we have set up a
pension credit taskforce which involves energy companies, the
Local Government Association, various banks, BT and others. The
reality is that pension credit take-up is increasing. It is also
the case that we have never spent as much money on pensioners as
we do now—up to £129 billion, of which the state pension is £105
billion—and pension credit is the highest it has ever been.
Mr Speaker
I call . Not here.
(Salford and Eccles)
(Lab)
T3. With the omicron variant spreading rapidly it is more
important than ever that we do whatever it takes to minimise
transmission but, at £96 a week, our statutory sick pay is among
the lowest in Europe and the TUC found last week that 647,000
workers in hospitality, retail, arts and entertainment do not
even qualify. The result is either destitution or desperate
workers taking risks. Will the Secretary of State commit to
extending statutory sick pay to all workers and increasing it to
the real living wage?
The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions ()
Statutory sick pay is just one part of our welfare safety net and
the wider Government support offered to people in times of need.
We have been able to look closely at statutory sick pay during
the pandemic, but more consideration is needed and it certainly
should not be looked at in isolation.
(North Norfolk) (Con)
T5. I have a constituent on the legacy benefit system for
whom it might be beneficial to move to universal credit. What
help and advice is there in making that switch, and what further
considerations should he take into account going forward?
Dr Coffey
My hon. Friend is right to point out the opportunities for people
on legacy benefits. They may be better off on UC, but if not,
they should wait for the managed migration programme, where they
will have transitional protection. It is also important to note
that benefits calculators are readily available online, and the
Department funds Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland for
the help to claim programme. I am sure such organisations can
give individual support. We will be resuming our plan to move to
UC in 2022.
(Batley and Spen) (Lab)
T7. I am sad to say that I agree with my hon. Friends that
the most vulnerable in our society are being forced to make
unthinkable choices. Dozens of my constituents have written to me
recently, concerned about the impact this winter will have on
elderly residents who face not only loneliness and isolation, but
a heartbreaking choice between heating and eating, while disabled
people struggle with cuts to their support and those on low
incomes face a £20 per week cut to their universal credit. Is it
not true that under this Government the most vulnerable in our
society are being left without the dignity they deserve and the
basic means to get by?
Dr Coffey
Far from it. I recognise the hon. Lady is trying to stand up for
her constituents, but she should also recognise the significant
increases in benefits that have been provided, whether that is
for people of pensionable age—about £129 billion—or the increase
in financial support to people with disabilities. She should
recognise that we will continue to strive at local level through
our jobcentres and Jobcentre Plus, and through our automation of
things such as the warm home discount, so that people do not even
have to go looking for that sort of energy support, and the
household support fund, from which many of her constituents will
benefit.
(Bexleyheath and Crayford)
(Con)
T6. I welcome the efforts being made by the ministerial
team to get people into work, but will my right hon. Friend the
Secretary of State advise me of the steps she is taking to ensure
that jobseekers can take advantage of the many opportunities in
sectors with growing demand for workers?
The DWP and the Department for Education are working with other
Government Departments on priority sector action plans in
construction, digital, manufacturing, care and logistics. One
example is the DWP national employer and partnership team, NEPT,
which also has a dedicated green team rightly focusing on filling
vacancies in green jobs here and now.
(Kingston upon Hull North)
(Lab)
T8. May I take the Minister of State back to the answer she
gave my hon. Friend the Member for Salford and Eccles () on statutory sick
pay? People in Hull North face a very tough winter. Even with the
new circumstances that have been announced for work, many of them
will have to go to work because they work in factories or in
manufacturing. Is it not now time that the Government take some
action on statutory sick pay and reversing the £20 cut to
universal credit?
Dr Coffey
The right hon. Lady is right to consider the vulnerable people in
her constituency. We looked at some of the policy choices we were
making, published in our response to “Health is Everyone’s
Business”, in which aspects of sick pay were considered, but
there was a change in ministerial appointments near that time. We
continue our discussions, and I am confident that we will
continue to try to make progress on this element, but it is
important to say that those who are required by law to stay at
home are still eligible for a Test and Trace payment,
administered through the Department of Health and Social
Care.
(North Dorset) (Con)
The announcement made last week by my right hon. Friend regarding
historical institutional abuse will have been greeted very warmly
by those people who were abused in Northern Ireland but now live
in Great Britain. On behalf of the Select Committee, which did a
lot of work in this area, may I thank her for listening to our
representations, making this important policy change and ensuring
that there is equity and fairness in this important area of
financial support and redress?
Dr Coffey
I thank my hon. Friend. He will be aware that in the original
primary legislation, which allowed for disregard, only Northern
Ireland specifically was considered, so I am very pleased to have
brought that disregard forward. At the same time, we wanted to
take a consistent approach, so I am pleased that we will be
applying the same disregards to the forthcoming payments being
made by the Scottish Government and through, I think, Islington
and Lambeth Councils. I commend him and his Committee Members for
their pursuit of the matter.
(Rutherglen and Hamilton
West) (Ind)
A free university-level education is a monumental benefit of
living in Scotland. What discussions has the Secretary of State
had with her colleagues in the Department for Education about the
benefits of making higher levels of education accessible and the
impact that would have on the employability of young people?
Dr Coffey
I am conscious that the hon. Lady thinks that just because there
is a free course, those people who are most disadvantaged in her
country will take advantage of it. In fact, that has not been the
case; we see far more people in England from less privileged
backgrounds getting into university and benefiting from that. It
is important that we have a balanced approach, recognising the
importance of level 3, 4 and 5 apprenticeships in particular and
the fact that, once they have graduated, those people will be
better off financially, except compared with those in Russell
Group universities, within 10 years.
(Bootle) (Lab)
This time last year, the Canadian Government asked the UK
Government to enter into talks to bring about pension parity for
pensioners like Royal Navy veteran Alan Wren, who was forced to
work until he was 78 years of age because his pension had been
frozen in Canada. The Government refused to enter into those
discussions. What does the Secretary of State say to veterans
such as Alan and the 492,000 other pensioners who are trapped on
meagre state pensions, all because they live in the wrong
country? In Alan’s case, the country is a commonwealth and NATO
partner and ally.
As the hon. Gentleman and I have met and spoken about this matter
in the past, he will be aware that the UK state pension is
payable worldwide and that all veterans are treated the same as
non-veterans when it comes to the payment of the UK state pension
overseas.
Ms Anum Qaisar (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP)
In an earlier answer, the Secretary of State mentioned that she
has not sung karaoke for a number of years, but I seem to recall
she was singing, “I’m having the time of my life” just a few
months ago, the night before the universal credit uplift was
removed. On that point, I recently visited a Trussell Trust
foodbank in my constituency, where staff and volunteers raised
serious concerns that the reduction in universal credit will push
more and more families into poverty. Will the Department concede
that the cut to the uplift will mean that more households will
become reliant on foodbanks?
Dr Coffey
The hon. Lady should be aware that there was a temporary uplift,
reflecting what was happening with the covid pandemic, which was
extended. I am sure she will appreciate the change in the taper
rate and the work allowance. Jobcentres will be helping her
constituents to get into work. If I may, I will just put on
record my thanks to people involved in a variety of ways, whether
in foodbanks, food recycling or similar, because it is important
that we all continue to work in our local communities to support
our constituents.
(Huddersfield)
(Lab/Co-op)
Mr Speaker, is it in order for me to mention the B word in this
Chamber? If it is okay, I want to say Blair—Tony Blair. Has the
Secretary of State seen his remark that if we want to give real
skills to people, it is FE colleges that are the key to skills?
Tony Blair’s idea is that we upgrade the profile of all FE
colleges to polytechnics and that we put the resources in to
accompany that? What does she think of Blair’s ideas?
Dr Coffey
What I noticed was that when the hon. Gentleman referred to
there was silence on the Labour
Benches. What I will say is that we are absolutely committed to
the lifetime skills guarantee. We are levelling up across the
country and making sure that relevant courses get people into
work. I am really pleased that we are united in recognising that
that is the most important thing our Department can achieve.
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