Topical Questions 2024-10-07
2024-10-07
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Partial Answer
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The MP references the WASPI campaign and their ongoing fight for justice.
I first joined WASPI women—Women Against State Pension Inequality Campaign—in their welcome campaigning activity back in 2017. Seven years later, they are still fighting for justice. Can the Minister assure women in my constituency and across the country that she will act urgently, unlike the previous Government, and bring this injustice to an end?
I thank my hon. Friend for his question. I met representatives of the WASPI campaign before this Government were elected. My hon. Friend the Minister for Pensions was the first Minister to meet them in eight years. It really is a serious report that requires serious consideration. We will do everything possible to get this issue resolved as soon as possible.
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Assessment & feedback
No specific timeline or commitment on resolving the issue immediately
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Q2
Partial Answer
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The MP questions the transparency of an equality impact assessment report.
On 10 September, two days before recess, I led a debate in this Chamber, secured by the Conservative party, on the winter fuel allowance. The right hon. Lady spoke just now about transparency, but there was no equality impact assessment made available for that debate. Indeed, on 30 August, by way of a written question, my hon. Friend the Member for Hinckley and Bosworth (Dr Evans) established that the Government had no intention of publishing that particular report. Yet on 13 September—two days after the debate and the vote, and one day after Parliament had risen—the report was made available. It was clearly, in my opinion, deliberately withheld. Does the right hon. Lady agree?
That is not true. The Conservative Government did not even allow the Office for Budget Responsibility to do an analysis of Liz Truss's disastrous mini-Budget and sat on 31 publications that, under their own rules, should have been published. We published an equality analysis. The right hon. Gentleman will know that that was never done for secondary legislation when he was in government, but this Government will be open and transparent, which is what we are already doing.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not confirm if the report was deliberately withheld or discuss transparency issues raised by the MP
Redirected To Previous Government
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Q3
Direct Answer
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The MP raises concerns about the inefficiency of the Child Maintenance Service in collecting arrears payments.
Since the election, numerous constituents have contacted me to raise concerns about the Child Maintenance Service's inefficiency in collecting arrears payments. Can the Minister outline the measures being taken to enhance the service's effectiveness in this area?
My hon. Friend is entirely right to raise this issue. He will be pleased to know that this Government are looking to utilise new powers to obtain a liability order without recourse to the courts, reducing the time taken to secure such an order from 22 weeks to around six.
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Q4
Partial Answer
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The MP references a report on benefit claimants facing series of cliff edges.
Mr Speaker, may I draw your attention to a report recently published by the University of Bath, which highlights that benefit claimants face a series of cliff edges if they claim additional funds? If a family earn just £7,399, they lose the ability to claim free school meals. What plans does the Minister have to tackle the lack of compassion in the system?
I am not familiar with the report to which the hon. Member refers, but we committed in our manifesto to reviewing universal credit, nearly 15 years after it was first launched. The cliff edge issue and others will be among those that we will want to look at in the course of that review.
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Assessment & feedback
No specific plans or timeline for addressing cliff edges
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Q5
Direct Answer
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The MP discusses child poverty rates in their constituency.
After 14 years of Tory economic chaos and 17 years of Scottish National party public service failure, as many as one in four children in my constituency now live in poverty. Last year the Scottish Children's Commissioner said that the former First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, had “absolutely” failed young people in Scotland. Does the Secretary of State agree that tackling child poverty will be a crucial part of the work of this Labour Government? As part of the important work that she is doing with the taskforce to develop a new child poverty strategy, will she come to my constituency—
My hon. Friend has raised these issues with me before, and I will absolutely meet children, families and child poverty organisations from her constituency. We aim to visit every region and every devolved nation as part of that strategy, and I look forward to meeting her and her constituents then.
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Q6
Partial Answer
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The MP discusses reports of terminally ill people facing red tape when claiming benefits.
Data from Marie Curie suggests that 90,000 people die in poverty every year, many of them after a terminal diagnosis. Even with the help of the special rules system, there have been reports of terminally ill people facing mounds of red tape when trying to claim benefits. Is the Minister satisfied that the current 12-month limit on special rules is sufficient, and has she assessed how the current administrative burden on terminally ill people claiming benefits can be reduced?
The hon. Lady raises an extremely important question, which I have discussed with a hospice and other organisations such as Marie Curie and Sue Ryder in my own constituency. I want to look at how the system can be made to work as quickly and swiftly as possible, particularly for people at this very difficult time in life, and I would be happy for the Social Security Minister and my office to contact her directly to get more information.
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Assessment & feedback
No specific assessment of sufficiency or timeline provided
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Q7
Partial Answer
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The MP references research by Sense on jobcentres' lack of specialist assistive technology.
Research by Sense has found that none of the computers in jobcentres across Britain are equipped with specialist assistive technology, and it has estimated that it would cost £5 million to ensure that every jobcentre had that specialist assistive technology. Will the Minister commit to introducing a jobcentre assistive technology fund in order to aid disabled people in their quest to look for work?
My hon. Friend is an absolute expert on this kind of inclusive change that we need to make to our employment support system so that we can help everybody, and I look forward to working with her on ideas just like that when we bring forward our White Paper in the autumn.
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Assessment & feedback
No specific commitment to create a fund
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Q8
Partial Answer
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Members of the AEAT pension scheme have collectively lost millions of pounds due to inadequate information following privatisation in 1996. The Public Accounts Committee found that they received insufficient details from the Government.
Members of the AEAT pension scheme have collectively lost millions of pounds from their pensions, despite being told that they would be no less favourable following the privatisation of their pension scheme in 1996. The Public Accounts Committee found that they had received inadequate information from the Government and lost money as a result. Will the Minister provide a clear timescale for redress for AEAT pensioners in this unique case, as promised by a previous Pensions Minister?
I thank the hon. Member for his question. I have looked into this issue, which has a long and complex history, and I would be very willing to meet him to discuss it in more detail.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not provide a specific timeline or commitment to redress
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Q9
Direct Answer
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The Secretary of State has published 31 research papers commissioned but hidden by the previous Government, which provide insights into personal independence payments for disabled people.
The Secretary of State has today published 31 research papers commissioned but hidden by the previous Government, which among other things provide valuable insight into the experience of disabled people applying for personal independence payments in order to live and work independently. Why does the Minister think the last Government chose not to publish these findings?
My hon. Friend asks an extremely good question. The policy of the previous Government was to publish all such commissioned research reports within 12 weeks of receiving them. That policy was complied with until 2018, when Ministers stopped complying with it, so we have had to publish all these reports today. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's announcement is a vital first step in rebuilding the trust in the Department that was so shattered by the culture of secrecy, obfuscation and cover-up by Conservative Ministers.
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Q10
Partial Answer
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Ministers have spoken about the complexity of the ombudsman's report on the WASPI campaign, but no specific compensation has been promised.
In response to several hon. Members, Ministers have spoken about the complexity of the ombudsman's report on the WASPI campaign. While appreciating that, may I ask for a statement in principle that the Government will eventually offer significant compensation to the WASPI women?
As I said previously, the ombudsman took six years to consider this complex case. We are looking into it very seriously, but I cannot make any announcements today. The right hon. Gentleman will have to wait for our announcement on this issue.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not provide a clear commitment or timeline for compensation
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Q11
Partial Answer
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The Government's proposed youth guarantee aims to ensure that young people are either learning or earning. This is already a key commitment of the Labour-run Welsh Government.
The Government's proposed youth guarantee will help to ensure that young people are either learning or earning. Of course, the young person's guarantee is already a key commitment of the Labour-run Welsh Government. Can the Minister assure me and my Cardiff West constituents that this Government will learn from the work being done in Wales?
I assure my hon. Friend that we will work with the Welsh Government, Welsh local authorities and all our colleagues across the United Kingdom to get the policy right for young people, who I believe have been failed over recent years. It is about time they had the future they deserve.
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Q12
Partial Answer
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Employers in Witham and across the country are facing higher taxes due to government policies.
With employers in Witham and across the country about to be whacked with a barrage of higher taxes, thanks to this Government, how do the Government expect employment levels to stay high? How do they expect small businesses to be at the heart of any employment strategy that they claim to have?
Under the previous Government, we had the highest taxes in 70 years, and jobcentres to which only one in six employers ever went to recruit. We will transform our jobcentres into a new jobs and careers service, so that people get the help they need, and so that employers can recruit the staff they desperately need.
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Q13
Direct Answer
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The Government's proposed fraud Bill aims to recover money lost due to fraudulent activities in the welfare system.
I welcome the Government's proposed fraud Bill. Can the Minister explain how it will claw back money from people who cheat the system, while also protecting privacy?
I welcome my hon. Friend's support for the proposed fraud Bill. The level of fraud in the welfare system is absolutely unacceptable; almost £10 billion was lost last year. Increased use of data will be essential to clamping down on both capital fraud and broader fraud. However, we will do that without sharing any information at all with banks and financial institutions.
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Q14
Direct Answer
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The Labour Government claims that under the previous government, there has been an increase in pensioners living in poverty due to cuts in winter fuel payments.
I thank the Secretary of State for her personal commitment to transparency. Further to the question asked by the shadow Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Member for Central Devon (Mel Stride), will she share with the House how many thousands of people will die as a result of Labour's choice to cut the winter fuel payment?
I am very happy to share the data: there are 200,000 more pensioners living in poverty after 14 years of Conservative government. I am also very happy to publish information showing a 152% increase in pension credit claims, thanks to the big, bold campaign run by this Labour Government.
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Q15
Direct Answer
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The Secretary of State is addressing concerns about fraud and protecting those who genuinely need help from the welfare system.
My constituents want a fair and robust welfare system, but they have no truck with fraud. Can the Secretary of State assure my constituents that she is doing everything she can to crack down on fraud, and to make sure that those who genuinely need help get it?
My hon. Friend is correct to raise this issue. As I said, we will not tolerate the current levels of fraud in our welfare system. He will be pleased to note the Prime Minister's recent announcement of the forthcoming fraud, error and debt Bill, which will begin the necessary work to drive down fraud in the Department.
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Q16
Partial Answer
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A constituent went without child maintenance payments for six months due to the Child Maintenance Service mishandling payments.
Can I share with the Secretary of State the plight of my constituent, who went without child maintenance payments for six months? That happened not because of anything done wrong by her, or the paying parent, or the paying parent's employer, which processed the direct deduction of earnings order, but because the Child Maintenance Service misplaced the payments. Will the Secretary of State apologise for that mishap? What plans does she have to rectify that deeply flawed organisation?
I am very sorry to hear of this case. I am not familiar with it, but I will look into it, if the hon. Gentleman contacts me with the details.
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