Topical Questions

Question

I am concerned about your departmental responsibilities, especially after the appointment of Katharine Birbalsingh as chair of the Social Mobility Commission. She has begun the recruitment process for new social mobility commissioners to support her in delivering change. When will you meet these new board members and how does their work fit into your levelling-up agenda?

Question

Under new rules introduced last month, out-of-work universal credit claimants have just four weeks to find work; the previous limit was three months. Given that women are more likely than men to claim universal credit, will you confirm what consideration was given to how women would be affected? Has a full equalities impact assessment been carried out?

Question

A hate crime occurs when a crime is committed and is aggravated by the victim's protected characteristic. Recent weeks have seen a statue described as a hate crime, along with the sale of Midget Gems in a supermarket. Does the Minister agree that trivialising such incidents and misrepresenting hate crime will make victims of disability hate crime less likely to report those crimes?

Question

Black, Asian and ethnic minority women face overwhelming health inequalities in our country, as has been revealed by the recent NHS Race & Health Observatory report. The Government promised us a comprehensive women's health strategy by the end of 2021, yet we only received a vague vision document and now a taskforce to increase understanding of the problem without concrete steps to solve it. When will they take action?

Question

I have a tragic case in my constituency. A 14-year-old girl was a victim of rape, and now her attacker has been allowed to live 120 metres away from her, causing her and her family intolerable distress. Will the Minister meet me to discuss the case, and will she work with me to ensure that victims can live safe in the knowledge that their abusers will never be allowed to live near them again?

Question

We know that hate crime is often intersectional, especially in diverse constituencies such as mine. Many victims have more than one identity: they may be black and also LGBT women. However, the current legislation does not allow multiple characteristics to be recorded, so often the data lacks accuracy and depth. Will Ministers work with us to address this?

Question

Shared parental leave was a brilliant idea, introduced by a Conservative Government, but there is one type of new parent who receives almost no support: the kinship carer of a baby. What can my hon. Friend do to ensure equality for all types of parenting?

Question

I want to share the words of one of my constituents with the House: “This is discrimination of Disabled people which I am one of…” He could not leave his home for nearly eighteen months due to Covid, and this money would have helped with heating costs. Can the Minister let me know—

Question

Four in 10 young women in this country have received an unsolicited naked image of a man's genitals. This sort of abuse has absolutely no place in our society. Will my hon. Friend please ensure that this is made a sex offence in the online safety Bill?