Topical Questions

Question

Following on from the question from the Select Committee Chair, many of my constituents are required to seek housing solutions in the private rented sector but cannot afford it due to the freezing of local housing allowance and increased rents. Can the Minister discuss with his colleagues in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to enable councils to widen their lists for the housing register?

Question

We have fantastic engineering companies in Stoke-on-Trent that are struggling to fill vacancies. Will my hon. Friend look at what more we can do to help these companies recruit people and get them back into work?

Question

Around 700,000 people without a work requirement can return to the workplace if supported properly. When will the Secretary of State introduce reforms to the work capability assessment and Access to Work to facilitate more people getting back into employment?

Question

The number of economically inactive individuals, especially those who are long-term sick, is increasing significantly. Why did the Secretary of State withdraw funding for these important programmes despite their aim to help long-term sick people return to work?

Question

With many businesses expanding and hiring locally, will the Secretary of State join me in commending the excellent work done by the Huddersfield jobcentre staff as they prepare for a jobs fair on 2 February to help people find employment?

Question

Today's front page of the Daily Mail suggests Britain is something for nothing. Will the Secretary of State distance himself from this ridiculous remark and clarify his stance regarding the state pension being considered something for nothing?

Question

Will the Minister for Social Mobility, Youth and Progression join me in commending the Longbridge and Kings Norton jobcentres, and the Factory youth hub in Longbridge, for their work to ensure that young people are equipped with the skills they need to get back into work and that they have the dignity of work, and to reduce youth unemployment in my constituency?

Question

I have been contacted by two separate disabled constituents who were previously eligible for the warm home discount. This year of all years, however, they have been told that they are no longer eligible, because of the way that the various support schemes interact. Will the Minister meet me to look into those two individual cases, and the wider issue, to ensure that the most vulnerable people are not missing out on the support that they need?

Question

I know that the Minister for Disabled People shares my enthusiasm for the Disability Confident campaign and ensuring that more employers sign up to it. What discussions is he having with the Migration Advisory Committee to ensure that, when considering representations from sectors about, for example, the shortage occupation list, being a Disability Confident employer is part of what is considered?

Question

I welcome the Secretary of State's earlier remarks about looking to address the causes of economic inactivity in the over-50s. The people and skills element of the UK shared prosperity fund could be well placed to fund support that age group needs, but funding will not be available until 2024-25. Will the Department work with DLUHC to bring the funding forward to 2023-24?

Question

The number of people claiming unemployment benefit has fallen, but does the Minister agree that more needs to be done? Will he support a jobs fair I am holding on 3 February in partnership with DWP and local organisations?

Question

It is clear that nationally led employment support simply is not working. Why are the Government not matching the Opposition's commitment to let local communities take charge of that crucial work so that local support matches local labour market need?

Question

The Rumbles café does marvellous work with people with Down's syndrome, helping to train them and get them back into the workplace. People are living longer independently but struggling to find employment. What more can the Government do to help people with Down's syndrome enter the workplace?

Question

The Prime Minister has been issued with a fixed penalty notice, his second in 12 months. Unlike many constituents hit by punitive benefits sanctions who struggle financially, the Prime Minister is unlikely to face these difficulties. Will the Secretary of State concede that sanctioning claimants for even minor breaches of rules is too severe?

Question

Unemployment is falling in Grimsby, but it still stands at 5.1% compared with the UK national rate of 3.7%. What is the Department doing to make sure that we can get more people into work when we have the vacancies?

Question

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism are severely underdiagnosed in women and girls, and are often misdiagnosed as mood disorders. What discussions have Ministers had with the Health and Social Care Secretary about the impact this is having on women's ability to access and maintain employment, and what steps will be taken to support them?

Question

When will the Minister for Pensions act on the recommendations of the 2017 automatic enrolment review to lower the age threshold for automatic enrolment from 22 to 18, and to remove the lower limit of the qualifying earnings band so that contributions are paid from the first pound earned?

Question

Can the Secretary of State assure me that those pre-covid levels of conditionality will return as a matter of urgency?