Topical Questions

Question

I welcome my right hon Friend's announcements. The extra £842 million for the household support fund, of which Harrow will receive £3 million, is extremely welcome. Could he update the House on what monitoring is taking place so that best practice is followed across the country and that the money that the Government are allocating reaches the most vulnerable?

Question

Does the Secretary of State understand that expediting the rise in the state pension age is less about life expectancy, which according to ONS data is arrested, and more about a cost-cutting measure for the Treasury? What representations has he made to the Chancellor on this issue before next week's Budget?

Question

I warmly welcome the Government's decision to increase the state pension by more than 10% in April. Does my right hon Friend agree that we should encourage private provision alongside state provision? What conversations have his Department had with the Treasury about extending the lifetime allowance or annual allowance for pensions, and anything further on auto-enrolment?

Question

A constituent recently contacted me about the lack of reasonable adjustments in place at the local jobcentre for those with mental health or cognitive difficulties. How do Ministers plan to improve staff awareness and the reasonable adjustments offering?

Question

Can my hon Friend provide an assessment of how personal independence payment appointments are being administered? Many constituents have contacted me to say that they are still having claims processed over the phone rather than at an in-person appointment. I am sure he agrees that in-person appointments are vital to ensuring that our constituents get the right level of support.

Question

The gap between local housing allowance and rent in Bath and North East Somerset is nearly £4,000. My inbox is full of emails from desperate families on low incomes who are being squeezed out of living in Bath. Will the Secretary of State unfreeze the local housing allowance so that benefits align better with rent?

Question

My constituent who has worked full-time since he was 16 and is now in his mid-40s awaits major surgery. For people like him, navigating the complex welfare system for the first time can be difficult and worrying. Does my hon Friend agree on the importance of clear advice about welfare benefits to remove financial worries? Will he outline support available for high-quality occupational health to help them get back to work?

Question

At the end of last year, the National Audit Office found that levels of benefit fraud and error were 'unacceptably high', totalling £8.6 billion for the year. How exactly will the Secretary of State reduce benefit fraud and error and claw back this appalling waste of taxpayers' money?

Question

I know from speaking to staff at Longton jobcentre that additional support has been put in place to help the over-50s back into work. Will the Minister update the House on what more is being done to upskill adults and help more of them to get back into work, especially in Stoke-on-Trent?

Question

As the recent Britishvolt investment shows, the north-east has real strengths in growing sectors such as battery technology, green energy, and life sciences. Does the Minister agree that it is not possible for nationally controlled training programmes to really support people into employment in these emerging sectors? Will he therefore devolve responsibility to those in local areas who know local skills and local opportunities?

Question

I co-chair the all-party parliamentary engineering group. One of our objectives is to get young people to consider taking up employment in engineering. A number of companies in my area, for example, are short of young people. What more can the Government do to make young people aware of the excellent opportunities that exist in engineering?

Question

Further to the question from the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon), I have a constituent who is facing the consequences of an overpayment in employment and support allowance. She has been able to show that she gave the Department the correct information time and again, but according to the Department, that is not relevant to whether she should pay the full sum. If the Department is not subject to any comeback after making mistakes, how will it ever improve?

Question

What steps is the Minister taking to raise employers' awareness of the impact of the menopause?

Question

Research conducted by the Bevan Foundation has established that local housing allowance is not a solution to the cost of living and housing crises for families on low incomes and for the most vulnerable because it is too low, and has been frozen since 2020 while private rental costs have soared. Will the UK Government help those in need and uprate the allowance?

Question

There are some notable and fantastic businesses in my constituency, including Argus Fire and Pegasus, which do a brilliant job in recruiting young adults and providing career opportunities. What more can the Department do to bridge the gap between employers and young adults and create that one-stop opportunity for 16-year-olds to find employment?

Question

Public and Commercial Services Union members in Scotland get a raw deal from this Government on pay, with many civil servants themselves using food banks. When will the Government give them a proper pay rise?

Question

Working with Disability Action Yorkshire, I have observed the growing importance of people with disabilities in the jobs market. What is being done to promote the Access to Work programme among employers?

Question

A popular business in my constituency, Mortons Rolls, has ceased trading, putting 250 jobs at risk. Will the Secretary of State meet me to discuss support for this business and its staff?

Question

Echoing concern for Access to Work, can you update us on the disability action plan's progress and ensure effective work across Government?

Question

I want to thank the Pensions Minister for her hard work on lowering automatic pension enrolment age and earnings. Does she agree that 25% leaving work without pensions is concerning? How important is my Bill for this issue?