Topical Questions

Question

If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities. The Trussell Trust has reported a 68% increase in emergency food parcels provided to Portsmouth people in just one year. Does the Secretary of State agree that more and more people being pushed into poverty is not a lifestyle choice and that urgent Government action is required to tackle the cost of living crisis ahead of another difficult winter for constituents in my patch?

Question

What proportion of working-age adults are neither employed nor actively seeking employment and what the Department is doing to reduce that. My hon. Friend is a doughty champion for Kettering. He will be aware that 20.9% of working-age people are inactive, down 0.7 percentage points from last year and down 2.7 percentage points from 2010, showing that our drive to get more people into jobs is paying off. The UK now has a lower inactivity rate than the US, France and Italy. We are doing more every single day, but we are also aware that there is more to do.

Question

The health of our nation is critical to the health of our economy, but after 13 years of this Government, both are in a dire state. The Secretary of State should know that the number of young people out of work due to long-term sickness has doubled on the Government's watch, predominantly driven by poor mental health. Labour's plan will recruit 8,500 more mental health staff, with support in every school and hubs in every community to tackle these problems early on.

Question

I am afraid that the Secretary of State is living in cloud cuckoo land. Record numbers of people are out of work due to long-term sickness. We are the only country in the G7 whose employment rate has not gone back to pre-pandemic levels. It is not just young people but the over-50s. The Office for Budget Responsibility said that the rise poses a serious risk to our prospects for growth and the stability of the public finances. Where on earth is the Secretary of State's plan to sort it out? Perhaps I am being a bit unfair, because it turns out that the Government can get the over-50s back to work, but only if they are former Prime Ministers.

Question

The proportion of new claimants for incapacity benefits who receive the highest amount with no work requirements has gone from 21% 10 years ago to 65% now—an astonishing increase. Will the Secretary of State reassure me that following the proposed reforms to the work capability assessment, it will work as intended, and that those who want to work, and seek work, are able to get the help they need to do so?

Question

The freeze on local housing allowance is having a devastating impact on housing providers. Scotland's Housing Minister wrote to the Secretary of State on 25 May to make that point and to make the case for restoring it to the 30th percentile. Why has he not replied? Will the Government use the autumn statement to raise it back to the 30th percentile?

Question

What steps is the Minister taking to help ensure that parents pay child maintenance and that the system is fair, particularly if there has been a difficult divorce or separation?

Question

Due to a series of errors made by the CMS, my constituent has failed to receive child maintenance payments and is now on the brink of homelessness. I have been in contact with the DWP, but this case needs to be expedited. Will the Minister assure me that my constituent will receive their payment and will not be made homeless? Will she meet me to discuss this extremely important case?

Question

Pension auto-enrolment has been a great success, but it has led to millions of people getting a new pension pot every time they change jobs. Millions now have multiple pension pots that they struggle to keep on top of, causing confusion and increasing costs. Does my hon. Friend agree that employees should have the option to save into a workplace scheme of their choice, enabling them to build up a pot for life—a pot to save in, not a pot to smoke?

Question

If life is so peachy for pensioners and if the Minister really is as passionate as he says he is about supporting pensioners, why does Independent Age say that, despite the long list he has given, the uptake in pension credit is not reaching the people who need it the most? Why are pensioners still missing out on several million every year in Glasgow North East? Will he use his passion to follow the Scottish Government and have a proper targeted benefit uptake strategy?

Question

According to the latest figures, there are 1,825 households receiving pension credit in Banff and Buchan. What more can we do as Members of Parliament to encourage more pensioners to apply?

Question

Does the Minister share my horror at rising homelessness among refugees who have been granted asylum because the timescale from decision to their being transitioned to mainstream benefits is a mere 28 days? Will she meet me so that we can work together to stop those who have been granted the right to a new life here being forced to begin that new life in destitution on the streets this winter?

Question

The cost of living payments from the Government are undoubtedly bringing real benefits to my constituents, but what support is available for those who are not eligible for that specific support?

Question

The proposals in the work capability assessment activities and descriptors consultation will mean some claimants will lose £390 a month if they are reassessed, pushing them even further into poverty. Will the Minister or the Secretary of State please explain this huge financial impact on low-income people with disabilities or a serious health condition?

Question

May we have specific detail on the help that jobcentres are giving to armed forces veterans, who must live with the consequences of decisions made by Governments?

Question

Those Trussell Trust figures published last week made grim reading. Does the Secretary of State recognise that if working-age benefits are uprated by less than September's rate of inflation in April next year, there will inevitably be another big surge in food bank demand and destitution?

Question

May I ask a question about auto-enrolment and pensions? What can the Secretary of State do to build on our good record by extending and increasing the total amount that young people—those who retire on defined-contribution pensions—are likely to be able to save in their retirement?

Question

For those who suffer from endometriosis, Crohn's disease and colitis, incontinence is a daily challenge. For the purpose of the Government's proposed changes in the incontinence descriptor, what capability assessment has been done, and was there any consultation with those sufferers?