Claire Sugden: ...severe impact on those affected. We have heard from other Members how many that is. Having a home is a fundamental part of our lives: it creates stability, enables community and is connected to our children's education, our health, our ability to work and earn a living and our emotional well-being. I appreciate that there are many areas across the region that have housing challenges, and I...
Lord Collins of Highbury: ...disaster of 2013. I remember it well, and I am sure that the Minister does, too, because many of our retail companies were selling products made in factories that were incredibly unsafe and used child labour. That disaster will stay in my mind. The government response at the time was, “There are potential breaches of international law. We will give the ILO extra money to go and...
David Johnston: In 2010 there was only 12.5 hours of childcare support for some families with 3 and 4-year-olds. This government has already significantly expanded that support, to 30 hours free childcare for working parents of 3 and 4-year-olds. The department is now going further, making the largest investment in childcare in England’s history. The rates for the new entitlements have been independently...
Lord Markham: ...NHS Healthy Start scheme under review, and there are no current plans to change the process for under 18 year olds. Those who are under 18 years old, with parental responsibility for at least one child under four years old, and who meet the eligibility criteria for Healthy Start through Universal Credit or Child Tax Credit, can apply online. This is the same process for all who are...
High income Child Benefit Charge
David Johnston: ...a week at National Minimum Wage, which is £183 per week or £9,518 per year in 2024/25, and less than £100,000 adjusted net income per year. A parent on carer’s leave, or in receipt of certain benefits, may be eligible provided their partner is working and meets the eligibility criteria. Currently, there are no plans to change the eligibility criteria. All 3 and 4 year olds are...
Angela Constance: ...newly criminalise an activity, but instead would allow the court to acknowledge the specific seriousness that arises when an existing offence is committed against a pregnant woman. The benefit and advantage of having aggravated offences is that they give us the opportunity to recognise and label behaviours for what they are. They give us an opportunity to more robustly and...
Richard Thomson: ...debate to conclude the week. In her opening remarks, she captured very well indeed the broad sweep and scope of volunteering, and the contribution that it makes, not only to the communities that benefit from it but to the volunteers. I cannot possibly begin to try and namecheck everybody in my constituency of whom I am aware, and there are many more of whom I am not aware who make that...
Jo Churchill: .... Based on the outcome of a work capability assessment, it may be decided that a claimant has limited capability for work and work-related activity, and may be awarded an additional amount of benefit, currently £416.19 per calendar month from (2024/25 rates). Additionally, where it is decided that claimants have limited capability for work or limited capability for work and...
Tom Pursglove: .... An individual on these routes can apply to have their NRPF condition lifted if they are destitute or at risk of imminent destitution, if there are reasons relating to the welfare of a relevant child, or where they are facing exceptional circumstances affecting their income or expenditure. For all other immigration routes (other than Family or Private Life, or the Hong Kong BN(O) routes),...
Humza Yousaf: ...more young people from deprived areas going to university than ever before. Our record has delivered more than 128,000 affordable homes. Our record has established Social Security Scotland with 14 benefits, seven of which are available only in Scotland, including the game-changing Scottish child payment. It is estimated that our anti-poverty measures will lift 100,000 children out of...
Lord Oates: ..., they will encourage and entrench it. Before I go into further detail on this point, I express particular regret at the notion that carers arriving in the UK will no longer be able to bring their children with them. This troubles me deeply. We are asking care workers to care for our loved ones, but we are denying them the right to do the same in respect of their own children and partners....
Humza Yousaf: ...choices. Where the Westminster consensus—Labour and the Tories—has chosen Brexit, Scotland chose to remain in the European Union. Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer chose to retain the two-child limit and the rape clause. The SNP Government opposes those. Labour chooses to lift the cap on bankers’ bonuses but not the cap on child benefits. The SNP chooses differently. ...
...for therapists to check smoking status as they are coming forward to help. One of the things on which we have really accrued evidence, through Cochrane and systematic reviews, is the mental health benefits of stopping smoking. We think there is much more that could be done at those access points, such as talking therapies. Why not think about a holistic approach to stopping smoking...
Professor Agrawal: We know that second-hand smoke causes a range of diseases for children, whether that is triggering asthma exacerbations or infections, such as middle-ear infections. There is a bunch of infections that are much more likely in children whose parents, carers or siblings smoke, and they are exposed to that second-hand smoke. By treating adults who smoke and helping them quit,...
Paul Maynard: Table 1 - Percentage of new claims that have been completed within the planned processing timescales by benefit. 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 Jobseekers Allowance 88.6% 86.8% 80.6% 53.1% 82.5% 87.1% 67.8% 58.7% Employment and Support Allowance 84.6% 85.3% 73.3% 96.1% 70.9% 42.5% 47.4% 39.5% State Pension 87.9% 73.7%...
Kieran Mullan: ...as a special constable, I am acutely aware of the way that crime can destroy families and upend the lives of decent, law-abiding people. Wanting the victims of crime and their families to benefit from a more just justice system is something that I feel passionately about. I always aim to contribute to the debate and to edge the system in a direction that I think better delivers the justice...
Lord Wills: ...of the Bill. Amendment 106 is a relatively minor amendment but, after two Private Member’s Bills, it occurred to me that we perhaps should be more careful about how we define those who might benefit from the services of the of an independent public advocate. What constitutes a “close family member” in the modern world? Fifty or 100 years ago, the answer would have been common sense,...
Paul Givan: Today, I will set out my vision for the development of school facilities to support our children with special educational needs (SEN) across Northern Ireland. The profile of our children is changing. One in five children has a special educational need, and some of those children require specialist places in a special school or in a specialist provision class in mainstream schools, commonly...
David Johnston: The department is providing over £4.1 billion by the 2027/28 financial year to fund 30 hours of free childcare per week (38 weeks per year) for working parents with children aged 9 months to 3 years in England. This will remove one of the biggest barriers to parents working by vastly increasing the amount of free childcare that working families can access. This is set to save working...
