Naomi Long: That is a really important point, because many of the men who are engaged in those behaviours have also been victims of abuse, often as children, and have been exposed to domestic violence in the home. Many of them view that as a normal part of an adult relationship. Therefore, the earlier that we can do the education piece and talk about what a healthy relationship and respect look like, the...
Stephen Timms: The Department started moving customers who were claiming Employment Support Allowance with Child Tax Credits to Universal Credit from July. From September we will begin moving across customers receiving Employment and Support Allowance only or those with ESA with housing benefit. These plans are informed by learning, which started in June, where 500 ESA customers were invited to claim...
Stephen Morgan: The department has not made a formal assessment of the merits of broadening the free school meals (FSM) eligibility criteria. The department is committed to tackling the grave issue of child poverty, which has gone up by 700,000 since 2010, with over four million children now growing up in a low-income family. That is why the government is committed to delivering an ambitious strategy to...
Lord Meston: ...to disagree with anything said in this debate so far. The motives and thinking behind the Bill cannot be questioned: seeking to support the physical and emotional development and security of any child’s crucial early years, and underpinning initiatives already in place. The Bill would require a local authority to make information available about existing support services in their area,...
Stephen Morgan: High quality early education has a profound impact on child development, and it particularly benefits disadvantaged children. The government recognises that maintained nursery schools contribute to improving the lives of some of our most disadvantaged children, with around 80% of them being located in disadvantaged areas. They also have a reputation for excellence and are recognised as high...
Ann Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the rate of child benefit by £20 per week for each child.
Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of households that are impacted by the two child benefit cap and the ending of their Winter Fuel Allowance.
Baroness Smith of Malvern: ...as possible. Private education is not an option for most of those people and, unlike the last Government, we will not build public policy around the expectation that public services will fail our children. Most parents need local state-funded schools to support them in meeting these aspirations. It is therefore right for the Government to focus on improving those schools—a public good...
Shirley-Anne Somerville: ...for their contributions. The programme for government shows our commitment to supporting families in Scotland and it sets out the next steps that we will take in our national mission to lift children out of poverty. As the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government set out earlier this week, we are doing so in the context of the most severe financial challenges that the...
James Wild: ..., with more than 80% allocated to SEND pupils. That is money spent on journeys rather than delivering better education, so improving mainstream education and specialist provision closer to where children live is vital. One of the first of over 40 visits that I undertook in my first term as an MP in my constituency was to Greenpark academy, where the head raised the issue of speech and...
Fiona Hyslop: ...a number of portfolio questions on this topic. I will address the member’s questions directly. He is quite correct to identify that the Scottish Government’s national missions include tackling child poverty and tackling the climate emergency. On the measure of modal shift, the peak fares trial failed, unfortunately. The amount of car journeys that transferred to rail was 0.1...
Fiona Hyslop: ...there was a limited increase in the number of passengers during the year, the scheme did not achieve one of the key aims of encouraging a significant modal shift from car to rail. It mainly benefited those people who already used rail, saving them hundreds if not thousands of pounds through subsidised discounted fares and, although some lower-income passengers benefited, it was mostly...
Liz Jarvis: ...Alehouse in Chandler’s Ford. I also recommend the luscious Victoria sponge at Fountain café in Fair Oak. Eastleigh has a proud history of helping to support refugees and evacuees. In May 1937, children and adults fleeing the Spanish civil war were housed at a refugee camp in North Stoneham. Eight-five years ago this week, Eastleigh communities welcomed evacuees from Gosport, and in...
Shirley-Anne Somerville: Since 2019, we have invested £750 million mitigating the impacts of UK Government policies such as the harmful bedroom tax and benefit cap, as well as shortfalls in local housing allowance rates. That includes almost £134 million this year through activities such as the discretionary housing payments and the Scottish welfare fund. That money could fund around 2,000 teachers or band 5 nurses...
John Swinney: ...Divergence in policy across nations will probably drive greater disparity in poverty rates across” the UK. It also said: “Scotland has taken decisive action in defining child poverty targets in legislation and enhancing the benefits system with a Scottish child payment”. The latest statistics show that the child poverty rate in Scotland is 24 per...
Jeremy Corbyn: ...in the eastern region, most notably the M23 movement—Mouvement du 23 mars—which is financially backed by and has received training from Rwanda and other Governments. More than a third of the children of the Congo have no school to go to. That is the background, which I wanted to summarise before I go into more detail. I will take a quote from Adam Hochschild’s brilliant book, “King...
Stuart McMillan: We have been presented with a programme for government that will prioritise action to eradicate child poverty, regardless of the mounting financial challenge that the SNP Government faces. The SNP Government already has a strong track record of improving lives in challenging circumstances, but the SNP wants to go further. That is why the First Minister has made eradicating child...
John Swinney: ...and our communities can create great possibilities for our country. When I became the First Minister, I made it clear that my Government would focus on four priorities: eradicating child poverty, building prosperity, improving our public services and protecting the planet. Child poverty is first and foremost in those priorities. No child should have their opportunities,...
Wes Streeting: ...the House about the Government and NHS England’s work to improve gender identity services, as well as implement the recommendations of the independent review into gender identity services for children and young people by Dr Hilary Cass. During summer recess the Government and NHS England made progress toward these recommendations. The aim of this work is to ensure that children and young...
Shona Robison: ...and Tory austerity or she can change course and invest in public services. Increased funding for infrastructure and public services will—absolutely—be required if we want to take action to lift children out of poverty. There are things that the Labour chancellor could also do to help with that, such as ending the damaging two-child benefit cap. There is a political choice...
