Baroness Twycross: ..., asked what the central drive of the Government’s mission was. High and rising school standards are at the heart of this Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity for every child, no matter their background. We want an education system in which all children and young people can achieve and thrive in education, throughout work and life. High and rising standards are...
Jessica Asato: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many exemptions to the two-child benefit limit due to rape have been (a) requested and (b) granted since that exemption was introduced.
Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many families in Blyth and Ashington constituency are impacted by the two child benefit cap.
Lord Balfe: ...year—pounds, not euros; I am too used to another Parliament—to Ukraine. I know politics is the language of priorities, and £3 billion is exactly the sum of money which is needed to end the two-child benefit lock, but the priorities of this Government are not children’s poverty; they are arming Ukraine and sending it lots of weapons that it can use to smash up other countries. This...
Patrick Spencer: ...a family. It was in the 1980s, after retirement and with my grandmother Mary, that he made that all-too-familiar trip up the A12 to settle just 20 minutes outside Ipswich. My earliest and happiest childhood memories were spent falling in love with a country and a countryside that I still call home today, and a county and a people I am now humbled to represent in this place. Shock horror,...
Wera Hobhouse: ...: “Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful.” I expect the Prime Minister hopes that the new group of independent MPs he has created will not become such a monster. Scrapping the two-child benefit cap would lift around 250,000 children out of poverty. As child poverty is one of the main drivers of mental illness, it is no surprise that young people’s mental health services...
Stephen Morgan: The government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and giving every child the best start in life. The department will be providing over 3 million holiday clubs places this summer and these places will support children from disadvantaged backgrounds to access free healthy meals and enriching activities. The department will also be providing over 500,000 holiday places over...
Andrew Western: This recommendation concerns extending Bereavement Support Payment to 6 years or until completion of secondary education for the youngest child, from its current duration of 18 months. However, BSP is not a cost-of-living benefit but is intended to help with the immediate costs of bereavement. Where longer-term income support is needed, individuals can look to benefits such as Universal...
Catherine McKinnell: ...my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby (John Slinger), who is forgiven for all his rugby analogies after making an excellent speech. In this House, we come together with a common goal: to give every child the best start in life and equip them with an education that sets them up for their lives. We are the Department for opportunity at the Department for Education. We are bringing education...
Lord Dubs: ...Justice Reinvestment. Very broadly, this is a process which involves assessing the total resources, financial and other, that are currently expended on the criminal justice system; evaluating what benefits members of the public and taxpayers get from this expenditure; and considering whether there might be other ways of distributing these considerable resources to provide a better return...
Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans for the taskforce on child poverty to make an assessment of the potential impact of ending the (a) the two-child benefit limit and (b) under-occupancy charge on levels of child poverty.
Lord Khan of Burnley: ...for his decades of devoted public service and for the important work he has done throughout his career—both as a parliamentarian and as a civil servant—to improve the delivery of public health, child protection and youth justice services in this country. It is my personal privilege to stand before your Lordships today, for the first time as a Government Minister—an honour that not...
Stella Creasy: The Minister will have heard the concern across the House about the Conservatives’ two-child cap on benefits. Because it exists, in the past year alone 3,000 women have had to fill in a form to admit to the Department for Work and Pensions that they have been raped and had a child that was non-consensual. That is more than the number of rape convictions under the last Government. Can she...
Lord Livermore: ...said, and I say in answer to the noble Lord, Lord Frost, there is now a wealth of evidence that greater in-work security, better pay and more autonomy in the workplace have substantial economic benefits. A more secure and productive workforce is good for business and for working people, because each depends on the success of the other. This understanding lies at the heart of the employment...
Daisy Cooper: ...’s Speech. We are pleased that there will be reform of the Mental Health Act 1983, which is incredibly long overdue, and a number of other public health measures—especially on the protection of children’s health. However, we in this House all know that it is equally important to tackle the social and commercial determinants of health, and tackling child poverty is just as important...
Baroness Tyler of Enfield: ...of the noble Baroness, Lady Pitkeathley. Labour’s Plan to Make Work Pay, published in May, included a commitment to review the implementation of the Carer’s Leave Act 2023 and examine all the benefits of introducing paid carer’s leave. However, the background briefing to the employment rights Bill, published on Wednesday, contained no mention of this. There is a real opportunity here...
Sharon Hodgson: ...affordable housing—based on five key principles that will enable those houses to turn into secure homes, and those homes to turn into stable and thriving communities. We will also deliver for our children, with policies intended to tackle childhood health and obesity head-on. Our plans to deliver free breakfast clubs in every primary school in England will ensure that kids can start...
Richard Burgon: ...misrule. We gather in this House after a period of nearly 15 years that ended with more food banks in this country than branches of McDonald’s, record numbers on NHS waiting lists, 4 million children living in poverty in the sixth richest economy on earth, rivers literally full of sewage and real wages lower than they were back in 2008. All that is before we get on to the shameful...
Seamus Logan: ...Angus steak, a prawn cocktail or perhaps a fish supper, because the chances are that they came from the industries based in my constituency. There is also significant poverty—in particular child poverty—in this otherwise prosperous area. Although this is mainly concentrated in larger towns, it is also a challenge in villages and rural areas where it is often less visible. Recent...
Mark Durkan: ...gain before people's best interests. However, I digress. I will get down to the truth of the matter. The Budget falls dangerously short on the most critical issues facing the North, namely child poverty and homelessness. The Budget document lacks sufficient detail. There are no timelines or anything of the like. I suppose that we are waiting for a Programme for Government. Greater...
