Engagements — House of Commons, 2019-06-26
Topic: Social Welfare
Questions: One of the biggest restraints on what is a very positive economy in York and North Yorkshire is the lack of progress on devolution. Following the rejection of the One Yorkshire proposal, does the Prime Minister agree that we need a more local approach, such as a York and North Yorkshire deal to rival those of the big urban centres?; I am a firm believer that youth work is part of the answer to so many issues in our society and has a huge role to play in my constituency, but we are currently at risk of losing vital youth work qualifications. The review of those qualifications was announced on 1 April, but funding has been delayed in the system. If it is not secured, we are in danger of seeing universities and colleges drop the qualifications from 2020, so will my right hon. Friend ensure that the funding is signed off immediately and we can continue to train amazing youth workers?; Almost every infrastructure project across the UK requires British-made steel. The contracts for the next five years alone are worth £1 billion, but UK Steel and members of the Community trade union were yesterday asking me whether the Scunthorpe steelworks will still be working in five days’ time. Will the Prime Minister guarantee that, a month from now, before she leaves office, the Scunthorpe steelworks will still be open?; Universal credit is causing great hardship in my constituency. It is driving up debt and increasing food bank use. It is making people who are out of work worse off, and making people who are in work worse off. In her final weeks in office, will the Prime Minister act to halt the roll-out of this failed policy, or will she simply leave the injustice burning?; A recent YouGov poll on Islamophobia in the Conservative party revealed an astounding level of racism. Nearly 50% of those polled would not want a Muslim Prime Minister, while only 8% would be proud if there was one; 67% believe racist myths about Muslim communities, yet eight out of 10 do not think that it is a problem. In the light of that, and as one of the final acts of her premiership, will the Prime Minister finally agree to commission an external inquiry into Islamophobia within her increasingly “nasty party”?; Brexit uncertainty is hitting manufacturing businesses in my constituency. Local managing directors have told me that no deal would be absolutely catastrophic for them and for their exports to Europe, and that it will put local jobs at risk. One firm has already put workers on short-time working temporarily. Does the Prime Minister accept that her Government—and I include in this statement either of her likely successors—have made a catastrophic no-deal Brexit a more likely outcome?; Seven -year-old Talia Belaid, who is the daughter of my constituent, Gosia Szymanowicz, was abducted by her father and taken to Libya in 2012. The father returned here without Talia, and she remains in Libya with his mother. He was jailed but released on licence in 2017, and he has now absconded and is not reporting to the Home Office. All Gosia’s legal avenues have been exhausted and she is really desperate. Will the Prime Minister please use every channel available during her final weeks in office to secure Talia’s return to her mother in the UK?; On Friday, a 14-year-old girl with autism and a learning disability was placed in a secure mental health unit 150 miles from home. Her mother has already had to stop work and her parents are trying to scrape together the money to find temporary accommodation there, so that they can be near their child. Does the Prime Minister not agree that we really need decent, trusted facilities for distressed children in every community, so that families do not have to go through this?; I appreciate that the Prime Minister is slightly distracted by the intoxicating emotion of imminent freedom and release, but while she is still running the country, could she spare a thought for the 1.3 million PHOMOs in our nation? PHOMOs are, of course, pensioner households missing out. She will be aware that the excellent charity, Independent Age, is supporting the campaign on the £3.5 billion of unclaimed pensioner benefits. That is the Department for Work and Pensions’ own figure. Does the Prime Minister agree that that £3.5 billion should not be left to fructify in the coffers of the Treasury, and that it should flow to the PHOMOs?; While the Conservative party leadership candidates tour the country offering unicorns, the Prime Minister may be thinking about her legacy. Will she please listen and act on the entirely reasonable demands of all those affected by Grenfell-related issues, and finally commit to fund the retrofitting of sprinklers in all residential buildings and others where vulnerable people live or work; give clarity on the installation and upkeep of external building insulation; adequately fund our fire and rescue services; and set up a social housing regulator with teeth? The public may thank her for it.; In a recently aired BBC Scotland documentary on medical cannabis, the chair of the British Paediatric Neurology Association, Finbar O’Callaghan, said that the NHS will not pay for life-changing medical cannabis for epileptic children, by saying, “Even if you prescribe the product, the NHS isn’t going to pay for it.” Is his statement correct, Prime Minister?; Figures released today show that £973 million of arrears are currently owed under the Child Maintenance Service. Although the new enforcement powers are welcome, CMS’s bark continues to be worse than its bite. The UK Government must clamp down on the non-payment of child maintenance, and they must do it now. Will the Prime Minister agree to launch a full root-and-branch review of CMS to ensure that we have a new strategy, in which maintenance payments are properly enforced, to lift these children who, in many cases, are in poverty due to a lack of maintenance payments?
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady is right that we want to ensure maintenance payments are made for those children. Normally the payments are made by fathers but, in some cases, they can be made by mothers, and we need to make sure they recognise their responsibilities and take them seriously. This is a difficult area. For many years, efforts have been made by different Governments to ensure that we get this right and that maintenance payments are made I am sure every Member has had constituency cases in relation to this issue. The simplified system introduced in recent years has been working better than the previous system, but I will ensure the relevant Department looks at this issue.