argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Rights of Disabled People — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Social Welfare
Questions: What steps his Department is taking to respond to and implement the recommendations in the concluding observations of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, published on 3 October 2017.
Sarah Louise Newton (Conservative, Centre-right): We are absolutely committed to disabled people. We are world leaders in disability rights. We were disappointed that the UN did not consider all the information that we provided, and we strongly rebut much of what it had to say. I am sure that the hon. Lady will join me in welcoming the excellent work on reviewing PIP that was published today by Paul Gray, which sets out a whole series of reforms showing that this Government are determined to ensure that we have a benefit system that really supports disabled people.
Rights of Disabled People — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Social Welfare
Questions: What steps his Department is taking to respond to and implement the recommendations in the concluding observations of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, published on 3 October 2017.
Justin Paul Tomlinson (Conservative, Centre-right): Not only did the report seemingly fail to recognise that we now spend a record £50 billion on supporting people with disabilities and long-term health conditions, but it also failed to recognise the proactive work with charities and stakeholder groups that helps to shape policies. Will the Minister reconfirm her commitment to that proactive engagement?
Rights of Disabled People — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Social Welfare
Questions: What steps his Department is taking to respond to and implement the recommendations in the concluding observations of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, published on 3 October 2017.
Sarah Louise Newton (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the right hon. Gentleman for raising this very sad case. Clearly something went wrong in that individual case. I look forward to answering questions and spending time with his Select Committee later this week. I point him to the response to Paul Gray’s evaluation of PIP that I published today. I am sure we will have more time to look at that in detail, but we remain utterly committed to making sure that we continue to improve PIP.
Rights of Disabled People — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Social Welfare
Questions: What steps his Department is taking to respond to and implement the recommendations in the concluding observations of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, published on 3 October 2017.
Sarah Louise Newton (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. and learned Friend raises an important point. Of course, PIP is a benefit that is available to people in work and out of work, and it is there to support everyone with the additional costs of their disability. Of course, mobility is really important. There is also the excellent Access to Work scheme, which each year is funding more people, enabling them to play their full part in society, including at work.
Poverty: In-work Households — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Social Welfare
Caroline Julia Dinenage (Conservative, Centre-right): It is clear that work is the best route out of poverty, as the rate of poverty in working households is one third of that among workless households. Latest data shows there are 1.9 million working households in relative low income.
Poverty: In-work Households — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Social Welfare
Caroline Julia Dinenage (Conservative, Centre-right): We will certainly look into that information. It is important to point out that we know that work is the best route out of poverty, and that universal credit is helping people to move into work quicker, to progress through work faster and to stay in work longer. The smooth taper rate gives incentives to take on more hours because, unlike the old system, people see more money in their pocket for every extra hour they work.
Poverty: In-work Households — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Labor
Stephen Daniel Double (Conservative, Centre-right): Does the Minister agree that one of the ways we can help those in work and on low pay is by introducing and increasing a national living wage, by increasing the personal tax allowance so that people keep more of the money they earn, and by helping with childcare costs? Is that not precisely what the Government are doing?
Poverty: In-work Households — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Social Welfare
Caroline Julia Dinenage (Conservative, Centre-right): I could not have put it better myself. There are 300,000 fewer working-age adults in absolute poverty now than in 2010. As my hon. Friend says, we are making sure that work pays through the national living wage and lower taxes. The lowest earners have seen their wages grow by almost 7 percentage points above inflation over the past two years.
Poverty: In-work Households — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Energy
Caroline Julia Dinenage (Conservative, Centre-right): I associate myself with the hon. Gentleman’s comments about Mr Deputy Speaker The hon. Gentleman makes a good point about fuel poverty. The Government have been doing so much to ensure that people are aware that they can cut down on household energy bills by switching, and we have been making it easier for people to switch. We also know that the Scottish Government have devolved powers to support people more with their benefits, if that is what they decide to do, and they are free to develop their own approaches to addressing poverty.
Poverty: In-work Households — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Social Welfare
Michael James Tomlinson-Mynors (Conservative, Centre-right): Is it not time to have a grown-up conversation about the measure of poverty? Under the relative measure, thousands would be lifted out of poverty by a recession, by a significant number of job losses or by a reduction in the median level of household income. Surely that cannot be the best measure and it is right that we look to work as the best route out of poverty.
Poverty: In-work Households — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Social Welfare
Caroline Julia Dinenage (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right to raise this matter. If we look at progress since 2010 across all four of the most commonly used measures of poverty—relative, absolute, before housing costs and after housing costs—without cherry-picking any of the statistics, we see that people are no more likely to be in poverty today than they were in 2010. Indeed, on three of the measures the likelihood of being in poverty has reduced, and the incomes of the poorest 20% have increased in real terms by more than £300.
Poverty: In-work Households — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Macroeconomics
Questions: CPI—consumer prices index—stands at 2.8%, food inflation is at 4.2%, its highest for four years, and the big six energy companies have announced price increases of between 8% and 15% this year. That comes against a backdrop of freezes on working age benefits, so is it surprising that people are having to go to food banks?
Caroline Julia Dinenage (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government are committed to building an economy that works for everybody, which is why we have committed to raising the national living wage—we are talking about an increase of 33p. This will be equivalent to a 9% increase in the national living wage since its introduction in 2016. It represents an increase to a full-time minimum wage worker’s annual earnings of more than £600.
Poverty: In-work Households — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Labor
Questions: CPI—consumer prices index—stands at 2.8%, food inflation is at 4.2%, its highest for four years, and the big six energy companies have announced price increases of between 8% and 15% this year. That comes against a backdrop of freezes on working age benefits, so is it surprising that people are having to go to food banks?
Caroline Julia Dinenage (Conservative, Centre-right): I am sure that I can write to the hon. Lady with the details on that. As well as being very mindful of the impact on people’s mental health and wellbeing, we must apply the law. We have to value disabled people in our workplace, which is why the Government are making sure that many, many more disabled people are able to access work and get into work.
Poverty: In-work Households — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Labor
Questions: CPI—consumer prices index—stands at 2.8%, food inflation is at 4.2%, its highest for four years, and the big six energy companies have announced price increases of between 8% and 15% this year. That comes against a backdrop of freezes on working age benefits, so is it surprising that people are having to go to food banks?
Caroline Julia Dinenage (Conservative, Centre-right): Sanctions are applied only as a very last resort and there are mitigations in place to support people when this is done. The hon. Lady is wrong to say that people in work are more likely to be in poverty; a key driver of in-work poverty is the part-time work that people were trapped in when her party was in government—people were trapped working fewer than 16 hours a week. The Labour Government were literally paying them to stay poor, whereas our reforms are about supporting people to progress in work and keep more of the extra money that they earn.
Universal Credit: Food Bank Usage — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Social Welfare
Questions: If he will make an assessment of the effect of the length of waiting time to receive universal credit on levels of food bank usage.; If he will make an assessment of the effect of the length of waiting time to receive universal credit on levels of food bank usage.
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): There is no reason for people to go without support while they wait for their first UC payment. New benefit claimants starting on UC today will be able to access an advance. This is normally paid within five working days, but can be delivered in a day if needed. Changes announced in the Budget will allow claimants to receive larger advances and for advances to be recovered over a longer period.
Universal Credit: Food Bank Usage — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Social Welfare
Questions: If he will make an assessment of the effect of the length of waiting time to receive universal credit on levels of food bank usage.; If he will make an assessment of the effect of the length of waiting time to receive universal credit on levels of food bank usage.
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): I do not accept the hon. Lady’s categorisation at all. The complaint that has been made about universal credit is about the cash-flow point—that people have to wait a period of time before they get their first payment. To address the cash-flow point there is a system of advances in the universal credit system so that people have the flexibility to receive the money earlier. It is an advance, they get it paid earlier—they do not get it paid twice, I accept that, but they get it paid earlier—and it is a perfectly sensible way to address a cash-flow issue.
Universal Credit: Food Bank Usage — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Social Welfare
Questions: If he will make an assessment of the effect of the length of waiting time to receive universal credit on levels of food bank usage.; If he will make an assessment of the effect of the length of waiting time to receive universal credit on levels of food bank usage.
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): We should be clear: if people need cash before Christmas, they are able to get it under the universal credit system, which is designed so that they can do that. People trying to discourage claimants from taking an advance, which I am afraid is the tone that we hear too often from the Labour party, are causing unnecessary anxiety for claimants.
Universal Credit: Food Bank Usage — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Social Welfare
Questions: If he will make an assessment of the effect of the length of waiting time to receive universal credit on levels of food bank usage.; If he will make an assessment of the effect of the length of waiting time to receive universal credit on levels of food bank usage.
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): As the hon. Lady will be aware, there are a whole host of exemptions that do allow 18 to 21-year-olds to access housing benefit, if those exemptions apply to them. I have to come back to this point, which the Labour party does not seem to accept: the best way in which we can sustainably lift people out of poverty is to have a welfare system that encourages them to work and to progress in work. That is what universal credit does and it is what the legacy system failed to do, which is why we are making these changes.
Youth Unemployment — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Labor
Nusrat Munir Ul-Ghani (Conservative, Centre-right): I welcome that news from the Minister. I am a strong campaigner for apprenticeships, including in my constituency, where we have just 70 young unemployed people. Does the Minister agree that making apprenticeships far more available helps young people into jobs, not only in Wealden but throughout the country?
Youth Unemployment — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Labor
Damian Patrick George Hinds (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend has indeed been a great campaigner and a great champion for apprenticeships. Apprenticeships—including the 620 starts in Wealden in 2016-17—are one of the key policies that have contributed to our successful labour market, in which employment now stands at 75%.
Youth Unemployment — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Education
Damian Patrick George Hinds (Conservative, Centre-right): We absolutely accept that of course young people with learning difficulties need additional assistance and additional understanding of conditions and so on, which is why we have very much focused on providing that in jobcentres to make sure that they get the support they deserve.
Personal Independence Payments — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Social Welfare
Questions: Whether his Department has set a target for the time taken for a personal independence payment claim to be processed from application to decision.
Sarah Louise Newton (Conservative, Centre-right): The DWP does not set a target for processing PIP claims. The Department takes all reasonable steps to obtain evidence of claimants’ individual needs, including independent assessment. We make decisions as quickly as possible based on the available information in order to reach the right outcome. I am sure that my right hon. Friend will be pleased to know, as I was, that the median time from start to end is currently 13 weeks.
Personal Independence Payments — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Social Welfare
Questions: Whether his Department has set a target for the time taken for a personal independence payment claim to be processed from application to decision.
Sarah Louise Newton (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend raises a very important question, but the Department takes the view that, because we are appealing the decision and it is based on an error of law, that really would not be appropriate. I just want to reassure him and all hon. Members that there are always exceptions, and this could arise where a suspension would cause financial hardship. For most benefits, this is considered before suspension is imposed, but, in all cases, the suspension letter sent to claimants invites them to contact the Department immediately if they are in financial hardship so that we can help them.
Personal Independence Payments — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Social Welfare
Questions: Whether his Department has set a target for the time taken for a personal independence payment claim to be processed from application to decision.
Sarah Louise Newton (Conservative, Centre-right): I would be very pleased to meet the hon. Lady and her constituents to talk about that case or to listen to their concerns more widely, but we really should put the situation in context: 8% of decisions are appealed and 4% of them are upheld. I am very aware that behind every statistic is a person, but it is actually a small percentage of the millions of people who do receive their benefits, and we are continuously focused on making the right decision, right from the outset, which is why we commission independent reviews. We welcome the findings of the latest independent review by Mr Gray, which has been published today, and we have accepted all his recommendations.
Personal Independence Payments — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Social Welfare
Questions: Whether his Department has set a target for the time taken for a personal independence payment claim to be processed from application to decision.
Sarah Louise Newton (Conservative, Centre-right): As I have said before, I am really delighted with the review and to have received its findings. We have accepted all the findings in the review. At the moment, those reports are available, so that everyone can request them. We do not think it is a good use of taxpayers’ money to provide them to people who are happy with the result, who will not be going on to make any further appeal and who are actually getting on with receiving their benefit.
Universal Credit: Sanctions — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Social Welfare
Damian Patrick George Hinds (Conservative, Centre-right): I gently remind the hon. Gentleman that when I say that sanctions are considered to be a part of reasonable conditionality, it was also the approach that was taken up fully by the previous Labour Government. With regard to universal credit over Christmas, we have in place—as we do every year—robust processes to make sure that claims get paid. We can bring claims forward to make sure that things go smoothly, as we always seek to do before Christmas.
Job Creation — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Labor
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): The number of people in employment has increased by more than 3 million since 2010 to reach 32 million in the last quarter. The employment rate is close to the record high and has increased by almost five percentage points since 2010.
Job Creation — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Labor
Robert Edward Jenrick (Conservative, Centre-right): Despite a small recent decline in total employment, unemployment has continued to fall. Does my right hon. Friend agree that this suggests that the Government’s policies and the work of our great jobcentres across the country are making all the difference in matching jobseekers with available jobs? As it is Christmas, would he thank Ian Spalding—the manager of the Newark jobcentre—and his fantastic staff for ensuring that unemployment in Newark is now at 1%?
Job Creation — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Labor
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): I will very happily join my hon. Friend in thanking Ian Spalding and, indeed, Jobcentre Plus staff up and down the country, who do a fantastic job in helping to reduce unemployment. I think that the claimant count in Newark has fallen by 42% since 2010. In the meetings that I have had with jobcentre staff across the country, I have seen that they are enthusiastically implementing universal credit because they can see that it will help them to make further progress.
Job Creation — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Labor
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman will be aware that the recent apprenticeship numbers were affected by a spike at the end of the previous period, but the reality is that we have substantially increased the number of apprenticeships in recent years. We have introduced the apprenticeship levy, which puts apprenticeships on a sustainable financial footing. It is this Government, with our industrial strategy, who are ensuring that we create the highly skilled jobs that the country needs.
Personal Independence Payments: Mental Health — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Social Welfare
Sarah Louise Newton (Conservative, Centre-right): The claiming process for personal independence payment was co-produced with disabled people, carers and organisations supporting them, including mental health charities. We will continue to explore opportunities to monitor and improve the process, making use of customer testing and engagement with disability groups.
Personal Independence Payments: Mental Health — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Social Welfare
Sarah Louise Newton (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Lady for her comment. We keep the process under constant review, and we have it independently assessed to make sure that, if there are any problems at all, we will work to overcome them. However, I can assure her that, compared with the previous benefit—disability living allowance—many more PIP recipients with mental health conditions are getting the enhanced rates.
Contracted-out Health Assessments — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Education
Questions: What recent assessment he has made of the (a) accuracy and (b) efficiency of contracted-out health assessments for (i) employment and support allowance and (ii) personal independence payments.
Sarah Louise Newton (Conservative, Centre-right): We are committed to ensuring that claimants receive high-quality, accurate assessments. We monitor assessment quality through independent audit. Decision makers can return reports for rework or additional advice. A range of measures, including provider improvement plans, address performance failings when we experience standards below what we want. We continually look to improve the assessment process.
Pension Transition Arrangements — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Macroeconomics
Guy Thomas Opperman (Conservative, Centre-right): I refer the hon. Gentleman to two particular points. The first is that we have differing views on taxation. The Government believe that cuts to corporation tax assist job creation—the jobs we need to pay for the public services we have. Secondly, I refer him to the fact that, under the letter of 22 June from Jeane Freeman, my opposite number, the Scottish Government have powers in terms of working-age people and to take action on the specific points that he keeps raising, but that the Scottish Government fail to do anything about.
Pension Transition Arrangements — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Macroeconomics
Guy Thomas Opperman (Conservative, Centre-right): In days gone by, the Liberal Democrats were a party of fiscal discipline. In 2011, when this matter last came before the House for debate, the hon. Gentleman and I accepted the need to take the decisions that were made, and he joined me in the Lobby to vote for them. It is a shame that he has forgotten those views now.
Universal Credit: Torbay — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Social Welfare
Kevin John Foster (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the Minister for his answer. Roll-out of full service universal credit in Torbay is due to happen in September 2018. It is vital that claimants fully understand the system and their options. Will the Minister therefore confirm what work his Department is doing with Torbay’s local advice services to ensure that claimants can easily get such support if needed?
Universal Credit: Torbay — House of Commons, 2017-12-18
Topic: Social Welfare
Damian Patrick George Hinds (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes, we are ensuring that stakeholders, including the key advice services, have a proper overview of universal credit, and we work closely with the citizens advice bureau and others. A dedicated employer and partnership team engages directly with local authorities, landlords and others to ensure there is a joined-up approach to supporting claimants.