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Monday Volume 603 7 December 2015 No. 83 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Monday 7 December 2015 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2015 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 687 7 DECEMBER 2015 688 Mr Duncan Smith: By the way, I welcome the hon. House of Commons Gentleman back. It is good to see him back in his place; I understand he has had some difficulties with health treatments. Monday 7 December 2015 The hon. Gentleman would be right, if that were the trend and the direction in which we were going. It is interesting that there is a difference between us and the The House met at half-past Two o’clock United States. The vast majority of the jobs that have been created here are white-collar and full-time. That is PRAYERS important. Although we think that people being self- employed is excellent for those who choose to do it, we are seeing a huge trend in supported jobs with full pay [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] and full-time work. Dr Eilidh Whiteford (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): The Oral Answers to Questions selling point of the Government’s universal credit scheme was that it was supposed to increase work incentives. However, the reduction in work allowances in universal credit due to take effect in April next year will leave WORK AND PENSIONS around 35,000 working households with no transitional protection and thousands of pounds worse off. Does The Secretary of State was asked— the Secretary of State accept that these changes will actively disincentivise people to go into work, particularly lone parents? Workless Households 1. Dr Phillip Lee (Bracknell) (Con): What progress he Mr Duncan Smith: I do not. Universal credit is acting has made on reducing the number of people in as a huge incentive to go back to work. Even the workless households. [902559] statistics published over the weekend show that universal credit means that people are 8% more likely to go into The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Mr Iain work than was the case with jobseeker’s allowance. I Duncan Smith): With your permission, Mr Speaker, remind the hon. Lady that jobseeker’s allowance has given the weekend’s events in my borough, may I take been seen by many in the western world as one of the the opportunity, on behalf of myself and colleagues in most successful back-to-work benefits. Universal credit all parts of the House, to wish a speedy recovery to performs even better than jobseeker’s allowance by those who were injured by the tragic events at the tube some considerable degree. station in Leytonstone? When we took office, almost one in five households Dr Whiteford: With respect, the Secretary of State had no one in work and around 1.4 million people had did not answer the question about the 35,000 households been on benefits for most of the previous decade. Since and about transitional relief coming into effect for 2010 the number of workless households has fallen by April 2016, so I ask him again: what about those people over 680,000 to its lowest level since records began. who stand to be thousands of pounds worse off in Dr Lee: My constituency covers the major part of April? Bracknell Forest. In 2014 it had the second highest percentage of working households in the country. Does Mr Duncan Smith: As I said before, first, people are my right hon. Friend agree that continuing to encourage getting back to work. Secondly, those who are on households into work is one of the most effective ways universal credit at present will be fully supported through of improving the life chances of everyone in that family? the flexible support fund, which will provide all the resources necessary to ensure that their situation remains Mr Duncan Smith: My hon. Friend is right that exactly the same as it is today. growing up in a working family is crucial for the life chances of children. When this Government took office, there were more than 2.5 million children growing up in Emily Thornberry (Islington South and Finsbury) workless households. That has fallen by nearly half a (Lab): I wonder whether the Minister has seen the million since 2010. By targeting worklessness, the five figures that I have. May I take him from rhetoric back new life chance measures that we have introduced will to reality? The figures show that although there has make an enormous difference to children’s lives. I been a rise in employment in the past three months, the understand that there are now almost no workless number of hours that we have worked as a country has households in the south-east. fallen. It is a good thing that unemployment has gone down, but surely we need to address under-employment, Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op): I particularly when there are 3 million people who say ask the Secretary of State to be a little careful—none of they are under-employed. I saw that over the weekend us should get complacent about worklessness. Has he his Minister for Employment was flogging temporary seen the research in the United States on the Uberisation part-time jobs for people to dress up as Santa Claus, but of work, when people cease to have good employers perhaps it would be better if his Department spent a bit with pensions, rights and contracts, and are increasingly more time trying to ensure full-time permanent well pushed into self-employment, where they have no rights? paid work for people. 689 Oral Answers7 DECEMBER 2015 Oral Answers 690 Mr Duncan Smith: It is a bit rich for the hon. Lady to it dropped by 10%. What measures is her Department get up and start attacking the Government’s record of taking to ensure that people are not trapped in a cycle getting more people back to work, more people in of temporary work? full-time work and more people in managerial positions. When we took over from the Labour Government, Priti Patel: The hon. Lady is right that this is obviously there was a complete collapse of the economy, with the time of year when there is more seasonal employment people lucky to get a job and even lucky to get part-time in the run-up to Christmas, but support is provided to work. Two thirds of the rise in employment since 2010 continue employment after such seasons. Jobcentre Plus has been in managerial, professional jobs, and permanent will be supporting those who may be in part-time jobs jobs are up over 476,000. That is not rhetoric; those are to secure longer-term jobs. I come back to the fundamental realities. principle that it is better to be in work, and have the experience of being in work, so as to develop long-term Youth Unemployment career and employment opportunities afterwards. 2. Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North) (Lab): Tom Pursglove (Corby) (Con): The opening of the What steps his Department is taking to reduce the new Primark warehouse at Islip will bring 1,000 new number of young people who are long-term unemployed; jobs to my area and help to reduce youth unemployment. and if he will make a statement. [902560] Will the Minister join me in welcoming this jobs boost, and would she like to visit next year when it opens? The Minister for Employment (Priti Patel): Long-term youth unemployment has fallen by over a third over the Priti Patel: I thank my hon. Friend for his very kind past year, and our goal is to make sure that all young invitation. We are only getting these new jobs created people are either earning or learning. We continue to because we have a secure and sound economy owing to provide extra support for young people on benefits and our long-term economic plan. Importantly, employers will introduce the new youth obligation in 2017. such as Primark and many other retailers are creating great employment opportunities for our young people. I Mr Allen: With the Cities and Local Government would be delighted to come to open the centre in his Devolution Bill, which is before the House today, will constituency with him next year. the Minister do more to devolve greater control of the Work programme to councils and more to empower Work and Health Programme local managers? When universal credit comes in, will she ensure that the DWP works closely with councils on that support in order to transform the delivery of services 3. Kate Hollern (Blackburn) (Lab): Whether he plans to vulnerable people? for benefit sanctions to be applicable to people referred to the proposed work and health programme. [902561] Priti Patel: I thank the hon. Gentleman for his comments and congratulate him on the work he has being doing The Minister for Employment (Priti Patel): The locally in his community with the DWP and other Department is developing new provision to support partners, and the local authority too. He is absolutely people with health conditions and disabilities and those right. Through the Work programme, and under devolution, who are very long-term unemployed. We are currently we are working with communities, local authorities, developing the design of the programme, including the jobcentres and other partners and stakeholders—the conditionality that will be a feature of it. specialist organisations that can provide the right kind of support to support employment and to help to get Kate Hollern: A survey by mental health charity more people back to work.