Monday Volume 647 15 October 2018 No. 188 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Monday 15 October 2018 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2018 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 387 15 OCTOBER 2018 388 Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op): Is House of Commons the Secretary of State aware of the neuro-diverse person who wants to become an entrepreneur and of the people Monday 15 October 2018 with autism and the people on the autistic spectrum who want to get apprenticeships? Is it not a fact that the inability to get basic GCSE maths and English is a The House met at half-past Two o’clock barrier to anyone getting an apprenticeship that will lead to entrepreneurship? What can she do to open up that pathway? PRAYERS Ms McVey: The hon. Gentleman raises a good point: [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] how do we support disabled people. As I have said, we are supporting more through Access to Work and through other support groups. We have also given easements to make it easier for disabled people, because it really is Oral Answers to Questions important that they do internships, apprenticeships, and work experience. WORK AND PENSIONS Alex Burghart (Brentwood and Ongar) (Con): One of the very best ways of helping disabled entrepreneurs, and indeed all disabled people who are looking for The Secretary of State was asked— work, is to get them access to the best assistive technology Disabled Entrepreneurs that can help them when they are in the workplace and also give them confidence while they are looking for that work. What steps is the Secretary of State taking to 1. Rachel Maclean (Redditch) (Con): What steps the ensure that disabled people have those opportunities? Government are taking to assist disabled entrepreneurs. [907035] Ms McVey: My hon. Friend is correct in what he The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Ms Esther says: we should be using technology even more. We McVey): Will you indulge me for a moment, Mr Speaker, should be making sure that it does assist disabled people. to allow me to congratulate my fellow Minister, the To that end, we are doing more through Access to Work Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my and we should continue on that path. hon. Friend the hon. Member for North Swindon (Justin Tomlinson), on his wedding at the weekend? Some eyes Dr Paul Williams (Stockton South) (Lab): The disability may have been observing events in Windsor; others of employment gap in my constituency is, at 37%, higher us were viewing events in Swindon. than the national average. What message does the Secretary Let me turn now to the question of my hon. Friend of State have for disabled people in my constituency the Member for Redditch (Rachel Maclean). Disabled who want to work and who are not getting the support people are more likely than others to be self-employed. that they need? Access to Work now has specialist self-employment teams to help disabled entrepreneurs,and the new enterprise Ms McVey: The hon. Gentleman is correct: there is a allowance schemes help anyone who is claiming eligible big disability gap in employment rates. That has come benefits to move into self-employment. down, but we need it to come down even further. We have pledged to get 1 million more disabled people into Rachel Maclean: I thank the Secretary of State for work by 2027. Between 2013 and 2017, there were that answer and join her in congratulating my hon. 600,000 more disabled people in work, but there is Friend on his recent wedding. always more that we can do. Disabled people can benefit from self-employment because it provides much-needed flexibility in the workplace. Universal Credit Roll-out To that end, there is a group in my constituency called Disability Support Project. Will the Secretary of State 2. Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland) congratulate it on its recent launch and look at what (LD): What assessment she has made of her Department’s more can be done to enable other such organisations to preparedness for the roll-out of universal credit to offer employment advice? people in receipt of working tax credits. [907037] Ms McVey: I will, indeed, congratulate and thank the Disability Support Group in Redditch for its excellent The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Ms Esther work and for what it does. I also congratulate and thank McVey): We are working closely with Her Majesty’s my hon. Friend for all that she does in assisting disabled Revenue and Customs and stakeholders to ensure that people into work and for so passionately pursuing this our testing covers the full range of tax credit claimants. cause. There is more that we can do. I know that she With parliamentary approval, our managed migration visited her jobcentre to see how we are working with regulations will allow for transitional protection. This charities and organisations. I can also assure her that we will make sure that nobody loses out financially when have never spent more supporting people with disabilities they are moved to universal credit. and health conditions—it is now £54 billion a year, up £9 billion since 2010. Several hon. Members rose— 389 Oral Answers 15 OCTOBER 2018 Oral Answers 390 Mr Speaker: If only the right hon. Gentleman had unemployment. Now we are helping people into work, known how popular he was. but we have to listen, learn and adjust where we can, as we have done in the past, with a £1.5 billion package Mr Carmichael: Yes, but for how long? One of the this year. We are still adjusting, learning and helping the fundamental principles of universal credit was to design most vulnerable. a welfare system where people would always choose to be in work. The money that the Chancellor took out in 19. [907054] Ruth George (High Peak) (Lab): The 2015 fundamentally undermined that principle, so will Secretary of State recently admitted that groups such as the Secretary of State speak to the current Chancellor lone parents will be £2,400 a year worse off under about restoring work allowances to the levels originally universal credit. How is the Department going to support planned? such lone parents when their transitional protection ends, as it very soon will? Ms McVey: I am sure that the right hon. Gentleman will not be surprised to know that I have of course been Ms McVey: When we came into office in 2010—and having discussions with the Chancellor, and we will all then in 2015 and 2017—it was really important for the know the result of those discussions two weeks to this country to take difficult decisions about what we needed very day. to do to ensure that the benefit was sustainable and affordable, because it had grown by over 60% under Stephen Crabb (Preseli Pembrokeshire) (Con): Will Labour. We still have to ensure that the benefit is my right hon. Friend take the time to listen to the voices sustainable and affordable, and that we support the of those on the frontline—the work coaches in the most vulnerable, and that is what this Conservative jobcentres, who have experience of how this policy Government are doing. functions in practice, who know what works and what does not work, and whose views about universal credit Nigel Mills (Amber Valley) (Con): When we move are overwhelmingly more positive than those of the people over, it is vital that we get them on to the right Opposition critics? amount of benefit at the right time, so will the Secretary of State agree to put in place some targets for accurate Ms McVey: My right hon. Friend is correct to point performance, and to delay the roll-out if those targets out these facts. When we visit jobcentres, work coaches are not achieved? say that this is the best system that they have ever had to help people into work. We know the validity in that Ms McVey: Under the process of managed migration, statement because 1,000 more people have been getting the roll-out will be slow and measured. It will start not into work each and every day since 2010. We have to in January 2019, but later in the year. For a further year ensure that the system works for claimants and taxpayers. we will be learning as we go with a small amount of people—maybe 10,000—to ensure that the system is Frank Field (Birkenhead) (Ind): May I raise the question right. The roll-out will then increase from 2020 onwards. about which I wrote to the Secretary of State, regarding It will be slow and measured, and we will adapt and how universal credit is being rolled out in Birkenhead? change as we go. It is not going as well there as we are told it is in the House of Commons, and some women have taken to Neil Gray (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP): Has the Secretary the red light district for the first time. Will the Secretary of State requested any additional funds for universal of State come to Birkenhead to meet women’sorganisations credit from the Chancellor ahead of the Budget? and the police, who are worried about the security of women being pushed into this position? Ms McVey: I do not let people know what we do in private meetings, old-fashioned as that may be, but Ms McVey: The right hon.