Monday Volume 511 14 June 2010 No. 14 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Monday 14 June 2010 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2010 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Parliamentary Click-Use Licence, available online through the Office of Public Sector Information website at www.opsi.gov.uk/click-use/ Enquiries to the Office of Public Sector Information, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU; e-mail: [email protected] 581 14 JUNE 2010 582 Mr Sheerman: One hopes that the new Government House of Commons will still support Sure Start children’s centres. Certainly, an inquiry of the former Children, Schools and Families Monday 14 June 2010 Committee showed that the sharing of information was absolutely crucial. Does the hon. Lady agree that the sharing of information, knowing how our children are The House met at half-past Two o’clock surviving and thriving and when they are in trouble, is vital to children’s future health and welfare? PRAYERS Maria Miller: I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. As he will be aware, the coalition Government [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] have protected Sure Start from in-year cuts, and I am sure that he and the whole House will welcome that announcement. He has looked at this issue in detail, BUSINESS BEFORE QUESTIONS and in the most recent report of the CSF Committee, of which he was the Chairman, there was no clear evidence QUEEN’S SPEECH (ANSWER TO ADDRESS) that data sharing between Jobcentre Plus and children’s The VICE-CHAMBERLAIN OF THE HOUSEHOLD reported centres was a problem. However, there can be such a to the House, That Her Majesty, having been attended problem between children’s centres and health professionals. with its Address of 25th May, was pleased to receive the The Government believe that early intervention is absolutely same very graciously and give the following answer: vital in the work that we are doing to alleviate poverty I have received with great satisfaction the dutiful and and that co-ordination and signposting between those loyal expression of your thanks for the speech with which organisations are important. That is one of the reasons I opened the present Session of Parliament. why we have put Sure Start health visitors in Sure State children’s centres. SESSIONAL RETURNS Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex) (Con): In agreeing Ordered, with the hon. Gentleman about the importance of That there be laid before this House Returns for Session co-ordination, may I ask whether my hon. Friend agrees 2009-10 of information and statistics relating to: that most of the worst disasters that affect children that (1) Business of the House; have become public are concerned with a lack of (2) Closure of Debate, Proposal of Question and Allocation of information shared between the authorities? Does she Time (including Programme Motions); agree that it is extremely important that all those who (3) Sittings of the House; are involved in these matters truly understand what (4) Private Bills and Private Business; each hand is doing? (5) Public Bills; Maria Miller: My hon. Friend is obviously talking (6) Delegated Legislation and Legislative Reform Orders; about a great many different data sources. As I said, (7) European Legislation, etc; information-sharing difficulties between Jobcentre Plus (8) Grand Committees; and children’s centres is not a particular issue of concern, (9) Panel of Chairs; and but I take his point and I am sure that our new Cabinet (10) Select Committees.—(The Chairman of Ways and Means.) Committee on social justice may want to consider it to ensure that nothing is being missed. Chris Leslie (Nottingham East) (Lab/Co-op): Will Oral Answers to Questions the Minister explain how sharing and co-ordinating between those agencies will be helped by the reduction in the working neighbourhoods fund, which joins lots of different Departments and local agencies? As a result WORK AND PENSIONS of the Government’s recent announcement, £1.2 million has been taken away from that fund in Nottingham. The Secretary of State was asked— That money pays for apprenticeships, welfare rights advice and helping to reduce teenage pregnancies. How Jobcentre Plus Advisers will that reduction help such work? 1. Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op): Maria Miller: Undoubtedly, the hon. Gentleman will Whether he plans to increase the amount of be very pleased about the coalition Government’s information Jobcentre Plus advisers may share with announcement of 50,000 additional apprenticeships, local health practitioners and Sure Start children’s which will provide the sort of long-lasting job opportunities centres. [1850] that his constituents want. Obviously, other decisions on budget taking are made locally, and it is for local The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work authorities to make important decisions on how best to and Pensions (Maria Miller): I have no current plans to use their local resources. increase the amount of information that Jobcentre Plus Out-of-Work Benefits advisers can provide to local health practitioners and Sure Start children’s centres. Social security information 2. Mr David Amess (Southend West) (Con): What can be shared with those parties with the consent of its plans he has to reduce the number of people claiming customers. out-of-work benefits. [1851] 583 Oral Answers14 JUNE 2010 Oral Answers 584 5. Mr Rob Wilson (Reading East) (Con): What recent area, or is this to be the first example of how the discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on coalition seeks to protect the poorest and most vulnerable reducing levels of unemployment. [1855] from its savage cuts? The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Mr Iain Mr Duncan Smith: I am very happy to meet the right Duncan Smith): One of our top priorities is to reduce hon. Lady at a moment of her convenience. I understand the number of people—nearly 5 million—on incapacity, that the centre had reached the end of its lease, and we lone parent or jobseeker’s benefits. We will reform the are trying to find a way of ensuring that there is support benefits system to make work pay and reassess the in the area. I am happy to meet her and deal with those position of people on incapacity benefit, through a specifics. single, integrated package of support, to give people the personalised support that they need to find work. Yvette Cooper (Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford) (Lab): The Secretary of State says that he wants more Mr Amess: I congratulate my right hon. Friend on his people off benefits and in work. He will know that that appointment. He might be aware that this subject was depends on their having jobs to go to. Can he tell the raised regularly on the doorstep in Southend West, House exactly how many of the 205,000 jobs planned since when I have found out from the Department that under the future jobs fund he is cutting as a result of his 1.4 million people have been on out-of-work benefits plans? for nine or more of the past 10 years. How does he intend to deal with that situation fairly but firmly? Mr Duncan Smith: The right hon. Lady will know that we are not cutting any jobs at all. We are saying Mr Duncan Smith: My hon. Friend is absolutely that we will stop the part of the programme relating to right. The figures are somewhat worse than that—the jobs that were not contracted for. All the other jobs that UK has a higher proportion of children growing up in are contracted for will go ahead. Originally it was workless households than almost any other EU country. estimated that that meant that 140,000 jobs would be We have had a very high level of residual unemployment found. In fact, we understand the number to be about a for far too long. The key to dealing with that is the third fewer than that—about 100,000—although we integrated work programme, which will look at ways of will know when we get closer to the time. trying to get back into work some of those long-term I say to the right hon. Lady that the money that we unemployed—many of whom have been parked on save will go towards preventing the jobs tax—the national incapacity benefit and forgotten about—and support insurance tax—that her party was going to impose on those who have not been contacted. Something like those people when they took work, which would have 40% of unemployed people had not been contacted for meant fewer people being in work. We will also have the over six years; no one had bothered even to speak to money to make sure that 50,000 new apprenticeships, them. We will also try to reform the benefits system so which are sustainable jobs, come into existence under that when someone can go to work they will straight this Government. away see that it is worth their while to do so, whereas at the moment work simply does not pay, or appears Yvette Cooper: Can the Secretary of State confirm not to. that the Office for Budget Responsibility, which today issued its forecasts based on the previous Labour Mr Wilson: Unemployment has continued to rise in Government’s tax and spending plans, in fact confirmed my constituency, and the impact is particularly being that unemployment would continue to fall in future felt by young people. What further action will the years, including the plans for national insurance Secretary of State take to help them after the failure of contributions? Can he also confirm that the Labour 13 years of Labour? Government’s plans set out at the Budget were for 205,000 jobs under the future jobs fund this year and Mr Duncan Smith: The first thing I can say to my next, and his Department’s website says that only 111,000 hon.