"Unlike the Opposition, we on this side of the House recognise that it is not right to increase basic state pensions by 75p: we give proper increases. What more is the Minister doing to ensure that retirement incomes continue to rise in the future?..." Gavin Williamson - View Speech
"Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the debate, Madam Deputy Speaker.
If they read Hansard tomorrow, many of my constituents will be under the misapprehension that the last Labour Government were a great welfare-reforming Government, but one of the points that many others will make to me is …..." Gavin Williamson - View Speech
"Where we have a culture in which it sometimes does not pay to take a job or to work more hours, we capture people in a culture of dependency.
How do we measure success? Is it about spending more and more money? Is it about spending money on welfare, constantly …..." Gavin Williamson - View Speech
"Does the hon. Gentleman think that the number increased, or does he think that it fell? Perhaps he will tell the House...." Gavin Williamson - View Speech
"The hon. Gentleman is living in cloud cuckoo land. He will not answer the question that I asked. How many more families are there in which no one has ever worked? In fact, the number increased from 184,000 to 352,000 under the last Labour Government. Is that a legacy to …..." Gavin Williamson - View Speech
"That too was an excellent point. What we have seen is total fiscal irresponsibility. The whole idea of the Labour party’s proposals is to trap more people in welfare, not to take them out of welfare...." Gavin Williamson - View Speech
"I am afraid that the Labour party’s proposals on so many matters are completely inconsistent. The greatest shame is that there are no ideas coming from Labour Members. They have no ideas about how to deal with the legacy that they left, in relation to welfare reform or in relation …..." Gavin Williamson - View Speech
"I will happily give way to the hon. Lady if she explains to the House what she will cut. I assume that she will be voting for the amendment. Will she shut schools in her constituency? Will she close hospitals? Will she sack teachers? Will she get rid of nurses? …..." Gavin Williamson - View Speech
"I am taking a lead from the Labour Front Benchers and touching on some of the reasons why we are in this position, and having to make highly difficult decisions. We are not scared to take difficult decisions, but perhaps if the Labour party had made some of the tough …..." Gavin Williamson - View Speech