Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 23 Nov 2022
Social Security Support for Children
"The Minister knows that I have a lot of time for him because he sat through proceedings in the Chamber on my private Member’s Bill when he was pensions Minister. According to the Child Poverty Action Group, last year a couple working full-time on the minimum wage and a lone …..."Margaret Ferrier - View Speech
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Written Question
Monday 14th November 2022
Asked by:
Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question
to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she will take steps to provide additional support for disabled people, in the context of increases in the cost of living.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 November 2022 to Question UIN 80920.
Written Question
Monday 14th November 2022
Asked by:
Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question
to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to reduce (a) delays and (b) waiting times for those in the Personal Independence Payment application process.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
We are committed to ensuring people can access financial support through Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in a timely manner, taking into account the need to review all available evidence. Reducing customer journey times for PIP claimants is a priority for the department and we are working constantly to make improvements to our service.
We are seeing an improvement in average clearance times for new PIP claims and the latest statistics show that the end-to-end journey has steadily reduced from 26 weeks in August 2021 to 18 weeks at the end of July 2022. This is because we are:
- using a blend of phone, video and face-to-face assessments to support customers and deliver a more efficient and user-centred service;
- increasing case manager and assessment provider health professional resource;
- prioritising new claims, whilst safeguarding claimants awaiting award reviews, who have returned their information as required, to ensure their payments continue until their review can be completed.
Written Question
Wednesday 9th November 2022
Asked by:
Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question
to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of (a) means-tested and (b) non-means-tested benefit payments for (i) blind and (ii) partially sighted people.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
No assessment has been made of the adequacy of (a) means-tested and (b) non-means-tested benefit payments for (i) blind and (ii) partially sighted people.
Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 08 Nov 2022
State Pension Triple Lock
"I have been inundated with emails from pensioners in my constituency expressing a mixture of anger, fear and despair at the removal of the triple lock. A 70-year-old woman has described sitting in her living room with only candles for heat because she cannot afford to pay her energy bills. …..."Margaret Ferrier - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 31 Oct 2022
Oral Answers to Questions
"May I start by sending my condolences and thoughts to all those who were tragically killed in Seoul, South Korea, at the weekend? I am sure that we will all be thinking of them at this time.
Education, formal and informal, is vital to developing a highly skilled workforce. Adults …..."Margaret Ferrier - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 06 Jun 2022
Oral Answers to Questions
"According to the Child Poverty Action Group, each month some 4,300 households in my constituency are receiving an average of £57 less than they are entitled to because of automatic deductions from their universal credit, and that affects about 3,700 children. What action is the Department taking to reform the …..."Margaret Ferrier - View Speech
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Speech in Westminster Hall - Thu 19 May 2022
Child Maintenance Service: Reform
"It is always a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Rees. I congratulate the hon. Member for Motherwell and Wishaw (Marion Fellows) on securing a debate on a service that is not often seen as a priority despite the essential issue that it should tackle.
When the Child Maintenance …..."Margaret Ferrier - View Speech
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Speech in Westminster Hall - Thu 21 Apr 2022
Working Tax Credit and Universal Credit: Two-Child Limit
"An exception to the two-child limit is where the child was conceived in non-consensual circumstances, but to be eligible for this exception the parent must be able to point to either a conviction or a criminal injuries compensation claim. Does the hon. Member agree that as rape conviction rates are …..."Margaret Ferrier - View Speech
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Speech in Westminster Hall - Thu 21 Apr 2022
Working Tax Credit and Universal Credit: Two-Child Limit
"Does the hon. Lady agree that following the Government’s decision to cut universal credit payments, with inflation rates rising astronomically and a real cost of living crisis, a decision to keep the two-child limit is actively pushing children below the poverty line, which will undoubtedly impact on the UK’s levels …..."Margaret Ferrier - View Speech
View all Margaret Ferrier (Ind - Rutherglen and Hamilton West) contributions to the debate on: Working Tax Credit and Universal Credit: Two-Child Limit