Speech in Westminster Hall - Thu 21 Apr 2022
Working Tax Credit and Universal Credit: Two-Child Limit
"Research from the New Field Foundation found that the limit does not discourage families from having more children, and has only worsened their financial difficulties. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that Ministers must actively engage with charities and organisations with expertise in policy impact to understand the real-terms impact of …..."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
Written Question
Wednesday 6th April 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 the Government has made of the potential effect of increasing benefits in line with living costs on levels of child poverty.
Answered by David Rutley
No assessment has been made.
The Secretary of State undertakes an annual review of benefits and pensions, and the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) in the year to September this approach has been in place since 1987 is the latest figure that the Secretary of State can use to allow sufficient time for the required legislative and operational changes before new rates can be introduced at the start of the new financial year.
CPI has been the default inflation measure for the government’s statutory annual review of benefits since 2011.
CPI has a basket of goods and services that is relevant to pensioners and benefit recipients, is the target level of inflation used by the Bank of England and is an internationally recognised measure.
National Statistics on the number of children in low income are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication. Latest statistics, covering up until 2020/21, on the number of children in low income in the UK can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1064433/hbai-summary-results.ods
The latest statistics show that in the UK in 2020/21 there were 200 thousand fewer children in absolute poverty, before housing costs, than in 2009/10.
This Government is committed to reducing child poverty and supporting all low-income families, and believes work is the best route out of poverty. With around 1.32 million vacancies across the UK our focus is firmly on supporting people into and to progress. Our multi-billion-pound Plan for Jobs, which has been expanded by £500 million, and Way to Work is a concerted drive across the UK to help half a million currently out of work people into jobs by the end of June 2022.
We are giving the lowest earners a pay rise by increasing the National Living Wage by 6.6% to £9.50 from April 2022, and making permanent changes to Universal Credit, worth £1000 a year on average, to two million in-work claimants.
We recognise that some people require additional support and from April, the government is providing an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of essentials, on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing the total funding for this support to £1 billion.
Written Question
Tuesday 5th April 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 the Government has plans to reinstate the cross-departmental Child Poverty Unit.
Answered by David Rutley
A key function of the previous Child Poverty Unit was to support the delivery of the child poverty targets that we abolished in 2016, which we have no plans to reintroduce. We believe that an approach to tackling child poverty focused primarily on meeting income-based targets can drive action that focuses primarily on moving the incomes for those ‘just in poverty’ just above a ‘poverty line’ whilst doing nothing to help those on the very lowest incomes or to improve children’s future prospects.
Ministers and officials engage extensively across Government to ensure a coordinated approach to tackling poverty and we will we continue to do so in the future.
The latest statistics show that in 2020/21 there were 200,000 fewer children in absolute poverty before housing costs than in 2009/10.
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 21 Mar 2022
Oral Answers to Questions
"With the DWP urging benefits claimants to apply for various top-up funds to help with the mounting cost of living crisis, what steps is the Secretary of State taking to increase awareness of the warm home discount scheme and to maximise take-up in my constituency?..."Margaret Ferrier - View Speech
View all Margaret Ferrier (Ind - Rutherglen and Hamilton West) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions
Speech in Commons Chamber - Fri 25 Feb 2022
Pension Schemes (Conversion of Guaranteed Minimum Pensions) Bill
"I beg to move, That the Bill be now read the Third time.
As I said on Second Reading, the Bill will help occupational pension schemes correct a basic issue of men and women being treated differently in contracted-out defined benefit occupational pension schemes because of the impact of having …..."Margaret Ferrier - View Speech
View all Margaret Ferrier (Ind - Rutherglen and Hamilton West) contributions to the debate on: Pension Schemes (Conversion of Guaranteed Minimum Pensions) Bill
Speech in Commons Chamber - Fri 25 Feb 2022
Pension Schemes (Conversion of Guaranteed Minimum Pensions) Bill
"I thank the hon. Member for her intervention and I absolutely agree. This Bill is set to remove those uncertainties so that these occupational schemes can get on with the equalisation process that they have always known they should be carrying out anyway.
The Bill removes the text in the …..."Margaret Ferrier - View Speech
View all Margaret Ferrier (Ind - Rutherglen and Hamilton West) contributions to the debate on: Pension Schemes (Conversion of Guaranteed Minimum Pensions) Bill
Speech in Commons Chamber - Fri 25 Feb 2022
Pension Schemes (Conversion of Guaranteed Minimum Pensions) Bill
"With the leave of the House, I thank the Minister for his support today and throughout each stage of the Bill. I also thank all hon. Members who have spoken and who have intervened on Third Reading including the hon. Members for Ynys Môn (Virginia Crosbie), for Broxtowe (Darren Henry), …..."Margaret Ferrier - View Speech
View all Margaret Ferrier (Ind - Rutherglen and Hamilton West) contributions to the debate on: Pension Schemes (Conversion of Guaranteed Minimum Pensions) Bill
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 07 Feb 2022
Oral Answers to Questions
"The DWP is looking to cut thousands of fixed-term contract work coaches at EO level from jobcentres but reportedly will retain almost all staff at the lower-paid AO grade. Have the Government considered how this will impact on lower-grade staff in terms of workload and stress and how those losing …..."Margaret Ferrier - View Speech
View all Margaret Ferrier (Ind - Rutherglen and Hamilton West) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions
Speech in Public Bill Committees - Wed 02 Feb 2022
Pension Schemes (Conversion of Guaranteed Minimum Pensions) Bill (Morning sitting)
"It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Efford. I am grateful to you and to Committee members for joining me today to look at the detail of this legislation, which, as I said on Second Reading, is very technical in appearance but has a clear and simple …..."Margaret Ferrier - View Speech
View all Margaret Ferrier (Ind - Rutherglen and Hamilton West) contributions to the debate on: Pension Schemes (Conversion of Guaranteed Minimum Pensions) Bill (Morning sitting)
Speech in Public Bill Committees - Wed 02 Feb 2022
Pension Schemes (Conversion of Guaranteed Minimum Pensions) Bill (Morning sitting)
"I thank all those who have contributed to this short, constructive debate and all Members who agreed to serve on the Committee. I also thank all those who contributed more widely to the small but incredibly important changes made by the Bill, and ask that everyone continues that cross-party support …..."Margaret Ferrier - View Speech
View all Margaret Ferrier (Ind - Rutherglen and Hamilton West) contributions to the debate on: Pension Schemes (Conversion of Guaranteed Minimum Pensions) Bill (Morning sitting)