Pensions Triple Lock

Debate between Pat McFadden and Jim Dickson

Tuesday 13th October 2026 Commons Chamber

[Pat McFadden]

My hon. Friend probably heard from a great many Tories who agree that change is needed. Perhaps he even heard from the Leader of the Opposition’s Parliamentary Private Secretaries, who have both called for change in the system, to add to the tally on the file beside my porridge. This is a new settlement for pensioners, as I have said. It still ensures a rising state pension every year, but it enables us also to face up to the long-term issue of social care.

[Jim Dickson (Dartford) (Lab)]

I thank the Secretary of State very much for confirming that the state pension will continue to rise and match earnings into the future. That is very important for reassuring pensioners in my Dartford constituency. Does he agree that pensioners across the whole country, including some of us who are soon to be pensioners, will be better off with a new national care service? I very much hope that it will not only provide free personal care but cap lifetime costs and improve the pay and conditions of those who work so hard in the care system, and that as a result, we will all be better off and adults can live a dignified life into the future.

[Pat McFadden]

My hon. Friend is right to draw attention to the social care workforce. It has been undervalued over the years. The jobs that these people do are incredibly important to the people they look after, and we are not waiting until April 2030 before addressing some of those concerns and putting forward a better deal for the social care workforce.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Pat McFadden and Jim Dickson

Monday 29th June 2026 Commons Chamber

[Jim Dickson (Dartford) (Lab)]

17. What recent progress he has made on the expansion of youth hubs.

[The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Pat McFadden)]

We are making strong progress on expanding youth hubs, with around 130 already in operation across Great Britain. In March, I announced the locations that we want to open in this year, and I have just announced a further 180 locations for the following two years. The areas involved, including Harlow, Cardiff, Dartford and east Hertfordshire, will see new youth hubs opening in local sports clubs, libraries and other venues. Wherever MPs get a youth hub, I encourage them to work with their jobcentres and with local organisations to confirm venues and begin delivery of these important services.

--- Later in debate ---

[Jim Dickson]

Constituents in Dartford are also pleased that our area has been chosen as one of the local authorities to receive a youth hub. We have a growing population of under-25s, all of whom are talented and enthusiastic and want to get into the workplace. Will the Secretary of State set out when that hub is likely to open, what services will be available and what difference it will make to the lives of young people in Dartford?

[Pat McFadden]

The Dartford youth hub is scheduled to open in the next financial year, and it will bring together a range of support. Youth hubs include mental health support, housing support, and skills and career opportunities all in one place. The whole idea is that people do not lives their lives according to departmental boundaries, and the way that we help them should understand that and bring these departmental boundaries together. Our evaluation shows that young people at youth hubs are more likely to progress towards employment, and two thirds report that the support met their specific needs.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Pat McFadden and Jim Dickson

Thursday 5th June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Pat McFadden]

The hon. Lady raises a good point. At the meeting of the Council of the Nations and Regions that took place a couple of weeks ago, issues of technology were very high on the agenda. We take these forums for dialogue very seriously, and I think I am right in saying that we can have a discussion on this issue without some of the heat that characterises other subjects that come up.

[Jim Dickson (Dartford) (Lab)]

T6.   Given the extremely welcome recent news that economic growth for the first quarter of 2025 was 1.6%, indicating that the Government’s mission to kick-start economic growth in the UK is beginning to work, can the Minister set out what plans exist Government-wide to make sure that that prosperity makes a positive difference to all families in the UK, including in the most deprived neighbourhoods such as Swanscombe and Temple Hill in my constituency?