Oral Answers to Questions

Pauline Latham Excerpts

Monday 20th May 2013 Commons Chamber

[Steve Webb]

I do not recognise that number at all. In fact, many of the scare stories that have come from the hon. Lady and others have proved not to transpire. When we capped rents in the private rented sector, we were told that there would be mass evictions and that vast droves of people would be moving all over London, but the evidence has not borne that out.

[Pauline Latham (Mid Derbyshire) (Con)]

7. What recent estimate he has made of the number of people in full-time employment.

[The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Mr Iain Duncan Smith)]

There are more than 21 million people in full-time work, and the number has risen by over 600,000 since the general election.

[Pauline Latham]

I thank the Secretary of State for that answer. Can he confirm that the number of people claiming the main out-of-work benefits since the 2010 election has fallen?

[Mr Duncan Smith]

Yes; this is an intriguing figure. As we have succeeded in enabling people who, when the last Government left office, were inactive but of working age to find employment, the total number of people without jobs has fallen by 380,000 since 2010. That fall has been driven by a fall in the rate of inactivity that was left by the last Government. As a result, the number of people receiving incapacity benefit and a number of other benefits—including lone parents—is at its lowest for some two decades.