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Written Question
Employment Services: Disability
Monday 1st September 2014

Asked by: Tom Clarke (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether disability employment advisers will remain part of the support offered to claimants under universal credit.

Answered by Esther McVey

The Disability and Health Employment Strategy published in December 2013 sets out our expectation that the work carried out by DEAs in Jobcentres will continue.

Written Question
Employment Services: Disability
Monday 1st September 2014

Asked by: Tom Clarke (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his policy is on retaining disability employment advisors as part of the support offered to clients by jobcentre plus.

Answered by Esther McVey

The Disability and Health Employment Strategy published in December 2013 sets out our expectation that the work carried out by DEAs in Jobcentres will continue.

Written Question
Employment and Support Allowance: Work Capability Assessments
Thursday 19th June 2014

Asked by: Tom Clarke (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will create an independent panel to review and assess the effectiveness of the employment and support allowance and work capability assessment tests.

Answered by Mike Penning

The department has already conducted four independent reviews of the WCA, the most recent of which was completed on 12 December 2013 and is published online at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/work-capability-assessment-independent-review-year-4

A fifth and final independent review is currently underway and is due to be completed by the end of the year.

In addition to these independent reviews the Department has conducted an Evidence Based Review of the WCA in which the descriptors for mental health and fluctuating conditions were examined by an independent panel against an alternative assessment designed in conjunction with representative groups and charities. On 12 December 2013 the Department published the results of this online at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/work-capability-assessment-evidence-based-review

Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 11 Jun 2014
Jobs and Work

"The right hon. Gentleman has not so far given the figures on zero-hours contracts. He will know that the Office for National Statistics has said that 1.4 million people are on those contracts, but the Government say that only 250,000 are. What is the reason for the difference?..."
Tom Clarke - View Speech

View all Tom Clarke (Lab - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill) contributions to the debate on: Jobs and Work
Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 11 Jun 2014
Jobs and Work

"In March 2014, the Chancellor of the Exchequer said that

“while unemployment has come down, there are still over 2 million looking for a job. It will take time to fix that. But we will not rest while we still have so much wasted potential in some parts of our …..."
Tom Clarke - View Speech

View all Tom Clarke (Lab - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill) contributions to the debate on: Jobs and Work
Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 25 Mar 2014
amendment of the law

"Before my right hon. Friend finishes his interesting speech, will he respond to the concerns among Labour supporters about how the Conservative party keeps reminding us of what it claims was the mess that Labour left behind? Are we therefore to believe that the international recession, which had an impact …..."
Tom Clarke - View Speech

View all Tom Clarke (Lab - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill) contributions to the debate on: amendment of the law
Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 25 Mar 2014
amendment of the law

"Listening to the Chancellor, I could not help but conclude that my constituents simply do not inhabit his world. Indeed, very few people share his world, and therein lies the problem. For example, unemployment in my constituency has risen dramatically. Ten years ago, the figure was 1,500 in total, and …..."
Tom Clarke - View Speech

View all Tom Clarke (Lab - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill) contributions to the debate on: amendment of the law
Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 18 Dec 2013
Food Banks

"On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Given the huge interest in this debate, not least among our constituents, is it within your power to extend the time for the debate?..."
Tom Clarke - View Speech

View all Tom Clarke (Lab - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill) contributions to the debate on: Food Banks
Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 12 Nov 2013
Housing Benefit

"I welcome everything that the hon. Gentleman has said. Does he agree that there are times in this House when things are so profoundly wrong that those on both sides of the House recognise it, but the trouble is that some cannot get around to admitting simply that they were …..."
Tom Clarke - View Speech

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Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 10 Jul 2013
Disabled People

"I have great respect for the hon. Member for Blackpool North and Cleveleys (Paul Maynard), and although I do not agree with everything he said, like my hon. Friend the Member for Rutherglen and Hamilton West (Tom Greatrex), he brought some reality to a debate that so far—I am referring …..."
Tom Clarke - View Speech

View all Tom Clarke (Lab - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill) contributions to the debate on: Disabled People