Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 29 Apr 2021
Kickstart Scheme
"My Lords, what are the Government doing to ensure that the Kickstart scheme meets the needs of understaffed sectors of the employment market which are well suited to this age cohort and therefore more likely to sustain young people’s employment once subsidies end? I am thinking particularly of both large …..."Lord Farmer - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Tue 02 Mar 2021
Covid-19: Universal Credit
"My Lords, the number of vacancies in the period November 2020 to January 2021 is up by 64,000 from the previous quarter to almost 600,000. What are work coaches doing to ensure that claimants take these vacancies up, and what plans do the Government have to incentivise moving into work …..."Lord Farmer - View Speech
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Written Question
Wednesday 2nd December 2020
Asked by:
Lord Farmer (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what the budget is for the Reducing Parental Conflict programme for the financial year 2021/2; and whether a budget for that programme has been agreed for subsequent financial years.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
- Opposition Whip (Lords)
The Department for Work and Pensions’ Reducing Parental Conflict programme will continue in 2021-22. Budgets for the financial year 2021-2022 have not yet been set. Following completion of the one year Spending Review, the Department will commence a budget setting process for all its programmes, to conclude before the start of the 2021/2022 financial year. Decisions on subsequent financial years will be taken via future Spending Reviews.
Speech in Lords Chamber - Tue 01 Dec 2020
Universal Credit
"My Lords, we should keep at the forefront of our thinking that universal credit was designed not to trap people in benefits dependency but to give them every help and incentive to get back into work. This has perhaps never been more important, both for individual morale and to enable …..."Lord Farmer - View Speech
View all Lord Farmer (Con - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Universal Credit
Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 15 Oct 2020
Youth Unemployment
"My Lords, blunt-instrument measures that force the shielding of the old and vulnerable, instead of allowing them to choose to shield themselves, are devastating areas of the economy in which young workers’ careers flourish. This is widening the divide between young and the old. The Government are balancing many considerations, …..."Lord Farmer - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 13 Jan 2020
Low-income Families: Benefits Freeze
"My Lords, over a decade ago the Joseph Rowntree Foundation proved that the tax credits approach to child poverty had run out of steam. How are this Government following the evidence on the root causes of child poverty, which include family breakdown?..."Lord Farmer - View Speech
View all Lord Farmer (Con - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Low-income Families: Benefits Freeze
Written Question
Thursday 27th June 2019
Asked by:
Lord Farmer (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they have allocated to reducing parental conflict in the last five years; and how much of that funding they have spent to date.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
The Reducing Parental Conflict programme was announced in April 2017 as part of Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families. In the financial years 2017/18 and 2018/19, DWP spent approximately £21m on reducing parental conflict. Forecast spend for 2019/20 is £14.11m.
Prior to 2017, DWP funded services which provided support for couples to improve their relationships, although these contracts were not specifically focused on parental conflict. £25m was spent on relationship support services between April 2014 and March 2017.
Written Question
Thursday 27th June 2019
Asked by:
Lord Farmer (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total budget of the Department for Work and Pensions for reducing parental conflict for 2019–20.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
The Reducing Parental Conflict programme was announced in April 2017 as part of Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families. In the financial years 2017/18 and 2018/19, DWP spent approximately £21m on reducing parental conflict. Forecast spend for 2019/20 is £14.11m.
Prior to 2017, DWP funded services which provided support for couples to improve their relationships, although these contracts were not specifically focused on parental conflict. £25m was spent on relationship support services between April 2014 and March 2017.
Speech in Lords Chamber - Tue 21 May 2019
Child Poverty
"My Lords, while the survey findings are challenging, there are clearly additional factors at play—not simply a lack of money. A comment highlighted in the report and likely representative of many others is that:
“Their social and emotional needs are not being met and this is having detrimental effects on …..."Lord Farmer - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 24 Apr 2019
Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit: Two-child Limit
"My Lords, financial stability is important for healthy child development, but so too is relationship stability. The Government have replaced the family stability indicator with parental conflict measures, yet many divorces and separations take place in low-conflict relationships. Research shows that these are more damaging to children than when high-conflict …..."Lord Farmer - View Speech
View all Lord Farmer (Con - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit: Two-child Limit