Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Stephen Crabb and Ann Clwyd

Wednesday 21st January 2015 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Crabb]

My hon. Friend is right. Welsh produce is the best in the world, and when it is labelled as such it gives consumers powerful signals, which they respond to. That is one of the ways in which we have been able to boost exports of Welsh agriculture produce in the past two years, but we will look at what further steps we can take to support labelled home-grown produce.

[Ann Clwyd (Cynon Valley) (Lab)]

5. What assessment he has made of the implications for the Government’s policies of the Auditor General for Wales’s report on “Managing the Impact of Welfare Reform Changes on Social Housing Tenants in Wales”, published in January 2015.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Stephen Crabb and Ann Clwyd

Wednesday 12th February 2014 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Crabb]

I join my hon. Friend in welcoming the investment from that meat processing company in his constituency. The agri-food sector is incredibly important to west Wales, and not least to Ceredigion. My hon. Friend represents one of the most important farming and agricultural constituencies in the UK, and the investment by that company is a sign of the growing confidence in the UK economy and the Welsh economy.

[Ann Clwyd (Cynon Valley) (Lab)]

3. How many fitness to practise cases regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council in Wales are waiting to be resolved.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Stephen Crabb and Ann Clwyd

Wednesday 8th January 2014 Commons Chamber

[Ann Clwyd (Cynon Valley) (Lab)]

5. What recent assessment he has made of the potential effect of the roll-out of universal credit on people in Wales.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales (Stephen Crabb)]

The roll-out of universal credit will reduce the historic dependency on benefits for the people of Wales by making the system simple and more flexible, and by increasing the incentive to work.

[Ann Clwyd]

Is it not a fact that repeated promises to deliver the project on time and on budget have been broken yet again? Officials are warning of further delays and more wasted taxpayers’ money, and Ministers are arguing among themselves while families and children in Wales live in poverty. What way is this to run a country?

[Stephen Crabb]

What universal credit represents for the country, including Wales—I think Opposition Members recognise this as well—is a generational opportunity to change the welfare system better to support those who need it. It is exactly right that we take the time necessary to get the systems and processes right to ensure that we get the outcomes right for people in Wales.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Stephen Crabb and Ann Clwyd

Wednesday 20th November 2013 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Crabb]

My hon. Friend is quite right: economic inactivity and worklessness have been a curse on Wales for too long. Under the last Labour Government, economic inactivity rates averaged around 21%; under this Government they are down to around 21%. [Interruption.] We are not complacent: we want to go further with improving the situation.

[Ann Clwyd (Cynon Valley) (Lab)]

14. In some parts of Cynon Valley, over half the children are living in poverty. Why?

[Stephen Crabb]

I am grateful to the right hon. Lady for that question. I visited her constituency and I am well aware of the deep-seated, long-entrenched problems there. I have been to the jobcentre in Aberdare and seen how hard the excellent team are working to tackle long-term unemployment, but there are no quick fixes. What we are doing, with the Work programme and our other efforts through the Department for Work and Pensions, is trying to bear down on worklessness and get more people into jobs.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Stephen Crabb and Ann Clwyd

Wednesday 27th February 2013 Commons Chamber

[Ann Clwyd (Cynon Valley) (Lab)]

12. What assessment he has made of the potential effect of the under-occupancy penalty on social housing in Wales.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales (Stephen Crabb)]

Information on the expected impact of the social sector under-occupancy measure is provided in the impact assessment prepared by the Department for Work and Pensions.

[Stephen Crabb]

The hon. Gentleman describes a reduction in Government expenditure as a tax. Opposition Members confuse their debt with their deficits and they spent 13 years describing out-of-control public spending as investment. I agree with the point made by the hon. Member for Cardiff South and Penarth (Stephen Doughty) on 5 February when he said that people who suffer from low levels of financial literacy struggle to make correct budgeting decisions. The hon. Member for Rhondda (Chris Bryant) and his party are proof of that.

[Ann Clwyd]

No. 12, Mr Speaker.

--- Later in debate ---

[Ann Clwyd]

I shall take the moment, Mr Speaker.

One immediate measure that would protect the most vulnerable people would be to exempt those on disability living allowance from this tax. Will the Minister urgently review this policy?

[Stephen Crabb]

Let me start by wishing the right hon. Lady well with the important job that the Prime Minister has asked her to do on complaints in the NHS. I know that she has the respect and support of the whole House.

I understand the concerns among the disabled community about the implementation of this measure, but we are making substantial resource available for local authorities to assist with the difficult specific cases, among which I expect the disabled to be included.