Housing, Communities and Local Government
Debate between Alison McGovern and Lee Pitcher(1 week, 2 days ago)
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Lee Pitcher (Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme) (Lab)
This is deeply personal to me because I was one of those children, 34 years ago, sat on a double mattress in a room doing my GCSE revision and my coursework, and then having to sleep next to my mum and sister in a room while all that was going on. That is why today is so remarkably important, and why I am so proud to stand here and hear that we are going to do something about this. I can tell this House that when that happens to you, you feel alone, you feel isolated, you feel that no one cares, and your dignity and self-respect sits in somebody else’s hands. There are thousands of children out there today living in cramped B&Bs. I am so glad that the Labour Government will end that unlawful practice and protect those families from being placed in those unsafe, unsuitable conditions. Something that is massively important for me is my patience, but on this issue it runs out all the time. What is the timeline to stop that happening to those children in B&Bs?
Alison McGovern
I thank my hon. Friend for that contribution. Children who are stuck in inappropriate B&Bs should know that they have a champion in this House, they should know that there is someone who has been there too, and they should know that they are not alone. On the timeline for getting kids out of B&Bs, we will end the use of B&B accommodation by the end of the Parliament in all but the most extreme cases—an absolute emergency. It is already the law—it has been for 20 years—that children are not supposed to be in B&Bs for more than six weeks. What on Earth is going on in this country when there are 2,000 children in such a situation? Let us work together, let us do something about it and let us bring those numbers down very quickly.
[Official Report, 11 December 2025; Vol. 777, c. 528.]
Written correction submitted by the Minister for Local Government and Homelessness, the hon. Member for Birkenhead (Alison McGovern):
National Plan to End Homelessness
Debate between Alison McGovern and Lee Pitcher(1 week, 6 days ago)
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Alison McGovern
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his work over so many years on this issue. He mentions a number of legislative vehicles, some of which have already made a change and some of which could. I will work with him to do what we need.
On the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act, he will have noticed in the Budget that the Chief Secretary to the Treasury is leading some work on value for money in that sector. I will write to him with details on that. On the duty to collaborate, I am sorry to say that we are all aware, as constituency MPs, of terrible cases where homelessness could clearly have been prevented at a number of turns and was not. Two things are necessary: we need to introduce a duty to collaborate and work across the House to do that, but we also need transparency about results. We know how many people present themselves to councils with a risk of homelessness. This strategy sets out an objective to increase the number of cases when homelessness is prevented. Let us have transparency, let us have clarity about where it is happening and not, and let us make sure that councils have the tools in the box to do the job.
Lee Pitcher (Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme) (Lab)
This is deeply personal to me because I was one of those children, 34 years ago, sat on a double mattress in a room doing my GCSE revision and my coursework, and then having to sleep next to my mum and sister in a room while all that was going on. That is why today is so remarkably important, and why I am so proud to stand here and hear that we are going to do something about this. I can tell this House that when that happens to you, you feel alone, you feel isolated, you feel that no one cares, and your dignity and self-respect sits in somebody else’s hands. There are thousands of children out there today living in cramped B&Bs. I am so glad that the Labour Government will end that unlawful practice and protect those families from being placed in those unsafe, unsuitable conditions. Something that is massively important for me is my patience, but on this issue it runs out all the time. What is the timeline to stop that happening to those children in B&Bs?
Alison McGovern
I thank my hon. Friend for that contribution. Children who are stuck in inappropriate B&Bs should know that they have a champion in this House, they should know that there is someone who has been there too, and they should know that they are not alone. On the timeline for getting kids out of B&Bs, we will end the use of B&B accommodation by the end of the Parliament in all but the most extreme cases—an absolute emergency. It is already the law—it has been for 20 years—that children are not supposed to be in B&Bs for more than six weeks. What on Earth is going on in this country when there are 2,000 children in such a situation? Let us work together, let us do something about it and let us bring those numbers down very quickly.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Alison McGovern and Lee Pitcher(10 months, 3 weeks ago)
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Lee Pitcher (Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme) (Lab)
The Minister for Employment (Alison McGovern)
Increasing employment and helping people into good work is essential to growing our economy, which is why our “Get Britain Working” plan sets out our vision to reform jobcentres and build a new jobs and careers service that will meet the different needs of local labour markets, people and businesses.
Alison McGovern
I thank my hon. Friend for meeting with Department for Work and Pensions colleagues in west Ealing and, through her, thank them for all the work they are doing. I know she will have been impressed by them, as I always am.
Disabled people have a right to work like everyone else, and it is our job to see that right realised. Doing so will benefit everyone, as we all win when people’s talents and potential are maximised. It is good for business and strengthens our economy. We are doing great things to bring forward our plan for a new jobs and careers service, which will put disabled people at its heart.
Lee Pitcher
I recently visited two jobcentres in my area, Thorne and Scunthorpe, and saw the great work being done by the staff there. Our jobcentres should be places where everyone can go for help to get them back into work. However, many blind and visually impaired people need technology such as screen readers to use computers, while others might need specialist screen magnification software. Research by Sense has found that no jobcentres have this specialist assistive technology, meaning that some disabled jobseekers cannot use the computers on site to look for work. How will the Government ensure that jobcentres are equipped with essential pieces of assistive technology in the future, enabling more disabled people to look for work?
Alison McGovern
I apologise to my hon. Friend; I could not quite hear which jobcentres he has visited. However, I thank him for doing so and for connecting with DWP colleagues in that way; it is really valuable. I ask him to take all our thanks back to them.
As part of the new jobs and careers service, we will radically enhance our use of technology so that people can access support through the channels that best meet their needs. Assistive technology can aid the accessibility and inclusiveness of the new service that we are building, so we are listening to those who already use it.
On 22 January, the Minister for disabled people, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Ham (Sir Stephen Timms), and I met colleagues from across Parliament on the all-party parliamentary group on eye health and visual impairment, where we had a great opportunity to listen to experts in this field.