"My Lords, I thank all noble Lords who have spoken, and I thank the Minister for her response. I agree completely with the noble Lord, Lord Palmer, that disabled people need to be treated with dignity and respect. On these Benches, we completely sign up to that. My noble friends …..." Baroness Stedman-Scott - View Speech
"May I start by saying how delighted I am to see the Minister in her place?
My Lords, these regulations make a significant change to the way in which personal independence payment awards are reviewed. They allow the Secretary of State to extend an existing fixed-term PIP award whenever Ministers …..." Baroness Stedman-Scott - View Speech
"That this House regrets that the Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance (Decisions and Appeals) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 will result in claimants receiving payments without the appropriate reviews having taken place and fail to reduce the overall benefits bill.
"My Lords, I have been reflecting on why the lifelong learning commitment matters: the world of work has changed and continues to do so. People will need new skills throughout their working lives. We need to help people get into and, just as importantly, stay in work as jobs and …..." Baroness Stedman-Scott - View Speech
"My Lords, given the Government’s ambition to build 1.5 million homes and our reliance on a strong construction sector for economic growth, what specific steps are being taken to ensure that a larger proportion of pupils take design and technology GCSE and similar qualifications with strong, relevant, practical content to …..." Baroness Stedman-Scott - View Speech
"My Lords, I, too, pay tribute to Lord Younger, our colleague on these Benches who has left the House, not of his own volition. He is a great loss to the House, as are all the hereditary Peers who have left us. I also thank my noble friend Lord Evans …..." Baroness Stedman-Scott - View Speech
"My Lords, the test of the family hubs is not how many open but whether children are connected to the right opportunities. The Department for Education’s own guidance includes a minimum expectation that families whose young people are not in education, employment or training be connected to targeted support to …..." Baroness Stedman-Scott - View Speech
"My Lords, I first declare an interest, in that I was a member of the Public Services Committee. I loved being on that committee—and you will not hear that about many committees, I can tell you—and found it to be a really stimulating experience, so I applaud the chairmanship of …..." Baroness Stedman-Scott - View Speech
"My Lords, between July 2024 and July 2025, 1.1 million assessments were carried out remotely. Three-quarters of those were conducted by telephone and just 3% were conducted by video link. Notwithstanding the answers the Minister has given us already, how can a DWP assessor properly judge whether someone has significant …..." Baroness Stedman-Scott - View Speech