Oral Answers to Questions

Barry Sheerman Excerpts

Monday 7th December 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Duncan Smith]

My hon. Friend is right that growing up in a working family is crucial for the life chances of children. When this Government took office, there were more than 2.5 million children growing up in workless households. That has fallen by nearly half a million since 2010. By targeting worklessness, the five new life chance measures that we have introduced will make an enormous difference to children’s lives. I understand that there are now almost no workless households in the south-east.

[Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op)]

I ask the Secretary of State to be a little careful—none of us should get complacent about worklessness. Has he seen the research in the United States on the Uberisation of work, when people cease to have good employers with pensions, rights and contracts, and are increasingly pushed into self-employment, where they have no rights?

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Speaker]

On the whole, because the hon. Member for Wellingborough (Mr Bone) is dextrous, he was just about within order, but I counsel colleagues that they should take great care, as a general principle, not to shoehorn their personal preoccupations into questions to which they do not obviously relate.

[Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op)]

That’s the only thing he does!

[Mr Speaker]

No, no; he is a very versatile fellow in all manner of means.