Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between David Gauke and Liz McInnes

Tuesday 23rd April 2019 Commons Chamber

[Mr Gauke]

The Chair of the Justice Committee makes a good point. There is cross-party support on the matter, and I hope that we can make progress in the not-too-distant future.

[Liz McInnes (Heywood and Middleton) (Lab)]

In 2010, the then Secretary of State for Justice said that he wanted to examine what could be done to use technology more effectively so that fewer people have physically to attend court for routine purposes. Nine years on, however, this Government have admitted to not collecting information on how many times video links break down; nor have they published the business case for their modernisation programme. Will Ministers commit to undertaking that research before proceeding with any more closures or cuts to our courts?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between David Gauke and Liz McInnes

Tuesday 23rd January 2018 Commons Chamber

[Liz McInnes (Heywood and Middleton) (Lab)]

Following campaigns by victims’ families, the Government announced in October last year that they would bring in tougher sentences for those causing death or serious injury by dangerous driving, but still nothing has happened. Why the delay?

[Mr Gauke]

We will be reporting to the House in due course.

Parole Board and Victim Support

Debate between David Gauke and Liz McInnes

Tuesday 9th January 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Gauke]

I thank my hon. Friend for his remarks. As for the timescale, I said earlier that I expect the review to conclude by Easter.

[Liz McInnes (Heywood and Middleton) (Lab)]

In the interests of transparency, will the review reveal which sex offender treatment programme Worboys underwent that satisfied the Parole Board? As my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds East (Richard Burgon) pointed out, the main programme used in England and Wales was found to increase the reoffending rate and was scrapped last year.

[Mr Gauke]

I hear what the hon. Lady says. When I set out the case for reviewing transparency, I referred to the reasons that the Parole Board gives for a particular decision being put in the public domain. I think that we need to consider precisely what information can be put into the public domain, and that is the purpose of the review.

Universal Credit

Debate between David Gauke and Liz McInnes

Thursday 23rd November 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Gauke]

Three studies have compared this system with the legacy benefits and all three showed that a higher proportion of people have gone into work and progressed there than did so under the legacy benefits. There is greater flexibility in the system, so that people are not stuck on doing 16 hours, as is undoubtedly the case at the moment. The analysis we have done, which has been peer reviewed, suggests that there will be about 250,000 more jobs in the economy than would have been the case had we not made that reform. That works out at about 400 people per constituency, and I am proud of that.

[Liz McInnes (Heywood and Middleton) (Lab)]

Weekly paid workers in receipt of UC are set to lose their UC next month simply because there are five paydays in December. What urgent action is his Department going to take to address this ridiculous anomaly?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between David Gauke and Liz McInnes

Monday 13th November 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Gauke]

In total, it is estimated that universal credit will help around 250,000 more people into employment. On average, that works out at around 400 extra people in work in each parliamentary constituency, but universal credit will, of course, have larger impacts in areas with a higher proportion of benefit claimants or a higher prevalence of single-parent and out-of-work families.

[Liz McInnes (Heywood and Middleton) (Lab)]

The Trussell Trust says that food bank use has increased in areas where universal credit has been rolled out. Universal credit has not been rolled out yet in my constituency, but this weekend the Heywood food bank ran out of food. What safeguards will the Secretary of State put in place to ensure that universal credit claimants do not have to rely on the charity of their neighbours, a system that sometimes fails?

[Mr Gauke]

We are improving the advances system, and we are improving awareness of it. Importantly, support is available, and that is a message that we can all take to our constituents. Nobody needs to wait six weeks because advances are available within jobcentres, and they are being taken up. The majority of new claimants are taking up those advances.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between David Gauke and Liz McInnes

Thursday 14th January 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Gauke]

The hon. Lady makes the point that domestic violence is under-reported, and we accept that that is a problem, although reporting has increased. Indeed, the number of convictions has increased. She also made the point that there had been cuts in police services. The Chancellor made it clear in his autumn statement, however, that because the economy was performing better than had been the case before, we could afford not to cut police funding over the course of this Parliament. Again, I make the point that Labour can oppose every single cut and every single change that we make to try to bring the public finances under control, but if we do not take those decisions, I am afraid that we will run into a crisis. That was what the 2015 general election was fought on, and the result was very clear.

[Liz McInnes (Heywood and Middleton) (Lab)]

7. What steps she is taking to tackle misogynist bullying on social media.