"It is a pleasure to serve under your chairwomanship, Mrs Harris. I congratulate the hon. Member for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe (David Chadwick) on securing this important debate and thank him for sharing his personal experience, which is so valuable and helpful when we discuss this type of issue. …..." Diana Johnson - View Speech
"I fully appreciate that the case is not unique, and that far too many people are not getting the service we want them to have through Access to Work. I will say a little about what we are already doing and what we plan to do next.
"I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising that case. The Minister for Social Security and Disability, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Ham (Sir Stephen Timms), has responsibility for Access to Work. He sadly cannot be with us this afternoon, but I have heard that particular …..." Diana Johnson - View Speech
"The Department for Work and Pensions will always be looking at and evaluating the schemes we have, and what the cost is if a scheme is not available to people, so that work will be underway.
"The Department for Work and Pensions has today published its annual statistics on incomes and living standards covering 2024-25—the last three months of the previous Government as well as the first nine months of this Government.
These include households below average income statistics, which contain estimates of household incomes and …..." Diana Johnson - View Speech
"This Government recognise that greater certainty helps local authorities to design and deliver sustainable plans for local welfare.
As announced by the Chancellor as part of the spending review, from 1 April 2026 the crisis and resilience fund will come into effect in England, providing £842 million per year—£1 billion …..." Diana Johnson - View Speech
"With the Minister for Skills now working jointly across the DFE and DWP, we have very clear collaboration. We have already launched eight youth guarantee trailblazers, which are testing innovative approaches to localised support for young people who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET, including targeted SEND support. …..." Diana Johnson - View Speech
"My hon. Friend is exactly right. This is why we need to ensure that jobcentres have really good engagement with local employers, including manufacturers. She will be pleased to know that there will be an employer roundtable at the Manufacturing Centre in West Bromwich on 17 March, with Sandwell college …..." Diana Johnson - View Speech
"Under the last Government an additional 900,000 children became part of the child poverty statistics, but as a result of our Child Poverty Strategy, published in December, 550,000 will be lifted out of poverty by the end of the current Parliament—the largest number ever in a single Parliament. The removal …..." Diana Johnson - View Speech
"Reducing child poverty is a moral imperative for us all, and for this Government in particular. We know that growing up in poverty damages children’s health, education and future employment prospects. We have just been discussing the number of NEETs, and many of those children could become NEETs, so child …..." Diana Johnson - View Speech