Universal Basic Income Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Work and Pensions
Esther McVey
Main Page: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)Department Debates - View all Esther McVey's debates with the Department for Work and Pensions
Universal Basic Income
Esther McVey Excerpts(2 years, 5 months ago)
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Several hon. Members rose—
Esther McVey (in the Chair)
Order. I am mindful that there will be a vote at about 5.5 pm, and we want to get to the Front-Bench speakers no later than 5.10 pm.
Esther McVey (in the Chair)
The sitting is resumed and the debate may continue until 5.55 pm.
Alison McGovern
I will set out the rest of my argument about what I think we should do to help to improve people’s incomes. And I will do so very quickly, Ms McVey.
People have mentioned the various pieces of research, which are important, because they tell us about how people respond to different systems. However, I think that this broken jobs market that we now face, whereby businesses are crying out for staff and there are vacancies left, right and centre, but too many people are stuck in work that is far too low-paid, shows exactly what is going wrong.
The problem with what the hon. Member for Grantham and Stamford (Gareth Davies) said about work having been proven to be the best route out of poverty is that, for the past decade, the Tory Government have set out on a mission to prove that that is not the case. We need a social security system that does what it was designed to do—help people through different life stages when they need it, and help lift people out of disadvantage and into the dignity of work. There will always be people who are unable to work, but the vast majority of people want to be in work.
It is not obvious to me that there is a proposal on the table that does either of those things. Labour’s approach will be different. We need to change jobcentres—
Esther McVey (in the Chair)
Order. I need to hurry you along, because we still need to hear from the Minister and have the wind-up at the end.
Alison McGovern
My apologies, Ms McVey.
We need to change jobcentres to help people move on and move up in work, and progress our country to real full employment that involves disabled people and everybody in our country. That would be a plan towards progress.
Esther McVey (in the Chair)
Minister, will you be mindful of the need to leave a minute at the end for the Member in charge to wind up the debate?