Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Guy Opperman and Stephen Metcalfe

Thursday 21st March 2024 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Metcalfe (South Basildon and East Thurrock) (Con)]

T8. As my hon. Friend will know, I have serious reservations about the proposed lower Thames crossing and its ability to tackle congestion at the existing Dartford crossing. Many of the arguments were rehearsed as part of the development consent order process, which completed on 20 December. As I understand it, the Planning Inspectorate has three months from then to come up with a recommendation, which by my calculation was yesterday. Can my hon. Friend update the House on whether he has received a recommendation from the Planning Inspectorate and what the process will be, so that I can ensure that the Department understands why many of my constituents and I do not believe that the proposed crossing is the answer to the problem?

[Guy Opperman]

My hon. Friend is right in his estimation of the dates. A decision will be made in a matter of months, and certainly by the summer. I am very happy to sit down and have a discussion. I will be visiting the site very shortly.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Guy Opperman and Stephen Metcalfe

Monday 6th June 2022 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Metcalfe (South Basildon and East Thurrock) (Con)]

T3. I congratulate the Minister on his campaign to increase the uptake of pension credit, which is a vital way of ensuring that our most vulnerable pensioner households get everything they are entitled to. Although more than 2,000 people in my constituency are already claiming pension credit, following recent announcements on cost of living support, where does my hon. Friend suggest that people look to check whether they are getting everything they are entitled to?

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Guy Opperman)]

Obviously, there is the Government site—gov.uk—and the phone number 0800 99 1234. More particularly, I today met Citizens Advice, Age UK and various other pensioner charities that would be very keen to assist on an ongoing basis. I must very strongly recommend my hon. Friend to get behind the pension credit awareness day, which takes place on Wednesday 15 June. Obviously his local authority, Essex County Council, has a role to play, as do all local authorities, because it has the data that can identify specific individuals who could apply for but do not have pension credit.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Guy Opperman and Stephen Metcalfe

Monday 21st March 2022 Commons Chamber

[Guy Opperman]

I wish the hon. Gentleman a swift recovery from the trip or fall that caused his injury.

It is definitely the case that pensioner poverty is declining. [Interruption.] The hon. Gentleman’s statistic is manifestly wrong on that: pensioner poverty is down in relation to 2009-10. Of course, there are conversations with the Chancellor, but it is absolutely the case that state pension has increased year on year on year, and we have never paid a higher state pension than we presently do.

[Stephen Metcalfe (South Basildon and East Thurrock) (Con)]

5. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support people to upskill and change career paths.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Guy Opperman and Stephen Metcalfe

Monday 8th November 2021 Commons Chamber

[Guy Opperman]

The hon. Member will be aware that the pension has gone up by more than £2,000 in cash terms since 2010. There will be a double lock this coming year, subject to the will of Parliament, and there is also the enhanced take-up of pension credit, which I urge her to ensure her constituents apply for.

[Stephen Metcalfe (South Basildon and East Thurrock) (Con)]

T7. Many sectors, as we have heard, are struggling to get the staff they need, such as social care, hospitality, janitorial services, haulage and logistics. Can my right hon. Friend tell the House what further steps she is taking to enable jobseekers to find jobs, and businesses to find the staff they depend on to remain prosperous in my constituency?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Guy Opperman and Stephen Metcalfe

Monday 7th January 2019 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Metcalfe (South Basildon and East Thurrock) (Con)]

T8. How are the Government supporting my young constituents to get into gainful employment?

[Guy Opperman]

It was a pleasure to visit my hon. Friend’s constituency last summer and see the fantastic work and the jobs revolution that is taking place in Basildon. It was also a pleasure to meet dBD Communications, one of his top companies, which has done a fantastic job in creating new employment and getting new training work done, and has an expanded order book that is enhancing job opportunities in Basildon.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Guy Opperman and Stephen Metcalfe

Monday 5th February 2018 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Metcalfe (South Basildon and East Thurrock) (Con)]

10. What recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of employment of older workers.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Guy Opperman)]

Since 2010, 1,272 new jobs have been created in South Basildon and East Thurrock—an increase due in no small part to my hon. Friend’s efforts. He will be aware that older worker employment levels are at a record high. In his region, 850,000 50 to 64-year-olds are in employment—an increase of over 120,000 people since 2010—and 120,000 people aged 65 and over are in employment. Again, that is another increase of 45,000 since 2010.

[Stephen Metcalfe]

Does my hon. Friend agree that encouraging businesses to be flexible in how they employ older workers is one way to bridge the skills gap and keep older workers in the employment market for longer, sharing their experience and knowledge?

[Guy Opperman]

My hon. Friend is correct. The fuller working lives strategy, launched by the Department last year, is there specifically to support over-50s into employment and provide them with the skills and retraining that they need, and which businesses specifically value. There are a number of exemplar businesses. He will also be aware that individual people have created over 26,000 new businesses since 2011—that is for the over-50s.