Oral Answers to Questions
Henry Smith Excerpts(13 years, 11 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Maria Miller
I thank my hon. Friend for his question. I can reassure him about the Government’s commitment to access to work. I can go one stage further and say that more people will receive support from access to work this year than received it in the final year of the previous Government, and that that support will continue. We will be considering how we can make access to work provide really good value for disabled people and for the taxpayer.
Henry Smith (Crawley) (Con)
23. What assistance his Department has provided to vulnerable people during the recent period of severe weather.
The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Steve Webb)
This winter we have paid a record £427 million in cold weather payments, with 17 million separate payments.
Henry Smith
I am grateful to the Minister for his answer. Can he confirm that, contrary to various scare stories that we have heard in recent weeks, cold weather payments will continue into the future?
Steve Webb
As my hon. Friend suggests, there are two systems of support during the winter months: the winter fuel payment, which the Chancellor has confirmed will continue on exactly the basis budgeted for by the previous Government; and the cold weather payments, which will not continue on the basis budgeted for by the previous Government because they were going to cut them by two thirds and we are going to keep them at £25 a week.
Oral Answers to Questions
Henry Smith Excerpts(14 years ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Steve Webb
As the hon. Lady may be aware, when elements are included in primary legislation, statutory equality impact assessments are published at the time that the legislation is published—and will be available to the House.
Henry Smith (Crawley) (Con)
8. What recent progress his Department has made on delivering its Work programme.
Richard Harrington (Watford) (Con)
13. What recent progress his Department has made on delivering its Work programme.
The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Chris Grayling)
The commercial delivery of the Work programme is on track. Before the end of the month, we will be releasing a list of those organisations that have successfully bid to be part of the framework for employment-related support services. Shortly after that, in early December, we will publish the full invitation to tender for the Work programme. We are still on course to launch the programme next summer.
Henry Smith
Regrettably, my constituency has one of the worst records for its over-50 unemployed people ever getting back into work. I would be interested to hear some specific advice about what the Government are planning for that age group.