Same-sex Marriage in Churches

Debate between Huw Irranca-Davies and Maria Miller

Monday 10th December 2012 Commons Chamber

[Maria Miller]

My hon. Friend is right about the importance of providing reassurance and working with religious institutions. I will be speaking personally with heads of religious groups, and my ministerial colleagues in the Equalities Office will be doing likewise. This is the start of a process of ensuring that they can be confident that the protections will be robust and effective.

[Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore) (Lab)]

As someone with a long-term personal investment in the institution of marriage, I can thoroughly recommend it to everyone who wants it. Nevertheless, will the Minister also introduce proposals for those who do not want the institution, such as heterosexual couples who want a civil partnership rather than a marriage? I have constituents who have raised this with me.

[Maria Miller]

I am sure that the question of civil partnership will be addressed as part of the consultation response, but I suggest to the hon. Gentleman that civil partnership was never put forward as a replacement for marriage, and I am not sure it is something we want to open up to more people.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Huw Irranca-Davies and Maria Miller

Thursday 22nd November 2012 Commons Chamber

[Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore) (Lab)]

4. What steps she is taking to ensure that the London 2012 Paralympic games leave a lasting legacy for disabled people across the UK.

[The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Maria Miller)]

The Paralympics were hugely successful. Now, we must ensure that we convert this success into an Olympic and Paralympic legacy that lasts beyond one great summer. The Government are working with Lord Coe so that the legacy programme delivers real and tangible benefits, including for disabled people.

[Huw Irranca-Davies]

The Paralympic games sent a tremendously positive message across wider society. Does the Minister regret, therefore, that the aim of achieving disability equality has been dropped by the Department for Work and Pensions? Is that not a completely contradictory message to send?

[Maria Miller]

I know from personal experience that at the heart of everything the Department does is giving people an opportunity to play a full role in society and looking at people for what they can do, not what they cannot do. That is exactly what we should be doing to support disabled people into work.

BBC

Debate between Huw Irranca-Davies and Maria Miller

Monday 12th November 2012 Commons Chamber

[Maria Miller]

My hon. Friend’s strength of feeling is clear. While, as I said, the Trust could have acted more quickly with the initial inquiries, I now feel that it is acting decisively to address this very serious crisis. Lord Patten has a key role in ensuring that the crisis is well handled, and I support him in doing that.

[Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore) (Lab)]

Genuine supporters of the BBC will be appalled whenever it slips from the very highest standard of integrity and quality because we expect it domestically and worldwide to achieve that gold standard. Will the Secretary of State ensure that the detractors who seek to make mileage out of this predicament will not be given free rein, because we need the BBC to be there investigating, with the strongest possible standards, the child abuse that is at the centre of this issue?

[Maria Miller]

The hon. Gentleman will know that the way to restore the trust in the BBC that both he and I want to see is by allowing it to proceed with the investigations currently under way and by having a period of stability within the organisation.

Employment Support

Debate between Huw Irranca-Davies and Maria Miller

Wednesday 7th March 2012 Commons Chamber

[Maria Miller]

I assure my hon. Friend that I would very much like to work with him on that and look at the proposal he mentions. We have spoken at length about this and I am sure that, working with officials, we can make sure that the details are available to anyone who has a firm proposal to put forward.

[Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore) (Lab)]

I welcome the Minister to the Chamber this evening, but hon. Members will note that a Labour Minister in the Welsh Assembly saw fit to answer questions on this, with an oral statement, seven hours ago. In it he said:

“I regret that repeated requests by Welsh ministers for a constructive dialogue on Remploy factories in Wales have not been taken up by the UK Government.”

Will the Minister accede to the immediate request of the Welsh Assembly Government for discussions about the Remploy assets so that they can work with unions, social enterprises and others to make sure that we have viable ongoing businesses in all those premises?

[Maria Miller]

Officials have already met officials in the Wales Office and I am meeting with Ministers next week.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Huw Irranca-Davies and Maria Miller

Monday 19th July 2010 Commons Chamber

[Maria Miller]

My hon. Friend raises an important point. As we pull together the procedures for the revisions to disability living allowance, we will consider just those sorts of things. We want to ensure that it is proportionate and that regular reviews are considered, so that the allowance can be given to those with the most need without putting too much pressure on those who will never move away from DLA.

[Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore) (Lab)]

The Minister will know that the Welsh Assembly Government have some of the most progressive policies on poverty alleviation. Will she—or any of the Front-Bench team—tell us what discussions they have had with Welsh Assembly Ministers and whether, should those Welsh Assembly Ministers express any reservations about the net impact of their policies on poverty in constituencies such as mine, they will take those reservations seriously?