Housing Benefits (18 to 21-year-olds) Debate

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Department: Department for Work and Pensions

Housing Benefits (18 to 21-year-olds)

Ivan Lewis Excerpts
Tuesday 7th March 2017

(7 years, 9 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Caroline Nokes Portrait Caroline Nokes
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My hon. Friend makes a really important point in apprenticeship week. Absolutely: apprentices will be exempt from this policy.

Ivan Lewis Portrait Mr Ivan Lewis (Bury South) (Lab)
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Last Thursday, as part of the work I am doing on behalf of my right hon. Friend the Member for Leigh (Andy Burnham) on homelessness in Greater Manchester, I went around the streets of the city centre of Manchester and was shocked to see the risk that young people face from the dealing of psychoactive substances and the threat that they face from violence. Does the hon. Lady not understand that this will force significantly more young people in our country into rough sleeping and make them increasingly vulnerable? Is this not the personification of the return of the nasty party?

Caroline Nokes Portrait Caroline Nokes
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The hon. Gentleman makes the assumption that this will increase homelessness. In fact, we expect there to be behavioural change and that young people will, where they can, stay living with their parents. Where they cannot stay living with their parents, they will be exempt from this policy.