Business of the House

John Hayes Excerpts
Thursday 29th March 2018

(6 years, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
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Andrea Leadsom Portrait Andrea Leadsom
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The hon. Gentleman raises a serious constituency case, and I am very sorry to hear about it. If he wants to write to me, I can take it up with the Department for Work and Pensions on his behalf. As for the general point about changing what are effectively donations or benefits into mortgage interest loans, he will appreciate that the important point from a policy perspective is the balance between value for taxpayers and support for those who are in need of help with their mortgage interest payments.

John Hayes Portrait Mr John Hayes (South Holland and The Deepings) (Con)
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The prospect of losing a child is a nightmare for parents, and the horror of its reality is exacerbated when they cannot afford to pay for a funeral. Will the Leader of the House arrange for a ministerial statement in response to the campaign by the hon. Member for Swansea East (Carolyn Harris)? The financial support has been frozen for 15 years, and the heartbroken cannot be made to suffer any longer.

Andrea Leadsom Portrait Andrea Leadsom
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I absolutely agree with my right hon. Friend, and I pay tribute to the hon. Member for Swansea East (Carolyn Harris), who has campaigned on this subject for a very long time. I think that there is support for the proposal throughout the House, and I will certainly look into it.