Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Keir Starmer and Meg Hillier

Wednesday 8th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

We had to deliver a Budget to wipe the slate clean, to deliver a stable basis for our economy and, at the same time, to repair our public services. That is why we invested £25.6 billion over two years in the NHS, including additional funding for GPs and hospices. We are taking measures to ensure that funding is there to support our vital services.

[Dame Meg Hillier (Hackney South and Shoreditch) (Lab/Co-op)]

Q11. Every week, I visit constituents living in the most appalling, overcrowded social housing, some with triple bunk beds in the bedroom and the parents on a sofa bed in the living room. The nearest available property to buy would be £500,000, and that is out of reach for these hard-working families. I really welcome our Government’s commitment to 1.5 million new homes. Will the Prime Minister agree that we need clear targets for the number of social housing units, so that families in Hackney can live in dignity?

[The Prime Minister]

My hon. Friend describes an appalling housing situation, and one that will be familiar to a number of MPs on both sides of the House. That is why we will deliver the 1.5 million homes that we desperately need across the country. The Budget announced £500 million for the affordable homes programme—that is hugely important—£100 million of which will go the Greater London Authority. We will also reform the right to buy, to deliver a fairer, better value and more sustainable scheme where long-standing tenants can buy their own home.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Keir Starmer and Meg Hillier

Wednesday 30th October 2024 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

Yes, and I meant it when I said that we were all proud to see the right hon. Gentleman standing there as Prime Minister representing our diverse country. We were all proud: I think everyone in the House was. I thank him for that, and for his last question as Leader of the Opposition—although, given the speed with which his party goes through leaders, he may be back here before too long. In the meantime, I am sure that he will be a great champion for the people of Richmond.

Finally, I am sure that the right hon. Gentleman will not mind my disclosing to the House the contents of a letter that he wrote to me this week. My answer to it is clear: yes, I will arrange for him to meet the relevant Minister about the A66, which runs through his constituency.

[Dame Meg Hillier (Hackney South and Shoreditch) (Lab/Co-op)]

Q2. In Hackney, nearly 4,000 children who could fill eight primary schools are in temporary accommodation, in many cases outside London. That is bad for their future opportunities, and it is ripping our communities apart. I welcome the Government’s pledge to build new homes, but will the Prime Minister ensure that those who cannot have a roof over their heads are a top priority in that long queue for new housing?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank my hon. Friend for raising this issue. It is a source of national shame that there are just under 1.3 million households on a social housing waiting list, including, I think, 8,000 in Hackney. The best way to tackle overcrowding and meet housing need is to build the homes this country needs, and that is why we will deliver 1.5 million homes over this Parliament. The Chancellor will set out further details in just a moment.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Keir Starmer and Meg Hillier

Wednesday 9th October 2024 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising that important issue. The Windsor framework was negotiated by the last Government. We supported it, and we continue to support it. We will work to make sure it is implemented properly and fully.

[Dame Meg Hillier (Hackney South and Shoreditch) (Lab/Co-op)]

Q7. One in two children in my constituency lives in poverty after housing costs are taken into account, so I welcome the Government’s commitment to tackling child poverty, but we all know that every year of poverty has a long-term impact. When does the Prime Minister expect the welcome child poverty taskforce to report so that we can see action?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank my hon. Friend for her important question. It is appalling that child poverty has gone up by 700,000 since 2010, after the last Labour Government did so much to bring it down. Tackling this is at the heart of our mission to break down the barriers to opportunity. The taskforce is developing a strategy to reduce child poverty, and it will be published in the spring of next year.