Welfare Reform

Debate between Liz Kendall and Tom Rutland

Monday 30th June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Liz Kendall]

I believe that we are doing the fair thing and the right thing. We are beginning to make reforms to put our welfare bill on a sustainable footing for generations to come. We are beginning to put in place the employment support that sick and disabled people have been denied for too long. We are making sure that those with severe and lifelong conditions are never again reassessed, and that there is a new right to try. I believe that this is a fair and balanced package. Above all, I believe that it is the right one.

[Tom Rutland (East Worthing and Shoreham) (Lab)]

I welcome my right hon. Friend’s statement and the Government’s work to ensure that help is there for those who need it now and in future. Many in this House will be worried that progress on closing the disability employment gap stalled under the Conservative party, at 28 percentage points. Will the Secretary of State confirm that that is one of the metrics that the Government are focusing on in the strategy, and that the gap must and will close under this Government?

[Liz Kendall]

We are absolutely determined to achieve that. I do not believe that it is acceptable that in this country the disability employment gap is 28 percentage points. That is one of the widest in all Europe: in France, Germany and Switzerland, I think it is at about 22 to 23 percentage points. We have to tackle that, because if we believe that the rights of disabled people who can work are equal to those of anybody else, we have to start making a difference.

I know that this is an issue of deep concern for many Members across the House, but I believe that the package we are putting forward today is a fair one and is the right one. I will continue to listen to Members of this House, but we cannot wait to reform the welfare system. People need us to make changes, and our country demands it.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Liz Kendall and Tom Rutland

Monday 23rd June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Tom Rutland (East Worthing and Shoreham) (Lab)]

16. What steps she is taking to support severely disabled people who will never be able to work in East Worthing and Shoreham constituency.

[The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Liz Kendall)]

Protecting those who can never work is at the heart of our welfare reforms. That is why, in the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill, we are ensuring that those with severe, lifelong conditions, which will never improve and which mean they will never work, and those at the end of their lives are guaranteed the higher rate of the universal credit health top-up, protecting one in 10 of all future universal credit health top-up claims. We are also going further by ensuring that those who meet the severe conditions criteria are never again reassessed, in order to stop unnecessary anxiety and stress, helping 200,000 people over this Parliament.

[Tom Rutland]

I thank the Secretary of State for that answer. I have been working with disabled constituents, our local jobcentre and employers to ensure that everyone is working together to maximise opportunities for disabled people, and that they are not just recruited but retained and thriving in jobs locally. However, some people will never be able to work or return to work, including many people with advanced progressive multiple sclerosis, and it is right that they are properly supported. Will my right hon. Friend confirm what support will be in place for people like my constituents living with this disease?

Women’s State Pension Age Communication: PHSO Report

Debate between Liz Kendall and Tom Rutland

Tuesday 17th December 2024 Commons Chamber

[Liz Kendall]

No.

[Tom Rutland (East Worthing and Shoreham) (Lab)]

Many former Ministers and current shadow Ministers have made clear that they do not support a compensation scheme, so is this not just another example of this Labour Government having to take the difficult but necessary decisions that those Members ran away from?

[Liz Kendall]

It is true this was a long-running issue, spanning multiple Parliaments, that was delivered to the last Government, and we have dealt with it. We have dealt with it seriously, but also as quickly as we can. We take our responsibilities seriously. It is a difficult decision, but I believe it is the right and fair one.