Business of the House Debate

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Department: Leader of the House

Business of the House

Nick Smith Excerpts
Thursday 20th March 2014

(10 years, 9 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lord Lansley Portrait Mr Lansley
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My hon. Friend has indeed fought that campaign successfully, along with other Members, for which I applaud him. As there is a Budget measure providing for the relief of VAT on fuel for air ambulances, I hope that he and other Members might find an opportunity to raise the matter during the Budget debate.

Nick Smith Portrait Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)
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May we have a statement on the delivery of the Department for Work and Pensions? Following big problems with the Work programme and universal credit, it now appears that the personal independence payment has dreadful teething problems.

Lord Lansley Portrait Mr Lansley
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We will have an opportunity in the Budget debate to look at some aspects of the Department’s delivery. As its title indicates, the Department is there to get people into work and to reform and improve pensions, and I think that it can be immensely proud of what it has achieved. We have 1.6 million more people in private sector employment—[Interruption.]