Oral Answers to Questions

Stephen Timms Excerpts

Monday 13th December 2021 Commons Chamber

[Rachel Hopkins (Luton South) (Lab)]

4. What steps her Department is taking to support benefit claimants in meeting increased living costs.

[Stephen Timms (East Ham) (Lab)]

6. What steps her Department is taking to support benefit claimants in meeting increased living costs.

[Kate Hollern (Blackburn) (Lab)]

7. What steps her Department is taking to support benefit claimants in meeting increased living costs.

--- Later in debate ---

[David Rutley]

I think the hon. Member will welcome the fact that the vast majority of the nearly 6,000 claimants in work will gain from the reduction in the taper rate and the increase in work allowances in the Budget, which is terrific. For those who are vulnerable, £1.8 million has been made available to local authorities to help them through the household support fund.

[Stephen Timms]

A single father who is unable to work on health grounds told the Select Committee in September that removing the £20 a week uplift would force him to skip meals so that his children did not have to. Christians Against Poverty, which supports him, says that he now cannot afford the absolute basics: food, heating and bus fares to take his children to school. He certainly cannot afford to buy his children Christmas presents. With prices rising so fast, is not the social security safety net just too low?

[David Rutley]

As I just set out to the hon. Member for Luton South (Rachel Hopkins), we have introduced the household support fund. In Newham, £3.3 million is available to help people exactly like the right hon. Gentleman’s constituent with the challenges they are facing this winter.