"My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Palmer, who, like me, has become a regular on the pensions circuit here. As this debate draws to a close, I thank all noble Lords who have contributed with such seriousness and expertise this afternoon. For my part, …..." Viscount Younger of Leckie - View Speech
"My Lords, I am afraid that I am not yet in the Christmas spirit because, as the Minister herself said, there are huge challenges in the deteriorating jobs market. It is of great concern that jobs in the all-important retail sector have fallen by 74,000, and the chief executive of …..." Viscount Younger of Leckie - View Speech
"My Lords, can I bring the House back to the original intention behind the two-child limit? It was to make the benefits system fairer to taxpayers who support themselves and their families solely through work. It encouraged parents on benefit to make the same financial choices about family size as …..." Viscount Younger of Leckie - View Speech
"My Lords, I am pleased to speak in this debate on the regulations extending collective defined contribution schemes to unconnected multiple employer arrangements. I say at the outset that I accept the apology given by the Minister for the changes needed in Schedule 2. I hope that when she responds …..." Viscount Younger of Leckie - View Speech
"I thank the noble Baroness for spelling out the code of practice; we look forward to seeing that. I remain quite surprised that the Pensions Commission will finally report as late as spring 2027. I cannot believe it is going to take that long, despite the fact that pensions are …..." Viscount Younger of Leckie - View Speech
"My Lords, it is a pretty sobering statistic that 150,000 children provide more than 50 hours of care a week. What is being done in schools to understand who these pupils are and to give them the optimum support as they undertake their studies?..." Viscount Younger of Leckie - View Speech
"My Lords, I too pay tribute to the work of my noble friend Lady Monckton. In November 2017, my noble friend Lady May of Maidenhead set the UK Government a target to get 1 million more disabled people into work by 2027. In 2022, the Conservative Government hit that target …..." Viscount Younger of Leckie - View Speech
"My Lords, I thank the Minister for her remarks. I will make a short reflection on our discussions on Report and in Committee. I speak for my noble friend Lady Finn in so doing. Despite the technical title, this is an important Bill, as the noble Baroness said. It addresses …..." Viscount Younger of Leckie - View Speech
"My Lords, further to the questions raised by the right reverend Prelate, more than half of jobcentres are reportedly reducing support for people claiming universal credit due to a shortage of work coaches, not so much to do with shortened appointment times—although I take the right reverend Prelate’s point. Recent …..." Viscount Younger of Leckie - View Speech
"My Lords, as it is my first appearance at the opposition Dispatch Box on Report, I echo remarks made by my noble friend Lady Finn on the first day of Report, because I also appreciate the constructive approach that the Government have taken following Committee.