Oral Answers to Questions

Wes Streeting Excerpts

Tuesday 27th October 2015 Commons Chamber

[Kirsten Oswald (East Renfrewshire) (SNP)]

2. What estimate he has made of the administrative cost of proposed reforms to tax credits announced in the summer Budget 2015.

[Wes Streeting (Ilford North) (Lab)]

3. Whether he plans to make changes to the Government's proposals to reform tax credits.

[Naz Shah (Bradford West) (Lab)]

4. If he will bring forward transitional provisions for the proposed changes to the tax credits system.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Osborne]

This House of Commons voted three times for the changes that were rejected by the House of Lords. I am sure that we look forward to the support of the Scottish National party on that constitutional question. I would make this point to the hon. Lady’s constituents: we need to have a welfare system that works. We need to move to a lower welfare, higher wage economy. We do that by introducing the national living wage and having a welfare bill that the country can afford. That is the best thing we can do for the security of the people she represents.

[Wes Streeting]

If the Chancellor had listened to the evidence from the outset, he would not be in this mess. If his Back Benchers had voted with their consciences, there would be an alignment of opinion between this House and the other place. Instead of manufacturing a phoney constitutional crisis, why will he not put his toys back in the pram and appreciate that he needs to go back to the drawing board with his failed policy that hits working people the hardest?

[Mr Osborne]

We will deliver the welfare savings that we were elected to deliver in this Parliament. We will help people in the transition to that lower welfare, higher wage economy. I remember a time when the Labour party used to support moving from welfare to work; it has entirely abandoned that approach. We will be the party that stands up for working people, and working people need controlled welfare and a country that lives within its means.