Oral Answers to Questions

Yasmin Qureshi Excerpts

Wednesday 4th September 2024 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

Yes, of course. I remind the right hon. Gentleman that 800,000 pensioners are not claiming pension credit, which of course then deals with the winter fuel payment. That is why we are taking so much care to ensure we get those pensioners on to pension credit. Again, aligning housing benefit with pension credit—something that the last Government left undone for years—will make a massive difference, and of course there is the triple lock, which over five years will mean that pensions are expected to rise by up to £1,000.

[Yasmin Qureshi (Bolton South and Walkden) (Lab)]

Q3. Four years ago, the previous Government ordered a review into the hormone pregnancy test drug Primodos, and found that it had caused “avoidable harm”. Primodos was given to women in the 1960s and ‘70s, and resulted in many babies being born with severe disabilities. For the past 12 years, I have stood in this Parliament and pleaded repeatedly with the last Government to do the right thing. Will the Prime Minister commit to a fresh approach on this issue, and will he meet with me and the campaigner Marie Lyon to discuss how we can give closure to the families who have been denied justice for the past 50 years?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank my hon. Friend for that question, and for her work on the all-party parliamentary group on hormone pregnancy tests. I am sympathetic to the families who believe their children suffered from those tests, and committed to reviewing any new evidence that comes to light. At the moment, the Department of Health and Social Care is reviewing a publication from Professor Danielsson, and we will follow the results of that review. I am happy to ensure that the Health Minister meets my hon. Friend to discuss this matter further.

Oral Answers to Questions

Yasmin Qureshi Excerpts

Wednesday 19th March 2014 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

My hon. Friend makes an important point, which is that we want to have a balanced recovery: we want to see growth and employment right across the country. It is worth noting that since 2010, 80% of the rise in private sector employment has taken place outside London. The unemployment rate in the north-west, where my hon. Friend has his seat, is lower than it is in London. We are beginning to see a balanced recovery, but we have got to do everything we can—backing apprenticeships, backing industry—to make sure that continues.

[Yasmin Qureshi (Bolton South East) (Lab)]

Primodos was a drug given to women to determine pregnancy in the 1960s and 1970s. Its potency is 18 times that of morning after pills. As a result, thousands and thousands of babies were born with deformities. Up to now, there has never been a public inquiry or compensation for the victims. Will the Prime Minister meet me, my constituent Nicola Williams and a representative of the victims’ association to discuss this?