The comments made on Twitter by Sir Jake Berry, the Conservative MP for Rossendale and Darwen, on 7 March 2023.
This is an absolute disgrace.
Hancock should be dragged to the bar of the House of Commons first thing tomorrow morning to be questioned on this.
The parliamentary question asked by Cat Smith, the Labour MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood, in the House of Commons on 6 March 2023.
Cat Smith (Lancaster and Fleetwood) (Lab)
6. What assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the fall in the level of single-parent employment between 2019 and 2022. (903873)
Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Slough) (Lab)
15. What assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the fall in the level of single-parent employment between 2019 and 2022. (903882)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Mims Davies)
We are committed to helping parents to increase their income through work. We have cut the earnings taper on universal credit and increased work allowances, meaning that families are, on average, better off by £1,000 a year. Additionally, eligible parents can claim up to 85% of their childcare costs through UC, and further assistance is available through the flexible support fund, Jobcentre Plus and work coaches.
Cat Smith
On Friday, I visited my local citizens advice bureau at its new offices on George Street in Lancaster, where I heard at first hand of the challenges that single parents are having with the amount of the childcare element of universal credit being capped at the level set in 2005 and with its being paid in arrears. What steps has the Minister taken to ensure that benefits go up in line with the cost of childcare and to look at paying this element up front?
Mims Davies
I thank the hon. Lady for that question. The UC childcare element can be used to top up a claimant’s eligible free childcare hours if more hours are worked and more childcare is required. We also use the flexible support fund to support those up-front costs, as we heard earlier. However, I would like to take this opportunity to talk about employers; this is not solely about what the Government can do on our own to help lone parents. Job design, the opportunity to progress and flexible work are really important too, as is the opportunity to return and progress. We cannot do this on our own.
Mr Dhesi
It is alarming that last year the employment rate for single parents had the biggest annual fall on record, and it is all the more worrying because the single parent employment rate has been on an upward long-term trend since the mid-1990s. Surely the Minister would agree that the eligible cost limit on childcare in universal credit needs to be uprated to reflect the ground reality of today’s soaring childcare costs.
Mims Davies
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. Under this Government since 2010, we have seen a significant increase in lone parents in work, with the rate going up from 56.1% in 2010 to 65.5% in 2022. However, the reality—and I think he describes it—is that there are too many challenges for lone parents, and it is absolutely right that we look at this. As we have heard from the Secretary of State, we are hoping to hear more: the Chancellor is ever present in our minds. As a lone parent, I again make the plea to employers to help people come back to work, because we know it is more than just a pay packet; it is really important to see the whole of society represented in the labour market.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
Ms Karen Buck (Westminster North) (Lab)
Figures published today by the Centre for Progressive Policy show that the lack of affordable childcare prevented a quarter of parents of children under 10 from working more hours, with all the implications that has for family finances, but also for economic productivity. In fact, parental underemployment is estimated to cost this country over £20 billion. With expectations having been raised again this afternoon that next week’s Budget will do something about the cost of childcare, can the Minister tell us how long it will be before she expects the level of lone parent employment to rise again to where it was three years ago?
Mims Davies
I thank the hon. Lady for her question. I think we have some amazing childcare out there and some brilliant opportunities for lone parents, as I have described. It is important to let people know that, on universal credit, they can claim back 85%. It is better than legacy benefits, and they should please look at the benefits calculator on gov.uk and use the flexible support fund. We should also recognise that it is not right for everybody to go straight back to work—this needs to be individualised—and that we should support the lone parent and make sure they can get the skills and the opportunity to always be better off in work.
The parliamentary question asked by Mick Whitley, the Labour MP for Birkenhead, in the House of Commons on 6 March 2023.
Mick Whitley (Birkenhead) (Lab)
4. What estimate he has made of levels of economic inactivity in towns and cities. (903871)
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Mel Stride)
The Office for National Statistics regularly publishes statistics relating to estimates of local inactivity. I have been leading work across Government with a further piece on participation, and the Chancellor and I will shortly be setting out more details of our plans.
Mick Whitley
Some 2.5 million people are economically inactive as a result of long-term illness, and half a million have left the labour market due to ill health since 2019. Does the Secretary of State accept that tackling health inequalities and improving health outcomes in deprived communities such as Birkenhead is essential to achieving equitable economic growth? Can he inform the House what conversations he has had with colleagues across the Cabinet about the need for a holistic economic strategy that recognises that health and wealth are inextricably linked?
Mel Stride
It is important that we take into account the issues of poverty and regional variations to which the hon. Gentleman refers. They lie right at the heart of all the decisions we have taken. We have come forward in recent times with significant cost of living support measures. My hon. Friend the Member for Mid Sussex (Mims Davies) will be taking through the remaining stages of the Social Security (Additional Payments) (No. 2) Bill this very afternoon to address the people to whom the hon. Gentleman refers.
Ben Bradley (Mansfield) (Con)
I do not know whether my right hon. Friend saw my article in The Times a few weeks ago, but it discussed opportunities for towns, such as Mansfield, that have specific local requirements when it comes to tackling economic inactivity, the opportunities of building bespoke local schemes with local employers and training providers, and the opportunities from those relationships on a local level as part of a wider strategy within the region. What is his stance on devolving decision-making powers in this space down to local areas?
Mel Stride
My hon. Friend raises a significant and important point. There are areas, particularly around the Work and Health programme, where we have done exactly that. We are engaged in discussions, contingent upon or subsequent to the White Paper that the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities published on levelling up, and in particular with areas such as the west midlands and Greater Manchester, to make sure that we leverage the knowledge, know-how, expertise and all the resources they have at the local level to continue to bring people back into work.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
Alison McGovern (Wirral South) (Lab)
It is always a joy at Question Time to hear Labour MPs supporting Labour policy, but even more so to hear Conservative MPs supporting Labour’s policy of localising our efforts to get people back to work. On that, may I ask the Secretary of State something? I have been listening to what he has said, and I know that he will not pre-empt the details of the inactivity review, but can he just confirm that one of its objectives will be to rebalance our economy, particularly in this connection between health and labour supply?
Mel Stride
That is at the heart of our manifesto, Madam Deputy Speaker—[Interruption.] Sorry, Mr Speaker! Where did I get that from? It is a sign of the times. Right at the heart of our manifesto, and of the Government’s raison d’être, is the need to make sure that we level up communities across the United Kingdom. Of course, our action will take many forms, but one of them is most certainly the support that we will provide to make sure that, up and down the country, there is equality among those seeking work, and those who are economically inactive, and that they have the same opportunities.
The parliamentary question asked by Patrick Grady, the SNP MP for Glasgow North, in the House of Commons on 6 March 2023.
Patrick Grady (Glasgow North) (SNP)
2. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of increasing the state pension age on trends in the level of pensioner poverty. (903869)
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Mel Stride)
My review of the state pension age is under way. The review will consider a wide range of evidence, including two independent reports, to assess whether the rules on pensionable age remain appropriate.
Patrick Grady
I hope that the evidence that the Secretary of State examines includes analysis by Age UK that 1.5 million pre-state pension age households have no savings at all. Age UK warns that accelerating the rise of the state pension age
“will condemn millions to a miserable and impoverished run up to retirement”.
Instead of risking that increase in pensioner poverty, should he not establish an independent pensions and savings commission to ensure that pension policies are fit for purpose and reflect the demographic needs of different parts of the United Kingdom?
Mel Stride
The two reports to which I have just referred are independent—from the Government Actuary’s Department, on matters such as life expectancy; and from Baroness Neville-Rolfe, on the metrics that should be taken into account in determining when the next increase in the state pension age should occur. We certainly take into account issues such as pensioner poverty, on which we have an excellent record. In fact, relative pensioner poverty before housing has halved since 1999, and there are 400,000 fewer pensioners in absolute poverty—that is before or after housing—compared with 2009-10.
Sir Desmond Swayne (New Forest West) (Con)
Is it realistic to continue to expect people to spend a third of their lives on a pension?
Mel Stride
I have great respect for my right hon. Friend, but I am afraid that although he tempts me to answer that question, I cannot prejudge the decisions that I will take in the review.
The parliamentary question asked by Simon Baynes, the Conservative MP for Clwyd South, in the House of Commons on 6 March 2023.
Simon Baynes (Clwyd South) (Con)
1. What steps his Department is taking to increase the number of eligible people claiming pension credit. (903868)
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Mel Stride)
My Department has carried out a comprehensive campaign of communication since April 2022 to promote pension credit. I am pleased to inform the House that the average number of pension credit applications is up 73% compared with this time last year.
Simon Baynes
I strongly backed my right hon. Friend’s campaign in December last year, particularly in my Clwyd South constituency. Will he give us a further assessment of how effective that campaign has been in Wales and across the rest of the UK?
Mel Stride
I congratulate my hon. Friend on the work that he has been doing in his constituency on this matter. I can inform him that for the week commencing 12 December, for example, there were 7,200 claims, which is a 177% increase compared with this time last year.
Andrew Gwynne (Denton and Reddish) (Lab)
This is not party political; we all want to make sure that pensioners in need get the help and support that they can get. The Secretary of State will understand, though, that in communities such as mine there are still too many pensioners eligible for pension credit who are not yet accessing it. Given the success of his campaign so far, what further will he do to ensure that the really hard-to-reach pensioners get the support that they deserve and need?
Mel Stride
I very much welcome the hon. Gentleman’s question and the non-partisan way in which he presented it. He is absolutely right; there must be no let-up in this matter. Two thirds of those we believe are eligible for pension credit receive it, but that means that one third do not. We cannot identify them precisely in advance, which is why communication is so important. We will write to 11,000 pensioners soon to tell them about the uprating and to stress the point about pension credit. From today, we are launching television advertisements to further that message.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
Matt Rodda (Reading East) (Lab)
The Government seem to be trying to pat themselves on the back after years of failure on pension credit. As we just heard, hundreds of thousands of pensioners are still missing out on a vital top-up benefit that is needed to get them through the cost of living crisis. Why has the Government’s response been so ineffective, and what on earth will the Government do about their dismal failure to help pensioners during their hour of need?
Mel Stride
I am very surprised to hear the hon. Gentleman pose that question, first, because of his party’s record on this matter when they were in government; and secondly, because of the clear progress that I have outlined to the House today and on previous occasions about the increase in take-up that the Government are securing.
![PRESS RELEASE : Consultation launched on new registration rules for all bird keepers in Great Britain [March 2023]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/environmentlogo.png)
The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 7 March 2023.
Defra to consult on registration rules for bird keepers in Great Britain.
Proposals to require all poultry keepers to officially register their birds were launched by the government today (7 March) as part of efforts to tackle avian influenza.
The new rules would apply to all keepers, no matter how many birds they have. At present only those who keep 50 birds or more are required by law to do so. They would also be required to update their information on an annual basis.
By registering their birds with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), keepers will ensure they receive important updates such as any local avian influenza outbreaks and information on biosecurity rules to help protect their flocks from the threat of avian influenza.
This will enable the government to communicate with bird keepers quickly, to manage potential disease outbreaks, such as avian influenza, and limit the spread.
The new rules would cover owners of backyard flocks, birds of prey and pigeon fanciers, but would not affect pet birds kept entirely inside a domestic dwelling, such as a parrot or budgie kept in a cage indoors which never leaves the property other than to visit a vet or another short-term period.
“These proposals will enable us to have a full picture of the number and location of birds kept across Great Britain and make it easier to track and manage the spread of avian disease.
“This information will also help inform future risk assessments and maintain our commitment to continually building our extensive avian influenza research portfolio.”
“We welcome this consultation as a means of ensuring the GB poultry register is fit to support Government and industry efforts in mitigating the ongoing impacts of avian influenza. Registering your poultry is an effective way of monitoring and controlling the spread of disease to protect the national flock. We, as ever, urge all poultry keepers to remain vigilant for signs of avian influenza in their birds.”
The consultation proposals take forward the recommendation from the 2018 Dame Glenys Stacey Review and lessons identified from the 2021/2022 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 outbreak and previous HPAI outbreaks.
Bird keepers will need to provide information including their contact details, the location where birds are kept and details of the birds (species, number and what they are kept for).
A 12-week joint GB-wide consultation will run until 31 May.
7 MARCH 1923
The Labour Party gained another Parliamentary seat, winning the by-election in Liverpool Edge Hill from the Unionist Party. The seat had been won by William Rutherford for the Unionists in 1922, with a majority of 4,666 over Labour’s Jack Hayes. In the by-election, Jack Hayes secured a majority of 1,050 over the Unionist candidate John Waller Hills. Following his defeat, Hills resigned from his role as the Financial Secretary to the Treasury which he had held since November 1922.
Wilhelm Cuno, the Chancellor of Germany, spoke in the Reichstag condemning the treatment of German officials in the Ruhr Valley by the French occupiers. He warned that the population of the Rhine and the Ruhr were now more determined than ever on resistance.
The death was announced of Sir Owen Thomas who had been the MP for Anglesey since 1918.
![PRESS RELEASE : Rohingya Joint Response Plan – UK statement [March 2023]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/fco.png)
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 7 March 2023.
The UK’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Simon Manley, delivered this statement during the 2023 Rohingya Joint Response Plan.
Let me begin by expressing my heartfelt appreciation to the Honourable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, State Minister Shahriar Alam, and the Government of Bangladesh. You have generously hosted one million Rohingya refugees for over 5 years. I would also like to express our gratitude to our humanitarian partners that are providing vital assistance, including, High Commissioner and Director-General, you, your staff and the volunteers on the ground.
As we enter the sixth year of the crisis, a long-term solution for the Rohingya people remains frustratingly out of reach. The UK remains deeply concerned by the worsening situation in Myanmar, which means that the conditions for the Rohingya to return are not in place. The High Commissioner for Human Rights set out that situation just yesterday across town in the Human Rights Council, just as the DG did here this morning: military attacks on the civilian population up nearly 400%. Over 600 villages torched by the junta’s troops. A staggering 17.6 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. Since the February 2021 coup d’etat, we have provided over £100 million in humanitarian support in Myanmar, including for the Rohingya and other Muslim minorities.
In December, as the State Minister mentioned, the UK led efforts to secure the first ever UN Security Council Resolution – UNSCR 2669 – on the situation in Myanmar. That Resolution stresses the need to address the root causes of the crisis in Rakhine State and create the conditions necessary for the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of Rohingya refugees.
We also continue to do all we can do to support the Rohingya whilst they remain in Bangladesh – providing £345m since 2017. The UK Minister for the Indo-Pacific, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, will visit Bangladesh just this week to see in person the effect of our support for the humanitarian response. And we welcome this year’s JRP, in particular the inclusion of the skills development framework, and roll-out of the Myanmar curriculum. These are vital to help prepare the Rohingya for their eventual return to Myanmar.
We well understand the challenges the Government of Bangladesh faces in managing this protracted crisis, including security, environmental and economic impacts. The tragic fire just this weekend in Cox’s Bazar, leaving thousands of Rohingya without shelter, just adds to that challenge.
And we are deeply troubled by the trajectory for 2023, and the fragility of the situation set out so graphically today by the High Commissioner and the UN Resident Coordinator. As the High Commissioner said, we face unparalleled global humanitarian need – a situation exacerbated of course by Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine – and the global response is under unprecedented strain. This has been highlighted by the first food ration cut for Rohingya refugees since 2017. There is a real risk that refugees, including the extremely vulnerable, will not receive the full range of basic assistance they so desperately need, as the UN Resident Coordinator set out this morning.
The UK sees an urgent need to work pragmatically with your Government, State Minister, taking account of your concerns about the impact of the Rohingya refugee presence, to find a sustainable way forward that:
International Financial Institutions must play an important role in helping to meet the needs of all refugees and support the host community in Cox’s Bazar. We hope the dialogue with them continues, and stand ready to contribute to creative solutions.
Let me end by reiterating the UK’s commitment to the Rohingya while they are in Bangladesh, and the communities that do generously host them, and to working with you all to resolve the underlying causes of this tragic crisis.
Thank you.
![PRESS RELEASE : Rishi Sunak call with President Kagame of Rwanda [March 2023]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/downingstreet.png)
The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 7 March 2023.
The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame today.
They discussed the UK-Rwanda migration partnership and our joint efforts to break the business model of criminal people smugglers and address humanitarian issues.
The leaders committed to continue working together to ensure this important partnership is delivered successfully.
The Prime Minister and President Kagame also discussed the concerning escalation in violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo and international efforts to support a lasting peaceful resolution.
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 7 March 2023.
During the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council, Rita French, the UK’s Human Rights Ambassador, delivered a statement on the situation in Myanmar.
Thank you, Mr President.
And thank you, High Commissioner, for your sobering update.
We share your concern at the situation in Myanmar. We condemn the junta’s increasingly brutal tactics, including through indiscriminate air strikes, conflict-related sexual violence and arson attacks. The targeting of civilian infrastructure, including schools, and hospitals and places of worship must cease. Civilians must be protected.
Over 2,600 people have been killed since the coup. Over 19,000 people have been arbitrarily detained. Female pro-democracy activists are increasingly targeted online.
The UK will continue to apply pressure through international fora, targeted sanctions, a comprehensive arms embargo and other means to oppose the junta’s violent and oppressive actions. I am proud that the UK led efforts to secure the first ever UN Security Council Resolution on Myanmar which urges all parties to respect human rights, and to end violence.
Accountability is the only way to end the military’s culture of impunity. Perpetrators must be brought to justice. To this end, the UK has established the Myanmar Witness programme which reports on some of the most egregious human rights violations.
High Commissioner,
How can the international community support access to justice for victims and survivors of sexual violence?
Thank you.