Speeches by Hack.

“Thank you so much for coming to speak to us today, Liz. I think what is quite interesting about the previous question is that sense that Universal Credit rolled six benefits into one, and this sits outside of that, yet it can be claimed at the same time. That doesn’t really make any sense, does it? That is quite an odd…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Huq. I thank the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire (Blake Stephenson) for giving us the opportunity to talk about how living in a rural area can impact our access to healthcare. As time is short, I will focus on two things. When I became an MP, one of the first things I…”

“No, that is a really useful point. One of the things that has to be recognised is somebody caring for another person might not be forever as well.”

“There are already tried and tested ideas within DWP; so the 17 weeks, if you are on Universal Credit, the engagement with Universal Credit is via your workbook. There are already things in place within the system. Were there any that you felt that it would make sense to align with?”

“Thank you for coming to speak to us. The question that I have is on young adult carers, but I think we just need to recognise there are lots of under-16s who are caring too. One of the things that is quite interesting is how young adult carers get picked up through that journey and identified as maybe requiring additio…”

“I think there is the relationship between young carers and not being in education, training or employment and the 21-hour rule. It all conspires for the young person not to continue in education. I think also what Kirsty identifies is that quite often the caring for a young person is generational. They may be looking a…”

“Thank you. Does anybody else want to contribute?”

“The hope that the skills have come into the responsibility of DWP may be a win opportunity for us to look at as a further point. Kirsty, you mentioned the carer support payment in Scotland. It seems to be less prohibitive in education-related criteria than carer’s allowance. Do we have any kind of understanding of what…”

“Thank you, that is very useful. Kirsty, you want to come in.”

“I am a neighbouring constituency MP, and one of the things that has always been a huge frustration is that Leicestershire is in the top ten of held-on-to 106 money. There definitely needs to be a conversation about how we get that 106 money spent—and spent quickly.”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Desmond. I thank the hon. Member for Harpenden and Berkhamsted (Victoria Collins) for giving me the opportunity to talk about one of my favourite topics—public transport, or the lack thereof. As other rural MPs in the room will know, improving local transport links is…”

“My constituency, including the main town of Coalville, has a strong industrial past. Coalville is not entirely rural, so it does not qualify for a banking hub. Lloyds is abandoning my community and will close a branch in Coalville in June, despite how busy and well used that branch, on a main high street, is. Does she …”

“We need to improve the infrastructure surrounding new developments and existing developments while ensuring that highways in local government, which felt the full impact of austerity, have the resources to deliver. What conversations has the Minister had about expanding capacity in local government to ensure that highw…”

“Thank you. Ruth, No One Left Behind builds on an earlier programme called Fair Start Scotland. Did the transition from one to the other result in any gaps in provision? Do you have any reflections on that?”

“Thank you, David and Ruth for joining us. David, concerns have been raised about the possible gap in provision following the end of the Work and Health Programme. As this programme was targeted at people closer to the labour market, is this the case and is there a danger that Connect to Work will be redirected to meet …”

“Are we seeing any early findings? Obviously, when we say disabled people, we are talking about a broad range of individuals. I am always really interested that we understand that nuance, that complexity, and how disabled people are managing their lives overall. Are we seeing any early findings—anything that we are alre…”

“Thank you, Minister, for bringing your team to the panel today. Connect to Work is a Government employment support programme for disabled people. It aims to support 300,000 people into work by the end of 2029-30, and you estimate that about 50% will move into work. With the evaluation running through to 2031, how will …”

“Thank you Ruth. That was also a nice point.”

“I do not know whether Ruth had anything to add.”

“Lovely thank you. That should be good news.”