Speeches by Abrahams.

“I have a final little question, Chair, if that is okay. On that basis, Prime Minister—I absolutely agree with you that we need to do that work—will you commit to not implementing legislation before we have the details of those impact assessments? I think that is so important; otherwise, we will potentially have policy …”

“On top of the issue around lack of deliverability on employment outcomes, again in international-level evidence, and from our own experience here over the last 10 years, we have also seen that fiscal savings were not made. Given that the OBR has refused to score the supply-side effects of the Green Paper, that the Jose…”

“My questions will be on the “Pathways to Work” Green Paper. I think most people accept the need to reform our social security system, and the need to transform our labour market to enable disabled people to flourish within it, but based on the evidence of similar disability benefit cuts—for example, the 2017 cut to the…”

“Can I stop you there? I do apologise. I did mention NEETs, and there is new evidence that shows that it is child poverty and family adversity that are the key drivers of this. Covid does play a part, particularly for countries, like ours and like the US, that had a particularly bad experience of covid, but this is peer…”

“I recognise the difficulties that my right hon. Friend is facing, with the fiscal challenges and so on that she inherited. I also support the reforms that my right hon. Friend the Work and Pensions Secretary has set out. However, all the evidence points to the fact that the cuts to health and disability benefits will l…”

“I welcome the energy efficiency measures that my right hon. Friend mentions, which will really make a difference to many families in the future, but what can the Government and energy providers do to help families struggling to pay their energy bills today?”

“21. What steps he is taking to introduce the warm homes plan.”

“I thank my right hon. Friend for her statement. I absolutely agree: our social security system is not fit for purpose. The measures, particularly those to increase employment support by £1 billion a year and to increase the standard allowance of universal credit, which the Opposition failed to do in government, will be…”

“Can my right hon. Friend confirm that there will be an analysis alongside the Green Paper on the impacts it will have on poverty, employment and health?”

“My hon. Friend is making a fantastic speech. Does he agree that the detention of human rights activists, such as Khurram Parvez, is particularly egregious? That individual has been detained without trial for several years and has always fought for the rights of others. Perhaps my hon. Friend can persuade the Minister t…”

“There are various conflicts across the world at the moment and conflicts always require mediators to end them. Given our history with the continent, can the Minister explain why the Government think that the UK does not have a role as a mediator?”

“In January it was reported that nearly 7,000 construction firms were on the brink of insolvency—that is on top of the 4,000 that folded last year. A major cause of this is payment delays by large contractors. Given that project bank accounts, which protect against payment delays, are used by only some Departments, will…”

“13. What steps he is taking to support small businesses in public procurement.”

“More than one in three SEND children in Oldham is diagnosed with autism or a neurodivergent condition, which is above the national average. We know that there are implications for educational attainment and work. Has there been an assessment of the increase in children with autism or neurodivergent conditions? If so, w…”

“T3. The International Court of Justice delivered its advisory opinion last July, in which it made crystal clear that the illegal settlements at that time were just that—unlawful. Yet we have seen threats to displace Gazans and tanks on the west bank. When will the Government deliver their response to the advisory opini…”

“It is clear that the rules-based order established after the second world war is under extreme threat from oppressors and bullies who think that they can just take what they want—and I am not just talking about Putin. A raft of sanctions were introduced in 2022; why does my right hon. Friend think that previous sanctio…”

“On that point, and following on from the speech by the hon. Member for Honiton and Sidmouth (Richard Foord), is not the key issue whether the UK will abide by international law, the rules-based order and the systems that were set up after the second world war?”

“Will the decision about the advisory opinion be made before or after the Swiss conference in March?”

“In 2013, the then coalition Government reduced the health inequalities weighting in the NHS formula, with the result that less money went to deprived areas. That was despite evidence that between 2001 and 2011, every £10 million invested in such areas resulted in four fewer men and two fewer women dying early. Can my h…”

“8. What steps he is taking to reduce inequalities in healthcare.”