Speeches by Kendall.

“One of the points of our reform of jobcentres is to better match the people who need work with the jobs that they need to get, and ideally to get on in their jobs too. I would say that it is not just about what we do within the DWP. Obviously, we have our employment rights legislation to improve the quality of work, an…”

“We did some fantastic work on additional work coach time. We looked for evidence of what happens when we free up our work coaches to focus on those with health conditions and disabilities. We found that, just by calling and asking whether they wanted to come in for a meeting, we got 3% more people into work. Now, 3% so…”

“Well, it is definitely a stretching target but—to state the obvious—I am not in politics to be coasting along, you know? We want that stretching target. We have said that it is a big ambition over a decade. I think our employment rate is just over 75%, but there are other countries, such as Switzerland and the Netherla…”

“This is a really important point, and I should have said this to Mr Kruger earlier as well. The part of the agenda about preventing people from falling out of work due to a health condition in the first place is as important as getting people back to work. I think around 300,000 people every year fall out of work due t…”

“Yes, it is—in fact, it is more now, with the additional £300 million that we announced during the passage of the Bill. It will now ramp up to £3.8 billion in total. We had already put investment into the system, but this is additional funding. We are going to bring some of that forward and ramp up support over the next…”

“We have begun to tackle those disincentives with the change in UC health combined with this really substantial employment support. I should say here that it is absolutely essential that we get the employment support right, based on the evidence of what actually helps people move towards and to get work. Together that i…”

“I have always believed in getting the welfare bill on a more sustainable footing. As I said in my earlier comments, that for me remains essential because I want to see a welfare state that is really there for people who need it in future. As more of us live longer with long-term conditions and there are more disabled p…”

“We are not driven—”

“In fact, from the very day after we published the Green Paper—in the next couple of days—Stephen Timms and I had roundtables with disabled people and the organisations that represent them. We will just have to agree to disagree on this. I do not believe that we have failed to consult disabled people on the “Pathways to…”

“We did not ignore—”

“We are not ignoring disabled people. They will be at the heart of the Timms review.”

“Well, I have answered that question. You might not like the answer, but the answer is that we were consulting with Parliament, and Parliament took a different view. Now, going forward—”

“I will make a tiny bit of progress, and then I will give way. As I set out to the House yesterday, we have listened carefully to concerns that there would not be enough employment support in place quickly enough by the time the benefit changes come in. We are bringing forward an additional £300 million of employment su…”

“Let me make some progress. I do not believe that this is sustainable if we want a welfare state for generations to come that protects people who most need our help. There is nothing compassionate about leaving millions of people who could work without the help they need to build a better life. There is no route to equa…”

“The hon. Gentleman raises a very important point. Members have asked whether people with fluctuating conditions will meet the severe conditions criteria, which are for those with lifelong conditions that will never improve and mean they can never work. It is the case that, as someone’s condition progresses, if they cha…”

“I beg to move, That the Bill be now read a Second time. This Bill and our wider welfare reforms seek to fix the broken benefits system that we inherited from the Conservatives and deliver a better life for millions of people across our country. Our plans are rooted in principles and values that I know many in this Hous…”

“I gently remind the right hon. Lady that her own party had different rules and different rates for people on existing benefits compared with those on new benefits. That is something the Conservatives did—once again Conservative Members seem to be railing at the very problems that they caused. I understand why many Memb…”

“My hon. Friend is absolutely right that those figures do not take into account the employment impact from the investment we are putting in. We have produced extremely clear evidence that good employment support works, including Work Choice—a Labour programme ended by the Tories—which meant that 40% more disabled people…”

“Let me say a bit more, because many hon. Friends raised these issues, including yesterday. We believe that protecting existing claimants, while ensuring that new PIP awards are focused on those with higher needs, strikes the right and fair balance going forward. I want to address some of the questions raised yesterday …”

“I will come on to this point in a moment, but the purpose of the PIP review is to have a wider look at the assessment. It has not been looked at for over a decade since it came in. I understand the sequencing point, and I will come to that in a moment. It is extremely important to have a very clear message that existin…”