Speeches by Darling.

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Dowd. I congratulate the hon. Member for Amber Valley (Linsey Farnsworth) on securing this debate on such an auspicious day: it gives the Minister a chance to truly unpack what the Chancellor has been able to share with us—and consequently amaze us. We are here agha…”

“The other bit I wanted to talk about, which you have touched on, was about neurodiversity, but equally I am concerned that that is beginning to overshadow learning disability. Quite often the educational system is gearing up for the neurodiverse and expecting the moderately learning disabled to be taught in mainstream.…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. I congratulate the right hon. Member for Salisbury (John Glen) on obtaining the debate, which has been quite enlightening; his liberal views on the way forward for pensions are very welcome. The Liberal Democrats are keen to see investment in our British e…”

“On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. A significant statement in respect of carer’s allowance was briefed out by Ministers overnight. This affects thousands of people up and down the United Kingdom, yet no oral statement has been given by a Minister. Do you agree that the Minister should come here and face questio…”

“The Prime Minister talks of having extensive discussions about limiting the export of oil and gas from Russia—the engine driving the Russian war machine. Danish waters could offer the key to killing the shadow fleet. An international convention regulating shipping going through those straits would stop the shadow fleet…”

“The right hon. Gentleman makes a powerful point. One can go back to the significant crash of 2008. I suggest, and I am sure many people would agree, that that has left a scarring on the system and a fear of risk. For many of us who know about the system, risk is a good thing, because it can result in growth. If we do n…”

“What confidence can we have that it will be engaging with younger people’s groups? Are you giving it a direction about that? I have heard from some disabled groups that they are concerned that the voice of the young person is not necessarily being heard.”

“You have talked about the importance of co-producing with disabled groups, and I assume that hearing the voice of disabled people is very important to you. The Alan Milburn report did not really engage with young people’s groups.”

“Can you rule out future cuts?”

“The Social Security Advisory Committee advised against using the term “co-produced” because of concerns that it may not truly be co-produced. Why did you continue to use it? Pat McFadden: We want to work with disability organisations. It is right that they have a voice in policy. Of course, it is also true that at the …”

“Welcome. I would like to turn to the Timms review. Under your watch the terms of reference have been changed, to talk about sustainability of PIP within the track lines of the OBR’s projections. There is a risk that those who have engaged with this process may fear that they are aiding the axeman in respect of PIP. Wha…”

“Fair enough. Last winter there was very much a focus on those who received pension credit getting the winter fuel payment, and a drive to get more people on pension credit, which is really important and was successful. I note that about 200 local authorities engaged positively with the Government on that. I have two an…”

“I believe it has gone on for some time.”

“We had the pleasure of meeting yesterday and we talked about stopping having a siloed approach to tackling some of the issues that DWP is there to tackle. Is there a greater opportunity to work with HMRC or others to try to draw more pensioners into receiving pension credit?”

“Thank you. The Social Security Advisory Committee has highlighted a bit of an injustice: older people who are in residential care homes do not benefit from winter fuel payments to support their current living situation. What plans do you have to remedy this injustice?”

“On 30 September, I had the privilege of participating in the Baton of Hope relay across Torbay, which is an initiative that propagates conversations around suicide. The impact that it had across our communities in Torbay was amazing. Does my hon. Friend agree that the more conversations we have about suicide, the more …”

“I hear that argument, but I suggest that there have been significant increases in fuel costs for residential care homes as well. They have faced their own challenges, and that support through the winter fuel allowance would be helpful. Is that something that you would explore, or is it not really on the table?”

“In the last two winters, we have seen two approaches on winter fuel payments. What learnings has the Department taken on winter fuel payments that can be applied to policy?”

“That is really helpful; thank you. Do other panel members have any brief reflections?”

“As somebody who has been registered blind since the age of 18, I have benefited from the Access to Work scheme. However, I am just in a bubble of my own. Michelle, I would welcome some reflections about those who might have fluctuating conditions. Also, you said you are with an employer with a number of people with dis…”