Speeches by Darling.

“Any further reflections from the panel?”

“The panel have rightly identified that we will not hear back from the OBR until the autumn about what the impact is, potentially, or about their perception of the Green Paper. In the light of that, and the fact that primary legislation will probably go through Parliament before the summer recess, what amendments would …”

“Thank you all for coming; it really is appreciated. Clearly, the Green Paper highlights restrictions around PIP, the scrapping of work capability assessments and reductions in universal credit health payments, as well as a few other changes to the system. How do you see this affecting claimants and particularly their a…”

“I wonder whether the Minister has heard of the outstanding charity Home for Good, which uses faith-based groups to support families through either fostering or adoption. Does the Minister believe that there are opportunities to give them extra support, so that we can grow a richer tapestry of support for those who adop…”

“We must stand up to the bully that is Trump and support British business. This morning, I reached out to Gooch & Housego, a manufacturer in Torbay of fibreoptics that help to facilitate international communications. It has interests in manufacturing in the US, the UK, Europe and Thailand. It and other players in th…”

“The issues that my hon. Friend raises are spot on. Would he agree that the more trauma-informed training we have within schools, the better these young people will be able to be accepted and supported within schools, rather than potentially demonised?”

“I rise to present a petition from the residents of Torbay in respect of protecting and saving Paignton post office, which is a vital part of Paignton town centre. Residents across the whole of Torbay value this resource, and it has a massive impact on community engagement and through the simple face-to-face engagement …”

“I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Munira Wilson) on obtaining the urgent question and dragging this information from the Minister, whether kicking and screaming or not. First, I thank Tim and Rachel and Matt and Kelly from my constituency: two families who have adopted youngsters and benefited fr…”

“(Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will make a statement on the changes to personal independence payments and how that will impact those who receive carer’s allowance.”

“Yesterday saw the biggest cuts to carer’s allowance for decades. Although we need to manage down appropriately the benefits budget, that needs to be done in a way that is caring, compassionate and far from rushed, which is what we saw yesterday. We are looking at approximately 150,000 carers losing allowances under the…”

“I will encompass a series of questions all in one to try to keep us on track with time. In recent months, we have seen changes around eligibility for winter fuel payment and that has had a significant impact on claims for pension credit. We have seen some thoughts around that rush and what happened there, and how that …”

“We have already unpicked this to a certain extent but the cost of the mortgage or—increasingly now—rent is not taken up in the account of when you are considering retirees’ living standards. We have already unpicked it. Where else would you go around that housing challenge? Some of the panel have talked about co-habiti…”

“Today and last week the Chancellor rushed through severe cuts to the benefits system that will hit some of the most vulnerable in our society. Although we should have considered benefit reform, this is ill conceived. Can the Chancellor explain to the Chamber why she is choosing to balance the books of the nation on the…”

“I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for North Norfolk (Steff Aquarone) on securing this important debate. We desperately need a Minister for coastal communities, as has been highlighted in some outstanding speeches this afternoon. The fact that my constituency of Torbay is the premier resort for the United Kingdom…”

“Does the hon. Member agree that we desperately need a proper, fully thought out fishing strategy to support this vital industry in our local communities?”

“My hon. Friend is spot on. Whether we are in North Norfolk, North Devon or Torbay, we face challenges with our NHS, and we also face a lack of affordable housing. We have seen that challenge put on steroids by the pandemic, during which we saw house prices and rents rise, with people fleeing from metropolitan areas to …”

“My hon. Friend is spot on. In fact, we Liberal Democrats feel that the winter fuel allowance must be reintroduced across the board. The Liberal Democrats want the introduction of a social tariff that supports pensioners in poverty and pensioners on benefits. We also want to ensure that the whole United Kingdom has a ho…”

“I am sure the Minister almost opposite me felt that it was a brave decision by the Conservatives on my right—in fact, from the noises off during the speech of their spokeslady, the hon. Member for Faversham and Mid Kent (Helen Whately), it may even have been a bit quackers—to choose this topic for a debate. As the Mini…”

“Rowcroft hospice in my constituency is impacted greatly by the Bill, as is Bay Care, an excellent social care provider. Both those organisations are having to make challenging and difficult decisions about how many people they can employ and how they can support people in their communities. Does my hon. Friend share my…”

“I would like to press the new clause to a vote. Question put, That the clause be read a Second time.”