Speeches by Darling.

“I would like to acknowledge the very sobering and comprehensive speech given by the hon. Member for Oldham East and Saddleworth (Debbie Abrahams). This is disturbing, and one would hope that our DWP, and our Government as a whole, would take a trauma-informed approach to dealing with our communities, as I believe that …”

“The hon. Gentleman was talking about incentivising people into work. In my surgeries in Torbay, I find that an awful lot of people are off sick with hip problems or mental health challenges, and the challenge people have in getting back into work is the broken health system that was left by the previous Conservative Go…”

“I welcome the hon. Member’s intervention; he has highlighted a serious issue, and he is spot on. One has only to reflect on the significant backlog, with 90,000 people waiting for their pension to be reviewed as part of the winter fuel allowance issues—that is a massive backlog. Access to Work, which is meant to suppor…”

“My apologies, Madam Deputy Speaker. Those businesspeople felt that the then Chancellor of the Exchequer was filling carrier bags full of £50 notes and placing them around towns, expecting people just to pick them up, so low were the safeguards for a number of the covid support schemes. I will move on to an item that ha…”

“I thank the hon. Member for Oldham East and Saddleworth (Debbie Abrahams) for laying out very concisely some of the challenges in ensuring that the Bill does the right thing without going too far and breaking the things that people want fixed. Clearly, defrauding the benefits system is wrong. One need only reflect on t…”

“I was pleased to hear that Labour councillors on Hull city council have voted to condemn the Government’s shameful decision not to compensate WASPI women. Has that given the Minister pause for thought?”

“Children in poverty in Torbay make up 23% of our population but 100% of our future. Barnardo’s recently highlighted that the most powerful tool in the Government’s toolbox to tackle child poverty is ending the two-child cap. Only last week, the annual poverty report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation came to the same co…”

“After years of the Tories failing our rural communities, including with a dodgy and utterly shameful Australian trade deal, it is a great pity that the new Government have picked up the baton. From Orkney to the Isles of Scilly, Liberal Democrat colleagues are extremely concerned about the impact of these proposals. Th…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dame Siobhain. I congratulate the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) on securing the debate. He rightly highlighted how inspirational it was to see Chris McCausland winning “Strictly Come Dancing” a few weeks ago. Chris McCausland shared three words at the end of…”

“There is something I do not understand. Can you unpick a bit further why there was not a conversation with the DWP to try to find a deliverable compensation scheme? That would be helpful because I am struggling. Were you surprised that the Secretary of State did not come forward with an alternative scheme in the light …”

“I think I have about two and a half minutes for these questions, which are on WASPI women, who are clearly mostly now into retirement. I am going to ask both questions because otherwise I will be guillotined.”

“In May, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman stated that the Government doing nothing with the report could constitutionally undermine the organisation. Seeing that we are looking at half a loaf today and probably the most significant part of the loaf is the payment to those affected, have you been made a too…”

“Thank you. Would it be helpful if it was legislated that the Government should accept findings of the ombudsman, full stop?”

“I feel a little bit like a French aristocrat at the time of the French revolution, afraid of the guillotine.”

“A culture?”

“The first one I wanted to explore was levels of poverty among WASPI women—that cohort of ladies. You have already talked to a certain extent about this, but some application around that area would be helpful. The other area that I would welcome some exploration of—some of it we have already touched on—is the cultural i…”

“Thank you very much for making yourselves available today to come before the Committee. It is appreciated. The ombudsman found maladministration when he explored this area. I just wondered if you could unpack for us how this impacted on WASPI women. The other area that I would be grateful for you to unpack for us is wh…”

“That was helpful. Are you surprised that the Secretary of State did not come forward with some form of financial resolution in the light of what happens in other places around these?”

“What consideration have Ministers given to exempting the seasonal tourism industry from the national insurance hikes set to kick in this summer? That would benefit Paignton zoo and Splashdown in the Torbay constituency.”

“22. What steps she is taking through the tax system to support the hospitality and tourism sectors.”