House of Commons
Parliament

Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey is giving a statement to the house on Universal Credit and recent welfare changes.

Last week, the National Audit Office criticised the system for failing to deliver the promised financial savings or employment benefits, whilst charity Save the Children have said the system is pushing families into debt, external.

She labels the system a "unique example of Great British innovation" that she says is going through "continuous improvement" to ensure it suits the needs of those it supports.

She says it's part of proactive changes taken by the government to "enhance our benefits system", which has led to record rates of people entering work.

She lists a number of other changes the government has made to the benefits system, including the recent introduction of video-recording of controversial PIP assessments.

House of Lords
Parliament

As peers begin a debate on carers, Conservative Baroness Redfern says three in five will perform some caring work during their lives and they must be given support and confidence.

Carers are "vital" in bridging the gap between society and the health service. She says caring should not come at the detriment to the carer's wellbeing.

She raises the difficulties disabled people and their carers face in accessing the community; and calls for unpaid carers to be placed at the heart of social care plans.

She focuses on the difficulties particularly faced by young carers, who often have to put their own plans on hold, and she suggests help like respite and educational support.

She says the number of unpaid carers is expected to rise quickly as the population ages. She calls for particular emotional support for those who care for people with dementia, who she says face acute stress.

Baroness Redfern finishes by praising the events of June's carers week.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Shadow leader of the House Valerie Vaz raises a point of order saying that no pair was offered for ill MP Naz Shah, and she asks the Leader of the House "to correct the record". She says that "pairing and slipping arrangements were available, they were not".

A pair was only available for one MP who is about to give birth, she states.

Leader of the House Andrea Leadsom says she "absolutely stands by what I said," and that it is convention for members to be nodded through when there is sufficient notice and serious illness.

Yesterday, she says, Labour requested six members be nodded through at 11:55am, the government made arrangements as it could at that time.

"This is a matter for the usual channels but I stand by what I said," she finishes.

House of Lords
Parliament

Crossbencher Baroness Meacher raises the issue of cannabis-based medicines, following on from a debate in the Commons on Tuesday. She says these medicines are crucial for people with uncontrolled epilepsy.

The minister Lord O'Shaughnessy says the government has set up a panel for the licensing of cannabis-based medicines for individual cases and is setting up a review on the wider use of these medicines.

Conservative Lord Forsyth raises the potential harmful effects of recreational cannabis, including psychosis. The minister emphasises that no change is being proposed on the ban on recreational use.

House of Lords
Parliament

Responding to a question from Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe, external, Minister Lord O'Shaughnessy says yoga has many health benefits but no assessment has been made of its benefits for obese children.

The minister says schools are free to use yoga as part of the PE curriculum but highlights that it does not fulfil all sports and fitness requirements.

The Lords discuss the benefits of healthy eating, the impact on children of mothers' obesity during pregnancy, and other aspects of wellbeing for school children, including mental health.

Lord Dubs raises the issue of excessive sugar consumption and the minister says the government is redoubling its efforts to tackle this.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid has said the government's "default position" will be to "grant status" to EU nationals living in the UK "as quickly as we can".

Mr Javid told the Lords EU Justice Committee that under the government's proposed immigration scheme, there would have to be a "very good reason" not to grant status, for example a "serious criminal conviction" or providing false information about one's identity.

Mr Javid said there would be two types of status granted: "settled status" for those who have lived in the UK for five years or more, and "pre-settled status" for those who have been in the UK less than five years.

Mr Javid said the scheme would require applicants to prove their identity, prove they are resident in the UK and demonstrate they have no serious criminal convictions.

The scheme will operate online and via a smart phone app, Mr Javid said, and would be "as simple as people can reasonably expect".

He said the government would be able to check information provided by applicants "electronically, automatically", adding that applicants would typically already have relationships with other government departments - for instance HMRC or the DWP - and the system would be linked with those records, meaning applicants would not be required to provide further information.

Mr Javid added: "We are using government information, government records in a way, sadly, we didn't with the Windrush generation and other cases, but actually proactively using that information, and I hope that message comes through."

House of Commons
Parliament

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The SNP's Patrick Grady is responding to the business statement, as the usual Commons business spokesperson for the SNP, Pete Wishart, is away at the Royal Highland Show, which Mr Grady describes as "a large gathering full of braying animal noises and dubious atmospheric conditions - he's missing the House of Commons already".

He asks for assurances that the government will not send the EU Withdrawal Bill for Royal Assent until a legislative consent motion has been agreed by the Scottish Parliament.

He says that the last time the SNP had an opposition day debate was November, and asks for another one. He adds that the sight of unwell MPs and heavily pregnant members is "unedifying" for the Commons, he asks for a "proper review" of the voting procedures.

Leader of the House Andrea Leadsom says the government "has followed the spirit and letter of the devolution settlement at every stage of this process" and the UK single market is worth £46bn to the Scottish economy.

She says that further SNP opposition day debates will be announced "through the usual channels".

She adds that "procedures are reviewed on an ongoing basis" in relation to electronic voting, but that electronic voting is not under review at the moment.

All MPs who are currently pregnant have been offered a pair by the government, she says.

For reference, a pair is when a government MP agrees not to vote because an opposition MP cannot take part in a division.

House of Lords
Parliament

The Lords are starting the day by welcoming the government's designation of 22 June as a celebration of the arrival of HMP Windrush.

They debate the contribution of the Windrush generation - people who came to the UK from the Commonwealth during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s - to British life.

Peers mention their contribution to the NHS and values of tolerance, and debate how children can be educated about this.

Debate touches on the recent scandal which saw members of the Windrush generation threatened with deportation after the Home Office lost their landing cards.

The minister confirms that the government is working hard to resolve the issue and provide compensation.

House of Commons
Parliament

Andrea Leadsom repeats the announced increase in health funding, saying "the truth is there will be money for other priorities" after Brexit.

The Leader of the House pushes back over nodding through, saying she was "particularly sorry" to see that Naz Shah was forced to come and vote when she was unwell, but the fact that she had to come all the way from Bradford was not the fault of the government.

"It's simply not right to accuse the government of putting her in this position when the first notice was given of this was just before midday...communication clearly needs to improve."

House of Lords
Parliament

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Andrew Tyrie is being made Baron Tyrie of Chichester and given a place in the House of Lords.

He takes the oath and signs the register.

Lord Tyrie was formerly an MP and is now head of the Competition and Markets Authority, external. As head of an independent body, he must sit as an independent, or non-affiliated, Lord, rather than a Conservative.

House of Commons
Parliament

Shadow leader of the House Valerie Vaz questions why there is no debate on 5 July to mark the 70th Anniversary of the NHS.

She asks whether this is because it was a Labour government that established the service, and says the "health secretary still has many unanswered questions".

Ms Vaz raises the issue of 'nodding through' and the EU Withdrawal Bill yesterday, which "resulted in honorable members being forced to attend to vote when they were sick".

"All the trusts and conventions appear have broken down that allow us to carry out our work," she says.

House of Commons
Parliament

House of Commons
Parliament

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Liberal Democrat Tom Brake asks what specialist expertise Capita has to handle a military fire services contract and whether it's time for Freedom of Information legislations to be extended to include private companies "which are in effect doing public sector work".

The defence minister says a series of governments have outsourced responsibility for fire fighting services and that's why it's so important scrutiny exists.

He says it's not the "day-to-day work" of the service that Capita provides, but the "management and organisation".

House of Commons
Parliament

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Labour MP Ruth Smeeth says there has been 12 years of debate over this issue, "12 years of uncertainty", and that unions have concerns that key parts of the services are not included in the contract, including fire safety on site.

She asks how this deal is supposed to be value for money.

Mr Ellwood agrees the process has taken too long, but says it is because of the levels of scrutiny the process has been through.

House of Commons
Parliament

The SNP's Brendan O'Hara says it is worrying that such vital services have been given to a company with such a chequered past.

Why has the government privatised these services, when not even the US department of defence does? he asks.

Tobias Ellwood says a robust process was gone through, and he says the government has the right scrutiny in place.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Labour's Fabian Hamilton says the risks are great if Capita cannot deliver on the contract.

Advice from the Ministry of Defence puts the risks of Capita at 10/10, so how was the contract awarded? Mr Hamilton asks.

"We know that Capita has a history of poor performance delivering MoD contracts," he says, "but the government has knowingly chosen to give Capita another contract."

What arrangements are in place if Capita cannot deliver the contract for its full 12 year duration? he continues.

Minister Tobias Ellwood says he will write to Mr Hamilton about some of his concerns, but that the contract and its awarding was subjected to thorough scrutiny.