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Conservative MP Mark Harper says "it is incredibly important that getting in to work pays".

For many people on benefits, previously their jobs had to be arranged around the benefits system "which is wrong".

"That has changed with Universal Credit which is a huge positive," he says, as "people are given the opportunities to get in to work and progress in work".

Mark Harper claims that since Universal Credit has been rolled out in his constituency of Forest of Dean, he has had "half the number of issues regarding benefits raised by constituents".

He says he believes Universal Credit is "a fantastic thing".

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"A single parent with a disabled child is set to lose £10,000 from tax and benefit reforms this decade," SNP spokesman Neil Gray says.

"That should bring shame on every single member of those government benches.

"You can't sit back and allow that to continue, you have to act for proper change. Not tinkering at the edges - it needs fundamental reform."

He calls on Labour and Tory backbench MPs to work with his party to make the case for "desperately needed investment" in order to make Universal Credit work.

He says the decision now lies with the chancellor as to whether the concerns are addressed, "the system is causing misery... the chancellor should be here to hear that".

The SNP MP calls for the roll out of the system to be halted while problems can be addressed and a "fundamental review is carried out".

Mark D'Arcy
Parliamentary Correspondent

As so often, I’m not sure anyone’s much the wiser after PMQs – the prime minister restated her position without any signs of evolution, and rejected suggestions about customs unions and Norway options as counter to the expressed will of the British people in the referendum.

Jeremy Corbyn delivered a well-structured series of questions on Brexit, without managing to penetrate her stock responses on each issue. The downside, for him, was that his question inevitably involved a large helping of Brexit Babble – the impenetrable jargon about “Chequers” and “a customs union” which is far less accessible than his normal line of questioning about bread and butter public service issues.

Maybe the most interesting Brexit sally was from Cornwall Conservative Steve Double, who highlighted the need to admit seasonal foreign labour to keep tourism businesses going in his area.

The specific problems for particular industries in particular areas are far harder to dismiss with generalities, and this subspecies of Brexit question will probably become more common, as MPs seek to reflect constituency concerns,

Later in the session the SNP’s Ian Blackford repeated the suggestion that Ken Clarke offered the prime minister at PMQs last week, about sidelining her hard Brexit MPs and constructing a Commons majority for a soft Brexit deal (see, I’m doing Brexit Babble, too…) with Labour and SNP votes.

The PM resisted temptation, but can expect this offer to be repeated as often as the calls for a second referendum, at PMQs yet to come.

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Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey says she is "happy to be here speaking about Universal Credit for the third time this week".

"I have been forthright on Universal Credit, about its strong merits and the areas we need to improve," she says.

She says she has changed the system "to provide extra support for those with disabilities, extra housing support for vulnerable adults", and is "working with colleagues to identify areas where we could be doing better".

Esther McVey says 3.3 million more people are in work since 2010, and "we know we are getting people back into work".

"We have gone to great lengths to be open," the minister says, noting her department has consulted with 500 colleagues and charities, and published 637 responses to parliamentary questions.

"We have made sure 1,000 people each and every day since 2010 have got a job, and youth unemployment has fallen by 50% since this government has been in office," she says.

"It's about having a fair benefits system and getting people back into work, that is what Universal Credit is doing."

The motion is a humble address motion. This means - if the motion is supported by a majority of MPs - it would force the government to release all briefing and analysis papers on the impact of Universal Credit that have been produced since Esther McVey was made Work and Pensions Secretary.

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The Commons now moves onto the first of today's Labour Opposition Day debates, which focuses on Universal Credit (UC).

Shadow work and pensions secretary Margaret Greenwood begins, saying Universal Credit is "beset with flaws in its design and delivery" and is "causing hardship for people wherever it is rolled out."

The reality of the system, she says, is that it is a "vehicle for cuts".

In response to an intervention from a Conservative MP who suggests the system is making many people better off, whilst helping more people find employment, she suggests there is no evidence to prove that the system gets more people into work.

She says the entire burden to apply is placed completely on claimants, rather than the DWP simply transferring those who already in receipt of benefits onto the new system. She says it is "without precident" that the government "abandons millions of people who the government knows to be in need".

She warns that "nearly a million people could fall out of the social security system altogether".

Ms Greenwood says the government has not responded appropriately to criticism and concern about the scheme, and says they have misled MPs on the issue.

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PMQs comes to an end, with Conservative MP Paul Masterton tabling his Collective Defined Contribution Pension Schemes Bill as a ten minute rule motion.

The bill calls for the the establishment of allow a new breed of pension schemes - Collective Defined Contribution Pension Schemes. Mr Masterton says this shifts the burden from the employer, as the current system "restricts what else that employer can do".

"We need a solution that works for employers and employees," he says.

He says the Royal Mail, the CWU union and others have already proposed the scheme, but they are restricted by current legislation, which means they "run into all kinds of practical difficulties".

He calls for the government "not to sit on our hands" when people want to look seriously at the option.

He says he welcomes the minister's announcement of a consultation on the issue, but says he had expected this to have happened already.

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Two interesting questions we missed in our coverage of PMQs this lunchtime were delivered by Labour MP's Danielle Rowley and Ben Bradshaw.

Danielle Rowley asked about split payments for Universal Credit, saying the Work and Pensions Committee heard evidence that showed by not having split payments for Universal Credit, "women are being trapped in abusive relationships".

The Labour MP says this "absolutely disgusts" her, and asks the prime minister how it makes her feel.

Theresa May replies "the government take the issue of domestic violence very seriously indeed".

"Split payments are available for couples when that is the right thing to do," she says, "but we must take a sensitive approach to these cases on an individual basis."

Labour MP Ben Bradshaw says his constituent Matthew Hedges, a university student, has been held in a jail in the United Arab Emirates for more than five months, and was this week charged with spying.

He asks the prime minister to talk to the UAE to "make it clear that my constituent was there doing academic research and nothing more" and "ensure he receives full legal support and a fair trial".

The prime minister says Foreign Office officials are supporting his constituent Mr Hedges and his family, and "the government are in regular contact with the UAE and continuing to push for legal access so we can give him the support he needs."

Matthew Hedges: Durham student charged with UAE spying - BBC News

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Labour MP Teresa Pearce asks about a constituent who had been sexually abused in work. She says she is being treated "like the problem rather than the victim".

She asks what she can do for her constituent to make her feel safe when the employer is this House - in other words, the House of Commons.

The prime minister says it is "import that everybody is treated with dignity and respect" in their workplace.

"There is no place for bullying, for sexual harassment or abuse in any workplace and that includes in this Parliament," she adds.

Ms May says she is concerned by Laura Cox's report and commends the Leader of the House for "working tirelessly" to change the culture of Parliament.

She hopes there will be a "very serious" response and adds she wants to see Ms Pearce's constituent come to work in the House of Commons and not be subject to abuse.

Read more:

Commons abuse: Dame Laura Cox's lightning strike

Commons staff told to study abuse report 'very carefully' - BBC News

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John Baron says the Japanese prime minister suggests the UK would be "welcome" to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal after Brexit.

The TPP is a trade agreement between 11 countries, including Japan, Canada, Australia and Malaysia.

The Conservative MP asks for an assurance that this would not be hindered by the common rulebook put forward in Theresa May's proposals to the EU.

The prime minister says she would be pleased to discuss the matter of potential TPP membership after Brexit with the Japanese and Australian prime ministers.

She adds that potential TPP membership was considered before the common rulebook proposals were put forward, and as they currently are structured, would not restrict potential membership.

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Conservative MP Julian Knight asks the prime minister if she will join him in "utterly condemning" the actions of a Birmingham councillor who has written a guide on how to attract and trick BNP voters.

"There is no place for pandering to racism in my town or in our politics," he says.

The prime minister says she agrees that there is "no place in our society for pandering to racism of any sort".

She says a clear message should be sent on that from the whole House, and the Home Secretary Sajid Javid has made available extra money to protect places of worship, as "we do see places of worship, of different faiths, being all too often subject to attacks".

Mark D'Arcy
Parliamentary Correspondent

Interesting.

The arch Brexiteer Steve Baker highlights that the ERG group of pro-Brexit Conservatives are right behind the DUP in their objections to a Brexit deal that treated Northern Ireland differently to the rest of the UK – then DUP Leader Nigel Dodds follows up with a question about nailing down details of the future relationship with the EU at the same time as sealing the “divorce deal” or withdrawal agreement.

The measured tone between the two might suggest some de-escalation between the Tories and their DUP allies, after last week’s venomous clashes.

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DUP Westminister Leader Nigel Dodds says it would be difficult for MPs to support any Brexit deal that is legally binding without having some "precision" about the future trading agreement.

The prime minister agrees that it's important MPs have sufficient detail about the future relationship in all its deals, and that it's important there is a "linkage between the future agreement and the withdrawal agreement."

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Former Brexit Minister Steve Baker asks the prime minister to impress on "our European Union friends" two points.

He says firstly that the EU may break apart the UK and secondly that after the UK leaves, the EU cannot direct how we govern ourselves.

Theresa May replies she is clear decisions will be made in the UK and the UK will take control of its law, money and borders.

"We will not accept any proposals which would effectively break up the United Kingdom," she adds

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Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh says communities are going to lose health centres and GP services as a result of Brexit, and notes that a hospital in her constituency of Mitcham and Morden, The Wilson, has been closed down.

Siobhain McDonagh calls for a "People's Vote" over Brexit so that the people of Mitcham and Morden can save their hospital, and asks if the prime minister will not grant a people's vote, if she will guarantee the reopening of The Wilson hospital.

The prime minister says the government have proposed "a multi year funding settlement for the NHS" which includes extra money "by not spending or sending vast amounts of money to the European Union".

"That is a positive of Brexit," she says.

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SNP MP Pete Wishart says there have been "clear breaches of electoral law," with police investigations into Vote Leave "dropped" due to "political sensitivities".

He asks, "on top of the unaccounted dark money sustaining the Scottish Conservative Party," does the prime minister believe the electoral laws are fit for purpose?

Theresa Mays the Electoral Commission is an independent organisation linked to Parliament rather than the government, but they will take the commission's recent report on digital campaigning into account.

She adds that "politicians don't interfere with police investigations", but the wider implications will taken account of.

Regarding the EU referendum, she says three quarters of the electorate turned out to vote in favour of Brexit and is "up to this government to deliver that".

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Liberal Democrat Alistair Carmichael asks about demolitions in occupied Palestinian territories..

He says this morning Israel forces have tasered and peppered sprayed activists.

He calls on the prime minister to make it clear to the Israeli prime minister this is occupied territory and these are refugees whose forceable removal would be a war crime.

Theresa May replies the minister for the Middle East met the Israeli Prime Minister in October and made clear the UK's "deep concerns".

She adds demolition would be a blow to the two state solution and calls on Israel not to go ahead.