House of Commons
Parliament

Theresa May begins PMQs today with a mention of the anniversary of the Lockerbie terrorist attack.

She goes on to wish MPs and staff a merry Christmas and a happy new year, as well as sending best wishes to the armed forces and emergency services.

House of Commons
Parliament

Conservative MP Michael Fabricant asks what steps the department is taking to help improve the cyber security of public and private sector organisations.

Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington says the government is investing more in cyber strategy to develop the skills and capabilities the country needs.

He says the National Cyber Security Centre has produced new materials aimed at improving the UK's cyber security of public and private sector organisations, which the government will publish in the new year.

"We are always seeking innovative ways in which to improve our cyber security strategy," he adds.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Labour MP Helen Goodman asks what progress has been made on further voter ID pilots, she says expensive forms of voter ID are going to exclude thousands of people from exercising their democratic right to vote.

Minister Chloe Smith says the pilots acknowledge that, with a free of charge alternative available.

"When somebody doesn't have the correct form of ID, local authorities will provide an alternative method free of charge."

She points out that Labour use voter ID for their own meetings, asking "why is it good enough for them, but not here?"

Mark D'Arcy
Parliamentary Correspondent

Eyes down for the final PMQs of 2018….. where both protagonists look vulnerable.

For Theresa May it’s the same old-same old, the Brexit woes that have beset her for a month or more; but Jeremy Corbyn, in the wake of his decision to table a No-Confidence motion in the PM rather than the government, goes into this question time with an exposed Euro-flank.

With plenty of his MPs keen to see Labour back a new referendum, Mr Corbyn appears to be trying keep open the possibility that he might be about to force a general election, instead.

So he doesn’t want to shoot his big gun – a full dress No Confidence motion against the government – and hence the tactic of personalising a motion around the PM.

This has not impressed some of his own troops and has provided Conservatives with an opening that they will doubtless target.

And if they don’t, expect the SNP and the smaller parties to pile in.

Looking at this week’s list of questioners (chosen by lot) it is again heavy with Labour MPs, which means plenty of opportunity for Conservatives with a point to make to “bob” up and down in their seats, and seek to catch Mr Speaker’s eye.

And there are some interesting names on the list – not least the Conservative Andrew Bridgen, who is just about the only Tory to have directly attacked the PM to her face in the Chamber (on 10 December, during one of her Groundhog Day sequence of Brexit statements) – might he do it again?

Another to watch is the former Children’s Minister Tim Loughton.

Of the Labour names, watch out for John Mann, who specialises in carefuly honed questions and has been pondering a way to resolve the Brexit conundrum. Then there’s South Yorkshire Mayor Dan Jarvis, and the Transport Committee Chair, Lillian Greenwood.

Surely an alluring target for Labour must be the Immigration statement which will follow PMQs – so will anyone ask if the PM continues to support a target of reducing net migration to the tens of thousands, after the Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, conspicuoulsy failed to do so on Radio 4's Today programme this morning?

House of Commons
Parliament

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Labour MP Afzal Khan asks about the capacity of the civil service to manage additional responsibilities arising from the UK leaving the EU.

Cabinet Office Minister Brandon Lewis says the government is equipping itself "with the right people and the right skills for the UK to successfully leave the EU".

"11,000 people are working on Brexit policy to ensure the UK can leave the UK as smoothly as possible," he adds.

Mr Lewis says the additional money from the Treasury for contingency planning is beneficial.

House of Commons
Parliament

Shadow Cabinet Office minister Jo Platt says the UK is "now staring at a cliff edge no deal Brexit" as a result of the government's failure to secure a deal that MPs can support.

She asks what assurances have been sought that the security partnerships with the EU will continue in this scenario.

Mr Lidington says the Home Office is in "constant touch" with the police and relevant agencies. If she does not like the deal that has been negotiated, he asks what her alternative is.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Conservative MP Colin Clark kicks off today's questions, asking what discussions the department is having with stakeholders on contingency planning for the UK to leave the EU without a deal.

Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington says the government's policy is for the UK to leave the EU with a deal, but that "the government is contingency planning for all eventualities and the Cabinet Office is coordinating the planning across Whitehall."

Mr Clark asks for a breakdown of where the additional £2bn for contingency planning will go.

Mr Lidington adds that the £2bn put aside for contingency planning is "available for either a no deal or deal scenario", and that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department for International Trade and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy will get the most money.

Select Committee
Parliament

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After a final question on the "damning report" into Motability, the committee session closes. MPs are heading over to the main Commons chamber for PMQs at midday.

Select Committee
Parliament

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Labour's Ruth George says there is a "very hard cliff-edge" for those who might lose their carers allowance once they earn above a certain amount. She asks if it is right that carers are taken to court under the Proceeds of Crime Act, as many are inadvertently continuing to claim.

Ms Rudd says that the carers allowance is a payment which is "not like any other". "The principle of it is right," she says, and she wants to ensure that the rules for it "are simpler" to take out "complexity" to ensure people don't make mistakes.

Mr Schofield says he wants to "get to the bottom" of what is happening and why people are being taken to court over this.

"We're getting much better" at working with HMRC to make sure people aren't taken to court over this, he adds.

Select Committee
Parliament

Conservative Heidi Allen says that 10% of people picked up by the benefit cap are Employment Support Allowance recipients, as they have long-term disabilities. She asks if it is right that these claimants are included in the cap.

Peter Schofield, Permanent Secretary at DWP, says the "support group are exempt" but those who are included in "work-related" activity are included in the benefit cap.

Ms Rudd adds that this is "right" as the government is "genuinely trying to help people into work". She adds that her father was classified as blind for 50 years and continued to work for all of them.

House of Commons
Parliament

Our coverage of the Commons will begin at 11.30am with questions to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Cabinet Office ministers, before the final PMQs of 2018.

PMQs will be followed by two ministerial statements: Home Secretary Sajid Javid will outline the future of immigration, before Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt provides an update on the situation in Yemen.

The government is today publishing its white paper on immigration which sets out post-Brexit rules for migrants.

Under the proposed new immigration rules, low-skilled workers from EU countries will no longer have the automatic right to work in the UK.

After the two statements, Conservative MP Maria Caulfield will introduce her Defibrillators (Availability) Bill as a ten minute rule motion, before two backbench debates take place on the impact of changes to disability support and mental health first aid in the workplace.

Conservative MP Alex Chalk will close the day with his adjournment debate on rail fares between Cheltenham and London.

Select Committee
Parliament

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The SNP's Chris Stephens says that by 2020, there will be £37bn less spent on benefits than there was in 2010. He asks what assessment has been made of the impact to people.

Ms Rudd says that under the previous system people felt "trapped" on benefits as it remained better to stay on them than to work.

Mr Stephens says that it sounds as though the department is "not assessing the impact to claimants' lives".

Ms Rudd replies that the government "have never seen employment higher". She says she recognises that "it is difficult" for people as the benefits freeze is now going into its fourth year.

Select Committee
Parliament

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Responding to a question from Heidi Allen on when the Commons can expect further UC regulations and changes to be debated, Ms Rudd tells the committee that this won't be done before Christmas, but she will be bringing forward proposals in January.

She says she hasn't been able to yet get much "government support" for the proposals that she wants to bring forward.

Committee Chair Frank Field tells her that "it is so helpful for not just Parliament but the public if we had ministers give an answer like that, who don't bullshit" because "we now know where we are".

Select Committee
Parliament

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The SNP's Chris Stephens asks why the £10 Christmas bonus has been removed for claimants, especially as there have been problems with UC at Christmas.

Ms Rudd says that these payments are "being phased out".

Mr Stephens says that this payment has been made "since 1972" and is helpful as Christmas is a "difficult time" for those on benefits.

Ms Rudd says that "this never was paid" to everyone who receives UC.

Select Committee
Parliament

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Conservative Heidi Allen asks how Amber Rudd feels about the "stability of the system" and how it is coping with managed migration of people to UC.

Ms Rudd says that the "scale and ambition of Universal Credit is enormous", and she adds that "government is sometimes not as good as it should be" at rolling out such large changes.

Ms Allen says there is a large amount of "manual processing" behind the roll-out of UC.

Ms Rudd says "it is right to have goals" but she is working to ensure that "problems don't occur". She is also ensuring that people are "hand-held" onto the new system to make sure no-one is missed.

Select Committee
Parliament

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Labour's Rosie Duffield says that the committee have received evidence that women are turning to prostitution in order to get more money while on Universal Credit.

Ms Rudd says that she wants to be clear that "people can have an advance on day one". She says that UC will particularly help women get back in to work.

Ms Duffield asks what DWP can do to ensure that women and children are not at risk of poverty.

Ms Rudd says that she wants to make sure that payments are made to the "main carer" of a child. She says she wants "women to be at the centre of any policy-making".