Jeff Smith: What recent estimate her Department has made of the number of universal credit applicants awaiting a decision on applications made since the start of the covid-19 outbreak.
Jeff Smith: Citizens Advice found recently that more than half of people claiming universal credit for the first time during the crisis had experienced hardship and that many did not want to take out a loan because they were afraid of taking on more debt. A system where more than half of people are experiencing hardship is surely a system that is not working, so will the Minister reconsider proposals to...
Jeff Smith: Will the Secretary of State clarify whether the Government intend to keep their manifesto commitment to maintaining the pensions triple lock?
Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to (a) provide support to Greater Manchester's 2038 carbon neutral target and (b) ensure that the regulatory framework supports net zero innovation and new technologies to help Distribution Network Operators meet increased consumer demand for low carbon energy sources.
Jeff Smith: What assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing additional packages of support for industries by sector in Scotland as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.
Jeff Smith: What discussions she has had with the CPS on its role in reducing the backlog of cases waiting to come before the courts.
Jeff Smith: I join the Attorney General in commending the work of CPS staff and many others, including jurors, to keep our justice system running during the pandemic. Will she assure the House that measures taken to help reduce the backlog will not include judge-only-led trials?
Jeff Smith: Earlier this week, I chaired a meeting of the all-party parliamentary group on mental health. We heard about a worrying rise in urgent mental health referrals and a similarly worrying reduction in routine referrals, flagging up a probable pent-up demand on mental health services. May we have a debate on how the NHS can be helped to deal with the mental health consequences of the pandemic?
Jeff Smith: This report is vindication for the campaigners, but it will also provide relief for the McLellan family and the Pierce family, constituents of mine whose lives have been blighted for decades by the consequences of Primodos. I am particularly pleased that one of the recommendations is for an ex-gratia scheme for discretionary payments to the families for their costs, but I remind the House...
Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with (a) theatres, (b) live music venues, (c) concert halls and (d) arenas on the average capacity that they require to make a profit as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.
Jeff Smith: The Government have been completely disingenuous about this issue all along. Let us be honest: the BBC was given no choice but to take on responsibility for TV licences. My hon. Friend the Member for City of Chester (Christian Matheson) is absolutely right: the Government should not be outsourcing their welfare policy or, indeed, their manifesto promises to the BBC. Funding for the BBC’s...
Jeff Smith: It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Wealden (Ms Ghani). I congratulate her on mentioning the Uyghur Muslims; she is right to do so, and it is a shame that we have not had the opportunity to debate that situation properly in the House. I also join her in thanking the officers and staff of the House for keeping us running and keeping us safe over the recent months. I want to take...
Jeff Smith: The Minister talked earlier—with some pride, I think—about our taking the highest number of applications from unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, which is good. Overall, the UK takes three times fewer asylum applications than France, three times fewer than Spain and four times fewer than Germany. So if we were to reopen safe routes properly, what level of asylum applications does he...
Jeff Smith: What discussions she has had with UK trade partners on maintaining environmental protection standards in future trade agreements.
Jeff Smith: The former Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, said that the major role he played in his country’s trade negotiations was ensuring “that we weren’t sidetracked by peripheral issues such as… environmental standards”. Does his potential appointment as a policy adviser to the Board of Trade mean that that is the Government’s new approach? How can the Government reassure us that...
Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on potential difficulties that people with mental health problems have in applying for benefits during the covid-19 outbreak.
Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2020 to Question 30111 on Metaldehyde, when the Government plans to make a fresh decision on whether the sale and use of metaldehyde products should continue to be authorised.
Jeff Smith: With the universities returning shortly, there will be lots of students moving into shared houses, so there is real concern in communities like mine in south Manchester, where there are lots of houses in multiple occupation. There is clearly plenty of good work going on to make campuses covid-secure, but the recently published SAGE advice is very thin on community spread around universities....
Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS England announcement, Rough sleepers in homeless hotspots to benefit from NHS mental health outreach, published on 14 October 2019, whether the roll-out of that initiative will go ahead as planned due to the covid-19 outbreak.
Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to co-ordinate the Government's support for people’s mental health and wellbeing in response to the covid-19 outbreak.