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United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
5. Jane Griffiths: If she will make a statement on the recent meeting of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. [34046]
Ms Ruddock: In my role within the presidency of the European Union, I was delighted to represent the views of the European Union at the meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations earlier this month.
The issues addressed were women and violence; women and armed conflict; human rights of women; and the girl child. A copy of the statement I delivered at the UN has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
Jane Griffiths:
Is my hon. Friend aware of the importance attached by women's organisations to
Ms Ruddock:
I thank my hon. Friend for her question. The United Kingdom's participation in the CSW this year has been very successful. Throughout, our delegation has led on the need fully to implement the aims of the global platform for action. On the human rights of women, we argued for an end to customary and traditional practices that are harmful to women and girls such as female genital mutilation. On women and armed conflict, we proposed the creation of an international criminal court that would integrate a gender perspective in its statute. On violence against women, we called for national plans such as those that are in train in this country. On the girl child--a matter specifically mentioned by my hon. Friend--we were able, against very tough opposition, to get agreement on the provision of information and counselling services, to be carried out on a confidential basis, for both adolescent boys and girls, especially on the subject of personal relationships.
6. Mr. Keith Simpson:
What the benefit status of people with disabilities who take part in the welfare-to-work scheme will be. [34047]
Mr. Denham:
The Government's new deal for disabled people will be offered to people with disabilities or long-term illnesses in receipt of the following out-of-work benefits: incapacity benefit, severe disablement allowance and income support.
Mr. Simpson:
I thank the Minister for that answer, but can he give the House an assurance that people with disabilities who participate in the Government's welfare-to-work programme will not lose any of their entitlements, especially if they are put on to the jobseeker's allowance?
Mr. Denham:
Yes. Participation in the programme will be voluntary, but the House will recognise that the Government are implementing a strategy with several strands: we want to improve the quality of personal advice for disabled people who are seeking work; we want to tackle discrimination in the workplace; we want to make work pay--in last week's Budget, we announced the introduction of a tax credit for disabled people; and we want to reform the benefits system by, for example, introducing the 12-month linking rule for those on incapacity benefit.
Mr. Skinner:
Does my hon. Friend agree that we do not need lectures from the Tories, whom we constantly had to fight during those tawdry years of Tory government to get disability legislation that would give equality to the6 million disabled people in Britain? Will he also bear in mind the fact that the last thing we need from a Labour Government is a tax on disabled people's benefits? I was associated with the group Disability Rights Now in campaigning against the Tories. To prevent Downing
Mr. Denham:
I can assure my hon. Friend that my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has met organisations of and for disabled people to discuss welfare reform. I am sure that my hon. Friend welcomes the announced introduction of a disabled persons tax credit and that he will also recognise the importance of establishing the disability rights task force, which will lead to a disability rights commission and comprehensive and enforceable rights for disabled people.
Mrs. Browning:
Is the Minister aware that there are types of disability whereby people fail to find work because of basic communication problems, despite their intellectual ability and training or higher education qualifications to do that work? What plans does he have to build on the previous Government's piloting of the mentoring system, under which such people had someone alongside them, both at interview and in the workplace, not to do training or the job, but to deal with communication difficulties?
Mr. Denham:
We are anxious to explore a variety of ways in which we can enable disabled people who want to work to get into work. This Government--unlike the previous Government--have allocated £195 million from the windfall tax to fund a series of innovative schemes to consider the different ways in which the barriers that disabled people face in getting into work can be overcome. Bids are being received for the first 20 of those additional schemes. The hon. Lady will, I am sure, be keen to see which schemes have been put forward by the wide variety of voluntary organisations and others who have been involved in that process.
7. Mr. Fitzpatrick:
If she will make a statement on measures relating to child care in the Government's new deal for lone parents. [34048]
Ms Harman:
The new deal for lone parents is, for the first time, offering lone parents an opportunity to work. It is already available in eight areas of the country and it will be rolled out nationally to new claimants of income support next month. The new deal is backed by our national child care strategy, which includes substantial help with the cost of child care through the new child care tax credit that was announced in the Budget last week.
Mr. Fitzpatrick:
I thank my right hon. Friend for that positive response. I recently had the opportunity to visit the Alpha Grove lone parents association on the Isle of Dogs in my constituency. It was very enthusiastic about the opportunities being offered under the new deal. Will she ensure maximum co-ordination between her Department and the Department for Education and Employment in introducing the new child care provisions so that lone parents can access them as soon as possible?
Ms Harman:
I am working closely with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and
Mr. Duncan Smith:
Last week there seemed to be a bit of a dispute between the Institute for Fiscal Studies and the Department of Social Security and the Treasury about the cost of child care credits. The Red Book allowed for £1 billion for the programme, but the IFS estimated that it could cost £4 billion, assuming that take-up rates are in line with present take-up rates for general benefits. The family credit take-up rate of 70 per cent., which is sometimes criticised by the Government, would not seem out of line with the cost of £4 billion.
What take-up rates have the Government allowed for in the child care credit assumptions? If their estimate is wrong and take-up is higher, will they guarantee that they have no intention of capping the amount that can be paid out?
Ms Harman:
With new proposals such as this, we cannot simply refer to the take-up rates of existing benefits. The previous Government got into all sorts of problems when they grossly overestimated the take-up for child care allowance under the old family credit rules. Indeed, that is one of the reasons we have had to make a change and get rid of the child care allowance under family credit, introducing a proper new child care tax credit.
We do not think that the IFS figures are right. We think that the Treasury assumptions are right. The estimated cost of £250 million a year is based on expectations of demand and of the ability of the registered child care base to respond to that demand.
Ms Hewitt:
Does my right hon. Friend agree that a comprehensive strategy must include time for parents to care for their children themselves, as well as nurseries and child minders? Does she further agree that the opportunities for part-time, as well as full-time, work under the new deal will enable many lone parents who so choose to combine earning a living and taking advantage of the working families tax credit with looking after their own school-age children?
Ms Harman:
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Those who have received the new deal for lone parents have warmly welcomed the fact that, so long as they can work 16 hours, which many can manage during a school week if their children are at school full time, they will get the top-up on their pay. Just as we will help people whose pay is depressed by ill health or disability, we will help those who can work only 16 hours or so to have decent take-home pay. What is more, we will help them with the costs of child care so they can be in work and make work pay.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley:
I want to reinforce the point made by the hon. Member for Leicester, West (Ms Hewitt). Is the Secretary of State aware that a
Will the Secretary of State repeat her assurance of co-ordination with the Department for Education and Employment? She might care to meet the group of women, working part time for a well-known national company, who have been told that, as a result of the Government signing the social chapter and other measures, it is no longer in the company's interest to employ them part time so they have the choice of being full-time mothers or full-time employees: a choice that they were not forced to face under a Conservative Government.
Ms Harman:
I do not know what company the right hon. Lady is talking about, but if she wants to suggest a meeting, I shall be more than happy to consider it. I take exception to her suggestion that we appear to denigrate mothers who stay at home to look after their young children. Our proposals are simply a recognition of the fact that women are voting with their feet and going out to work. Nearly half the people in the work force are women and more than half the women with children under five--let alone those with children over school age--are working. The previous Government took no notice of that and did not support women in their choices.
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