Speeches by Abrahams.

“Could my right hon. Friend share his assessment of the impact of events in Syria on the stability of the wider middle east, particularly Palestine, Israel and Lebanon? Is there a particular role for UN blue helmets beyond the buffer zones, given what has happened around the Golan heights?”

“So much of the success of a local plan seems to hinge on co-production with local communities. Will the Minister describe effective models of that?”

“Can I respectfully suggest that you take this point away? It is an important thing to consider: how are you going to make sure that you identify somebody and respond quickly when they phone in?”

“I want to explore quickly the use of organised criminal groups in relation to fraud for the DWP. Will you confirm that that is a serious issue for you?”

“Good morning, everyone. I will follow up on Clive’s questions just now. How will you ensure that the claimants who have been identified as vulnerable will be prioritised and answered in a reasonable timescale? What would you say is a reasonable timescale for somebody who has been identified as vulnerable?”

“I do not want to put the rest of the Committee under pressure by taking up too much time, but I have a question specifically on the telephone thing. I am thinking about Philippa Day; you will remember that appalling call that she made before she took her life. What can you say about the standards that the Department is…”

“Absolutely.”

“I want to follow up on the issue around cultural transformation and so on. I have met your advanced customer support leaders, and they are absolutely excellent. Hopefully that is something that you will build on.”

“I have met a number of them, and they were fantastic. I was wondering what a new Government and political leadership meant in terms of a change of culture. How are you going to monitor that? It is not the easiest thing to monitor. I am particularly thinking about contracted services, such as the health assessment proce…”

“My hon. Friend makes such an important point—I absolutely agree. I talked about societal barriers and a social model of disability; we need to recognise that disabilities can also be hidden, so I thank my hon. Friend for pointing that out. The reality is that most people, disabled or not, try to do the right thing, but…”

“The hon. Member—a fellow member of the Work and Pensions Committee—makes a good point. I am sorry that I was unable to attend that event myself, but I will certainly give that matter some consideration, and I hope that the Government will, too. More than 16 million people in the UK have a disability—nearly one in four …”

“The Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee made a strong case about the financial pressure that Russia finds itself in. What additional pressure can we place on Russia? Are there any plans to introduce a sanctions Bill?”

“Today marks International Day of Persons with Disabilities—or disabled people, as we often refer to that group. Language is important, so I will use both terms. “Persons with disabilities” is understood internationally, but “disabled people” is often the preferred term in the UK. This year’s theme is “Amplifying the le…”

“The hon. Member will not be surprised to hear me say that I absolutely agree with him. I will come to the issues on which we need to provide challenge. Since 2010, disability hate crime has increased almost sevenfold—that is absolutely shocking. Not only are such challenges obstacles for individuals but they limit soci…”

“I absolutely agree, and that is the point I am trying to make. There is a 30% gap between non-disabled and disabled people in work, with so many—as I say, 2.2 million—who want to work and are able to work. We must do better on that, and I know my right hon. Friend the Minister is absolutely committed to doing so. On to…”

“Again, that is a very important point. We have seen the decimation of services—social services, but also those in the charity sector—so my hon. Friend is absolutely right to raise that point. The investigating committee found that the Government had implemented a policy aimed at reforming their welfare system, and that…”

“Today is International Day of Persons with Disabilities. With a disability employment gap of nearly 30% and a disability pay gap of nearly 14%, how is the Chancellor helping to address those inequalities?”

“I warmly welcome my right hon. Friend’s statement, and I look forward to reading the White Paper later. The cross-departmental approach she is taking with colleagues is essential and is a breath of fresh air, particularly in relation to tackling the root causes of economic inactivity, which she has explained predominan…”

“Mr Speaker, may I associate myself with your remarks, the Prime Minister’s remarks and the remarks of others about the late Lord Prescott? He really was a one-off, and I will never forget his kindness and support of me. On the substantive issue of the statement, I wish to congratulate the Prime Minister and colleagues …”

“My hon. Friend is making an incredibly powerful speech. We also heard evidence from a Médecins Sans Frontières medic who reported similar atrocities being experienced. Last week, international lawyers said that this had gone beyond the realms of self-defence by Israel. On the unilateral move the Knesset has made to sto…”