Speeches by Olney.

“Today marks the final day of the UN’s 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, which focused primarily on ending digital violence against women and girls. The domestic abuse charity Refuge has experienced a 62% increase in referrals of technologically facilitated abuse from last year. That abuse can take the …”

“11. What steps she is taking with the Secretary of State for the Home Department to help tackle violence against women and girls.”

“I will make some progress, bearing in mind what Madam Deputy Speaker just said. Zero-hours workers and businesses need far more clarity. Can the Minister at least clarify on the Floor of the House what the Government’s intended duration is for subsequent reference periods? I hope that after scrapping compensation caps,…”

“The goal of the Employment Rights Bill should be to strengthen the economy for all so that we can get better employment conditions for everybody. I strongly believe that we need to strike the right balance so that we can support the economy as a whole.”

“indicated assent.”

“I will not revise my remarks. We have been speaking to many business groups that were in the room with the Minister, and they have told us that it was not part of the agreement. That is why the fact that it is in this motion has taken everyone by surprise, and why we will not be supporting it today.”

“Nobody is keener to see the Bill pass than the Liberal Democrats, and we have repeatedly worked with the Government to try to express our concerns. We would support the motion were it not for the lifting of the compensation cap being snuck in at the last minute. This last-minute change has not been part of any conversa…”

“It is a pleasure to follow the right hon. Member for Ashton-under-Lyne (Angela Rayner). As this Bill has progressed through Parliament, the Liberal Democrats have welcomed many of the principles underpinning it, and we are keen to see it progress. We welcome the fact that the Bill increases support for carers, boosts s…”

“I agree with the hon. Gentleman, but that is why we need the balance. We need to ensure that workers have the right to request a permanent contract if that is what works for them, but it may be onerous for businesses to have to track hours over a period of time, when the employee themselves may value the opportunity th…”

“We are trying to create a balance, managing the burdens on employers in creating jobs. We have to ensure there is employment in the first place before we can ensure people’s rights. I entirely accept the point that the hon. Gentleman is making, but placing these burdens on employers to track the hours that numerous emp…”

“I take the Minister’s comments. What I would say is that we were not expecting to see this measure in the motion, and that is why we will not support it. Turning to zero-hours contracts, Liberal Democrats strongly believe in giving all workers security over their working patterns, and we are deeply concerned that too m…”

“I would agree, but my point is that this last-minute change has been sprung on us and the business groups that engaged in good faith with the Government on these measures. This is a last-minute change that we and the business groups were not expecting, and that is why we will not be supporting it.”

“I will not name them, but the Minister will know who was in the room with her. That is what they have told us, and that is what I am reflecting in my comments today.”

“Sir Peter, the Department will be receiving £6.7 billion of dedicated funding to tackle fraud and error. Can you give us more of an outline of how you plan to use that, particularly in the three years going forward from 2026-27?”

“Specifically on the point about overpayment, clearly preventing overpayment is one of the most effective things you can do. I was interested in your use of the phrase “experimental statistics”. Specifically, how are you measuring overpayment that you have prevented?”

“Yes, of course. Ms Knight, at the time when the Report was being put together, the Department was in the process of putting together a road map of how it was going to deliver the new strategy. That includes how success will be measured. This is particularly looking at preventing overpayments. I wonder whether you could…”

“Is there not a requirement for the claimant to provide further evidence?”

“As you are training your machine learning and getting better at this, will you be publishing the outputs to show the fairness analysis?”

“That work is under way.”

“Can I stop you there? It specifically says in the Report “age groups 45 to 54 and above”, which is not pension age.”