Speeches by Darling.

“But can you please explain why the slippage happened?”

“Bearing in mind that we have 4.5 million children living in poverty, and childhood is a very short period in all our lives, the slippage that we have had on the child poverty strategy, from being published earlier this summer until potentially the autumn, is particularly disappointing. Can you give us a clear date when…”

“You chose not to consult.”

“But you ignored them in March. Can you explain why?”

“That is not disabled people. Why did you ignore disabled people, then, please?”

“Why did you ignore disabled people, please?”

“Can you explain why you chose not to at that time? What were your thoughts behind that?”

“But not on that.”

“But you said in November that you wanted to consult with disabled people. And then it comes to the biggest cut in a decade—”

“But on PIP you did not consult. Is that right: that there was no consultation on the cuts to PIP?”

“Can you explain—I am speaking as somebody who is registered blind—why you chose not to consult on that element of change that you were pushing forward in March?”

“But all throughout this narrative, it has been suggested that PIP is an out-of-work benefit, but it is an in-work benefit.”

“Again, PIP is not to do with whether you can work or not.”

“I think you have given that impression when responding to me and colleagues in the Chamber.”

“Can the Minister provide reassurance on how she is holding health services to account? They can be part of the solution, if they play their part.”

“Will the Minister give way?”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Edward, and I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Tunbridge Wells (Mike Martin) on securing this debate. Although Torbay is not in the south-east, I am sure that a lot of our SEND issues are reflected there. A recent Ofsted report on our SEND provision ident…”

“Children are 20% of our population in the United Kingdom but 100% of our future, and it is shocking that almost a third of those children are growing up in poverty. That is why the Liberal Democrats believe the two-child limit should be lifted, as well as the benefit cap. There are 4.5 million children living in povert…”

“I really welcome the fact that disabled groups are going to be meaningfully engaged, according to the Minister’s proposal, and I look forward to seeing the full details of that, but how will carers’ groups be engaged as well? I would welcome some assurance on that.”

“Colleagues have described the events surrounding this Bill as “chaotic” and “shambolic”, and they were right to do so. Sadly, by failing to consult on key elements, the Government were setting up the Bill to fail. Moreover, the Government’s impact assessment is, I fear, somewhat misleading, because it bakes in cuts tha…”