Work and Pensions Select Committee

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The Work and Pensions Select Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the committee is to examine the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Department for Work and Pensions and its associated public bodies. [1]

Contents

Membership

The full membership of the committee in the 58th Parliament is as follows: [2] [3]

MemberPartyConstituency
Stephen Timms MP (chair) [4] Labour East Ham
Debbie Abrahams MP Labour Oldham East and Saddleworth
Shaun Bailey MP Conservative West Bromwich West
Siobhan Baillie MP Conservative Stroud
Neil Coyle MP Labour Bermondsey and Old Southwark
Marsha de Cordova MP Labour Battersea
David Linden MP Scottish National Party Glasgow East
Nigel Mills MP Conservative Amber Valley
Selaine Saxby MP Conservative North Devon
Dr Ben Spencer MP Conservative Runnymede and Weybridge
Desmond Swayne Conservative New Forest West

    Changes 2019-present

    DateOutgoing Member
    & Party    		Constituency→New Member
    & Party    		ConstituencySource
    9 January 2023 Chris Stephens MP (SNP) Glasgow South West → David Linden MP (SNP) Glasgow East Hansard

    2017-2019 Parliament

    The chair was elected on 12 July 2017, with the members of the committee being announced on 11 September 2017. [5] [6]

    MemberPartyConstituency
    Frank Field MP (Chair) Labour Birkenhead
    Heidi Allen MP Conservative South Cambridgeshire
    Alex Burghart MP Conservative Brentwood and Ongar
    Marsha de Cordova MP Labour Battersea
    Neil Coyle MP Labour Bermondsey and Old Southwark
    Ruth George MP Labour High Peak
    Steve McCabe MP Labour Birmingham Selly Oak
    Chris Stephens MP Scottish National Party Glasgow South West

    Changes 2017–2019

    DateOutgoing Member
    & Party    		Constituency→New Member
    & Party    		ConstituencySource
    16 October 2017New seat→ Andrew Bowie MP (Conservative) West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine Hansard
    Jack Brereton MP (Conservative) Stoke-on-Trent South
    Chris Green MP (Conservative) Bolton West
    23 October 2017 Marsha de Cordova MP (Labour) Battersea → Emma Dent Coad MP (Labour) Kensington Hansard
    20 February 2018 Chris Green MP (Conservative) Bolton West → Nigel Mills MP (Conservative) Amber Valley Hansard
    4 June 2018 Andrew Bowie MP (Conservative) Aberdeenshire West and Kincardine → Justin Tomlinson MP (Conservative) North Swindon Hansard
    Emma Dent Coad MP (Labour) Kensington Rosie Duffield MP (Labour) Canterbury
    26 November 2018 Justin Tomlinson MP (Conservative) North Swindon → Derek Thomas MP St Ives Hansard
    11 February 2019 Alex Burghart MP (Conservative) Brentwood and Ongar → Anna Soubry MP (Conservative) Broxtowe Hansard

    2015-2017 Parliament

    The chair was elected on 18 June 2015, with members being announced on 8 July 2015. [7] [8]

    MemberPartyConstituency
    Frank Field MP (Chair) Labour Birkenhead
    Debbie Abrahams MP Labour Oldham East and Saddleworth
    Heidi Allen MP Conservative South Cambridgeshire
    Mhairi Black MP Scottish National Party Paisley and Renfrewshire South
    Karen Buck MP Labour Westminster North
    John Glen MP Conservative North East Hertfordshire
    Richard Graham MP Conservative Salisbury
    Emma Lewell-Buck MP Labour South Shields
    Craig Mackinlay MP Conservative South Thanet
    Jeremy Quin MP Conservative Horsham
    Craig Williams (British politician) MP Conservative Cardiff North

    Changes 2015-2017

    DateOutgoing Member
    & Party    		Constituency→New Member
    & Party    		ConstituencySource
    26 October 2015 Debbie Abrahams MP (Labour) Oldham East and Saddleworth → Steve McCabe MP (Labour) Birmingham Selly Oak Hansard
    1 February 2016 Emma Lewell-Buck MP (Labour) South Shields → Neil Coyle MP (Labour) Bermondsey and Old Southwark Hansard
    31 October 2016 Jeremy Quin MP (Conservative) Horsham → James Cartlidge MP (Conservative) South Suffolk Hansard
    Craig Williams MP (Conservative) Cardiff North Luke Hall MP (Conservative) Thornbury and Yate
    19 December 2016 John Glen MP (Conservative) Salisbury → Royston Smith MP (Conservative) Southampton Itchen Hansard

    2010-2015 Parliament

    The chair was elected on 10 June 2010, with members being announced on 12 July 2010. [9] [10]

    MemberPartyConstituency
    Anne Begg MP (Chair) Labour Aberdeen South
    Harriett Baldwin MP Conservative West Worcestershire
    Karen Bradley MP Conservative Staffordshire Moorlands
    Karen Buck MP Labour Westminster North
    Margaret Curran MP Labour Glasgow East
    Richard Graham MP Conservative Gloucester
    Kate Green MP Labour Stretford and Urmston
    Oliver Heald MP Conservative North East Hertfordshire
    Sajid Javid MP Conservative Bromsgrove
    Stephen Lloyd MP Liberal Democrats Eastbourne
    Shabana Mahmood MP Labour Birmingham Ladywood

    Changes 2010-2015

    DateOutgoing Member
    & Party    		Constituency→New Member
    & Party    		ConstituencySource
    2 November 2010 Karen Buck MP (Labour) Westminster North → Alex Cunningham MP (Labour) Stockton North Hansard
    Margaret Curran MP (Labour) Glasgow East Glenda Jackson MP (Labour) Hampstead and Kilburn
    Shabana Mahmood MP (Labour) Birmingham Ladywood Teresa Pearce MP (Labour) Erith and Thamesmead
    29 November 2010 Richard Graham MP (Conservative) Gloucester → Andrew Bingham MP (Conservative) High Peak Hansard
    Sajid Javid MP (Conservative) Bromsgrove Brandon Lewis MP (Conservative) Great Yarmouth
    27 June 2011 Alex Cunningham MP (Labour) Stockton North → Debbie Abrahams MP (Labour) Oldham East and Saddleworth Hansard
    25 October 2011 Kate Green MP (Labour) Stretford and Urmston → Sheila Gilmore MP (Labour) Edinburgh East Hansard
    29 October 2012 Harriett Baldwin MP (Conservative) West Worcestershire → Aidan Burley MP (Conservative) Cannock Chase Hansard
    Andrew Bingham MP (Conservative) High Peak Jane Ellison MP (Conservative) Battersea
    Karen Bradley MP (Conservative) Staffordshire Moorlands Graham Evans MP (Conservative) Weaver Vale
    Oliver Heald MP (Conservative) North East Hertfordshire Nigel Mills MP (Conservative) Amber Valley
    Brandon Lewis MP (Conservative) Great Yarmouth Anne Marie Morris MP (Conservative) Newton Abbot
    10 June 2013 Aidan Burley MP (Conservative) Cannock Chase → Mike Freer MP (Conservative) Finchley and Golders Green Hansard
    4 November 2013 Jane Ellison MP (Conservative) Battersea → Kwasi Kwarteng MP (Conservative) Spelthorne Hansard
    Mike Freer MP (Conservative) Finchley and Golders Green Dame Angela Watkinson MP (Conservative) Hornchurch and Upminster
    27 January 2014 Stephen Lloyd MP (Liberal Democrats) Eastbourne → Mike Thornton MP (Liberal Democrats) Eastleigh Hansard
    8 September 2014Dame Angela Watkinson MP (Conservative) Hornchurch and Upminster → Paul Maynard MP (Conservative) Blackpool North and Cleveleys Hansard

    Significant inquiries

    The committee has been involved in a number of significant investigations.

    Welfare safety net inquiry (2015)

    On 18 September 2015, the committee announced that it was beginning an enquiry into the 'welfare safety net'. [11] The committee's chair, in launching the enquiry, said:

    "There is a great deal of concern that some of the least advantaged people are slipping through our safety net into a state of hunger. Our welfare safety net has developed over decades because there is a level below which we as a society do not believe anyone should fall, no matter where they live. We want to understand how local councils are adapting and coping with the changes in benefits and the extra responsibilities on them to meet genuine need and maintain that basic safety net."

    Two child limit (2019)

    In 2019 the Work and Pensions Select Committee recommended ending the two-child limit on welfare payments. The committee heard evidence from charities, economists and faith groups and stated the limit had, “unintended consequences that no government should be willing to accept”. The committee stated the justification for the limit assumed all pregnancies were planned, that distinguishing between families on benefits and families in work was “crude and unrealistic”, further evidence did not support the case that the two child limit might encourage parents to increase their incomes from work. The committee argued for no significant distinction between households on benefits and those working. In April 2019, 72% of families getting tax credits were in work. In May 2019, 28% of working-age housing benefit claimants were, “in employment and not on passported benefit”. in October 2019, 33% of Universal Credit claimants were recorded as employed. Frank Field MP said, “Any family in this country, except the super-rich, could fall foul of the two-child limit if their circumstances changed for the worse. This is exactly why social security must act as a national insurance scheme covering people when they’re most exposed to hardship – not increase it.” [12]

    See also

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    References

    1. ↑ "Work and Pensions Committee". UK Parliament. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
    2. ↑ "Work and Pensions Committee - Membership - Committees - UK Parliament". committees.parliament.uk. Archived from the original on 8 August 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
    3. ↑ "Business without Debate Volume 742: debated on Monday 18 December 2023". hansard.parliament.uk/. UK Hansard. 18 December 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023. That Steve McCabe be discharged from the Work and Pensions Committee and Marsha de Cordova be added.—(Mr Marcus Jones, on behalf of the Committee of Selection.)
    4. ↑ "Stephen Timms elected as Chair of Work and Pensions Committee - News from Parliament". UK Parliament. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
    5. ↑ "Speaker's Statement: Select Committee Chairs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . Vol. 627. Parliament of the United Kingdom: House of Commons. 12 July 2017.
    6. ↑ "Business without Debate". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . Vol. 628. Parliament of the United Kingdom: House of Commons. 11 September 2017.
    7. ↑ "Speaker's Statement". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . Vol. 597. Parliament of the United Kingdom: House of Commons. 18 June 2015.
    8. ↑ "Business without Debate". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . Vol. 598. Parliament of the United Kingdom: House of Commons. 8 July 2015.
    9. ↑ "Speaker's Statement". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . Vol. 511. Parliament of the United Kingdom: House of Commons. 10 June 2010.
    10. ↑ "Committees". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . Vol. 513. Parliament of the United Kingdom: House of Commons. 12 July 2010.
    11. ↑ "Welfare safety net inquiry launched". UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 22 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
    12. ↑ End two-child benefits limit, say cross-party MPs Archived 26 July 2021 at the Wayback Machine The Observer
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