Leave of absence was granted to the following members of the House for the remainder of this Session: Lord Barker of Battle, Lord Davies of Abersoch, Lord Feldman of Elstree, Lord Freud, Lord Hague of Richmond, Lord Harris of Peckham, Lord Llewellyn of Steep, Baroness Longfield, Lord Malloch-Brown, Baroness Mone, Baroness Shafik, Lord Watson of Wyre Forest and Baroness Worthington.

Leave of absence was granted to the following members of the House for the remainder of this Session: Lord Barker of Battle, Lord Davies of Abersoch, Lord Feldman of Elstree, Lord Freud, Lord Hague of Richmond, Lord Harris of Peckham, Lord Llewellyn of Steep, Baroness Longfield, Lord Malloch-Brown, Baroness Mone,...

Leave of absence was granted to the following members of the House for the remainder of this Session: Lord Barker of Battle; Lord Barwell; Lord Bates; Lord Boyd of Duncansby; Baroness Clark of Kilwinning; Lord Collins of Mapesbury; Lord Davies of Abersoch; Lord Feldman of Elstree; Lord Freud; Baroness Fullbrook; Lord Hague of Richmond; Lord Leitch; Lord Llewellyn of Steep; Baroness Mone; Baroness Morgan of Ely; Lord O'Shaughnessy; Lord Palumbo of Southwark; Baroness Shafik; Baroness Vadera and Baroness Worthington.

Leave of absence was granted to the following members of the House for the remainder of this Session: Lord Barker of Battle; Lord Barwell; Lord Bates; Lord Boyd of Duncansby; Baroness Clark of Kilwinning; Lord Collins of Mapesbury; Lord Davies of Abersoch; Lord Feldman of Elstree; Lord Freud; Baroness Fullbrook;...

Leave of absence was granted to the following members of the House for the remainder of this Session: Lord Barker of Battle; Lord Barwell; Lord Bates; Baroness Campbell of Loughborough; Lord Christopher; Baroness Clark of Kilwinning; Lord Collins of Mapesbury; Lord Davies of Abersoch; Lord Feldman of Elstree; Lord Freud; Baroness Fritchie; Baroness Fullbrook; Lord Hague of Richmond; Lord Hanningfield; Lord Llewellyn of Steep; Lord Malloch-Brown; Baroness Mone; Baroness Morgan of Ely; Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury; Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay; Lord O’Shaughnessy; Lord Palumbo of Southwark; Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers; Lord Prior of Brampton; Baroness Scotland of Asthal; Baroness Shafik; Baroness Vadera and Baroness Worthington.

Leave of absence was granted to the following members of the House for the remainder of this Session: Lord Barker of Battle; Lord Barwell; Lord Bates; Baroness Campbell of Loughborough; Lord Christopher; Baroness Clark of Kilwinning; Lord Collins of Mapesbury; Lord Davies of Abersoch; Lord Feldman of Elstree; Lord Freud;...

Leave of absence was granted to the following members of the House for the remainder of this Session: Baroness Ashton of Upholland; Lord Barker of Battle; Lord Bates; Lord Black of Crossharbour; Lord Browne of Madingley; Baroness Campbell of Loughborough; Lord Feldman of Elstree; Lord Freud; Lord Goldsmith; Lord Hague of Richmond; Lord Hardie; Baroness King of Bow; Lord Livermore; Lord Llewellyn of Steep; Lord Mance; Baroness Morgan of Ely; Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury; Lord O’Shaughnessy; Lord Palumbo of Southwark; Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers.

Leave of absence was granted to the following members of the House for the remainder of this Session: Baroness Ashton of Upholland; Lord Barker of Battle; Lord Bates; Lord Black of Crossharbour; Lord Browne of Madingley; Baroness Campbell of Loughborough; Lord Feldman of Elstree; Lord Freud; Lord Goldsmith; Lord Hague...

Leave of absence was granted to Lord Freud for the remainder of this Session.

Leave of absence was granted to Lord Freud for the remainder of this Session.

My Lords, with the leave of the House I will make a personal statement. Today, the Commissioner for Standards has published a report into my conduct. The report relates to letters, to which I was a signatory, to members of the judiciary about references provided to the court to inform...

My Lords, with the leave of the House I will make a personal statement. Today, the Commissioner for Standards has published a report into my conduct. The report relates to letters, to which I was a signatory, to members of the judiciary about references provided to the court to inform...

Lords personal statement on letters sent to members of the judiciary about references provided to the court to inform the sentencing of Mr Elphicke.

Lords personal statement on letters sent to members of the judiciary about references provided to the court to inform the sentencing of Mr Elphicke.

Eighth opposition day debate (part one). Negatived on division (243 to 302).

Eighth opposition day debate (part one). Negatived on division (243 to 302).

I beg to move,

That this House notes the comments of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Welfare Reform, Lord Freud, on 30 September 2014 that the work of disabled people is not worth the minimum wage; believes that these comments have further undermined trust among disabled people in this Government’s...

I beg to move,

That this House notes the comments of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Welfare Reform, Lord Freud, on 30 September 2014 that the work of disabled people is not worth the minimum wage; believes that these comments have further undermined trust among disabled people in this Government’s...

Not yet. No, I will not.

Ciara continued:

“I hope politicians realise that people with a disability should be encouraged to become active citizens, and not to be discriminated against for their disability, and I want to call for a full explanation of how these comments are deemed acceptable in this day...

Not yet. No, I will not.

Ciara continued:

“I hope politicians realise that people with a disability should be encouraged to become active citizens, and not to be discriminated against for their disability, and I want to call for a full explanation of how these comments are deemed acceptable in this day...

I am astounded by that intervention immediately after I had quoted the concerns of a disabled woman.

For many months under this Government, disabled people have endured hardship, hostility and fear. They have lived with the consequences of Ministers’ decisions, which are causing them and their families real pain. As things...

I am astounded by that intervention immediately after I had quoted the concerns of a disabled woman.

For many months under this Government, disabled people have endured hardship, hostility and fear. They have lived with the consequences of Ministers’ decisions, which are causing them and their families real pain. As things...

Will my hon. Friend use this debate to try to flush out details not just about Freud, but about other aspects of disability, such as the disabled students allowance? Can we find out whether the Government have taken away that allowance or partially put it back? They should have been...

Will my hon. Friend use this debate to try to flush out details not just about Freud, but about other aspects of disability, such as the disabled students allowance? Can we find out whether the Government have taken away that allowance or partially put it back? They should have been...

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his intervention. This afternoon, we in this House have a chance to send exactly such messages on behalf of disabled people, as well as to send messages to them. I hope that the whole House will embrace this opportunity to state that...

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his intervention. This afternoon, we in this House have a chance to send exactly such messages on behalf of disabled people, as well as to send messages to them. I hope that the whole House will embrace this opportunity to state that...

Does the hon. Lady accept that overall spending on disability benefits will be higher in the period to 2018 than it was under her Government?

Does the hon. Lady accept that overall spending on disability benefits will be higher in the period to 2018 than it was under her Government?

Of course it is right that the benefits bill for disabled people has risen under this Government, but it remains Ministers’ ambition to cut that spend. The former Minister with responsibility for disabled people, the right hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mike Penning), told me in a written answer on...

Of course it is right that the benefits bill for disabled people has risen under this Government, but it remains Ministers’ ambition to cut that spend. The former Minister with responsibility for disabled people, the right hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mike Penning), told me in a written answer on...

That is absolutely right. As I will show later, on several occasions when I have asked Ministers for information about what is happening, the answer has either been that they do not know or that they do not record the information at all.

That is absolutely right. As I will show later, on several occasions when I have asked Ministers for information about what is happening, the answer has either been that they do not know or that they do not record the information at all.

We were so taken aback and stunned by these remarks, and we considered them so offensive and serious, that we considered it right to bring them before the Prime Minister in the highest forum in this land, this Chamber, in the very first Prime Minister’s Question Time that we had...

We were so taken aback and stunned by these remarks, and we considered them so offensive and serious, that we considered it right to bring them before the Prime Minister in the highest forum in this land, this Chamber, in the very first Prime Minister’s Question Time that we had...

I want to go back to the question about increased spending. It is unacceptable to boast of increased spending when that is due to inefficiency and the failure to deliver. In 2010, the Office for Budget Responsibility expected spending on incapacity benefit to fall. That projection has now been changed...

I want to go back to the question about increased spending. It is unacceptable to boast of increased spending when that is due to inefficiency and the failure to deliver. In 2010, the Office for Budget Responsibility expected spending on incapacity benefit to fall. That projection has now been changed...

My hon. Friend is right.

As we start the debate this afternoon, let me say that we can send a message of dignity and respect to disabled people in two ways. We can do so by voting for the motion to make it clear that anyone who makes comments that suggest...

My hon. Friend is right.

As we start the debate this afternoon, let me say that we can send a message of dignity and respect to disabled people in two ways. We can do so by voting for the motion to make it clear that anyone who makes comments that suggest...

That was never our policy. Of course programmes exist to support disabled people who are on benefits to get into therapeutic work, but that is not what the noble Lord Freud was speaking about.

That was never our policy. Of course programmes exist to support disabled people who are on benefits to get into therapeutic work, but that is not what the noble Lord Freud was speaking about.