Work and Pensions Select Committee

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]

Membership

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Membership of the committee is as follows:[2]

Member Party Constituency
Debbie Abrahams MP (chair) Labour Oldham East and Saddleworth
Johanna Baxter MP Labour Paisley and Renfrewshire South
Peter Bedford MP Conservative Mid Leicestershire
Neil Coyle MP Labour Bermondsey and Old Southwark
Steve Darling MP Liberal Democrats Torbay
Damien Egan MP Labour Bristol North East
Gill German MP Labour Clwyd North
Amanda Hack MP Labour North West Leicestershire
John Milne MP Liberal Democrats Horsham
David Pinto-Duschinsky MP Labour Hendon

2019-2024 Parliament

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The full membership of the committee in the 58th Parliament was as follows:[3][4]

Member Party Constituency
Stephen Timms MP (chair)[5] 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

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Date Outgoing Member
& Party
Constituency New Member
& Party
Constituency Source
9 January 2023 Chris Stephens MP (SNP) Glasgow South West David Linden MP (SNP) Glasgow East Hansard

2017-2019 Parliament

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The chair was elected on 12 July 2017, with the members of the committee being announced on 11 September 2017.[6][7]

Member Party Constituency
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

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Date Outgoing Member
& Party
Constituency New Member
& Party
Constituency Source
16 October 2017 New 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

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The chair was elected on 18 June 2015, with members being announced on 8 July 2015.[8][9]

Member Party Constituency
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

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Date Outgoing Member
& Party
Constituency New Member
& Party
Constituency Source
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

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The chair was elected on 10 June 2010, with members being announced on 12 July 2010.[10][11]

Member Party Constituency
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

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Date Outgoing Member
& Party
Constituency New Member
& Party
Constituency Source
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 2014 Dame Angela Watkinson MP (Conservative) Hornchurch and Upminster Paul Maynard MP (Conservative) Blackpool North and Cleveleys Hansard

Significant inquiries

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

Welfare safety net inquiry (2015)

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On 18 September 2015, the committee announced that it was beginning an enquiry into the 'welfare safety net'.[12] 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)

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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.”[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Work and Pensions Committee". UK Parliament. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  2. ^ "Work and Pensions Committee membership appointedWork and Pensions Committee membership appointed". committees.parliament.uk. Work and Pensions Committee. 29 October 2024. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  3. ^ "Work and Pensions Committee - Membership - Committees - UK Parliament". committees.parliament.uk. Archived from the original on 8 August 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  4. ^ "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.)
  5. ^ "Stephen Timms elected as Chair of Work and Pensions Committee - News from Parliament". UK Parliament. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  6. ^ "Speaker's Statement: Select Committee Chairs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 627. Parliament of the United Kingdom: House of Commons. 12 July 2017.
  7. ^ "Business without Debate". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 628. Parliament of the United Kingdom: House of Commons. 11 September 2017.
  8. ^ "Speaker's Statement". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 597. Parliament of the United Kingdom: House of Commons. 18 June 2015.
  9. ^ "Business without Debate". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 598. Parliament of the United Kingdom: House of Commons. 8 July 2015.
  10. ^ "Speaker's Statement". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 511. Parliament of the United Kingdom: House of Commons. 10 June 2010.
  11. ^ "Committees". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 513. Parliament of the United Kingdom: House of Commons. 12 July 2010.
  12. ^ "Welfare safety net inquiry launched". UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 22 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  13. ^ End two-child benefits limit, say cross-party MPs Archived 26 July 2021 at the Wayback Machine The Observer
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