Work and Pensions Select Committee

Technopedia Center

Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science
S1 Informatics S1 Information Systems S1 Information Technology S1 Computer Engineering S1 Electrical Engineering S1 Civil Engineering

faculty of Economics and Business
S1 Management S1 Accountancy

Faculty of Letters and Educational Sciences
S1 English literature S1 English language education S1 Mathematics education S1 Sports Education

Work and Pensions Select Committee - Wikipedia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Redirected from Work and Pensions 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

Membership of the committee is as follows:^[2]

	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
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
Frank McNally MP	Labour	Coatbridge and Bellshill
John Milne MP	Liberal Democrats	Horsham
David Pinto-Duschinsky MP	Labour	Hendon

Changes since 2024

Date	Outgoing Member & Party		Constituency	→	New Member & Party		Constituency	Source
16 December 2024		Neil Coyle MP (Labour)	Bermondsey and Old Southwark	→		Frank McNally MP (Labour)	Coatbridge and Bellshill	Hansard

2019-2024 Parliament

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

	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

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

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

	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

Date	Outgoing Member & Party		Constituency	→		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
4 June 2018		Emma Dent Coad MP (Labour)	Kensington	→	Rosie Duffield MP (Labour)	Canterbury	Hansard
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.^[8]^[9]

	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

Date		Constituency	→		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
31 October 2016	Craig Williams MP (Conservative)	Cardiff North	→	Luke Hall MP (Conservative)	Thornbury and Yate	Hansard
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.^[10]^[11]

	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

Date		Constituency	→		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
29 November 2010	Sajid Javid MP (Conservative)	Bromsgrove	→	Brandon Lewis MP (Conservative)	Great Yarmouth	Hansard
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
4 November 2013	Mike Freer MP (Conservative)	Finchley and Golders Green	→	Dame Angela Watkinson MP (Conservative)	Hornchurch and Upminster	Hansard
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

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'.^[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)

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]

References

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

External links

Current parliamentary committees of the United Kingdom

Commons

Departmental	Business and Trade Culture, Media and Sport Defence Education Energy Security and Net Zero Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Foreign Affairs Health and Social Care Home Affairs Housing, Communities and Local Government International Development Justice Northern Ireland Affairs Science, Innovation and Technology Scottish Affairs Transport Treasury Welsh Affairs Work and Pensions
Topical	Arms Export Controls Environmental Audit Petitions Public Accounts Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Statutory Instruments Women and Equalities
General	Panel of Chairs Public bill committees Delegated legislation committees European committees Northern Ireland Grand Committee Regional Affairs Committee Scottish Grand Committee Welsh Grand Committee
Internal	Administration Finance Backbench Business Liaison Procedure Selection Standards Privileges Works of Art
Statutory	House of Commons Commission Administration Estimate Audit Members Estimate Members Estimate Audit Public Accounts Commission Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority

Lords

Topical	Communications and Digital Constitution Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Economic Affairs European Affairs International Agreements International Relations and Defence Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Science and Technology
Private	Hybrid Instruments Standing Orders
Internal	Lords Commission Finance Liaison Conduct Procedure and Privileges Selection
Domestic	Services Works of Art

Joint

Select	Consolidation Bills Human Rights National Security Strategy Statutory Instruments Tax Law Rewrite Bills
Statutory	Ecclesiastical Committee Intelligence and Security

Categories:

Hidden categories: