Press briefing: morning 19 October 2014
The Prime Minister's Official Spokesperson answered questions on historic child abuse, the ONS survey of earnings and food banks.
Historic child abuse
When asked about the Prime Minister’s view of historic child abuse allegations in the Telegraph today, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) said if people had evidence of serious wrongdoing they should speak to the police so that it could be thoroughly investigated.
Office for National Statistics (ONS) survey of earnings
When asked about ONS wage figures released today, the PMOS referred to the Prime Minister’s comments that the long term economic plan was working for Britain. On the question of wage growth, the PMOS said people in work for more than 12 months had received a 4.1% pay rise and these statistics showed the gender pay gap was at its lowest levels since records began.
Food banks
When asked about the Prime Minister’s view on the Trussell Trust report into food banks, the PMOS said the Prime Minister welcomed and supported the work of the Trust in running food banks. On the question of food bank users and benefit claims, the PMOS said over 90% of claims were processed on time - an increase of 7 percentage points since 2009 to 2010 - adding that it was very important to continue this progress so people received their benefits on time.
With regard to unemployment benefit, the PMOS said it was right that people were required to complete CVs, attend interviews and take on the jobs they were offered as part of the conditions of receiving benefits.