Yvette Cooper - secretary of state for work and pensions - live on Mumsnet this Tues, 27 April, 2-3pm

[GeraldineMumsnet]

Yvette Cooper is secretary of state for work and pensions, and has been Labour MP for Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley since 1997.

She's coming to Mumsnet to talk about Labour's family policies tomorrow from 2-3pm.

Yvette was born in Inverness in 1969. She's married to Ed Balls, secretary of state for children, schools and families, and they have three children (two daughters and one son).

Feel free to post your questions here and join us tomorrow (and please read our webchat guidelines).

Thanks.

To Ottavia and Ewe, there is a lot of Ashcroft and other money helping Conservative candidates in lots of constituencies. There's also a lot of spin coming from the Conservatives about which constituencies they are targeting. Ed's been running a strong local campaign for a long time - the Conservative candidate hasn't. I don't think you can just flush a constituency with cash at the last minute and expect to be taken seriously.

Yvette - sorry to be brief, but it feels as though Labour's female hard-hitters have been virtually invisible in the core campaign - why is that? It's all so relentlessly male.

I think it's an error - in an election where many seem to be finding it difficult to distinguish between the parties as they cling to the centre, this could have been a way for Labour to set themselves apart - most female MPs etc.

And apart from that, it's blimmin annoying from a feminist perspective. This day and age, and all that.

Agnes I have met a lady on the NICE asd committe and Am Optimistic.

On pensions tax relief, runningwithscissors, the Chancellor hasn't set out any plans to reverse the change. Given that those on the very highest income and with the highest pension contributions also get far, far more in tax relief on their pension contributions than everyone else, i think this is a sensible and fair long term change -- which also helps us raise revenue when its needed for the public finances

Hi Yvette, as part of a working couple I had to return to work when my little boy was 12 weeks old as we could not afford not to work to pay the mortgage. As we jointly earn too much to claim tax credits (despite living in a 2 bed terrace and struggling), one of the few "perks" was the tax relief on childcare vouchers. This is now being withdrawn (and I realise this is being withdrawn slowly so will not effect us - we can't afford to have another child). Why are labour withdrawing this ONE benefit working parents received to give free childcare to 2 year olds from "poorer" families who already receive more than enough handouts. The tax relief on these vouchers is one of the few things that makes work affordable - are labour trying to encourage working people to give up work and claim benefits?

Would be more of an argument for 'broken britain' if there were drug dealers in pre school

Quite a few questions on Job Centres and private providers. To mumscentrepuls, onadietcokebreak and NinthWave - thanks for the work that you are doing. Job Centre Plus has done an amazing job during the recession - coping with more people coming through the door and getting people back to work much faster than in the 80s and 90s. It's a significant part of the reason why unemployment is around half a million lower than everyone expected this time last year and around half the level of previous recessions.

It's true that we use private providers for different contracts to help people get back to work. The Flexible New Deal does pay contractors by results - they actually get most of the money once people are in jobs. That's new. I don't think Job Centre Plus should try to do everything when there are private providers or voluntary sector providers who can also make a real difference getting people into jobs. But I think the Conservatives are wrong to think that Job Centres should cut back and pass almost everything to private providers. Job Centres have been doing a great job. But I think we should give advisers much more discretion and flexibility to do what they think will make most difference to get people jobs.

Hello there. I'm one of the dreaded breed of mother. The single mother. Currently on benifits,(don't want to be) and pregnant again( my fault, I know!).
My eldest is 13and until 10 months ago, I worked both full and part time as well as gaining a degree. Just found out I'm pregnant again but I'd really like to start a business I can manage from home.
Currently getting good advice and practical help via businesslink. However, financial start-up help isn't there( I've looked myself and been told by business advisors). Could you tell me why this is the case and if this is set to continue after the election? I've had enough of handouts and would appreciate a leg up.

Hi Yvette. I'm really hoping you won't dodge this question like every other politician seems to be doing their best to: if there were to be a hung parliament, would you serve in a government with Nick Clegg?

Hello Yvette.
When are you going to end the advertising of sex industry jobs in Job Centres Plus? (And while we're at it, what about signing up to the OBJECT charter on women and the media here?

Yvette....thats lovely about Jobcentre staff but there are two sides to JC+. Processing is vital and more support is needed. People wont return to work if they know that if they have to sign back on it will take weeks (at best) to get there benefits sorted.

BTW- Im sure you have seen my post re family friendly policies being eroded but another factor you need to address is the bullying culture amongst management that has been allowed to grow over the last 5 years.

Thanks for kind of addressing the question. Under the New Deal, A4e and other providers have provided no discernible results for many years and have milked the system - hence the £40m personal worth of Emma Harrison.

That £40m is tax payers money, and the company has done little to show for it in terms of delivered long term employment for young people. Do you agree this is scandalous?

I appreciate the New Deal goes some way in addressing this - but I would disagree that you now pay on results. Getting a job and staying in a job are 2 very different matters.

Yvette i feel compelled to tell you that your statement just there on Job Centre Plus is just not most people experience, they are quite inept often with severe lack of knowledge of particular job markets and cannot give practical help to skilled professional workers..if you are not a hairdresser, machine worker or in construction you really are wasting your time...

Herbietea I do not think anybody persists with a pladge of "increasing toddler tax credits". It is just that it is probably easier and cheaper to help new mothers stay in their existing jobs and work, than forcing them to join the long-term unemployed.
That is my view anyway.

To BongoBaby: Single parents get help because it can be tough bringing up kids on your own and we shouldn't leave children in poverty. But we have changed the rules so that single parents with children over 7 are expected to look for work in school hours and are expected to prepare for work during nursery and school hours once the kids are 3. But I agree with you that absent fathers should pay their way and latest figures from CMEC show that almost 75% of non residential parents are doing just that. I think the important thing is to support all families and all children -- which is why i strongly disagree with the Tories married couples plans, which bizarrely rewards fathers who leave their children and remarry

mmrsceptic and leningrad asked about the pension changes. We have changed the rules from this April so that people only need 30 years contributions to get a full state pension. For a hundred years there has been a deep rooted inequality in the state pension between men and women, because too many women were penalised for time spent looking after kids or elderly relatives. These changes help turn that round. But we're also reforming the Home Responsibilities Protection to make it more generous for mums staying at home. More info available on directgov.

What's Ed's worst habit (not including talking on his mobile while driving)?

Hogging the telly all Saturday afternoon and walking very fast through stations and crowded places so neither i nor the kids can keep up, and i'm always afraid one of them will get lost, but he does do all the cooking.... (Justine says i should answer another question and not get distracted by too long a list)