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Welfare Reform Bill - change on the cards
The Welfare Reform Bill is due for its second reading on the 29th April (this Wednesday coming). The first reading took place on the 18th March. This stage is a formality that signals the start of the Bill's journey through the Lords.
The second reading involves the general debate on all aspects of the Bill. This article looks at the main provisions of the bill, and why it's going to make some positive changes.
What is the Welfare Reform Bill?
The Bill proposes to reform the welfare and benefit system to improve support and incentives for people to move from benefits into work.
It contains measures to increase personal responsibility within the welfare system. It also proposes to encourage parental responsibility by introducing a requirement for joint birth registration and by amending the law relating to child support.
Key areas:
- Reforms the benefits system by abolishing Income Support and moving all claimants on to either Jobseekers' Allowance if they are well or Employment and Support Allowance if they are sick
- Aligns the contribution conditions between Employment and Support Allowance and Jobseeker's Allowance
- Introduces a regime of benefit sanctions for non-attendance at Jobcentres
- Requires job search by partners of benefit claimants
- Abolishes Adult Dependency Increases in the Carer's Allowance and Maternity Allowance
- Introduces work-focused interviews for over-60s
- Requires work-related activity in return for receipt of Employment and Support Allowance
- Introduces a requirement for births to be registered jointly by both parents
- Provides additional powers for the enforcement of child maintenance arrears.
Q: So what interests me so much about this Bill?
A: The new powers it would give the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (CMEC). The new legislation would allow the CMEC to bypass the courts and confiscate absent parents' passports and driving licences until outstanding child maintenance is paid in full. Opponents of this have said the government's plans could lead to breaches of parents' civil rights. I think this is nonsense. What of the childrens' rights? My daughter didn't see any maintenance for 6 years of her life (that's most of it!) because the CSA could do nothing about the fact her father wouldn't pay up, bar sending him letter after letter, bill after bill, for him to throw in the bin. So I'm glad to see the authorities are being given these sort of powers to take some real action against selfish absent parents, rather than making tax payers cough up for six years worth of slightly stroppy reminders with no results.
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