New Clause 8
Welfare Reform Bill
11:45 am
David Ruffley (Shadow Minister, Work & Pensions; Bury St Edmunds, Conservative)
May I raise two points quickly? The first is about something that puzzles me. Under-25s on income support or income-based JSA are exempt from NDDs, but those of the same age group claiming contribution-based JSA are not. It happens with other benefits too. Why is there this separation for those in the younger age group, in this case the under-25 demographic, between income-based JSA and contribution-based JSA?
My second question is one that the Minister will not be embarrassed to answer because there is no price tag attached, although technically there is one. When will more research on this important area be commissioned by her Department? Is it intended to refresh and renew the research work done in 1996, particularly in view of the disincentives to keep a family together caused by the current regime? The present regime might lead to a perverse incentive for a non-dependent to leave shared accommodation in which they may be lodging or living and applying for their own tenancy, thus putting pressure on housing stock and the Exchequer by giving rise to a brand new housing benefit claim. There is anecdotal evidence that that could be a problem, and any Minister would want to deal with it. Will more research be done? Has any research been done on that? It does not seem to do anyone any good if the current regime is forcing people out of their homes and leading to further householder unit formation, with people having to find their own housing and claiming more housing benefit in their own right.
I shall finish, having asked a grand strategic question about research and made a technical query about the distinction between income-based and contribution-based JSA.