Welfare Reform Bill
4:00 pm
James Clappison (Shadow Minister, Work & Pensions; Hertsmere, Conservative)
I would like to ask about the position of lone parents with younger children, which is a very important aspect of the Bill. We will perhaps start with Fiona and Kate. You have seen the Government’s proposals, which were set out in response to the Gregg report, on how they see the parents of children under the age of seven in a progression to work group. After the children are seven years old, the parents will obviously move from income support to jobseeker’s allowance. Under this philosophy of progression to work, those with children under seven will be in a new group, and lone parents of children of three to six years old will be
“Required to follow the full progression to Work regime based around Work Focused interviews, action plans, work related activity and the backstop of adviser direction.”
How do you feel about that?