Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Work and Pensions – in the House of Commons at 2:30 pm on 8 January 2007.
Jim Murphy
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions) (Work)
2:30,
8 January 2007
I am not sure that I followed the logic, if there was any, of the hon. and learned Gentleman's point. The incapacity benefit test is based on medical assessment, not on someone's pension entitlement. Nevertheless, I will do him the service of trying to respond to whatever element of a question he asked. We are determined to reduce the number of people on incapacity benefit by a net 1 million over a decade. We have already made progress through pathways to work and the progressive support that has been put in place, but the Welfare Reform Bill that is going through Parliament now—with belated cross-party support—will be an important additional element of our approach of no longer writing off anybody in the labour market.