Welfare Reform Bill

The noble Lord is right that if the assessment is completed before the end of week 13, the extra arrangements kick in from the beginning of week 14. I stress again that we must look at the generality—the totality—of the package. Paying the enhanced components—the work-related activity component or the support-group component—from an earlier date for some but not for others, based purely upon efficiency of resources in any region, would not be particularly fair either. That is why we have provided for this 13-week period and why we want all those arrangements to kick in from the beginning of week 14.