Welfare Reform Bill

That was extremely helpful. Clearly, in the past, having a rack of leaflets on benefits in the jobcentre has simply not been sufficient because, if no one tells him, no potential claimant will know whether they will apply to him. Therefore, updating and reviewing the scripts is very useful. That prompts me, I am afraid, to relate a case study from Macmillan Cancer Relief. In November 2006, advisers on Macmillan’s benefits helpline helped a cancer patient, aged 50, who just that day had asked Jobcentre Plus whether his benefit entitlement had changed following his recent terminal prognosis. Jobcentre Plus had told him that he would not be eligible for further benefits as he was already claiming incapacity benefit and income support. That was plainly wrong. Macmillan helped him to apply for disability living allowance under special rules and, that afternoon, his GP issued his DS1500 form, confirming the terminal prognosis and making him eligible for DLA. Claiming DLA also increased his income support entitlement, as it would normally do. A successful outcome of reviewing the scripts should eliminate that kind of error by the jobcentre adviser. I will have to keep track of that to see whether it does.