Welfare Reform Bill

Increasingly there is such an assessment. I have gone on record saying that we may need to, and should, do more to assess people's roles, especially given the downturn, from the time when they originally present. I said clearly in the previous debate that the woman who interviewed me who worked successfully for Findus for 20 years needs a slightly different approach, from day one, from someone who is dipping in and out of employment all the time, whether as a matter of choice or otherwise. I therefore take the point that the hon. Gentleman made earlier about Woolworths. It would be remiss of me if I did not refer at least to the lead new clause, if not to some of the other amendments. There has been a fairly extensive debate, but I thought it important to put my contextual points on the record. New clause 1 seeks to homogenise JSA rates across age groups. I express no view about why my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Lynne Jones) seeks to do that, but I point out that jobseeker's allowance is not, and should not be, a substitute for wages for paid employment. It would not be in anybody's interest if benefit levels offered an alternative to work. That would fundamentally undermine what the benefits system and the welfare state are there for. Notwithstanding the comments of the hon. Member for Northavon (Steve Webb), the majority of those under 25 have fewer financial responsibilities and lower earnings expectations than older workers. Paying the full adult rate would not therefore reflect the reality of the labour market and would erode the incentive to move off benefits and into work. For those reasons, I cannot support new clause 1. As my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak, knows, it is important to remember that for those young people with additional financial pressures, such as those who are parents or who are disabled, there is additional support, for example from tax credits or disability living allowance.