Welfare Reform Bill

My Lords, it is always a great pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Kirkwood, as even with his jaundiced eye he spots smoke and mirrors. Second Reading debates are usually interesting. The runners and riders walk the course prior to hurdling in Committee, and the mood of the House on a Bill is made clear. I expect that the Minister is pleased with this evening’s debate, which has been very interesting. We have heard a wide range of viewpoints from noble Lords on all sides of the House, who have shown formidable expertise on the subject of welfare reform. I echo my noble friend Lord Skelmersdale, who welcomed the Bill. It is clear from listening to the debate that, irrespective of whether noble Lords support all the aims of the Bill, no one is arguing for the retention of the status quo. For 12 years, the Government have talked time and again about the need for serious reform of the welfare system in this country, but time and again they have shrunk from doing what is needed. That may not be wholly surprising because this is a daunting field and it is inevitable that change will upset certain people, no matter where or how it happens. Nevertheless, it has been painfully apparent for too long that the social security system is a cumbersome, ineffective and costly edifice. The Government should have acted before now, and even though they have finally roused themselves to tackling some of these issues, it is the view of these Benches that the proposed measures in the Bill do not go far enough. However, we are where we are, and it seems to me, from listening to the mood of the debate, that the Minister will find readier support for some of his proposals on these Benches than elsewhere, including from the noble Lord, Lord Watson of Invergowrie, who sits on the Benches behind him. However, much of the opinion in the debate has been, like our own, generally supportive of this Bill. We are likely to have a lively Committee stage as noble Lords examine the details. I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Thomas of Winchester. It is good to know that the noble Lord, Lord Kirkwood, knows the names of his noble friends and where they are. We share some, but not all, of the noble Baroness’s reservations. It was particularly good to hear from the noble Baroness, Lady Campbell of Surbiton. I am sure in Committee we will see further development of the reservations she expressed about the absence of social care within the scope of personal control provisions. The noble Baroness, Lady Wilkins, spoke with her usual commitment to the interests of disabled people. I do not agree with the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Portsmouth. It was good, as always, to hear his contribution, and we all understand why he wished to leave early, but however difficult the current situation—a number of noble Lords mentioned this point—that is no reason to drag one’s feet and delay the Bill. Indeed, there are good arguments for doing the opposite, as my noble friend Lord Sheikh pointed out so well, and we look forward to his involvement in Committee. The noble Baroness, Lady Hollis, always makes high-value contributions, and it was useful to hear her view that sanctions against lone parents may be counterproductive. I suspect that she and the noble Baronesses, Lady Murphy and Lady Meacher, will be properly vocal in Committee. The noble Lord, Lord Rix, showed how singular any one person’s needs are and the real, rewarding effort that is needed to support those with learning difficulties. The noble Lord, Lord Northbourne, was powerful in pointing out that there is a potential conflict between the demands of work and the importance of family life. My noble friend the Duke of Montrose was articulate as always in bringing Scottish concerns to the Bill, as was the noble Lord, Lord Watson. The noble Lords, Lord Kirkwood and Lord Ramsbotham, also emphasised the skills that personal advisers will need. Can the Minister confirm that the purpose of having sub-contractors is so that they can bring these talents to this process? The noble Countess, Lady Mar, pointed out the particular challenge in dealing with the problems faced by those with chronic sickness. The debate was fortunate not to have lost the contribution of the noble Baroness, Lady Kennedy of The Shaws. She joined the noble Baroness, Lady Hollis, in drawing your Lordships’ attention to the particular interests of women, and I hope that the noble Baroness will raise her points on registration in Committee. My noble friend Lord Skelmersdale gave a succinct but thorough run-through of the issues in the first three parts of the Bill, so I will turn my attention to Part 4, on birth registration. This part contains just one clause, which is largely unobjectionable. Indeed, it is a perfect clause in its brevity and straight purpose. It simply applies Schedule 6. Unfortunately, Schedule 6 has much more detail in it—some 13 pages. The schedule proposes compulsory joint birth registration for parents who are unmarried. I understand that at present just 7 per cent of all births—about 45,000 children—are registered solely. We support the principle of joint registration; it is in the interests of a child that both parents be recorded. However, I am puzzled by the drafting of the schedule. It seems from the caveats and exemptions in the Bill that registration will be more a voluntary exercise than a compulsory one. I do not see why a father should not be registered as the father of his child because the mother says she does not know his whereabouts. It is one thing for her to say that she does not know who the father is, but quite a different one for her to simply deny knowing his present whereabouts. He is still the child’s father, even if he is hard to track down. In another place, the Government argued that the lack of an address meant that there would be administrative difficulties. I do not dispute that, but the Bill makes clear that: ""No information relating to the father is to be entered in the register because it is given by the mother"." The Bill defeats the Government’s argument. There is a difference between the duties of the registrar and the obligations of the mother. Surely the rights of the child to know at least some details of his parentage should trump administrative inconvenience. Another matter in the schedule has been raised as a concern. The Bill makes provision for those mothers who do not wish to register the name of their child’s father because she has reason to fear for her safety if he were to be contacted. Gingerbread and others have voiced concern that this will do nothing to protect vulnerable mothers in cases where the father himself volunteers to register. We are dealing with very vulnerable, often young and disadvantaged women and their newborn children. One might, with good reason, say that we should not confuse the issue of registering a child with the separate issue of protecting vulnerable families from abuse and violence. However, it is clearly an area where we must exercise caution and good judgment, and I am sure many noble Lords intend to do just that when we debate this more fully in Grand Committee. I accept that the Government have tried to strike a balance here. I am not yet convinced that they have struck the correct balance, and the Opposition will be laying amendments in Grand Committee to allow us to debate the matter further. At the prompting of my noble friend Lord Skelmersdale, who noble Lords will know is a fan of sunset clauses, we follow the noble Lord, Lord Kirkwood, in feeling that pilots should have sunset clauses attached to them, as opposed to the super affirmatives proposed by his noble friend Lady Thomas of Winchester. I think that will be our general approach as we progress through the next stage. There are questions about the details of the implementation of the Government’s proposals which must be asked about; there are nooks and crannies in the Bill to explore and facts and figures yet to be teased out. That is what your Lordships’ House is for. Whether one supports or opposes the Bill, I feel confident that through our joint efforts we will improve it. I finish where I started. The Opposition are broadly behind the Government on the Bill. There is much to be done before we can allow this Bill to become an Act, but it is vital for the well-being of thousands of individuals and families across the country—probably more so in these difficult times—that we embark on the reform of the welfare system.