Welfare Reform Bill

I thank all noble Lords who supported the amendment. Our debate has ranged widely from practical points to the philosophical ones raised by my noble friend Lord Kirkwood. The Grand Committee is very concerned about this part of the Bill and I thank the Minister for giving such a long explanation of it. His speech will repay a great deal of study. This part of the Bill begs the question of what is the strategic direction—the big picture, as my noble friend said. Returning to the amendment, at least a personally tailored work-related activity sounds like a helpful carrot rather than a punitive stick. If I were Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the first thing I would do would be to review this provision, because I do not think that the evidence base is at all strong for that group of people. We need a much stronger evidence base on which to introduce such a punitive regime.