Welfare Reform Bill

Again, I am grateful to the Minister. The individual action plans, as I think we both agree, could contain multiple activities which made it more likely that a person ended up in work. New Section 2F(1)(a) sets out the direction—I have no complaint about directions; I agree with the Minister that there will be occasions, which I hope will be rare, when they are issued because they are fair and appropriate. However, the individual direction will, as I understand the Bill, direct the individual to undertake only one of the multiple activities described in the agreed action plan. I am not sure that this is a particularly sensible arrangement or that you can pick only the most appropriate of all these agreed things in the action plan—presumably, to the exclusion of all others—to be the one thing on which you will direct him or her. I shall have to give this further thought.