Welfare Reform Bill

That is something that we can all agree on. If it is all by agreement, I have no problem with any of it. The difficulty is that someone in the progression-to-work group may find that they are being expected to undertake part-time work which they are not ready for. I come back to this problem about the terminology of "voluntary work". I spoke to my noble friend Lady Neuberger, who has just written a report about volunteering for the Government, about this. She is horrified that volunteering could be part of a requirement. I well understand that it could be a very desirable activity indeed. For example, it might be suggested that someone in the progression-to-work group works in a charity shop for a few days a week. That would be a nice thing; I would love to do it myself, as it would be an interesting thing to do. However, if it is mandated, it is no longer voluntary work. There is an element of compulsion there, so I do not like the phrase "voluntary work" in this context.