Welfare Reform Bill

Yes, we take that very seriously; I am sure that a meeting can be arranged. The noble Baroness, Lady Thomas, referred to the letter in the Guardian, which I have not seen, and talked about schizophrenia and being bipolar—they are mentioned the letter. She asked whether that would be in the support group. The work capability assessment assesses function, not diagnosis. It is important that we look at people genuinely as individuals, not simply by diagnosis. Again, that involves talking to every individual and trying to have a tailor-made scheme for them. The noble Baroness, Lady Thomas, talked about condition management programmes. They are already available on a national basis to all incapacity benefit and ESA customers. I agree that they are a valuable part of the Pathways to Work programme.