Welfare Reform Bill

I, too, support this amendment, which perhaps is one of the most important. Jobcentres would need to be successful in convincing their clients that they are both friends and advisers, but at the same time would have the power of conditionality to discipline them. Only if the advisers can achieve that degree of rapport with the people they are dealing with will they be successful and the reputation of the jobcentres will be the sort that we want them to have. The noble Baroness, Lady Thomas, spoke about people with disabilities. The amendment refers also to people on drug dependency and victims of domestic violence. But your Lordships will probably not be surprised if I say that the proposed new subsections in the amendment that interest me particularly are those that refer to "claimants with caring responsibilities" and "parents with dependent children". In any forthcoming version of this amendment, I should like to persuade the noble Baroness to exclude the words "lone parents" because very often parents are not "lone". There are parents who for a variety of reasons have very real problems. I have previously said on one of my amendments how important and difficult it will be for these advisers to understand the family dynamics of the many people with whom they have to deal. Would it not be the right solution for jobcentres to have support from specialists who understand all the areas where problems might arise so that they can refer cases where they have any measure of doubt or get advice and support from an expert in the relevant field?