Welfare Reform Bill

I offer very warm support from these Benches for this proposal, moved so ably by the noble Baroness, Lady Turner. I can confirm that should there be a Liberal Democrat Government after the next election, we would also bring it in. My right honourable friend in another place, Nick Clegg, has also waxed lyrical about how we do not like the council tax at all. I am sure that noble Lords will understand that I must say this, having the opportunity. We think that it should be scrapped and replaced with a system based on people’s ability to pay, which would be of great benefit to many older veterans living on low incomes. Council tax benefit has the lowest take-up of any of the means-tested benefits. Some 1.7 million pensioners, including many ex-servicemen and women, do not claim it, as we have heard, because they are simply not prepared to claim a benefit. Research has clearly shown that rebranding council tax benefit as a rebate would increase the rate of take-up, and it would be a very practical change to help to lift a large number of older people out of poverty. We warmly support the proposal from these Benches and hope that the Government will accept the amendment.