Welfare Reform Bill

The noble Baroness, Lady Thomas, has raised concerns about the operation of Clause 7, which is rather baldly entitled "Abolition of income support". That looks most alarming, but on reading the clause we see that it is basically a power for the Secretary of State to abolish a structure once no one is making any use of it. One could argue, as the noble Lord, Lord Kirkwood, has so eloquently, that it is a slightly previous piece of legislation. We agree that the Government could state their case more clearly. We have heard the concerns caused by this clause, whose description may be strictly accurate, but for someone leafing through the Bill without reading the legalistic jargon, it has clearly proved to be quite an eye-opener. Perhaps it would help if the Minister took this opportunity to put on the record exactly what the process will be and reassure us that no one will find income support abolished while they are still on it.