Welfare Reform Bill

My Lords, on this occasion I am happy to be at one with my noble friend Lady Lister and the noble Lord, Lord Patel. I am not sure that I am happy to be reminded about being assailed from the left by the noble Lord, Lord Skelmersdale; I try to put those memories far behind me. These are two important amendments and I hope that the Government will consider them seriously and take them on board. As my honourable friend Stephen Timms said in another place, it is, "““very hard to understand the Government’s justification for abolishing ESA for those people””.—[Official Report, Commons, Welfare Reform Bill Committee, 3/5/11; col. 645.]" He said that it is a measure that seems ““unreasonably punitive””. I agree.