15 September 2006 - ‘Family is the bedrock of the welfare state’ - Hutton
Today, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions John Hutton placed the family at the heart of the debate on welfare reform.
Mr Hutton said the state had to support “strong and stable families” and that this was “absolutely critical to our prospects of making further progress”.
He said:
“The family is the bedrock of the welfare state. It is the family which cares for the new born, raises children, instils a sense of values, coaxes and encourages children to learn and thrive.“It is the extended family – grandparents, aunts, uncles, godparents and family friends – who play a crucial caring role. This is a role which the State should never seek to substitute but which it should rightly seek to complement.”
He was speaking at an event sponsored by ePolitix to mark the culmination of Social Exclusion Week at the Clapham Park Project, Lambeth’s New Deal for Communities neighbourhood.
Also on the panel of speakers was Louise Casey, Coordinator of the cross-Governmental Respect Task Force, Martin Narey, Chief Executive of Barnardo’s and Children’s Commissioner Professor Sir Albert Aynsley-Green.
Notes for Editors
- MP3 file of speeches: http://www.epolitix.com/EN/News/200609/10e2b4ad-e7bb-4d6b-8a1e-7576412ff2c1.htm
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