14 May 2008 – Purnell: Time for the public to tell us what they want from the welfare and benefits system
People across the country will be given the chance to tell the government what they want to see in the welfare and benefits system, announced Secretary of State for Work and Pensions James Purnell today.
The Government will publish a Green Paper setting out a range of options to reduce welfare dependency and support more people into work, provide greater support and control for disabled people and strengthen parental responsibility. This paper will be open for a full public consultation, the results of which will feed into a Bill this autumn.
James Purnell said:
“We have made real progress over the last decade, slashing the numbers claiming unemployment benefit in half, lifting 600,000 children out of poverty and helping record numbers into work. But there’s more work to be done to ensure that no-one with the ability to work is trapped on benefits for life.”
“That’s why we’ll be publishing a green paper and inviting people to tell us their views on the options to modernise the benefit system, deliver value for money for the taxpayer and provide support for people at the time they need it most. We want to reform the benefit system so that disabled people have greater choice and control and that there are more incentives for people to move from benefits into work.”
The main elements of the Green Paper will be:
- Measures to better enable people to take advantage of the considerable help on offer to them and where appropriate, to undertake training that is considered essential to finding employment.
- A range of measures which strengthen the benefit contract between the individual and society – the individual’s right to support in exchange for clear personal responsibility for improving their own circumstances
- A number of measures to strengthen the requirements of non-resident parents to contribute to their children’s upbringing, as part of a package which champions personal responsibility in the welfare system.
- Measures to modernise and simplify the benefit system, ensuring that support provides help at the time and in the manner most needed and helps us to achieve our goal of taking 1 million people off incapacity benefit by 2015.
The Green Paper will be published shortly.
Notes to Editors
- The Bill is part of the Government’s draft legislative programme published today by the Cabinet office at: http://www.commonsleader.gov.uk/
- In addition to the proposals in the Bill, the Government is also undertaking:
- Introducing the Employment and Support Allowance from October 2008, which will focus on supporting people into work and will not automatically assume that because a person has a significant health condition or disability they are incapable of work.
- The Carers Review, with proposals which may require primary legislation.
- A review of Housing Benefit, conducted jointly with HM Treasury.
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