'Tough' welfare reform plans aired

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

The much debated Welfare Reform White Paper released today will aim to force unemployed people – except for carers, parents of very young children and the severely disabled – to prove that they are seriously looking for work or they could risk losing part of their benefits.

Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell said: "I believe it is wrong to have a welfare system which doesn't encourage people to prepare for or get back to work. In future virtually everyone will be expected to do something in return for their benefits.''

One controversial part of the paper states that parents of children as young as one will be expected to be looking for some kind of work, whereas the age now is 12 but this is due to drop to seven. However, the Department for Work and Pensions has admitted that far from imposing a tough regime as has been publicised, the government will be satisfied with evidence that someone has updated their CV or enquired about local child care facilities.

David Green, director of the Civitas think tank, said: "If you allow people to monkey about with their CV you just get people playing the system. It's a waste of time. It has got to be all about getting people into work."