In January the House of Commons Library published its research paper on the Welfare Reform Bill currently before Parliament. Research papers are designed to give MPs and their staff a more thorough grounding into the background of a piece of legislation so they may be better able to take part in debates.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that the paper gives a balanced view of the legislation and includes (in some detail) the views of those organisations that have expressed concern.
With regard to workfare, the paper points out that the evidence base for the effectiveness of such schemes is thin and that such schemes are at their least effective when imposed on those who have the most barriers to work. It also quotes the DWP's own research which showed that people "with multiple barriers often find it difficult to meet obligations to take part in unpaid work. This can lead to sanctions and, in the most extreme cases, the complete withdrawal of benefits that leaves some individuals with no work and no income".
As I pointed out last month, some people with disabilities currently on Incapacity Benefit will be moved to Jobseeker's Allowance (having failed to pass the limited capability for work assessment for Employment and Support Allowance). They will then spend 12 months trying to find a job (in a recession) and then be required to participate in a workfare scheme.
In its impact assessment document the government acknowledges that the workfare proposal will have a greater impact on those with a disability but then blandly asserts that " it will help more jobseekers with a disability find sustained employment, thereby promoting equality of opportunity". There is no evidence at all for this assertion, indeed all the objective evidence points in the other direction. It is this kind of lazy and dishonest assertion that makes you wonder about this government's moral compass.
It is to be hoped that all MPs read this paper and make up their own minds especially with regard to workfare and the potentially disastrous impact it will have on the disabled. It is also to be hoped that on this occasion they vote in line with common sense rather than party dogma.
This article was taken from the BenefitsNow 12th newsletter 22/02/2009
Benefitsnow February 2009 Newsletter
Hello,
This is our twelfth newsletter which aims to bring news stories of interest to people with disabilities and their carers. We hope you find the information below to be useful. If you have any comments please e-mail john@benefitsnowshop.co.uk .
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