Don’t penalise benefit claimants during recession, says Willott

5.33.00pm GMT Wed 10th Dec 2008

Jenny Willott responds to a government statement launching the welfare reform white paper

Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Jenny Willott MP, urged the Government to reconsider changes to the benefits system, which will see claimants penalised for failing to take adequate steps to return to work. 

Speaking in the House of Commons, she said the measures failed to support the most vulnerable during the economic downturn and would be particularly hard on lone parents. She accused the Government of trying to appear as tough as the Tories at the expense of the most vulnerable.

She questioned whether single parents, who will be forced onto Jobseeker's Allowance, rather than income support, would have the necessary "flexible working opportunities, affordable child care, and appropriate personalised support" for the switch to be successful.

She also criticised the language of the reforms, notably the use of the word "offenders" to describe the long-term unemployed:

"The work-for-the dole proposals treat the long-term unemployed as though they were criminals on community service. The rhetoric that is being used demonises those who are on benefits."

Challenging the basis of the reforms, she commented:

"At the heart of the approach that the Government are proposing is the idea that work is the best route out of poverty. Of course, everybody agrees that that should be the case, but given that more than half of children in poverty have a working parent, work does not always pay at the moment. Before the Government sanction people, they need to ensure that people are better off in work. Can the Secretary of State confirm how he is going to ensure that the changes will not just move people from out-of-work poverty to in-work poverty?

"We all agree that the system needs to be overhauled, but for the Government merely to target the most vulnerable and play "Are you tough enough?" with the Tories is not the way forward."

Read Jenny Willott's full response here