1

House of Commons

Notices of Amendments

given up to and including

Wednesday 2 September 2015

New Amendments handed in are marked thus

Amendments which will comply with the required notice period at their next appearance

Amendments tabled since the last publication: 67 to75 and NCs 4 to 6

Public Bill Committee

Welfare Reform and Work Bill

Note

This document includes all amendments tabled to date, arranged in the order they

relate to the Bill.

Angus Robertson

Mike Weir

Dr Eilidh Whiteford

Natalie McGarry

Mhairi Black

Ian Blackford

22

Clause  1,  page  1,  line  3,  leave out “Parliament” and insert “the House of

Commons, the Scottish Parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly and the National

Assembly for Wales”

Member’s explanatory statement

This would require the Secretary of State to report to the elected chambers across the UK with a

responsibility for policies that can contribute to full employment.

Stephen Timms

Kate Green

Chris Leslie

1

Clause  1,  page  1,  line  4,  leave out from “and” to end of subsection and insert “for

the purposes of this report “full employment” is defined as 80% of the working age

Notices of Amendments: 2 September 2015                  

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Welfare Reform and Work Bill, continued

population.”

Member’s explanatory statement

To specify that the purpose of reporting on progress toward full employment, full employment is

defined as 80% of the working population.

Stephen Timms

Kate Green

Chris Leslie

2

Clause  1,  page  1,  line  6,  at end insert—

“(1A)    

In this report the Secretary of State must also set out the progress that has been

made toward halving the disability employment gap.”

Member’s explanatory statement

To require the report on progress towards full employment to also report on progress towards the

Government’s stated aim to halve the disability employment gap.

Angus Robertson

Mike Weir

Dr Eilidh Whiteford

Natalie McGarry

Mhairi Black

Ian Blackford

23

Clause  1,  page  1,  line  6,  at end insert—

“(1A)    

The Secretary of State will appear before a Committee in each of the Scottish

Parliament, Northern Ireland Assembly and the National Assembly for Wales to

answer questions about the report.”

Member’s explanatory statement

This would require the Secretary of State to appear before a committee in Scotland, Wales and

Northern Ireland to answer questions about the full employment report.

Angus Robertson

Mike Weir

Dr Eilidh Whiteford

Natalie McGarry

Mhairi Black

Ian Blackford

24

Clause  1,  page  1,  line  7,  leave out subsection (2)

Member’s explanatory statement

This would remove the provision that repeals the full employment reporting obligation at the end

of the current Parliament.

Stephen Timms

Kate Green

Chris Leslie

75

Clause  2,  page  1,  line  16,  at end insert—

“(aa)    

information about the uptake of apprenticeships broken down by region,

gender, age, ethnicity, disability, sector, qualification and level,

Notices of Amendments: 2 September 2015                  

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Welfare Reform and Work Bill, continued

(ab)    

a report by the UK Commission on Employment and Skills on the quality

of apprenticeship being provided, and”

Member’s explanatory statement

To specify additional information that must be included in the Secretary of State’s report progress

towards meeting the apprenticeship target.

Stephen Timms

Kate Green

Chris Leslie

4

Clause  3,  page  2,  line  46,  at end insert—

“(2A)    

The matters by which the progress made by a household that receives relevant

support shall be measured under subsection (1)(b) include whether a member of

the household is in employment.”

Member’s explanatory statement

This requires one of the factors which is used to measure whether a household receive support is

making progress is whether or a not a member of the household is employed.

Stephen Timms

Kate Green

Chris Leslie

5

Clause  3,  page  3,  line  6,  at end insert—

“(4A)    

A report prepared under this section must include information about the number

of households receiving support where a member of the household, who had not

previously been in employment during the last 12 month, has entered

employment.”

Member’s explanatory statement

To require the report on support for troubled households to specify the number of households

receiving support where a member of the household has become employed.

Stephen Timms

Kate Green

Chris Leslie

6

Clause  3,  page  3,  line  6,  at end insert—

“(4A)    

A report prepared under this section must include information about the total

value of expenditure directed at supporting relevant households by—

(a)    

local government,

(b)    

central government, and

(c)    

government agencies.”

Member’s explanatory statement

To require the report on support for troubled households to specify how much has been spent to

support targeted households by different parts of government.

Notices of Amendments: 2 September 2015                  

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Welfare Reform and Work Bill, continued

Stephen Timms

Kate Green

Chris Leslie

7

Clause  5,  page  5,  leave out lines 16 to 27 and insert—

“5      

Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission: additional functions

(1)    

After Section 8A of the Child Poverty Act 2010 insert—”

Member’s explanatory statement

To leave the name of the “Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission” unchanged.

Stephen Timms

Kate Green

Chris Leslie

8

Clause  5,  page  6,  leave out lines 15 and 16

Member’s explanatory statement

A consequential amendment to amendment 7 to leave the name of the “Social Mobility and Child

Poverty Commission” unchanged.

Stephen Timms

Kate Green

Chris Leslie

9

Clause  6,  page  6,  line  18,  leave out subsection 1

Member’s explanatory statement

Leave child poverty targets and measures unchanged.

Stephen Timms

Kate Green

Chris Leslie

10

Clause  6,  page  7,  leave out from beginning of line 25 to end of Clause

Member’s explanatory statement

Leave child poverty targets and measures unchanged.

Angus Robertson

Mike Weir

Dr Eilidh Whiteford

Natalie McGarry

Mhairi Black

Ian Blackford

25

Clause  7,  page  8,  line  32,  leave out subsection (2)

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment would remove the changes to the benefit cap.

Notices of Amendments: 2 September 2015                  

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Welfare Reform and Work Bill, continued

Stephen Timms

Kate Green

Chris Leslie

11

Clause  7,  page  8,  line  36,  at end insert—

“( )    

Regulations under this section shall not be made in relation to persons—

(a)    

responsible for the care of a child aged below 2;

(b)    

responsible for the care of and in receipt of Carers Allowance in respect

of, but not living with, a person in receipt of Disability Living Allowance

or Personal Independence Payment;

(c)    

in temporary accommodation following an incident or incidents of

domestic violence.”

Member’s explanatory statement

To provide that the benefit cap does not apply to benefit claimants who will find it most difficult to

enter work.

Angus Robertson

Mike Weir

Dr Eilidh Whiteford

Natalie McGarry

Mhairi Black

Ian Blackford

26

Clause  7,  page  8,  line  38,  leave out “£23,000 or £15,410” and insert “£26,000 or

£18,200”

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment would keep the benefit cap level in London at the same rate as today.

Angus Robertson

Mike Weir

Dr Eilidh Whiteford

Natalie McGarry

Mhairi Black

Ian Blackford

27

Clause  7,  page  8,  line  39,  leave out “£20,000 or £13,400” and insert “£26,000 or

£18,200”

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment would keep the benefit cap level outside London at the same rate as today.

Emily Thornberry

Dawn Butler

Wes Streeting

Stephen Pound

Mr Steve Reed

67

Clause  7,  page  9,  line  5,  at end insert—

“(5C)    

Regulations under this section must provide for an exemption from the benefit

cap for persons living in temporary accommodation into which they have been

placed by a local authority which has found them to be in priority need (as defined

in Part 7 of the House Act 1996 and the Homelessness (Priority Need for

Accommodation)(England) Order 2002).”

Member’s explanatory statement

To provide that the benefit cap will not apply to homeless families living in temporary

accommodation after being assessed as having a priority need.

Notices of Amendments: 2 September 2015                  

6

Welfare Reform and Work Bill, continued

Emily Thornberry

Dawn Butler

Wes Streeting

Stephen Pound

Mr Steve Reed

68

Clause  7,  page  9,  line  5,  at end insert—

“(5C)    

Regulations under this section must provide for an exemption from the benefit

cap for claimants of Jobseeker’s Allowance, including income-based Jobseeker’s

Allowance (as defined in section 1 (4) of the Jobseekers Act 1995) where the

claimant has not received a reasonable offer of a job.”

Member’s explanatory statement

To provide that the benefit cap will not apply to job seekers who have not received a reasonable

offer of employment.

Emily Thornberry

Dawn Butler

Wes Streeting

Stephen Pound

Mr Steve Reed

69

Clause  7,  page  9,  line  5,  at end insert—

“(5C)    

Regulations under this section must provide an exemption from the benefit cap

for persons in receipt of —

(a)    

carer’s allowance (see section 70 of the Social Security Contributions

and Benefits Act 1992),

(b)    

employment and support allowance, including income-related

employment and support allowance (as defined in section 1(7) of the

Welfare Reform Act 2007) (see section 1 of the Welfare Reform Act

2007),

(c)    

incapacity benefit (see section 30A of the Social Security Contributions

and Benefits Act 1992),

(d)    

income support (see section 124 of the Social Security Contributions and

Benefits Act 1992),

(e)    

severe disablement allowance (see section 68 of the Social Security,

Contributions and Benefits Act 1992).”

Member’s explanatory statement

To provide that the benefit cap may not be applied to anyone claiming Carer’s Allowance,

Employment and Support Allowance, Incapacity Benefit, Income Support or Severe Disablement

Allowance.

Emily Thornberry

Dawn Butler

Wes Streeting

Stephen Pound

Mr Steve Reed

70

Clause  7,  page  9,  line  5,  at end insert—

“(5C)    

Regulations under this section must provide for an exemption from the benefit

cap for persons in receipt of Universal Credit who are not subject to all work-

search requirements as set out in Section 22 of the Welfare Reform Act 2012.”

Member’s explanatory statement

To provide that the benefit cap may not be applied to anyone claiming Universal Credit who is not

subject to work-search requirements.

Notices of Amendments: 2 September 2015                  

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Welfare Reform and Work Bill, continued

Emily Thornberry

Dawn Butler

Wes Streeting

Stephen Pound

Mr Steve Reed

71

Clause  7,  page  9,  line  6,  leave out subsection (3)

Member’s explanatory statement

To retain the current link between the benefit cap and estimated average earnings.

Angus Robertson

Mike Weir

Dr Eilidh Whiteford

Natalie McGarry

Mhairi Black

Ian Blackford

28

Clause  7,  page  9,  line  9,  leave out paragraph (a)

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment would remove bereavement allowance from the benefit cap.

Angus Robertson

Mike Weir

Dr Eilidh Whiteford

Natalie McGarry

Mhairi Black

Ian Blackford

29

Clause  7,  page  9,  line  11,  leave out paragraph (b)

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment would remove carer’s allowance from the benefit cap.

Emily Thornberry

Dawn Butler

Wes Streeting

Stephen Pound

Mr Steve Reed

72

Clause  7,  page  9,  line  11,  leave out paragraphs (b), (e), (h), (i) and (l)

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment is consequential to amendment 69.

Angus Robertson

Mike Weir

Dr Eilidh Whiteford

Natalie McGarry

Mhairi Black

Ian Blackford

30

Clause  7,  page  9,  line  13,  leave out paragraph (c)

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment would remove child benefit from the benefit cap.