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Public Bill Committee: 3 March 2009                     

124

 

Welfare Reform Bill, continued

 
 

(h)    

claimants must have an opportunity to appeal against any decision under

 

this Act leading to a reduction in benefits; clear advice to this end must

 

be provided to the claimant before a sanction is applied,

 

(i)    

claimants are entitled to high-quality, individually tailored support and

 

must be given access to services that will improve their ability to access

 

decent work, including education, training, condition management and

 

legal support in instances of employer discrimination,

 

(j)    

claimants must be made aware of, and advised on, all of the support for

 

training, childcare and transport to interview costs they are entitled to by

 

providers exercising powers under this Act,

 

(k)    

no claimant shall be required to participate in activity which would

 

otherwise be a condition of benefit entitlement under this Act if

 

appropriate childcare, or other reasonable support required to enable

 

participation, is not available,

 

(l)    

no claimant shall be required to take part in an activity under this Act for

 

which it would be reasonable to expect payment, unless they are in

 

receipt of compensation for that activity in line with the National

 

Minimum Wage, and

 

(m)    

claimants must be able to access free, independent and appropriate advice

 

in relation to all aspects of the Act.’.

 


 

Employment retention

 

John Robertson

 

NC12

 

To move the following Clause:—

 

‘(1)    

The Employment Rights Act 1996 (c. 18) is amended as follows.

 

(2)    

After Part 8A there is inserted—

 

“Part 8B

 

Employment Retention

 

80J    

Employment retention assessment

 

(1)    

The Secretary of State shall make regulations—

 

(a)    

entitling a disabled employee who satisfies specified conditions

 

to an employment retention assessment;

 

(b)    

prescribing the nature of the employment retention assessment.

 

(2)    

This assessment must be carried out by a health care professional

 

approved by the Secretary of State.

 

80K    

Interpretation

 

For the purposes of this Part—

 

“disabled employee” means an employee who has a disability, as defined in

 

section 1(1) of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (c. 50);

 

“employment retention assessment” means an assessment undertaken of a

 

disabled employee by a healthcare professional for the purposes of

 

recommending to his employer measures that could assist the disabled


 
 

Public Bill Committee: 3 March 2009                     

125

 

Welfare Reform Bill, continued

 
 

person to remain in work, or, if that person is on sick leave, measures to

 

provide for a return to work.

 

“health care professional” has the same meaning as in the Welfare Reform

 

Act 2007.”.

 

(3)    

In section 236(3), after “80G,”, insert “80J(1)”.’.

 


 

Passporting of Jobseeker’s Allowance

 

Paul Rowen

 

NC13

 

To move the following Clause:—

 

‘(1)    

The Jobseekers Act 1995 (c.18) is amended as follows.

 

(2)    

After section 27 insert—

 

“27A  

Passporting of Jobseeker’s Allowance

 

(1)    

Regulations under this section may make provision for or in connection

 

with allowing Jobseeker’s Allowance to be passported to employers of

 

individuals who have been on Jobseeker’s Allowance for at least 18

 

months prior to their employment.

 

(2)    

Claimants to whom these regulations apply must be in receipt of the

 

national minimum wage.

 

(3)    

Regulations under this section may, in particular, make provision for

 

contracts of public works whereby employers will receive claimants’

 

passported benefits should they take into employment under such

 

schemes claimants that have been in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance for

 

at least 18 months.

 

(4)    

The award of public works contracts may be rendered conditional upon a

 

minimum percentage of Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants being taken on

 

by the employer concerned.

 

(5)    

Regulations may further make provision for Jobseeker’s Allowance to be

 

passported to employers planning to make skilled or semi-skilled

 

workers redundant.

 

(6)    

Regulations under this section may only apply to employees who would

 

be entitled to Jobseeker’s Allowance if no longer in employment.

 

(7)    

The passported benefits must be used to either—

 

(a)    

retrain the worker concerned, or

 

(b)    

permit retraining and employment as part of a reskilling package

 

agreed between the employer and employee.”.’.

 



 
 

Public Bill Committee: 3 March 2009                     

126

 

Welfare Reform Bill, continued

 
 

Extension of Train to Gain

 

Paul Rowen

 

NC14

 

To move the following Clause:—

 

‘(1)    

Regulations shall make provision for the extension of the Train to Gain

 

programme of the Learning and Skills Council.

 

(2)    

Regulations under this section may, in particular, allow for unemployed

 

jobseeker’s allowance claimants to access Train to Gain funding where the

 

Secretary of State considers that such training would improve the chances of the

 

claimants concerned finding employment.’.

 


 

Mr Tony McNulty

 

That certain written evidence already reported to the House be appended to the

 

proceedings of the Committee.

 

 

Order of the House [27 January 2009]

 

That the following provisions shall apply to the Welfare Reform Bill:

 

Committal

 

1.    

The Bill shall be committed to a Public Bill Committee.

 

Proceedings in Public Bill Committee

 

2.    

Proceedings in the Public Bill Committee shall (so far as not previously

 

concluded) be brought to a conclusion on Tuesday 3 March 2009.

 

3.    

The Public Bill Committee shall have leave to sit twice on the first day on

 

which it meets.

 

Consideration and Third Reading

 

4.    

Proceedings on consideration shall (so far as not previously concluded) be

 

brought to a conclusion one hour before the moment of interruption on the

 

day on which those proceedings are commenced.

 

5.    

Proceedings on Third Reading shall (so far as not previously concluded) be

 

brought to a conclusion at the moment of interruption on that day.

 

6.    

Standing Order No. 83B (Programming committees) shall not apply to

 

proceedings on consideration and Third Reading.

 

Other proceedings

 

7.    

Any other proceedings on the Bill (including any proceedings on

 

consideration of Lords Amendments or on any further messages from the

 

Lords) may be programmed.

 


 
 

Public Bill Committee: 3 March 2009                     

127

 

Welfare Reform Bill, continued

 
 

Order of the Committee [10 February 2009]

 

That—

 

(1)  

the Committee shall (in addition to its first meeting at 10.30 am on Tuesday

 

10 February) meet—

 

(a)  

at 4.00 pm on Tuesday 10 February;

 

(b)  

at 9.00 am on Thursday 12 February;

 

(c)  

at 10.30 am and 4.00 pm on Tuesday 24 February;

 

(d)  

at 9.00 am and 1.00 pm on Thursday 26 February;

 

(e)  

at 10.30 am and 4.00 pm on Tuesday 3 March;

 

(2)  

the Committee shall hear oral evidence in accordance with the following

 

Table—      

 

    TABLE

 

Date

Time

Witness

 
 

Tuesday 10 February

Until no later than

The Royal Association

 
  

12.15 pm

for Disability and

 
   

Rehabilitation (RADAR)

 
   

and Oldham

 
   

Metropolitan Borough

 
   

Council

 
 

Tuesday 10 February

Until no later than

Drugscope

 
  

1.00 pm

  
 

Tuesday 10 February

Until no later than

Barnardo’s, the Child

 
  

5.30 pm

Poverty Action Group

 
   

and Gingerbread

 
 

Tuesday 10 February

Until no later than

Professor Paul Gregg

 
  

6.20 pm

(Bristol University)

 
 

Thursday 12 February

Until no later than

Department for Work and

 
  

10.25 am

Pensions

 
 

(3)  

proceedings on consideration of the Bill in Committee shall be taken in the

 

following order: Clauses 1 to 3; Schedule 1; Clauses 4 to 7; Schedule 2;

 

Clauses 8 and 9; Schedule 3; Clauses 10 to 19; Schedule 4; Clauses 20 to 40;

 

Schedule 5; Clauses 41 to 44; Schedule 6; Clauses 45 and 46; Schedule 7;

 

Clauses 47 to 50; new Clauses; new Schedules; remaining proceedings on the

 

Bill;

 

(4)  

the proceedings shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a

 

conclusion at 7.00 pm on Tuesday 3 March.

 


 
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