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Welfare Reform Bill, continued

as a result leave the person with less than the sum prescribed in regulations under

paragraph 2.’.

Grandparents national insurance credit

John Robertson

NC9

To move the following Clause:—

‘(1)	The Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 (c. 4) is amended as

follows.

(2)	In section 23A(3)(c) (Contributions credits for relevant parents and carers), after

first “in”, insert “unpaid care for 20 hours in that week or more of a grandchild

under the age of 12 or of an ill, frail or disabled family member, friend or partner,

or (d) otherwise in”.’.

Passported benefits

Paul Rowen

NC10

To move the following Clause:—

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

(2)	After section 27 insert—

“27A	Passporting of Jobseekers Allowance

(1)	Regulations under this section may make provision for or in connection

with allowing Jobseekers Allowance to be passported to employers of

individuals who have been on Jobseekers Allowance for 18 months prior

to their employment.

(2)	Claimants to whom regulations under section (1) apply must be in receipt

of the national minimum wage.

(3)	Regulations under subsection (1) 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 Jobseekers Allowance for

at least 18 months.

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

minimum percentage of Jobseekers Allowance claimants being taken on

by the employer concerned.

(5)	Regulations may further make provision for Jobseekers Allowance to be

passported to employers planning to make skilled or semi-skilled

workers redundant.

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Welfare Reform Bill, continued

(6)	Regulations under subsection (5) may only apply to employees who

would be entitled to Jobseekers Allowance if no longer in employment.

(7)	The passported benefits under subsection (5) must be used either—

(a)	to retrain the worker concerned, or—

(b)	to enable the worker to continue in employment at a reduced

capacity.”.’.

Claimants’ Charter and Employment Services Ombudsman

Paul Rowen

NC11

To move the following Clause:—

‘(1)	Regulations under this section shall make provision for the extension of the

powers of the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman under the

Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 (c. 13) to administer disputes between

claimants and bodies exercising powers under this Act, with particular reference

to the Claimants’ Charter as under subsection (2) below.

(2)	Regulations under this section shall make provision for a Claimants’ Charter to

set out the rights and duties of Claimants under the provisions of this Act.

(3)	Regulations under this section must, in particular, make provision for the

following—

(a)	a copy of the Charter must be given to each claimant upon initial contact

with providers exercising powers under this Act, together with

information concerning the independent employment services

ombudsman,

(b)	claimants not in employment should not be forced to live below the

poverty line which shall be defined in further Regulations under this

section,

(c)	claimants must be treated with dignity and respect by all providers

exercising powers under this Act,

(d)	claimants must not be subject to degrading or discriminatory treatment in

all of their interactions with providers exercising powers under this Act,

(e)	following initial contact with providers exercising powers under this Act

claimants must be fully informed of, and provided with written

confirmation of, the conditions of their benefit claim in addition to the

consequences of failing to meet those conditions,

(f)	provision of services by providers exercising powers under this Act must

be timely and accurate,

(g)	monitoring of claims by claimants under this Act shall be available via

telephone services free of charge, if claimants have difficulties using

telephone services they must be entitled to face-to-face services,

(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,

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Welfare Reform Bill, continued

(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

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

provide for a return to work.

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

Act 2007.”.

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

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.

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—      

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    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.

---

Revised 24 February 2009