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97

 

House of Commons

 
 

Thursday 26 February 2009

 

Public Bill Committee

 

New Amendments handed in are marked thus Parliamentary Star

 

Parliamentary Star - whiteAmendments which will comply with the required notice period at their next appearance

 

Welfare Reform Bill


 

Note

 

The Amendments have been arranged in accordance with the Resolution of the

 

Programming Sub-Committee.

 


 

Tony McNulty

 

94

 

Clause  19,  page  23,  line  45,  leave out ‘in England and Wales or Northern Ireland,’.

 

Member’s explanatory statement

 

This amendment ensures that the loss of benefit provisions in new section 6B of the Social Security

 

Fraud Act 2001 apply where a person in Scotland is cautioned for a benefit offence. As currently

 

drafted, they apply to cautions in England and Wales or Northern Ireland, but not in Scotland.

 

Mr James Clappison

 

Mr Mark Harper

 

Mr John Baron

 

19

 

Clause  19,  page  25,  line  18,  at end insert—

 

‘(10A)    

A statutory instrument containing regulations made by the Secretary of State

 

under subsections (6), (7), (8), (9) or (10) shall not be made unless a draft of the

 

instrument has been laid before Parliament and approved by a resolution of each

 

House.’.

 

Paul Rowen

 

63

 

Clause  19,  page  25,  line  41,  at end insert—

 

‘(14)    

Sanctionable benefits shall be returned to the claimant with compensation where

 

the benefit offence is attributable to a mistake made by the Secretary of State or

 

anyone acting under his authority as provided in paragraphs (1) to (11) above’.


 
 

Public Bill Committee: 26 February 2009                  

98

 

Welfare Reform Bill, continued

 
 

Tony McNulty

 

95

 

Clause  19,  page  26,  line  46,  after ‘sentenced)’ insert ‘or in the case mentioned in

 

paragraph (b)(ii) the date of the order for absolute discharge’.

 

Member’s explanatory statement

 

This amendment is consequential upon amendment 96.

 

Tony McNulty

 

96

 

Clause  19,  page  26,  line  47,  leave out from second ‘to’ to end of line 49 and

 

insert—

 

‘(i)    

a conviction in relation to which the court makes an order for

 

absolute or conditional discharge or a court in Scotland makes a

 

probation order,

 

(ii)    

an order for absolute discharge made by a court of summary

 

jurisdiction in Scotland under section 246(3) of the Criminal

 

Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 without proceeding to a

 

conviction, and

 

(iii)    

’.

 

Member’s explanatory statement

 

This amendment ensures that new section 6B of the 2001 Act applies where a person is convicted

 

of a benefit offence, but the court makes an order for absolute discharge. See also amendment 97.

 


 

Tony McNulty

 

97

 

Schedule  4,  page  84,  line  15,  at end insert—

 

    ‘( )  

In subsection (9)—

 

(a)    

in paragraph (a), after “sentenced)” insert “or in the case mentioned in

 

paragraph (b)(ii) the date of the order for absolute discharge”, and

 

(b)    

for paragraph (b) substitute—

 

“(b)    

references to a conviction include references to—

 

(i)    

a conviction in relation to which the court

 

makes an order for absolute or conditional

 

discharge or a court in Scotland makes a

 

probation order,

 

(ii)    

an order for absolute discharge made by a

 

court of summary jurisdiction in Scotland

 

under section 246(3) of the Criminal

 

Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 without

 

proceeding to a conviction, and

 

(iii)    

a conviction in Northern Ireland.”.’.

 

Member’s explanatory statement

 

This amends section 7 of the Social Security Fraud Act 2001 so as to ensure that its provisions

 

apply where a person is convicted of a benefit offence, but the court makes an order for absolute

 

discharge. See also amendments 95 and 96.

 

Tony McNulty

 

98

 

Schedule  4,  page  86,  line  35,  leave out ‘6B(7)’ and insert ‘6B(6)’.


 
 

Public Bill Committee: 26 February 2009                  

99

 

Welfare Reform Bill, continued

 
 

Member’s explanatory statement

 

This amendment ensures that the affirmative Parliamentary procedure applies to the regulation-

 

making power in new section 6B(6) of the Social Security Fraud Act 2001 (inserted by clause 19).

 

The existing reference to new section 6B(7) is incorrect.

 


 

Paul Rowen

 

60

 

Clause  21,  page  30,  line  16,  after ‘credit’, insert ‘and Carer Addition.’.

 

Paul Rowen

 

61

 

Clause  21,  page  30,  line  18,  after ‘credit’, insert ‘and Carer Addition.’.

 

Mr James Clappison

 

Mr Mark Harper

 

Mr John Baron

 

20

 

Clause  21,  page  31,  line  10,  at end add—

 

‘(3A)    

Within six months of the expiry of the specified period referred to in subsection

 

(1), the Secretary of State shall lay before each House of Parliament a report on

 

the operation of the state pension credit pilot schemes established under these

 

provisions.’.

 


 

Paul Rowen

 

67

 

Clause  23,  page  33,  line  3,  at end insert—

 

‘(d)    

shall specify the level of training required to meet the needs of claimants

 

with mental and/or physical disabilities,

 

(e)    

shall specify the level of training required to meet the needs of claimants

 

with caring responsibilities,

 

(f)    

shall specify the level of training required to meet the needs of claimants

 

with drug dependency and alcohol issues,

 

(g)    

shall specify the level of training required to meet the needs of claimants

 

who are lone parents with dependant children, and

 

(h)    

shall specify the level of training required to meet the needs of claimants

 

who are lone parents and have been victims of domestic violence.’.

 

Mr James Clappison

 

Mr Mark Harper

 

Mr John Baron

 

21

 

Clause  23,  page  33,  line  11,  leave out paragraph (a).

 



 
 

Public Bill Committee: 26 February 2009                  

100

 

Welfare Reform Bill, continued

 
 

Paul Rowen

 

87

 

Clause  24,  page  34,  line  28,  after ‘cause’, insert ‘(which shall include situations

 

where the failure was caused by a long-term or fluctuating mental health problem)’.

 


 

Paul Rowen

 

64

 

Clause  26,  page  36,  line  14,  at end insert—

 

‘(5)    

In section 23A(3) of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 (c.

 

4) for paragraph (c) substitute—

 

“(c)    

unpaid care for a grandchild aged under 12 or an ill, frail or

 

disabled family member, friend or partner for 20 hours per week

 

or more.”’.

 


 

Mr James Clappison

 

Mr Mark Harper

 

Mr John Baron

 

23

 

Clause  28,  page  36,  line  37,  leave out ‘aged 18 or over’.

 

Paul Rowen

 

71

 

Clause  28,  page  36,  line  41,  at end insert—

 

‘(1)    

When P is exercising his rights under this Part the relevant authority shall be

 

subject to a duty to cooperate with P.’.

 


 

Mr James Clappison

 

Mr Mark Harper

 

Mr John Baron

 

Paul Rowen

 

24

 

Clause  29,  page  37,  line  14,  at end insert—

 

‘(h)    

the provision of care services and community care for P.’.

 

Mr James Clappison

 

Mr Mark Harper

 

Mr John Baron

 

25

 

Clause  29,  page  37,  line  20,  leave out subsections (5) and (6).

 

Paul Rowen

 

70

 

Clause  29,  page  37,  line  20,  after ‘services’, insert ‘, unless such exclusion would

 

prevent P from achieving the matters set out in subsection (2)’.


 
 

Public Bill Committee: 26 February 2009                  

101

 

Welfare Reform Bill, continued

 
 

Paul Rowen

 

49

 

Clause  29,  page  37,  line  21,  leave out paragraph (a).

 


 

Mr James Clappison

 

Mr Mark Harper

 

Mr John Baron

 

79

 

Clause  31,  page  38,  line  21,  at end insert ‘including, in particular, making

 

arrangements with voluntary organisations to provide disabled persons with assistance in

 

connection with direct payments.’.

 

Mr James Clappison

 

Mr Mark Harper

 

Mr John Baron

 

80

 

Clause  31,  page  38,  line  23,  leave out from ‘with’ to end of line 33 and insert

 

‘requiring a relevant authority that is or may be obliged, or has decided, to provide a

 

relevant service to, or to arrange the provision of a relevant service for, a disabled person

 

(P) in prescribed circumstances to do the following—

 

(a)    

to support P to assess his own needs;

 

(b)    

to support P to draw up a plan (his “support plan”) setting out how he

 

wishes those needs to be met;

 

(c)    

to support P to review and revise his support plan;

 

(d)    

to assess the value of any relevant services to which P is entitled;

 

(e)    

to notify P of the value of these services (his “individual budget”) and of

 

his right to choose how his individual budget is managed;

 

(f)    

to comply with P’s decision about whether he wishes to receive his

 

individual budget in the form of—

 

(i)    

a payment to him (a direct payment);

 

(ii)    

a payment to any prescribed person for that person to manage on

 

his behalf and in accordance with his support plan;

 

(iii)    

in the form of the provision of services by the relevant authorities

 

which accord with his support plan; or

 

(iv)    

any combination of (i), (ii) and (iii).’.

 

Mr James Clappison

 

Mr Mark Harper

 

Mr John Baron

 

Paul Rowen

 

26

 

Clause  31,  page  38,  line  23,  after ‘person’, insert ‘, including a person with a

 

disability caused by mental health problems,’.

 

Mr James Clappison

 

Mr Mark Harper

 

Mr John Baron

 

27

 

Clause  31,  page  38,  line  23,  leave out ‘in prescribed circumstances’.


 
 

Public Bill Committee: 26 February 2009                  

102

 

Welfare Reform Bill, continued

 
 

Mr James Clappison

 

Mr Mark Harper

 

Mr John Baron

 

81

 

Clause  31,  page  38,  line  39,  leave out paragraph (c).

 

Mr Mark Harper

 

Mr James Clappison

 

Mr John Baron

 

45

 

Clause  31,  page  39,  line  12,  at end insert—

 

‘(c)    

require a relevant authority to co-operate with one or more relevant

 

authorities in connection with the provision of relevant services for

 

disabled people.’.

 


 

Mr James Clappison

 

Mr Mark Harper

 

Mr John Baron

 

82

 

Clause  32,  page  39,  line  21,  leave out subsection (2).

 

Mr James Clappison

 

Mr Mark Harper

 

Mr John Baron

 

28

 

Clause  32,  page  39,  line  44,  leave out subsection (3).

 

Mr James Clappison

 

Mr Mark Harper

 

Mr John Baron

 

Paul Rowen

 

29

 

Clause  32,  page  39,  line  48,  at end insert—

 

‘(3A)    

Direct payments legislation must include a prescription for any providing

 

authority to take account of potential long term and multi-agency savings when

 

considering what represents an “unreasonable financial burden” under subsection

 

(3).’.

 


 

Mr James Clappison

 

Mr Mark Harper

 

Mr John Baron

 

30

 

Clause  34,  page  41,  line  15,  leave out paragraph (c).


 
 

Public Bill Committee: 26 February 2009                  

103

 

Welfare Reform Bill, continued

 
 

Mr James Clappison

 

Mr Mark Harper

 

Mr John Baron

 

31

 

Clause  34,  page  41,  line  20,  leave out subsection (6).

 


 

Mr James Clappison

 

Mr Mark Harper

 

Mr John Baron

 

32

 

Clause  35,  page  41,  line  37,  leave out subsection (3).

 


 

John Robertson

 

64

 

Clause  36,  page  36,  line  14,  at end insert—

 

‘(5)    

In section 23A(3) of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 (c.

 

4) for paragraph (c) substitute—

 

“(c)    

unpaid care for a grandchild aged under 12 or an ill, frail or

 

disabled family member, friend or partner for 20 hours per week

 

or more.”’.

 


 

Mr James Clappison

 

Mr Mark Harper

 

Mr John Baron

 

33

 

Clause  40,  page  43,  line  39,  leave out subsection (7).

 

Mr James Clappison

 

Mr Mark Harper

 

Mr John Baron

 

34

 

Clause  40,  page  44,  line  10,  leave out paragraph (b).

 

Mr James Clappison

 

Mr Mark Harper

 

Mr John Baron

 

35

 

Clause  40,  page  47,  line  1,  leave out subsection (3).


 
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