Session 2010 - 12
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61

 

House of Commons

 
 

Thursday 19 May 2011

 

Public Bill Committee Proceedings

 

Welfare Reform Bill


 

[Twenty-third and twenty-fourth sittings]


 

Mr Liam Byrne

 

Stephen Timms

 

Ms Karen Buck

 

Margaret Curran

 

Withdrawn  254

 

Clause  102,  page  67,  leave out lines 22 and 23.

 

Mr Liam Byrne

 

Stephen Timms

 

Ms Karen Buck

 

Margaret Curran

 

Withdrawn  252

 

Clause  102,  page  67,  line  43,  at end insert—

 

‘(8)    

In prescribed circumstances, overpayments shall not be recoverable.’.

 

Mr Liam Byrne

 

Stephen Timms

 

Ms Karen Buck

 

Margaret Curran

 

Not called  253

 

Clause  102,  page  67,  line  43,  at end insert—

 

‘(8)    

Official error overpayments of benefits by local authorities, HMRC or the

 

Department of Work and Pensions, that occur when the claimants could not

 

reasonably have been expected to know they were being overpaid, cannot be

 

recovered.’.

 

Mr Liam Byrne

 

Stephen Timms

 

Ms Karen Buck

 

Margaret Curran

 

Not called  255

 

Clause  102,  page  69,  leave out lines 19 and 20.


 
 

Public Bill Committee Proceedings: 19 May 2011            

62

 

Welfare Reform Bill, continued

 
 

Mr Liam Byrne

 

Stephen Timms

 

Ms Karen Buck

 

Margaret Curran

 

Not called  256

 

Clause  102,  page  70,  leave out lines 1 and 2.

 

Kate Green

 

Not selected  195

 

Page  67,  line  8,  leave out Clause 102.

 

Clause Agreed to.

 


 

Kate Green

 

Not selected  194

 

Page  70,  line  35,  leave out Clause 103.

 

Clause Agreed to.

 


 

Kate Green

 

Not selected  183

 

Page  71,  line  1,  leave out Clause 104.

 

Clause Agreed to.

 

Clauses 105 to 110 Agreed to.

 


 

Mr Liam Byrne

 

Stephen Timms

 

Ms Karen Buck

 

Margaret Curran

 

Withdrawn  257

 

Clause  111,  page  74,  line  36,  leave out ‘an’ and insert ‘a significant’.

 

Mr Liam Byrne

 

Stephen Timms

 

Ms Karen Buck

 

Margaret Curran

 

Not called  265

 

Clause  111,  page  75,  line  10,  at end insert—

 

‘(3A)    

The amount levied under subsection (2) shall not be greater than the value of the

 

overpayment arising from failures outlined in subsection (1).’.


 
 

Public Bill Committee Proceedings: 19 May 2011            

63

 

Welfare Reform Bill, continued

 
 

Mr Liam Byrne

 

Stephen Timms

 

Ms Karen Buck

 

Margaret Curran

 

Withdrawn  260

 

Clause  111,  page  75,  line  25,  at end insert—

 

‘(7)    

Under no circumstances shall the Secretary of State allow any targets to be set that

 

would be intended to provide an incentive to increase the number or value of civil

 

penalties issued under this section.’.

 

Mr Liam Byrne

 

Stephen Timms

 

Ms Karen Buck

 

Margaret Curran

 

Not called  258

 

Clause  111,  page  75,  line  34,  leave out ‘an’ and insert ‘a significant’.

 

Mr Liam Byrne

 

Stephen Timms

 

Ms Karen Buck

 

Margaret Curran

 

Not called  259

 

Clause  111,  page  75,  line  44,  leave out ‘an’ and insert ‘a significant’.

 

Mr Liam Byrne

 

Stephen Timms

 

Ms Karen Buck

 

Margaret Curran

 

Not called  266

 

Clause  111,  page  75,  line  47,  at end insert—

 

‘(2A)    

The amount levied under subsections (1) and (2) shall not be greater than the

 

value of the overpayment arising from failures outlined in those subsections.’.

 

Mr Liam Byrne

 

Stephen Timms

 

Ms Karen Buck

 

Margaret Curran

 

Not called  261

 

Clause  111,  page  76,  line  12,  at end insert—

 

‘(7)    

Under no circumstances shall the Secretary of State allow any targets to be set that

 

would be intended to provide an incentive to increase the number or value of civil

 

penalties issued under this section.’.

 

Mr Liam Byrne

 

Stephen Timms

 

Ms Karen Buck

 

Margaret Curran

 

Withdrawn  262

 

Clause  111,  page  76,  line  12,  at end insert—

 

‘(2)    

Subsection (1) shall not take effect until the Secertary of State has published a

 

report setting out the criteria that will be used to define whether an error will or

 

will not be considered to fall within sections 115C and 115D of the Social

 

Security Administration Act 1992, as inserted by subsection (1), and how

 

individual characteristics of the claimant are to be taken into account when

 

making the distinction.’.


 
 

Public Bill Committee Proceedings: 19 May 2011            

64

 

Welfare Reform Bill, continued

 
 

Mr Liam Byrne

 

Stephen Timms

 

Ms Karen Buck

 

Margaret Curran

 

Not called  263

 

Clause  111,  page  76,  line  12,  at end insert—

 

‘(2)    

Subsection (1) shall not take effect until the Secretary of State has published a

 

report setting out how the appropriate authority will determine what reasonable

 

steps a claimant can be expected to take to avoid error.’.

 

Sheila Gilmore

 

Kate Green

 

Withdrawn  288

 

Clause  111,  page  76,  line  12,  at end insert—

 

‘(2)    

Subsection (1) shall not take effect until the Secretary of State has published a

 

report setting out how the appropriate authority will compensate claimants where

 

an overpayment or delay in payment of benefit has arisen as a result of official

 

error.’.

 

Mr Liam Byrne

 

Stephen Timms

 

Ms Karen Buck

 

Margaret Curran

 

Not called  264

 

Clause  111,  page  76,  line  12,  at end insert—

 

‘(2)    

Subsection (1) shall not take effect until the Secretary of State has published a

 

report setting out what information, guidance and other assistance the appropriate

 

authority will provide to each person making a claim to enable them to understand

 

and meet their responsibilities with respect to that claim.’.

 

Clause Agreed to.

 

Clauses 112 to 114 Agreed to.

 


 

Chris Grayling

 

Agreed to  284

 

Clause  115,  page  80,  line  48,  leave out ‘5 April 2012’ and insert ‘the day specified

 

by order made by the Treasury’.

 

Chris Grayling

 

Agreed to  285

 

Clause  115,  page  83,  line  31,  leave out ‘5 April 2012’ and insert ‘the day specified

 

by order made by the Treasury’.

 

Chris Grayling

 

Agreed to  286

 

Clause  115,  page  85,  line  35,  at end insert—

 

‘(c)    

in subsection (3)(a) at the beginning there is inserted “an order or”.’

 

Clause, as amended, Agreed to.


 
 

Public Bill Committee Proceedings: 19 May 2011            

65

 

Welfare Reform Bill, continued

 
 

Clauses 116 to 120 Agreed to.

 


 

Mr Liam Byrne

 

Stephen Timms

 

Ms Karen Buck

 

Margaret Curran

 

Negatived on division  267

 

Clause  121,  page  90,  line  39,  at end insert—

 

‘(11)    

The Secretary of State shall commission a report, which is to be published no later

 

than 365 days after this Bill receives Royal Assent, about the possibility of using

 

and/or adapting the relevant information-sharing systems to inform policy on the

 

living wage.’.

 

Clause Agreed to.

 

Clauses 122 to 127 Agreed to.

 


 

Mr Liam Byrne

 

Stephen Timms

 

Ms Karen Buck

 

Margaret Curran

 

Withdrawn  268

 

Clause  128,  page  97,  line  2,  leave out from ‘Commission’ to end of line 8 and insert

 

‘may with a view to ensuring that there are effective maintenance arrangements in place—

 

(a)    

take such steps as it considers appropriate to ensure that all parents

 

eligible for child maintenance are made fully aware of the choices open

 

to them to secure periodical payments by way of maintenance with

 

respect to any child either by means of a maintenance agreement or by

 

means of an application to the Commission for a calculation for the said

 

child,

 

(b)    

upon receiving an application under sections 4 and 7 in respect of a child,

 

take steps to establish with the applicant whether a maintenance

 

agreement or an application to the Commission is the best means of

 

achieving a sustainable and durable maintenance arrangement for the

 

child in question, and to encourage the applicant accordingly.’.

 

Mr Liam Byrne

 

Stephen Timms

 

Ms Karen Buck

 

Margaret Curran

 

Not called  269

 

Clause  128,  page  97,  line  13,  leave out from ‘to’ to end of line 16 and insert ‘take

 

steps to establish with the applicant whether a maintenance agreement (within the

 

meaning of section 9 of the Child Support Act 1991) or an application to the Commission

 

is the best means of achieving a sustainable and durable maintenance arrangement for the

 

child in question, and to encourage the applicant accordingly.’.

 

[Adjourned until Tuesday 24 May at 9.30 am


 
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