Stern questions were asked of IDS following publication of the government’s welfare reforms. 
In the preceding weeks, colourful and uncompromising language had been used by MPs and public officials to assert their unfavourable opinions of the reforms, most notably from the Archbishop of Canterbury and Mayor Boris Johnson. And it was in a charged chamber that the Minister stated that his reforms would be an “investment of £2 billion” that will convert the current welfare system into a simplified “comprehensive system of support”.
This is our contract: we will make work pay.
Support, though short-lived, came from perhaps the most unlikely of sources, his Shadow, Rt. Hon. Douglas Alexander MP. Mr. Alexander said
some ideas are welcome steps” and praised the Minister’s efforts to reduce the inadequacies of the benefit system by spending £500, 000 less on administration. Pension reforms had benefited from cross-party consensus, so too should welfare reforms.
However, this was where his Mr. Alexander’s support ceased. The Shadow Minister asserted that as a direct result of the reforms 200, 000 more people will face marginal tax deduction rates. Mr. Alexander went further, suggesting that perhaps Mr. Duncan-Smith had used the £2 billion introduction of Universal Credit as a last-chance bargaining chip against the Treasury, following the Chancellor George Osborne’s Spending Review last month which resulting in the DWP budget being axed by £7 billion. At that time it was Liberal Democrat Bob Russell who spoke out against the Chancellor and his coalition partners:
While I have no time for the welfare cheats, to try and blame this country’s financial ills on that small category of the population I think is unethical. I find it somewhat immature, this turf war between your office and that of the secretary of state for work and pensions [Iain Duncan Smith].”
And again today, it was Mr. Russell who voiced his concerns for the 3.5 million children currently living in poverty whose parents make up a quantity of the long-term unemployed that the Minister is eager to encourage off the DWP budget and back into work. Mr. Duncan-Smith replied:
If the take up improves…even in a static state over 300, 000 children will be brought out poverty.”
Fiona MacTaggart, Labour MP for Slough suggested that “the best way to decrease child poverty is to increase a woman’s income”, and therefore would the Minister introduce transport allowances for low income-earners? Having already answered a similar question regarding transport costs the Minister rebutted:
“(It’s) a bit rich for the other side to criticise us on travel cost when they did nothing about it.
The problem is born from the last government’s failure to fund any of the work programmes they said they were going to fund!”
In response to questions regarding the more controversial aspects of the DWP white paper, including the plan to force the long-term unemployed into community service work such cleaning waste, the Minister explained that this “work activity” would be targeted to claimants thought to be fiddling the system. Furthermore, Jobcentre staff will be relied upon to use their expertise and discretion to judge on the best course of action for individual claimants.
Mr. Duncan-Smith also assured that special regard will be given to unemployed disabled people and those with mental health issues applying for benefits.
By Kuki Taylor
Project Support Officer
kuki@yesminister.org.uk
