SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WORK AND PENSIONS AND WELFARE REFORM

Early day motion 747, tabled 12 October 2005 by David Laws (Liberal Democrat). Signed by 51 members.

That this House is concerned that the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has begun a debate on incapacity benefit reform in a way that appears designed to court dramatic media headlines that denigrate and stereotype many incapacity benefit recipients instead of proposing effective measures to help those people back into work; believes that a debate conducted in such negative terms will undermine the prospects for reform to be successful in helping people back to work; notes the wealth of evidence that many incapacity benefit recipients want to return to work but face multiple barriers to doing so; and calls on the Government urgently to bring forward costed proposals focused on supporting employers and incapacity benefit recipients to overcome the barriers to re-entering the labour market and gaining sustainable employment.

Signatures by party: Liberal Democrat 46, Conservative 2, Plaid Cymru 2, Labour 1.