WELFARE REFORM AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE MOST DEPRIVED AREAS

Early day motion 1469, tabled 24 January 2006 by Paul Rowen (Liberal Democrat). Signed by 75 members.

That this House notes that the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has written to hon. Members representing the 100 parliamentary constituencies with the highest proportions of the workforce in receipt of incapacity-related benefits seeking their support for welfare reform and has just launched a green paper; further notes that half of the most severe pockets of deprivation in the country are contained within these parliamentary constituencies; calls for a cross-party consensus that a revitalised strategy for regeneration and economic development of the most deprived areas is necessary to address job shortages in many of those areas with the highest claimant counts for incapacity-related benefits; and calls on the Government to ensure that the role of economic development focussed on sub-regional pockets of deprivation is a central part of the current debate on welfare reform.

Signatures by party: Labour 35, Liberal Democrat 34, Conservative 2, DUP 1, Plaid Cymru 1, Scottish National Party 1, Social Democratic and Labour Party 1.