Unscrupulous Welfare Reform

We are quite worried about the new proposed welfare reform and what will actually happen to the beneficiaries this is meant to help.

Most people on benefits would rather be working. For many of these people there will be times when they are unable to work. We think that when people on benefits want to work, or find work, they should be given all encouragement and support from Work and Income. However stating they HAVE to work is unhelpful, unimaginative and unscrupulous. It does not take account of people’s individual situations or limitations – you cannot fit everyone into one box! It is a bit ridiculous to expect everyone on the DPB (with youngest child over 6) to find work that they can do between 9am and 3pm, have school holidays off and sick days for all their children. Remembering also that many people on benefits are living in sub-standard housing so health issues are more likely to be a recurring problem, who would want to employ someone under these conditions?

We agree with Victor Billot from the Alliance when he says “the solution lies in looking at what is in the best interests of children and ensuring all those who want to have access to paid work, and those who feel their role is caring for their children left to get on with the job.”

Stating people on the DPB must go out and find themselves a real job (for 15 hours a week) is implying what they are doing is not work – going against the message the Families Commission is trying to get out: parenting is the most important job you will ever do. Parenting is hard work. Single parenting is twice as hard. We would estimate that when all your children are in school, you would ‘only’ be working at least 8 hours/day Monday – Friday + Weekends + Holidays + Sick days (including when you yourself are sick).

We are particularly worried about the sanctions proposed for people allegedly not complying with these new reforms and how this will be administered. Cutting the benefit at all means people will not have enough money for their basic costs. Beneficiaries survive on a very meagre amount and cannot afford to lose any of that. Benefits are for people who have no other means of support, so they do not have other options. Many people, especially on the Sickness benefit have essential medical costs, and a lot of beneficiaries have children. It will needlessly hurt the children to sanction these benefits.

As a last point, we think it is important to remember the majority of people stay on benefits for a reasonably short period of time. We shall be a very niggardly society indeed if we deny support to the elderly, the sick, the disabled or to sole parents rearing young children. So let’s call for greater respect for those who need support at some stage of their lives.

Beneficiary Advisory Service offers information, advice, support and advocacy to people on benefits and low incomes. We help hundreds of people every year when they have problems with Work and Income, or even just a simple query from an independent agency.

ENDS

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