news
View from the House by Andrew Selous MP 1st March 2010
04 March 2010
In my last “View from the House” article in January I mentioned the course to strengthen marriages being run in at Delta House, Leighton Buzzard by Two in Tune, our local Community Family Trust. I am delighted to say that, thanks to the publicity given to the course through this and other papers, that this course was fully subscribed. My wife and I attended one session and benefited from it. I particularly hope that some of those faced with homelessness as a result of relationship breakdown will be able to restore their relationships helped by Two in Tune, so that homelessness, trauma and increased housing and benefits bills can all be avoided.
I want to look at an issue this month which has a measure of cross party support and that is the welfare reform challenge facing this country. Over the last twelve years we have spent £346 billion on benefits to support people of working age who are out of work. We are currently spending £1 for every £3 raised in tax on social security and interest payments. Some of these people are unable to work because of disability or caring responsibilities and must be supported. For too many other people however, benefits have become a way of life with the result that we have 3.3 million households where no adult works and Britain has a higher proportion of children growing up in workless households than any other European country.
During the boom years, the economy created a net additional 2.6 million jobs, but not enough of these jobs were taken by British citizens on out of work benefits. Instead we relied, to far too great a degree, on migrant labour to fill Britain’s labour shortage.
Of the 2.6 million people on Incapacity Benefit, we know that at least one million are capable of work and really want to work. There is also evidence that work is good for some disabled people. We also know that people who have been on Incapacity Benefit for two years or more are more likely to die or retire than get a job and that is a real tragedy that we need to do something about.
What I would like to see to deal with these really important issues is jobseekers being offered targeted, personalised help sooner and straightaway for those with serious barriers to work. Welfare to work providers should be paid by results with fees only being paid once a jobseeker has been in work for a year or longer. If jobseekers are capable of work and are offered work they can reasonably be expected to do, and choose to turn that work down, then they should no longer be able to claim out of work benefits.
This approach will help jobseekers and the staff who work in our jobcentres. It will mean that welfare to work providers will not spend money on courses that have poor results in getting people back to work as sadly happens with some courses at present. For example, an engineering graduate from Leighton Buzzard who was looking hard for work from home where he had his own computer was sent on a course with 25 others and only 3 computers available. A young man from near Dunstable was also taken off a course that was really helping him with his literacy to attend a course that was not that Jobcentre Plus told him to attend. The approach I have outlined would help these individuals better and is what our country needs.
Andrew Selous is MP for South West Bedfordshire and be contacted on 01582 662 821 or selousa@parliament.uk
