My Lords, I am sorry in a way that this amendment has not been grouped with the subsequent group of amendments, because it could be a little difficult repeating our arguments. I have no particularly strong views on whether we should re-label council tax benefit as council tax rebate. On...

My Lords, I am sorry in a way that this amendment has not been grouped with the subsequent group of amendments, because it could be a little difficult repeating our arguments. I have no particularly strong views on whether we should re-label council tax benefit as council tax rebate. On...

My Lords, I thank the Minister most warmly for this welcome amendment. He and his whole team have bent over backwards to meet our concerns about lone parents on income support who have a child in receipt of the lower rate of the care component of DLA falling within the...

My Lords, I thank the Minister most warmly for this welcome amendment. He and his whole team have bent over backwards to meet our concerns about lone parents on income support who have a child in receipt of the lower rate of the care component of DLA falling within the...

My Lords, I apologise to the House and particularly the Minister that I was unable to be in the Chamber when he moved the raft of government amendments relating to Clause 9 and Schedule 3, which offer a real opportunity to draw in claimants who are dependent on drugs to...

My Lords, I apologise to the House and particularly the Minister that I was unable to be in the Chamber when he moved the raft of government amendments relating to Clause 9 and Schedule 3, which offer a real opportunity to draw in claimants who are dependent on drugs to...

My Lords, I shall speak also to the other amendments in this group. I bring them forward to place in the Bill the reassurances that I gave in response to concerns expressed in Committee on medical details and the passing on of information that the department receives. These amendments tighten...

My Lords, I shall speak also to the other amendments in this group. I bring them forward to place in the Bill the reassurances that I gave in response to concerns expressed in Committee on medical details and the passing on of information that the department receives. These amendments tighten...

I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Meacher, for her comments in support of these provisions and the earlier amendments. Particularly, I pay tribute to the fact that it was her due diligence in Committee which caused us to focus on and, in a sense, recast the thrust of these provisions....

I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Meacher, for her comments in support of these provisions and the earlier amendments. Particularly, I pay tribute to the fact that it was her due diligence in Committee which caused us to focus on and, in a sense, recast the thrust of these provisions....

29: Schedule 6, page 102, line 35, at end insert— "(5A) The Minister shall review this section within three years following commencement of this Act. (5B) Such a review shall be presented to both Houses of Parliament."

29: Schedule 6, page 102, line 35, at end insert— "(5A) The Minister shall review this section within three years following commencement of this Act. (5B) Such a review shall be presented to both Houses of Parliament."

15: Schedule 3, page 80, line 38, leave out from beginning to end of line 17 on page 82 and insert— "Voluntary and mandatory rehabilitation plans 5A (1) Regulations may make provision for or in connection with— (a) securing that a person ("P") who at any time complies with a...

15: Schedule 3, page 80, line 38, leave out from beginning to end of line 17 on page 82 and insert— "Voluntary and mandatory rehabilitation plans 5A (1) Regulations may make provision for or in connection with— (a) securing that a person ("P") who at any time complies with a...

My Lords, I wish to make it clear from the outset that I do not intend to press the amendment. I move it only as a means of completing the discussions that we had last week. The House will remember that, following a lively debate, the Minister kindly offered a...

My Lords, I wish to make it clear from the outset that I do not intend to press the amendment. I move it only as a means of completing the discussions that we had last week. The House will remember that, following a lively debate, the Minister kindly offered a...

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Thomas, for giving us the chance to conclude our discussion on this matter, following the meeting that we had last week. I respond for the Government with the agreement of my noble friend Lady Crawley, who has led for us...

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Thomas, for giving us the chance to conclude our discussion on this matter, following the meeting that we had last week. I respond for the Government with the agreement of my noble friend Lady Crawley, who has led for us...

My Lords, I intervened on the point of joint registration for the first time on Report. I support the points made by the noble Baroness, Lady Thomas of Winchester. I was slightly dismayed to find that the Minister did not accept what I said on Report. I gave specific evidence—I...

My Lords, I intervened on the point of joint registration for the first time on Report. I support the points made by the noble Baroness, Lady Thomas of Winchester. I was slightly dismayed to find that the Minister did not accept what I said on Report. I gave specific evidence—I...

My Lords, I particularly thank the noble and learned Baroness, Lady Butler-Sloss, for her contribution to the short debate on my amendment, and I thank the Minister for his very full reply. It would be churlish of me to go into any more arguments about this matter—I think that we...

My Lords, I particularly thank the noble and learned Baroness, Lady Butler-Sloss, for her contribution to the short debate on my amendment, and I thank the Minister for his very full reply. It would be churlish of me to go into any more arguments about this matter—I think that we...

My Lords, I take a different view from that of the noble Lord, Lord Freud, but I understand the point that he makes. I am still taken aback by the inclusion of drugs in the social security welfare-to-work field, which fell out of the sky in the summer of 2008...

My Lords, I take a different view from that of the noble Lord, Lord Freud, but I understand the point that he makes. I am still taken aback by the inclusion of drugs in the social security welfare-to-work field, which fell out of the sky in the summer of 2008...

My Lords, I declare an interest: I work for a national drug agency. I am hesitant to make any comment because it is purely coincidental that I am in the Chamber at this point. I agree with the noble Lord, Lord Kirkwood, that it is surprising to see this issue...

My Lords, I declare an interest: I work for a national drug agency. I am hesitant to make any comment because it is purely coincidental that I am in the Chamber at this point. I agree with the noble Lord, Lord Kirkwood, that it is surprising to see this issue...

My Lords, I thank noble Lords who have spoken in response to the amendments. I am not sure, from the contribution of the noble Lord, Lord Freud, whether he supports or opposes them. I agree with him that drug users often have multiple issues that they have to face, such...

My Lords, I thank noble Lords who have spoken in response to the amendments. I am not sure, from the contribution of the noble Lord, Lord Freud, whether he supports or opposes them. I agree with him that drug users often have multiple issues that they have to face, such...

The noble Baroness, Lady Turner, is to be congratulated on her determination to pursue the issue of renaming the council tax benefit. It is clearly a matter close to her heart, and it is clear from our debates in Committee and on Report that the measures she is seeking are...

The noble Baroness, Lady Turner, is to be congratulated on her determination to pursue the issue of renaming the council tax benefit. It is clearly a matter close to her heart, and it is clear from our debates in Committee and on Report that the measures she is seeking are...

My Lords, I support the thrust of the amendment, simply on the basis that Governments leave the statute book littered with provisions that are never enacted. You do not need to be a political scientist to work out that there could be a change in government in the next few...

My Lords, I support the thrust of the amendment, simply on the basis that Governments leave the statute book littered with provisions that are never enacted. You do not need to be a political scientist to work out that there could be a change in government in the next few...

I shall speak also to my Amendment 7, which is grouped with this one, as it is on a similar topic. Noble Lords will know that I have endeavoured, throughout the discussion on the Bill, to secure a change in the title of council tax benefit. The reason for that...

I shall speak also to my Amendment 7, which is grouped with this one, as it is on a similar topic. Noble Lords will know that I have endeavoured, throughout the discussion on the Bill, to secure a change in the title of council tax benefit. The reason for that...

3: Clause 35, page 41, line 11, leave out "may" and insert "shall"

3: Clause 35, page 41, line 11, leave out "may" and insert "shall"

My Lords, in speaking to Amendment 1, I shall speak also to the other amendment in this group, Amendment 8. However, with the leave of the House, before addressing this first amendment, I should like to return to some matters that we debated earlier. On Report, I said that we...

My Lords, in speaking to Amendment 1, I shall speak also to the other amendment in this group, Amendment 8. However, with the leave of the House, before addressing this first amendment, I should like to return to some matters that we debated earlier. On Report, I said that we...

1: Clause 28, page 35, line 24, at end insert— "( ) In section 37(1)(c) of that Act (regulations subject to the affirmative resolution procedure), after "or paragraph" insert "8B or"."

1: Clause 28, page 35, line 24, at end insert— "( ) In section 37(1)(c) of that Act (regulations subject to the affirmative resolution procedure), after "or paragraph" insert "8B or"."