Welfare Reform Green Paper

My Lords, like other noble Lords, I very much welcome the Green Paper and my noble friend’s Statement. This is truly a ““respect”” agenda for the clients of the Department for Work and Pensions. Perhaps I may make two brief points and then ask a question. First, what those of us who have worked in the disability movement know is that there is no automatic read-across from the state of disability in physical terms to the ability to work. For example, someone may be blind but working; others may have only a moderate degree of mental health problems, but conceive of themselves as unemployable. Secondly, in support of a point made by my noble friend Lord Ashley regarding consent, disability is as much a state of mind as it is a state of body. We know that when people came off the old invalidity benefit and were deemed capable of work, almost none of them went into work; they were recycled onto other benefits—very often JSA with a health attachment. Equally, we know that when lone parents suddenly lost their right to income support because the youngest child reached 16, they did not go into work but were recycled onto other benefits. Therefore, as all noble Lords have said, unless there is early intervention to keep people attached to the labour market, efforts to get people back into work will not succeed. That brings me to my question, which is about the missing ““E”” word—employers. Although we have rightly talked about doctors, the key player is, in my view, the employer. We know that if somebody who leaves work because of a sickness is not re-employed by their former employer, they are not likely to be re-employed by anyone else. Will my noble friend therefore tell me what initiatives have been developed to address the very real problems, which the noble Lord, Lord Addington, outlined, of occupational health issues relating to mental health, depression and stress? Secondly, we know that lone parents do not seek childcare to suit their job; they seek a job to suit their childcare. To what degree, again, are we working with employers to make sure that the offer of part-time work is realistic and appropriate for the lone parent? The third issue is that of older workers. The question is partly the law—we are going to see legislation to that effect. Above all, however, it is the state of mind of employers as much as the state of mind of would-be employees that will make it possible for 55 year-olds, 58 year-olds and 60 year-olds to rejoin the labour market. Again, will my noble friend tell the House what steps we are taking in partnership to ensure that employers, as much as the medical service, are lined up behind our initiatives?