Welfare Reform Bill

I do not believe that that is strictly correct. We acknowledge that there is concern that those with mental health problems are not being helped by Pathways to Work as much as other groups. The evidence from the pilots is mixed, and clearly more evaluation needs to be done. The IFS report’s findings on mental health have been widely cited, but the IFS says that we need to be cautious in interpreting those results from preliminary findings. The administrative data shows that the take-up of help through the choices package in Pathways areas is actually higher for those with mental health problems than it is for other groups, by around 4 per cent. Job entries are also around 2 per cent higher for those who have a mental health condition or a learning disability. I stress that it is important that we continue to examine the evidence, because it is mixed. The IFS said that the jury is out on how Pathways supports people with mental health challenges in the same way that it does for people with physical disabilities. I do not believe that it is right to say that it does not work for people with mental health challenges; that is not what the evidence shows.