Welfare Reform Bill

These are profound issues that raise questions to do with drugs policy and other areas of policy. We have to ask ourselves why so many people are in that position in the first place, and whether coercion from the Department for Work and Pensions will get them on to programmes. How far have we tried supportive and effective medical intervention and the intervention of social services? If such programmes were resourced properly, we would not have the massive problem that the hon. Gentleman describes. The idea proposed is that we pick people up at the end, when it has all gone horribly wrong, and threaten to take their money away if they do not accept treatment. He described such people's lives as chaotic. Someone who is chaotic might say, ““I've got to go on a rehabilitation course”” and fail to turn up three times out of four, because they are chaotic. The Secretary of State would then come along and say, ““You haven't attended your course; we're taking your money away from you.”” How does that help the situation?