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Welfare Reform and Incapacity Benefit

I understand why hon. Gentlemen wish to deflect me, but they will not succeed. Let me share with the House what has happened since that grand statement in February, promising the greatest ever reform in incapacity benefit. We were told then that there would be a Green Paper—seemingly it had to be a Green Paper, but at least it would be published in the summer—and that remained the Government’s position. Indeed, after the general election the Prime Minister repeated at his first press conference that"““there will be a Green Paper on reform of Incapacity Benefit before the summer recess.””" Well, what happened to it? It never appeared. And later, in July, we were told that the timetable had slipped, and that it would be published in the autumn. And then, when asked at oral questions on 31 October why the Green Paper was four months overdue, the Minister for the disabled, the Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions—the hon. Member for Stirling (Mrs. McGuire)—said,"““the Green Paper is not four months overdue: we made it very clear earlier this year that we would publish it in the autumn.””—[Official Report, 31 October 2005; vol. 438, c. 622.]" Well, the difference between summer and autumn is not very different from four months, but we shall put that on one side. Then we had a statement by the Prime Minister on 16 November that the Green Paper is not now going to be published until January of next year. Now, is January of next year consistent with the autumn? Is this what the Government mean by their policy on climate change? Are these things very difficult to control? When asked why the delay was taking place—