---

Lone Parent Employment

: I do support the long-term aim, and I certainly think that the Government should be looking into that, but I fear that the long term may be very long term indeed because the Government have only just begun the process of reforming the incapacity benefit system, as announced by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions a few weeks ago, I think. I am losing sense of time, but I believe that the announcement was made a few weeks ago. I recall asking exactly the same question as I have asked today of the Secretary of State after his statement to the House, and I do not believe that I had a response to it. It is difficult to understand why the Government are undertaking a major reform of the incapacity benefit system without including that possibility. After all, the Minister cannot possibly think that in the few years immediately following the reform there will be yet another reform of the incapacity benefit system. The transition from the existing system to the new system will be complex. If the Government are attracted to this idea and want to give the impression to people who think that it is a good idea that they think that it might be a good idea, why on earth are they not going ahead with it now? Is the reason simply that they are too nervous about the political consequences given some of the other controversial measures that have been going through the House of Commons recently?