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Welfare Reform Bill

The noble Lord makes an interesting point. One could do it by discretion or by flexing the current rules, which can be an inhibitor. If we rolled forward the permitted work rules, people on a contributory allowance would be able to work for up to 16 hours a week and earn £86. That is currently not the same for people who are in receipt of income support. Whether flexibility can be considered to address that issue would go a considerable way towards meeting the noble Lord’s point. He makesa good point, as ever, about the importance of encouraging people into work, perhaps by small steps, until they can go back into full-time work.