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Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 4) Regulations 2008

My Lords, I share the concerns expressed by my noble friends this evening and by the noble Baroness, Lady Thomas of Winchester. I shall be as brief as possible. I know that the Minister will be as helpful as he can be in his response. I am particularly interested in hearing how he will monitor any adverse impact of this proposal. I am concerned about vulnerable young people under the age of 25—particularly care leavers—and I am very worried about adults with dependent children. I am also concerned about adults with drug and alcohol issues. In this prosperous country, we had 100,000 homeless families living in temporary accommodation. We were classed by UNICEF as the most unfriendly nation in the developed world for children. This Government have significantly reduced the number of families in temporary accommodation and have taken all families out of bed and breakfast accommodation. They have brought forward many proposals and legislation for children and families. They have invested significantly in, for example, teaching and they have raised the status of teachers. I pay tribute to the Government for that work, but the question in my mind is: how is the proposal before us consistent with all those good and valuable measures that the Government have taken forward? For example, as I understand it, unless a care leaver of the age of 21 is in education, he or she is no longer eligible for further support. They may well be a parent by this time and, because of their history, may be particularly susceptible to drugs or alcohol and may be struggling to reform themselves. They may suffer from relapses over several months and live a chaotic life. How will this proposal impact on that sort of young person? I hope that the Minister can advise me how he will monitor the impact of the regulations and how he will give guidance to local authorities on monitoring these groups—that is, young people, adults with dependent children, people experiencing difficulties with alcohol and drug misuse, and those who are in employment but on low wages and who may not become aware that they are eligible for housing benefit until they are deeply in arrears. This matter concerns me very much. I look forward to the Minister’s reply, but I fear that I may have to support the noble Baroness if she decides to divide the House on this.