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Welfare Reform Bill

I am happy to respond to that point, because it raises the question of what we do during a recession. The Secretary of State's policies are ratcheting up the coercion on sets of people who are legitimately on benefit, including lone parents and disabled people, increasing the pressure, the threats and the anxiety for that group, at a time when there is huge pressure on jobs. That is the distinction that I would make—the approach of the state. People who are legitimately in receipt of benefits should be entirely welcome to make their own choices and supported by his Department when they make their choice. What I object to is coercion. That is the distinction between us. We have heard about the Bill's provisions on the social fund. The Secretary of State says, ““We need more legislation to charge interest,”” but he knows that his own consultation paper envisaged the charging of interest at credit card rates, and he has not ruled it out. He simply said that we would have to legislate further. I am happy to give way for him to say explicitly that if private providers offer these services, they will not be allowed to charge interest.