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Social Security (Flexible New Deal) Regulations 2009

My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for his usual courtesy and thoroughness in responding to the debate. I am also grateful to colleagues who have taken the trouble to contribute. The response has been useful, although obviously we will want to study it in some detail. More than anything else, I am reassured that the Government understand that they are in different territory and a different environment from that in which the policy was originally conceived. For example, is the 80 per cent employment target still valid? Until recently, it was safe to assume that 60 per cent of JSA claimants would leave within 13 weeks and 80 per cent would leave after 26 weeks. I do not think that those assumptions are safe any more. Against that, we have to weigh the increased expenditure that has been allocated, which is welcome. It would be very valuable to have answers to some of the important questions that the noble Lord, Lord Taylor, my noble friend Lady Thomas and I have raised. The debate has been useful, but I think that we shall return to this issue and not just in relation to welfare reform; this is a big policy change and colleagues in this House are entitled to continue to hold the Government to account on their flexibility in dealing with the Flexible New Deal in future. Motion agreed. Sitting suspended.