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Welfare Reform Bill

Let me see if I can be as helpful to the noble Lord as possible. If there is not appropriate and affordable childcare, that should be reflected in the jobseeker’s agreement. If there were to be any suggestion of sanctions that flowed from directions, in looking at good cause, no sanctions could be levied on the individual if there was no appropriate and affordable childcare or appropriate transport. That is the clear intent. I think that the noble Lord was trying to press me a little further. Notwithstanding the fact that there may be a range of good quality, affordable childcare, if a parent says, "I do not want to avail myself of any of that. I do not think that that is something I want to do", would that lead an individual to the same position? The answer is that it probably would not. We should hang on to the point that you could see circumstances where someone would simply point-blank refuse access to any decent, available provision and thereby escape the regime. We do not intend that to happen.