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Welfare Reform Bill

I understand the point that my noble friend presses on me. I reiterate that it is no part of our current intent to have a work-related component for work-related activity outside the ESA regime. Our policy is as set out in the White Paper. The short answer is that there is no provision in the primary legislation at the moment, but I shall certainly go away and think about whether there should be. However, I do not want to give my noble friend false hopes on that, because it is not the intent. If all lone parents on income support with a youngest child between three and six received a work-related premium of about £25 a week, which is the ESA work-related premium, the cost would be of the order of £300 million a year. That assumes no change of behaviour; I accept that that does not necessarily follow. But the short answer is that there is no provision in the Bill at the moment and no intent to include one, but I shall take away my noble friend’s point.