---

Welfare Reform Bill

What did the Minister mean when he said that information obtained from the police or the probation service would be used to supplement information already obtained about the drug use of the claimant? Suppose the claimant had denied drug use and then a submission was made to the police or the probation officer to ask if they had any evidence. You could say that this would be supplementing the information from the claimant. If it became known to claimants that inquiries to the police or the probation service will be made if they claim benefits, I would again assume that claimants will simply run a mile from the benefits system because they will not want to have that tangle with the police and the benefits system. I would be grateful to know what the Minister’s view on that is.