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Welfare Reform Bill

I am grateful to all noble Lords who have supported the amendment. I apologise; I am not sure why it was tabled to this clause, but I am grateful to the Minister for replying more generally, as though it were in the right place—which it was not. I was particularly grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Campbell, for her views. She seems to be at the back of so many things; now I hear that she has been responsible for saying how social workers should be trained. In a way, we are asking Jobcentre Plus staff to be a bit like social workers in some of the things that they have to do; I expect that some of them feel like social workers. On the whole, they do a good job and are subject to the most terrible pressures. We hear some horror stories as well from our friends in citizens advice bureaux and other places, and there is a lot of worry among some groups about whether the staff recruited so quickly to cope with the terrific surge in unemployment have received enough training to cope with the Bill, although I note that it will be started in some pilot areas. Jobcentre Plus is still recruiting. I think that it would be a good job. I keep asking my unemployed friends whether they would mind trying for a job in Jobcentre Plus, so I could hear what really went on. They have not taken me up so far. I am grateful to the noble Lord for his full response, and to the noble Lord, Lord Skelmersdale, for saying that we have focused our thoughts on training. As he knows, that has been a leitmotiv to the whole Committee. It is about time we finished the whole day, so I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment 154 withdrawn. Amendments 155 and 155A not moved. Clause 25 agreed. Clause 26 : Attendance in connection with jobseeker's allowance: sanctions Amendments 156 and 157 not moved.