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Welfare Reform Bill

I have two concerns about that. Perhaps I asked my first question too quickly and the Minister did not understand. Why would we want to give the Minister the power only for the year starting 2010. Why would it not be a general power? The same situation might happen not next year but in a few years' time, and there may not then be a social security Act passing through the House onto which to tag the power. We are trying to give Ministers more powers and they are turning us down, which puzzles me. Secondly, an interesting comment was made about the rate of increase. The hon. Member for Forest of Dean said, "Well, the Government have pledged 2.5 per cent. but people who earn their living will want to see benefits set taking account of the fact that average earnings increases are only 1 to 1.5 per cent. or so." He seemed to be implying—I will certainly give way to him if he was not—that the Government are going ahead with 2.5 per cent. because that is their promise, but that people in work would want the Government to have regard to 1.5 per cent. Was he saying that 2.5 per cent. is too big an increase? Otherwise, what was the relevance of the 1.5 per cent?