---

Welfare Reform Bill

My Lords, I cannot for the life of me think why I did not add my name to as many of these amendments as possible, although one or two are somewhat overcrowded. Unfortunately, I am not able to read very clearly at the moment and therefore I was probably not able to read the Marshalled List correctly. However, I wholeheartedly support all the amendments as well as what my noble friend Lord Wigley had to say. I have known my noble friend for many, many years, and I know from past experience that the conditions that he has just explained apply to many parents with disabled children, particularly—unhappily, still—those with learning disabled children. The costs, the strain and the stress on parents with a learning disabled daughter or son are tremendous, and I fully support every one of these amendments. I can only apologise to those who tabled them that I did not add my name in the first place.