Baroness Seccombe
Main Page: Baroness Seccombe (Conservative - Life peer)Department Debates - View all Baroness Seccombe's debates with the Cabinet Office
Out-of-work Benefits
Baroness Seccombe Excerpts(1 year, 6 months ago)
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Baroness Stedman-Scott (Con)
Please believe me when I say that we all understand the desire for benefits to be uprated in line with inflation. I have to wait until the Secretary of State carries out her review, which will be announced to the House on 25 November. We will work with people with really bad conditions and real difficulties to see whether they can move into work, but they will be dealt with compassionately and carefully.
Baroness Seccombe (Con)
In the Restart programme, what does “strengthening support” mean and what proportion of those on the programme gain a position and are still in it six months later?
Baroness Stedman-Scott (Con)
That was the exam question. As my noble friend knows, the Restart scheme gives jobseekers out of work for nine months more intensive support to find a job. It has achieved more than 226,000 starts. The issue my noble friend raised concerning whether they are still in work six months later is really important. I do not have those statistics but I will go back to the department, find out whether we have them and, whether we have them or not, I will write to her and put a copy of the letter in the Library.