Benefits

Lord Bishop of Blackburn Excerpts
Monday 20th December 2010

(13 years, 11 months ago)

Lords Chamber
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Lord Freud Portrait Lord Freud
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The purpose of our reforms is to make sure that there is a very strong incentive for people to find work and, once they find work, to work. That is the purpose of that reform.

Lord Bishop of Blackburn Portrait The Lord Bishop of Blackburn
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My Lords, I learnt last week of a severely disabled person in the Pendle area who had failed to receive their giro for incapacity benefit, which I think is now called ESA. They decided to telephone and tried several times a day for four consecutive days. Will the Minister kindly tell us what steps are being taken to ensure that Jobcentre Plus provides much needed help to those who really deserve it?

Lord Freud Portrait Lord Freud
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My Lords, I am obviously disturbed to hear what the right reverend Prelate has told us about this case. When we find cases and I am alerted to them, we react rapidly to make sure that the individual case is sorted out. If he lets me have the details, I will deal with it.