Posted: 16.11.2006

OPFS members and staff were pleased to welcome the Minister, Jim Murphy, at our annual conference on 10th December to discuss the Welfare Reform Bill and lone parents. While the Minister was anxious to re-assure us that the Government is very keen to do whatever is necessary to reduce child poverty further and also acknowledged that many aspects of the present system are not working well, he still faced some tough questioning from his audience.

Issues raised included:

• that sanctions for people not engaging in return to work activities should be completely replaced by incentives
• that more pressure was needed on employers to employ people with health difficulties, not pressures on claimants
• that lone parents are already working hard bringing up their children and caring for others, but no-one is valuing this work. Official allowances such as Carer's Allowance fall well below the minimum wage.
• that Scotland has many examples of good practice which the DWP is not looking at, exemplified by the fact that child poverty has fallen more in Scotland than elsewhere in the UK.

Sadly the Minister was not able to stay to hear the very clear critique of the Welfare Reform proposals from John Dickie of Child Poverty Action Group. However, OPFS will be following up further on some of the issues raised with the Minister and supports the Scottish Campaign on the Welfare Reform Bill which is pressing for changes.