Mervyn Storey
North Antrim · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“I thank the Minister for his statement. It will be noted that there are those who cry much about the environment and purport to be the champions of the environment who did not have the courtesy to come to the House and be present when the statement was being made.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. Clearly, there are some in the House who want to continue with the same old, same old and get the same outcomes at a huge cost to the public purse and to farms in Northern Ireland. The Minister is absolutely right: it is a scourge.”
“I am sure that the Minister will be aware, having listened to the Member who spoke before me, that the farmers of North Antrim will make an informed choice about who best supported farmers during this mandate of the Assembly.”
“A pilot scheme has been operating with the Education Authority, the PSNI and the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust across 60 schools in the south Down area since September 2021 and was extended to a further 77 schools in the Newry and south Armagh areas at the start of February 2022.”
“As Chair of the Justice Committee, I am pleased to welcome the motion. It implements the provisions taken forward by the Committee in the Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act (Northern Ireland) 2021 to establish an Operation Encompass model in Northern Ireland, which is, as the Minister has outlined, a police and early intervention pa…”
“We had our final meeting of that Committee this morning, and I want to place on the public record our appreciation and thanks to our Committee staff of for all the work that they have done.”
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“The repairs grant is available to landlords, agents and tenants towards the cost of repairing houses following the issue of statutory notices by the local council. <BR /> <BR />The Housing Executive has the discretion to make available the other grants, subject to the availability of sufficient budget. Applications are means-tested. That means that the total amount that the Housing Executive awards for a grant is the total approved cost of the work less the amount that the applicant can afford to pay. <BR /> <BR />My Department provides other grants to improve the energy efficiency of owner-occupied dwellings.”
“A range of private-sector housing repair, improvement and adaptations grants is available to owner-occupiers. There are seven grants, including two mandatory grants, namely the disabled facilities grant and the repairs grant, and five discretionary grants, which are for renovation, replacement, houses in multiple occupancy, home repairs assistance and common parts. <BR /> <BR />One main aim of the current grants system is that resources should be targeted at those who can least afford to pay for works to their properties, with a particular focus on mandatory grants. The disabled facilities and repairs grants must be paid on referral by an occupational therapist or on receipt of certain statutory notices. Disabled facilities grants are designed to support people with disabilities to live independently in their own home.”
“Mr Speaker, I am seeking to reschedule the Bill.”
“I appreciate the Minister giving way. That issue has been prevalent in recent days, so is he confident that the entitlement framework and buy-in from schools will continue, given the budgetary constraints that we face? A number of schools in my constituency said that it will be difficult for them to meet the financial requirements. They bought into the concept of the entitlement framework, but they are not sure that they can afford it.”
“I look forward to continuing to work with the Committee through what will be a long process. It is not the case that, once the Bill has been passed and given Royal Assent, Members can take their ease. I also thank my officials for all their hard work over many hours and the many documents that they have produced for me and others, including the Committee, which have provided all the relevant information to the Assembly and is available for others. I place my appreciation of their hard work on record.”
“While that may not change the view of the Member, I trust that he will take what is offered in good faith, and it will give me satisfaction and assurance that this is not just a cold paper exercise but has validity and importance. <BR /> <BR />In conclusion, I place on record my thanks and appreciation to all those who have taken part today. I want to say this: I worked extremely hard to ensure that there was no need for petitions of concern today. I have endeavoured over the last period — maybe not as extensively as Members would have wished but within the time constraints that have been placed on me — to do what could be done at Further Consideration Stage. I also thank the Chair, Deputy Chair and members of the Social Development Committee for their contributions to today's proceedings.”
“What needs to be rehearsed at this juncture is that the JSC is tasked with reporting on standards of decision-making — that is payment accuracy. The technical accuracy refers to payments, which are clearly a mathematical calculation. However, the JSC also looks at standards of decision-making. However, in light of what the Member has said about his concerns, I am happy, as a result of his comments on the reports that have already been carried out and the issues that he highlighted, to undertake a review of the working of the process over the next number of months to satisfy myself that we can attain high standards of decision-making and to look not only at the accuracy of those decision-making processes but at the standards, including the quality of those decisions.”
“The Member mentioned that I was giving this more thought. In a sense, I want to revisit the issue. The new clause provides that the standards and quality of decision-making on sanctions will be monitored by the social security joint standards committee on an annual basis. It also provides for the committee to report on the standards and quality of decision-making on sanctions.”
“I will consider, in conjunction with my officials, how best any composite report can reflect the views that have been expressed. While I know that Members will not be completely satisfied with that, I hope that the assurances that I have given will at least go some way to placing on record my commitment and that of my Department as to how we will deal with those issues. <BR /> <BR />I will turn to amendment No 25, which is new clause 132D.”
“I am not convinced by the argument that by putting into statute the term "independent" in front of the report will ensure that the Assembly receives a report that meets that criteria. I will certainly wish to involve independent experts in helping shape the overall evaluation strategy for welfare reform, and, indeed, my Department may commission some independent groups to carry out some research. <BR /> <BR />The Bill as drafted already contains various reporting requirements, such as to publish reports on the operation of assessments for personal independence payment. That is in clause 90. It also requires reports on the standards of decision-making and payment accuracy and on the operation of sanctions for universal credit, jobseeker's allowance, income support and employment and support allowance. That is in clause 121.”
“As part of the future research programme in DSD, officials are considering how best to assess the longer-term impact of the changes to the welfare system. It is expected that any study of that will need to involve a number of other Departments, particularly on issues such as poverty and public health. <BR /> <BR />I believe that the important point with these amendments is that the Assembly will put in place a statutory duty for a report to be produced on the impact of welfare reform and that Members will have the opportunity to debate the content of those reports. I am sure that the Assembly will wish to be assured that any such report is comprehensive and is based on robust information sources.”
“On the issue of independence, I reiterate that the Department already has significant checks and balances to ensure its objectivity and gathers sufficient data to report on the Bill without the need for the additional cost of producing an independent report. I made comments on that during the previous debate. <BR /> <BR />Over the past two years, my Department has published a series of impact studies on each of the major reforms, and I can assure Members that that programme of research will continue as we move through the implementation process. Any reports on welfare reform produced by my Department will use data produced by the Northern Ireland Research and Statistics Agency, which, as Members are aware, is governed by the national rules on the use of official statistics.”
“I consider that to separate out the Bill for particular scrutiny by establishing specific Committee structures would undermine the overarching role that the Committee for Social Development has in the wider social security arena. <BR /> <BR />Another issue raised during the debate at Consideration Stage related to the reporting of the implementation of the Act. I assured Mr Agnew that I would consider it further, and, having discussed it with him, I have tabled amendment No 24, which commits the Department to publishing and laying a report on the operation of the Act within three years of Royal Assent. I note that the Member has tabled amendment No 19, which is similar to mine, with the only difference being the word "independent" again.”
“Therefore, we are in a very different situation from Scotland. Of course, we are constrained by the principle of parity and the fact that we depend on a shared IT system, but, provided that we are prepared to fund any additional costs that arise as a result of doing things differently, Northern Ireland can legislate in a manner that takes into account our regional issues. I believe that the Assembly's scrutiny of the Bill demonstrates that we are already fully engaged in that regard. <BR /> <BR />Whilst the Bill has been contentious, mostly because of the scale of the reforms being proposed, Members should reflect that the Bill, as and when it becomes law, will be only one legislative instrument amongst a vast number of statutory instruments pertaining in the field of social security.”
“Its role is to keep under review the passage of the UK Welfare Reform Act 2012 and to monitor its implementation as it affects welfare provision in Scotland, and to consider relevant Scottish legislation and other consequential amendments. Members should bear in mind that social security legislation is not a devolved matter in Scotland. Social security legislation for Scotland is made through Parliament by the UK Government, and, therefore, it does not have the same level of scrutiny that is afforded to our legislation and carried out by our Social Development Committee and the Assembly. <BR /> <BR />Devolved responsibility for social security legislation to the Assembly means that Northern Ireland has the opportunity to make different arrangements from those pertaining elsewhere in Great Britain.”
“<BR /> <BR />Participation in the pilot will be entirely voluntary and will not impact on a person’s current DLA award or future PIP reassessment, and there will be no actual PIP payment. The tabled amendment clarifies that there will be no PIP payments made as a result of the pilot. I urge Members to accept the amendment. <BR /> <BR />I now come to amendment Nos 19 and 24. At Consideration Stage, several amendments were tabled in relation to reporting on the implementation of the Act and on setting up a dedicated welfare reform committee of the Assembly, following the example of the Scottish Government. <BR /> <BR />The Scottish Welfare Reform Committee was established on 25 January 2012.”
“That is something that we need to keep a focus on. In light of that, I urge Members to reject amendment Nos 5, 6 and 7. <BR /> <BR />Clause 78 was added following an amendment tabled by the Ulster Unionist Party and accepted following debate at Consideration Stage. It makes provision for a pilot scheme to be carried out in advance of the personal independence payment going live in Northern Ireland. It is important that the administration of new benefits be well planned and managed to avoid the sort of backlog and delivery uncertainties that occurred in Great Britain when PIP was implemented. I trust that the pilot will provide the assurance that the Northern Ireland PIP customer journey and associated processes are robust; help to inform plans for the roll-out of PIP in Northern Ireland; and provide further information on outcomes.”
“<BR /> <BR />I propose that the form of Assembly control to be applied to regulations remain as drafted in the Bill, as that will enable subordinate legislation to make timely progress. That means that the first set of regulations, which introduces major policy changes, will be made using the confirmatory procedure. <BR /> <BR />The alternative approach suggested by the amendments for the payment amounts — affirmative — which provides for debate and discussion before the regulations come into effect is rarely applied to social security legislation, as it could lead to significant delays in implementation, bearing in mind the need to implement welfare reform legislation as quickly as possible to avoid additional financial burdens in relation to the issue of fines, which, I remind Members, has not gone away in its entirety.”
“However, regulations that introduce new concepts into the benefits system will be subject to the confirmatory procedure in the first instance. That will ensure a debate on any areas of concern. It will also maintain the flexibility to amend the legislation quickly in the future to respond to changes without making disproportionate demands on the legislature. If the amounts payable in universal credit were subject to the affirmative procedure, that would apply to the first set of regulations only. As a general rule, the affirmative procedure would be applied to regulations that are unique to Northern Ireland, that is, they are not parity-based, outside social security, provide for something controversial or deal with financial assistance, such as the discretionary support scheme.”
“Amendment Nos 5 and 6 would remove the regulations on the amounts for the standard allowance; children and young people's element; housing costs element; claimants subject to no work-related requirements; sanctions; and hardship payments. From the list of regulations subject to the confirmatory procedure, amendment No 7 would result in the regulations on those aspects being subject to the draft affirmative procedure. <BR /> <BR />As I said two weeks ago at Consideration Stage, Assembly controls for universal credit regulations will, in the main, follow the more common form of control, that is, the negative resolution procedure. That follows the conventional approach to delegated legislation in this area.”
“You do not know how happy I am that you have called me. I want to be brief. However, it is important that there are certain things that we place on the record of the House, when others, as I know the Member for West Belfast will want to interrogate me, regardless of whether I say that I am a handle, a broom or Dusty. It does not matter what it is. <BR /> <BR />Thank you, Mr Speaker, for calling me in relation to these amendments. Amendment Nos 5, 6 and 7 refer to clause 44, which relates to Assembly control. Clause 44 provides for the procedure by which the Northern Ireland Assembly can control the making of regulations.”
“The Member should not take the reason why I have not accepted his amendment as a reflection in any way of the changes to the Bill that he sought to bring about in all good faith. The Member knows that we tried to find some accommodation when that was possible. I accept the fact that, as a single Member in the House, he works hard to try to do the job of Members: to scrutinise legislation. Whatever the spat between you and the Members opposite, that is an issue for yourselves, but, as far as I am concerned, I want the Member to be assured that it is not because he happens to be in the Green Party or because he happens to be a single representative. I trust that I have endeavoured to give the rationale for why we did not accept his amendment. It is no reflection on the hard work that he and his member of staff have done on the issue.”
“As I have stated previously, that would have implications for Northern Ireland's block grant. For those reasons, I urge Members to reject amendment No 27. <BR /> <BR />I conclude my remarks on the first group.”
“Although we have a legal duty to provide support to people who come to Northern Ireland, in line with national and international obligations, it is also necessary to protect the taxpayer and the benefit system. There is a need to make sure that the rules that apply when people from outside come here do not allow them to take inappropriate advantage of the benefit system. Without that provision in the Bill, the Department would be unable to check whether an EU national with worker status meets the right-to-reside test. I hope that I have assured Members that we will be exercising the power only to enable us to check whether an EU claimant continues to enjoy a right to reside as a jobseeker under EU law. <BR /> <BR />To accept amendment No 27 would be a clear breach of parity.”
“That is because it is a social assistance and not payable to EU nationals without a right to reside. <BR /> <BR />The crucial point is that we will exercise the power only to enable us to check whether an EU claimant continues to enjoy a right to reside as a jobseeker. Without the power to verify whether a claimant is seeking work, we would be unable to verify whether they continue to have a right to reside under EU law.”
“Although the power itself, under schedule 1, paragraph 7, is quite wide, we wish to exercise it only in relation to EU jobseekers: those who retain worker status because they become involuntarily unemployed and, therefore, need to seek employment to continue to retain that status. <BR /> <BR />EU claimants who come to the UK to seek work, and those who retain worker status because they become unemployed, will not benefit from the exemptions from conditionality clauses 19, 20 and 21, because that would prevent us verifying whether they can claim entitlement to universal credit based on a right to reside under EU law. The regulations will enable us to check that an EU jobseeker is in fact searching for work and available for work, as they would, therefore, continue to meet the right to reside test and to be eligible for universal credit.”
“However, access to benefits during that three-month period will not satisfy the right to reside test. EU nationals may also have a right to reside straightaway as a jobseeker, if they can show that they are looking for work and have a genuine chance of being engaged in work. Family members of jobseekers also have a right to reside. <BR /> <BR />To have a right to reside as a jobseeker, a person needs to be registered with a jobs and benefits office and a social security office, and signing on as an individual for and seeking work. A person with a right to reside as a jobseeker may claim income-related jobseeker's allowance, which can give entitlement to housing benefit.”
“<BR /> <BR />Amendment No 27 proposes to remove paragraph 7 from schedule 1. Paragraph 7 would give the Department the power to make regulations specifying the work-related requirements for claimants asserting a right to reside in the United Kingdom on the basis that they are EU jobseekers under EU treaties. By way of background, I should explain that people coming to the UK from EU countries do not have unrestricted access to UK social security benefits and tax credits. Since 2004, access to most benefits for EU nationals has depended on whether they have a right to reside here. For most benefits, the right to reside requirement is part of the habitual residence test. <BR /> <BR />Since 2006, all EU nationals have had the right to reside in the UK for three months without the requirement to be financially self-sufficient.”
“I now plan to bring more of the operational detail for the different schemes to the Executive for agreement. That work is nearly completed, and my plan is that the details will be out for public consultation in March, with subordinate legislation being brought to the Assembly in late spring. I hope that my comments provide the Assembly with the context for this amendment, and I ask the House to support my amendments. <BR /> <BR />In bringing my remarks to a conclusion, I want to address amendment No 26, which relates to clause 135. It adds the commencement of the new clauses tabled to those commencing on Royal Assent. The clauses are 132A, payments to persons suffering financial disadvantage; 132B, duty to ensure the availability of advice and assistance; and 132C, the review of the Act. I urge Members to accept amendment No 26.”
“I thank the Chair of the Committee for rehearsing and reinforcing the comments that I made. He has set them in the context of accuracy, which is what is needed, and I appreciate what he said. <BR /> <BR />I want to say something else about the scope. Over the last number of weeks, I have heard much about the scope of the Stormont Castle agreement on welfare reform. What that shows is an Executive committed to addressing the real challenges arising from welfare changes. It was not about any one party rolling over or another policy winning the arguments; it was about political parties recognising the importance of reaching an agreement that was, given the available funding, deliverable and affordable. <BR /> <BR />At Stormont Castle, the parties agreed the framework for the welfare changes and some of the detail on the key measures.”
“The new discretionary support service is intended not only to support some of the most vulnerable groups in our society but to provide support for low income families to access when that support is needed. <BR /> <BR />The scope of the agreement on welfare at Stormont Castle shows an Executive that are committed to addressing the real challenges arising from —”
“<BR /> <BR />The package of measures included a series of payment flexibilities under universal credit; a change in the sanction regime in Northern Ireland for claimants to reduce the maximum period that someone could lose the benefits for to 18 months; a fund to ensure that medical reports are taken into account for claimants of the personal independence payment who are to receive an adverse benefit decision; a scheme to ensure tenants in social housing are not financially impacted following the introduction of the criteria to determine levels of housing benefit payments in social housing, commonly referred to as the bedroom tax; a mechanism to determine levels of housing benefit that exist for private sector tenants; and a scheme that will provide emergency financial support for people who have an emergency in their lives.”
“The detail of that agreement is set out at annex A to the document. At Stormont Castle, the five parties also agreed that a Northern Ireland-specific package of measures should be implemented to mitigate some of the most harmful impacts of the changes to the benefits system.”
“The main claimant groups being considered for inclusion in the scheme are families with or without dependants, claimants who are long-term sick and lose their benefit and disabled people who would previously have received additional payments due to their income levels. <BR /> <BR />The Executive gave my officials specific guidance on the development of the supplementary payment scheme. An initial framework for the operation of the scheme has been developed, and I am giving consideration to those proposals and hope to bring forward a detailed scheme to the Executive in the coming weeks. <BR /> <BR />The Executive parties also reached agreement at Stormont Castle on a number of other welfare-related issues. Those were included in a paragraph within the body of the Stormont House Agreement.”
“The Executive acknowledged arguments that there may be other disability groups for whom PIP functional disability descriptors do not apply. It was agreed, as part of the consultation exercise on the disability protection scheme, that my Department could consider the inclusion of such groups for a similar PIP-type payment. Such payments would be made only when it could be demonstrated that the mobility and care needs for their disability is Northern Ireland-specific and is not already covered by the functional disability criteria used by the assessment process. <BR /> <BR />The second scheme that the enabling clause will provide for is the supplementary payment scheme. That scheme is also being introduced to provide support for those claimants who are adversely impacted by the changes to welfare.”
“<BR /> <BR />Concerns were expressed by some parties that some victims or survivors on DLA with disabilities that were Troubles-related may not qualify for personal independence payment. If there is any impact in such cases, it is likely to be on those claimants who are receiving the low-rate mobility or care of DLA. In those cases, the Executive have agreed a mechanism that should be put in place that would enable claimants whose disability is Troubles-related and who do not qualify for personal independence payment to apply to my Department for the PIP-style payment.”
“The Executive recognise that for the vast majority of people currently receiving high- or medium-level DLA payments, the reassessment process will not be an issue and those claimants should move to personal independence payment with little difficulty. <BR /> <BR />I wish to assure the House that my officials are working with the Victims and Survivors Service to put in place specific arrangements to ensure that the most seriously injured victims and survivors of the Troubles are not to be retraumatised as part of the reassessment process. I have worked with and met the Victims and Survivors Service and gave the assurance that my officials will continue to work with them because this is an issue of priority and importance.”
“<BR /> <BR />The second element provides support for those claimants who receive a lower level of payment under the personal independence payment than they had been receiving under DLA. This will involve a financial payment that will continue for a specified period depending on the date when the claimant is reassessed for personal independence payment. <BR /> <BR />The third element of the disability protection scheme is being developed to address concerns that the functional disability criteria being used to assess claimants for the personal independence payment may not take account of the specific circumstances in Northern Ireland.”
“That reassessment process is expected to involve up to 120,000 claimants over a four-year period. The Executive parties recognise the real difficulties that process could present for many existing DLA claimants as they make the transition to the new benefit. <BR /> <BR />The disability protection scheme will have three core elements. The first involves making a financial payment to those DLA claimants who are unsuccessful in their claim for personal independence payment and who subsequently appeal the disallowance decision to the independent appeals service. The Executive have agreed that a financial payment should be made to those claimants and continue until the appeals service has made a decision on the claimant's appeal.”
“<BR /> <BR />Over the next number of weeks, I am planning to bring these proposals to the Executive for their agreement. Following that, officials will provide a briefing to the Committee for Social Development and, later, the detailed proposals will be issued for public consultation. Whilst I am unable to provide the Assembly with the detail of the eligibility criteria and levels of payment for individual schemes because they have not yet been agreed by the Executive, I would like to say something about the overall purpose and structure of the schemes. <BR /> <BR />The disability protection scheme will provide support for those adversely impacted by the introduction of the reassessment process for existing DLA claims to the new personal independence payment benefit.”
“Well, I think that we are really dancing on the head of a pin now. Is the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party really trying to tell me that there were three or four versions of the front page of this produced? I will be honest: I was not the brightest bulb in the box when I was at school. I was not the sharpest pencil, either, but I am bright enough and able enough to read the Executive approval for agreement reached in Stormont Castle. Is that not good enough to underline the issue? I leave that for whatever the Member wants to use this particular issue for. <BR /> <BR />I want to set out for Members now the reason we need the clause, which is an enabling clause to bring to fruition and reality the two schemes that are covered by it.”
“Well, Mr Deputy Speaker, here I have in my hand a copy of the Stormont Castle agreement. This paper is based on the agreement of the five parties in Stormont Castle for their submission to the Government and represents the practical outworking of the five-party agreement. Now, I think that that needs to be understood by the Members who agreed to it; I think that they need to realise what it is they have agreed to. The Member doubts my word, but I am sure that he had a copy of this the same as anybody else. It says very clearly that this paper is based on the agreement of the five parties in Stormont for their submission to the Government and represents the practical outworking of that five-party agreement.”
“This amendment provides me with the opportunity to come to the Assembly with some further detail on the schemes that this enabling clause will allow my Department to develop, and to outline the main terms of the agreement reached at Stormont Castle and later incorporated into the Stormont House Agreement. We should remind ourselves that the Stormont Castle agreement was later incorporated into the Stormont House Agreement. <BR /> <BR />The two schemes covered by this enabling clause are the disability protection scheme and the supplementary payment scheme. The need for those schemes was agreed by the parties at Stormont Castle. My Department is developing detailed proposals on how the schemes could provide support for those who have been adversely impacted by the changes to the welfare system.”
“I thank the member of the Committee for Social Development Mickey Brady for very accurately picking up the issue on this particular amendment. I want to point out that clause 131 deals with discretionary support and not the discretionary housing payments, as the proposed amendment suggests. Discretionary support and clause 131 relate to the social fund replacement, and, therefore, this amendment, I contend, is technically incorrect and, for those reasons, should be rejected. That should clarify the issue in relation to amendment No 21 and clause 131 on discretionary support. <BR /> <BR />I turn now to amendment No 22 and new clause 132A on payments to persons suffering financial disadvantage.”
“<BR /> <BR />In devising the new scheme, DFP is targeting its policy towards those who are least able to pay rates, in harmony with welfare reform principles, and to make work pay, while simplifying the rules and providing value for money. The best way to do this is to avail ourselves of the rules, information and calculations for the purposes of universal credit. On that basis, I have tabled an amendment to clause 130 that will allow DFP regulations for rates to correspond with universal credit statutory provisions in a similar way to the current provision in relation to housing benefit corresponding to income-related benefits. I therefore ask Members to accept amendment No 20. <BR /> <BR />Amendment No 21 relates to clause 131 on discretionary support.”
“Clause 130 amends article 30A of the Rates (Northern Ireland) Order 1977, which is an existing enabling power that allows the Department of Finance and Personnel to make whatever regulations are necessary to provide support schemes for domestic ratepayers. Clause 130 will allow that power to be extended to replace the rates element of housing benefit when it ceases. <BR /> <BR />The delayed introduction of welfare reform has enabled DFP to use the time provided to develop and consult on two options for a longer-term final rate rebate scheme for working-age claimants, both of which are, to varying extents, reliant on universal credit. The consultation period ended on 16 February 2015.”
“<BR /> <BR />I can genuinely say that I have not seen anything since I came into the Department that indicates to me that there is anything other than a willingness on my Department's part and from me, as the Minister now responsible for it, to continue to work in a proactive way with the independent advice sector and to enhance that relationship. That is what I want to be about. I cannot surely be accused of being mangy when it comes to funding — although I am sure that every organisation that comes through my door looking for funding would like more — because I think that the £4·5 million or £4·7 million that we give is some reflection of how we value the work that that sector carries out. I trust that that helps the Member on that issue. <BR /> <BR />I want to move on to amendment No 20, which relates to clause 130.”
“I am confident that, in the future, we will have an independent advice sector. If evidence had been brought to me over the last number of weeks and months that, somehow, it was not working the way that it was intended to, I would want to look at how we could change it. It is always an evolving situation because of the duties, requirements and pressures that are brought to bear on the sector. As we are seeing through this process, we are going through a process of change. The independent sector obviously has to adapt to that change and to accommodate how it deals with the issues.”
“<BR /> <BR />Before I move on to amendment No 20, I will return to the clarification on amendment Nos 13 and 14. I am glad that a relevant piece of paper has been handed to me with the answer. I will give that answer to the Member who asked the question; he will be glad that he does not have to wait any longer. The technical amendments to clause 81 were tabled in response to the discussions at Consideration Stage and on the basis of legal advice from the Office of the Legislative Counsel (OLC) to ensure that the policy intent that all relevant medical evidence is taken into account when carrying out PIP assessment is consistent throughout the legislation. So, further legal advice was sought from the Office of the Legislative Counsel.”
“<BR /> <BR />I am prepared to give serious consideration to a separate, distinct contract being developed with the independent advice sector that would continue during the implementation phase of welfare reform. I am happy to have discussions with the Members who raised this issue to flesh out what that would be in reality. It should be remembered that we work under a contract with the sector, and I think that it would be helpful if we had some further discussion on the issue. I reiterate what I am saying, which is that I am prepared to give serious consideration to a separate, distinct contract that would be developed with the independent advice sector and that would continue during the implementation phase of this round of welfare reform. I will leave that for Members to reflect on.”