text_body: --- DIVISION TITLE ---
  
  Welfare Reform Bill - Clause 2 - Financial penalties for single parents of under-fives who are unenthuasiatic about "work-related activity" 
  
  --- MOTION EFFECT ---
  
  The majority of MPs voted against introducing a measure to ensure no social security related financial penalty can be incurred by a single parent with a child under five as a result of the parent failing to undertake "work related activity". 
  
  Government Minister Jim Knight  explained that "work-related activity" means participation in government run schemes aimed at helping address the barriers to work such as "training, CV writing, help with literacy and numeracy and financial advice". [1]
  
  Labour MP John Grogan succinctly described Lords amendment 2</a> which was rejected by the commons as effectively raising "from three to five the age that children must attain before their parents are subject to benefits sanction if they are not enthusiastic enough about work-related activity". 
  
  Clause 2 of the Welfare Reform Bill is intended to amend the Social Security Administration Act 1992 adding a section on "Work-related activity: income support claimants and partners of claimants". Lords Amendment 2, which this vote was on,  proposed adding a caveat to this new section stating :
  
  <blockquote>
  "Nothing in this section shall cause any financial sanction to be imposed in the case of a single parent with a child under five years of age.â [3]
  </blockquote>
  
  The above sentence was to be inserted at the beginning of a new sections "2D" of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 which the Welfare Reform Bill[4] is intended to introduce. At the time of writing the <a href="http://www.statutelaw.gov.uk/content.aspx?LegType=All+Legislation&title=+%09+++%09+The+Social+Security+Administration+Act&Year=1992&searchEnacted=0&extentMatchOnly=0&confersPower=0&blanketAmendment=0&sortAlpha=0&TYPE=QS&PageNumber=1&NavFrom=0&parentActiveTextDocId=2990946&ActiveTextDocId=2990946&filesize=1669">Social Security Administration Act 1992</a> is not available on the UK Statute Law website. Section 5(2A), (2B) and (2C) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 were inserted by <a href="http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2007/ukpga_20070005_en_4#pt2-l1g35">section 35 of the Welfare Reform Act 2007</a>.  The new section 2D [5] commenced:
  <blockquote>Regulations may make provision for or in connection with imposing on a person who is entitled to income support a requirement to undertake work-related activity in accordance with regulations as a condition of continuing to be entitled to the full amount of income support payable apart from the regulations. ... </blockquote>
   
  
  <ul>
  <li>1. <a href="http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debate/?id=2009-11-10a.167.6">Jim Knight (Minister of State (the South West), Regional Affairs; South Dorset, Labour)</a> - House of Commons, 10 November 2009</li>
   <li>2. <a href="http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debate/?id=2009-11-10a.180.0">John Grogan</a> - House of Commons, 10 November 2009</li>
  <li>3. <a href="http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmbills/159/09159.1-7.html">Amendment sheet containing Lords amendment 2</a></li>
  <li>4. <a href="http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200809/ldbills/032/09032.1-7.html">Welfare Reform Bill as brought from the Commons 19.03.09</a> (references in the amendment refer to this version of the bill</li>
  <li>5. <a href="http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200809/ldbills/032/09032.1-7.html#j2056">Welfare Reform Bill - Clause 2 - Work-related activity: income support claimants and partners of claimants</a></li>
  </ul>
  
  --- COMMENTS AND NOTES ---
  
  (put thoughts and notes for other researchers here)
  