CAS's response to the 2007 Green Paper on welfare reform.
Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) supports the UK government’s target of increasing the employment rate to 80% and increasing the employment chances of marginalised groups such as lone parents. However, we are not sure of the extent to which the policies proposed in the green paper will help meet these aims. Many of the proposals in the green paper are low on detail and not well enough developed to allow for meaningful comment. They outline the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) aims and aspirations, but not how they propose to get there. We do not believe that increased compulsion and sanctions are a necessary, appropriate or effective means of encouraging marginalised groups back to work. If the right support is available to the right people in the right ways and at the right time, there is no need for a coercive regime.