§ Mr. John Prescott (Kingston upon Hull, East)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. It arises from the statement yesterday by the Paymaster General about the availability for work test. In reply to a question by the hon. Member for Stamford and Spalding (Sir K. Lewis), he informed the House:
The questionnaire will be used for only new claimants who apply for benefit."—[Official Report, 28 October 1986; Vol. 103, c. 183.]That statement is not correct, as it has become clear that the questionnaire is being applied to a selected group of disabled unemployed claimants and others over 50 years of age who have been unemployed for more than 12 months and are required to report to the Department every three months. More than 100 of those claimants have already been suspended from benefit after application of the questionnaire.This morning, I contacted the Department of Employment about this matter and was referred to a number of answers to questions which, it was said, informed the House of this policy. Those answers do not inform the House of that policy. Therefore, the House has been misled by the statement. I request the Paymaster General to make a statement to the House to correct it.
§ The Paymaster General and Minister for Employment (Mr. Kenneth Clarke)Further to the point of order, Mr. Speaker. I checked what I said to the House yesterday and what my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State said in the other place. I am satisfied that we gave a wholly accurate description of the nationwide scheme we are introducing to improve the tests for availability for work. In a limited number of locations—about six towns—experiments involving quarterly attendance of which we notified the Members of Parliament representing those towns and about which we have answered questions in the House, have been taking place. Those experiments are about to end. They have included the use of this form. We will evaluate those tests. These are part of a number of pilot tests that we run from time to time.
If, in the light of our evaluation, we decide that we want to introduce any further changes to the system, we will come back to the House with them. If the hon. Gentleman looks at the questions asked by my hon. Friends the Members for Rutland and Melton (Mr. Latham) and for Stamford and Spalding (Sir K. Lewis), by himself and others yesterday and at the answers, I am satisfied he will find that we gave a wholly accurate description.
I had it in mind yesterday that we were taking on 1,400 people at a cost of £14 million. It is actually 1,400 people at a cost of £16 million. I have already written to the hon. Gentleman this morning to correct that. I shall be answering questions on that. Other than that, he is wrong to suggest that I misled the House. Yesterday, I gave a totally full description of the changes that we are making.