§ Lord Allen of Abbeydaleasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the provision which will enable recipients of the new Incapacity Benefit to undertake up to 16 hours of voluntary work without affecting entitlement to that benefit from April 1995 can be applied to Invalidity Benefit before then, and whether they accept that if it is not so applied, the loss of volunteers affected by the present arrangements will continue.
Viscount AstorThe proposed change to the rules on voluntary work is part of a package of measures to reform incapacity provision. It is dependent on a new, more objective test of incapacity which cannot be introduced before April 1995 as it requires primary legislation. In the meantime, recipients of Invalidity Benefit may undertake voluntary work under the long standing provisions which permit therapeutic work.