§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will make a statement on the remit of the reviews of the tax and benefit systems being undertaken by(a) Mr. Martin Taylor and (b) the Minister for Social Security and Welfare Reform; if he will make a statement on how they relate to each other; and what the consultation process and time scale will be in each case. [7410]
§ Mr. FieldWe are committed to modernising the structure and delivery of Social Security in order to encourage independence, social cohesion and well being; to develop an active welfare system which supports work, savings and honesty; and to help tackle effectively unjustifiable social and economic inequalities. To that end we will be examining the major components of the system. We will consult on specific issues in due course.
Mr. Martin Taylor has been asked by my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to examine the interaction of the tax and benefits systems to that they can be streamlined and modernised, so as to fulfil our 85W objectives of promoting work incentives, reducing poverty and welfare dependency and strengthening family and community life. The conclusions that emerge from that review will inform the judgments in my right hon. Friend's next budget, which will be in the spring of 1998.
There will be close liaison between this tax benefit review and the wider review on welfare reform.