HL Deb 21 April 1998 vol 588 c204WA
Lord Kennet

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether, in using the word "work" (as in "welfare to work"), they are taking into account all and any "unwaged" work which is socially and economically significant but not paid or recorded, such as that to which the Office for National Statistics has recently been drawing attention. {HL1433]

Lord Whitty

We believe that the best form of welfare is work. Our Welfare to Work programme is designed to improve people's employability so that they are able to compete effectively in the labour market and so move away from benefit dependency. We recognise the important role that voluntary work can play in improving employability and providing a stepping-stone into employment. This is reflected in: the voluntary sector and Environment Task Force options in our New Deal for 18–24 year-olds; the concessions that exist for volunteers in the Jobseeker's Allowance rules; and the changes which were announced in the Budget which allow people on Incapacity Benefit to undertake unlimited amounts of voluntary work.