Welfare Reform Bill will change people’s lives
Iain Duncan Smith: Welfare reforms realised
Iain Duncan Smith’s Welfare Reform Bill became law today marking an historic moment for the Coalition Government and delivering on his promise to restore the welfare system to one that is fair for society and will make work pay.
These are the biggest reforms for 60 years and promise to change the lives of millions of households, providing support to the most vulnerable people in society, with around 2.8 million low to middle income households better off and around 900,000 adults and children lifted out of poverty under Universal Credit.
NHS bill: Lords and MPs debating healthcare shake-up
Controversial plans to overhaul the way the NHS is run in England are again being debated in the Lords, as Labour says the bill can still be stopped.
Peers are examining the Health and Social Care Bill and there will be a Labour-led NHS debate in the Commons.
Labour says it will support a motion by rebel Lib Dem MPs calling for the bill to be dropped.
But health minister Simon Burns told the BBC he was “very confident” it would become law by the spring.
The legislation is now coming to the end of its report stage in the Lords and is expected to become law within weeks.
Shake-up for meals on wheels in Norwich
Volunteers could be drafted in to stop vulnerable elderly residents feeling lonely and isolated when a council-run service ends within weeks.
by Dan Grimmer and Richard Wheeler Tuesday, March 13, 2012
11.14 AM
Norfolk County Council is to stop directly providing meals-on-wheels in Norwich next month.
It is feared this could lead to older people receiving fewer visitors and losing vital contact with others, plus paying more for their food.
Talks between Age UK Norwich and the council are continuing to see if a replacement service, which could involve more volunteers delivering meals, can be developed.
