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Cam family plans 'won't work'

David Cameron's plan to support new parents 'smacks of treatment rather than prevention' and 'won't work', according to the Marriage Foundation. Harry Benson said the plans were "window dressing", adding that support for marriage would be considerably more effective: "Support for new parents must have genuine prevention at its heart. The best way to achieve that is to rebuild our post-natal system and to back marriage."


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Addicts to lose benefits - IDS

Drug addicts and alcoholics will be denied benefits unless they enter treatment and rehabilitation programs, Iain Duncan-Smith will announce today. The Work and Pensions Secretary will tell an Alcoholics Anonymous event in Parliament that the changes will mark a shift from "passive" to "active" intervention.

Clegg defends social mobility plans

Nick Clegg has defended the Government’s emphasis on social mobility, claiming children from poor backgrounds are not getting the “fair start in life they deserve”.

The Deputy Prime Minister told Daybreak this morning that new statistics to measure social mobility would help expose the extent of the problem:

He said: "We’re lifting the lid, if you like, on an absolute scandal, which is that in our country – more than many other countries – where you’re born and what your background is seems to determine your subsequent life."

In a speech to the Sutton Trust this morning, Mr Clegg described lack of social mobility as a "moral and economic crime".

He also hit out at the “myths” surrounding social mobility plans.

"The myth is that the promotion of social mobility means lowering standards, or somehow dumbing down, to socially engineer a particular outcome. This is nonsense.”

No 10 firm on gay marriage

Tory MPs have warned David Cameron that he must have a free vote on gay marriage to avoid splitting the party.

Stewart Jackson, Peter Bone and Mark Pritchard hit out after Downing Street said that the Coalition's commitment to a law on same-sex civil marriage was subject to collective responsibility. PoliticsHome revealed yesterday that Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Paterson opposed the legislation outright.

He wrote to a constituent: "Having considered this matter carefully, I am afraid I have come to the decision not to support gay marriage."

The Prime Minister's Official Spokesman was asked this morning if Cabinet collective responsibility applied to gay marriage and nodded in response. "It's a Government commitment," he said. The spokesman stressed the Government was "committed to introducing same sex civil marriage" by end of Parliament.

Mr Paterson's former PPS Stewart Jackson, who resigned from his post over last winter's vote on whether to hold referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union, told PoliticsHome that any move to whip MPs would cause "serious divisions". He said: "Number 10 would be foolish in the extreme to disregard this as a conscience issue.

"Whipping the vote would be a catastrophic error of judgement and would generate serious divisions."

Mr Bone said: "There would be uproar in the party and ministerial resignations."

Mr Pritchard said: "The Prime Minister has given a clear commitment to a free vote on gay marriage; therefore Owen Paterson’s comments are perfectly in order." Nick Clegg has issued a clear statement of support for gay marriage, sending a message to Tory coalition partners that he will not allow the proposals to be derailed.

The Deputy Prime Minister signed a petition organised by the Coalition for Equal marriage, and said it was an issue of "how, not whether" the proposals went through.

Nearly £500m owed in social care bills

The elderly and disabled owe councils in England £465m in charges for social care bills. £104m of this total debt has been wiped off leaving £361m still outstanding. The Times put in Freedom of Information requests to all the councils across England and, as some failed to respond, the total debt is likely to be higher. Charities have responded saying it shows the extent of the struggle faced by the elderly and disabled to meet rising costs.

Most Read today in Social Issues
  1. 1 The Prime Minister's support plan for new parents won't work. Here's how to make it do soConservativeHome Platform
  2. 2 Dr. Owen Corrigan: What about the snobbery that despises vocational education?ConservativeHome Platform
  3. 3 Angela Eagle: Gay marriage won't pass without Labour supportPoliticsHome
  4. 4 Faith Matters respond to reports of 88,000 racist incidents in schoolsFaith Matters

Subsidy offered to Remploy bidders

17/05/2012 in Employment

Subsidy offered to Remploy bidders

Employers bidding to take over one of the state-owned Remploy factories will be offered a short-term wage subsidy by the Government. The £10m concession came - alongside a new deadline for ...

PM 'must not backtrack' on gay marriage

14/05/2012 in Equality

PM 'must not backtrack' on gay marriage

Yvette Cooper, Shadow Home Secretary and Minister for Women & Equalities, has declared "David Cameron must not backtrack on equal marriage." The statement came in the wake of growing dissa...

Cameron pledges to cut childcare costs

14/05/2012 in Social Issues

Cameron pledges to cut childcare costs

David Cameron is to pledge this week to help parents tackle the rising cost of child care. The Sun reports the Prime Minister has asked ministers to look into schemes to ease the burden on...

Govt ‘must take riot compensation action’

14/05/2012 in Insurance

Govt ‘must take riot compensation action’

Tottenham MP David Lammy will today challenge the Government to take action to help businesses hit by last summer's riots. In an adjournment debate Mr Lammy will ask ministers why many com...

Parties rift over Lords

13/05/2012 in Social Issues

Parties rift over Lords

Philip Hammond has warned that neither Lords reform nor gay marriage should be a "priority" for the Coalition's legislative programme. Baroness Warsi also declared reform to the Upper Hous...