Welfare Reform Act 2009: Chapter 24 explanatory notes

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Corporate Author:

Great Britain

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TSO (The Stationery Office)

In July 2008 the Government published a consultation paper on proposals for welfare reform "No one written off: reforming welfare to reward responsibility" (Cm 7363, ISBN 9780101736329). At the end of the consultation period, and following the publication of an independent review of conditionality in the benefits system by Professor Paul Gregg "Realising potential: a vision for personalised conditionality and support" (ISBN 9780101749923), a White Paper "Raising expectations and increasing support: reforming welfare for the future" (Cm 7506, ISBN 9780101750622) was published. This sets out the Government's proposals for the continuing reform of the welfare state. Not all of the proposals set out in the White Paper require primary legislation. But this Act gives effect to those proposals that do. This Act also fulfils the commitment made in the White Paper "Joint birth registration: recording responsibility" (Cm 7293, ISBN 9780101729321) to legislate in order to make joint birth registration by unmarried couples the normal, default position, thereby enabling unmarried fathers to have their names entered on the birth register and to gain parental responsibility by this route. The aim of increasing parental responsibility is also the reason for including further changes to child maintenance legislation, building on the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008. The Welfare Reform Act 2009 consists of five parts: social security; disabled people: right to control provision of services; child maintenance; birth registration; general.