Tuesday, October 05, 2004
Maharey sounding sensible...
A piece today by Colin James has outlined Social Steve's plans to tidy up the benefit system and streamline the number of entitlements a case worker may have to consider for each client. Policy detail hasn't been thrashed out - but the intention sound both luadable and sensible:
"But Maharey has been cooking up something much bigger. The working title is the "single benefit" and it should clear the Cabinet in December after some more work by officials to ensure no beneficiary is left worse off at the changeover and to quantify the national cost-benefit.National has a real problem now. If Labour can tame the devout social engineer that is Steve Maharey and get him sounding off about rationalising and even reducing bureaucracy, and Trev gets a bit more licence to put the slipper into the odd Powhiri or Scholarship, then without being radical, differentiation for National is nigh on impossible.
There are, Maharey says, 10 "base benefits" (among them unemployment, sickness, disability, DPBs and widows) and 36 "add-ons" designed to meet special needs and difficulties. These grew up during the 1980s and 1990s when the focus was tightened on to individual need.
Fine-tuning needs-based payment is a rational approach. But it has led to frontline welfare staff spending around 70 per cent of their time untangling the web of benefit entitlements for those in need. The complexity has also spawned an "advocacy industry" designed to help beneficiaries to get from bamboozled staff what the law says they are entitled to."
As James concluded, "If that sounds like National and Act, don't be too surprised. In this field, as in others, once-mushy Labour has been quietly nudging the centre line. Even Maharey, the one-time sociologist."
Labour will do whatever it takes to retain power - they have proved this on many occasions. If Don Brash has one legacy - it will be hauling Labour back from the idealogical far left (heard much from Margaret Wilson lately) to the sensible slightly right of centre.
It may not get him elected - but it has done us all a huge service.
