High Court judges declared that the back-to-work scheme launched by the Department for Work and Pensions infringed the right to a fair trial under the European Convention on Human Rights. And lawyers claimed the Government could be obliged to pay £130million in Jobseekers Allowance hand outs that were previously blocked. Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith was understood to be incandescent about the ruling last night. His department immediately appealed against the decision. A Whitehall source said: This ruling is very disappointing and we intend to appeal robustly against it. Under the back-to-work scheme, long-term jobless claimants can be ordered to carry out temporary spells of work experience to help build up vital job skills to improve their chances of getting employment. Those that refuse to take part face being stripped of their benefits. Critics have branded the scheme slave labour but ministers insist it is a vital part of the Government drive to cut benefits dependency and help claimants into long-term paid employment.
Posted on: Sat, 05 Jul 2014 12:51:18 +0000
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