Pat McFadden has refused to say whether the overall benefits bill will be higher or lower by the time of the next General Election. The Work and Pensions Secretary was questioned on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg about the future of working age benefits.
Question on benefits bill
During the interview, McFadden addressed an upcoming proposal from Alan Milburn, which calls for a shift in government spending away from benefits for young people and towards measures that support them into work. He argued that the amount spent on young people's benefits is 25 times as much as that on employment support, and said he hopes to shift this drastically.
McFadden also refused to rule out some young people losing benefits ahead of the release of a report into young people not in education, employment or training (Neets). However, one question proved particularly difficult for him to answer.
McFadden's response
Presenter Laura Kuenssberg asked: "Will the overall benefits bill be higher or lower by the time of the next general election?" McFadden initially asked precisely what she meant. She clarified that she was referring to the overall working age benefits bill, which does not include pensioners and children.
When she repeated the question, McFadden admitted: "I can't say that. We upgrade benefits every year and it's important to keep people up with the cost of living."
