On Tuesday 11 March a group of officials from different British government departments will be in Rome to meet their Italian opposite numbers, to explain how our benefits system has changed and how it will work for those coming into the UK. On this topic, it is important to underline that we are not trying to limit free movement as I have seen reported in some media commentary here in Italy. What we really want is to defend our welfare system from those who abuse it.
The changes are part of our economic plan aimed at making sure that our economy delivers for people who want to work hard and play by the rules, and punishes those who do not respect these rules.
From 1st January all migrant jobseekers must now wait for three months before they are able to claim Jobseeker’s Allowance (the Italian equivalent is the ASPI, an unemployment benefit); this change will make sure that only people who have a legal right to be in the UK, have made an attachment to the UK and plan to contribute to the economy, will have access to the benefits in our system. We have also introduced a six month limit for migrants claiming this allowance. And from April, new migrants will no longer be able to claim housing benefit if they are also claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance.
These measures apply to UK nationals too: they don’t discriminate against EU citizens and they are not aimed at any one country. Our system is generous: unlike most other EU countries we don’t require individuals to have paid into the system before they are able to claim benefits. Because of this we have been more exposed to abuse and people have entered the UK with the sole intention of exploiting the system.
The domestic changes we are making will bring the UK’s benefits system more into line with other European systems and the Commission has said that Member States with overly generous benefit systems can, and should, make them more stringent to discourage abuse.
I hope you will agree with me that benefit abuse is not fair, especially for those who do play by the rules. So as a country that has always upheld fairness and respect of rules as key principles in a democracy, we want to ensure that only those who are entitled – whether EU/EEA, third-country or British nationals – get access to our benefits.