Institute for Government

They cut across those sort of deeper lying structural challenges around access to healthy food, poverty, housing.

You know, Institute for Government Research also shows that it's about how boys are treated differently to girls in early year settings and the schools, for example.

So governments have historically found these issues difficult because it cuts across departmental agendas.

And, you know, I think as a foundation that works across multiple social determinants of health, I do really want to recognise the significant progress and kind of hope that comes with that and action on quality of housing, retrofit, school food, for example.

I think there are probably, and ministers have said it here as well, there's probably more to go in terms of cross-departmental collaboration.

And I think that's also an opportunity in itself.

I think another challenge I want to highlight, and this was also really present in the Institute for Government Research, is that what gets measured really matters.

So there's a real risk with the target of 75% of children reaching a good level of development that It incentivizes schools to push those who are just shy of the threshold over that.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to you all.

Good afternoon and yeah, thanks for joining us at this Institute for Government event, which we are very pleased to be hosting in partnership with the University of Manchester and Policy at Manchester, which is the university's policy engagement unit.

So thank you to them, to the university represented by Professor Duncan Iverson to my right for their support of this event.

My name is Akash Pound.

They're a classic, classically wicked policy problem.

They cut across those sort of deeper lying structural challenges around access to healthy food poverty housing um you know institute for government's research also shows that it's about how boys are treated differently to girls in early year settings and schools for example so um governments have historically found these issues difficult because it cuts across departmental agendas um and you know I think as a foundation that works across multiple social determinants of health, I do really want to recognise the significant progress and kind of hope that comes with that and action on quality of housing, retrofit, school food, for example.

I think there are probably, and ministers have said it here as well, there's probably more to go in terms of cross-departmental collaboration.

And I think that's also an opportunity in itself.

I think another challenge I want to highlight, and this was also really present in the Institute for Government Research, is that what gets measured really matters.

So there's a real risk with the target of 75% of children reaching a good level of development that It incentivizes schools to push those who are just shy of the threshold over that.

And that could include working class girls.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to you all.

Good afternoon and yeah, thanks for joining us at this Institute for Government event, which we are very pleased to be hosting in partnership with the University of Manchester and Policy at Manchester, which is the university's policy engagement unit.

So thank you to them, to the university represented by Professor Duncan Iverson to my right for their support of this event.

My name is Akash Pound.

Thank you all for coming to this IFG event supported by the London School of Economics and Political Science on how Labour can build an affordable welfare system that supports sick and disabled people.

I'm Tom Pope, the Chief Economist at the Institute for Government.

Now, you're all here, so I don't need to tell you why this is a relevant topic, but health related benefits are one of the fastest growing parts of the Social Security bill and have increased especially quickly since the pandemic.

And that includes a big increase, proportional increase for young people, but also big increases across the whole working age population.

So at this event, we're asking what a better reform system might look like and how the government can get there, especially if that means making the case for lower entitlements in at least some cases.

And we have a great panel to discuss these questions.

We have my colleague, Ben Paxton, who's a senior researcher at the Institute for Government and the author of very recent reports on this topic.

And you, I think, should have flyers on your seats, which has some of the key messages coming out of that.

My name is Hannah Keenan.

I'm an associate director at the Institute for Government.

Just a quick note to say that this event is being recorded, so you can listen back to it on our podcast later.

Ambition is high.

James is another former senior civil servant, having previously been the head of digital at the Department for Education.

Felicity Slater was special advisor across all the power centres in government, the Treasury, Number 10 and the Cabinet Office for Darren Jones, including when he was responsible for the Mission Delivery Unit.

And Jack Wurlage is another former special advisor under a different government and is now an associate director with me at the Institute for Government, where his research specializes in the civil service reform, transitions of government and the role of special advisors.

If that's not enough delivery expertise for you, we will also shortly be joined by a slightly delayed David Pinto-Duszinski.

Thank you all for coming to this IFG event supported by the London School of Economics and Political Science on how Labour can build an affordable welfare system that supports sick and disabled people.

I'm Tom Pope, the Chief Economist at the Institute for Government.

Now you're all here so I don't need to tell you why this is a relevant topic but health related benefits are one of the fastest growing parts of the social security bill and have increased especially quickly since the pandemic and that includes a big increase proportional increase for young people but also big increases across the whole working age population.

And after U-turns following attempted reform last year, the government set up the TINS review, while the Milburn review on NEETs has also looked at this issue from that perspective.

So at this event, we're asking what a better reform system might look like and how the government can get there, especially if that means making the case for lower entitlements in at least some cases.

And we have a great panel to discuss these questions.

We have my colleague, Ben Paxton, who's a senior researcher at the Institute for Government and the author of very recent reports on this topic.

And you, I think, should have flyers on your seats, which has some of the key messages coming out of that.