With opportunity comes responsibility. To make the most of the new world of freedom, we need to strengthen the structures which bring stability and a sense of belonging: home, neighbourhood and nation.
A Conservative government will strengthen families by reforming tax and benefits to support marriage. We will strengthen communities by expanding the role of charities and social enterprises. And we will strengthen society with a welfare system that reinforces mutual respect and civility.
WORK FOR WELFARE - REAL REFORM TO HELP MAKE BRITISH POVERTY HISTORY
Our programme of welfare reform will end the culture of long-term welfare dependence in this country and help make British poverty history.
Respect for those who cannot work
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Those recipients of Incapacity Benefit who cannot work will receive continued support
Employment for those who can
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Every out of work benefit claimant capable of doing so will be expected to work or prepare for work
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A comprehensive programme of support for jobseekers
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Welfare-to-work services to be provided by organisations on a payment by results basis
Assessments for those claiming out of work benefits
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Rapid assessments for new and existing claimants
Limits to claiming out of work benefits
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People who refuse to join a return to work programme will lose the right to claim out of work benefits until they do
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People who refuse to accept reasonable job offers could lose the right to claim out of work benefits for three years
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Time limits for out of work benefits - so people who claim for more than two years out of three will be required to join community work programmes
A STRONGER SOCIETY - VOLUNTARY ACTION IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
We want to expand the role and the influence of charities, social enterprises and voluntary bodies in our society.
Our approach is not to change the voluntary sector, but to change government: from being an object that gets in the way of civil society to being a force that gets behind it.
Encouraging giving and volunteering
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Simplify the Gift Aid system to reduce the bureaucratic burden on charities
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Support for volunteering to go through grassroots organisations not government quangos
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Reduce the burden of regulation on volunteers
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Support efforts to establish volunteering as a social norm
Supporting the voluntary sector
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Replace the Big Lottery Fund with a Voluntary Action Fund dedicated to the voluntary and community sector
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Operate a genuine one-stop funding portal for significant government grants
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Create a network of Social Enterprise Zones
Working with the voluntary sector
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Allow voluntary organisations delivering public services to earn a competitive return on investment
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Remove state interference by agreeing on goals and outcomes, not dictating methods of delivery
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Create a powerful Office for Civil Society to fight for the interests of charities and community groups
DELIVERING SOME OF THE BEST HEALTH IN EUROPE - OUTCOMES NOT TARGETS
Labour's system of running the NHS through top-down process targets isn't working. We believe the focus should instead be on outcomes, in order to make the NHS more accountable to patients and restore professional discretion over how to treat patients.
Our strategy for driving up standards involves:
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Phasing out Labour's process-driven targets
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A national focus on the health outcomes we want the NHS to deliver
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Collecting information about the results of people's treatment in the NHS
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Publishing those results, so we can see where we are making progress and where we lag behind other countries
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Developing outcome measures which patients with chronic conditions themselves provide
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Giving patients a choice of provider so they can use published outcome information to get the care they want
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Introducing payment-by-results within the system