Making work pay

When Mr Duncan Smith speaks, politicians of all parties listen, even though he was ridiculed as the "quiet man" during his brief, and unsuccessful, stint as Tory leader, albeit at a time when his party was at its most ungovernable.

It is also why his proposed benefits shakes-up deserves to succeed; it is driven by the Minister's personal journey into some of the country's most deprived areas and the first-hand stories that he has encountered.

It is plainly wrong for people to be financially better off on benefits than in employment. The consequence of Gordon Brown's much-lauded tax credits system was that it became a disincentive to those seeking to return to work – and the obstinacy of the former Prime Minister saw money being squandered unnecessarily rather than the system refined.

That people will be gradually weaned off benefits, as their salary increases, is, potentially, a radical way of inspiring the poor and fulfilling the Government's social justice agenda. But, like all such schemes, the devil will be in the detail. How will the Government be able to keep track of payments, without creating another inflexible and costly bureaucracy, and where are the job vacancies going to come from?

These are issues that will require further clarification on Mr Duncan Smith's part, but that should not diminish from his commendable efforts to be a reforming Minister and showing, belatedly, that work should always pay for all sections of society.