Minister of state at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Chris Grayling MP, will appear before the House of Lords Merits of Statutory Instruments Committee tomorrow (Tuesday 5 April) to defend proposals that jobseekers should take part in mandatory work schemes or face losing their benefits.

The Lords committee, which draws attention to statutory instruments which are significant or may show defects, is expected to ask Grayling to explain what effect the regulations will have and why the DWP appears not to have taken account of the Committee's earlier criticism that it had failed to explain the scheme to Parliament satisfactorily.

DWP laid the Jobseeker's Allowance (Mandatory Work Activity Scheme) regulations before Parliament on 14 March. This is the latest in a series of DWP regulations in which the committee noted problems. The minister will also face questions on regulations about the Employment and Support Allowance, and the Social Fund Maternity Grant.