Our plans will redefine the role of the welfare state. Essentially we want to return to fundamental principles where the welfare state is able to respond to people's abilities and help them into the workplace - not condemn them to a life on benefits.
As Tony Blair has made clear, our fundamental challenge is how to make Europe work better.
Advances in technology and in our understanding of illness and disease together with an expanded workforce and greater resources will allow us to provide more services to a higher quality.
The best thing for the individuals concerned, and for society as a whole, is to actively encourage those on incapacity benefit who are able to work to get back into work, while providing security and a decent standard of living to those who cannot.
The Civil Service is a vital economic asset to the UK - firstly, in the way it creates a framework for excellence in service delivery and secondly, in how it helps organise the best way to deliver modern public services on which both businesses and individuals depend.