Originally Posted by Lydia72

When Job Seeker's Allowance was brought in (95/96) it was meant to weed out the lifelong unemployed. Claimants were supposed to have their benefit stopped if they refused suitable employment, lone-parents were supposed to be encouraged to work....
With that in mind I'm a bit "Believe it when I see it".

I'm interested in the Incapacity Benefit cuts. I know at least three people with severely life-limiting illnesses/ disabilities. Each year they have to complete review forms for Disability Living Allowance and have the possibility of a medical assessment and in each case it is a complete waste of time because the nature of their illnesses means they will never get better.
20% cuts would be great if it weeds out the fraudsters, I just hope it's not at the expense of the most vulnerable.

What I could never get my head around was people being better off claiming as two x single households rather than one unit. So woman in one house with children and claiming as a single parent, father lives somewhere else claiming as unemployed, living together meant less money. But then the system is paying two lots of benefits plus housing benefit plus obviously two lots of admin. A huge amount of fraud in our area was down to couples pretending they had split up to claim more money but who were actually living together.
We would have visiting officers going round to try and suss them out, usually because one of the neighbours had grassed them up.

I understand with the reforms that the scenario where families are better off splitting up will be changed. Personally I think it's an excellent idea however someone involved with Women's Aid is complaining that women will be forced to stay with abusive partners if it goes through.


Those refusing employment losing benefits for up to three years - I can't see how that will work. Like Bugeye_Scoob said earlier people will just go out on the rob.

No one capable of work should be better off on benefits, if the new reforms pull that off then great

Originally Posted by JTaylor

It's certainly good to read the views of someone sensible and at the front-line.

Originally Posted by Lydia72

Thanks, although I'm not front-line any more
I detested working there, further down the thread I mentioned I liked the claimants more than my colleagues - I was only half joking.

I know I've mentioned it on S'Net before so at the risk of sounding like a Hovis advert; both my parents were brought up in extreme poverty and trying to climb out of it was the hardest thing they ever had to do.
When I was growing up they had to count every penny, we never had money for extras, but they both worked and they would have done anything to avoid having to claim benefits.

I'm not a do-gooder but I do have sympathy for people who are stuck in the welfare system with no idea that there is another way of life.
It's such a balancing act, there should almost be a stigma attached to welfare so people don't think it's a good thing to be permanently claiming but then again kids shouldn't have to feel ashamed because they are getting free school meals.