The DWP estimates that the level of Incapacity Benefit fraud is less that 0.3% – the lowest of any means tested benefit. Disability benefits have always had a low level of fraud but I have never seen a DWP press release mentioning this – not even a tweet from the increasingly …
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Dear MPs: Benefits Street is not social science
When the Chancellor last year talked of people with “closed blinds…sleeping off a life on benefits”, I joked that he had mistaken the series “Shameless” for a documentary. “Benefits Street” now gives us the opportunity to watch “Shameless” but using carefully selected real people. This is …
Mr Cameron: Stop saying disabled people are exempted from the Bedroom Tax – they are not.
During Prime Ministers questions David Cameron was asked about the impact of the Bedroom Tax (also called removal of the Spare Room Subsidy) on disabled people. The answer he gave was straight forwardly untrue: “Obviously, what we have done is to exempt disabled people who need an extra room.” …
Workhouse without walls? the Work for Benefits scheme.
In July 2009 there were 22,000 people who had been unemployed for more than 2 years. The latest numbers (July 2013) show that there are now 206,000 people who are long-term unemployed. It is hard to imagine that this increase was caused by a nationwide outbreak of laziness, poor CVs and bad …
Telling the truth about poverty: Response to Centre for Social Justice
Download the response …
Comprehensive Spending Review: Seven days is a long time in poverty
It is entirely appropriate that I have waited seven days before posting a blog on the Comprehensive Spending Review. As part of the increasingly “tough” rhetoric about welfare the main story from the review was a seven-day wait until you can apply for benefits. As the chancellor put it: “And …
Truth and Lies About Poverty – Group Study Materials
We’ve had some requests for Bible study materials linked to the Truth and Lies campaign, so we have produced this introductory study guide for small groups. It links some of the main ideas in the report with biblical theme with questions, group activities and Bible reflection. The material is …
11 Churches, 4 Nations, 1 Message: Truth about poverty please Mr Cameron
Churches and charities from all four nations of the UK, have come together to write to the Prime Minister to ask that government ministers cease to say untrue things about those in poverty. UPDATED: A summary of the letter has also been published in the Daily …
DWP’s cleverly worded truth, leads to very many lies
This morning’s DODS parliamentary briefing carried a story under the headline. 1 Million ‘STUCK ON BENEFITS’ One million people capable of working are “stuck” on benefits, the Work and Pensions Secretary will say today. He didn’t say that – if he did he would have been lying. However all three …
Philpott: Twisting one story to tar a whole section of our society.
The report “The lies we tell ourselves” includes the following paragraph “It is always possible to find examples of individual good or bad behaviour, including by people living in poverty. It is also possible to use a story of this example to justify an opinion. However we should not attempt to …