UK Unemployment Benefit

Looking at the figures on the link posted below you can pretty reliably come to the conclusion that the majority of incapacity claiments are bogus.
Anyway, it's just another method for not having to admit the reality of the unemployment crisis in the UK, if you are on INCAP benefits then you are not deemed to be unemployed.
By the way, the population of some Welsh towns seem to be really sick if you read the stats.
www.gmb.org.uk...

The worst kind of benefits 'cheat' are those who despite having a very comfortable household income to provide for their kids, still claim Child Benefit, as it's given out regardless of income. These people are the same that cry "cheat" at any Daily Mail 'dole-cheat' strapline whilst still claiming for needs that they have no need for!

Make child benefit means-tested and give the savings to those kids who REALLY need a chance

Err i never said you were a scrounger! The genuinely unwell should get benefit, i'm on incapacity as well mate but i still support a review of everyone on it to weed out the fakers. The fake claims are what makes it difficult and the process long for people like you and i.

reply to post by citizen smith

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I can more than agree with you, even royalty are entitled to child benefit which is way beyond a joke if you ask me, yes it should be means tested, i can't see how claiming CB is justified in a family with a huge income.

You can see in this thread genuine people who don't even want the handouts, just to go to work again.

Sad thing is when they do get around to fixing the system the genuinely needy will be dealt a harsh deal also, its always the same way here.

reply to post by ImaginaryReality1984

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Oh, I didn't mean YOU - I meant the daily gutter press and some well known "journalists".
Apologies for not making myself clearer.

I'm entitled to DLA as well, but I don't claim it < < sucker

Whilst i agree that child benefit should be means tested the people who claim it and don't need it are far from being the worst kinds of cheats. People who fake illness or are just plain lazy are the worst cheats in my opinion, they cause anyone genuinely in trouble a great deal of trouble because it's harder for them to claim benefits with all the cheats out there.

Having gone through the process i can tell you now it's long and drawn out, complicated as all hell and even then you aren't guarenteed benefit because the system sometimes seems to randomly reject genuine people because they might be faking it. I know it happened to one of my friends and he had to rely on money from friends, family and unemployment benefit until he could appeal it.

I myself have a great problem with the people who work in those buildings, As far as im concerned they have you running round in circles.
When i had to claim benefit for a short period it was actually cut off due to them messing around with the dates, And thats not all.
I was actually told i would have to do something else as work from someone who didnt even know how to use a computer mouse properly?

Oh, if you are wondering what i put for work heres a list.

paint sprayer
cycle mechanic
metal worker
web designer
graphic designer

One job i did go for an interveiw i needed a certificate but guess what, i didnt have one.
i tried to let the interveiwer know i could cut flames out of metal if he wanted....
mmm, still didnt get the job.

the problem is if you go onto jsa it is very difficult to get onto to a course in the first place.they would rather have you juming through their hoops of fire like a good little automaton

The universality of Child Benefit dates back to the days when it was a tax allowance rather than a benefit. Dad got the tax allowances for each child applied against his wages ... and many Dads went down the pub and drank the lot. That's why the tax allowances were dropped and Mum started getting it paid in her hand instead. Think it was either Barbara Castle or Shirley Williams who introduced it. That single change was one of the most effective ways of challenging child poverty in the mid 1970's.

Don't be too hard on the Job Centre/benefits staff either. There's no excuse for poor service, I'm not trying to justify that. But they have one of the most difficult jobs in the public sector & are hugely under valued. Their offices have been getting closed left, right & centre, they've got some of the worst pay & conditions packages in the public sector, many of them qualify for the very benefits they administer ... and some of their customer's behaviour has to be seen to be believed.

Yet they manage to pay something like 12 million families each week the benefits they're entitled to. It's nothing short of miraculous.

difficult job?

they are there to help you find work, but they dont do anything....
you have to

reply to post by Dar Kuma

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Well. What exactly do you think they should do for you ? Bearing in mind the clerk you see is responsible for another few hundred folks in addition to you. What extra would you have them do that they don't do already ? They tell you about vacancies. They direct you to the jobpoints. They give you advice about job interviews and about the social security benefits you might be entitled to. What else could you reasonably expect them to do for you ?

I'm sorry mate. But getting a job is your responsibility. Not theirs.

When you go into a Job Centre you rarely see the staff sitting about drinking tea with their feet up. Any time I signed on they were running around like blue arsed flies and the place was invariably queued out the door. I'm very grateful to the help they gave me last year when I was on the dole. If it weren't for them I'd have gone hungry.

Its probly got something to do with where you are, i was in a crappy little town so there was hardly any work anyway, so yeah, if you live in a city work is easier to find....

but giving someone a job that doesnt know how to use a mouse properly, i was more qualified for the position she was in, and these are the people that tell you what work to go for?

[edit on 26-4-2008 by Dar Kuma]

[edit on 26-4-2008 by Dar Kuma]