We need informed debate about benefits

The debate needs to discuss those who claim and receive them (including those receiving working families tax credits, VAT and tax allowances, and those getting benefits based on self-employed earnings declarations) and what can and should be done to make sure no one can claim what they are not entitled to.

Danny himself says that he has a young child (who could do the jobs he was offering!).

Perhaps then he may himself be claiming working families tax credits – a means-tested benefit paid not by an alteration to a person’s tax code but as a monthly allowance, based largely on income self-declaration. I’m sure he wouldn’t be doing anything wrong.

Mr Wilde complains that his private pension means he can’t claim jobseekers allowance. It’s true that every pound over £50 per week is taken off contributory benefit until at £125 per week you don’t get anything.

Were he able to claim though, would that make him one of Mr James’ scroungers? Probably not!

I am sure those who say ‘Ihave never signed on’ have family members who have, or friends. Does that make your relatives scroungers?

Perhaps they are exempt from criticism. I simply don’t believe that everyone sitting safely in the bosom of a desk job would take a night packing job at less than 24 hours’ notice for effectively less than the minimum wage without even a moan.

No one ever wants to see a system where anyone just sits at home on benefits, or takes advantage of tax or the benefit systems, or more significantly for organised fraud gangs to milk our system.

But in order to solve this problem we need a fully informed debate.

Those administering the system are sadly governed by the Official Sercets Act – they, I am sure, would have some ideas as well as some tales to tell which would be useful.

Let’s sort this system out properly without fear, but without generalisations either.

RICHARD FARRELL-ADAMS Worcester