Benefit delays leaving families hungry, MPs say

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Benefit mistakes and delays are causing families to go hungry and putting homes at risk, a group of MPs has warned.

A focus on reducing benefit overpayments has not been matched with tackling underpayments, the work and pensions select committee said.

Fraud and error in the benefits system is estimated to cost up to ?4.5bn a year - about 3% of welfare spending.

The government said it had made "huge improvements" and was working to revolutionise the payments system.

Frank Field, chairman of the cross party group of MPs, said late or insufficient payments were leaving "vulnerable people in desperate situations".

The committee acknowledged "many parts of the welfare system work well" but it found evidence that benefit problems "often led claimants to face difficult decisions over whether to pay their rent or provide essentials such as food, gas and electricity for their household," with many becoming reliant on food banks as a result of underpaid benefits.

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[GastonJ]

IDS says "let them eat cake instead"

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work and pensions select committee who makes the mistake? Reminds me in old days if you lose your job or need money today the DHSS use to lone you the money to get on, it’s the opposite now go get your self stuffed no help out there….things have change.

[Meat-Head]

Sj some people have no self control over money, some people only spend what they need, others spend it as soon as they get it.

then there's the sort that, stuff ?75 in a brown envelope and post to a random IN-correction cafe in Scotland