Nevan - No, in America it's separate from and on top of other benefits, and a major reason they don't have a starvation problem. It's VERY different from this proposal.

This *replaces* the benefits themselves. It, note, requires recipients to identify themselves to the people they are renting from, which will lead to many rapidly becoming homeless. Only some shops will take it, if nobody in your area does, then what? Additional travel costs.

Oh, only one local bus company takes it? Well....

Are these benefits or expenses? What about the poor persons' tax - VAT? Has IDS heard of Draco?

Codswallop

In Rusholme, Manchester there was a system at the DHSS where they would give instead of money, vouchers that they could only exchange for food at Low-Cost, indeed you could not go to another shop to get better food.

But what the claimants did after getting their second lot of money after their first lot had been stolen, was to go into Low-Cost and then buy tins of food and go around the pubs to sell them for the monies needed for drugs and beer.

So yes they had their first money in a giro, and the second lot in this voucher for food only. They used to get their secong payment voucher, go and ask pensioners what they wanted and then knock 10-15% of the cost of the goods.

Repost: Welfare Reform version of Martin Niemöller with latest addition by me:
When they came for the 'Troubled Families', I did not speak up, for I was not in a troubled family!

"When they came for the disabled, I did not speak up, for I was not disabled.
When they came for the single mothers, I did not speak up, for I was not a single mother.
When they came for the unemployed, I did not speak up, for I was not unemployed.
When they came for the union members, I did not speak up, for I was not a union member.
When they came for the poor, I did not speak up, for I was not poor.
When they came for the low-paid, I did not speak up, for I was not low-paid.
When they came for me, there was no-one left to speak out for me."

and so on . . .

Love, Light & Laughter
Starlord

Gareth, why am i not surprised to find someone on the left being a condscending arse? The idea is only to target problem families.It is NOT for everyone on welfare as you quite ludicrously imply.

Have you ever lived in a shitty deprived area and had to witness anti social behaviour again and again and again? hev you ever been on the receiving end? have you ever tried to do anything about it and found that the Police can do next to nothing, if they even bother to show up? I have and let me tell you it is soul destroying for the people on the receiving end who are often left feeling depressed and helpless. You can guarantee that more often than not alcohol is involved so the idea of not allowing these aresholes, and lets be clear because that's what they are, to use benefit for booze is a good one.

So, let me ask you again. Why are you on the side of anti social louts and problem families as opposed to the folk whose lives are blighted by them? The time has come to say enough is enough and if people who cause crime and social problems, along with the idiotic out of touch left and libtards, do not like it then frankly its tough shit. I bet when the next poll is done this gets a huge level of support, and rightly so. Oh, and i know plenty about welfare claimants, i have been working with them for over 20 yrs!

This is a fantastic idea and long overdue but only the hysterical left could oppose something that could potentially make a difference to the many people whose lives are blighted and made a misery by anti social problem families. Why do you always side with the underclass criminals who cause such problems and never the ordinary folk so badly affected by their behaviour?

Alcohol exacerbates these problems so not allowing them to use benefit to buy it seems a great idea. It might not entirely stop them but it will makle it difficult and benefit should not be used for alcohol anyway. Those idiots saying why dont we ban biscuits and cakes mught take note that eating biscuits does not increase crime and anti social behaviour, like alcohol. Biscuits also have some nutritional value whereas cigarettes do not!

Yet again, the large majority of the public will be for this but the libtards will look down their noses as usual and oppose common sense in order to stand up for people who do not deserve it. Unbelievable.

Francis Ryan seems to have grip on the realities of everyday life. Pity the government don't and if they don't what the Hell are they doing in Westminster?

We really should be asking how they got there. Nobody I know voted for them...

I would say IDS is using the 10% who are trouble to their areas to paint the 90% which is just not right. Where do these so-called trouble families live, do the local authorities, land lords, social housing groups have complaints against them.

One other thing but what is addiction, but an illness.

My last point comes back to the fact it says both parents are out of work, why is that is the question. There a few possible reasons for that, they might not have decent qualifications because the schooling failed them, like it did me. Is their address black listed which from my previous job with a company who help the long term unemployed get back into work has been told to me. One woman sent hundreds of job applications out and never got a reply back but the moment she shifted her address she started to receive replies and interviews.

There are a lot of possible reasons for two parents being unemployed and until those are investigated and fixed all the plans from IDS and the government are pretty much going to fail to bring them out of poverty and into employment.

You've missed the point - pre-paids are i) accepted online, ii) accepted in stores, and iii) accepted at ATMs should you want to withdraw cash.

Universal credit has its flaws but surely this is a good way forwards. Cash is not great - think of all the firms that penalise users for paying in cash (e.g. direct debit discounts for utilities). What about when people loose cash - or get mugged? If you lose a plastic- you just get a new one and the indemnity is on the bank.