Time gentlemen please
Today’s barmy Government announcement (presumably to detract from the Smeargate debacle) is to conduct a review into the idea that alcoholics have their benefits docked if they do not get treatment.
Hmmmm
The Welfare Reform Bill (currently going through Parliament) already contains the option to withhold benefits from alcoholics. So er…what is new?
And if they DO decide to go down the route of withholding benefits from alcoholics the most likely outcome is that alcoholics simply cease to confide in their GP about their alcohol problem. That will help how?.
..And if they are stupid enough to confide in their doctor and risk benefits cuts as a consequence, there are not enough clinics to treat alcohol as things stand now, let alone take on any more.
If that is the best idea the Special Advisers can come up with to try to knock Mr McBride and co. off the headlines – we should call Time Gentlemen Please on the lot of them.
Tags: alcoholics, benefits, McBride