The TaxPayers' Alliance - Media Coverage

Daily Express: Failed asylum seekers so fed up with NHS and rain they're trying to sneak OUT of Britain

By Tom Whitehead Home Affairs Correspondent

LIFE under Gordon Brown is so bad that failed asylum seekers are trying to sneak out of Britain, it emerged yesterday.

In a further blow to the beleaguered Prime Minister, a chief immigration officer revealed that scores of them are being spotted trying to get out of Britain.

They are complaining that it is too cold and rainy and are fed up with the treatment they are getting on the NHS.

But critics attacked the "lunacy" of the fact officials are stopping people leaving, meaning a further drain on the taxpayer as they are dealt with.

This came as separate figures showed the Government has had to pay police £22.5million in the last three years as reimbursement for detaining illegals they catch.

Shadow immigration minister Damian Green, said: "Surely even this Government can't be trying to solve the immigration crisis by making Britain increasingly impossible to live in."

Mark Wallace, campaign director for the TaxPayers' Alliance, added: "It is a shocking reflection on how mismanaged our services are that even freeloaders do not think it is worth staying here.

"The serious side to this is that at a time when police are overstretched and taxpayers are paying far too much we are spending millions stopping these people leaving the country.

"It is lunacy and makes us even more of a laughing stock." Les Williams, a chief immigration officer for the UK Border Agency, said he and his team have collared scores of failed asylum seekers trying to break out of Britain in recent weeks.

Of those caught, most have said the lack of sunshine and bad healthcare were the main reasons why they wanted to get out of the UK.

The majority were from Afghanistan and Iraq, where the temperatures rarely drop below 25C in the daytime.

Mr Williams, who is based in Kent, told Police Review: "Recently we have noticed people trying to leave the country.

"We cannot explain exactly why they are trying to go, but when some of them were questioned they said they wanted to go to a warmer country as they are fed up with the English weather and fed up with their treatment on the NHS." In February this year, three Afghans were arrested as they tried to sneak out of the country.

The trio were caught by border guards after one of them became wedged beneath a haul of timber in the back of a Polish lorry as it headed to Dover.

All three were taken to Dover Enforcement Unit.

A spokesman for the Home Office said at the time: "Our border controls are very strong but this is not a case of the controls not working as the men were going in the other direction, out of the country. They were taken to a holding room to be processed. If they are failed asylum seekers we will find their immigration background and there is a possibility of removal from the country." An immigration insider said he had stopped a group of four Iraqis trying to sneak out of Dover. He said: "There has been a big rise in the number of illegals we are catching sneaking out of the country.

"The men said they were sick of the rain and the cold and just wanted to get home or to go somewhere with a bit more sun. They also complained that they couldn't get appointments to see a doctor or a dentist. It's a bit rich really."

Last year the equivalent of up to £22,000 was handed to police every day just to hold those who should not be in the country.

Mr Williams said many of the illegals told him they had planned to head for Italy after hearing rumours the government would introduce an amnesty for asylum seekers.

But when right-wing Silvio Berlusconi was re-elected Prime Minister on April 15 he pledged to crack down on illegal immigrants – forcing many to change their plans and head for their home countries.

In June, police and immigration officers from France, Belgium, Holland and the UK will meet to discuss crosschannel issues including organised crime, people-smuggling and counter-terrorism.

The Home Office said technology was being updated to improve security at ports.

Daily Telegraph: 100,000 addicts claim incapacity benefits

by Christopher Hope, Home Affairs Correspondent

THE number of people claiming benefits because of alcoholism and drug abuse has more than doubled in 10 years.

Figures show that more than 100,000 addicts are now claiming incapacity benefit, which can be worth as much as pounds 87.50 a week.

The increase has come during a decade when the Government has relaxed laws on cannabis possession and introduced 24-hour drinking.

In 2007, 51,410 people picked up the benefit because they were classified as suffering from alcoholism - compared with 26,800 in 1997.

Those claiming the benefit because of drug abuse rose from 21,900 in 1997 to 49,890 last year.

The total number of people claiming incapacity benefit has risen over the past 10 years and now stands at 2.64 million. Some 1.8 million have started their claim since 1997. This means that drug abusers or alcoholics now account for almost one in every 25 claimants. In 1997 they accounted for less than one in 50.

The Conservatives said the benefits bill for these claimants is estimated to be over pounds 8.5 million per week, and over pounds 400 million a year.

Chris Grayling, the shadow work and pensions secretary, said the current system did nothing to encourage addicts to receive treatment.

He added: "These figures yet again show how Labour cannot get to grips with our welfare system. James Purnell [Work and Pensions Secretary] likes to talk tough about welfare reform, but Labour's record over the last 10 years shows they have failed.''

Matthew Elliott, the chief executive of the campaigning group, TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "It is absolutely shocking that so much taxpayers' money is being wasted on subsidising a lifestyle of alcoholism and drugs. The benefits system is meant to be about helping people fallen on hard times to get back on their feet not keeping people on the breadline in lives of addiction for the long term.''

The figures were disclosed shortly after the Government admitted that nearly pounds 3 million is paid out every year to 12,000 people who no longer live in Britain.

Anne McGuire, the work and pensions minister, said drug abusers who are not in treatment will in future attend a meeting with an "appropriate specialist treatment provider''.

The Government is also planning to try to cut down on the number of people claiming benefits by forcing hundreds of thousands of claimants to attend "work focused interviews'' from 2010.

The reforms follow a review of the system last year by David Freud, an investment banker, which concluded that the number of people on benefits could be significantly reduced from 2.7 million to 700,000.

Daily Mail: Labour's benefit fraud blitz 'is a sham'

Benefit fraud costs Britain £700 million a year.  Blair Gibbs, of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'Benefit fraud is stealing from the taxpayer.  It warrants a spell in prison it it's going to be a serious deterrent.'

The Sun: Migrants' kids benefit abroad

By MICHAEL LEA

MIGRANTS from the new EU countries are claiming at least £250,000 A WEEK in UK child benefit — even though their kids still live abroad.

Around 14,000 workers, mainly from Eastern Europe, are legitimately receiving the handouts, official figures reveal.

And there is NO requirement for them to send the money home to their families.

Child benefit — designed to help out parents with food and clothing bills — is worth £18.10 a week for the eldest child and £12.10 for each other child

Tories last night calculated that if each migrant claims for just one child the annual bill to UK taxpayers would reach £13million — or around £250,000 a week.

But the true cost is likely to be far higher depending on how many children each claimant has. The findings come after separate figures showed that 200,000 more British children are living in poverty than a year ago.

Shadow Treasury Chief Secretary Philip Hammond, who uncovered the figures, said: “Child benefit is a vital weapon in the fight against child poverty. So why is Gordon Brown sending thousands of pounds every week to children who don’t live here and who may never have visited the UK?”

In total, 68,000 immigrants from the eight countries which joined the EU in 2004 are receiving child benefit.

Of those, 14,000 are being paid for children not in the UK. Benefit rules allow migrants working in the UK to claim child tax credit and child benefit in respect of children living abroad.

But the Government refuses to give information on numbers claiming child tax credit.

The figures will embarrass ministers, who had claimed migrants were likely to be young men with no interest in handouts.

Sir Andrew Green, of think tank Migrationwatch, said a Pole claiming for three children would earn more in UK benefits than the minimum wage in his homeland. He said: “It is ridiculous that the taxpayer should finance child benefit for children that have never set foot in this country.”

Matthew Elliott, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “This makes a mockery of our welfare system.”

On Saturday we told how a newspaper for Poles in Britain bragged how easy it is to claim benefits here.

Yorkshire Post: Councils face soaring costs over help for immigrants

EXCLUSIVE: Pressure was last night increasing on the Government to reform the law, with Yorkshire councils reporting rocketing translation costs to deal with EU enlargement.

Local authorities are being forced to pay huge increases in costs to cope with the wave of immigrants from Eastern Europe, figures released to the Yorkshire Post under the Freedom of Information Act reveal.

The money councils have spent on translators and interpreters has soared since the European Union expanded in May 2004.

In Sheffield the cost of translation services - including providing interpreters and translating leaflets - almost doubled from £169,000 in 2002/03 to £313,000 in 2006/07.

And in Kirklees, a drop in the amount paid for translation services over the last three years cannot mask a 28 per cent rise in the amount spent on Eastern European languages.

That includes an 180 per cent increase in the number of times Polish translators were needed in the last year - and a 285 per cent increase in the number of Slovakian translations.

Last night Corin Taylor, spokesman for the Taxpayers' Alliance, said: "Translation costs are clearly excessive - and not just with local authorities but with NHS trusts and the police too.

"The national language is English and that's what businesses and authorities should be communicating in. Of course there is a need to translate key documents, but a lot of councils are going beyond the demands of legislation. That's been growing worse in recent years and it's the taxpayers having to pay the price."

Pressure is growing on the Government to constrain local authority translation, with an influential commission now claiming that the current policy is both costing councils too much and stopping immigrants from having to learn English.

Last December the Department for Communities-funded Commission for Integration and Cohesion was asked to look into local authority translations.

This summer it reported back that:

There was no legal reason for all materials to be translated ;

Translation should not be a substitute for learning English;

And it should be reduced in languages used by long-settled groups and only be used for new communities.

It said: "Is it essential that the material be translated? If so, does it need to be translated in full? Would a short summary do? Does every community group need to know about it? Would there be an additional burden on public services of not translating it?"

The commission suggested translations be paid for by including adverts for English lessons within the text.

The Race Relations Act only states that all parts of the community should have access to services. The Human Rights Act requires translation only if someone is arrested or charged with a criminal offence.

Last night a Department of Communities spokeswoman said: "We are considering the report in detail and will respond formally in the autumn."

Due to different information available from each local authority in Yorkshire, it is impossible to compare results like-for-like - but, of the 17 that responded to the request for information, only Craven Council has not seen any increase in costs since the EU expanded.

In Rotherham costs jumped from £23,709 in 2002/03 to £35,430.50 the next year, and Calderdale paints a similar picture with costs rising from £10,232 to £26,771 between 2002/03 and 2003/04.

Although the EU enlargement did not happen until a month into the financial year 2003/04, many councils paid out to translate documents into the new languages in anticipation.

Last September a Yorkshire Post investigation revealed that the region's police forces have more than doubled the amount spent on interpreters since 2002/03. West Yorkshire Police, for example, went from £484,982 in 20002/03, to £1,090,627 in 200505/06.

And last December it was revealed that Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust was spending £400,000 on translating services.

Daily Express: Outcry at secret amnesty for 315,000 asylum seekers

COUNCILS are in revolt over Government plans for a "stealth amnesty" that could let 315,000 more asylum seekers stay.   

Local authorities say the move is "grossly irresponsible" and have written to the Home Office warning it will put intense strain on services.

One leader has called for top-level sackings over the fiasco. They hit out after it emerged officials are to allow thousands to stay in the UK on human rights grounds. It shatters Labour's promises it will not grant an immigration and asylum amnesty.

And it comes as the Liberal Democrats plan to propose an "earned" amnesty for 600,000 illegal immigrants.   

Ministers are desperate to clear a backlog of 450,000 socalled "legacy" asylum files and are set to fast-track approvals.   

Town halls have been warned that 70 per cent of the first 7,000 cases are to get indefinite leave to remain by Christmas - seven times current the approval rate. They will then be the responsibility of councils to house and support.

Andrew Carter, Conservative coleader of Leeds City Council said: "This is gross irresponsibility. What they are trying to do is offload a massive problem of their own making on to local authorities and local communities.

They have pulled this stunt before when local authorities have been left to pick up the pieces."   

Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said: "To effectively propose an amnesty by stealth is shortsighted, reckless and utterly irresponsible. Councils have already warned the Government about the massive pressure being placed on local services and housing. Such an amnesty would make this situation worse by encouraging more to try to come illegally."

The 450,000 files in the Case Resolution Programme were unearthed last year in the wake of the foreign prisoner scandal.   

Among them are claimants who should have been deported years ago while others have never been dealt with.   

The first 7,000 include many families with children born in the UK.   

The Human Rights Act protects against removal on the grounds of a right to a family life. Councils have been told 4,900 cases are likely to be approved.

If the rate is applied to the rest of the backlog 315,000 asylum seekers and failed asylum seekers will be allowed to stay.   

Normally, just one in 10 claims is approved at the first stage. Once a case is granted, the claimants will be taken out of the Governmentrun asylum support system and become the responsibility of councils virtually over night.

Leeds alone is expecting to have to find 500 homes, while 1,063 cases are due to be considered across the Yorkshire and Humber region.

Local authorities there have jointly written to Lin Homer, chief executive of the Border & Immigration Agency. The letter warns the move will create "significant" pressures on housing and social services.

Mr Carter said residents will suffer as efforts are directed to "finding homes for people the Home Office has virtually turfed out and on to our doorsteps". He added: "All they want to do is get the statistics off their files and on to someone else's.

"There is an element of panic again running through the Home Office. Well, there wants to be panic and there ought to be sackings and they might want to start at the top.

We cannot go on soaking people up like a sponge."   

Matthew Sinclair, spokesman for the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "Council taxpayers will end up footing the bill."   

Home Office sources insist the approval rate will fall as the rest of the files are considered because there is wide variety in the cases.

Ms Homer said: "This is not an amnesty. This is the programme the previous Home Secretary announced last year to the House.   

"We will take action to remove those not granted permission to remain in the UK." The Government has constantly insisted it has no plans for an amnesty.

Daily Mail: Benefits Bill For Migrants Hits £125m

BY JAMES SLACK HOME AFFAIRS EDITOR

BENEFIT claims by Eastern Europeans have almost trebled in the past year, official figures show.

The cost of the payouts - to almost 112,000 migrants - is put at £125million a year.

The Home Office figures mean that one in six of an estimated 683,000 Eastern European incomers is living off the state to some extent.

A year ago, only 42,620 were claiming benefits.

Critics say that the welfare bill will rise further because 700 more migrants arrive every day from former Soviet Bloc states.

Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said: 'The number of migrants arriving from the new member states has increased by almost 60,000 in the latest quarter alone and now the total is close to 700,000.

'This blows out of the water the Government's woefully complacent estimate that a maximum of just 13,000 migrants a year would arrive from these countries and reinforces our calls for tougher restrictions on those entering from Romania and Bulgaria.

'Labour need to realise that immigration can be of real benefit to this country but only if it is properly controlled, with its impact on the economy, public services and social cohesion taken into account. Sadly, this is still not the case.'

Ministers insist that most migrants are young men with no interest in state handouts.

But the official figures show that 111,908 East Europeans are receiving tax credits, child support and other payments.

The 160 per cent growth in claims can be explained by the Government's decision to lift a block on income-related payouts.

Once a migrant has been working here for 12 months, they are entitled to the same level of support as any British citizen.

Many Poles are drawn by generous handouts for parents who, in some cases, can claim benefits for children who remain in their homeland.

Others have decided to settle here

with their families. Eastern Europeans have made 3,538 successful applications for income support and jobseeker's allowance. Both are worth £57.45 a week.

Some 68,927 are receiving child benefit and another 38,578 are claiming tax credits that can reach £5,200 a year.

Support with housing goes to 803 Eastern Europeans.

The figures cover all claims from May 2004 to May this year.

Blair Gibbs, of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'Migrants who come here should work and pay taxes but mass immigration is having a direct financial cost on British taxpayers because there are not tight enough rules on claiming benefits.

' Taxpayers don't want new migrants arriving here and being able to depend on benefits instead of working.'

Sir Andrew Green, of Migrationwatch, said the figures exposed the 'reality' of mass migration.

'The real message is that the mass inflow of immigrants from East European countries continues at over 500 a day,' he said. 'This is placinga huge strain on our infrastructure. For example, one million of Gordon Brown's new houses will be needed just for new immigrants.

'It is vital that there should now be an annual limit on immigration as three quarters of the public would like to see.'

A Home Office spokesman said: 'We should not be surprised that applications for child benefit and

tax credits have increased as the stock of A8 [Eastern European] nationals in the United Kingdom has increased.

'Some may have formed families since they arrived while others have brought their families over to the UK after starting work here.

'However, we will continue to ensure that only the valid applications are approved - the proportion of applications rejected has increased. Provided A8 nationals have a right to reside and meet all the other relevant conditions of eligibility, then they are entitled to tax credits and child benefit, just like other claimants.

'As workers, A8 nationals are of course liable to tax and national insurance contributions on their earnings and are therefore contributing to the Exchequer.'

The figures do not cover any claims made by Romanians and Bulgarians - whose countries joined the EU in January.

They can enter Britain only on visas and have limited working rights.

Home Office Minister Tony McNulty said yesterday that the restrictions were under review.

Yesterday's figures also show that the number of failed asylum seekers living in Britain is increasing.

Although 450,000 were scheduled for deportation, officials managed to kick out only 18,280 last year.

At the same time, 20 , 700 more failed asylum seekers joined the list.

Daily Express: Benefits 'cheats' should not be sent to prison

By Tom Whitehead

BENEFIT cheats who fleece the taxpayer for up to £20,000 should be let off jail – according to new official proposals.

The fraudsters, along with conmen who prey on the elderly, should get a  community sentence instead, says a Government-backed body.

The suggestions, sent to Britain’s most senior judge, Lord Phillips the Lord Chief Justice, were attacked last night as
giving the go-ahead to crooks.

Blair Gibbs, campaign director of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “The Government admits there is a big problem with benefit fraud and yet liberal judges have decided to make this crime of stealing from the taxpayer even easier.”

And Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Herbert added: “Judges’ discretion to jail con men should not be fettered, especially if the real reason is because the Government won’t provide adequate prison capacity.”

The proposals were made by the Sentencing Advisory Panel to the Sentencing Guidelines Council, chaired by Lord Phillips, which in turn advises the courts.

The proposals, set out in a special paper, cover a range of fraud and deception offences, such as those connected with benefits, VAT, and obtaining credit.

It revealed there were 199,778 offences of fraud and forgery recorded in the last year – but that generally only eight per cent of fraud offences reported to police lead to a conviction.

And it added at least £700million a year is lost in benefit fraud with a further £40million stolen through tax credit fraud.

The paper suggests frauds of less than £5,000 should normally be dealt with by a fine or a community order, while crooks who scam up to £20,000 could be given a community penalty, although a court could jail them for up to 12 months.

Under separate proposals, the SAP said conmen who target the vulnerable could also escape prison.

A crook who cons an elderly resident in to handing over high-value goods of sentimental value could be given no more than a community order, although the court would have the power to hand out jail sentences of up to 18 months. Conmen who do target the vulnerable and do not get high- value goods would not even face prison and could be given no more than a fine.

But Mr Herbert added: “Crimes of dishonesty where the most vulnerable are preyed upon should be treated seriously by the courts.”

Roy Rudham, chairman of the National Neighbourhood Watch Association, said: “These are vulnerable people and the trauma that come with it can be absolutelyhorrendous.

“In worst-case scenarios the person actually dies shortly afterwards because of the upset and trauma caused.

“We need to come down very, very hard on these people who target the elderly, who should be living their lives in peace and security.”

Daily Telegraph: One in four Britons is out of work

By Graeme Wilson, Political Correspondent

Nearly 10 million adults in Britain are currently out of work, one in four of the working population, the Government admitted yesterday.

Official figures showed there are 1.65 million people who are unemployed, with a further 7.9 million defined as "economically inactive".

The latter group includes more than two million people who are on long-term sickness benefits as well as students, people who have taken time off work to look after their family and those who have taken early retirement.

Opposition politicians said last night that the figures exposed the true scale of hidden joblessness under Labour. They said the 7.9 million figure was the second highest total on record and more than two million of the people who are economically inactive were keen to find a job.

The scale of the figures overshadowed the fact that the official unemployment figure had dropped by 45,000 over the past three months to 1.65 million, the lowest figure for more than a year.

At the same time, the number of people in work rose by 93,000 to 29.07 million, the second highest figure on record.

However, the number of people defined as economically inactive rose by 7,000 to 7.9 million, equivalent to a fifth of the working population.

The economically inactive breaks down into a number of different categories. Just over two million are people on long-term sickness benefits, with a further 200,000 on temporary sick leave.

A further 2.3 million are the people, mainly women, who stay at home to look after children or care for a sick or elderly relative. Around 1.9 million are students, with another 620,000 people who took early retirement.

The remainder include 35,000 discouraged workers - people who have stopped looking for work because they do not think they will find a job - and a further 800,000 people who are economically inactive for other reasons.

The Office for National Statistics figures also showed there were more than 650,000 job vacancies across Britain during the past three months.

The number of adults not in work was greeted with alarm last night by the Conservatives. Philip Hammond, the shadow chief secretary to the treasury, said: "The 9.6 million people of working age not working in Britain today represent a huge pool of wasted talent. Many of these people could work, and would want to work, if given the right incentives and support.

"Gordon Brown's New Deal is failing, with only one in five lone parents on it getting a proper job. But the Prime Minister seems determined to block the radical welfare reforms that would help millions of these back to work."

Business organisations also voiced concern. Kieran O'Keeffe, the policy adviser at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: "The rising number of people classified as economically inactive is worrying. Whilst we accept that many people cannot work for valid reasons, such as those with caring responsibilities or in early retirement, there are many more that are claiming welfare in one form or another.

"These represent a 'hidden unemployed', lost within the complexity of official statistics. This underlines the urgent need to find a long-term solution to welfare dependency, which if left unchecked will condemn a growing proportion of the working population to a cycle of low aspiration and worklessness."

Matthew Elliott, for the Taxpayers' Alliance, added: "Many of these 10 million people should be in work. Too many students are on 'non-courses' which will be of no use when they graduate and the number of people on incapacity benefit has grown so much that even the government now admits that many claimants should be at work."

The Department for Work and Pensions last night dismissed criticism of the Government's record.

A spokesman said: "Since economic inactivity includes everyone of working age who is not in employment and not seeking work, students fall into this category.

"Excluding students, inactivity has fallen by 140,000 since 1997 and the rate has fallen by 1.4 percentage points."

The Sun: Ten million Brits are jobless

By David Wooding, Whitehall Editor

NEARLY ten million Britons are out of work — one in four of the adult population.

The figure is SIX TIMES higher than official jobless numbers.

It is a severe blow to Gordon Brown’s dream of getting the whole country in work.

Official stats published yesterday show unemployment at 1.65million — the lowest in more than a year. But they mask a hidden army of almost eight million people who are “economically inactive”.

The stay-at-home brigade includes 2.35million carers, two million long-term sick, 198,000 temporarily sick, full-time mums, 1.9million students and those who simply do not want a job.

Many are a double burden as they claim benefits and do not pay tax.

Tories accused the PM of letting a “hidden pool of talent” go stagnant.

Shadow Treasury spokesman Philip Hammond said: “What a waste. Many could work, and would want to work, if given the right incentives and support.”

Yesterday’s figures showed the number claiming jobseekers’ allowance fell by 45,000 in the three months to June — the tenth drop in a row.

The number in work rose by 93,000 over the quarter to 29million, the second highest on record.

But the stats do not include 7,946,000 out of work and on benefits.

Taxpayers’ Alliance boss Matthew Elliott added: “Too many students are on non-courses that will be of no use when they graduate.”

But the Government hit back, saying the number of economically inactive was near a 15-year low, and that reforms to move people off incapacity benefits were working.

Belfast Telegraph: Disability benefit MLA plays in football match

A DUP politician has defended his involvement in an Assembly football team - while claiming Disability Living Allowance.

East Antrim MLA David Hilditch said he was "like a statue" in the Stormont side which played in an inter-parliamentary tournament in London last weekend.

Mr Hilditch was yesterday fending off criticism of his continued receipt of Disability Living Allowance (DLA), while in his £41,000-a-year elected job.

He said he is paid the benefit, which is not means tested, due to a degenerating bone and joint condition linked to a past sports injury.

"I'm not doing anything I'm not entitled to do. People around my own area know exactly the situation I'm in. They see the condition I'm in.

"I live on a diet of prescribed painkillers and pain-killing injections. "

The DUP man was part of the Assembly squad that took part in a charity politicians' football event in Brunel University, London, last weekend.

He told the Belfast Telegraph he had been on the pitch for "a few minutes" only in two games.

"I just stood like a statue - absolutely useless," he said.

"I went out onto the pitch and stood there, basically. I can't even run.

"It was just a fact of being there and trying to raise money for the charities."

Mr Hilditch said he had "pulled on the kit" and stood for photographs.

"We can't get enough Assembly members to fill the shirts," he added.

"I was there with the other team members to show support and solidarity for good causes."

The annual inter-parliamentary tournament is sponsored by burger chain McDonald's. Politicians taking part are treated to attendance at the Community Shield game which heralds the start of the top-flight English football season.

The Stormont players last weekend defeated a Welsh Assembly side on penalties, but then lost 3-0 to a House of Commons team.

Mr Hilditch and party colleague Allan Bresland have both declared receipt of DLA in the newly published Assembly register of interests.

Mr Bresland, who represents West Tyrone, could not be contacted for comment.

He states in the register that he has been paid the benefit "since retirement on ill-health grounds".

Mr Hilditch yesterday said he has received DLA for "three or four years" , since retiring from his postman's job due to his health.

He said he been "up front and open" in declaring the benefit in the register.

"I want to get on with my life - get out there and try to normalise as much possible, which DLA is meant to do. It's meant to give you that extra bit of help," he added.

The UK-wide Taxpayers' Alliance has questioned the payment of DLA to MLAs.

Spokesman Blair Gibbs said: "Politicians are forever bleating about how demanding their jobs are, so taxpayers might question whether it is credible to be claiming disability benefit while serving as a member at Stormont.

"The pay of politicians at all levels is already very generous, so if our welfare system allows this arrangement we need to reform it."

A spokesman for the Department for Social Development, which administers DLA, said: "It's not means tested and it's available to people in employment. It is Government policy to support people with disabilities into the workplace."

Daily Express - 'Terror link' wives fight over £29,000 in handouts

Blair Gibbs, campaign director of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said:  "Inconvenience is a small price to pay for ensuring British taxpayers' money is not being used to support people who even the UN regards as a terror threat."

Daily Mail: Six million Britons are living in households where nobody works

By Matthew Hickley

Six million Britons are living in households where nobody works - costing the taxpayer almost £13 billion a year in benefits alone, a spending watchdog report reveals today.

An astonishing one in six households across the country are officially classified as 'workless' - having adults of working age but none with a job - and almost 1.8 million children are now growing up in these homes.

The National Audit Office report lambasts the Government for failing to tackle this hard-core group, and warns that those living in workless households risk drifting into a spiral of joblessness, poverty, ill-health and crime - with a huge cost to society.

The report acknowledges that schemes to help unemployed people find work are having some success "for those who participate", with the number of those in work at a record high, but says millions at the bottom of the heap are falling through the net.

At a time when hundreds of thousands of foreign migrants are being allowed into Britain to work, the report raises fresh questions over the combined effects of the Government's immigration and employment strategies.

The NAO report reveals that three million UK households - almost 16 per cent - are now classified as workless, and are home to 4.2 million working-age adults and 1.7 million children. Astonishingly in 80 per cent of such households nobody is actively seeking work.

In one third of cases the household "reference person" - in whose name the home is rented or owned - has no qualifications, compared with 14 per cent of wider adult population, and 51 per cent of adults in workless households are registered with a long-term disability.

The problem is concentrated in cities including inner London - where one in four households are workless - Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester, and is worse among some ethnic groups. Pakistani and Bangladeshi households are the most likely to be workless at 22.3 per cent, while Indian households are the least likely, at 6.8 per cent.

Internationally Britain has one of the worst rates of worklessness. Around 13.5 per cent of the UK population live in workless households, compared with compared with 11 per cent in France, five per cent in the United States and less than 3 per cent in Japan.

The estimated £12.7 billion-a-year benefits bill for workless households does not include Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit, the report states.

Nor does it include the wider economic cost to society, which could be three times higher, the NAO suggests. Both adults and children are more likely to live in poverty and young people are less likely to get a job or take part in education or training, leading to cycle of low-skill and unemployment.

Areas with high concentrations of workless households often face a "cycle of disadvantage" including crime, drug abuse, low achievement at school and family breakdown. The report claims the benefits bill for such high-needs households is only around one third the total costs for support, adding: "Other service costs include health and social care, housing, drug service and the criminal justice system."

Sir John Bourn, head of the NAO, said: "More has to be done to reach out to these households and to increase awareness of the support available and help people to prepare for and find work."

Matthew Elliott of the Taxpayers' Alliance said: "It is extremely depressing that there are literally millions of people in the UK who are out of work and not even bothering to look for a job.

"Not only are these people taking advantage of taxpayers but they are also setting an appalling example for their children, who are being brought up to believe that such behaviour is acceptable.

"Hardworking taxpayers shouldn't have to pay out billions of pounds to people who are too lazy to get off their couches to find a job. Many people thought that Shameless was a funny TV comedy. Unfortunately it was depiction of how millions of people live in Britain today."