All over the Sunday News papers is James Purnell the Secretary of State for Work & Pensions. It seems that whereas many of us have to go through the detailed, intimate and "interrogation" that is being medically assessed to claim benefits, repeatedly. He is able to merely on top of a Salary in excess of £120,000. Charge his groceries as expenses to the tune of £400 per month.
I wondered what "social justice" meant.
"Let me say this about Gordon Brown.
I judge a man by the things he believes in . And Gordon's unwavering commitment to social justice and the eradication of poverty in good times and bad marks out the character of our leader." - James Purnell to the Labour Party Conference.
PDF version
Alcoholics face having their benefits docked if they do not get treatment, under government plans.
Minister James Purnell has announced a review into the idea to be carried out jointly by the Department of Health and Department for Work and Pensions.
Measures that require drug addicts to get treatment in order to keep receiving benefits are currently going through Parliament.
Mr Purnell said they wanted to help people get the help they needed.
Speaking on a visit to Dewsbury Moor in West Yorkshire, he said: "We have introduced a new policy that will mean heroin and crack addicts get treatment in return for benefits.
"We will actually help them rather than simply handing them money which ends up in pockets of drug dealers.
"But we can't abandon anyone to long periods on benefits without help to overcome problems.
"So that's why we are going to look at the arrangements for alcoholics on benefits, just as we did for problem drug users, so that people get the help they need to get sober, to get their life back and get back to work."
Mr Purnell has previously said that the plans to cut drug addicts' benefits would give them the chance to "turn their lives around".
February 06, 2009
Government spends £18.5 million on flights in one year
Download the full report (PDF).
New research from the TaxPayers' Alliance reveals that despite Government rhetoric about cost efficiency and reducing carbon emissions, 13 Whitehall departments spent over £18.5 million last year on air travel. The report, compiled using the Freedom of Information Act and Parliamentary Questions, also uncovers the fact that the majority of Whitehall's spending on flights goes on first class and business class tickets, paid for at taxpayers' expense. Previous attempts to obtain data on Whitehall flights spending, through MPs' questions or official requests, have been regularly rebuffed, and the only previous estimates have been back-calculated from Government carbon offsetting statistics.
Seven other departments failed or even refused to provide information about their air travel expenditure, and have even failed to provide this information in response to Parliamentary questions. It is remarkable that they are so untransparent. Given their responsibility to monitor the cost and environmental impact of their travel, it is remarkable that they apparently do not keep easily accessible records on this activity. In particular, departments such as the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which are likely to travel a lot, and the Department of Transport, which has a special interest in the issue, should be monitoring and publishing this information as a matter of course.
Key Findings
In 2007-08 13 out of the 20 Government Departments spent over £18.5 million on air travel, slightly down from the £20 million in 2006-07. Total public sector spending on air travel is likely to be over £70 million, according to the Office of Government Commerce.
Of the 2007-08 total, £10.6 million went on business and first class flights. In 2006-07, the spend on business and first class seats was £11.5 million.
Ministers travelled overseas 429 times in 2007-08. These trips (including the cost of flights and accommodation for ministers and their officials) cost the taxpayer £3.3 million.
The Department for International Development was the biggest flyer among those studied, spending over £6.8 million in both 2006-07 and 2007-08.
The Department for Work and Pensions was the second biggest spender, with officials taking at least 18,230 flights in 2007-08, at a cost of over £3.3 million. The Pensions Agency alone took 5,617 flights, at a cost of £1.1 million.
Brussels, Luxembourg and Washington were the top overseas destinations in both years, and the majority of flights were to either Europe or the USA. In total, Ministers visited over 60 countries in 2007-08.
The RAF and No 32 (the Royal) Squadron carried Ministers and officials over 50 times. The vast majority of the total bill went on standard scheduled flights.
Ben Farrugia, a Policy Analyst at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said:
"Departments need to be doing all they can to limit their expensive air travel. These figures show that too much is being spent on business class seats, and many departments are making unnecessary journeys abroad. With better management money could be saved. Flying should always be the last option, not the first."
http://www.taxpayersalliance.com/bettergovernment/2009/02/government-spends-185-million-on-flights-in-one-year.html