Panorama Britains Homeles

www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jun/25/how-i-became-homeless-cant-happen-to-you-think-again
This link is nothing to do with migrants. It wasn't migrants that made him homeless. He has been helped by Crisis, and is now recovering from his problems. He does not blame migrants, so why should you?

I did read the links. If we were not in the EU all these EU migrants would not be in the UK taking up our valuable housing stock and there would be more housing available for UK homeless.

multitasking again and doing nothing properly!

Obviously neither of you have read the links.
It could be you next.

Especially now we have Juncker in charge!

Some categories of people are more likely than others to be affected. Migrants, for example, may lack support networks of friends and family, familiarity with English and knowledge of how the benefits system works, and are vulnerable: people from the east European accession states – including Poland, the Czech Republic, the Baltic states, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria – make up nearly 30% of London's rough sleepers. This is an extract from The Guardian newspaper you highlighted.

If we didn't have open borders because of the EU, the 30% of London's rough sleepers would not be here. Never mind they will soon get on the benefits gravy train if they stay here for long enough!

www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jun/25/how-i-became-homeless-cant-happen-to-you-think-again

Homeless going up though.
www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jun/25/homelessness-crisis-england-perfect-storm

Looks like GNs are solving the financial crisis on this thread - the rate it's coming down is very impressive I have to say!

So now only 38% of the welfare budget is being spent on state pensions.

https://fullfact.org/economy/welfare_budget_public_spending-29886

2013 figures.

The Mother mentioned in the OP did get another house, but she lost her baby.
Very sad.

Sorry my mistake - I was reading percentages instead of pounds. Nevertheless, 46% is still a substantial amount and means that the amount allocated to what most people understand as "benefits" is significantly less than the "welfare budget" as a whole.

I don't drink Galen and it's the only one I've heard of!

re Papaoscar's post on the previous page - yes originally the state old age pension worked like an individual savings pot, but since the ?70s the contributions have been syphoned off to pay for other things.
So now our state OAP is another benefit, and we, being more numerous than any other needy group, are the main beneficiaries.

47% of welfare budget goes on state pensions

Yes, it really p....s me off to hear my State Retirement Pension, to which I contributed all my life, described as a benefit by the present bunch of dodgy politicians, most of whom are not old enough to remember the old days.

Yes, it said 47% of the welfare budget goes on state pensions in the report I read, too, Aka.

Yes, Eleothan, at one time part of our National Insurance Contributions was ring-fenced and invested for future use. I think that all changed back in the days of James Callaghan and Barbara Castle, when they introduced the convenient idea (to them, of course) that the present generation would pay for the previous generation's pensions. Then Maggie relaxed the rules on defined pendion benefit schemes to permit employers to either withdraw, reduce or abandon their contributions to employee's pension schemes. No wonder so many pensioners and prospective pensioners are in the manure now!

I thought state pensions represented about 50% of the 'welfare' budget. Where did you get the figure of 75% from?

I agree with GillT57 regarding the unfairness of small businesses (and their employees) paying taxes while large businesses (and some self-employed people) find ways of avoiding them.

Whether it is considered fair or not for state pensions to be referred to as "welfare", it is a fact that state pensions represent around 75% of the welfare budget. The remaining 25% or so, represents benefits like Job Seekers Allowance, Housing Benefit, Carers' Allowances, etc., etc.

By lumping in state pensions with these other benefits I think a false impression is given that only those people "on benefits" are responsible for the size of the welfare budget.

Retirement pensions are not a benefit, they are bought and paid for

I agree entirely and wrote to the then Pensions Secretary years ago to complain about them using the term 'benefit' for my pension. I did not receive a satisfactory answer.

I doubt that Cameron and co have much influence over BBC programme makers. It is time, however, that individuals and big businesses were made to pay the proper amount of tax that they owe. Cameron and co can surely do something about that, instead of HMRC endlessly harrassing small businesses, pensioners and hardworking families who may have been given too much tax credit despite informing the incompetent HMRC of changes in circumstances.

If the proper amount of tax was paid by these crafty people and big business then people who deserve help such as Mishap's friend would be able to receive it.

Surely on their expenses etc they drink a better whisky than glenfiddich?