Panorama Britain on the Fiddle

akabee

Watched this today on iPlayer :eek:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b016lty2/

Blue badge abuse
http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b016lty2/?t=13m (13mins)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b016lty2/?t=28m02s (28mins 2secs)
That woman in the second llink :mad:

DLA abuse
http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b016lty2/?t=38m (38mins)

septemberblues

And this is in Disability & Dosh because???

Prinzessilein

The programme lost all respect in my eyes when they showed people claiming DLA and doing things like playing golf...and asked 'do they look unable to work?'.

DLA is not a benefit for those who cannot work. It is for those with care and mobility needs. Many people claim it and work.

It is IB/ESA that is for those who are to ill/disabled to work.

If Panorama can't be arsed to get even the basics right, why should I believe the rest of the programme?

akabee

septemberblues wrote: »

And this is in Disability & Dosh because???

Some people might be intrested in the Blue badge & DLA sections of the show.

You are not.

wattdallas

Prinzessilein wrote: »

The programme lost all respect in my eyes when they showed people claiming DLA and doing things like playing golf...and asked 'do they look unable to work?'.

DLA is not a benefit for those who cannot work. It is for those with care and mobility needs. Many people claim it and work.

It is IB/ESA that is for those who are to ill/disabled to work.

If Panorama can't be arsed to get even the basics right, why should I believe the rest of the programme?

Wrong -only 17 % of claiments work while claiming dla

System

wattdallas wrote: »

Wrong -only 17 % of claiments work while claiming dla

Its not an out of work benefit though...

Brassedoff

akabee wrote: »

Some people might be intrested in the Blue badge & DLA sections of the show.

You are not.

Was interested until "working and claiming disability". I support finding out the cheats, but to quote £20 billion for fraud and then quieter error, plus all the other inaccurately quoted items loses the plot really.

Waiting for their report into me. "Brassedoff, claiming DLA, but able to use a computer" What a XYZ!!!

tottybum

I saw that programme too. It was on the whole totally true.
The people they identified are no different to many that we know that are doing the same thing.
Two properties, one abroad and claiming benefit because they say they can't afford the rent on the Brtisih property.

I know of a scaffolder that lives next door but two who claims benefit because of his 'back injury' yet is still to be seen 30'+ up on the scaffolding nearly every day.
The local pub is well known for hiring young girls who are single mums to work shifts for cash in hand.
Then we have the guy at the other end of the street who runs a car & van repair business from his house and garage. At any one time there are at least 6 cars/vans of some description either on his drive or on the road being repaired. Then he moans every time about being made to sign on every week, never mind not telling anybody how much he is earning on the side.

If I know these few, then there must be a lot more. Benefit fraud is rife!
If it became public knowledge actually how much benefit fraud was going on instead of what was thought to be going on, everybody would be shocked.

24skins

I was totally confused by elements of the program - as other posters have pointed out Panorama didn't seem to understand what DLA was for, or who can claim it and also there was the bizarre allegation that someone was being investigated for fraudulently claiming "£25,000 of Carer's Allowance over six months". Carer's Allowance is £55 a week, how could he possibly have claimed £25k's worth in six months?

The other thing I thought was strange was that the first dawn raid shown was apparently due to the claimant presenting a false French passport; during the raid they contacted the French Embassy who confirmed the passport was genuine, they then proceeded to go through his personal belongings etc and eventually decided that the fraud was around a Carer's Allowance claim because the person who he claimed to be caring for wasn't at the address and "they thought she might be" in another country. It seemed like an utter shambles to me, especially when they talked to the fraud investigator outside & she seemed unsure of what he'd actually been claiming - she said "he could be getting... ". The claimant may wellhave had a case to answer re the Carer's Allowance, but Panorama acted as though they had him bang to rights when in reality the original allegation against him had been shown to be wrong!

WhiteHorse

More interesting is why the program was made, and why it was broadcast just now. Panorama ceased to be independent long ago. Now they just make programmes to order.

tottybum

WhiteHorse wrote: »

More interesting is why the program was made, and why it was broadcast just now. Panorama ceased to be independent long ago. Now they just make programmes to order.

But they do make a point though.

Benefit fraud is seemingly condoned by most people in this country as being not really illegal.

What's a few quid a week to the government.