THERE have been many disturbing reports about the effects of the Government’s crackdown on benefit fraud: such as people with terminal illnesses being found fit for work.

Or perfectly genuine people being driven into the hands of loan-sharks because of the Government taking its time in settling their claims.

And people having their payment stopped as a result of the Department for Work and Pensions confusing them with someone else (possibly someone with a similar name). Often such unfortunate people face months of agonising effort and frustration before it can be persuaded to correct its records.

When such instances of official stupidity are at last resolved, do the victims get an apology? You must be joking – unless you count inanities like “it wasn’t our fault, it was the computer’s” as an apology.

It’s the same old story: the real wide boys – men with multiple families and the like – get kidglove treatment while genuine people are thrown to the lions.

Was it not ever thus?

Tony Kelly, Crook