“It should
come as no surprise that the NAO has found the benefits system
to be extremely complex. Our benefits handbook is almost 1,600
pages long this year, whereas twenty years ago it was less than
half that size.
“Saying we
should simplify the system is all very well and good, but we need
to recognise that the benefits system is complex in order to meet
a complex range of needs. We cannot just have a bonfire of regulations.
“CPAG does,
however, think that the benefits system needs to be made simpler
and less confusing for claimants, who all too often don’t know
what they are entitled to, and for the welfare rights advisers
on the frontline.
“As well as
reducing fraud, the DWP needs to devote just as much effort to
increasing take-up and reducing the high rates of official error.”
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