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News: Govt 'should help families to claim benefits' News: Govt 'should help families to claim benefits'

Govt 'should help families to claim benefits'

Mon 8 Feb 2010 - Published in Banking

Govt 'should help families to claim benefits'

The government needs to prevent financial hardship from damaging family relationships, it has been claimed.

Last week, the Citizens Advice Bureau revealed that 27 charities have called on the government to ensure more families claim the welfare benefits and tax credits which they are entitled to.

The organisations pointed out over £16 billion in means-tested benefits and tax credits are currently unclaimed each year and suggested this money could help the children, families and pensioners which it is earmarked for if they were encouraged to take it.

Commenting on the campaign, Family and Parenting Institute policy adviser Carena Rogers pointed out that benefit fraud costs the UK around £900 million a year and claimed that the government ranks this as a higher priority than helping families to claim.

"Evidence shows that family relationships suffer in times of financial stress. We would like to see the government supporting families by putting as much effort into ensuring the most vulnerable get their unclaimed £16 billion worth of benefits," she added.

Ms Rogers said that the best way to increase the number of families claiming their entitled money would be create straight-forward ways of doing this, rather than relying on an overly bureaucratic system.