Any hope of joined-up government seems to be receding ever more quickly in the wake of a torrent of ill-thought-out policies. Last night I heard a story about a man with an ASBO who was called for a health test to try to get him off his benefits and into – what, exactly? The trouble is that attending the test will put him in breach of his ASBO as he is not allowed to be in that part of town...

We note that the Chancellor’s proposals for means-testing of child benefit are floundering on the practicalities of the scheme. We are not keen on child benefit in principle, as we take the view that people should not require these hand-outs. On the whole, they give with the right hand money that has been taken away with the left, all at considerable expense. But having put the system in place,...

The inevitable row has erupted over the government’s proposal to restrict housing benefit. The argument is that poor people will be forced out of areas where rents are high. At the same time, a report from the Audit Commission today noted that 1,600 homes occupied by unauthorised tenants have been recovered by councils, with a replacement cost of approximately £240 million.