Patrick Butler

Thinktank recommends issuing benefit cash on 'prepay' cards

guardian.co.uk — Social security benefits such as universal credit and crisis loans should be issued on debit card-style cards, despite fears that they will enable authorities to block recipients from spending the cash on alcohol, cigarettes and gambling, according to a report by the thinktank Demos.

Food vouchers to provide emergency help but prevent spending on alcohol

guardian.co.uk — "Food stamps" arrive in Britain next month, when tens of thousands of vulnerable people will be issued with food vouchers in lieu of money to tide them over short-term financial crises. Rather than, as now, offering a cash loan, most councils will from April offer new applicants who qualify for emergency assistance a one-off voucher redeemable for goods such as food and nappies.

The Work Programme is failing the taxpayer

guardian.co.uk — After six months of deliberation, the work and pensions select committee this week publishes its second report into the Work Programme (WP). The inquiry set out to answer the question, can the Work Programme work for all user groups? The short answer is: no, two years after launch, it is clearly failing the most disadvantaged jobseekers.

Society daily 21.05.13

guardian.co.uk — Sign up to Society daily email briefing Today's top SocietyGuardian stories * GPs will face Ofsted-style inspections, Jeremy Hunt announces * Disabled woman died after NHS blunders, ombudsman finds * Family of Maria Stubbings call for inquiry into police failings * Privatised GP service understaffed and missing targets, watchdog finds

Welfare-to-work: Jobseekers' scheme failing, say MPs

bbc.co.uk — A scheme to help the unemployed find work appears to be failing the most disadvantaged jobseekers, according to MPs on the Work and Pensions Committee. Their report said support for the mainstream jobless in the government's Work Programme, launched in June 2011, was getting better after a poor start.

G4S boss Nick Buckles quits

guardian.co.uk — Nick Buckles has unexpectedly quit as chief executive of G4S, the company responsible for the botched handling of security at last year's Olympics. Buckles is being replaced by the company's chief financial officer, Ashley Almanza, who only joined G4S three weeks ago.

Disabled woman died after NHS blunders, ombudsman finds

guardian.co.uk — A catalogue of mistakes by an out-of-hours GP service and a hospital contributed to the death of a young woman with physical and learning disabilities, the NHS ombudsman says on Tuesday in a highly critical report that has led to fresh claims of prejudicial attitudes leading to poor care for such vulnerable patients.