TAXPAYERS MONEY

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Unemployed single parents are receiving free massages and beauty treatments, paid for by taxpayers. Under the Government-backed scheme, being tested around the country, they are being given the treats to 'boost their confidence'. So far, more than 1,000 people, mainly women, have taken advantage of 'pamper days' at salons as part of the project, called Big Brother. It has been justified on the grounds that if jobless people are happier and more presentable, it will be easier for them to find work.

So far the cost to taxpayers is at least £60,000, but the figure is likely to spiral. The scheme, in operation in Hereford, Worcester, Northumberland, Durham and Greater Manchester, is open to any single parent over the age of 18 who has been unemployed or on disability benefit for at least six months. They can choose from a range of treatments, including a massage, a haircut, new make-up, a facial, a manicure and even ear-piercing. They can also claim a separate £30 handout to spend on a shopping trip for new clothes, and are eligible for free lunches and childcare.

The Big Brother scheme is run by Inspire2Independence, a private company based in York. It is backed by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and the European Union. Steve Munzer, head of marketing for the project, said, "Some of these women really lack confidence. Many have been out of work for a long time and some are even scared to leave the house. They are taken to buy interview clothes, treated to a massage and sometimes a facial. It's nice if they do find work but success is not necessarily judged on that."

A DWP spokeswoman declined to say how much had been paid to Inspire2Independence, claiming it was 'commercially sensitive'. She said, "The main purpose of the course is to remove some of the barriers lone parents face, to enable them to enter the labour market and to mentor them with a view to progressing to further support through the New Deal for Lone Parents. Participants find the course very rewarding and a significant number move on to the New Deal for Lone Parents, where further tailored support and advice is available." (Source: Daily Mail, Mar/07)

The Home Office has revealed that eight staff have been off work on full pay for more than two years. Another 20 workers have been on paid leave for between 12 months and two years and 26 for between six and 12 months. The figures do not include those on sick leave. Officials deny the paid absences, which will have cost taxpayer hundreds of thousands of pounds, are a further example of mismanagement and insist efforts are being made to resolve cases swiftly.

Of the eight civil servants off work for more than two years, two are suspended "pending possible disciplinary action" while another is being paid to stay at home while an "ongoing grievance" is resolved. Another four have been off pending "the resolution" of internal procedures. The last one has been off while "adjustments" are made to enable them to return. The Home Office refused to give details of the rank and salaries of those concerned but confirmed that those given time off had been on full pay. (Source: Mail on Sunday, Sep/06)

Patrick Cryne, who made millions from a botched NHS computer system, has bought four homes, a golf course and a football club. Cryne has amassed a £50million fortune thanks in part to a deal for his firm iSoft to revolutionise chaotic NHS computer systems, yet taxpayers are being left high and dry. The project is £14billion over budget, way behind schedule and so botched it may never work at all. But Cryne is now retired and lives with his wife in a sprawling converted farmhouse in Derbyshire.

Cryne's firm iSoft, a specialist in healthcare systems, was awarded a £300million contract to work on the NHS computer project in January 2004. The aim was to computerise millions of pages of patient records and allow GPs to book appointments for hospital operations at the click of a mouse. Now there are mounting doubts that the scheme will ever work. The contract sent iSoft's share price soaring. In July 2004, Cryne sold £12.75million worth of shares in the firm.

And in June 2005, he sold another £14.9million worth. Both windfalls came when the share price was £4.25p. In October Cryne quit the firm. Now iSoft shares are worth just 56p each after the firm lost nearly 90% of its value in a year and then ran up a loss of £380million. Cryne's retirement came before problems emerged with the NHS project and before alleged "irregularities" occurred in the firm's accounting. (Source: Sunday Mirror, Sep/06)

Millions of pounds of benefits have been given to prisoners even though they are not entitled to assistance. The Department of Work and Pensions said prisoners received £13million in income support and Jobseeker's Allowance over the past three years. Offenders are meant to have their benefits automatically stopped when they are sentenced. Prisoners are not entitled to claim Jobseeker's Allowance - worth up to £57.45 a week - because they are not available to work while locked up.

They are also ineligible for income support and pension credits, and generally cannot receive incapacity and disability benefits, the state pension, carer's allowance, industrial injuries benefit or maternity allowance. Housing benefits are only given to those on remand awaiting trial. A department spokeswoman said, "We are determined to crack down on anyone who defrauds the benefit system. The idea that we are in any way complacent about this is just wrong." The government said it would now tighten up its procedures for benefits. A bit blooding late after squandering £13m. (Source: BBC News, Aug/06)

Home Office staff have spent more than £800,000 on taxi fares in the past year, clocking up enough chauffeur-driven miles to travel 17 times around the globe. The Home Office was accused by the public spending watchdog, the National Audit Office, of showing 'casual disregard' for taxpayers' money over its accounts. John Reid, the recently appointed Home Secretary, declared his new department 'unfit for purpose'. The journeys represent a 162% increase over five years ago, when the department's bill was £307,000.

Most of the taxi rides enjoyed by Home Office civil servants are thought to have been taken in London, where Home Office headquarters staff and its Ministers are based. Latest figures from Transport for London show that a taxi fare in the capital costs £1.87 per mile. The Home Office said, "Staff are required to justify the use of taxi journeys to their managers to ensure that their use is in accordance with the rules. This includes that the journeys were necessary and arranged so that a minimum of expense was incurred." (Source: Mail on Sunday, Aug/06)