[Margaret Pilkington]

I watched the Panorama programme last night on the subject of the Benefits cap.
In the main those who were featured expressed an 'entitlement' and seemed to be blind to the causes of their so called poverty.
Most of those featured had mobile phones, (and you are going to tell me that a mobile phone is a necessity if you are seeking a job, or claiming benefits...well, that may be true, but most of them seemed to be smartphones.)
There was only one single father who we saw going for an interview...he neither smoked nor drank.
There was one woman who railed at the government for putting her in poverty....she had seven children.All being cared for by someone else.
Where was the father/fathers of these children? Why wasn't some contribution for their care being taken from him?

How is it fair for someone to stay at home and get £20,000per year when there are parents working and not earning that amount?
Those working parents are contributing in taxes(however low a rate) and NI contributions.
Those on benefits do not pay any taxes(apart from those levied on purchases) or NI contributions.

I had only one child and one of the reasons for this was that I couldnot afford more than that.(there was NO child benefit for most of the time my daughter was growing up...and when I was eligible for it I never claimed it. I believed that the funding of my child was MY responsibility, not that of the government.