Expats in £46m benefits scandal

MILLIONS of pounds of taxpayers’ money is being sent to Britons living in the sun who claim they are too sick to work.

Incapacity benefits of nearly £46million a year go to thousands of expats in places like Spain, France, Cyprus and Portugal.

Many of the 10,000 claimants have been receiving the payments for more than five years without their cases being reviewed.

A loophole allows them to simply send in a doctor’s note to keep the money funding their life abroad. Last night Tory MP Philip Davies said: “This is a loophole that should be closed down. I know that the new Government is trying to clamp down on those who are abusing the benefits system.

It would be unacceptable if these new stringent checks only applied to people living in the UK and not people living outside the country claiming benefits.”

http://bit.ly/bW1w03



Looks like you can't hide anywhere, if the system is abused they will find you and I suspect even if you don't.Its the genuine people that worry me, the others deserve to be caught.

Re: Expats in £46m benefits scandal

Tsk...what a nerve, I didn't think those kind of benefits were paid to overseas recipients. How norty.

Re: Expats in £46m benefits scandal

Hope they catch out the cheats - far too many taking the mick tbh!

Re: Expats in £46m benefits scandal

I do not think that any ex pats living abroad should be paid any benefits.
If you desert the UK to go living abroad then you should live on you own money not our money.
Even pensions should not be paid to people living abroad as they will not be spending their money to help the UK.