Should alcoholics face losing benefits?
Should alcoholics get their benefits docked if they don't accept treatment? That's the topic on today's Morning Extra.
The UK government says they'll unless they seek treatment and try to find a job. Similar measures targeting drug addicts are already going through westminster and the Work and Pensions Secretary, James Purnell, says he's consulting on whether the idea should be extended.
The Conservatives say it's "another smokescreen" to "deflect from Labour's failure to get to grips with our welfare system". And the Liberal Democrats say the proposals are "fundamentally inhumane".
Is it long before time the state stopped paying alcoholics to kill themselves with drink? Or, with a shortage of treatment programmes, will the consequences for families, in particular, be catastrophic? Leave your thoughts here, or call me after 8am on 0500 92 95 00.
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