Introducing means tested benefits increases unnecessary administration. It makes more sense to pay benefits universally and make them taxable - there is already a sophisticated bureaucracy there to do those assessments.

To reduce the brain drain out of HMRC (gamekeepers) to "tax advisers" (poachers) HMRC employees should be subject to restrictive covenants that increased in length automatically with pay grade.

There should be an effective benefits advisory service to ensure that those in need of benefits get the most effective benefits - I know some who really suffer but I don't know enough to be able to help them, so how someone with suicidal depression or limited understanding (etc) is supposed to master the huge volume of regulations that governs the benefits system (and indeed constantly changing regulations) is quite baffling.    I know one person who attempted suicide while receiving working tax credit, but was obviously therefore unable to apply for the optimum replacement benefit - yet no-one in the benefits system took any steps to note the availability of a more approproate benefit so now the recipient is being pestered by bailiffs for repayment of the tax credit yet told that because of the delay no substitute benefit is available. Great cure for suicidal depression, that and the absence of any follow-up counselling.

I know another person who has been screwed out of many thousands of pounds in overpaid tax, and is trying to start a business, but while entitled to working tax credit is getting the total runaround from housing benefits people.

Then there is the spiteful restriction of housing benefit to 85% of the interest on one's mortgage. That was pure Thatcher - it got her target, welfare recipients with large mortgages, but it got the rest of them as well. Well, what's a little collateral damage, they were only poor people weren't they?

So far I can see two good things probably coming out of the Con-Dims - we will not get identity cards, and HIPS will be scrapped. The rest is going to be a nightmare, except for the few at the top of the pecking order.