Some aspects of the benefits system promote 'destructive' behaviours, according to a 'controversial' speech by Iain Duncan Smith, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. He described families on benefits as expecting 'never ending amounts of money' for every extra child they choose to have, whereas by contrast working households have to make 'tough choices' about what they can afford.

Duncan Smith did not propose any specific policy changes in his speech. But in a separate BBC radio interview given beforehand, he raised the question of whether as a matter of 'fairness' there should be some 'limit' on state money to support the children of out-of-work families.

Source: Speech by Iain Duncan Smith MP (Secretary of State for Work and Pensions), 25 October 2012
Links: Speech | BBC interview (audio) | CPAG press release | Gingerbread press release | Unicef press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Nursery World report