David Ruffley

Benefit overpayments equivalent to £104 for EVERY household have been made since Labour came to power.

Bungling penpushers have wasted £2.5billion of taxpayers' cash since 1997 - £1.17billion of it on incorrect Income Support payments, figures show.

Tory MP David Ruffley, who uncovered the figures, said: 'Gordon Brown's fiddling with the system and ministers' incompetent running of it is causing chaos.'

The Department for Work and Pensions will not ask for overpayments back, it said last night.

THE unemployed and people on low incomes have received more than pounds 2 billion in overpaid benefits since Labour came to power.

The Government yesterday blamed "official error''. The Tories described the total as "shocking''.

Ministers said there was nothing they could do to recoup the cash other than ask people to repay it voluntarily.

The figures were compiled from answers to parliamentary questions tabled by David Ruffley, the Conservative spokesman for welfare reform.

West Suffolk Hospital is facing a desperate fight to hang on to staff as the financial stranglehold on NHS providers continues to tighten.
The Bury St Edmunds hospital, slashed 260 posts, 50 beds and two theatres last year as it struggled against mounting debts.

Despite this, the hospital made savings of £6 million and improved waiting times for inpatients, day cases, cancer referrals and A&E.

However, the fear is that with West Suffolk facing possible cuts in its funding, more jobs could be sacrificed as bosses battle to reduce a £12 million deficit.

Benefit overpayments had reached almost Pounds 2.5bn during Labour's time in power, and an overcomplicated system had led to "shocking" levels of error, the Conservatives said yesterday.

The Department for Work and Pensions revealed in answers to parliamentary questions from David Ruffley, the Conservative spokesman for welfare reform, that overpayment of income support caused by officials' errors had reached Pounds 1.17bn since 1997 and pension credit overpayment Pounds 540m.

My online survey for Suffolk residents about the Chancellor's Budget asked: "If a Government increased public spending, which area do you think needs it most?"

A third of respondents said: "The NHS."

No surprises there. Our Suffolk health service and its hard working staff are carrying debts that are not of their making.

Many of you living on Moreton Hall use the West Suffolk Hospital and our local GPs.

TORY John Redwood enlisted the help of animalloving MPs to come to the aid of Yorkshire terriers rescued from a filthy shed in West Sussex.

The dogs are among the 206 rescued from the windowless 60ft building after pet breeder Elizabeth Stevens, 73, died in April.

The case prompted outrage after a broadcast showed the animals packed into transport containers and riddled with disease. In "hellish" scenes, six dogs had been partially eaten by others desperate for food.

Supporters of an historic Suffolk theatre have taken a giant step forward, raising £25,000 towards its restoration.

A SUFFOLK MP has today called for a county wide referendum to back or reject proposals to merge police forces in the region.

David Ruffley is concerned that amalgamating Suffolk Constabulary with forces in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk could put a strain on resources and see officers moved out of Suffolk to police crime hotspots elsewhere.

Research conducted on his website reveals that more than 95 per cent of the 642 questioned want the constabulary to remain as it is.

AS British as bowler hats and warm beer, HP Brown Sauce has been the condiment of choice in the birthplace of democracy for a century.

But the brown sauce - emblazoned with an image of the Houses of Parliament, from which it takes its name - has seen its British credentials take a blow after bosses at Heinz announced production could move to Holland.

Now, an MP is now calling for a Suffolk-made sauce to take its place on Parliamentary dining tables.

A FOOD company and a supermarket chain are battling to take over the Houses of Parliament symbol on the HP brown sauce bottle.

Both firms say that as HP owners Heinz are switching production to Holland the Big Ben logo should be used on a brand made in England.

Branston said: "We'd be proud to have this label on our sauce bottle if HP is asked to remove it."

Asda added: "Producing it in Holland is like making Edam in Eastbourne. It's just not right."

MP David Ruffley is urging the Houses of Parliament to replace HP sauce in protest.