Should there be fewer or more restrictions on current welfare benefits?

It should be stricter on the basis of excluding those with self inflicted matters that mean that they cannot work. Such as those who are obese, take drugs or alcoholic. Why should the state support those who don’t help themselves.

fewer and raise welfare benefits inline with inflation

More, reform the system so that it can;t replace a working income to encourage people to get a job, and also people who can get a job but don't want to for no particular reason should not get benefits. We need to ensure benefits go to those who need and deserve them.

For the vulnerably, elderly and poor workers it should be increased but for working age people who aren't bothering getting a job then there should be more regulation.

More in some cases of voluntary unemployment, fewer in other areas, and increase the level of benefits

Fewer, but deny benefit access to immigrants who have not been in the country for at least 10 years.

Benefit system needs a complete overhaul, some benefits are being abused, some benefits are not being distributed to people who should be getting them

increase benefits for elderly, disabled and provide more help to parents so that one parent can focus on childcare for the first few years without worrying about money. Non-citizens should never be allowed any benefits, including NHS.

Make it easier for the elderly and disabled, remove someone's benefits if they are convicted of a violent or sexual crime, or for drug dealers or traffickers and deny benefits to immigrants

More restrictions. Uk citizens should get first priority. Also a cap in force so that people dont take the p***.

decrease benefits for immigrants without citizenship yet and increase for the elderly and disabled and make sure it goes to those who need it most and those who work

Change benefits from payments to a more practical help i.e council homes with a supermarket voucher or paid bills...

There should be fewer as if you fix the benefit system loopholes then it will cost the Government less and less people would be on benefits.

fewer, but benefits need to be greatly improved with more psychological implementation to help people who struggle on benefits.

More restrictions. Benefits go to those that need it most. Benefits should consider personal wealth and assets and income.

Fewer for sick and disabled recipients and those looking for work. But regardless a U.B.I. ought to be introduced and an initiative for voluntary work.

We should reform our benefits system and have stricter regulations on who can revive them as too many people who are on them take advantage of them and never come off which needs to change to allow for less people on benefits.

Some welfare benefits can be very strict, but spending on them is still too high and too many people are on them. This needs to be solved through using the minimum wage to ensure that the state never subsidises low pay through benefits given on top of a full time job. In my opinion, out of work benefits should only be given in return for government work, paid at less than the minimum wage but functioning as a safety net where employment of some form is guaranteed for all.

All on benefits should have to work or give back voluntarily ie phone help line shops litter picks etc. gain experience

I think that there should be fewer restrictions however I believe each candidate should be reviewed so that these benefits are going to a good use instead of being wasted

Fewer but make sure immigrants are denied benefits and increase benefits for the disabled and elderly

I believe the system is not right. More in depth screening is required to ensure the right people receive the right amount of benefits

More, stricter controls to prevent fraud and incentivise people able to work. Ensure support for those most in need.

Reform so that only a short term safety net for emergencies exists for those who are able to work but choose not to. There needs to be a safety net but not a lifestyle choice!

Enforce living wages, so that employers pay enough for citizens to live on (and meet their housing expenses etc)

Deny benefits to immigrants but increase benefits for the elderly and disabled

reform the system so that it supplements, it helps people develop businesses and nit s hourly rate that you can not survive on and be healthy at badic level helping me tsl health amd socialising ethics, a working income
Fewer, current benefits do not provide enough support

Reform the whole system so that the people have better access to work that pays them a living wage so that there is less reliance from able bodied people on benefits so that the elderly and disabled have better access and care

Benefits should be provided for a limited time(3 years) for those that are clearly just not wanting to work and then beyond that point should be given a choice of jobs they MUST chose from to take, otherwise Benefits will be stopped and no future benefit help provided.

Benefits are already very restrictive, they don't need to be, they need to stop treating those on benefits as criminals and increase the money provided as it's not a liveable amount.

Supplements the working income but unless immigrants are qualified professionals then they shouldn't receive any benefits

benefits should be individually evaluated based on unique living situation, there should also be support for home-owners with mortgage payments equal to those in rented accommodation in the form of equal housing benefit

increase benefits for people that physically/mentally cannot work or are retired. but reduce benefits for people that Are physically and mentally capable of working.

Dependant on needs. Benefits should be vouchers and not physical money. Everyone should be able to eat healthy, and have basic services such as clean water, gas/ electric, and accommodation, and broadband. These things can be automatically paid by the state, rather than physical money being given.

No benefits for immigrants, overhaul to get none-working people back into work, completely free childcare from 1 month of age by having state nurseries attached to every primary school, financial support for wrap around care, easier access to financial support for disabled,

Increase benefits for elderly. Deny benefits for immigrants. Get people within the UK working. Make able people work for benefits. Charity working, helping council to keep towns and cities cleaner.

Benefits should go to the ill not because you had a child. All girl school 60/70% have never worked in McDonald's Tesco's. But have a home, 30 saved since I started working at 16 I'll ll never be able to own even with a nice salary. Two of me maybe but that's unlikely. I have a speed sheet to where to buy the shopping

The government should prioritise getting people who are unemployed and physically and mentally able to work learning new and beneficial skills which will help them find jobs within society.

reform is needed to ensure more is given to those who need it, and less is given to those who abuse it

Like most of these questions, it depends on fairness. Those who are genuine should receive the help they need. Feckless should get a pasting and sent out to work

More for vulnerable and incapacitated. Fewer for those able but supplement those working and make working benefit families, also use a staggered approach and support those going back into work or on part time income due to disabilities.

Immigrants and asylum seekers should not be allowed to claim benefits. Welfare should be a safety net to UK nationals in need, not a lifestyle. We need to get more people back to work and that will only be the case if the tax threshold is increased and sanctions aren’t enforced to those on benefits who work more than 16 hours a week

It needs to target those who refuse to work or find means to defraud or take advantage of the system. There's too many who choose not to work or have not contributed to our society

It should be stricter on those with self inflicted matters that prevents work such as those who are obese, take drugs or alcoholic. More scrutiny and reviews on those on benefits to ensure they aren't just abusing or sponging. Introduce 2-child policy especially those on the low income bracket. And definitely increase benefits for elderly and disable.

Benefits need to be on a more evidence driven case by case basis, many people are worse off for going to work than when they were on benefits, which only increases the likelihood of people not trying to get a job as it will have a negative effect to their lifestyle.

It should never be that people who work are worse off than those on benefits . The whole system needs an overhaul . But children need protecting , there should also be mandatory training on budgets and prioritising basic needs for jobless families. More help should be given to people who work and are signed off sick, self employed especially .

Fewer - time restrictions on public transport prevent those who want to & can work cannot get to work for the start of a working day and are therefore penalised. They are then labelled “lazy” and that they don’t want to work but I believe the majority do want to work but can’t because of the restrictions on subsidised public transport.

Fewer restrictions, but more incentives to work (such as raising the personal allowance, significantly), plus monitoring and striking off or community service for abuse of the system.

No changes but develop a benefits plan where the value decreases to encourage efforts to support themselves

I definitely think the system needs improving with much more support to help people into work but also more support needs to be provided in other areas such as education on budgeting, support with interviews, more access to support for those with mental and physical health issuez and those with disabilities and it should be a fairer system that doesn't penalise couples who live together, especially when earnings and savings are disproportionate. People living with their parents currently have much financial support than couples living together because of the fact that claims have to be made as joint claims for couples living together but for people living at home with their parents, they can make a single claim, regardless of their parents' financial situations

It should be easier to claim benefits for elderly and disabled people and others that need benefits. For people that can work, the system should be reformed so they receive a supplement to their limited working hours (may be due to some health issues) rather than a replacement benefit.

Neither the entire system needs an overhaul to make it easier for people who actually need help access benefits while also stopping people from abusing the system

Fewer on parents with 1 or 2 kids unless twins etc, deny to immigrants, make it so U can pay Ur bills , and give more help and not tick box exercise, actually help people get a job instead of looking down on people

Mostly no changes needed but PIP should be more generous and more easily available to those with mental health issues.

More restrictions, limited time benefits only for people able to work but do not and no benefits at all for illegal migrants

The welfare system should be designed to support people into employment that allows them to be better off than on benefits. That could mean supplementing a working income up until a threshold is met. Many people are worse off working than on benefits, but they need those benefits to live. We should be supporting people into more highly skilled employment to ensure that they are better off working than on benefits.

Remove contractors and bring the whole system back into the control of the government. Look for support in finances but also in other ways such as education, job placement support etc

Welfare reform is necessary to stop people taking advantage. It should focus on helping low income working families that aren't entitled to all the financial benefits of non workers.

Nobody on state welfare should have more of an income than somebody who goes to work .benefits should be no more than minium wage .the worker has to live on it so should the benefit claim

Fewer for British people. Immigrants should get NO benitits! Not even public healthcare. They should pay for healthcare

Maintain current welfare benefits but endorse compulsory volunteering for those who are able to work, until they find work

More, the current system allows people to just be lazy and choose not to work knowing they can still live off the government. This should be stopped and benefits provided to those who can prove they genuinely cannot work.

Fewer, and the benefits can be linked to social care programmes that can help to support, rehabilitate and reintegrate where possible

Not incredibly well informed on current benefits system, but I think that people should have them :)

The welfare system is broken. It may be able to work with the current level of resources if it is reorganised so it is more effective.

More, based on the case. Simultaneously fix the gaps in the current exploitation. Then re-evaluate based on the data.

It should be regulated to supplement rather than replace income EXCEPT for people who genuinely cannot work due to physical or mental illness or being a full time carer etc

A mixture of all the answers here needs to be considered. There is unfortunately no single solution to this issue.

Fewer restrictions and removal of bureaucracy, e.g. disabled child having to prove disability every other year

Neither. Total reform is required to support those that really need it, and to force others in to work.

There should be more restrictions but it should be increased for those unable to work. It should be targeted support for families with children or people who are disabled.

The taxpayers should come first, if they have lost thier job they should be given say 3 months pay to find another, people who won't work need to serve the community in some way. People who cannot afford children should not be allowed to have them.
Benefits are needed though, Universal income should be implemented.

I think the welfare system needs a complete reform. It is a broken system that does not work.

This is a very complex area of public policy and the response has to be nuanced, not biased by ideology, but predicated on the personal circumstances and lived experience of each individual.

More, to prevent exploitation of the system and ensure that it supplements, rather than replaces a working income, but increase benefits for the elderly and disabled.

The legacy state benefits system should remain, Eg - ESA, JSA, AA, IS and IB

The government should abolish all welfare and replace it with a universal basic income

Fewer but benefits should be distributed to those who are really in need instead of people who are lazy and use benefits as a means of income.

Less restrictions for those in need, but more restrictions for those who could change their position easily themselves

Canada has a strick job seekers allowance. You can only apply if you have puy in a certain amount of hours and you were let go. If you quit, you will not be eligible for job seeker. Also if you do qualify, you only qualify for a year and then her benefits stop. Something like this should be implemented in order to lower the amount of young people as well as immigrants turning to benefits and not go back to work.

More, increase benefits for elderly, and reform the system so it supplements income, not replace income.

Bring back DLA and abolish PIP, the system doesn't work, people need to be assessed on whether or not they have a disability, invisible or otherwise, not whether or not they can move. In a system where people with cerebral palsy are refused help you know something is seriously wrong! As for Universal Credit if PIP is for those who are severely disabled assess entitlement on a case by case basis.

I think there should be more benefits for the working class. at the moment we give everything to those who don’t work and nothing to the working class families who are struggling with the cost of everything

System should be changed to increase non financial support. Unemployed people who want/need support (inc financial) should spend 20/30 hours a work in centres that have training, free food, and other support.

More, but redirect benefits to encourage stronger, larger families and marriage and to support the elderly, disabled, ill, and short-term unemployed

More, Reform the system so it supplements working wage unless the individual cannot work due to reasons such as health

Fewer, current benefits do not provide enough support. These benefits should only go to Uk citizens.

What needs reviewing is how staff treat people when they need benefits - particularly those who have chronic health conditions - more should be done to help the unemployed retrain and find work and more dignity needs to be afford to those people who need to claim

Welfare benefits are ONLY for those who "No Longer" can help themselves, people who have never contributed to the country are not eligible.

if able, to claim benefits claimants should carry out community work to improve living spaced. even those with physical disabilities can offer encouragement. we need to stop the idea that people are entitled to free money and the feeling of achieving aids mental wellbeing

Ensure benefits for those who need them. No benefits for immigrants until they've lived here and paid taxes for years.

More restrictions -.system needs to be reformed so they supplement those that can work so they maintain employment and contribute whilst ensuring benefits to the elderly and those who are disabled are increased.

People who just don't want to work should not get money to spend, they should get rent and bills paid and a food hamper of essentials. Or alternatively have to work for their benefits. Clearing canals etc my husband had to in the 80's when made redundant

More but protect individuals that have paid into the system for over 10+ years like pensioners and individuals made redundant remove all individuals that haven’t to include non uk nationals and migrants

It depends on individual circumstances. I think there needs to be a system that focuses on finding the people that do not want to work and helping others that are struggling to get back into work, help with working from home or becoming self employed, and less discrimination against those that suffer with ill health.

More fairness and targetting of benefit support to those who need it most, but also crack down better on benefit cheats.

Welfare benefits should be regulated more. Immigrants should not receive benefits. Asylum seekers should not receive benefits until their applications to live in the UK has been approved. Those who make no effort to find work should have their benefits restricted. Those with more than 3 children and dont work should have their benefits restricted. We should increase benefits for social care and the elderly. We should also improve the system in which benefits are given. The UK should help those who are going through a rough patch in life, or at least make it so they can be given temporary benefits until they are back on their feet again. This could happen if someone becomes injured at work.

Overhaul the system to provide encouragement for forms of community work where traditional work may not be suitable