Senior DWP civil servant blames victims for carer’s allowance scandal

One of the most senior civil servants in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has placed the blame for the carer’s allowance benefits crisis on victims, many of whom have been left with life-changing debts.In an internal blogpost written for Whitehall colleagues, Neil Couling, the director general of DWP services, said individual failings by carers were “at the heart” of the issue that has been likened to the Post Office Horizon scandal.The post, which was removed after the Guardian made inquiries about its content, has been met with an outcry by charities and politicians.An independent review into the scandal last month found that longstanding and “unacceptable” systemic DWP leadership problems and poor benefit design were at the root of the failure, which it said could not be blamed on carers.Some carers who fell foul of the benefit’s outdated and complex rules felt so shamed, distressed and desperate they contemplated suicide, the review found

Young unemployed told to engage with jobs scheme or risk benefit cuts

Young unemployed people will be offered training or job opportunities in construction, care and hospitality as part of a UK government scheme, but could have their benefits cut if they do not take up offers.Pat McFadden, the work and pensions secretary, announced on Sunday that 350,000 new training or workplace opportunities would be offered to young people on universal credit, but added there would be “sanctions” for claimants who did not engage.The policy is part of the Labour government’s plans to halt the increase in the number of young people not in education, employment or training (Neet). Britain has almost a million Neets aged 16 to 24, in what some experts have called a youth jobs crisis.Rachel Reeves announced £820m in funding at her budget last month for a “youth guarantee” of a six-month paid work placement for every eligible 18- to 21-year-old who has been on universal credit and looking for work for 18 months

Gambling addicts risk losing ‘life-saving’ help due to funding overhaul, say UK charities

Gambling addicts are at risk of missing out on “life-saving” help unless the government provides emergency support, charities have warned, after an overhaul of funding left treatment providers facing a cash crunch.Until this year, money for problem gambling research, education and treatment had been provided on a voluntary basis by casinos and bookmakers who contributed about 0.1% of their takings.Under new plans, put forward by the previous government and implemented by Labour since April this year, the £12.5bn-a-year gambling sector instead pays a mandatory levy of up to 1

New US seed ban risks driving cannabis genetics underground, growers warn

For the first time since 2018, the sale of cannabis seeds in the US will be restricted due to a last-minute provision in the spending bill that ended the government shutdown last month – a move that experts say will kill the market in this country.Cannabis seed companies have enjoyed comparatively relaxed regulatory standards for the past several years because seeds themselves contain a negligible amount of THC, the compound that makes cannabis federally illegal.Sergio Martínez, chief executive officer and founder of Spain-based Blimburn Seeds, said that the 2018 farm bill eased restrictions on seeds by defining hemp as any product containing less than 0.3% delta 9 THC.“This definition was reinforced in 2022 when the DEA formally clarified that cannabis seeds meeting this threshold are legally considered hemp and therefore are not controlled substances under the Controlled Substances Act, even if the plants grown from them may exceed the THC limit,” Martínez said

Gen Z office survival guide: how to overcome telephobia and get up early

If you are a millennial, part of gen X or a boomer, you probably do not give a second thought to picking up the phone to talk to someone or chit-chatting beside the office water cooler. But for gen Z, those common workplace moments are a huge source of anxiety.According to a study released this week, early mornings, working with older colleagues and making small talk are just some of the things employees born between 1997 and 2012 dread.The study, commissioned by Trinity College London, surveyed more than 1,500 people aged between 16 and 29 across the UK. It found that 38% of young people dread having to make small talk in the workplace

UK IVF couples use legal loophole to rank embryos based on potential IQ, height and health

Couples undergoing IVF in the UK are exploiting an apparent legal loophole to rank their embryos based on genetic predictions of IQ, height and health, the Guardian has learned.The controversial screening technique, which scores embryos based on their DNA, is not permitted at UK fertility clinics and critics have raised scientific and ethical objections, saying the method is unproven. But under data protection laws, patients can – and in some cases have – demanded their embryos’ raw genetic data and sent it abroad for analysis in an effort to have smarter, healthier children.Dr Cristina Hickman, a senior embryologist and founder of Avenues fertility clinic in London, said rapid advances in embryo screening techniques and the recent launch of several US companies offering so-called polygenic screening had left clinics facing “legal and ethical confusion”.“This opens a whole can of worms,” said Hickman, who raised the issue in a letter last month to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA)