ONCE more, Mr Ian Davies (Letters, August 12) seems to have been given the wrong information.

He says his homeless friend had his benefits stopped and no reason was given. I must put him right once more. The Department of Social Security and other departments do tell you why your benefits are stopped or reduced.

They not only tell you, they write to you, not once but sometimes three times.

They do not behave in an underhand way. I can only think Mr Davies has never had to make a claim or sign on. I suggest he has another word with his friend.

I do not always agree with the system and the way it works, but I will give credit where it is due - and, like Councillors Mohammed Khan and Dave Hollings say in the same edition, they offered six council properties to his friend.

Now, were they not falling over backwards to see him in a house or flat?

And I do know what I am talking about when it comes to how the system works - the simple reason that I have been up against it for a good number of years and in more ways than one.

G PILKINGTON (Mr), St Michael's Court, Daisyfield, Blackburn.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.