Articles and Speeches

A Waste of Our Time
27-May-05, Windsor Express Column.

"Most of us care about the quality of life of people around us. I certainly want family, friends and constituents to enjoy their lives as much as possible.

Since school and through my working life I have been struck by a consistent observation. People seem happier when making decisions for themselves and their families.

When we choose what to do with our time, we are in control of our time and seem, somehow, happier with what we do.

Over the past few weeks my post bag has contained several complaints about the amount of time it takes to complete Government forms.

This seems to concern the elderly, those seeking tax credits and those who are unwell and require incapacity benefits in particular.

Despite some small improvements, the forms for claiming benefits or assistance from Government seem lengthy, complex and intrusive.

Having examined some of these forms, I am not surprised that just one in three elderly people claim the benefits & tax credits they are entitled too. It seems they would rather go without than suffer the stress of trying to understand overly complex forms.

Given the choice of agonizing for several hours over a lengthy form, or spending some quality time with family, I can guess what most people would be happier doing.

Perhaps it’s time to focus, once again, on reducing bureaucracy and state interference that eats into our personal time and prevents us enjoying our lives in the way choose."

Adam Afriyie, MP for Windsor.