Sir, – I would really like to know the rational of the members of this government when it comes to encouraging people to find jobs.

People who have no job need the care of the welfare state while they find work, but if they do not try hard enough to find a job in the eyes of the ministers – whatever trying hard enough means as there is no positive way to measure that – their benefit is cut.

No benefit, no way to pay bills, shop in the local economy, and becoming an even bigger burden on the state.

Now we hear there is a proposal to make people take a job up to 90 minutes away from home. The result of that, were it possible, and there were the jobs available, 90 minutes from here is Blyth, any jobs there?

If there were the effects would be: 1 An increase in carbon output for the travel; 2 Three hours’ travel on top of a shift of work would lead to an increase in stress and a diminuition of family life; 3 The cost involved coming from a low wage economy would rule it out. Further, how can people travel with the steady erosion of public transport and the increasing cost of that which there is? Finally, the search for homes which do not exist, so as to be near the work.

None of the government’s proposals make any sense, and the punishments they intend to attach to their noncompliance are criminal. How long will we accept this?

CHRIS KIRK Brompton, Northallerton.