bridge too far

I agree with Ponty. It has to be the lad's decision to tell his parents. But she should offer him help and support and gently suggest he tells his parents in his own time, with her there to 'hold his hand', metaphorically speaking.

I LOVED it - even though it left me with egg on my face

That was plucky

Yep, I've just googled Paymaster Agency too and found the link you've shown. It is a tad disingenuous of Xafinity to claim to have been fouded in 1836 when in fact it was the Paymaster General which was started then and, as you say, was privatised by John Major's government in 1997. You would have thought, during that privatisation process, that someone in government would have noticed the overpayment - which has been going on since 1978 - during the due diligence period. I'm sorry for misclaiming facts - I should have read more than the front page

I got done for this many years ago. A man clipped my car, his car rolled and he was teetering on the edge of a railway embankment. It just so happened a plain clothes police car was passing and, after getting him out of his car, they told me that his car was a write-off. They said that although he was in the wrong, they recommended I didn't pursue the matter (no damage to my car) as he only had 3rd party insurance and that was punishment enough for him. It turned out he was stationed at the nearby army barracks (police and soldiers - hand in glove eh). But they asked me to produce my documents at the local nick. I'd only just moved house and they did me for having the wrong address on my licence! Of course, he got away scot-free

As tea-maker-in-chief (I know my place ) I'll let you in

What work do you do ESB? Mr TF would have had to do much the same, except he saved up some annual leave and so misses a day and a night shift.

Six people, including a local authority Chief Executive, have 'left the organisation' as a result of some investigations I've done this year. Unfortunately, I can only report on what I find. It's up to the councils concerned as to whether people are allowed to take 'early retirement'. I'm not sure that I'm entirely proud of this record as the people involved were 'buck stoppers' who carried the can for the mistakes of their juniors.

5 minutes more like

Bang go my retirement plans when my NHS pension delivers

In a 'shine a bright light on your face / ar*e and say "we have ways of making you talk"' sort of way?

According to their website, Xafinity is a private company founded in 1836 :confused: http://www.xafinity.com/Microsites/Xafinity-Paymaster/Home.aspx The overpayments average out at £3.70 per month per pensioner :shock: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7784883.stm I do have to laugh at Cameron's comments about the government 'allowing it to go on for so long when they'd been in power for 11 years'. This overpayment has been going on for 30 years. I'm surprised every other government in power missed it as well

What have I done to irritate you, sweetie? That's twice today you've alluded to my 'great age'.

Finish lunch-time on 23rd and go back 5th January. Yay

Tomorrow :confused: It's not Friday / Tuesday tomorrow, is it?

at Nick having a subtle pop at me I'm not a 'financial' auditor, sweetie, so you can't blame me

What? With cherries and chocolate and cream?

I think the private contractor running the pension scheme had been in place for decades. I guess one small error in one program has been compounded over the years :smt102. It's affecting approx. 5% of those pensioners, not all of them.

There is in the UK - the Co-operative Bank. I doubt there is in the US, quite frankly. Roswell, I think some individual investors (pension plans) got their fingers burned too.

Unless the fog outside is getting to my brain, I think it works out to about £1K per pensioner. It's good they won't have to pay it back but I think, from April, their pensions will be reduced to what they should have been. I reckon the private company administering the scheme should pay the difference.

Or nurses who know how to administer lethal jabs

:smt039 I make a good cuppa! Do I qualify to join your club? (you know I do )

However, it does seem that we're going to be hit by a double whammy of Norovirus and Flu. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7783099.stm I'm glad I don't work in a large office

Every day, I wake up thankful that I invest with an ethical bank instead of with a get rich quick merchant But I feel very sorry for 'small' investors who have lost houses and pensions because of this awful scam.

Until a couple of years ago, the over 60s could travel free in their District Council area only. Now, they can travel free all over the country (but only at off-peak times, I think). The Councils have received government funding for this.