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'Unhealthy' drink culture among MPs - Alcohol Concern A quarter of MPs believe there is an "unhealthy" culture of drinking in Parliament, a survey has suggested. Of the 150 MPs who responded to a poll for Alcohol Concern, 26% thought their colleagues drank too much. It also suggested that £1.33m was spent in the nine bars at the House of Commons in the year to March 2011. A spokesman for the Commons said action had been taken in 2012 to do more to promote responsible drinking, including fewer top-ups and more soft drinks. Alcohol Concern's survey suggested that 31% of Labour MPs, 20% of Conservatives and 19% of Liberal Democrats thought their colleagues drank too much and the charity called for a change in drinking habits among politicians at Westminster. 'Lead by example' Chief executive Eric Appleby said: "If a quarter of employees reported an unhealthy drinking culture in any other organisation it would provoke immediate action by bosses. "Surely it's time for Parliament to rethink its drinking culture and lead by example." Earlier this year Falkirk MP Eric Joyce was banned from buying alcohol in Parliament following his arrest over an alleged drunken brawl in a Commons bar. “Start Quote The House of Commons Commission takes its responsibility for the welfare of those who work on the Commons estate very seriously” End Quote Commons spokesman Joyce was convicted of assault in a parliamentary bar last year, and later resigned from the Labour Party but police have said he will face no charges following his arrest in March 2013. In 2011, Conservative MP Sarah Wollaston said many of her colleagues "drink heavily" and called for a change in the drinking culture at Westminster. A spokesman for the Commons said it took its responsibility for the welfare of staff "very seriously" and its ruling House of Commons Commission had agreed a range of actions to tackle the issue in April 2012. He said those included providing a wider range of non-alcoholic drinks and lower strength beers, more training and support for staff who refused to serve customers "when necessary" and fewer top-ups at receptions and events where alcohol was served. The Commons has also been promoting its support services for those with drink issues. ComRes surveyed 150 MPs online or by a paper survey between 18 February and 15 March 2013.

IRS Workers Get Caught With Their Hands in Cookie Jar Dennis Brack | Bloomberg | Getty Images Twenty-four current and former Internal Revenue Service employees have been charged with stealing government benefits, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. The IRS employees were indicted on charges that they illegally received more than $250,000 in benefits, including unemployment insurance payments, food stamps, welfare, and housing vouchers, the U.S. attorney's office in Memphis said in a news release. Prosecutors say 13 of the IRS employees face federal charges of lying about being unemployed while applying for or recertifying their government benefits. They each face up to five years in prison if convicted of making false statements to receive the benefits. Eleven others face state charges of theft of property over $1,000, a felony that can carry a sentence of probation up to 12 years in prison if they are convicted. "While these IRS employees were supposed to be serving the public, they were instead brazenly stealing from law-abiding American taxpayers," U.S. Attorney Edward Stanton said in a statement. Those charged range in ages from 28 to 64. They include residents of Memphis, Jackson, Tenn., and Southaven, Miss. "The taxes that we pay are supposed to support our nation and assist individuals in need, not freeloaders who are gaming the system," said Amy Weirich, the district attorney for Shelby County. Prosecutors scheduled, then canceled, a news conference to announce the indictments. U.S. attorney's office spokesman Rodney King said the cancellation was due to "unforeseen events," without elaborating. King would not say whether the cancellation was related to the investigation into two letters sent to President Barack Obama and a Mississippi senator that indicated they contained poisonous ricin.