NO-ONE likes benefit cheats. They are parasites who feed off the endeavours of the vast majority of hard-working taxpayers.

We therefore empathise with attempts by the Government to root out the scroungers and cut Britain's benefits bill which amounts to £12bn, with 80,000 incapacity benefit claimants in the North-East alone.

There are undoubtedly times when sick notes are handed out too easily, and steps to tighten up procedures, such as the introduction of compulsory monthly interviews, are to be encouraged.

However, the idea that specialist job advisors should sit alongside GPs as they carry out consultations with patients is surely a step too far?

The confidentiality which is central to any consultation between a doctor and a patient must be protected. There is more than a hint of Big Brother in the notion of a GP deciding on the appropriate course of action for a patient while an advisor is looking on.

Of course, GPs have a responsibility to take great care in their deliberations before handing out sick notes. They must remember that there are often health benefits in patients returning to work rather than being kept away.

But the professional right of doctors to make independent decisions, in private, cannot be compromised in the search for savings in Britain's benefits bill.

The invasion of privacy and the risk that genuine cases might be jeopardised are simply too great a price to pay.