By Kate Stanforth in WheelAir. Kate Stanforth shares her story, from being an active young girl, to developing a chronic illness and navigating ESA, DWP and public opinion. I’m going to open this by saying that this is the most honest blog I have ever written. It’s on a subject that I know lots […]
Department for Work and Pensions
DWP ‘Performs Partial U-turn’ Over DNS ‘Ban’ After Criticism From Campaigners
By John Pring in Disability News Service. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) appears to have performed a partial U-turn after disabled campaigners reacted angrily to an apparent ban on media requests from Disability News Service (DNS). Last week, DNS reported how DWP’s press office had failed to provide a meaningful response […]
DWP Admits It Has No Idea How Many Of Its Disability Champions Are Disabled People
By John Pring in Disability News Service. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has admitted that it has no idea how many of its 19 “disability champions” are disabled people. The disability sector champions – covering areas such as banking, gaming, arts and culture, media, music and retail – are supposed to drive […]
DWP: 80 Charities File Watchdog Complaint Over ‘Misleading’ Universal Credit Adverts
By Dan Bloom in The Mirror. The Disability Benefits Consortium claims the adverts are “deliberately misleading” and contain “obvious exaggerations”. Charities have reported the government to the advertising watchdog over “deliberately misleading” promotions for Universal Credit. The Disability Benefits Consortium, a coalition of more than 80 disability charities, lodged a formal complaint to the Advertising […]
Coming Soon: The Great Universal Credit Deception
Universal Credit Is An Unmitigated Catastrophe For Ill And Disabled People
Written by Kitty S Jones in Politics and Insights. I co-run an online advice and support group for people going through Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claims, assessments, mandatory reviews and appeals. Recently there has been a spike in people being reassessed for their awards of both kinds of […]
Esther McVey Loses In Court On Universal Credit – But Says She Will Still Fight Others
By Ros Wynne Jones in the Mirror. The long waits for help under UC continue to drive impoverished families below the breadline. In May I wrote about the distressing case of two men – one dying and one disabled – fighting Esther McVey in the high court over cuts to their support due to Universal […]
Watchdog’s ‘Issues Of Concern’ Over Regulator’s Treatment Of PIP Complaints
By John Pring in Disability News Service. A regulator has been told there are “issues of concern” about the way it deals with complaints against health and care professionals, including those who write dishonest benefit assessment reports. The Professional Standards Authority (PSA) agreed in January to look at concerns about the way […]
MPs Raise Concerns With McVey Over ‘Stress And Poverty’ Caused By WRAG Cuts
By John Pring in Disability News Service. Cross-party MPs have raised a series of concerns with work and pensions secretary Esther McVey about the government’s treatment of disabled people on out-of-work benefits. Members of the Commons work and pensions select committee were questioning McVey (pictured) more than a year after her government introduced cuts of nearly […]
Atos And Capita Win PIP Contract Extension ‘Because DWP Is Chained To A Corpse’
From Disabled Go News. The government’s decision to extend the contracts of two discredited companies that carry out disability benefit assessments has been branded “appalling”, “shocking” and “a complete con”. The move has also been criticised by the Scottish government. Sarah Newton, the minister for disabled people, told MPs in a written statement this week that […]
Judges Just Forced The DWP To Review The Benefit Claims Of Countless Disabled People
ESA Sanctions Are Counter-Productive And Dangerous, MPs Are Told
By John Pring in Disability News Service. Imposing benefit sanctions on disabled people is counter-productive, ineffective and “probably too dangerous”, a trio of experts have told MPs. The Commons work and pensions committee also heard that the failure of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to research the impact of its sanctions […]
‘Muddle’ And ‘Confusion’ Over DWP’s 1.6 Million PIP Reviews
From My Disability Matters. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is causing “muddle” and “confusion” by refusing to clarify which disabled people will have their claims re-examined through its mammoth programme of disability benefit reviews. Sarah Newton, the minister for disabled people, announced last week that DWP would review 1.6 million personal independence payment […]
Glasgow MP Carol Monaghan Secures Parliamentary Examination Of Controversial ME Trial
By Martin Williams in The Herald. A key parliamentary debate has been secured by a Glasgow MP over a controversial medical trial which patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) say makes them even more ill. The £5m medical trial part-funded by the Department of Work and Pensions led to a scientific row with it being […]
Government spending on private firms carrying out ‘brutal’ disability benefit assessments soared by £40m in a year
By Samuel Osborne in The Independent. Private firms carrying out controversial disability assessments have received a £40m increase in funding despite widespread concerns with the system, it can be revealed. A freedom of information request by The Independent found the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) paid Independent Assessment Services (formerly known as Atos) and Capita nearly […]
The Staggering Rise In PIP Complaints Shows There’s Rot In The System
By Frances Ryan in The Guardian. What happens when the system designed to help you is actually hurting you? This is the question I keep coming back to as I look at the newly released evidence of widespread failings in the disability benefit system. Complaints about the personal independence payment (PIP) assessment process rose by […]
Advisor Says 30 Local Claimants With Terminal Cancer Had PIP Rejections Overturned
By John Pring in Disability News Service. A welfare rights advisor has described how at least 30 local benefit claimants with terminal cancer have had their claims rejected in the last year, with every one of the decisions later overturned by an appeal tribunal. In every case, the claimant has been terminally-ill […]
Easy Way To Avoid DWP’s 45p-A-Minute Universal Credit Hotline Accused Of Being A ‘Well-Kept Secret’
By Dan Bloom in The Mirror. Iain Duncan Smith has been accused of insulting the poor by making a way round his 45p-a-minute benefits hotline a “well-kept secret”. The Work and Pensions Secretary faced outrage when the Mirror revealed Universal Credit claimants were paying premium fees to access an 0345 hotline. With average […]
New Survey Reveals PIP’s Poor Satisfaction Levels
By John Pring in Disability News Service. Levels of satisfaction among claimants of the government’s new disability benefit are far lower than for other benefits, according to new Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) figures. The survey found that only two-thirds (68 per cent) of personal independence payment (PIP) claimants were satisfied with […]
Disabled People Accused Of Using Aids They Don’t Need
By Frances Ryan in The Guardian. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) knows a good day to bury bad news. Veiled under the New Year holiday – in a consultation set to close next week – the government is quietly examining how to cut eligibility for its disability benefit, personal independence payment (PIP), which […]
Alarm Over Proposals To Scrap GPs’ ‘Fit Note’ Duties
As reported in Disability News Service. Proposals by two groups of English GPs that they and their colleagues should no longer be responsible for providing “fitness to work” certificates for their patients have alarmed disabled activists. GPs from Kent’s local medical committee (LMC) have proposed in a conference motion to fellow doctors that they should […]
‘Ruthless’ DWP ‘Forced Through WCA Despite Knowing Of Harm’
Story by John Pring in Disability News Service. Ministers and civil servants were “ruthless” and “reckless” in forcing through their new “fitness for work” test and refusing to abandon it even after they were told of the harm it was causing, according to a former government adviser. Professor Geoff Shepherd, who was one […]