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You are here: Home / Archives for Stephen Timms

Stephen Timms

DWP refuses to publish report that found disabled claimants had ‘unmet needs’

By John Pring on 2nd December 2021 Category: Benefits and Poverty

DWP refuses to publish report that found disabled claimants had ‘unmet needs’
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The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) ensured an independent report was watered down after it concluded that claimants of disability benefits had “unmet needs”, a whistleblower has revealed. Disability News Service (DNS) has been told that DWP made it clear […]

Labour MP who holds DWP to account defends government appointment

By John Pring on 9th September 2021 Category: Benefits and Poverty

Labour MP who holds DWP to account defends government appointment
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The Labour chair of the committee tasked with holding the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to account has been accused of “total hypocrisy” after accepting a high-profile appointment from the government. Stephen Timms, who chairs the cross-party Commons work and […]

Coffey dodges questions from MPs over benefit deaths

By John Pring on 23rd July 2020 Category: Benefits and Poverty

Coffey dodges questions from MPs over benefit deaths
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Work and pensions secretary Therese Coffey has been accused of dodging key questions about links between her department and the suicides and other deaths of benefit claimants, during an evidence sessions with MPs. Coffey repeatedly told members of the Commons work […]

DWP secrecy over panel that examines its own fatal errors

By John Pring on 9th July 2020 Category: Benefits and Poverty

DWP secrecy over panel that examines its own fatal errors
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Work and pensions ministers are refusing to release key details of the panel they set up last year to examine deaths linked to the actions of their own department. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) was forced to admit in […]

Influential Labour MP fails four times to put benefit deaths questions to DWP

By John Pring on 2nd July 2020 Category: Benefits and Poverty

Influential Labour MP fails four times to put benefit deaths questions to DWP
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The Labour chair of the Commons committee tasked with holding the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to account is refusing to question its attempts to cover up links between its actions and the deaths of benefit claimants. Disability News Service […]

DWP admits destroying secret reports into benefit-related deaths

By John Pring on 27th February 2020 Category: Benefits and Poverty

DWP admits destroying secret reports into benefit-related deaths
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The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has admitted destroying its own secret reports into suicides and other deaths of benefit claimants. The admission has added to growing calls for an independent inquiry into links between DWP policies and procedures and […]

It’s official: Ministers have abandoned their disability employment gap target

By John Pring on 24th November 2016 Category: Employment

It’s official: Ministers have abandoned their disability employment gap target
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A Labour MP has proved that the government has abandoned a target it set to halve the disability employment gap by 2020. The promise, included in last year’s general election manifesto, said a Conservative government would “aim to halve the disability […]

Ministers change the story – yet again – on benefit-related deaths

By John Pring on 30th January 2015 Category: Benefits and Poverty, Human Rights, News Archive

Ministers change the story – yet again – on benefit-related deaths
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Ministers have admitted releasing yet more inaccurate information about their secret inquiries into the deaths of benefit claimants. Last year, the Department for Work and Pensions stated, in a Freedom of Information Act (FoI) response, that it did not hold any […]

New questions over safety of DWP’s benefit sanction rules

By John Pring on 16th January 2015 Category: Benefits and Poverty, News Archive

New questions over safety of DWP’s benefit sanction rules
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A minister is facing fresh questions over whether her department is failing to take suitable precautions when a “vulnerable” person is about to have their benefits sanctioned. Esther McVey, the Conservative employment minister, caused alarm and confusion in November after she […]

Minister: ‘We don’t warn social workers when vulnerable claimants are sanctioned’

By John Pring on 5th December 2014 Category: Benefits and Poverty, Human Rights, News Archive, Politics

Minister: ‘We don’t warn social workers when vulnerable claimants are sanctioned’
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A minister has admitted that it is not government policy to warn health or social services when “vulnerable” service-users have had their benefits “sanctioned”. The admission by the Conservative employment minister Esther McVey comes just weeks after her department admitted to […]

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On the left of the image are multiple heads of different colours - white, aqua, red, light brown, and dark green - all grouped together, then the words ‘Join our campaign for a decent life for Disabled people. Campaign for Disability Justice’
Image of front cover of The Department, showing a crinkled memo with the words 'Restricted - Policy. The Department. How a Violent Government Bureaucracy Killed Hundreds and Hid the Evidence. John Pring.' Next to the image is a red box with the following words in white: 'A very interesting book... a very important contribution to this whole debate' - Sir Stephen Timms, minister for social security and disability. plutobooks.com and the Pluto Press logo.

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Image of front cover of The Department, showing a crinkled memo with the words 'Restricted - Policy. The Department. How a Violent Government Bureaucracy Killed Hundreds and Hid the Evidence. John Pring.' Next to the image is a red box with the following words in white: 'A very interesting book... a very important contribution to this whole debate' - Sir Stephen Timms, minister for social security and disability. plutobooks.com and the Pluto Press logo.

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The International Standard Serial Number for Disability News Service is: ISSN 2398-8924

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