Department for Work and Pensions

Benefits and Poverty

August 18, 2016

2

PIP computer system crashes again… twice

Problems with the flawed computer system used to deal with claims for the government’s new disability benefit have left hundreds of callers stuck in lengthy telephone queues. The system used for new personal independence payment (PIP) claims has crashed twice in a fortnight, leaving disabled callers unable to get through to lodge their claims.

Employment

July 21, 2016

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Drop in Access to Work numbers shows DWP ‘is strangling the scheme’

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The government is facing calls for a “fundamental rethink” of its approach to Access to Work (AtW), after new figures showed the number of disabled people receiving support through the employment scheme fell last year. At its peak, in 2009-10, under the last Labour government, AtW was supporting more than 37,000 disabled people a

Benefits and Poverty

June 30, 2016

4

DWP piles WCA demand onto ‘humiliated’ abuse survivor

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A government contractor has told a traumatised abuse survivor he must be reassessed for employment and support allowance (ESA), just a week after a minister faced a call to resign for threatening to stop another of his disability benefits. Justin Tomlinson, the minister for disabled people, caused outrage last week after it emerged that

Benefits and Poverty

A wheelchair-user sits in front of a stage, while the grass is covered by white flowers

May 19, 2016

4

How a single word shows DWP has finally owned up on benefit deaths

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The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has finally admitted that it could be partly responsible for the deaths of some benefit claimants. The admission came – quietly – after its release of heavily-redacted versions of 49 secret “peer reviews” into benefit-related deaths following the loss of a 21-month battle with Disability News Service

Benefits and Poverty

May 5, 2016

3

‘Appallingly bad’ software may cause lost PIP letters, says whistleblower

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Vital letters that tell disabled people they have to transfer to the government’s new disability benefit are being lost in the system, leading to them losing financial support for months on end, according to a whistleblower. Rebecca*, who has asked to remain anonymous, works for Serco, the company paid by the Department for Work

Benefits and Poverty

April 28, 2016

10

DWP ‘is deliberately misleading’ benefit claimants over PIP deadline

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The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is facing claims that it is deliberately misleading benefit claimants into thinking they have no right of appeal if they miss the deadline for applying for the new personal independence payment (PIP). There are also claims that it is failing to make it clear enough to existing

Benefits and Poverty

April 21, 2016

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Revealed: DWP’s secret, ‘financially devastating’ proposals for benefits appeals

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The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has drawn up secret plans for sweeping reforms that would make it far harder for disabled people to appeal against having their benefit claims turned down. The heavily-redacted document was sent to Disability News Service (DNS) by DWP following a freedom of information request, but disabled activists

Benefits and Poverty

April 21, 2016

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Secret DWP proposal to scrap ESA ‘substantial risk’ rules ‘would breach right to life’

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The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has proposed scrapping two benefit regulations that offer vital protection to disabled people facing the controversial “fitness for work” test. In response to a freedom of information request, DWP has sent Disability News Service (DNS) a document titled Appeals Strategy – Post Election Planning, which was drawn

Human Rights

April 7, 2016

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Equality watchdog to mirror UN inquiry into DWP’s rights violations

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The equality watchdog is to commission a major piece of research into whether the government’s welfare reforms have harmed the human rights of disabled people and other minority groups. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) says it wants to examine the impact of changes to the welfare system on independent living and poverty.

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