the country's only news agency specialising in disability issues
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) staff are making thousands of potentially fatal errors, particularly on disabled people’s universal credit claims, three years after new “quality assurance” checks were introduced Reports obtained by Disability News Service (DNS) analyse whether DWP staff […]
The failure of Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) civil servants to return calls from disabled benefit claimants became a “consistent feature” of some of the most “tragic” cases examined by the department’s safeguarding leads, a secret report has revealed. The […]
A senior figure in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) loudly “joked” about disability equality and reasonable adjustments as he waited to give evidence to a committee of MPs, Disability News Service can reveal. The incident has raised fresh concerns […]
One of the Labour government’s key disability employment programmes could prove to be a “positive” step forward, but its implementation has been “more challenging than expected”, a committee of MPs has concluded. Connect to Work was launched in October 2024, and […]
The government’s review of personal independence payment (PIP) could lead to cuts in spending when it produces its final report later this year, work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden has told MPs. Some politicians and journalists – although not Disability News […]
Labour ministers have refused to release a “briefing pack” which would reveal the thoughts of civil servants on repeated calls for an inquiry into hundreds, and probably thousands, of benefit-related deaths. Disabled activists, families of deceased claimants and MPs have been […]
The proportion of disabled people who are successful in their claim for the main disability benefit has plunged by nearly a quarter since Labour came to power two years ago, new figures have revealed. The figures, released by the Department for […]
The Conservatives will use a new review of disability benefits to justify cuts to spending on social security of even more than the £23 billion a year they have already announced, their work and pensions spokesperson announced this week. In a […]
The government’s Access to Work scheme is plagued by multiple failings, including lengthy delays – which risk disabled people losing their jobs – poor communication, and an inaccessible process, a committee of MPs has concluded. The Commons public accounts committee found […]
Kemi Badenoch and her Conservative party are being investigated by the statistics watchdog for repeatedly making misleading statements about social security spending, while they are also facing a possible examination into a second set of false claims. Members of the shadow […]