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The government is facing criticism over its decision to nominate the “architect” of universal credit to be the next chair of its independent committee of advisers on social security. Dr Stephen Brien wrote Dynamic Benefits (PDF), the report that became the […]
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 […]
Ministers are pushing ahead with controversial plans to merge two disability benefit assessments into one, despite concerns raised by disabled campaigners. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) wants to offer a single face-to-face assessment – with the agreement of the […]
An MP has suggested the government was “not telling us the truth” when it promised last year to allow all disabled people to record their personal independence payment (PIP) face-to-face assessments. The claim came in a week in which the Department […]
A minister has failed to apologise after he was caught misleading an influential committee of MPs about the impact of his government’s cuts on disabled people. Justin Tomlinson, a former minister for disabled people, was being questioned by the Commons work […]
A minister has suggested that the government would be doing a “great disservice” to disabled people if it stopped sanctioning their out-of-work benefits. The comment by Alok Sharma, the employment minister, came in correspondence with the Commons work and pensions committee […]
The minister for disabled people has denied lying to an influential committee of MPs about the government’s much-criticised disability employment scheme. Sarah Newton’s claims about Disability Confident were exposed yesterday (Wednesday) just as her boss, work and pensions secretary Esther McVey, […]
Representatives of disability charities have given evidence to MPs about the impact of government social security reforms on disabled people, without disclosing that they signed contracts preventing them from attacking work and pensions secretary Esther McVey. Senior figures from Shaw Trust […]
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 […]
A disabled campaigner has told MPs how she was thrown out of a shelter and forced to sleep in her college library after she was unfairly sanctioned by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Jen Fidai described yesterday (Wednesday)* how […]