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As a disabled activist who has fought to hold the government accountable, I’m used to being brushed off, but the latest announcement from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) feels like its cruellest trick yet.
The work and pensions secretary, Therese Coffey, has said she will not publish five official reports into how the department handles helping the vulnerable, or how many people have died as a result of being denied disability benefits.
The publication of these reports was promised by Coffey’s predecessors, following claims that thousands of disabled people had died since the Conservatives came into power in 2010. The true number still isn’t known, but it was found that over 17,000 people died between 2013 and 2019 whilst waiting for decisions to be made over their benefit claims. In 2020, we learned that 5,000 disabled people died still waiting to be reimbursed by the government to the tune of £16m in underpaid benefits.
But the underpayments scandal isn’t even one of the five reports that the secretary is hushing up, which makes me wonder exactly how damning this research might be.
In an open letter to Sir Stephen Timms, chair of the work and pensions committee, Coffey set out why she wouldn’t be publishing the five reports promised, and a subsequent further two. One of the main areas of research was an evaluation into the lowered benefit cap, which was supposed to be published in 2019. The cap hasn’t changed since 2016, despite the rise in inflation, and now means that more 12,000 families will miss out on help during the cost of living crisis.
Instead of plans to raise the cap in line with inflation to help those affected by the pandemic, Coffey suggests the review “would be best done when the significant social and economic impacts of the global pandemic are not affecting volatility”.
Another report the department won’t be publishing is into the impact of benefit sanctions on those who claim universal credit. Coffey confirmed that she would not be publishing the report, and opined that sanctions “act as a deterrent” to those who don’t seek work. This is despite research presented to the commons work and pensions committee inquiry that found sanctions to be “routinely ineffective in facilitating people’s entry into, or progression within, the paid labour market over time”.
The next was the internal report into the deaths of benefits claimants. Following calls from families of the deceased, disabled activists, other MPs and the press, the department has started over 140 internal process reviews into the deaths of claimants who died whilst waiting for a decision or after being denied benefits, just a drop in the ocean of the actual figure which we may never know.
As someone who has campaigned for the lives of disabled people through the pandemic and under Tory austerity, it is absolutely galling that they can so callously dismiss our calls to know the scale of the loss to our community.
Coffey also said she was not committed to publishing reports on online accessibility, unpaid carers or the effectiveness of work capability assessments for those on universal credit. It feels as if these crucial areas of research are being brushed under the carpet by the Tories, because the reality of the benefits system is not part of their lives.
In response to a question on what the department is doing to ensure the safety of vulnerable claimants came perhaps the most chilling reply I have ever read: “We do not have a statutory duty of safeguarding, though of course we do care about our claimants.”
Just how many disabled people have lost their lives while waiting for benefits decisions or after being sanctioned or underpaid? How many more will die because this government simply doesn’t care? We deserve to know the full scale of the DWP’s cruelty towards disabled people. Only when there is accountability can there be change.
Rachel Charlton-Dailey the Independent – Yesterday 15:23
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What it needs is someone in that department to leak these reports. I can’t see it happening, but sure wise it did. Just maybe one of the 91 thousand civil servants about to be dumped might go out with an atomic bang.
We can only dream
Joss
Current car: Peugeot 308 GT Premium 1.2 Pure tech Petrol.
Coming soon...BMW X2 sDrive 20i M Sport 5dr Step Auto In November 2025Lets hope someone will @joss
My first thoughts were so much for the FOI act.
There never is accountability as then the next person comes along and replaces those before and all is forgotten about and onto the next crisis.
How much money is lost in these huge contracts to slim the bill down and it always ends up costing more as a few cheat the system all must suffer. labour are not any better imo they’re all crooks but we’re regarded as the crooks, for having a disability.
There never is accountability as then the next person comes along and replaces those before and all is forgotten about and onto the next crisis. How much money is lost in these huge contracts to slim the bill down and it always ends up costing more as a few cheat the system all must suffer. labour are not any better imo they’re all crooks but we’re regarded as the crooks, for having a disability.
I have too agree with you Rox, I can still remember when Labour were last in power, they were actually worse than the Tories, however there is worse to come if that Liz Trust becomes the prime minister she hats the working classes, I would imagine how she will treat the disabled.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
however there is worse to come if that Liz Trust becomes the prime minister she hats the working classes, I would imagine how she will treat the disabled.
Agreewith you oscamax. I can feel a headache coming on when she becomes PM. With a bit of luck they will be out of power come the next GE. The pronlem is politics are in such a mess there is no suitable party to replace them.
It never gets better only worse when the next one comes along. Then they pull it back a tiny little bit and we all feel blessed. Same now with the cost of living crisis. You meen the result of lockdowns crisis. The new normal. We’re conditioned to easily, what’s you favourite? personally I don’t do favourites as it restrict’s choice.
Yeah and they saw to it that there’s no other realisticalternative. As they control the choices, like no proportional representation was on offer but as is or alternative vote, when we was asked to reform the voting system, but yet it is in scotland as that makes them have less overall power and everything they do is to keep ulitmate control of us the people and the illusion we have a say in politics.
We are all slaves to the system and that system is slowly being replaced, as any system only lasts for so long.
Agree with you comment @rox
Cost of Living crisis ? It’s not a crisis, people in Ukraine are going through a crisis, not us !!! There is a huge sense of entitlement in this country which is sickening
a crisis can mean many things like a time of intense difficulty or danger, which kind of sums up the crisis we are going through and the crisis Ukraine have.
I wonder how many people who moan about the price of vegetables have the latest I Phone, a 65″ smart TV and still spend huge amounts on booze and fags ?
I see two sides to this, The person who purchased the latest TV and phone within the last 12 months or more and then fell on hard times. Then another person who had these wo could not afford to have them in the first place and then complains abut rising food costs.
We collectively as a country need to wise up and stop expecting the Government to bale us out all the time. Oh and by the way, the Government doesn’t have any money, the only money there is is that collected from people who work and companies that make a profit !!!
I agree to some extent, but without help some of the poorer/older/disabled of society would either freeze, starve or become homeless. Partly due to benifits for those who need them (not the lay abouts) not rising with inflation, leaving no other choice but a government bale out. The energy price alone is going to hit those of middle earners and below let alone those who cannot work or pensioners.
I partly blame the government and the BoE for getting us in the mess we are in and I’m not alne saying that.
Well Row, you seem as distant as the Tories on the very real crisis there is in this country re the cost of living. Many people are not going to be able to heat their homes, pay all their bills, or have regular meals because of the political decisions being made over the last horrific 12 years. If that’s not a crisis for them, I don’t know what is. Glad you’re ok though, you’re obviously not affected by all this. And the only person to compare to the war in Ukraine is you.
we really need transparency about what the government is doing re benefits, as they are increasingly a lifeline to many people.
You really have no idea….nearly every country is experiencing inflation, rising prices and energy shortages, not just the UK. But, according to you, it’s all just down to our government !? Typical blinkered politics. And I did bring up Ukrainë to show what a real “crisis” is !!!
I said its partly down to the government and BoE. I also agreed with you that the war in Ukraine also adds alot to the problem! I also mebtioned Europe’s energy crisis and yes there are other countries goung through the same.
No one is denying Ukraine is in the shit and a mega crisis, but I tried to point out the definition of crisis and we a lot of countries are going through an economic crisis. Is it is bad as Ukraine maybe not but its still a crisis in its own right.
Don’t take thing too much to heart “Maybe” was a figure of speach lol.
I think its best we agree to disagree on this topic 🙂
@Row @Kezo @Ianto The Topic of this post is :- Voices: We deserve to know what the DWP is hiding about benefits Let’s keep it on topic please. Any further post about War in any country will be deleted. Thank you.
Joss
Current car: Peugeot 308 GT Premium 1.2 Pure tech Petrol.
Coming soon...BMW X2 sDrive 20i M Sport 5dr Step Auto In November 2025@Row @Kezo @Ianto The Topic of this post is :- Voices: We deserve to know what the DWP is hiding about benefits Let’s keep it on topic please. Any further post about War in any country will be deleted. Thank you.
@Joss close the thread to any comments and delete those already posted is the best thing mate 🙂Or just delete it!
As I said to you yesterday “I’m loosing the will”
A very interesting thread. I believe we are going to see a period of adjustment globally. Unfortunately too much power, influence and money is in the hands of too few.
A very interesting thread. I believe we are going to see a period of adjustment globally. Unfortunately too much power, influence and money is in the hands of too few.
It would of been mate, if it wasn’t spoilt 🙂
All sorted now. Apologies as I should of jumped on this sooner guys.
Joss
Current car: Peugeot 308 GT Premium 1.2 Pure tech Petrol.
Coming soon...BMW X2 sDrive 20i M Sport 5dr Step Auto In November 2025All sorted now. Apologies as I should of jumped on this sooner guys.
Joss posts #194547, #194820, #195023 (didn’t think it was right to call me out when told you to delete yesterday and I shut x down politely this afternoon ? ) #195026.
And of course this one.
We may then beable to keep the thread on topic. Failing that delete it.
Thanks joss 🙂
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