I previously reported how The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) reported that between June 2013 and July 2018, 7,990 people died within six months of having there Personal Independence Payment claim rejected. Now just under two months later, it has emerged that this number is actually 10,380. That’s 2,390 more than we were told in February. Labour MP Madeline
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In an answer to a written question, The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has revealed that its most recent figures show 53% of Universal Credit claimants had money deducted from their benefit payment. Deductions have long been raised as pushing people into poverty but as of yet, the DWP have no heeded this warning. Chair of the Work and
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Channel 4 have come under fierce criticism after it’s popular program Gogglebox, aired a segment that had been planned in conjunction with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Viewers were shown the show’s participants reacting to a DWP advert on Workplace Pensions but as it was planned can we trust it wasn’t also scripted? Gogglebox is a show on
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An investigation has been opened by the Work and Pensions Committee after charities have warned of a rise in ‘survival sex.’ This is where women feel forced into prostitution due to delays and cuts to their Universal Credit. MPs have now launched an investigation to find out the extent of the problem and to see what can be done to
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On Wednesday, the Chancellor Philip Hammond delivered his spring statement to update us on the state of the UK economy. On benefits, he resisted cross party calls to scrap the benefit freeze early. However, in an Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) report accompanying the statement, it was revealed that Amber Rudd’s recent announcements were not for compassion but due to
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This evening saw the resignation of Minister for Disabled People, Sarah Newton MP. Unlike her colleagues, Newton resigned as she was voting against the wishes of the government. This is known as collective responsibility. Collective responsibility applies to all Ministers in government. It requires that they all vote as agreed at Cabinet. Should they not, they are expected to resign
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An answer to a written question to The Work & Pensions Secretary has revealed that, in 2018, 5,700 Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants attended their health assessment to only be told there was nobody available to assess them. This is more evidence that private companies are unfit to run benefit health assessments. Labour MP for Leeds North West, Alex Sobel,
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Last week, Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd announced that her department was looking into combining the health assessments for certain benefits into one. However, rather than remedy anything,this would then risk sick and disabled claimants losing two benefits at once. Currently, benefit claimants who have a health condition or disability face separate assessments when applying for welfare benefits like
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Yesterday saw MPs debate annual increases, or in some cases a continued freeze, of benefits and the state pension. During a speech by Labour Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Margaret Greenwood MP, a Tory Whip thought it wise to say she doesn’t know the meaning of the word destitution. Yesterdays debate was on the the amount that each benefit will
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A local council in London has called the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) “grotesque and unbelievable” after they discovered claimants are being visited whilst in hospital. One claimant who missed an appointment because on an operation was shocked when a jobcentre adviser arrived at their bedside. It’s no secret that if you’re on Universal Credit you run the risk
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A recent report by the think-tank Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JrF) has found that once the roll-out of Universal Credit is complete, 10.7 million people in “out of work families”, will be worse off. The report does say that 12.9 million in work, will benefit but, why are the most vulnerable taking the hit yet again? The recent report by JrF
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It has emerged that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have already started development of an digital tool that will automatically trawl claimants NHS medical records. Health professionals have raised fears that the doctor patient relationship could be at risk as claimants will be less likely to be completely open about their condition in fear of the DWP using
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Universal Credit has taken another hit today after staff at two Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) call centres voted to strike for 2 days in March. The staff at the Wolverhampton and Walsall centres voted by a whopping 138 to 15, in favour of industrial action. They are demanding an extra 5000 staff to help ease the extreme workloads
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Details have emerged showing that The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has a hostile new policy regarding foodbank referrals. In an email, a Jobcentre Plus (JCP) Manager revealed that no paper referral forms will be given to claimants from now on. Instead, they’ll be sent to other agencies to get help. The shocking new policy was first revealed exclusively
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