OUR story of a wheelchair user being sent for an assessment of their disability at a centre that was up a flight of stairs is a fitting metaphor for the dysfunctionality of the Department for Work and Pensions.
This is a Government department who put ideology ahead of evidence. We have seen that with sanctions, we have seen it with the so-called rape clause and we see it writ large with the tale of the assessment centre in Glasgow’s Cadogan Street.
The problem with putting ideology ahead of evidence is that you end up with chaos and incompetence rather than practicality.
There can be few people who have had dealings with the DWP who do not think that.
Signing on if you become unemployed, that function of the DWP which should be one of the simplest, is a bureaucratic nightmare. Those who find themselves trapped in the system find it unhelpful, time-consuming and practically useless.
But that is nothing compared to those having to be assessed to see exactly how disabled they are. So bad is the system that successful appeals are commonplace.
But again, this is about ideology.
The Government believe that cutting the benefits of disabled people will make them more likely to find a job. A House of Lords review found the opposite to be true.
The Citizens’ Advice Bureau and numerous disability charities say they are swamped with disabled people worried about applying for Personal Independence Payments.
Those applying are worried about eligibility, worried about what form the assessment will take, and those who have received welfare support in the past are fearful they will lose what benefits they’ve become used to receiving.
The DWP and Maximus should be there to support and help those who need it. Clearly what help is offered, is offered begrudgingly.
The people of Britain deserve better.
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