LATER this afternoon in Parliament there will be a debate on Concentrix and the ongoing tax credits crisis. This will be the second debate in a week on the issue, which continues to dominate the constituency caseload of Members of Parliament from across the country.
But despite the efforts of many MPs and their staff who have worked to secure a fair deal for their individual constituents who have been unfairly penalised, and to cast light on this massive failure of government to properly support families on low incomes in a just and fair manner, we’re still no closer to finding out the facts or achieving a proper settlement to this sorry situation.
Tax credits are a vital financial lifeline for many families who are struggling to get by on low wages. It allows single mothers and fathers the dignity of work by ensuring that their income is enough to pay for rent, food and heat for their homes. Without these payments families have been plunged into immediate poverty, with all the financial, emotional and personal stresses and strains that come with coping with this dreadful situation.
At the same time, families know that their situation was entirely caused by the mistakes of others, and as a direct result of faulty administrative processes and procedures enforced by an overworked workforce in a faceless processing centre at the other side of the country.
This situation is shameful and wrong. It is the central duty of government to stand up for those who need help, not to abandon them. And it’s certainly not in any way acceptable to label families as liars and cheats with no credible evidence to hand.
It’s clearly the case now that, thanks to the hard and tenacious work of my constituency team in Alloa, some of my constituents who had their tax credit payments stopped without warning or just cause in the past few months have now had their payments reinstated. We’ll continue to fight until every one of these families receives every single penny they’re owed.
But over and above reinstating these essential payments, families have been put in further poverty by the flawed processes in place to counter the innacurate claims made by Concentrix and their bosses at HMRC.
Rather than placing the burden of proof around an unreasonable claim on HMRC, they’ve acted to instigate a series of measures which not only mean that victims have to prove their own innocence, but that they have to pay for this themselves.
This double whammy is clearly unwarranted and unjust.
That’s why I hope that today’s debate will give MPs an opportunity not only to press Tory Treasury Ministers on the flawed principles behind this decision, but to agree a range of practical changes to the process for appealing such decisions in future, and for recompensing those who have had to pay for a fair deal out of their own pocket.
There are a number of financial barriers to justice for these victims that HMRC should remove as a matter of urgency.
Firstly, HMRC should immediately provide a free phone line for victims to use. As things stand, if someone wants to ask a question or appeal a decision against them it currently costs up to ten pence a minute to phone the call centre who deals with this issue. Some callers have had to wait for hours on the line before speaking to a member of staff. Over and above this, HMRC should also now act to provide a free call back service for tax credit enquiries.
HMRC should also now fully meet the cost of sending them all the documents they require to carry out an appeal of incorrect decisions, and refund the full cost of collating these documents if the appeal is upheld.
These changes are achievable, deliverable and fair. They should be implemented without delay.
When this is done, we can then move our attention to securing full, fair and proper compensation for victims, some of whom have lost their jobs or homes as a result of this fiasco.
Now these families have begun to pick up the pieces following the mistakes of others, Parliament has a crucial role to hold the government to account for its failures and keep the pressure on Ministers to act.
We can’t let up the pressure now if we’re to secure justice for each and every family who has lost out in this process.
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