A “PERVASIVE lack of trust” among disabled people in the method of assessing their welfare claims risks undermining the operation of the UK Government’s flagship benefits, MPs have warned.
Since 2013, 290,000 rejected claims for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) have been granted on appeal – a total of six per cent of all those assessed.
The Department for Work and Pensions has spent “hundreds of millions of pounds” of taxpayers’ money over that period checking and defending decisions made on the basis of reports by private contractors, said a report by a cross-party committee.
READ MORE: People are very angry about the DWP’s Valentine’s Day tweet
The House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee said there was evidence that the companies carrying out assessments – Atos, Capita and Maximus – have produced reports “riddled with errors and omissions”.
Noting that quality targets set for them had been “universally missed”, the committee said ministers should consider taking the process back in-house when contracts come up for renewal in 2019 and 2020.
Committee chairman Frank Field said shortcomings in the system were causing “untenable human costs to claimants and financial costs to the public purse”.
The committee received an “unprecedented” number of responses from PIP and ESA claimants, with almost 4000 detailing “shocking and moving, credible and consistent” accounts of the failings of the system. Assessors were viewed as “at best lacking in competence and at worst actively deceitful”.
A DWP spokesman said: “Assessments work for the majority of people, with 83 per cent of ESA claimants and 76 per cent of PIP claimants telling us that they’re happy with their overall experience.
“However, our aim has to be that every person feels they are treated fairly, with respect and dignity.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel