NO CONFIDENCE IN SYSTEM
● THE firms Atos and Capita have earned over £500m of taxpayer cash running a hated Tory scheme to assess people for disability benefits.
The DWP say Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is designed to help disabled people live independently, replacing Disability Living Allowance (DLA).
The assessment process causes huge distress.
In March, a report by the powerful Public Accounts Committee warned that the system could present ‘a real risk to value for money’ and questioned why the cost of assessments had risen.
Labour’s shadow welfare minister Alex Cunningham said: “Instead of holding their contractors to account for incorrect assessments... Government are paying them even more taxpayers’ money.”
One could suspect that these companies are driven by a profit motive.
Get the assessment done rather than done properly.
Thousands of their expensive decisions are being overturned on appeal.
61% of 90,000 claimants who appealed a PIP decision won their case.
The system has been accused of leaving thousands of sick and disabled people high and dry.
A Capita spokesman said: “Capita carries out PIP assessments according to Department For Work And Pensions (DWP) guidelines and professional codes of conduct.”
These profiteers are following Tory codes of conduct when dealing with vulnerable people which does not fill me with confidence.