VULNERABLE SCOTS AT RISK IN DWP SHAMBLES
Snarl-ups could leave people in poverty for up to a year, warns MSP
VULNERABLE Scots are facing waits of up to a year for vital benefits because of a backlog in processing claims, says a leading MSP.
Bob Doris, convener of Holyrood’s social security committee, has seen reports of crucial paperwork going missing even after it has been filled in for the claimant by advisers and sent through official pre-addressed envelopes.
The SNP MSP says the shambles at the Department for Work and Pensions risks plunging Scots into poverty. He has written to Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd demanding urgent action after being alerted by Citizens Advice.
Clients of Glasgow North West Citizens Advice were told their forms were not received by the DWP – weeks after they were sent by an adviser in the DWP’s pre-addressed envelope.
In three cases, the DWP “found the form” and said it “had just arrived” after repeated phone calls from the claimant. Timescales in cases ranged from two-and-a-half weeks to three months, depending on how often claimaints chased the DWP.
Doris told Rudd: “People can be waiting over 26 weeks for new claims and a mandatory reconsideration, then up to six months for appeal.
“Essentially vulnerable constituents are often left waiting a year for money they are entitled to, and have to battle a work backlog, an imperfect assessment process and the risk of forms going missing.”
He wants an urgent review of staffing, targets and performance at the DWP mail processing centre in Wolverhampton.
Rob Gallagher, chief executive of Glasgow North West Citizens Advice, endorsed Doris’s letter. He said some clients were “spending six to 12 months in financial hardship as a result of systematic delays at the DWP”.
Campaigners, experts and opposition politicians have slammed Tory welfare changes. The introduction of Universal Credit has led to particular hardship.
Doris told the Record: “This backlog has a real human impact, and the Tories are guilty of indifference and incompetence.
“It’s deeply troubling that they either don’t know or don’t care about the human impact of their system.”
The DWP said they had hired extra staff to speed up decisions, and “the vast majority” of claimants were satisfied with their service.