A disabled man who was incorrectly found fit for work under the government’s disability benefit assessment is launching a legal action against the government and Atos, the private company performing the tests. Patrick Lynch, a former social care worker who was forced to stop work because of a condition affecting his brain, is seeking a judicial review [Read more...]
Disabled man takes government to court over benefit test
December 14, 2012 By 1 Comment
Welfare reform: universal credit could be an acid test for the government
November 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment
This Saturday marks the 70th anniversary of the Beveridge report, credited with laying the foundations of the modern welfare state, including a social insurance system to provide support in sickness and old age, and during periods 0f unemployment. [Read more...]
Liam Byrne on benefit cap and disability payments
November 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The shadow work and pensions secretary said there should be a cap on benefits, but at a higher rate in London. Liam Byrne said welfare needed to be reduced, but that should be achieved by getting people into work, as he spoke to Andrew Neil for the Sunday Interview. They also spoke about the Rotherham case of children removed from a UKIP-supporting family And they looked at tests for disability payments where Mr Byrne claimed that government contractor Atos was “making a dog’s breakfast” of its work. [Read more...]
Work capability assessment reform too slow, says independent review
November 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Too many people still find the process of undergoing eligibility assessments for sickness benefit “more challenging than it should be”, the government has acknowledged, responding to an independent review of the system that calls for improvements to be implemented more swiftly. [Read more...]
Work test centres ‘lack disabled access’
November 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The firm carrying out fitness-for-work assessments for the government lacks disabled access at a quarter of its premises, MPs have heard. Employment minister Mark Hoban said 31 of 123 centres used by Atos lacked ground-floor access for wheelchairs. [Read more...]
Atos misled the government in securing its disability assessment contract
November 5, 2012 By 1 Comment
We at Disability Cornwall were horrified to hear that Atos used our name on their tendering documents. We were never asked.
We at Disability Cornwall are pleased the Labour party has called for an investigation into how Atos were awarded the government contract to perform disability assessments. [Read more...]
Investigate ‘misleading’ Atos bid for disability tests contract, urges Labour
November 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Claims that the private IT firm Atos made misleading statements about proposed co-operation with disability groups to help secure a £400m contract to perform disability assessments must be immediately investigated, Labour and several disability charities have demanded. [Read more...]
