dwpexamination forum now available at http://dwpexaminations.blacktrianglecampaign.org/phpBB3/
I read this with interest on AOL today, sheds some light on our position doesnt it?
Benefits overpayments resulting from civil service mistakes have doubled in the past decade, according to a report by MPs.
“Official error” was responsible for £800 million being paid out wrongly in 2008/9 – up from £400 million in 2000/1.
The Work and Pensions Select Committee said the figure was “far too high”.
It criticised the Department of Work and Pensions’ attitude to scrutiny of the figures and called on it to explain why there had been an increase. Underpayments due to official error have also gone up, from £400 million in 2004/5 to £500 million in 2008/9.
The committee said the increases had been “masked” by overall statistics showing overpayments for “fraud and error” had fallen from 3.2% of benefits in 2000/1 to 2.2% last year.
The committee’s chairman, Labour MP Terry Rooney, said: “Poor decision making not only costs the Department in wasted overpayments, and costs claimants in underpayments, but also generates more costs further down the line in reconsiderations and appeals.
“An increased focus on the quality of decision making to match the Department’s successful focus on fraud could have a very significant effect in reducing the cost to the Tribunals Service of hearings on benefit appeals.”
The committee also said it was “unacceptable” that the department’s last publication on the benefits decision-making process had been in 2006 and only covered 2002/3. It cited a ministerial promise in 1998 to publish a report “annually or as near to each year as possible”.
Judge Robert Martin, a former president of the benefit appeal tribunals process, told the committee his own annual reports had been effectively ignored by the Government. The committee restated a previous demand for the Government to set up a welfare commission to study the benefits system and come up with ideas for a “fair but simpler system”.
Mr Rooney added: “We are particularly concerned that the Department doesn’t appear to take scrutiny of the decision making and appeals system seriously enough. If it is to improve on its performance in respect of official error, it must listen and respond to criticism.”
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Well nobodys leaving a comment, so i’ll leave one.
The reason the government is not taking Judge Robert Martin’s, ( a former member of the benefit appeal tribunals process ) annual reports seriously, and not listening, responding to critisism etc, is simple.
The whole thing is systematic and pre-planned, the Government have an agenda, and their going to carry out that agenda, even breaking their own laws and regulations, nothing…no Mr roberts, no welfare rights officers, no citizens advice officers, no lawyers et al, no amount of e-mails and letters to spineless M.P.s…No we recommend type advice from disibility groups, are going to get in the way of that agenda.
So lets stop being naive, and lets get switched on, before it’s too late.
Look at the NEW YORK welfare reforms from a few years ago, It’s absolutley horrific, as iv’e said before, and i keep saying it, this is the model/blueprint that this Government, and the next, is going to follow, you can read and absorb everything in less than an hour, frankly i dont hold out much hope for this country, at least 60 to 70 percent of our so called citizens ( WE ARE ACTUALLY SUBJECTS ) are as thick as two short planks, sorry i dont mean to appear to the reader as churlish, But anybody reading this with enough brain cells to rub together, and cares enough to want to know whats going to happen here in the UK in the not to distant future, will do well to read it up.
Because in a coule of years, if you lose your job, or fall ill, or just plain down on your luck, and your lying in some alley somewhere, at least you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing the reason why.
Take care all from DAVID.
Comment by David — April 15, 2010 @ 11:36 am
I noticed the amount of fundong available to advice organisations is shrinking and many advice centres have had to close, this coupled with the requirements placed upon such organisations adds further pressure to them as they have to be selective as to who they can and can not help. It has become a post code lottery and proves the Government is continuing to make it as difficult as possible for the average person to get help. On the other hand, if you are a bent politician who has illegaly claimed expenses from the public purse you can get legal aid, even though you earn in excess of 65k a year, The mind boggles……The next time you are down at your local advice centre and they say “I just have to check if you qualify for legal aid before I can advise you” just quote this example to them.
Comment by dwpexamination — April 16, 2010 @ 7:36 am
Right on dee dubya…But quoting that example to them will go in one ear and out the other, because the whole thing is a scam and they all know it, up here in Glasgow, you dont see a welfare rights officer until fifteen minutes before you face the tribunal panel, and it’s always a different officer, so you have to get to an understanding with this person within fifteen minutes to discuss your discriptors, the good news is the WRO’s up here are quick on the uptake, have had a look at your appeal, and ready to go immediately.
So knowing this in advance, iv’e got all my discriptors im challenging all ready, so can get to the point and save time, if the worst comes to the worst i believe i could defend myself, because of the experience iv’e picked up in the past, but there is one danger when your alone, that is, your extremely vulnerable, with no safety cushion WRO witness if things take a turn for the worse.
Incidentally, one of the descriptors the ATOS bozo can try and catch me out on, is the bending to touch the knees test, he clearly saw me bend my knees to touch my knees, but i suspect will say on the report, customer bent his back ( BOTTOM DOLLAR ) to touch knees without problems.
Nope can’t do that if he wants to follow the rules thats written in the commisioners case law.
Which was quaoted by Commisioner WILLIAMS… CIB/15262/1996 He clearly says “The test is bending to touch the knees ” not bend the knees to touch them.
That’s 15 points on the spot, because thats the points you get if you cant bend your back to touch your knees.
But he doesn’t want to follow the rules, only the rules that suit him/them, and thats just one reason why its a scam and a mockery.
CHEERS FROM DAVID.
Comment by David — April 16, 2010 @ 12:41 pm
£800 million? that is a fraction of what the thieving scum that call themselves MPS have falsely claimed.
Comment by Dean — May 1, 2010 @ 2:26 pm
Yes, but M.P.’s arent prosecuted?
Comment by dwpexamination — May 2, 2010 @ 7:30 am
And dont forget the one and a half billion that wasn’t legally claimed by the elligable public, either through pride, ignorance, or deliberate misleading advice from the DWP.
Comment by David — May 2, 2010 @ 10:03 am
Right on David, there are many, many people who read horror stories like those published here and dont bother at all. I suppose thats a side effect the Government probably knew about from the beginning and have relied upon it for years. I certainly know of at least one person who has not bothered to claim sickness benefits urely because of the fact that within 13 weeks they would be up before the cardboard cut outs for interogation.
Comment by dwpexamination — May 3, 2010 @ 7:38 am
Yes and know some myself, one guy with mental problems, didn’t even bother going for the ATOS test, just signs on for job seekers.
I asked him why ? and his reply was…Ah its just to much hassle, if they cut my money al just turn to crime, and the sad thing about that is…He wasn’t joking..!! He is going to target rich folks houses he says, their the ones that are giving it out, and their the ones who are going to pay, prison doesn’t seem to faze him…JEEEEZ am glad im not rich.
Comment by David — May 6, 2010 @ 1:29 pm
Have a look at the new forum Franka, It’s illegal to deduct money for overpayment, if the fault lies with the DWP, due to the CPAG court case last year..!!
Comment by David — June 26, 2010 @ 2:45 pm
we have just been through the worst three years of our lives with overpayments that were the DWP’s fault, The overpayments were made to us because they said we didn’t inform them of any and all changes…cut a very long story short…we did inform them of everything and after three appeals the upper tribunal in London said the DWP and tribunal judges erred on no less than eight points! One day – soon – I hope I will tell my story, at the moment the hurt runs too deep, Ghandi was right when he said “A nation’s greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members.” YEAH RIGHT!!!
I am genuinely-disabled and I wouldn’t wish what we’ve been through on my worst enemy.
my advice is
KEEP APPEALING…BELIEVE ME WHEN I SAY, ALL THE APPEALS HAVE MADE COST 10 TIMES MORE THAN THE SUM I WAS PURPORTED TO OWE
Comment by victedy — July 21, 2011 @ 5:15 pm
Hello Victedy.
You are 100% correct and we are urging everyone to appeal, the decision makers and their pals at ATOS are nothing but liars and criminals, they even phone each other up to swap lies and are on first name terms with each other, we are fighting these bastards here at http://dwpexaminations.blacktrianglecampaign.org/index.php sign in and support us to combat this corruption.
Comment by dwpexamination — July 21, 2011 @ 6:05 pm
it amazes me they go on about overpayments and yet you go into benefits offices and ask what your entitled to and the first thing said we are not allowed to tell you what are entitled to i have had this first hand so to a point they are frauduently withholding information to stop you getting your benefits now where has all that money gone there is never much said about the vast amounts of unclaimed benefits because they refuse to tell you
Comment by head56 — April 10, 2012 @ 8:17 am