IDS loses legal challenge to keep Universal Credit problems secret

Last Updated: March 18, 2016By

Iain Duncan Smith has lost his latest attempt to keep potentially damning Universal Credit documents secret.

There is a good chance the reports will reveal his department were misleading the public about the progress of the programme.

In November 2011 the DWP issued a press release announcing that over one million people would be claiming universal credit by April 2014, with 12 million claimants moving onto the new benefit by 2017.The following year, the DWP’s Annual Report and Accounts showed that the programme had progressed well. Then in September of that year, the BBC carried a story on concerns raised by the Local Government Association about the implementation of Universal Credit and in particular about the IT system. A spokesperson for the DWP responded at the time by saying: “Universal Credit is on track and on budget. To suggest anything else is incorrect.”

This information is highlighted by Judge Ryan in his final decision, and for good reason. We know now, of course, that the statements coming out of the DWP back then told quite a different story to what actually happened with the programme. Their own figures show that at the last count just little more than 200,000 people are now on the new benefit and recent estimates suggest it’s unlikely to be fully implemented until 2021, some four years later than first planned.

So perhaps it’s not surprising that IDS is desperate to keep the papers out of the public domain. His legal argument is that publication of the documents would have a “chilling effect” on the working of the department. This term may sound like some sort of threat to national security but it’s actually a fairly standard defence against disclosure. Witnesses for the DWP argued that if staff knew that everything they wrote internally was likely to be made public they would be less candid and forthcoming in their opinions. The department also claimed that publication of the documents could allow a hostile press to pick and choose sections of the information to cause the most damage to the department, without providing a full picture.

The Tribunal didn’t agree… The information … could have led to the public having a much a clearer idea of the problems around Universal Credit, long before the DWP finally made them public.

Whether they decide to appeal again remains to be seen. One thing is for certain though, the more IDS fights publication, the more it looks as if he has something to hide.

Source: IDS loses legal challenge to keep Universal Credit problems secret

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9 Comments

  1. John Thurman March 18, 2016 at 12:08 am - Reply

    do you honestly think this will go anywhere

  2. Phil Lee March 18, 2016 at 2:43 am - Reply

    He needs to be be made personally liable for the cost of this fiasco of an appeal against the inevitable, and thrown out for his contempt of parliament – clearly demonstrated by all the outright lies he has told both in the house and outside it.

  3. A John Coles March 18, 2016 at 8:05 am - Reply

    The man has a sickness where he enjoys the pain & sickness of others. Then shamelessly hides the details

  4. Terry Davies March 18, 2016 at 8:32 am - Reply

    I question the legality of the claim process.
    Does a claims procedure obliging all applicants to use online claims against their wishes transgress against an applicant’s human rights?
    Think if you were obliged to have a bank account, or direct debit to pay your bills. is your choice not to meet these obligations wrong?

  5. iwgmoncrieff March 18, 2016 at 11:24 am - Reply

    Like Captain Ahab, IDS is a monomaniac. Very quick in going to law (at taxpayers’ expense). Not so quick in obeying the law. Classic.

  6. John March 18, 2016 at 11:48 am - Reply

    Ok, so whose gonna guess that he just ignores the ruling, and refuses to release the information then ?

  7. Brian March 18, 2016 at 2:57 pm - Reply

    Classic, He may be able to run, but he can’t hide.

    • Gavin Proctor March 18, 2016 at 10:20 pm - Reply

      http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-35848687
      He certainly can run, away from his troubles under the pretence of caring about disabled people he has happily tortured, the absolute scoundrel. Nice way to skip out and give the finger to Osbo and chums on the way whilst hiding his own shame.

  8. philipburdekin March 19, 2016 at 3:37 am - Reply

    He like the rest of the Teflon Tories are nothing but evil.

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