Do benefit claimant deaths only get newspaper coverage on a slow news day?
![People protest against benefit sanctions on 9 March 2016. The Disability News Service first disclosed the DWP conducted the investigations after an FoI request in 2014 [Image: Vickie Flores/Rex Shutterstock].](https://voxpoliticalonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/160420benefitsanctionprotest.png)
People protest against benefit sanctions on 9 March 2016. The Disability News Service first disclosed the DWP conducted the investigations after an FoI request in 2014 [Image: Vickie Flores/Rex Shutterstock].
This Writer just can’t understand why it took five days for the mainstream media to report it.
This Blog covered the story last Friday, based on the Disability News Service report last Thursday.
John Pring at DNS has been trying – since August 2014 – to obtain information contained in the 49 peer reviews, to find out what actions ministers have taken following deaths linked to the withdrawal or non-payment of benefits such as Employment and Support Allowance and to the discredited Work Capability Assessment.
The DNS report states: “DWP is now required to release most of the recommendations that were made by the authors of the reviews.
“This should allow disabled campaigners to hold DWP to account over whether it has implemented changes to its procedures to avoid such deaths happening again.
“The information DWP eventually releases should also provide a picture of the policies and procedures that were found to be flawed by its own internal reviews, and which have contributed to claimants’ deaths.”
But will the “lame stream” media report the release of this information promptly – or will we have to wait for another slow news day?
The Department for Work and Pensions may be forced to disclose details of secret investigations into the suicides and other deaths of benefit claimants, after a successful tribunal appeal.
Disability rights campaigners, mental health charities and the families of claimants who have killed themselves or died after cuts to benefits have argued that 49 DWP secret investigations or “peer reviews” into the deaths of claimants should be published. A peer review is triggered when a suicide or alleged suicide is “associated with a DWP activity”, according to its internal guidance.
The Disability News Service (DNS), which first disclosed that the DWP had conducted 60 reviews into the deaths of benefit claimants after a freedom of information request in 2014, won its appeal against the DWP’s subsequent refusal to publish any information from them and the decision of the information commissioner’s office (ICO), last September, to uphold the government’s refusal.
The DWP later corrected its own figures on the number of investigations “following the death of a customer” from 60 to 49. Forty of them were carried out after a suicide or alleged suicide.
Source: DWP may have to publish details of benefit claimant deaths | Society | The Guardian
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These kind of things only happen when a Conservative Party is in charge of the country, I wonder why?
The depth of DWP cover up will be exposed eventually by a whistle blower in the very midst of this cartel. Money is everything to these people, along with negotiated immunity. The media could have a field day with news on this scale, all they need is a whisleblower willing to sell their soul. Who will be the first to reap such rewards, IDS?
The general view of the people claiming benefits is that they are all idle scroungers, a view enhanced by the tories “for hardworking people” mantra which excludes those to ill or disabled to work as well as those unable to find a job, the media have gleefully gone along with this and the benefits street nonsense added to the view, which has been carefully nurtured with soaps and comedy shows for decades also giving a poor descriptor of the truth behind disabilities etc. It is therefore no surprise whatsoever that they don’t want to say anything different.
The DNS report states: “DWP is now required to release most of the recommendations that were made by the authors of the reviews. well the media bbc papers radio are the tory mouth piece yet the real figures will be doctored down watered down they dont want the peasants seeing that not 97000 died by dwp hands but vastly a sum we aint going to get has it would upset the peasants
And all the appalling historic details will they be analysed and reported? As we know Coroners are not that interested in digging the dirt in this same area.
Sadly yes, if it even gets reported at all, which it doesn’t!