The DWP spent £400 million of public cash fighting disability benefit claims since 2013 – including £50 million in the last financial year that could have provided the full rate of PIP for 5,200 people.
That’s what The Big Issue is telling us:
The government spent tens of millions of pounds fighting – and in many cases losing – appeals over disability benefit decisions last financial year, figures obtained by the Big Issue reveal.
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More than £50m was forked out by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on staff costs in attempt to uphold decisions about personal independence payments (PIP), according to a freedom of information request.
This is enough to cover the full rate of PIP for more than 5,200 people for a year.
Previous reporting by the Big Issue found that £350m was spent fighting PIP appeals between 2013, when the benefit was first introduced, and 2023. The latest figures put the total at more than £400m.
This is despite the rate of disability benefit fraud being extremely low. The fraud rate for PIP is 0.0%. For DLA, it is 0.1%. And for employment and support allowance, it is 1.5%.
Figures for the period since Labour came to power are not yet available – but This Writer doubts that anything has changed.
Source: DWP blew millions in taxpayer cash fighting disability benefit claims
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DWP spent £400 million of public cash fighting disability benefit claims
The DWP spent £400 million of public cash fighting disability benefit claims since 2013 – including £50 million in the last financial year that could have provided the full rate of PIP for 5,200 people.
That’s what The Big Issue is telling us:
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
Figures for the period since Labour came to power are not yet available – but This Writer doubts that anything has changed.
Source: DWP blew millions in taxpayer cash fighting disability benefit claims
Vox Political needs your help!
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Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
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The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
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