Vox Political takes DWP secrecy over death reviews to Parliament and FOI watchdog
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Vox Political has formally escalated concerns about the Department for Work and Pensions’ refusal to answer questions about serious incident reviews linked to Universal Credit.
This Site has written to two parliamentary committees and filed a Freedom of Information request – to the Work and Pensions Committee, chaired by Debbie Abrahams MP, and the Public Accounts Committee, chaired by Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP.
The letters call for an investigation into:
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Why the DWP released figures on deaths and serious harm only after MPs voted to cut disability-related Universal Credit payments
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Whether civil servants delayed publication to avoid informing Parliament in advance of the vote
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Why recommendations from IPRs dating back to 2020 remain unpublished, despite commitments to release them
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Whether systemic safeguarding risks identified in these reviews are being monitored and acted upon
At the same time, an FOI request has been submitted to the DWP asking for:
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Internal correspondence on the timing of the Annual Report and Accounts
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Discussions around publication or withholding of IPR recommendations
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Any impact assessments or communications strategies related to the release
Acknowledgements have already been received from both the Work and Pensions Committee and the DWP’s FOI office.
This follows the department’s decision to refuse further comment when asked whether it considered publishing the data earlier to help inform MPs — and whether it accepted a duty to do so.
The goal now is to force greater transparency and ensure that serious safeguarding issues linked to the benefit system cannot be buried quietly after key votes in Parliament.
What you can do
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✍️ Ask your MP if they knew about the IPR data before voting on benefit cuts: https://www.theyworkforyou.com
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💳 Support this journalism and help keep pressure on: https://Ko-fi.com/voxpolitical
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📬 Join the mailing list for updates: https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/1503041/155584006128141972/share
More to follow as this investigation continues.
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and who do you think in charge DWP been there done that to not much of a outcome it’s all much of a ado disgraceful it is