WOWpetition - Resisting the War on Welfare

On Tuesday, 18th December, 2012,  disabled and sick people, people with learning and mental health difficulties, their families and carers will launch a petition calling for an end to the War on Welfare being waged by their own government.

The Welfare budget, and particularly benefits going to sick and disabled people, has been heavily and unfairly targeted for cuts. It is said we can no longer afford the current welfare state. In reality however, as a percentage of GDP, the welfare budget is now lower than it was at any time during the eighties. While at the same time the combined wealth of Britain's 1,000 richest people increased by almost 5% to over £414bn.

In order to resist the government's cruel and failing welfare policies, sick and disabled people, together with their carers, families and friends, have combined using social media to produce the #WOWpetition. This calls for an end to the War on Welfare. Spearheaded by actress and comedian Francesca Martinez the WOW petition aims to get 100,000 signatures to end this War On Welfare by the government. We will be calling for a Cumulative Impact Assessment, an independent inquiry and if necessary, the repeal of the Welfare Reform Act of 2012.

We believe that every single person in the country has a reason to resist the War on Welfare. Some of us may be fortunate enough not to need the safety net our Welfare State provides, but this could all change for any one of us, tomorrow. It only takes an accident or a shock diagnosis to render us ill or disabled, and dependent on a system of benefits and services which is currently being dismantled.

The ‘Greatest Generation’ fought WWII believing they had secured this safety net for themselves, their children and generations to come. Don't let it go without a fight! We owe it to them. We owe it to ourselves to ensure a decent and dignified life for all who are sick and disabled, and to provide security for all our futures. The deaths of disabled people linked to the Welfare Reform Act and the Work Capability Assessment administered on behalf of the Government by the private corporation Atos are reported in the press with alarming regularity. We believe that in any humane society the Government would want to know if one of their flagship policies was in any way responsible for a ‘slow genocide’ of the sick and disabled. Please join Francesca and the WOW campaign in resisting the deaths and unnecessary suffering being caused: Sign WOWpetition.com

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/43154

info@wowpetition.com
WOWpetition.com
Twitter: @wowpetition #WOWpetition

UPDATE: The Bullying Tactics of DWP and ATOS

I posted on the 21st November about how the DWP and ATOS were treating my wife and her multiple Work Capability Assessments.  That Blog can be viewed here.

As I mentioned in the small update I posted on that, my local MP Andrew Stephenson was taking up the case with the Secretary of State.  I also complained to both the DWP and ATOS.

I've now had a reply from both my MP and DWP.

Firstly, the Department of Work And Pensions telephoned me last Thursday.  They stated that everything that had been done was within their rules and perfectly alright.  I questioned how long people can be placed in the Work Related Activity Group, and was told that it can range from 3 months to 2 years.  I was also informed that the assessment process - ie. when the ESA50 "questionnaires" are sent out - always begins 3 months before this period ends.

In other words, if someone is given a 3 month period in the WRAG, they could literally be sent a new questionnaire the day after.

Am I the only one who finds that utterly ridiculous?

I completely understand that the need for some sort of assessment process is necessary, but putting already ill people through this constant barrage of questions and "fitness for work" tests is almost barbaric.

Then we get to the Secretary of State's response.  Oh dear oh dear.

Written by Mark Hoban MP, Minister for Employment, he spends most of the letter exalting the benefits of ESA and the Work Capability Assessment before getting to my wife's situation in the final paragraph.  He states that  "Strict audit and quality control measures are in place to ensure that Atos healthcare delivers high-quality assessments", despite recent Panorama and Dispatches showing the contrary.

He also goes on about how Tribunals take into account different information and "Consequently, when a Tribunal overturns a decision, this is not necessarily due to a lack in validity or accuracy of the examination report used in the decision-making process."

Funny thing Mr Hoban is this - my wife has never been to a Tribunal.  I wonder why you mentioned this?

Mr Hoban states that new ESA50 questionnaires are "normally issued by Atos Healthcare two months prior to the next assessment date", which contradicts what the DWP Complaints Team stated to me earlier.  Indeed, I am aware of cases where people have received their decision and the very next day received a new ESA50 form.

All in all, Mr Hoban has produced a non-answer, avoiding the fact that my wife has a long term illness and completely ignored the hardship it is causing her.

It is a whitewash, and I wonder who it was intended to fool - myself and my wife or my MP.  I rather think it may be the latter.

My wife has complied and filled in the questionnaire, but this has caused her a lot of unneeded stress and she is struggling to cope, as well as having an effect on me at a time where I have more than enough to think about with my own health.  This is a ridiculous situation for her to be put in and I will not be stopping now.