Safeguarding vulnerable claimants: Work and Pensions Committee launches new inquiry

The Work and Pensions Committee of MPs is to examine how the DWP supports vulnerable benefit claimants and whether its approach to safeguarding needs to change.

The Committee will investigate if the DWP has a duty to safeguard “vulnerable people”, and if it does not, whether it should.

It is set to take evidence from coroners who have heard inquests into the deaths of claimants, lawyers who have taken legal cases against DWP, and the families of claimants who have died.

The Committee’s inquiry has been launched after the number of Internal Process Reviews (IPRs) carried out by DWP to investigate allegations of inadequate case handling that may have resulted in serious harm more than doubled in the three years from July 2019.

The DWP is supposed to conduct an IPR whenever its actions may have played a part in someone dying (such as by suicide) or experiencing “serious harm”.

However, concerns have long been raised by relatives who have called for action after the deaths of their family members.

Some of them have spent years campaigning for justice.

Among them are the families of Philippa Day, Jodey Whiting, David Clapson, James Oliver, Errol Graham and Mark Wood.

Stephen Timms MP, Chair of the Work and Pensions Committee said: “Our inquiry will examine what DWP is doing to ensure benefits are accessible and claimants are protected from harm.

It will also look at whether the Department should have a statutory duty when it comes to safeguarding and how it learns lessons to ensure mistakes that affect some of the most vulnerable people in society are not repeated.”

Committee member Debbie Abrahams MP added: “After years of pushing the government for an independent inquiry into the deaths of social security claimants, the Work and Pensions Select Committee have agreed to an inquiry investigating safeguarding arrangements at the DWP.

“The Committee will be inviting coroners and lawyers who have been involved in the inquests and court cases concerning the deaths of people who died while they were in receipt of benefits or shortly afterwards.

“But we will also be inviting families of loved ones who have died to provide us with evidence in writing and in person. So I would urge everyone who has a story which may not have been heard to get in touch.”

The Committee is looking to hear from people with lived experiences of these issues and will also hold an event with claimants with additional needs and their families to discuss the issues raised in the inquiry.

The Committee is accepting submissions to its inquiry by Friday 13 October.

For full details of the inquiry see the Committee’s Call for Evidence available from parliament.uk.

For more information see MPs launch inquiry into DWP safeguarding, after decade of deaths available from disabilitynewsservice.com.