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Absurd
This is not a parody image. It is actually taken from the Home Office PCC election website.Apparently, in this universe, if you don't vote there will be no more police.If this were not such a...
View ArticlePCC Elections - Bill Etheridge's manifesto
Bill Etheridge, the UKIP candidate for Police and Crime Commissioner, pledges (in addition to the standard things most candidates are saying):- I will demand tougher and more sensible sentencing from...
View ArticleIs the benefit cap really pushing thousands back into work?
Short answer: no. But a Daily Mail article nevertheless claims this is the case.IDS claims that the upcoming benefit cap of £500 pw is causing 'thousands' of families to look for work. So that's...
View ArticleProposed changes to child benefit - a reasonable idea turned nightmarish
Iain Duncan Smith has proposed limiting benefits payable for children in any family to a maximum of two children. If the parent or parents then went on to have more children, they would not receive...
View ArticleWatchdog clueless on statutory consumer rights
This week's Watchdog had a worrying story about Amazon Kindles breaking down after a short period of time.What they totally failed to spot, as seems to happen quite often, is that Amazon's claimed...
View ArticleBAS Parking Services breaching the clamping ban
Private clamping and towing of vehicles was definitively outlawed in England and Wales on 1st October 2012. Before that, it was legal in certain circumstances, but private companies overstepped the...
View ArticleThe main problem with universal credit
Universal credit is the government's planned replacement for several current benefits. It is due to replace them for new claimants in April 2013.Income support, income-based JSA, income-related ESA,...
View ArticleRotherham council and UKIP
The BBC is reporting that a couple in Rotherham have had their foster children taken away, because they are members of the UK Independence Party.If this is true this is extremely worrying, and legally...
View ArticleHow to make a Panasonic S29 region free using a Raspberry Pi
After my previous DVD player stopped working, I have been extremely frustrated by the region locks on the replacements I've owned. Region locks serve no legitimate purpose whatsoever today, and simply...
View ArticleExamining two of Lord Freud's assurances on ESA in 2011
1. In a Lords debate in May 2011, Lord Freud said this:The regulations do not specify the type of activity that we expect this group to engage in. Indeed, the definition of work-related activity is...
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Examining the government's claims for universal credit
I present what I will presently call 'Case 0':-This is the government's poster child for universal credit. On the face of it, it apparently shows that universal credit will meet the government's stated...
View ArticleESA and 'fit for work'
It is very common to see a statement that some whose ESA has stopped has been found 'fit for work'. This is not really correct and is worth examining in some detail.I think the problem is that the...
View ArticleWhy ATOS assessments get it so badly wrong - Part 1
I've been back working on ESA appeals, representing appellants, for a few months again now.In my previous post I looked at how ministers are very confused about what role ESA is supposed to have, and...
View ArticleWhy ATOS are getting it wrong - Part 2
P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm; }A:link { }2. LIMA, and abuse of the concept of the typical day When ATOS carry out an assessment, the assessor uses a computer system called LIMA. The manual is available...
View ArticleJSA sanctions and housing benefit
It seems to be a common misconception that if someone's JSA is sanctioned, then they also lose housing benefit. This was shown happening to someone on Eastenders, and the notorious @DietQueen bragged...
View ArticleWhy ATOS are getting it wrong - Part 3
P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm; }A:link { }3. Misinterpretation of descriptorsThis is something Greg Wood has talked about a lot, so I won't repeat it all in so much detail. I highly recommend his posts on...
View ArticleWhy ATOS are getting it wrong: Part 4 - Fallacies and starting positions
P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm; }A:link { }4.Base rate fallacy, prosecutor's fallacy, and neglecting the claimant's historyWhen a claimant arrives for an ATOS assessment, the assessor pretty much seems to...
View ArticleThe DWP's Mandatory Reconsideration regulations may be legally flawed
It's been widely discussed that from the 28th October, the DWP can suspend a person's appeal rights against a benefit decision while it carries out a 'mandatory reconsideration'. This is particularly...
View ArticleThe DWP’s ‘Performance Measurement’ visits
There has been some discussion on Twitter about the DWP’s claim here that it may conduct what it calls ‘Performance Measurement' visits, a strangely Orwellian term for what, on the face of it, appears...
View ArticleBeavis and Butthurt
The Court of Appeal has ruled in Parking Eye v Beavis that parking tickets issued by private companies are enforceable in many situations, despite being an example of a punitive contractual clause.This...
View ArticleMy response to the PIP consultation to reduce the points for aids and appliances
Iain Duncan Smith resigned this week, ostensibly over the plans announced by George Osborne to reduce the score for claimants who need to use some aids and appliances in Personal Independence...
View ArticleEmail to Andrew Turner MP
Dear Mr TurnerI am writing concerning the vote tomorrow (Thursday 17th Nov) proposing to reverse the abolition of the work-related component of Employment and Support Allowance.Although I am not a...
View ArticleRepost - How did so many MPs come to minunderstand the ESA cut in the same way?
Earlier this month, the House of Commons voted to proceed with a hefty cut to employment and support allowance (ESA) (the name for incapacity benefit and income support) since 2008).To remain on ESA...
View ArticleMy submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry on ESA and PIP
Response - PIP and ESA Assessments inquiryName: Tom EvansWelfare rights adviser 2008-2009; 2013-presentBackgroundI have been working for an advice charity advising clients on benefits matters and...
View ArticleComplaint to the ASA regarding misleading advertising for universal credit in...
ASAUniversal Credit (UC) in the MetroAccuracy1. ‘There are a lot of myths out there about it. We set the record straight...’a) ‘You will have to wait 5 weeks to get any money’ is stated to be a ‘myth’....
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