Feeling the Benefit?

The Department of Work and Pensions is anxious to get back to normal - harassing claimants, and penalising them when they fail to jump through hoops. This time they want to reduce the time when claimants can look for the work they’re qualified to do from three months to four weeks. After that, you take anything, or get fined as a result.

But there’s a snag. Three years ago the select committee were concerned about the effect of tightening sanctions. There were studies which suggested that this led to higher levels of stress and illness, but not to increased employment. They insisted that DWP carry out research into this question; the DWP agreed, and said they’d publish a report. So what’s happened? They’ve done the research, but they’re not releasing the report. No conclusions, no evidence. Academics who research into social policy would be very interested to see any part of this, but no. Because of “details of a sensitive nature” it’s apparently in the public interest to keep the whole thing under wraps.

And what about the reason why they were asked to do the research in the first place? What about their own promise to release the results? Ancient history, mate. Long gone. What matters is today’s cover up, and the renewed assault upon the poor. Government is a secretive, tribal business, with no interest in rational exploration of the truth.