Government urged to suspend benefit sanctions regime

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Originally Posted on Benefits and Quoted

Thursday, 08 January 2015 11:04

[Quote Start]

MPs hear that the sanctions regime has changed to create a punitive culture of fear – especially amongst the disabled.

Pleas to the government to suspend its benefit sanctions regime pending a fundamental review of its impact – especially on the mentally ill and disabled – were made at the first session of a broad inquiry by the department of work and pensions select committee.

In a two-and-half hour session involving academics, food banks administrators, disabled groups and employment service professionals, the select committee repeatedly heard the sanctions regime had changed over the last two years, creating a punitive culture of fear – especially amongst the disabled.

Mathew Oakley, the independent reviewer for sanctions appointed by the DWP did not join in their fiercest criticism of the system but said it would be wise for the government to undertake a general stock-take of the system in view of the extent to which it has changed over the past two parliaments.

He was one of many witnesses that said the government lacked systematic information on what happened to jobseeker’s allowance claimants if they are sanctioned including whether they went into work, the black economy or instead disengaged, leading to the growing gap between the number unemployed and the numbers claiming JSA.

[End of Quote]

So there you have it, how bad the system as changed for us disabled people, and fear - I guess this is to do with ATOS assessments, appeals, etc - the disabled have lost a lot over the past 4 years alone under the Tory gov't, even to the extent where disabled and OAP's have even taken their own lives. This needs to be stopped, we cannot help with the way we are - it's okay for the gov't, they do not have to put up with little money, in constant pain, rely on carers, or under this gov't ATOS, whom do not care about disabled.

I read one story of one disabled lady whom went to be assessed by ATOS, the first question was how did you get here? She said by bus. They said thank you, that is the end of the assessment. They knew this frail old woman was blind, yet turned her down for DLA because she still managed to walk! This country is becoming so appauling to live in, it's unreal - and who is behind it all David Cameron.

I personally know our MP who is Conservative for this area, and he does not agree with many of Cameron's changes at all. The area I live in, is a huge Conservative area, always has been but the MP is one of the most tactful people I've known. He works for the people in the area and no job is too small, he helps the disabled with most problems, and a trustworthy person in all the years I have lived here. Unlike Cameron this guy worked by himself up through, working hard in his life, well educated but not through places like Cameron and the rest of them did. I am not saying all Tories are the same, but this one works for the people and gets jobs done for the disabled and OAP's.

Regards,

Les.

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my husband is a train driver and train sucide i e jumping from bridges have been at there highest ever 2014/15 there has been 4 just in a the last few weeks one of them survived . in yorkshire alone.

i am terified of loosing my bennifit becaues it makes me able to function as part human it allows me to buy the things  i need to easy pain and to have the treatments that help control my symptoms ,if it stops , i want be able to have them because even thou he has a good job , he couldnt afford to pay for what i need

i know i am lucky iv got another income i am not going to be homeless or hungrey

like some who might who live alone. but its just not fare 

when they rewarded the bankers with big bouneces for theiveing of us than take it back of those in need ,  i fear more suicides , my brother being one of them his condition cant be seen either and his above average inteligence like me .

so we are both doomed by this new system

. its a disgrace. put a monkey in a suit no one would notice and he would proberly do a better job . then bloody cameron

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I can imagine that Tis, suicides and murders have gone up in this country by way too much. Take a look at Gloucester, in one year, one guy was stabbed to death in a Park. Then last night one guy was murdered, another  needed surgery and another had minor injuries. 2 weeks ago there was an incident where an OAP was hit about, all caught on CCTV.

We have one little dog, a miniature Jack Russell, and two cats! They are no bother at all, they all get on with one another. Oscar the dog, all he wants is food and a ball - you can literally throw a ball all day, and he will bring it back everytime. If anyone new comes into the house he does one thing, bring you his ball and expects you to throw it for him, he's content.

Our cats are both totally different in personality, one just eats and sleeps all day, the other eats and lives in our bird house! rolleyes

Around here, an MP should be a person that you can see whenever you need them. Ours is always around, unlike the rest that campaign only when they want your votes. If we need problems sorted out with the Housing Association we gave up with them long time ago, after having to complain about a complaint that they said was done and closed!! They gave me £30 to keep me quiet, this time that will not work, they said they would do something last week - guess what they failed to phone me and make an appointment. That's the worse thing they could do, because this time I am not complaining to them. This time I am contacting our MP, I know people go to him and reports many issues with the same Housing Association.

Regards,

Les.

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sounds like you have a right useless H/A . my brother lives in coalville his is terriable to . he had to wait 6 months to have a refit kitchen and bathroom .after being told that it would be done with in weeks of him moving in,

the workmanship was terriable infact you couldnt call it workmanship

they turned up when they wanted not when they were supposed to 

left for days then came back .made more mess then left again .

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Well, Tis ours is supposed to be the best H/A!! According to them.

I'll list just a few things they have done in the past...

1. They tiled around by the kitchen taps, now that in itself is an easy job, even I know that. But they came out and stuck the tiles all on with silicon adhesive, they cut the tiles to fit on the window sil edge, but put the cut side outwards, hence you could easily slice your fingers if washing up. They had to come back out, and redo the whole lot correctly with Tile Glue and Grout.

2. They fitted washing machine taps, but pointing outwards instead or pointing downwards, which then caused a leak, hence wrecked the laminate flooring!

3. Erected a shed... roof wasn't secured, hence damp got in and wrecked the walls.

4. Dug up our drive and cut through the Virginmedia cable. So, they had to be called before 2 ft and 6 inches concrete was poured down.

There's so much more you wouldn't believe including mounting an Electric socket above the cooker! eek

Regards,

Les.

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Do the workmen do it on purpose. They seem to have turned incompetance into an artform!

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they are paid per contract so the lowest quote gets the contract 

so something has to give ,[ and its the work manship] that and there are very few apprentiships now .

i think i could have put my brothers kitchen together better than the contracters did and i am useless.

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That's exactly what happens George as Tis stated, they are paid per contract, and its always the lowest quote that is honoured.

Apprentiships, that is one area I asked the last lot of contractors we had in here. None of them, had done an apprentiship.

Over here we have to annual inspections of Gas Appliancies, e.g. Boilers, Gas fires, Gas cookers, etc. The more you have the more you pay.

Now, this is the dumb part! To do any tests of this kind you must be CORGI (Council for Registered Gas Installers) registered, yet you can ask some of them, and most of the time you will get an excuse like "oh, I do not carry those details around with me!".

At one point anyone with DIY experience could install a Gas or Electric cookers, I always installed ours, whether it was Gas or Electric. I know how to run tests on Gas or Electric Appliancies, and I'm not CORGI Registered. But that is the catch now, you buy any Gas or Electric Appliance for Kitchens and on top you must pay for Installation, which can be £50-£100 depending on the company. I, personally cannot see every delivery person being CORGI Registered. If you bear in mind it costs between £3000-£8000 to become CORGI Registered over a 6 month period.

If your premises catches fire and your Gas Appliance was to blame that was not installed by a CORGI registered person, your house insurance is then void!

This is the problem I'm having now, we have black mould growing with fur growing on ceilings, walls, etc including windows. It is not rocket science on how this is happening in our case. Two workers came out last week, and said they would put forward a request for ONE vent to be put in a bedroom!! ONE VENT... then the Housing Association phoned me asking was it completed to my satisfaction? You mean one vent in a bedroom for the WHOLE property, and no its not what I expected at all. This is what they said they would do instead "We will send an Inspector out to inspect the problem and find out what is causing the problem". I thought what some dumbasses these guys really are. And, here's why the roofs on these premises are metal, therefore more condensation builds up quickly, now this would not be the case if the attic was well ventilated. Considering the black mould is coming from the roof and you can hear water dripping off the insulation on to the plasterboard, this happens all over the premises.

The Housing Association said to give them a week, so fair enough they've had a week by tomorrow, for them to phone and arrange a visit. Well, their time is up! Tomorrow I'll be phoning the Environmental Health, who will check and inform the Housing Association to fix this dam mess.

The two workmen from the Housing Association failed to even find a good enough reason why it has happened, yet me wife and I know exactly why. These properties were bricked up about 4 years ago, during that time they broke window frames, even put a hole in one piece of glass. But the one thing they failed to do was move the ventilation vents to the attic in the over-hang all around the property. So, now they have created a very large problem for themselves.

So, this week they will be getting a nasty letter from the Environmental Health Authority! Teach the idiots a lesson..

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do you remember a person called a clark of works who used to check everything was done as it was supposed to be , 

not anymore .

the only person who did a good job in my brothers flat was the tiler

and he was polish .says it all really dosent it.eek

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I remember them, mostly in large companies. Think it's called Quality Control now, mind you even that's OTT.

I wouldn't say a Clerk of Work was around anymore - standards over the years have dropped so much.

That reminds me I got to email bloody Tesco's for a delivery on Saturday. In the order was 2 x Whole Fresh Chickens, my wife went to cook them both later that day, and the one was brown and green inside and smelt like it was gone off.

I must do that now... thanks for reminding me Tis! smile

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clarks of works sighned of jobs that had been done i know them from the building trade and councils .

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my god i should think it had gone of thats terriable .

no quality control there then . 

i buy cook in th ebag chicken from asda when you cook them you have to put a snip in the bag to let out the steam ,i always have a good sniff before putting it in the oven. so far so good .

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Well Les, < speachless > < ugh! speachless > I mean . . . er . . what can I say? < speachless >

I have a theory for fixing deeply ingraIned incompetance, total fushionlessness. CEO is hired on a contract that states if anythiing, anything in customer service goes wrong the CEO leaves instantly without severence pay. The same principle could be applied in the Civil Service, QUANGOs etc. even Housing Associations.

(rate likelyhood of happening : 1 unlikely  100 zillion likely. Ans 1)

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Hi George,

Well, I'm not one for letting things get out of hand...

Last Monday I reported Black Mould and Damp in to bedrooms. The Housing Association only sent out a plumber and electrician because I stated the damp is getting closer to the main light fitting. Two guy turned up one went up in the attic stated we had condensation, so they would put a request in for a vent to be fitted. I looked at my wife and said that's a waste of time.

Then I get a call about a hour later asking why I wasn't pleased with the outcome! So, I said your company wants to fit one VENT for the entire attic, how can that justify the amount of Black Mould, Fur and Moisture we have in two rooms? So, she said well I'll book an inspector to come out and have a look. I said to her, a pen-pusher in a suit is not going to climb in an attic to find out whats causing the condensation! Then she changed her mind to I'll get an Inspector to arrange a suitable time and day then. I said Okay, and put the phone down.

So, that woman said an inspector would phone and arrange an appointment within a week. Well, the week was up this morning!! No sign of any phone calls or inspectors phoning.

Then this afternoon I get a call from the Housing Association. A woman on the phone doing a Satisfaction Survey on the Work we had done last Monday!!! I said, hang on - what work are you referring to? She said a water leak, I said firstly its not water leak it's condensation which has not been fixed. She sai Oh, I will phone back once its complete. I said fair enough, and take your time!

I checked on the Environmental Health website and made sure everything was going to plan, and it is. All I got to do is wait until 2nd February then launch a complaint with the Environmental Health Department. They don't like dealing with this Housing Association - I had them up before, so it's not a first.

I had a problem with the same Housing Association last year, but after going backwards and forwards through repairs section - I thought sod it, I'll raise a complaint, 1st stage in their policy is work will be completed within 28 days. I thought okay, I use a computerized calendar so I can track emails to dates and times if anything is done. Well, 28 days come and I received in the post a Customer Satisfaction Survey, I thought they must be bloody joking!! No work had been done at all, and no calls had been received, or in my case - recorded.

So, I emailed them and escalated the original complaint to Stage 2 - URGENT ATTENTION, and sent a blind carbon copy to the CEO. Just to make sure. Of course the Complaints Department did not see I had sent a Blind Carbon Copy to the CEO of the company. Well, all the problems were done in less than 5 days and they gave me £30 in Vouchers for Tescos. What got their backs up was I had sent a Full Blind Carbon Copy to the CEO, and only a standard Complaint to Complaints Raising it to a further stage. Obviously, someone or some department was at fault, which one I didn't care as long as the work was done.

This time around is a bit different, because many vents need replacing because they had bricked over the original ones!! "Cowboys of Britain" - well, they would stand a good chance getting there. lol

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Well done Les. Go to the top of the class. No, don't take your books, you'll need them where they are tomorrow - oops it is tomorrow!

George

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I got doctors appointment first thing... She just wants to go over all the results with me. Nothing new really, that I know of...apart from blood tests last week.

And I had to sort out my daughters school - some boys grabbed one of her subject books on the way home in the bus. I got her to write down all the details and witnesses and I had a reply from her Tutor within 30 mins saying she will have a word to Jess (my daughter) and also take the matter to the Head of Year, 3 boys involved... About time they grew up, but thats me, if they upset our daughter then they have us to deal with, they know we normally let things slide, this time they went to far.

So, busy day tomorrow to begin with... Housing Association well, we got an answering machine if they EVER phone! lol

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Hi Les, I hope there will be nothing unexpected and the session is useful.

Yes, silliness can become a problem. Unpleasant and troublesome to deal with but well worth it for your daughter's sake. The  boys too should benefit if they learn their lesson.

Not being contactable seems to be a principle cost cutting ploy. They cut themselves off from help to become excellent in their field. Do they want to excel? Do they even want to do a good job? Getting the job done well at the first attempt might be a real cost cutting ploy.

George

 

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Hi Les,

Doctors was okay, basically to go over everything, oh and that I'm a complicated case! (That's nothing new, so many people say it, I'm used to it). Even the health officials at DWP couldn't believe all the problems I have). All my recent tests show everything is Benign in my stomach, testes, and chest. So, that was a relief.

The only thing they are going to start doing is to lower the Tramadol Dosage to nil, but using 2 other medications over a number of weeks. So far, what they have done has worked, I'm down to 150mg of Tramadol a day, in two weeks this should be down to 100mg a day, they are using neurotic drugs and painkillers with the BoTox Injections to get me off Tramadol. lol

Well, my daughter was happy today, her tutor took her off report (she was on that because the steriod inhalers made her hyperactive, but her body is now used to them and she has calmed down a lot!). The 3 boys involved in the bus incident with my daughter, have all got detentions today, and any further matters and more severe action will be taken against them! My daughter does not know the outcome yet, the Head of Year emailed me just after getting back from the doctors.

Tesco's emailed me asking for the batch number/use by date, etc. Course we did not have it, my wife threw it out, after we seen the chicken and the smell. It's not sort of thing you would keep in the house, we chucked it out on Saturday night when we found it. So, I emailed them back stating that we didn't have those details, and I wasn't really looking for my money back, I just wanted to make them aware of the matter because they have 2 suppliers. But after sending them an email I got a phonecall from them, saying thank you for making us aware of the matter and we have credited you back for the chicken as well.

So, today has not been too bad - busy but everything going right for a change. Housing Association, well they will reported next Monday. Let's see them get out of this one, my son is taking photographs of the bodged up brickwork where they bricked over vents! So, we'll have all the proof we need, including Black Mould and damp patches! rolleyes There's no escape for them this time...

Regards,

Les.

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A great read, Les. Thank you. Thank you too for making me an honorary Les. Beats what the politiciens give each other. Oh! a typo. I am disappointed. Couldn't you make it official?  cheesygrin 

I am glad you got those boys sorted. A comfort for your daughter and I hope a lesson learned by boys whose bodies have grown faster than their good sense. Also, that the Housing Association nonesense is going forward. I do not know how you do it with all the difficulties you have to contend with. I take off my hat to you, Les.

George

 

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LOL @George! Actually, I missed that typo! I thought what is George on about until I scrolled up....lol Critism, is always welcome, I don't mind - I make many mistakes these days so worse than others. lol

Yes, one of boys actually lives up the road from us - the trouble we also know his mother, lol - My wife and his mother used to be best friends at school, he said to Jess (our daughter) this morning, "you're a snitch!" and then she said I had nothing to telling school, You made my parents mad, they contacted the school. One of the other boys said to Jess back last year, "I'm going to make your parents like me!" he knew we hated him back then for some other reason, can't even remember what it was about now. But nevertheless I still can't stand him, even more so now. lol.

I get problems sorted, even though I have a speech impediment caused by the dystonia. So I basically sort issues out via email, well personal issues out. Some people can understand what I am saying like my doctor, wife, consultants, etc.

Getting off the Tramadol will be a pain, I cannot remember the medication they are changing to, but it will take a few months to change over and there is a fact that some people cannot take to the other medication at all. But, their is a list done, if one fails or causes more issues then they will be changed instantly. So, that's all in hand and changing over this week, dropping by one 50mg Tramdol at midday, that I can't see being a problem, night time and mornings may be different though.

 I know it is two medications they are changing to replace the tramadol and upping the BoTox and frequency intervals.

Regards,

Les.