The Right
Honourable Iain Duncan Smith
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Department for Work and Pensions
Caxton House
Tothill Street
London, ENGLAND
SW1H 9DA
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Department for Work and Pensions
Caxton House
Tothill Street
London, ENGLAND
SW1H 9DA
Subject: What is
the DWP's policy with regard to publishing benefit claimant mortality
statistics?
Dear Mr. Smith,
On November 6, 2012 I wrote to your department regarding the number of Incapacity Benefit claimants who had died that year. I pointed out that "Incapacity Benefits: Death of Recipients (9 July 2012)" http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/
Ten days later, I received the following response from Mr. Goff Daft, who is the head of your correspondence team:https://docs.google.com/file/
On April 20, 2013 I queried Mr. David Green (ESA Analysis), the compiler of "Incapacity Benefits: Death of Recipients", about the release date for the next report. And I also queried you on June 18, 2013 regarding the same.
On June 24, 2013 I received the following reply:
Dear Mr Miller,
Thank you for your email and apologies for the delay in
responding.
The publication you refer to was released on Department's website as an
ad-hoc statistical analysis publication. As such there is no intention of
releasing an updated version of these statistics.
Regards,
DWP ESA Analysis
I was frankly perplexed by this overdue reply because Mr. Goff's November 16, 2012 response left me with the impression that the requested mortality data was being compiled and that only further patience on my part was required.
I would like to know if the DWP has compiled any post-November 2011 mortality data of benefit claimants and/or has the intention of doing so?
If your department is too understaffed and underfunded to compile such data, then I fully understand and sympathize.
However, I must confess that while I have been very patient and reasonable regarding this matter over a period of many months, I am succumbing to the belief that your department is resorting to petty obstructionism—even a full-fledged cover-up—because the mortality of the sick and disabled has become too politicized for the Tories to cope with—and I suspect that there has been a staggering increase in the number of benefit claimant deaths since November 2011.
I intend to file a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office unless the transparency of your department improves.
I look forward to your reply.
--
Samuel Miller
I was frankly perplexed by this overdue reply because Mr. Goff's November 16, 2012 response left me with the impression that the requested mortality data was being compiled and that only further patience on my part was required.
I would like to know if the DWP has compiled any post-November 2011 mortality data of benefit claimants and/or has the intention of doing so?
If your department is too understaffed and underfunded to compile such data, then I fully understand and sympathize.
However, I must confess that while I have been very patient and reasonable regarding this matter over a period of many months, I am succumbing to the belief that your department is resorting to petty obstructionism—even a full-fledged cover-up—because the mortality of the sick and disabled has become too politicized for the Tories to cope with—and I suspect that there has been a staggering increase in the number of benefit claimant deaths since November 2011.
I intend to file a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office unless the transparency of your department improves.
I look forward to your reply.
--
Samuel Miller
http://independent.academia.
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(Montreal, Canada)
