DWP Self-congratulation Attracts Critics

The DWP staff have upset a few people by publishing “highlights” of the year on Twitter.

The Department for Work and Pensions claimed new strategies to help families, changes to the state pension age and examples of people finding work were among their successes in 2017.

They also praised staff who received a gong in the New Year honours list “for their hard work”.

But hundreds of people took to social networks to post what they believe the department had really “achieved” – a doubling of suicide rates among claimants, more children living in poverty and people with disabilities forced to return to work.

One Twitter user even posted a picture of “totally joy free” gruel with the DWP logo.

Increasing use of food banks, people on ­Universal Credit left for weeks with no money to feed their families, and Women Against State Pension ­Inequality ­(Waspi) feeling ignored by the Government. The rejection of disabled people after assessment tests declaring them fit for work. The claim by the Ombudsman in a straw poll that 60% of DWP cases they were reviewing had no basis in law.

A failure to halt the failed Universal Credit rollout, cruel welfare cuts and misguided job centre ­closures.

The Government were heavily criticised by the United Nations in August for failing to uphold the rights of disabled ­people through a string of ­austerity policies.

The failure affected a range of areas from access to healthcare to equality in education and work. Huge increases in child poverty and a doubling in the rate of suicides.  

The DWP’s own goal came a month after it was revealed their bureaucrats had pocketed ­£44million in bonuses while ­presiding over huge fraud and errors in welfare benefits. Approximately 5,000 people this year have been prosecuted by the DWP for benefit fraud.

Between July 2016 and June this year, the department were headed by Damian Green, who was sacked as first secretary of state and ­Theresa May’s effective deputy earlier this month after admitting that he had lied about ­pornographic images on his House of Commons ­computer.

A DWP spokesman said: “We run campaigns ­throughout the year to promote policy changes such as the ­workplace pension and to highlight the support on offer to help people into work.