24 February 2020

What: MP Debbie Abrahams reads a list of 24 people whose deaths are linked to DWP policy, including the Work Capability Assessment. She says: “We know that the Government’s health assessment process and sanctions regime leave sick and disabled people in fear and dread. We also know that in 2013 the death rates among people on incapacity benefit or employment and support allowance were 4.3 times higher than those in the general population, an increase from 3.6 times higher in 2003. That showed the level of sickness and ill health in that group of people.”

Why significant: Highlights that the DWP has received multiple  warnings about systemic failings over many years. Debbie Abrahams states that: “The death of any person as a result of Government policy is nothing less than a scandal. For too long, the Department has failed to address the effects of its policies. It must now act. Enough is enough.”