Cross posted from Latent Existence, where it was originally posted yesterday, with many thanks to Steven Sumpter.
In today’s scary news, it has emerged that the DWP are claiming the right to enter the home of people in receipt of a variety of benefits, demand to see their ID and financial documents, and interrogate them for an hour or more. All without prior warning.
While the DWP have always had teams that investigate fraud – including spying on people through their windows from parked cars – the idea that they can select you at random and turn up unannounced appears to be new. What happens if you turn the DWP officer away is not stated. While the website says “You can reschedule your appointment if you need to” it also says “You won’t always get a letter in advance telling you about the visit.” Of course this is very likely to be backed up with the usual “you do not have to comply but if you do not then your benefits may be affected.” When confronted with the idea of losing all their income most people will obey against their will.
As many people have pointed out to me, plenty of sick people cannot cope with this intrusion or unpredictability. (Including myself.) Others may not have the ability to find the documents or to think well enough to provide the answers demanded. Carers who know all the details may not be present.
I suspect that the random selection and the entry into the home without warning may breach the human rights act. I’d appreciate if someone knowledgeable could check this for me.
It is notable that the text claims that the DWP will check you if you are on Housing Benefit. That benefit is implemented by the local authority and not the DWP. This leads me to believe that this update is mostly posturing for the tabloids on the part of the SPADs that churn out propaganda for the DWP Press Office.
A page on the gov.uk website carrying a date of 2 June 2014 sets out what the DWP are threatening. The current contents of that page in full:
Home visit to check your benefits payments
You may get a visit from a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) officer to check that your benefits payments are correct. A Performance Measurement review officer may visit you if you’re claiming:
- Employment and Support Allowance
- Housing Benefit
- Income Support
- Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Pension Credit
Your name is selected at random to be checked. You won’t always get a letter in advance telling you about the visit.
What to expect
The officer will interview you in your home and will want to see 2 forms of identification. They’ll also ask to see documents about money, savings and rent, eg:
- payslips
- bank, building society or Post Office accounts
- rent book or tenancy agreement
- benefits and tax credit awards
Visits usually last up to an hour but may be longer. You can reschedule your appointment if you need to.
Check their identity
You can check the identity of the Performance Measurement review officer by:
- asking to see their photo identity card
- calling the Business Support Team and giving the review officer’s name
Business Support Team Telephone: 0191 216 8050 Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
Same Difference 
its just another ploy to take away your benefits look at dla if ones getting this all they have to do is say that someone phoned in about you and they just checking it up but they forget now you been seen its time for one to apply for pips isn’t life strange when they are the political police
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Reblogged this on sdbast.
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For those of us on ESA and or DLA and no doubt PIP we have to sign forms that give then the right to all our medical records. Even the WCA forms are said to be opened by post office workers to save firms such as ATOS the bother. We seem to have no rights over confidentiality.
To call unannounced is unacceptable to many of us with impairments and or long term conditions. I do not like unannounced visitors as it affects my ability to cope and has led to accidents when trying to “rush” to open the door.
I do not allow anybody I am not expecting or know in. The new policy may lead to an increase in bogus callers to vulnerable people.
Whilst I accept checks must be made to check entitlement, a balance must exist. Life gets put on hold every time a form is sent to complete. I thought some people at the DWP already had access to our bank accounts and surely they communicate with the Council for those on housing benefit.
The new apparent policy is a step too far.
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If they r turning up unannounced, don’t open the door, let them wright 2 you, and make them wait, like they make you wait.
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Anyone intent on doing you harm can forge identity cards. The phone number is too expensive to call, to check the interrogators id. How many interrogators will demand your cooperation on your doorstep, considering Atos’s claim of violent claimants there would have to be two, at least. How can the recipient be sure their answers will be recorded correctly or that the interrogators’ questions are relayed comprehensively. Can we film such an intrusion in our own homes ?
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tg sais considering Atos’s claim of violent claimants there would have to be two yet we have foi our police forces around the country on atos hcp being attacked by claiments not one not one was logged in south wales not one in bugger that’s my trouble dead brain but theres many who did answer police forces stating none were so atos lied there too jeff3
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thats all ok until they visit my schizophrenic mate because if hes having a bad day i dread to think what could happen
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I have nothing to hide and I am not a violent person, but if someone knocks at my door they wont get an answer, I never answer the door or the phone unless I know that a certain person is coming and at what time, if by chance they got me when I was getting into my car, they will get a shock, as I am paranoid, I hate being people starring at me, if they go to enter my home, well I wont be held responsible……………………how dare they. But hang on a minute, they will be breaching our human rights. we have the right not to be harrassessed, to be left in piece in our own home. So how can they do this
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I am so shocked at this – this is appalling. I am profoundly Deaf BSL user with mobility problems and I cannot lipread most people so if they turn up, will they turn up with a BSL interpreter with them? Cos if they don’t will not let them in because they do not respect my communication needs.GRRRR Really angry at this!
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well as your been given money to live off by the taxpayer If you not got nothing to hide what’s the issue ?
I don’t care to be honest as it don’t effect me as I am a hard working guy.
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TOM who posted at nine mins past six this evening, I also pay tax, this is taken from my Incapacity benefit/ESA – sick pay – that I have already paid tax to receive. You are very lucky to work, you are very lucky that you go without all this stress of the DWP and ATOS, you are very lucky that total strangers are not allowed to enter your home and read your personal details. Say for instance you got knocked over tomorrow and were hurt that badly you had to finish work, would you still not worry were the next mortgage payment was coming from, or that you were not allowed sick pay, how would you get to the hospital to be treated for your injuries, if this doesn’t affect you, why leave such a nasty comment. Until you have walked my walk you don’t have the right to a valid opinion or any opinion silly man.
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thank you cp
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I too was once a hard working guy and a tax payer, if fact I still am as 20% VAT is added to many of the things I purchase. Unfortunately, I had two accidents while at work one in 1990 (partially disabled) and the other during the year 2000 (much more disabled), plus cancer in 2005. I’m now not able to work and so reliant on the National Insurance payments I paid into to support me if a become unfit for work. That contract between myself and the government has been made near null-and-void, without my consent, by this government. Keep in mind I too thought such things would never happen to me; however, statistically there is about a 1 in 10 chance of it happening to you and those odds get worse as each day passes. Of course if you are a ‘toff’ born with lots of money you are unlikely to do a job where work is likely to damage your health and, rather unfairly, if it did you’d have lots of money plus rich family members to sort it out for you. It’s not what you know but who so God save our public school as they each in their rightful place;-). See ‘ To educate according to the social situation of the parents is wrong and a waste’
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/to-educate-according-to-the-social-situation-of-the-parents-is-wrong-and-a-waste-9547228.html
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so was I for forty one yrs then that s fan but them calling isn’t whot you think but normaly someone phoning in telling them you are a crook or words like that then your benefits stop how nice yep worked but then you get that knock on your door ops jeff3
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I can confirm the above with respect to support for the ‘Bedroom Tax’. The local benefit office have called at our home on three occasions, without success, to discuss our application for that benefit. I was in our flat on two occasions last year and on one this year. As no appointment was made, or the flat’s entry system used, I had no warning they were going to knock at our door, so, being disabled, could not get to the door as my wife was out; even if she had been in it’s unlikely that she would have answered it as the intercom was not used. When I phoned to enquire how my application was doing I was told that they had tried to visit us on two occasions last year. From that I linked that information to the knocks at the door, without the intercom first being used, which is extremely rare, and my recollection as to whether it was worth me trying to get to the door as they would be most likely have gone by the time I got there.
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