The video on benefits govt want censored


by Sunny Hundal    
4:00 pm - June 29th 2012

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Yesterday, Sue Marsh wrote about a video by the Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ) that had been taken off YouTube again.

The video was pulled after less than a week, on the orders of senior officials.

Independent benefits expert Neil Bateman discovered that the video was taken down after employment minister Chris Grayling emailed the ministry complaining about it.

Why does Chris Grayling find the video offensive? Because it tells claimants:

- they are twice as likely to win their appeal if they appear in person rather than having a paper hearing;

- that the DWP doesn’t normally send a representative to the hearing;

- to send additional evidence to the tribunal, when Grayling wants it sent to the DWP.

We posted the video again yesterday but within a few hours govt ministers got it taken down again.

It’s lucky then that I downloaded a copy, and uploaded it again.

Here it is

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About the author
Sunny Hundal is editor of LC. Also: on Twitter, at Pickled Politics and Guardian CIF.
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Reader comments


1. Grayling

Guido is up to his tricks again re Claimant dousing himself with petrol – so there’ll be collateral and that’s all right then http://order-order.com/2012/06/29/man-douses-himself-with-petrol-lefties-explode/

2. Derek

A Minister who is elected to help citizens, yet intervenes to deny the less fortunate in society a means to obtain what they are entitled to, should be pilloried in the national press.
Thank goodness for people like Sunny who exposes such abhorrent behaviour.
Pointless asking for sanctions against Grayling as inevitably he will have the full support of the PM.
These people are not worthy to hold office – their actions are almost criminal.

3. Rentergirl

The rule is appeal. Always. they turn claimants down automatically, I suspect but the appeal sytem is now locked up and static with so many WCA appeals.

4. Richie

@ Rentergirl – The appeal service is very much locked up. I’ve been waiting for a tribunal for over 18 months now, and still no word. It’s actually worked in my favour, because if i’d won an appeal i’d have been re-assessed/turned down/appealing again by now.

5. Kevin Munden

What has been said is correct I applied 3 times & was turned down in London, but when I moved up to Nottingham,I went in person to another appeal hearing & was asked how my conditions affect my day to day life,I also have a condition called brugada syndrome & have a icd inserted to ensure my heart doesn’t stop, & what help I need to cope with my condition, I received my dla at the low rate for both care & mobility but this was only for 1year & was told I had to reapply the next year, once i’d applied again I was sent a conformation that I must have a dwp doctor come & visit me at home & discuss my conditions to him in greater detail & give him hospital reports & list of my vast medication that I took, I was lucky that I had welfare support officer who explained my limitations & how my brugada condition was just as much debilitating as my HIV was, Ive now received my dla unconditional for low rate for mobility & middle rate for my care, but now as I share a house I’ve had my ESA suspended whilst the dwp do there checks after a home visit last week which is such a joke as they already knew I share a house with one of my mates, but in the dwp eyes they seem to think something is wrong

6. Keith

Just want to say thanks for making this available, as I’ve pretty much given up on ATOS and all feedback seems to portray them as finding their ‘clients’ just a troublesome thing getting in the way of claiming bonuses.

From the video at least, it seems the appeals process actually hires real human beings capable of some compassion, instead of a robot ticking boxes.

I’m fully ready to be rejected by ATOS, but have some hope I can get into the support group for a year. I think I could get back to work maybe over 12 months, given some backup, but there’s no way I could face being forced into Poundland over an ATOS exam.

I’m just sickened that Grayling’s response to the abject failures of ATOS and the evidence of that failure in the number of appeals, is to try to push for stopping benefits during an appeal, so people can’t afford to defend themselves. I just hope against hope that there’s someone out there with morality who can block that idea.

7. Ghost of christmas past

I had a look. From Feb till May of last year, there aren’t many articles about benefits. In fact it looks like you went to great effort to not talk about. Is it only wrong to do that if you are a Tory?

8. Jessie

Grayling’s attempt to hide this video have backfired on him with a vengeance. Hardly any MOJ videos get more than a few to a couple hundred views. The record was one with just over 4,000.

By taking it down, word spread and it had over 9000 views before it got taken down again. Now there are copies everyhwere. You think he would have learned that trying to cover things up and mislead the public gets found out. We all know the wording on the Work Experience scheme info on the DWP website was changed to say it was voluntary after he kept insisting it was to the press. The previous wording made it clear people HAD to be mandated to the programme to override the minimum wage rules.

9. Lost comment

@ 1.

Thanks for link to GF blog.

Read the many comments. They are truly disgusting. Anyone that thinks a sick man setting himself on fire is either a cause to make jokes or regret that he did not succeed so that it was one sponger less, frankly needs help. These are the views of Tory voters.

10. Sheila Scoular

Considering the amount of preparation Ham-Face and his mates in the government had before they all appeared at Leverson, you’d think they’d appreciate and sympathise with how important it is for the sick and disabled to have as much information as possible. (Tongue-firmly-in-cheek).

11. kevin munden

hi having watched the video,i wanted to share my experience of making a claim for dla,in 2008 i suffered two rather serious & life threatening conditions,whilst in london my doctor’s to me i need to make a claim for dla as i’d need it for the rest of my life,duly done with the help of a charity i sent my applcation to the dwp & my repersentitives would go on my behalf,least to say my appeal was unsucessful,& again on 2 more times also,when i left london in 09 due to bad health i moved to nottingham,i got involved with another welfare charity & we went through my claim again but in more details than was previously put down on the forms,We sent off the information & was informed of the hearing as i’d nver been to one the charity suggested that i go in person with there support
On the day of the hearing it was stressful & daunting at the same time ,but once inside there was a panel of 3 people ranging from a doctor & other specialists ,they asked lots of questions,actually been there i could tell them what impact my condition has on my daily life & was very frank in my response to any questions asked by them,i would be informed of the hearing ruling,luckily i won but only given my benefits for 1 yr & was told to re-apply in the next year
during the next year my health suffered & my cardiac blackouts returned with more frequency once again i got my charity & both my cardiac & neurolgy doctors more involved with my claim,we once again sent off the form,i waited age’s for there reply when i did come the dwp was actually going to sent their own doctor out to assess my needs & challenges i faced this process went on for 4 month before i eventually informed that i’d get the low rate for mobility & i’d get medium rate for my care
So anyone who does this my advices is to photo copy everything they send you so you have copy for yourself should you need to revert back to any information & secondly attend all hearing’s in person as your 80% likely to win your claim

12. Sarah Campbell

we NEED to be able to download this – Then we can emaiul it and all of us can upload it – and then it will never be lost


Reactions: Twitter, blogs
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  120. Lucy

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  122. Mike Galloway

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