× Search rightsnet
Search options

Where

Benefit

Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction

From

to

Forum Home  →  Discussion  →  Decision making and appeals  →  Thread

“Claimant Representation Panels”

Benny Fitzpatrick
forum member

Welfare Rights Officer, Southway Housing Trust, Manchester

Send message

Total Posts: 627

Joined: 2 June 2015

Has anyone heard of the above?  Penny Mordaunt referred to them yesterday, when questioned in parliament about the farce of MR. She seems to think they are a way to help claimants through the MR/appeal process, but I have not heard of them.

Interestingly, she also confirmed that only 3% of MRs result in a changed decision. She claims this indicates the high quality of original decisions (stifles laughter!). Would love to hear her explanation of why 65-70% of these “high quality” decisions are subsequently overturned at Tribunal!

Mike Hughes
forum member

Senior welfare rights officer - Salford City Council Welfare Rights Service

Send message

Total Posts: 3138

Joined: 17 June 2010

News item today.

The explanation for the 65 to 70% of decisions subsequently over-turned is clearly because of the poor quality of tribunals 😊

ROFLWAS

 

 

juliem
forum member

Macmillan welfare rights advisor - Barnsley MBC, Barnsley

Send message

Total Posts: 118

Joined: 17 June 2010

“ROFLWAS”? I can understand the “ROLF” but not the “WAS”?

Mike Hughes
forum member

Senior welfare rights officer - Salford City Council Welfare Rights Service

Send message

Total Posts: 3138

Joined: 17 June 2010

juliem - 21 February 2017 04:59 PM

“ROFLWAS”? I can understand the “ROLF” but not the “WAS”?

Sorry, “with aching sides” :)

Jon (CANY)
forum member

Welfare benefits - Craven CAB, North Yorkshire

Send message

Total Posts: 1362

Joined: 16 June 2010

This may be the relevant exchange (concerning assessment of claims though, not MRs..). It seems that service user panels will be “shortly introduced”:

https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2017-02-20/debates/C866BE9F-908D-4076-BE94-C70953A91A34/PersonalIndependencePayments

Mike Hughes
forum member

Senior welfare rights officer - Salford City Council Welfare Rights Service

Send message

Total Posts: 3138

Joined: 17 June 2010

It’s a theoretically interesting idea but I suspect we all know how it’ll pan out in practice.

- problems with recruiting claimants with disabilities beyond those who make a point of participating in everything.
- problems with recruiting the less articulate claimants.
- problems persuading people to participate because people believe it’ll impact on their benefits.
- some people attending because they believe it’s compulsory and will impact their benefits if they don’t.
- at least one person will be sanctioned for attending said panel.
- agenda wholly defined by DWP et al so basically the panel gets used as a justification for existing plans and to legitimise things where there is supposedly no alternative.

I always thought it was summed up nicely by https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/07/feedback-companies-shopping-online-theatre

 

Stuart
Administrator

rightsnet editor

Send message

Total Posts: 890

Joined: 21 March 2016

More details from Penny Mordaunt in a written ansewr yesterday -

‘We want to reach as many people as possible across the country. Contributors will be able to participate as little or as much as they want, rather than commit to being part of a joint Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) panel for a fixed period. Participation will be entirely voluntary.

We aim to run a panel approximately every 8 weeks, totalling around 6 in the next year. We will be exploring different approaches to reaching people, including working with charities and representative organisations to draw on their expertise.’

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2017-02-27/65782

past caring
forum member

Welfare Rights Adviser - Southwark Law Centre, Peckham

Send message

Total Posts: 1116

Joined: 25 February 2014

“Claimants thank us for being sanctioned.”

Benny Fitzpatrick
forum member

Welfare Rights Officer, Southway Housing Trust, Manchester

Send message

Total Posts: 627

Joined: 2 June 2015

Oh yes, didn’t you know? Jobcentres are overwhelmed with “thank you” cards for their kindness and generosity in handing out sanctions. It’s official, Neil Couling said it, and like Brutus, “he’s an honourable man”. Why, some clients even “offend” on a regular basis because they enjoy sanctions so much! (removes tongue from cheek!)