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Forum Home  →  Discussion  →  Universal credit migration  →  Thread

Neil Couling tells Committee that ‘middle or high DLA’ gives LCWRA element

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Daphne
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https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/929b63ff-6c15-4fec-b608-fd9f087f2e75?in=09:49:00&out=09:50:00

Concerning that he’s missed the point that DLA/PIP doesn’t give you extra UC like it does in legacy benefits!!  Maybe that’s why he doesn’t understand why disabled people lose out so badly on migration!

Benny Fitzpatrick
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Now I understand why UC has been such a shambles. The “Director General” doesn’t understand the very basics of benefits and how they inter-relate.

Either that, or he’s forgotten that his audience may possess some knowledge of the subject and will notice if he plays fast and loose with the facts.

shawn mach
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To be fair, Neil’s no longer UC Director General:

Neil was appointed as Change Director General in April 2019 ....

(although he retains accountability to Parliament as ‘Senior Responsible Owner’ for UC)

https://www.gov.uk/government/people/neil-couling

Paul_Treloar_AgeUK
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I’ve watched some of this and to be honest, I think they’ve come across very poorly, they obfuscate, they make claims with little evidence and as noted above, they don’t even seem to understand the basics of what it is they;re in charge of.

Benny Fitzpatrick
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shawn - 01 May 2019 10:56 AM

To be fair, Neil’s no longer UC Director General:

Neil was appointed as Change Director General in April 2019 ....

(although he retains accountability to Parliament as ‘Senior Responsible Owner’ for UC)

https://www.gov.uk/government/people/neil-couling

I was wondering if he had, in fact, become “Grand Wizard” or “Humungous Panjandram” or some such, of UC!

Vonny
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I could do the calculations for them - even if Alok can’t

NAI
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Are Neil Couling and Chris Grayling in some way related? No wonder satire is dying. Reality is more bizarre!

Peter Turville
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Benny Fitzpatrick - 01 May 2019 11:03 AM
shawn - 01 May 2019 10:56 AM

To be fair, Neil’s no longer UC Director General:

Neil was appointed as Change Director General in April 2019 ....

(although he retains accountability to Parliament as ‘Senior Responsible Owner’ for UC)

https://www.gov.uk/government/people/neil-couling

I was wondering if he had, in fact, become “Grand Wizard” or “Humungous Panjandram” or some such, of UC!

Isn’t ‘Change Director General’ just a modern term for “Grand Wizard” or “Humungous Panjandram” (to para-phrase Past Caring - https://www.rightsnet.org.uk/forums/viewthread/14383/) ‘invented by some DWP pencil-necked hipster geek with a dodgy beard’.

If you can’t do the job just change the job title? 

One would assume Frank Field will be writing to Neil about providing the cttte with this misinformation in his normal robust terms?

[ Edited: 1 May 2019 at 01:32 pm by Peter Turville ]
Benny Fitzpatrick
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NAI - 01 May 2019 01:22 PM

Are Neil Couling and Chris Grayling in some way related? No wonder satire is dying. Reality is more bizarre!

Not sure whether they’re related, but they do have in common (like many Govt lackeys), that both have ambition which far outstrips their ability.

Peter Turville
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Benny Fitzpatrick - 01 May 2019 02:23 PM
NAI - 01 May 2019 01:22 PM

Are Neil Couling and Chris Grayling in some way related? No wonder satire is dying. Reality is more bizarre!

Not sure whether they’re related, but they do have in common (like many Govt lackeys), that both have ambition which far outstrips their ability.

Isn’t that the Ferengi first rule of acquisition: Always promote (at least) one position above the persons ability to do the job?

Pete at CAB
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Peter Turville - 01 May 2019 02:55 PM
Benny Fitzpatrick - 01 May 2019 02:23 PM
NAI - 01 May 2019 01:22 PM

Are Neil Couling and Chris Grayling in some way related? No wonder satire is dying. Reality is more bizarre!

Not sure whether they’re related, but they do have in common (like many Govt lackeys), that both have ambition which far outstrips their ability.

Isn’t that the Ferengi first rule of acquisition: Always promote (at least) one position above the persons ability to do the job?

Not being one of the illustrious band of Trekkies I remember this as the Peter Principle -

http://timharford.com/2018/08/the-peter-principle-is-a-joke-taken-seriously-is-it-true/

Andrew Dutton
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I hate to be fair to ‘Thank-You-Cards’ but he may have been talking at cross purposes with Ruth George MP -? His response was very muddled, though.

I note that Alok Sharma could not list the ‘triggers’ for natural migration. Heidi Allen was right to point out that this is worrying. Pace those advisers who feel that ‘triggers’ is poor nomenclature (and I agree), a proper list is needed. DWP does not provide one and probably never will.

He claims that everything is just the same as under the legacy system, for instance if you move home.  But you don’t lose SDP and other premiums in those circumstances on legacy benefits, mate.

In reply to questions about loss of SDP on moving home, repeated claims that LCWRA is ‘more generous’ in UC are skewed and misleading.

DWP will not consider any measures for those who will lose on natural migration other than the SDP gateway.

The losses are ‘static notional figures’, y’know! It’s a dynamic system y’know!

And they don’t tell people wrongly to claim UC y’know….nor do they provide advice based on partial and inaccurate information! Gad!!!

Mr Sharma says we should come forward with any cases of failure to move LCW/LCWRA over to UC - but we have, and they have often bogged down in DWP’s refusal to speak to us, or their outright denial that any such advice was given!

There have only been five people compensated for being mis-advised to claim UC….????

Complacent and appalling.

NAI
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Pete at CAB - 01 May 2019 03:07 PM
Peter Turville - 01 May 2019 02:55 PM
Benny Fitzpatrick - 01 May 2019 02:23 PM
NAI - 01 May 2019 01:22 PM

Are Neil Couling and Chris Grayling in some way related? No wonder satire is dying. Reality is more bizarre!

Not sure whether they’re related, but they do have in common (like many Govt lackeys), that both have ambition which far outstrips their ability.

Isn’t that the Ferengi first rule of acquisition: Always promote (at least) one position above the persons ability to do the job?

Not being one of the illustrious band of Trekkies I remember this as the Peter Principle -

http://timharford.com/2018/08/the-peter-principle-is-a-joke-taken-seriously-is-it-true/

It’s life Jim but not as we know it :-)

Paul_Treloar_AgeUK
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That went well then…..

MP Ruth George told him: “You’re basically holding 10,000 disabled people to ransom to try and force the house to agree to your regulations overall.”

She added: “It sounds very much like you’re trying to blackmail members of this House.”

Mr Sharma replied: “That is certainly not my intention, that is not the Secretary of State’s intention, that is not the department’s intention.

“I’m very sorry that you feel that is something we’re trying to do. That is not.”

DWP accused of ‘holding 10,000 disabled people to ransom’ over Universal Credit

Andrew Dutton
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Would it be possible to point out to Mr C that a Responsible Owner cleans up after his pet?

Thank You!

Charles
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Daphne - 01 May 2019 10:39 AM

https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/929b63ff-6c15-4fec-b608-fd9f087f2e75?in=09:49:00&out=09:50:00

Concerning that he’s missed the point that DLA/PIP doesn’t give you extra UC like it does in legacy benefits!!  Maybe that’s why he doesn’t understand why disabled people lose out so badly on migration!

https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmworpen/Correspondence/190510-Neil-Couling-on-compensatory-payments-for-misadvice-on-natural-migration.pdf