In relation to today’s news story, Over 58,000 households have had their benefit capped since April 2013 I notice the DWP press release begins by boldly stating:
“The benefit cap continues to provide a clear incentive to work, with over 22,000 people who had their benefits capped moving into work, .....”
Why do they persist in making unevidenced claims of this type? It was only in January of this year in a similar claim made following a review at the end of last year that they were shown to be exaggerating on this issue - Reality check: has the benefit cap led to a ‘rush to the job centre’?
The response from Sir Andrew Dilnot to Jonathon Portes (which has gone missing from the Grauniad story but which I have attached here) stated pretty unequivocally that there is no particularly strong causal link. The IFS also stressed that starting a working tax credit claim was not always the same thing as moving into paid work.
And yet here we are again, with DWP making exactly the same claims (as they did at yesterday’s OSEF meeting where I got a bit cross with them). It’s like hearing the clock striking 13 again and again….
[ Edited: 11 Jun 2015 at 12:22 am by Paul_Treloar_CPAG ]
