Labour's 'Jobs Guarantee' to last for a whole Parliament

by Sam | 10 Mar 2014 | Employment, General Election 2015, Politics, Welfare

Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls will deliver a speech tonight in which he will reaffirm the Labour’s ‘Compulsory Jobs Guarantee’ will last for the entirety of the next Parliament, following reports that it may only be in place for 12 months. The scheme, a...

NAO: Introduction of PIP causing distress to disabled claimants

by Chris Rogers | 27 Feb 2014 | Outsourcing, Politics, Welfare

The National Audit Office’s report published this morning on the early progress of the assessments for Personal Independence Payment, contracted to Atos and Capita, has found that delays and poor operational performance is causing distress and financial...

Decrease in unemployment 'slowing' according to the ONS

by Chris Rogers | 19 Feb 2014 | Economy, Employment, Politics, Welfare

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) this morning published its latest monthly labour market statistics, covering the quarter October – December 2013 (where figures refer to the ‘previous quarter’, this is July – September 2013). The figures show that...

Atos to lose WCA contract from 2015?

by Chris Rogers | 18 Feb 2014 | Outsourcing, Politics, Welfare

The Guardian has reported on the ongoing story with regards to the upcoming tendering for new providers for the controversial Work Capability Assessment contract, noting that a leaked document has revealed the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) plans to use...

Labour MP says Iain Duncan Smith should be 'ashamed' over PIP

by Chris Rogers | 18 Feb 2014 | Outsourcing, Politics, Welfare

Labour MP Sheila Gilmore, a member of the Work and Pensions Select Committee, has written a blog for the Huffington Post website criticising the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the two suppliers of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments –...