Linkspam: DWP Make it Harder for Women to Access ESA Support Group

[davidgillon]

DWP just made it more difficult for women to get into ESA Support Group than men, a man just has to show he's a suicide risk, a woman needs another reason on top. A friend of mine has an article on this at The F-Word, while the original article picking it up is here

Incidentally DWP is investigating either 49 or 60+ benefit related suicides (their story varies), refuses to release any information on their recommendations, but admits majority are identifying corrective action needed at either local or national level. See here.

And completely unrelated, but as I happen to have the post window open - All female PLAAF aerobatic team to perform abroad for first time. On the one hand good that the Chinese AF is open to it, but OTOH they aren't exactly normalising women pilots through this.

(Hmm, given the furore over a female 'Ghostbusters cast', just picturing the reaction to 'Top Gun' with the genders reversed)

Comments

[jesse_the_k]

I see the through line! Top Gun PLAAF demonstration troupe (e.g. USAF Blue Angels) demonstrates tricks as it blows out the windows at DWP central.

is DWP still part of the great civil service or has that been subcontracted as well? Slimy buggers.

[davidgillon]

DWP (Department of Work and Pensions) is still Civil Service, as it Job Centre Plus, their one in every town local branch, but with a lot of stuff subcontracted to outside agencies*, most famously medical assessments to Atos, and now Maximus - which reminds me I saw a brilliant line from Disabled People Against the Cuts at the weekend: 'Maximus - same circus, different clowns'. You've also got Capita failing at the medical assessment work alongside Atos for the PIP assessments (delays of up to a year in processing claims), plus a whole host of training companies and supposed charities (including the Salvation Army!) running compulsory workfare schemes.

*Imagine DWP as Mordor, Ian Duncan Smith as Sauron, the DWP minions as the orcs, while Atos/Maximus are Saruman and the Uruk Hai.