if you click on the pdf file for the full report you will find some erm how do I put this ohhh yeah "interesting" reading.
Such little gems as :
"The Department does not yet have a sufficiently detailed model of how it
wants to run in the long term
15 Through having a clear vision of how the organisation will operate in future, senior managers are more likely to be able to prioritise what changes are needed and to explain to staff what their role might be. The approach can be referred to as defining a Target Operating Model. The model is, in effect, a vision of how an organisation will look in future given its objectives and will enable the Department to identify those areas that can be trimmed to reduce costs. The model should be supported by a detailed outline of how it will operate in practice. At the outset the model can be defined in broad terms and include some areas of uncertainty, such as how Universal Credit might be implemented. Such a model should then be refined through regular iteration as the Department’s analysis of information develops. For example, the confirmation in
May 2011 that Universal Credit will initially be delivered by staff from the Department and HM Revenue and Customs means that the model can be refined further."
Which is basically saying the DWP will not be implementing the change over to Universal Credit but the HMRC will. Now these are the people who lost the Child Benefit information a few years back, so excuse me IF I don't hold my breath for ease of transition. The HMRC is also the people who deal with CTC and WTC (Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit) also notorious for making mistakes.
It also states it thinks that streamlining services and relying more on online services is the way to go . . . . . a few problems with that pensioners, and anyone who cannot rely upon the internet such as those who use libraries to access the internet, of course that's not even mentioning people with such conditions as Dyslexia who may find it much much harder to do the form filling online and not in person, or even over the phone.
Much as though I have reservations about the "cost reductions" I fear the people who have never claimed before will lose out.
I also fear that those the planned changes are aiming at stopping (the fraudsters) wont be stopped they know the system they can get around it, not so with people who don't even know they can claim that little bit of help such as DLA, or Pensions such as State Pension and Retirement Pension.
According to the ONS own report on spending in 2009/10 the pensions I mention above are under paid to a much higher rate than the overpayments the government is trying to stop.
Also remember that under payment is seen as "administrative error" and often not put right as seen by the earlier ONS report showing £100 million is under paid to one of the pensions alone!!!!
Now when you remember that :
"The vast majority of reductions will be to expenditure on benefits and pensions, rather than administrative spending. These payments are not within the Departments direct control as they must be paid out the those who apply and are eligible. the reductions therefore depend upon the policy changes announced in the June 2010 Budget, the subsequent Spending Review and the March 2011 Budget, reflecting for the most part adjustments in benefit rates and entitlements."
We should be very very afraid. As I understand the above statement, taken from the linked report. Tough cheese if you need we are saying the pot is empty so instead of putting taxes up and creating jobs as the government did when we had the highest deficit right after 1945 and built houses, roads and gave tax breaks to companies coming here, we are going to change the rules of entitlement. That means even though you have paid in all your live tough cheese no pension, mind you that's if you even know to apply in the first place.
I also note that there is to be a headcount reduction, does this mean that staff will go, apparently so, the report says there will be a reduction of Benefit Delivery Centres, now remember these took over from Benefit Agency offices. This of course meant you could no longer take your evidence to the local office and get them to photo copy it and add it to your file there and then, now you sent it to a BDC wait 4 weeks for it to be found and placed on a desk, ignored for a month, and only when you call up and ask if your evidence has been dealt with can you expect some one to actually deal with it.
Also if there are less staff, we will have to wait longer and longer to have any claim seen and read never mind actually processed.
Ohhh and how will the benefits of the people no longer working for the DWP be paid if there is to be reductions to benefits and pensions????
A very sad day indeed I feel. . . . .
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