Crippen Cartoons cartoons at the cutting edge of disability

The cover up by the DWP regarding the deaths of disabled benefit claimants continues as coroners’ reports are ‘lost’.

New information shows that the missing reports were written by coroners in 2015 and 2016 and warned the Department of Works and Pensions (DWP) that more disabled people would die if the department failed to act.

Entitled ‘prevention of future deaths’, these reports have never been published, nor, we understand, been acted upon by the DWP.

The existence of the two unpublished reports was first revealed by the Disability News Service (DNS) in March and despite questions from Labour’s new shadow minister for disabled people, Vicky Foxcroft, the DWP refuse to provide any real information, other than to agree that the reports existed, and that one of the reports related to the death of a benefit claimant who took their own life.

This is just another example of reports and documentation relating to the deaths of disabled benefits claimants being lost, shredded or amended in some way by the DWP (see my previous Blogs).

Surely they have a legal obligation to be accountable for their actions and to be answerable to parliament?!

… Sorry, can’t think what came over me then. We are talking about disabled people here and let’s face it, nobody gives a shit!

Description of cartoon for those using screen reading software

An open grave dominates the cartoon with a headstone reading ‘Benefit claimant deaths’ printed on it. A large black vulture sits on the headstone. A young man in a suit and carrying a shovel is filling the grave with reports whilst other reports lie at his feet. Standing alongside of him are the grim reaper and Iain Duncan Smith (IDS). The reaper is saying to IDS: “As long as you keep the evidence buried Iain you’ll be OK!”