Oral Answers to Questions

Tom Greatrex Excerpts
Monday 10th December 2012

(11 years, 5 months ago)

Commons Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Mark Hoban Portrait Mr Hoban
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

My hon. Friend has made an important point. There has been a great deal of scaremongering about the work capability assessment, and a great deal of criticism, most of it unfounded. Let me inform the House of two facts. First, decisions about eligibility are made not by Atos but by the Department’s decision makers, and, secondly, we have established that in only 0.4% of cases in which tribunals have overturned DWP decisions has Atos been the cause.

Tom Greatrex Portrait Tom Greatrex (Rutherglen and Hamilton West) (Lab/Co-op)
- Hansard - -

I am not sure whether some of those last remarks were aimed at me, but may I ask whether the Minister agrees with Professor Harrington’s comment:

“The appeals process remains an area of considerable concern”?

As a number of charities have pointed out, many people who were given zero points in the initial assessment discovered, following appeals, that they had at least 15. How many people have found themselves in that position in the last year?