Is the DWP run by people who can't do simple maths?

[iansheff]

I just read an article where a woman has had to hand back her disability car to save the DWP money. Benefit bosses who axed a multiple sclerosis sufferer's Motability car to save £8,000 over three years offered to pay out £65,000 on taxi fares instead.

How short sighted are they and how many more people are they doing this to, actually costing the taxpayer more rather than saving money.

 

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/benefit-bosses-axe-ms-sufferers-10188400

[Andy1976]

You want to know something about the DWP that annoys me? This is how to waste a lot of money in one easy step.

 

Every personal injury claim in the country has to be registered with the DWP. The reason for this is fair enough - whoever is at fault pays back any costs incurred by the NHS and any benefits that are paid as a result of the accident are repaid - that's all fine.

 

In every case, the DWP will write to all concerned parties three or four times a year with an update on costs.

 

There are say a million claims a year or so. Three or four letters per year, to usually three parties, so maybe 10 million letters a year. That's about £6million on postage.

 

You know the first question on the form when the claim is registered? What are the parties' email addresses.

 

They could save £6m with one change - send these things by email. £6m for one change that no one at all would mind.

 

Genius organisation.

[Jeffrey Shaw]

Not everyone has e-mail, or even computer access, however.

[iansheff]

Not everyone has e-mail, or even computer access, however.

 

That is true but they could still save a fortune by using email to people that have computers and want to use it, they could offer the option. That's how a lot of companies operate these days isn't it, they send documents electronically rather than use snail mail thus saving money on postage and paper. My car insurance was almost £2 extra because I wanted the documents mailing to me rather than downloading them, my choice I wanted a hard copy of my certificate.

[Andy1976]

Not everyone has e-mail, or even computer access, however.

 

Every law firm does, and that's who the CRU send the certificates to, so my point remains.

[max]

In answer to the OP I'm going to hazard a guess that it's all about budgets and which one funds what. For instance, if the capital budget funds the cost of the car and they have specific rules for who and why to pay and the claimant doesn't fit those criteria then that may be the reason for taking away the £8,000.

 

If, on the other hand, another budget is responsible for paying taxi fares but which has different criteria then the situation where the fares exceed the cost of car may occur.

 

Then, add in to the mix, different departments responsible for different budgets and then the situation outlined by the OP is easily explained.

 

What's missing is joined up management not poor maths.

 

It happens all the time in both private and public sectors.

 

---------- Post added 10-04-2017 at 16:05 ----------

 

That is true but they could still save a fortune by using email to people that have computers and want to use it, they could offer the option. That's how a lot of companies operate these days isn't it, they send documents electronically rather than use snail mail thus saving money on postage and paper. My car insurance was almost £2 extra because I wanted the documents mailing to me rather than downloading them, my choice I wanted a hard copy of my certificate.

 

Unfortunately, it may be true that it would cost less to send everything by email but it's more likely that the current IT system is based on an older IT system which would take a small fortune to alter. The cost benefit analysis of doing this probably ruled that it was cheaper to keep sending everything out by post.

[SnailyBoy]

You want to know something about the DWP that annoys me? This is how to waste a lot of money in one easy step.

 

Every personal injury claim in the country has to be registered with the DWP. The reason for this is fair enough - whoever is at fault pays back any costs incurred by the NHS and any benefits that are paid as a result of the accident are repaid - that's all fine.

 

In every case, the DWP will write to all concerned parties three or four times a year with an update on costs.

 

There are say a million claims a year or so. Three or four letters per year, to usually three parties, so maybe 10 million letters a year. That's about £6million on postage.

 

You know the first question on the form when the claim is registered? What are the parties' email addresses.

 

They could save £6m with one change - send these things by email. £6m for one change that no one at all would mind.

 

Genius organisation.

 

Any actual evidence for that?

 

Here's the gov.uk guidance, in case you hadn't seen it.

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/compensation-social-security-benefits-and-lump-sum-payments-technical-guide/compensation-social-security-benefits-and-lump-sum-payments-technical-guide-html-version

[Obelix]

In answer to the OP I'm going to hazard a guess that it's all about budgets and which one funds what. For instance, if the capital budget funds the cost of the car and they have specific rules for who and why to pay and the claimant doesn't fit those criteria then that may be the reason for taking away the £8,000.

 

If, on the other hand, another budget is responsible for paying taxi fares but which has different criteria then the situation where the fares exceed the cost of car may occur..

 

I think that probably just about sums it up. Rules for one thing ie the car have no consideration for the effect caused on what other rules say. It's found in all large organisations to some extent.

[Andy1976]

Any actual evidence for that?

 

Here's the gov.uk guidance, in case you hadn't seen it.

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/compensation-social-security-benefits-and-lump-sum-payments-technical-guide/compensation-social-security-benefits-and-lump-sum-payments-technical-guide-html-version

 

Best reply ever.

 

Any evidence? 20 years as a personal injury lawyer receiving bloody CRU certificates every single day in my post for those entire 20 years!

 

Come to my office tomorrow. You can see how many we get. I'm 100% serious. It's in the centre of Sheffield.

 

When I was at (insert name of very large well known firm) I would get 10 to 20 a day. That's just me, out of 500 PI fee earners.

 

Seriously I I'll happily take a photo of tomorrow's pile of CRU certificates just for you.

[ECCOnoob]

^^^^^^^

 

I second the comments of my learned friend.

 

Its a big problem with a lot of the civil service organisations. Not just the DWP, but the Court Service and Land Registry too.

 

antique systems, antique methods too many stubborn mules in the management who dont like change.

 

I recently had to misfortune of attempting to rectify a DWP overpayment and was bluntly told that "we dont have scanners".

 

The government talk big of reforming the world of PI claims forcing solicitors to use electronic systems and ever chopping the fees recoverable, but somehow that never seems to translate to their own house.

 

45 days correspondence backlog one of the major courts has at the moment. This is despite massive increases in court fees which have been recently exposed to be significantly more than the actual costs to administer a claim and designed to make a profit to the court service.

 

To think that some of those people who think lawyers are all scum and hate the legal system smugly predict and threaten that AI and advances in technology will be replacing us soon. :hihi:

Edited April 10, 2017 by ECCOnoob