Jenny Willott, the Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party Committee on Work and Pensions and MP for Cardiff Central, has said that the Government needs to restore the faith of sick and disabled people in the Work Capability Assessment (WCA).
Speaking during Oral Questions to the Department for Work and Pensions, Jenny said that many sick and disabled people do not trust Atos, the company who conduct the WCA for the Government, or the WCA process itself due to the high number of incorrect decisions that have been made.
Jenny welcomed Government changes to the way the assessment is conducted but said more training was needed for Atos assessors to restore faith in the system.
Responding, Chris Grayling MP, the Minister for Employment, encouraged disability organisations to help train decision makers within DWP.
Commenting Jenny said:
“The Government, assisted by Professor Harrington, have made great strides towards improving the WCA but it’s important that we go even further.
“The WCA has been so poor for so long and many sick and disabled people have been terrified by horror stories about the way Atos work and some of the ludicrous decisions they have made. We need not only to improve the system, but also to restore the faith of people that the system will treat them fairly.
“This means ensuring that the assessment process is fit for purpose, but also providing better training for DWP decision makers and Atos assessors so that claimants and the public can trust that decisions are sound and everyone gets a fair hearing.
