Government connives at social immobility

An investigation by the Guardian has forced the government to admit that Jobcentre staff have been deliberately kicking people off the unemployment register in order to meet welfare targets.

The paper states that Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) officials had initially dismissed accusations that Jobcentre Plus employees were tricking vulnerable claimants into losing welfare entitlements. The allegation came from whistleblower who said staff were given targets of three people a week to refer for sanctions, where benefits are removed for up to six months.

Work and Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, appeared on Sky News on Sunday claiming it was "claptrap" that anyone would "hand out edicts to staff to sanction three people", and said the story was a "conspiracy".

When confronted by further evidence in the form of e-mails which confirmed the existence of individual or group targets to stop people's benefits at offices across the country, the DWP put it down to a problem of “misinterpretation” of Departmental requirements by “a small number of offices”.

Union officials however describe the practice as widespread and cited instances where staff have complained that they have been threatened with sanctions themselves if they do not reach the targets.

The Public and Commercial Services Union is demanding a full apology from IDS for his comments. The reason that Labour has yet to jump on this bandwagon however, is the revelation that the practice of ‘incentivising’ sanctions exists as far back as 2009.