Sign in / up

back to article Poor pensioners falling through DWP data holes

Gaps in information are hindering the Department for Work and Pensions' efforts to help pensioners who live in poverty. The department's latest performance report (pdf) says that it does not have sufficient information about the circumstances of all individual pensioners to identify their entitlement to benefits. Although the …

COMMENTS

House rules Send corrections
This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Its funny

    Because they phrase it like a kind, benevolent exercise to find out who needs benefits, but doesn't have them, when really it's more an exercise to remove benefits from as many people as possible,

    0 0
  2. Andy ORourke
    Joke

    What they need is........

    A database, say of all the pensioners and what benefits they receive, this could then be extended to all those approaching pension age so they can make sure they get the right advice. After a while this could include all those who are working. Eventually they could include everyone in the country on the database so that everyone could get the right benefits.

    I think they could create a system in under 20 years for a little less than £50 billion or so. Anyone else think they should do this?

    0 0
  3. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    Ebay

    Probaly has the disks with the answers

    0 0
  4. Anonymous Coward
    Dead Vulture

    @ AC 15:37

    True, true...

    Local authorites also see "asset gathering" from our old people as a viable funding stream.

    It's amazing how many people on £1k, £2k or £3k+ per week are required to direct £50 - £100 per week to suitable dependent.

    0 0
  5. Mike Moyle

    Because you KNOW it's coming...

    "Now, if all of those pensioners had some sort of national ID card, then we could know what services they needed..."

    0 0
  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    @ Andy ORourke

    "outreach through trusted service providers and local voluntary groups" is the giveaway: they're just going to grab (sorry, I meant share) the information from your bank, doctor, loyalty card, credit card, landlord / building society / land registry &c &c. So much cheaper than ID cards.

    0 0
  7. Thomas Baker
    Thumb Down

    Find out who they are...

    ...so they can say "No, you can't have any money. Even though you fought/lived through the war, you can die without any heating or sufficient food or any dignity while we throw 50 billion into a large hole in the ground/fund a new database project."

    They probably want to find out who they are so they can investigate them for benefits fraud, even though they're not currently gettting any benefits, it won't stop them; the benefit thieves are EVERYWHERE!!!

    They also probably want to know who they are so they can say no and thus count it effectively as a saving of benefits.

    People called the government they go the house.

    0 0
  8. Joe Zeff
    Coat

    Cognative Dissonance

    The article's headline threw me for a loop for a moment. I live in Los Angeles, and out here, DWP means "Department of Water and Power."

    0 0
  9. Martin Lyne

    Erm

    If they are "outside the benefit system" then surely they don't want benefits? How many people don't know about benefits? How many poor old people, presumably with nothing else to do think "I won't bother calling the benefits people"

    0 0
  10. Anonymous Coward
    Unhappy

    @Joe Zeff

    Having suffered the local DWP minions, I'd say your definition is more accurate than ours.

    Work? Not much help finding anything useful.

    Pensions? They recently told my grandmother she has to pay for her Meals-on-Wheels because she has a private pension. If she hadn't saved all her working life and just relied on the pitiful State Pension, she could have had them for free. Of course, then she'd have to go without practically everything else, but at least she'd get one meal a day for free...

    Still, the Department bit is accurate.

    Some of them (not all - some of them are actually decent human beings!) seem to think they should be able to walk on water and have all the power...

    0 0
This topic is closed for new posts.