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Labour: Fitness-for-work tester Atos 'should be sacked' Labour calls on PM to 'sack' benefits test company
(1 day later)
The company that carries out "fitness-for-work" tests on disabled benefits claimants is a "disgrace" and should be sacked, Labour has said.The company that carries out "fitness-for-work" tests on disabled benefits claimants is a "disgrace" and should be sacked, Labour has said.
Shadow work and pensions secretary Liam Byrne said the French-run company, Atos, is getting "too many" tests wrong and delivering "poor value for money" Shadow work and pensions secretary Liam Byrne said the tests would "have to stay" under a Labour government.
The government "should sack them and sack them now," said Mr Byrne. But he told delegates at the party's conference that current assessors Atos gets "too many" tests wrong and delivers "poor value for money".
In response, Atos said it provided a "professional and compassionate" service. The company defended its "professional and compassionate" service.
Atos was told to improve its services by MPs in July after an "unacceptable reduction" in the quality of its written reports. The French IT firm is paid by the government to carry out "work capability assessments" for people applying for the sickness benefit employment and support allowance, as well as people who were previously on incapacity benefit.
It was told to improve its services by MPs in July after an "unacceptable reduction" in the quality of its written reports.
A government audit, which analysed 400 reports, followed concerns being raised over the firm's services.A government audit, which analysed 400 reports, followed concerns being raised over the firm's services.
Mr Byrne said that the principle of assessments was right but too many mistakes were still being made - with almost two in five assessments being appealed against and 42% of those appeals upheld, costing courts and tribunals around £20m a year. Speaking to Labour activists in Brighton Mr Byrne said: "I say to David Cameron, Atos are a disgrace, you should sack them and sack them now."
Due to backlogs in the system, 35,000 claimants were made to wait longer than 13 weeks for a decision, which caused "considerable distress" according to the Commons spending watchdog. But he added: "We need a system that delivers the right help to the right people, so assessments have to stay."
An Atos Healthcare spokesman said: "We do everything we can to treat people with sensitivity and compassion."
Hate crimesHate crimes
Outlining a package of measures to help disabled people, Mr Byrne also said Labour "will change the law so hate crime against disabled people is treated like every other hate crime". Outlining a package of measures, Mr Byrne said disabled people were "threatened by hate crime, by Atos and by the bedroom tax" - the cut in housing benefit to social housing tenants deemed to have too many rooms which Labour has pledged to reverse.
He said Labour would "change the law so hate crime against disabled people is treated like every other hate crime".
Earlier this year, police, prosecution and probation inspectorates warned that victims of disability hate crime were being let down and attacks not properly recorded - partly because it was not clearly defined in law.Earlier this year, police, prosecution and probation inspectorates warned that victims of disability hate crime were being let down and attacks not properly recorded - partly because it was not clearly defined in law.
It followed high-profile cases such as that of Fiona Pilkington who ended years of torment by killing herself and her disabled daughter.It followed high-profile cases such as that of Fiona Pilkington who ended years of torment by killing herself and her disabled daughter.
Labour said it would extend aggravated offences in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 to include where hostility is demonstrated towards people on the grounds of disability as well as making "stirring up hatred" against disabled people an offence. The Labour frontbencher also pledged to make another of the government's key social security reforms work.
Such crimes would be "properly recorded" on people's criminal records under the proposals and a review carried out into whether the Attorney General should have the power to challenge "unduly lenient" sentences in such cases. "We need universal credit to work," he said. "So if the government won't act to save it, we will."
Australian model He said he was announcing a "rescue committee" to salvage the policy, which is intended to ensure those claiming would always be better off in work.
Mr Byrne revealed that he was working with Australia's former Minister for Disability Reform, Jenny Macklin, on adapting an integrated system which her party introduced.
Australia's Labor party introduced the National Disability Insurance system which brings together health, social care and back to work support.
An Atos Healthcare spokesman said: "We do everything we can to treat people with sensitivity and compassion.
"Accusing a private provider of being responsible for the rise in successful appeals is a gross over- simplification and ignores feedback from the Tribunal Service as well as a warning from the National Audit Office that there are dangers in that assumption."