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Clean Politics > Published by Daniel Elton, August 12th 2011 at 2:58 pm

Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons?

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Yesterday we reported how in research published on Monday,  the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) finally acknowledged that one of the key figures it has been using to make the case for cuts to disability living allowance gives ‘a distorted picture’ .

The blogger and regular Left Foot Forward commenter Mason Dixon, Autistic (MDA) has pointed out that if this information had been released when it was signed off, back in May, it would have been released while MPs were debating the welfare reform bill which has now left the House of Commons.

These raise some questions about  DWP’s handling of evidence on benefit receipt and how it communicates this evidence to stakeholders, including MPs.  

This is what MDA said in the comments to yesterday’s article:

 “Can I just point out that the report itself was published on Monday, but inside it is dated as July on the front page of the PDF and then later the author signs off the date as May 2011.

“This report has been delayed for nearly three months. May is when it was going through its second reading in the Commons, July is when the government made a failed attempt to hurry it through the Second Reading in the Lords but it got delayed until September.

“So this has been released right in the middle of a very good time to bury bad news.”

We have checked the DWP’s series of ‘ad hoc analyses’, to which the research released on Monday belongs. Most of these reports have what seems to be a sign off date (by a named civil servant) and a publication date, as well as a date of publication on the DWP’s website.

The table shows these dates for reports published to date in the third quarter of this year. Compared to the other reports, the gap between sign off and publication date on the DLA analysis certainly looks anomalous. For other reports, sign off and publication more or less coincide (in one case, which we are unable to explain, publication preceded sign-off!).

Given how many thousands of people are to be affected by the disability reform bill, holding this analysis back while parliamentarians debated the bill seems, on the surface, seriously irresponsible. Left Foot Forward has put these questions to the DWP, and will report back on the answers if and when they appear: 

1)      Why was there such a long gap between sign off and publication of this particular piece of analysis? Was there some additional level of civil service clearance required before this analysis could be published, compared to other ad hoc analyses, and if so at what level? Who cleared the report for publication, and when? Who decided on the date the analysis was to be released? 

2) Who commissioned the report? Was it commissioned at the request of the Secretary of State’s or other ministerial private office? 

3) How did it come about that such basic analysis of the drivers of DLA growth was only carried out after the government had set out its proposals for radical changes to DLA?

4) What steps did the DWP take to communicate the findings of this analysis to parliamentarians in the course of the Commons debates on the Welfare Reform Bill? 

  • http://twitter.com/soisthesun/status/102016339094409216 soisthesun

    Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Com: http://bit.ly/q6Vi2h writes @danielelton #disabilityreform

  • http://twitter.com/avichai15/status/102017571833921537 Paul McGlynn

    RT @leftfootfwd: Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/dqWfEuQ

  • http://twitter.com/natandoron/status/102017937786941442 Natan Doron

    Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/Bf51NPP Good digging from @danielelton

  • http://twitter.com/anonymoosh/status/102018056070500354 Ceehaitch

    Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Com: http://bit.ly/q6Vi2h writes @danielelton #disabilityreform

  • http://twitter.com/danielelton/status/102018355652870145 Daniel Elton

    Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/qJrUbvh @suey2y @BrokenOfBritain

  • http://twitter.com/bendygirl/status/102018606744870912 BendyGirl

    Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/qJrUbvh @suey2y @BrokenOfBritain

  • http://twitter.com/latentexistence/status/102018644774617088 Tentacle Sixteen

    Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/qJrUbvh @suey2y @BrokenOfBritain

  • http://twitter.com/brokenofbritain/status/102018647492526080 Broken OfBritain

    Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/qJrUbvh @suey2y @BrokenOfBritain

  • http://twitter.com/dis_ppl_protest/status/102018697861931008 DPAC

    Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/qJrUbvh @suey2y @BrokenOfBritain

  • Anonymous

  • http://twitter.com/littleern/status/102028301245218816 Ernest Wiseman

    MT @danielelton: Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/qJrUbvh

  • http://twitter.com/therightarticle/status/102028800702955520 Michael

    Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? – http://bit.ly/rn1vk7

  • http://twitter.com/wtbdavidg/status/102029001509453824 David Gillon

    #cuts #disability Why did DWP delay admitting dodgy data until #WRB cleared Commons + try to bury it during the riots? http://bit.ly/pVIG6K

  • http://twitter.com/falseecon/status/102029768031092736 False Economy

    Good question RT @danielelton: Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/EBgpQxi

  • http://twitter.com/opinion8ed_dyke/status/102030266406666240 pip

    #cuts #disability Why did DWP delay admitting dodgy data until #WRB cleared Commons + try to bury it during the riots? http://bit.ly/pVIG6K

  • http://twitter.com/pissedprole/status/102030479187914753 Pissed Proletariat

    Good question RT @danielelton: Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/EBgpQxi

  • http://twitter.com/stuartgwhite/status/102030513065299968 Stuart White

    Good question RT @danielelton: Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/EBgpQxi

  • http://twitter.com/falseecon/status/102030529657962497 False Economy

    @rantsfromron cheers though seems ok here – try http://t.co/A7b3lc8

  • http://twitter.com/citizen_4537c84/status/102030579943477249 Armchair Activist

    Good question RT @danielelton: Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/EBgpQxi

  • http://twitter.com/janet_ewan/status/102031301820948480 janet ewan

    Good question RT @danielelton: Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/EBgpQxi

  • http://twitter.com/chrisbracken/status/102033135939751936 Chris

    MT @leftfootfwd: 'Why did DWP delay releasing new data…' Does this amount to misleading the House? http://t.co/WAdvW5d

  • http://twitter.com/juderobinson/status/102033553172348928 CllrJuderobinson

    RT @leftfootfwd: Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/avb47op

  • http://twitter.com/cv_london/status/102034648686788608 CV London

    Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared …: Yesterday we reported how in r… http://t.co/H94rfem

  • http://twitter.com/hens4freedom/status/102034932502769664 Hens4Freedom

    Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Com: http://bit.ly/q6Vi2h writes @danielelton #disabilityreform

  • http://twitter.com/christoclifford/status/102036972759027712 christine clifford

    Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/qJrUbvh @stellacreasy

  • http://twitter.com/budecruiser/status/102037843194548224 Raymond Shemilt

    RT @leftfootfwd: Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/Inu8s59

  • http://twitter.com/bennewmanwright/status/102041658358640641 Dr. Ben Wright

    Key figure used by Department for Work and Pensions for Disability Living allowance cuts may give ‘distorted picture’: http://t.co/fuow8nl

  • http://twitter.com/carerwatch/status/102041684967292928 Rosemary

    RT @leftfootfwd: Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/EP2nNaL

  • http://twitter.com/poddingham_paul/status/102042045601943554 Paul Abbott

    MT @danielelton: Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/qJrUbvh

  • http://twitter.com/richmondaid/status/102042860756545538 Richmond AID

    RT @leftfootfwd: Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/EP2nNaL

  • http://twitter.com/sbudden72/status/102043655086407681 Stephen Budden

    Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/1D9fDf9 @suey2y @BrokenOfBritain

  • http://twitter.com/paulstpancras/status/102045170245189633 paulstpancras

    Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? | http://bit.ly/qnHK3c | #dwp #benefits

  • http://wheresthebenefit.blogspot.com DavidG

    Potentially just a coincidence, but in the light of everything else about these figures we have to take a long hard look at the fact they were released at the height of the rioting. When better to bury a set of embarrassing facts?

  • http://twitter.com/redleaning/status/102045453650112512 Scarlet

    Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? | http://bit.ly/qnHK3c | #dwp #benefits

  • http://ronsrants.wordpress.com Ron Graves

    I’m afraid that expecting honesty from the DWP under IDS is expecting far too much given the torrent of lies and disinformation that routinely issues from the department.

  • http://twitter.com/chaostocosmos/status/102050798409748480 Pamela Heywood

    Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://dlvr.it/fyYBn

  • http://twitter.com/living_as_if/status/102059124078018560 Lisa Chalkley

    Good question RT @danielelton: Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/EBgpQxi

  • http://masondixonautistic.blogspot.com Mason Dixon, Autistic

    What’s funny about the different dates on the front cover and sign-off is that it means whoever dated the cover didn’t bother to read just a few pages. It appears they were aware of the gist of it but not specific details like that. Since I started writing I’ve found this to be typical of the ministers responsible for welfare reform; they talk about the reports and statistics like they were things they were told about rather than read themselves. It’s made correspondence with them by all bloggers and journalists obviously frustrating as they never go off-script and debate specific points honestly.

  • http://twitter.com/brokenofbritain/status/102067385892225026 Broken OfBritain

    Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? | Left Foot Fo… http://t.co/o5G1wJs

  • http://twitter.com/vox_pop_uk/status/102068417258987520 vox populi

    RT @leftfootfwd: Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/SlU806W

  • http://twitter.com/a__rhodes/status/102068884550598656 Andrew Rhodes

    @leftfootfwd Why did the DWP delay releasing new data until the Welfare Reform Bill #wrb cleared the Commons http://t.co/tLxSVA7

  • http://twitter.com/staceyuk/status/102069234938560512 StaceyUK

    Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? | Left Foot Fo… http://t.co/o5G1wJs

  • http://twitter.com/cherryflip80/status/102071302155812865 Jodi Bailey

    Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? | Left Foot Fo… http://t.co/o5G1wJs

  • http://twitter.com/painfatiguesppt/status/102082974241136640 Tracy Martin

    MT @danielelton: Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/qJrUbvh

  • http://twitter.com/elainesk/status/102093782752833537 Elaine S

    RT @BrokenOfBritain Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/y68HoLO <DWP = cheats

  • http://twitter.com/masondautistic/status/102122119965585408 Mason Dixon Autistic

    RT @leftfootfwd: Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/g1GUkeE

  • http://twitter.com/welfarerights4u/status/102127956524146688 Steven Preece

    Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/jbhe0Cz

  • http://twitter.com/nickbloke/status/102180416752066560 Nick H.

    RT @leftfootfwd: Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after #welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/VXWsBo4

  • http://twitter.com/suey2y/status/102290384696262656 Sue Marsh

    “@danielelton: Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/gPtRVL9 < why indeed?

  • http://twitter.com/sinister416/status/102291041801080832 Sinister

    “@danielelton: Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/gPtRVL9 < why indeed?

  • http://twitter.com/1066lass/status/102291052861468672 tbc

    “@danielelton: Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/gPtRVL9 < why indeed?

  • http://twitter.com/jos21/status/102291661257834496 Jos Bell

    “@danielelton: Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/gPtRVL9 < why indeed?

  • http://twitter.com/timtim1981/status/102292334066155520 Tim Easton

    “@danielelton: Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/gPtRVL9 < why indeed?

  • http://twitter.com/narco_sam/status/102295179607801856 Sam Barnett-Cormack

    “@danielelton: Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/gPtRVL9 < why indeed?

  • http://twitter.com/barsacq/status/102295508504162304 Richard McCarthy

    “@danielelton: Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/gPtRVL9 < why indeed?

  • http://twitter.com/dzhonkroft/status/102295700188041216 John Croft

    Good question RT @danielelton: Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/EBgpQxi

  • http://twitter.com/ligomersall/status/102301321574612992 liane gomersall

    “@danielelton: Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/gPtRVL9 < why indeed?

  • http://twitter.com/c_boyle/status/102306609996374016 Chris Boyle

    http://t.co/VBAiMog DWP deliberately delays releasing inconvenient facts until the Steal From The Disabled Bill clears commons. Fuckers.

  • http://twitter.com/helenlp/status/102311257541058560 helenlp

    “@danielelton: Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/gPtRVL9 < why indeed?

  • http://twitter.com/johnaldis/status/102319914391572480 John Aldis

    http://t.co/VBAiMog DWP deliberately delays releasing inconvenient facts until the Steal From The Disabled Bill clears commons. Fuckers.

  • http://twitter.com/lightchronic/status/102384757530304512 Tim Abbott

    RT @chaostocosmos Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/7HSBH0I

  • http://twitter.com/angelaelniff/status/102665504963047424 Angela Elniff-Larsen

    RT @leftfootfwd: Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/J7S8ifx

  • http://twitter.com/nocandidate/status/102799996444884993 NoSuitableCandidate

    RT @leftfootfwd: Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/B6BviFK

  • http://twitter.com/seekingaletheia/status/102799994460966913 Aletheia

    RT @leftfootfwd: Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/iSIIoxK

  • http://twitter.com/can_ada/status/102801023361482752 Not Given

    Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? | Left Foot Fo… http://t.co/o5G1wJs

  • http://twitter.com/whippetout/status/102845732305903616  David 

    RT @leftfootfwd: Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/iSIIoxK

  • http://twitter.com/lespn/status/103064660470792192 LESPN

    Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? http://t.co/XaL7Fn0

  • Jim

    There are so many examples of announcing with great relish how they are going to treat the sick and disabled but also a certain degree of falsehood and slight of hand plays that can at best be described as incompetent and at worst as corrupt and irresponsible.

  • http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/09/welfare-bill-means-testing-support-for-disabled-since-youth/ Yet another nasty in the welfare bill: Means testing support for the disabled-since-youth | Left Foot Forward

    [...] Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? – Daniel Elton, August 12th [...]

  • http://twitter.com/masondautistic/status/156065522650320897 Mason Dixon Autistic

    LeftFootForward looked into my concerns about why the report on DLA rising was buried for three months http://t.co/WQwKdXxW #wrb #helpsuey2y

  • http://twitter.com/masondautistic/status/156494451416633344 Mason Dixon Autistic

    @suey2y http://t.co/lPRGLyvs #leftfootforward investigated my concerns about buried #DLA report #spartacusreport

  • http://twitter.com/britishroses1/status/156496600200519680 B Rawsthorn

    @suey2y http://t.co/lPRGLyvs #leftfootforward investigated my concerns about buried #DLA report #spartacusreport

  • http://twitter.com/jintyg51/status/156497898689933313 Janet Graham

    @suey2y http://t.co/lPRGLyvs #leftfootforward investigated my concerns about buried #DLA report #spartacusreport

  • http://www.leftfootforward.org/2012/01/yes-but-are-you-really-disabled/ Yes, but are you REALLY disabled? | Left Foot Forward

    [...] also: • Why did DWP delay releasing new data until after welfare reform bill cleared Commons? - Daniel Elton, August 12th [...]