It doesn't make any difference what shade of government is in power @Hostafan1
Most of the staff at DWP and similar government areas are overworked underpaid and under qualified, have lousy managers and horrendous working environments. Ever heard the expression "pay peanuts, get monkeys"?
PIP was set up by THIS government and the "assessment" is done by outside "providers", ( probably mates of Boris or sundry ministers ) not the DWP.
For the sake of accuracy, PIP was implemented in 2013 by the Conservative/Lib Dem coalition. Most new benefits take many years from inception to implementation so it's entirely possible that the first steps in its creation were during the Labour government prior to 2010.
I agree with Obelixx assessment of DWP staff, but 'under trained' was missed from the list, and I would suggest not all are under qualified at least in the educational sense.
As an example of the training, or lack thereof, when I started working in a department processing Income Support claims, we had 6 weeks training and were then basically told to get on with it. There was one mentor per 10 new staff. When that mentor was trained some years previous to do the same job, the training was 13 weeks and then another 6 weeks with a 1 to 1 mentor.
Most of the managers I came across in my 7 years at DWP would not have held a job down for more than a few months in private industry (the time it might take to be found utterly wanting in ability).
PIP assessments are run by Private Sector agencies.
The assessments are but that doesn't change the fact that PIP is run by DWP. DWP still make the final decision on entitlement to PIP, just as they do/did with ESA where the assessment was made by a 3rd party company.
It doesn't make any difference what shade of government is in power @Hostafan1
Most of the staff at DWP and similar government areas are overworked underpaid and under qualified, have lousy managers and horrendous working environments. Ever heard the expression "pay peanuts, get monkeys"?
PIP was set up by THIS government and the "assessment" is done by outside "providers", ( probably mates of Boris or sundry ministers ) not the DWP.
For the sake of accuracy, PIP was implemented in 2013 by the Conservative/Lib Dem coalition. Most new benefits take many years from inception to implementation so it's entirely possible that the first steps in its creation were during the Labour government prior to 2010.
I agree with Obelixx assessment of DWP staff, but 'under trained' was missed from the list, and I would suggest not all are under qualified at least in the educational sense.
As an example of the training, or lack thereof, when I started working in a department processing Income Support claims, we had 6 weeks training and were then basically told to get on with it. There was one mentor per 10 new staff. When that mentor was trained some years previous to do the same job, the training was 13 weeks and then another 6 weeks with a 1 to 1 mentor.
Most of the managers I came across in my 7 years at DWP would not have held a job down for more than a few months in private industry (the time it might take to be found utterly wanting in ability).
PIP assessments are run by Private Sector agencies.
The assessments are but that doesn't change the fact that PIP is run by DWP. DWP still make the final decision on entitlement to PIP, just as they do/did with ESA where the assessment was made by a 3rd party company.
DWP have passed my application to private sector provides, it's THEY, NOT DWP who have a 3 - 6 month backlog. DWP have processed my application and passed it on. You seem determined to blame the DWP / public sector, but you're wrong , it's private sector inefficiency in this case.
@KT53 for "qualified" read "trained". Can't do such a job without the necessary level of education or the training.
@Hostafan1 the kinds of private companies running PIP for the government will have even lower standards of working conditions, training and pay so no hope of engaging competent staff. Someone will be making nice profit out of it all but the "service" will not be better and will save the govt money in terms of pensions and NI contributions.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
What genius at Outlook decided that the 'delete email' icon should be hidden behind the email title? So many times now I've gone to click to open an email and hit the hidden icon which only appears just as you click on it, then had to go looking for the email in the deleted items folder.
I'm trying to order a book. The company won't let me buy it because I already have an account with them apparently but can't remember the password and the password reset link isn't working.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
It was probably 9 or 10years ago that I got made redundant and signed on. Probably too early for anyone to blame the Tories anyway.
David Cameron (Con) became PM on 11 May 2010.
But I'm sure you'll realise the impact of a new government isn't immediate. I doubt the pathetic start to new claims application process I experienced was due to Cameron's policies coming through so early. I doubt Cameron's government had such an impact on employment in the job centre agency in his first year at number ten.
It does have all the hallmarks of a new labour project of targets in public sector. By that I mean targets in numbers of people employed from minorities, disabilities. etc. Put simply I got dealt with by a guy who was overwhelmed by the work he was employed to do. Unfair to him and me.
how long does any government have to be in power before they can stop blaming the last lot and just admit they've been in power long enough to change things IF they think they're important, and if the don't / wont / can't change things, admit they're making a total balls up of it?
If you're talking about affecting the quality/capability of job centre staff then I doubt it's the first year priority. Although a year would certainly be long enough to make changes closer to the incoming party of government to affect change nearer the areas of their interests.
Perhaps they'd cut overall benefits spend but not upgrade the staff in the first year.
Of course some political parties box clever and state they would stick to the last government spending levels for the first year. Allows a degree of blaming the last lot for longer. Remember 1997, that's a new labour playbook. Clever lot with their spin.
If you're talking about affecting the quality/capability of job centre staff then I doubt it's the first year priority. Although a year would certainly be long enough to make changes closer to the incoming party of government to affect change nearer the areas of their interests.
Perhaps they'd cut overall benefits spend but not upgrade the staff in the first year.
Of course some political parties box clever and state they would stick to the last government spending levels for the first year. Allows a degree of blaming the last lot for longer. Remember 1997, that's a new labour playbook. Clever lot with their spin.
not talking about DWP in particular, just in general. This lot have been in power for over 10 years, so everything is pretty much " on their watch" now IMHO For the record, I've never voted Labour , or Tory . I've pretty much disagreed with every government in my adult life. I'm constantly astounded by the " our party are always right, the other lot are always wrong" mentality of some voters.
Just listening to Desert Island Discs - the lass being marooned is a former lawyer/judge. As a lawyer she was propositioned twice by judges, but didn't do anything about it. Is it me? How on earth is anything expected to change if the top people never get held to account? Not only should those judges been held to account, but the lack of action meant that they still sat and judged others. Just wrong.
Posts
The assessments are but that doesn't change the fact that PIP is run by DWP. DWP still make the final decision on entitlement to PIP, just as they do/did with ESA where the assessment was made by a 3rd party company.
You seem determined to blame the DWP / public sector, but you're wrong , it's private sector inefficiency in this case.
@Hostafan1 the kinds of private companies running PIP for the government will have even lower standards of working conditions, training and pay so no hope of engaging competent staff. Someone will be making nice profit out of it all but the "service" will not be better and will save the govt money in terms of pensions and NI contributions.
It does have all the hallmarks of a new labour project of targets in public sector. By that I mean targets in numbers of people employed from minorities, disabilities. etc. Put simply I got dealt with by a guy who was overwhelmed by the work he was employed to do. Unfair to him and me.
Perhaps they'd cut overall benefits spend but not upgrade the staff in the first year.
Of course some political parties box clever and state they would stick to the last government spending levels for the first year. Allows a degree of blaming the last lot for longer. Remember 1997, that's a new labour playbook. Clever lot with their spin.
This lot have been in power for over 10 years, so everything is pretty much " on their watch" now IMHO
For the record, I've never voted Labour , or Tory . I've pretty much disagreed with every government in my adult life.
I'm constantly astounded by the " our party are always right, the other lot are always wrong" mentality of some voters.