ATOS - leaked report shows "DWP is holding Atos to extremely tight tolerances"

Longman, you are as thorough as ever and I for one thank you for spending the time reading it all and giving your thoughts.

What I want to know is, legally, can a claimant request to have what is recorded shown or read to them so that they can sign it off as an accurate representation?  I don't see why not.  It reminds me of the family courts - shrouded in secrecy and it's time it was all brought out into the open.  It doesn't mean claimants would get to see how they were scored, just that data was accurately recorded.

I agree with what you say about the fatcats.  It smacks of some nasty overlord begrudgingly doling out a few coins to the undeserving, making them jump through impossible hoops to get them, whilst the aristocracy and rich stuff their faces with the suffering of the many.

My husband is self-employed, and due to the HMRC's online banking provider not working for a few days he couldn't pay his VAT (despite multiple attempts) so he had to take time off work to go into the bank and get them to do it for him.  It was therefore paid 2 days late (for the first time ever) and HMRC sent him a letter instantly, indicating a surcharge would be levied.  Yet, all those huge corporations evading tax (http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/dec/19/hmrc-lost-nerve-tax-avoiders-mps) get away with it.  He can barely cover costs being self-employed because of all the high outgoings he has (apart from rent, the largest of which being VAT) and they must know how small business owners in his industry are struggling, yet this is how they react.  Like you are a criminal trying to defraud them, they got their money.  And this is the same attitude as the DWP, begrudging, harsh and unwilling to accept peoples' genuine situations.

Longman, you are as thorough as ever and I for one thank you for spending the time reading it all and giving your thoughts.

What I want to know is, legally, can a claimant request to have what is recorded shown or read to them so that they can sign it off as an accurate representation?  I don't see why not.  It reminds me of the family courts - shrouded in secrecy and it's time it was all brought out into the open.  It doesn't mean claimants would get to see how they were scored, just that data was accurately recorded.

I agree with what you say about the fatcats.  It smacks of some nasty overlord begrudgingly doling out a few coins to the undeserving, making them jump through impossible hoops to get them, whilst the aristocracy and rich stuff their faces with the suffering of the many.

My husband is self-employed, and due to the HMRC's online banking provider not working for a few days he couldn't pay his VAT (despite multiple attempts) so he had to take time off work to go into the bank and get them to do it for him.  It was therefore paid 2 days late (for the first time ever) and HMRC sent him a letter instantly, indicating a surcharge would be levied.  Yet, all those huge corporations evading tax (http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/dec/19/hmrc-lost-nerve-tax-avoiders-mps) get away with it.  He can barely cover costs being self-employed because of all the high outgoings he has (apart from rent, the largest of which being VAT) and they must know how small business owners in his industry are struggling, yet this is how they react.  Like you are a criminal trying to defraud them, they got their money.  And this is the same attitude as the DWP, begrudging, harsh and unwilling to accept peoples' genuine situations.