Journalist John Pring’s Disability News Service (DNS) has won another victory in its fight to force the DWP to reveal details of 49 secret reviews into benefits deaths. An information tribunal has ruled that the DWP must release the recommendations for changes made in the reviews.
The tribunal has given the DWP five weeks to agree with DNS as to what information it will release.
No details of the findings or the events surrounding the deaths will be published. But the information that will be released will allow campaigners to look at whether the DWP followed the recommendations made in the reports in order to reduce deaths in the future. If the DWP ignored the findings and further deaths occurred at a later date there is a possibility of legal action against the department.
The DWP can still, if they choose, appeal the decision further in order to try to prevent the truth emerging.
