A small group of Labour MPS, including leadership candidate Jeremy Corbyn, yesterday lodged an early day motion calling on the government to publish the employment and support allowance (ESA) death statistics.{jcomments on}
The statistics detail how many claimants have died within six weeks of, for example, being placed in the work-related activity group of ESA.
The information commissioner has ordered the DWP to release the figures.
In addition, a petition on the change.org website calling for the publication of the figures has received over a quarter of a million signatures.
There are fears that the DWP now plan to release Age Standardised Mortality Rate (ASMR) figures that would not allow a direct comparison of deaths over time.
The early day motion cannot compel the government to do anything, but it does continue to keep the pressure on them.
The full motion reads:
That this House notes that on 30 April 2015 the Information Commission took a decision that the Government must disclose the number of incapacity benefit and employment and support allowance claimants who have died since November 2011 until May 2014 within 35 calendar days; acknowledges the petition signed by over 230,000 members of the public calling for this data to be released; further notes that even though the 35 day deadline has passed this data has not been released; has concerns that the data released may be a standardised figure rather than a full picture; and therefore calls on the Government to ensure the release of this data in full and without further delay.
So far it has been signed by just 5 MPs. You can contact your MP and ask them to sign it using the Write To Them website.
