To: A Javadi
DWP Central Freedom of Information Team
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
e-mail
: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxx.xxx.xxx.xx
Our Ref: FOI 3655
15 October 2018
Dear Ali Javadi,
Thank you for your Freedom of Information (FOI) request which we received on 17 September
2018.
You asked:
‘As per the Freedom of Information Act 2000 I am requesting the DWP to provide the following
information: The contract price and name of each company that carries out medical examination
and whether complaints have been made against the companies (if yes, what was the nature of
the complaint and the outcome). Also, I would like to know the mortality rate of claimants since
PIP and Universal Credit was introduced (if you can provide this data please, if possible, state
the reason of death).’
DWP Response:
I can confirm that we hold information falling within the description specified in your request.
However, we estimate that the cost of complying with your request would exceed the appropriate
limit for central Government, set by regulations at £600. This represents the estimated cost of
one person spending 3½ working days in determining whether the Department for Work and
Pensions (DWP) holds the information, and locating, retrieving and extracting it.
Under section 12 of the FOI Act, DWP is not therefore obliged to comply with your request and
we will not be processing it further.
Under section 16 of the Act we should help you narrow your request so that it may fall beneath
the cost limit.
Details of the companies and contract prices can be provided as requested, however although
complaints are made against Assessment Providers (AP) and we can advise of the categories
that they are recorded under and are held in accordance with the DWP data retention policy. In
addition to this, the categories of complaints are very wide and vary for each AP. Furthermore,
the outcomes of the complaints are not recorded centrally; they are recorded on individual
cases. This means that every complaint would need to be accessed and reviewed to determine
and collate the outcomes and this would be over the cost limit.
With regard to the mortality rate, we may be able to provide a figure for how many claimants
have died while in receipt of benefit but would have to access each case to establish whether
the cause of death is held and therefore this would also be over the cost limit.
You may wish to consider re-submitting your request for the requested contract details;
complaint categories only as it is unlikely that the outcomes could be provided within the cost
limit and a narrower time frame, such as the last year for the number of claimants that have died
while in receipt of benefit.
If you have any queries about this letter please contact us quoting the reference number above.
Yours sincerely
DWP Central FoI Team
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your right to complain under the Freedom of Information Act
If you are not happy with this response you may request an internal review by e-mailin
g freedom-of-information-
xxxxxxx@xxx.xxx.xxx.xx or by writing to DWP, Central FoI Team, Caxton House, Tothill Street, London, SW1H
9NA. Any review request should be submitted within two months of the date of this letter. Please remember to quote
the reference number above in any future communications.
If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review you may apply directly to the Information
Commissioner’s Office for a decision. General y the Commissioner cannot make a decision unless you have
exhausted our own complaints procedure. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: The Information
Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
www.ico.org.uk/Global/contact_us or telephone 0303 123 1113 or 01625 545745
