Dear Department for Work and Pensions,

DWP FACILITIES REGARDING - ALLERGIES/ ASTHMA/ ANAPHYLAXIS

On a health and safety (H&S) basis of safeguarding vulnerable people, that are housebound due to necessity of having to physically avoid allergens regarding allergies/ asthma/ anaphylaxis ie. who cannot attend a local jobcentre nor DWP staff/ contractors cannot make home visits without inflicting harm.

Please ensure the below are answered quoting relevant sections of legislation, supporting documents, stating which actual DWP personnel (job titles) are responsible for ensuring compliance under H&S and disability access especially concerning human rights and equality - what facilities are offered - as DWP online applications or phone applications for the benefits in the next paragraph below, certainly do NOT take this into account and are ignoring people who cannot be physically interviewed “face to face”. On basic human rights, this DWP information/ facilities should be readily available in simple terms, and does NOT appear to be.

Given all DWP benefits eg. JSA, ESA and Income Support, Universal Credit are administered via local Wigan jobcentres, similarly PIP involve DWP staff or contractors. Regarding each of these benefits please answer:

1. Does the DWP have to acknowledge a claimants application for any of these benefits, such as giving a reference number, confirming in writing etc. Or can they just ignore an application for months not even informing they are refusing it ?

2. Regarding “face to face” assessment does this need to be in the physical vicinity of the interviewer - or are there ‘reasonable adjustments’ in regard to legislation/ facilities that ensures staff/ contractors can make alternate arrangements such as providing Telepresence facilities etc

3. Specifically what facilities does Wigan Jobcentre have for such claimants to be able access DWP facilities/ benefits/ help ?

4. Do Wigan claimants have to apply/ be refused for each one of these benefits separately or is there automatic transfer and any applicable dates applying to this - is there any provision to safeguard that claimants are NOT left without any monies to live on.

5. Do Wigan jobcentres have to acknowledge application for benefits or refusal of benefits in writing ie. not just ignore applications sent via royal mail/ or not progress phone applications and then just giving claimants the run around on a variety of telephone numbers.

6. On the basis of allergies/ asthma/ anaphylaxis, what H&S safeguards/ rights do people have against “ toxic assault” regarding allergens ?

7. What benefit is available for claimants the Jobcentre claim are NOT eligible for JSA as they are judged to have limited capacity for work as they cannot just work anywhere unaccommodated; NOT eligible for ESA as if unharmed on a personal basis qualified to do plenty of jobs given appropriate accommodation such as teleprescence, and just ignored by income support etc. Please provide this information as what DWP local jobcentre is doing is highly illegal.

INFORMATION concerning this should be available; it is DWP responsibility to publically provide information, address this matter and ensure facilities are provided ie. NOT Citizens advice or any other ‘charity’ agents.

Therefore this is a public interest matter, information should be readily available.

Thank you in anticipation.

Yours faithfully,

Georgette Orwell

Dear Operations FOI Requests,

I do not accept DWP refusal.’

Foremost concerning FOI - is to provide information or state there is none available, this should be readily accessible and the public have a right to know !

There is no specific freedom of information available regarding allergies/ asthma/ anaphylaxis facilities available; and as such a high percentage of the population have problems in this area, obviously a lot of people will want to know this the same as myself.

As to not accepting my name at face value, it should not matter who I am - given this is standard information I am requesting regarding - DWP acknowledging claimants applications, H&S aspect of assessment in progressing claims, what facilities are available etc, who are the personnel (job titles) responsible...... as obviously DWP refuse to actually name their staff in a public domain in case they get targeted (and apparently on public record it has been acknowledged that DWP staff to use pseudonyms anyway in dealing with claimants). So basically there are the DWP general rules and what Wigan Jobcentre do in operation.

But, clearly DWP do not want to put this information in the public domain - and are looking for a loophole already to try and trying to target me personally in questioning my name, there is no mention to having to provide evidence to who you are.

As to FOI request - I regard it as a my name (in needing two), as given I am subjected to “toxic assault”, I use it to protect my safety so I will not be further targeted on a personal as I have been in the past. This is my ‘name’ for public commenting eg. newspapers for many years etc, gathering information with corresponding email etc.

If you’d like an examples of “toxic assault” by government officials...... council elections, instead of putting an election leaflet through my door one of them put a blank piece of paper sprayed with allergen, or I get DWP officials turning up on my door step with no prior notification nor provision to protect my safety etc.

If DWP and Wigan Jobcentre prefer.... other than the information commissioner, I can ask various newspaper to get involved and make this for me request on my behalf, as obviously rather than actually provide information that already should be available in the public domain, DWP is trying to target me on an individual basis.

Furthermore.... it is about time DWP was held to account to actually how they “help” people - information should be readily available state in simple terms, not give people a run around in loops and harassment instead - there is no reason for the DWP to withhold this from the public.

So lets see.....

According to section 8.- (1)

(a) Is in writing
(b) States a name that I use, and uses an email address probably around 20 years old.
(c) Ask for specific information under FOI.

And is capable of being subsequently referenced.

I suggest DWP bother to answer my request........

Yours sincerely,

Georgette Orwell

Dear Operations FOI Requests,

As stated, I regard this as my name.....

For starters, I registered with this FOI site in the year 2013, have made comment under this name regarding other people freedom of information request and am registered and socially comment as such.... also check with various newspapers to check their archives on social commenting, Guardian, Wigan Today etc....

If you’d like to check my latest social comment ie. published work, here is my website

www.georgetteOrwell.com

So I would be grateful if you would respect my pen name and stop trying to weasel out of information that should easily accessible and already be in the public domain but isn’t.

Furthermore Wigan Jobcentre are fully aware I am a real person, my case is real and that they can confirm this if any government department requires, but in doing so respect my anonymity using my alternative name - Georgette Orwell.

---------------------

I would appreciate answering my FOI request - whilst I realise that DWP does not help people, it is an exercise in bullying people, deny rights with no concern to causing death or harm and leaving them penniless as per confirmed by Lord Freud below, on Hansard and public record.

This is the general mentality of DWP and ministers, as summarised by Lord Freud (his real name, a DWP minister).

Quote:
“The WCA is not a medical diagnosis and the decision affects benefit only; it does not oblige anyone to work.”

“Whilst the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is legally responsible for all benefit decisions made by officials of the department on his behalf, there is no legal responsibility held by the Secretary of State for the well-being of benefit claimants.”

“Therefore, neither DWP nor WCA healthcare professionals are liable for any adverse consequence suffered by a claimant following a decision that the claimant is fit for work or for work-related activity.” End Quote.

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=...

This man is on parliamentary record, calls people “stock” - does anyone think he cares, that 10,600 people on official statistics died within 6 weeks of being told they were ‘fit for work’ ie.. left penniless and having to fight with the DWP for monies to just buy food pay their electric etc, instead of being allowed to be sick or die in peace.

DWP does have an obligation to answer my freedom of information request.

Thank you in anticipation.

Yours sincerely,
Georgette Orwell

Dear Operations FOI Requests,

I am entitled, to ask for this information as per freedom of information regulations - I comply to definition of pen name regarding published work.

As to DWP checking who I am as per Universal Credit requirement, I also had to register validation online to actually who I am..... so if DWP wants to bother to get in touch with Wigan Jobcentre, I am sure they will arrange for this to be confirmed, via ANNA.

Or alternatively, if you do not supply a secure online validation for DWP to check my identity I will complain to the data commissioner. as obviously this information should be in the public domain, like myself many people want answers...… and given how basic this information is, there is no reason not to supply it.

As to write to London address, you must be joking, it's like dealing with a bunch of snake and they are about as much use as a wet paper bag at sorting anything. This information needs to be in the public domain and as such my security should not be a risk.

I note DWP team do not actually answer as a person with a real name..... but what's new on DWP hypocrisy and lack of transparency !

To summarise, if you want to verify my identity as you refuse to acknowledge my pen name and published work... then set up a secure means to do so, either way I expect my FOI request answered, and if not will escalate the matter. But rest assured, I am getting answers.

Yours sincerely,

Georgette Orwell

Dear Department for Work and Pensions,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Department for Work and Pensions's handling of my FOI request 'Dwp facilities regarding - allergies/ asthma/ anaphylaxis'.

DWP have not answered my request - the public has a right to know this information.

They are trying to obfuscate instead. I have a legal right going back centuries to use a pen name - and have provide that it has been in use for years; the IP address I use can be confirmed, as well as the fact, I registered with this website 2013 etc. I intent to use requested information on my published website - this is information that should be available to the public and is not.

www.georgetteorwell.com

So please get them to provide information that should be readily available to the public and stop the hypocrisy - DWP team, do not individually give their names nor even provide qualifications to substantiate they are fit and proper people to be answering FOI requests.

This is my legal pen name as per my website and social commenting, but also I have a right to privacy and as explained protection of my safety. I have offered alternatively if DWP want to verify my identity privately, they have failed to offer any facilities to do this regarding a safe medium - nor have stated what evidence they would require, and for legal purposed there is nothing to stop me using any surname I deem suitable, and if so required can actually register this in law !

Therefore any decision affection my right to privacy as an individual, likewise reflects on DWP - who actually should be publishing all their members of their team 'legal' names ie. who has actually answered requests, how many people are in this team and qualifications. Note, DWP official act in an official capacity their legal names should be revealed to the public, the same as medical profession, legal profession etc....

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/d...

Thank you in anticipation.

Yours faithfully,

Georgette Orwell

Dear DWP freedom-of-information-requests,

I do not accept DWP refusal to provide information regarding my pen name, as this breaches fundamental human rights as per below, apart from common law rights regarding centuries use of pen names etc.

Therefore I have to escalate this matter, here is a copy informing the information commissioner of this FOI request as such:

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/d...

As pointed out, I have a website and use accurate sources of information.

www.georgetteorwell.com

Individuals, organisations, companies, charities are allowed to ask for FOI etc Not only do I have a pen name for my website, but I also took the trouble to explain - given I am subjected to “toxic assault”, I have used this name for many years to protect my personal safety ie. so I will not be further targeted as I have been in the past. I have established this is my ‘name’ for public purpose and am fully contactable as such, I am not known by my birth name nor do I intend to be etc....

Additionally regarding FOI section 8, NOTE both the information commissioner’s office and DWP have been remiss ie. on an individual’s basic rights to privacy and security – the UK is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, so additionally, I suggest all parties review article 19 and background in this area:

http://www.un.org/en/universal-declarati...

- Article 19 (Jun 2015) Right to Online Anonymity
https://www.article19.org/data/files/med...

- Kaye, D. (May 2015). Report of the Special Rapporteur on the UN promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression.
https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/FreedomO...

- My Name is Campaign (Oct 2015) campaign against facebook real names
http://www.mynameiscampaign.org/

- Tarantola, A. (Oct 2015) Facebook changes 'Real Name' policy rules after public outcry.
https://www.engadget.com/2015/10/30/face...

Therefore, right to freedom of expression and protection of the individual in a digital world is recognised here in the UK and internationally; ie. basic human rights states need to recognise the right to anonymous speech, the right to read anonymously, and the right to browse online anonymously; and regarding conflict - States should repeal those laws, regulations and policies requiring real-name.

As pointed out regarding my FOI, I comply to section 8.- (1)

(a) Is in writing
(b) States a name that I use, (my registered email address used to make the FOI is circa 20 years old, so is fully traceable)
(c) Asks for specific information under FOI.

And further complies to section (8) - 2, my request is moderated through a reputable website/ organisation, so is capable of being subsequently referenced eg. IP address, email etc !

I further have a right to communicate in a manner that is not harmful to me..... which is digitally, and DWP’s general failure to provide this information in the public domain / nor offer help, already is a breach of disability rights, equality on so many levels etc. .

If DWP want to try to use loopholes of checking identity of people making the FOI instead of concentrating on responding to the content of request - then it’s for DWP/ government to provide a secure LEGAL means and ensure there are no detrimental consequences to the individual and maintain their rights !

Furthermore, FOI section 16 – this request cannot be discredited, as clearly given the lack of published information in this area, this cannot possibly be construed as vexatious or repeated request, and the request is mediated via a legitimate official website that handles FOI requests/ searches.

As pointed out, regarding the merits of this FOI request ie. DWP acknowledging claimants applications, H&S aspect of assessment in physically progressing claims, what facilities are available etc, who are the personnel (job titles) responsible - as such a high percentage of the population have problems in this area (asthma, allergies, anaphylaxis), obviously a lot of people will want to know this the same as myself and not be prevented from accessing such basic information or ensure they are afforded suitable rights / help - which I can assure you many like myself have NOT received.

So in a nutshell, as to DWP hypocrisy on privacy and safety; confirmed on public record - DWP staff despite SUPPOSE to be acting in an official capacity use pseudonyms or give no names; therefore it is an utter disgrace - a member of the public cannot ask for FOI without being in fear of being targeted by government employees/ members of the public and DWP’s selective answering to who the individual is rather than merit of content of the request - exactly how is this FOI.

Therefore I have no option but to refer this matter to the information commissioner and expect them to review this in a professional manner - in accordance to basic human right regarding privacy and security and the general right of the public/ individuals to be able to access such basic information without harmed or threat of harm !

Yours sincerely,
Georgette Orwell