In May 2021, the BBC Shared Data Unit reported that cases where people claiming benefits died or came to serious harm had led to more than 150 internal reviews by the Department for Work & Pensions(DWP) since 2012.
Internal reviews were held by the DWP when it was alleged its actions had a negative impact, or when it was named at an inquest.
Calling for an inquiry, Labour MP Debbie Abrahams said: "It needs to be taken out of the hands of the DWP."
The DWP said: "When, sadly, there is a tragic case we take it very seriously."
The internal reviews were not routinely published and bereaved families were not routinely informed when they began.
Separately, the BBC Shared Data Unit compiled a dataset of press reports naming 82 individuals to have died after some alleged DWP activity such as termination of benefits over the same time period as the internal reviews. Mental health vulnerabilities were a contributing factor in 35 of those people's deaths.
We made email requests to every Coroner’s office in England and Wales asking for copies of all of the Prevention of Future Death (PFD) reports or Rule 43 letters their Coroner or office had sent to the Department for Work & Pensions(DWP) over the past decade and scoured the Chief Coroner’s website for all PFDs where the DWP was a recipient.
Separately, we made four requests under the Freedom of Information Act(FOI) to the DWP itself: one successful for copies of minutes from the DWP’s Serious Case Panel and three requests for data on the numbers of benefits claimants’ deaths recorded by the DWP, which were all refused on the grounds of cost.
A further separate FOI response from Northern Ireland’s Department for Communities received the response: “The Department is not aware of any benefit-related deaths in Northern Ireland nor is it aware of any coroner’s reports that have explicitly stated a benefit decision that has had a causal impact on the death of a claimant.”
In Scotland, we also analysed the most recent 100 Sheriffs’ determinations in Fatal Accident Inquiries but none mentioned the DWP.
We meanwhile created our own dataset of press reports naming individuals to have died after some alleged DWP activity such as termination of benefits - we found 104 examples of individuals since 2008 (as well as Press reports of the death of Cecilia Burns from Strabane, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland) - 82 of those individuals died in Great Britain over the same time period as the DWP carried out 150 internal reviews.
The data and background methodology released to partners are available here:
- Imogen Day, whose sister Philippa took a fatal overdose after authorities who dealt with her benefits claim made 28 errors in managing her case
- Alison Turner, fiancée of Errol Graham’s son. Mr Graham starved to death while seriously mentally ill after his benefits were stopped
- Joy Dove, the mother of Jodey Whiting, who took her own life in February 2017 after her benefits were stopped
- Debbie Abrahams, Labour MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, who previously read out the names of 29 individuals to have died during a Commons debate
- Tessa Gregory, partner at Leigh Day solicitors, and human rights specialist who brought the judicial review against the Department for Work & Pensions’s safeguarding policy applying to the case of Errol Graham
- The Equality and Human Rights Commission
- Ken Butler, welfare rights adviser at the pan-disability charity Disability Rights UK
- Daphne Hall, the vice chair of the National Association of Welfare Rights Advisers and rightsnet Editor
- The Department for Work & Pensions
The Shared Data Unit makes data journalism available to the wider news industry as part of the BBC Local News Partnership. Stories written by partners based on this research included:
- Nottinghamshire Live: The Nottinghamshire people who died after loss or change of their benefits 10 May 2021
- Yorkshire Live: Batley man 'Mr T' starved to death with just 9p in his pocket, report into benefits failings claims 10 May 2021
- Surrey Live: Reviews into 150 deaths and serious harms of people claiming benefits 10 May 2021
- Cambridgeshire Live: Reviews into 150 deaths and serious harms of people claiming benefits 10 May 2021
- Birmingham Live: Mum, 27, who took fatal overdose after benefits cut by DWP one of many deaths under review 10 May 2021
- Lincolnshire Live: Reviews into 150 deaths and serious harms of people claiming benefits 10 May 2021
- Cheshire Live: Cheshire mum found dead in coat and scarf 'not isolated incident', investigation reveals 10 May 2021
- Derbyshire Live: Reviews into 150 deaths and serious harms of people claiming benefits 10 May 2021
- ITV Tyne Tees: Calls for a inquiry into DWP handling of cases after death of North East woman 10 May 2021
- Metro Radio: Deaths of people on benefits prompts calls for system overhaul 10 May 2021
- JACKfm: The sister of an Oxfordshire man who starved to death months after his benefits were cut, says the system needs improving in order to safeguard other vulnerable people 10 May 2021
- Grimsby Live: The tragic North East Lincolnshire dads who took their own lives when their benefits stopped 10 May 2021
- Nottinghamshire Live: Philippa Day's family take legal action against DWP over her death 11 May 2021
- Coventry Live: Death of Warwickshire couple included in review into serious harms of people claiming benefits 11 May 2021
- Bristol Live: DWP comes under fire after deaths of benefit claimants 11 May 2021
- The Lincolnite: Universal Credit cases allegedly linked to Lincolnshire deaths 11 May 2021
- The Oldham Times: Deaths of people on benefits sparks Oldham MP inquiry call 12 May 2021
- Liverpool Echo: Death of 'freezing and skint' mum of four found in her 'hat and scarf' reviewed by DWP 12 May 2021
- The Lincolnite: Apologies came “too late”: Jolly dad died after benefits underpayments 13 May 2021
- Manchester Evening News: Tragedy of mum-of-four 'found dead in her hat and scarf in her freezing flat after her benefits were cut' 15 May 2021
- Cornwall Live: Deaths of Cornwall man and woman refused DWP benefits are not isolated incidents 23 May 2021
The story featured on BBC front, home and England pages. It was used on television news by BBC Breakfast, the 13:00, 18:00 and 22:00 national bulletins, Afternoon Live on the BBC News Channel, East Midlands Today and BBC Spotlight. It was also used by BBC Radio 4 Today, BBC Radio Manchester, BBC Radio Tees and BBC Radio Shropshire.
- The Mirror: Single mum who took fatal overdose after benefits cut one of many deaths being reviewed 10 May 2021
- Wales Online: Reviews into 150 deaths and serious harms of people claiming benefits 10 May 2021
- The Guardian: Philippa Day death: family launches legal challenge against DWP 10 May 2021
- MailOnline: Family of single mother, 27, who took a fatal overdose after her benefits were cut and was found collapsed beside a letter rejecting her disability claim begin legal proceedings against the government 10 May 2021
- Disability Rights UK: 82 benefit claimants have died after some alleged DWP activity such as termination of benefits, BBC finds 10 May 2021
- Bustle: What Happened With The Philippa Day Case & Why It Matters 10 May 2021
- Benefits and Work: DWP faces more legal action as BBC reveals 150 benefits related deaths or episodes causing serious harm 10 May 2021
- Leigh Day: Investigation reveals 150 DWP reviews into deaths or harm to benefits claimants 10 May 2021
- Metro: Man with bipolar killed himself after being deemed ‘fit for work’ 11 May 2021
- The Times: Woman died after benefits cut 11 May 2021
- The Mirror: Death of mum-of-four found in 'freezing home' in her 'coat and scarf' reviewed by DWP 12 May 2021
- Scotland: Daily Record: Death of mum found freezing 'in her coat and scarf' after benefits stopped being investigated by DWP 12 May 2021
- Wales Online: Tragedy of mum-of-four 'found dead in her hat and scarf in her freezing flat after her benefits were cut' 15 May 2021
- The Times RedBox: Social security claimants need government to wise up (by Debbie Abrahams MP) 19 May 2021
- The Mirror: Devoted dad took his own life a month after benefits were stopped by the DWP 23 May 2021