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THE hated Atos fit-for-work tests for people claiming disability benefits have been axed.

Claimants will continue to be paid until the under-fire firm have been replaced.

The move was revealed in a memo from the Department for Work and Pensions. Campaigners – led by the Daily Record – were jubilant that Atos would no longer be carrying out the cruel tests.

Labour MP Tom Greatrex said: “I’m glad that this instruction not to reassess claimants will remove the spectre of Atos from the lives of many disabled people.

“Along with the Daily Record, I have campaigned to have these degrading tests overhauled. It now looks as if finally the voices of people whose lives have been made a misery by tests carried out by Atos have been heard.”

We revealed last week that French firm Atos were walking away from the £500million Government contract to carry out the tests after fierce criticism of their work.

The DWP memo to staff says existing benefits payments will remain in place without recipients having to undergo further medical checks.

The memo blamed the about-turn on a backlog of cases which cannot be dealt with until a new firm come forward to administer them.

Greatrex said the whole work assessment scheme should now be scrapped and reassessed before being re-tendered to another company.

He added: “The Government ignored all the warnings and went ahead with the scheme anyway.

“The result is chaos – and not just an administrative mess but also the misery it has caused for thousands of disabled people.

“The system has to be reset before it is re-tendered.”

The memo was sent to DWP staff in January. It was uncovered by welfare advice group Benefits and Work through a freedom of information request.

The group’s website says: “In an urgent memo obtained by Benefits and Work, the DWP have told staff that due to a growing backlog at Atos, all current Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claimants will be left on the benefit without further medical checks until another company can be found to do repeat work capability assessments.

“The memo, dated 20 January, goes on to say that this will reduce the number of claimants moving off ESA but that there are no plans to inform claimants or MPs about the change.”

Staff were told the move “should help us to reduce delays for new claimants and those that have already been referred”.

The decision should mean that claimants with degenerative conditions who are hauled in for assessments on an annual basis will be spared further tests.

Atos were at the forefront of administering a key element of the Con-Dem Government’s savage welfare cuts.

Last week, we told how the company had been in discussions with the DWP since last October with a view to ending their deal.

For the past three years, the firm have been under fire for their handling of the tests , which saw a third of their decisions overturned on appeal.

It was claimed that some people with terminal cancer and other serious illnesses were deemed fit for work by Atos.

Yesterday, even Mike Penning, the Tory Minister for Disabled People, admitted that Atos’s tests were a “mess”.

He blamed the previous Labour government for the chaos and added: “While we have seen some improvement with Atos quality, we are still in ongoing commercial discussions.

“It is important we get the procurement right.”

Labour’s Dame Anne Begg MP said: “Atos has acted as a lightning rod for all that is wrong with the work capability assessment. But, of course, they are delivering a Government contract to Government specifications.”

In yesterday’s Record, we told how Charlie McGarvey’s brother Terry died from pneumonia after an Atos meeting in Glasgow last month.

Terry, 48, knew he was too ill to leave the house but he dragged himself to the meeting because he was worried his benefits would be stopped if he didn’t attend.

Last night, Charlie, 50, said: “I’m glad Atos are not going to be there any more. But the new firm who come in will find people fit to work and they’ll have to go to a tribunal.”

A spokesman for the DWP refused to discuss the secret memo.

He said: “We’re committed to ensuring that people have their claim assessed as quickly as possible and to a high standard. We will be bringing in additional provision to deliver Work Capability Assessments with the aim of increasing delivery capacity and reducing waiting times.”

The victories just keep on coming..

THE end of the Atos tests is the latest in a string of campaign victories for the Daily Record.

We won our battle to bring an end to the misery of the bedroom tax when Finance Secretary John Swinney announced he would provide the full funds needed to undo the Con-Dem cut.

Our Stop the Danger Dogs campaign lifted the lid on the rising threat of devastating attacks by dangerous breeds and put pressure on the Government to bring in tougher laws.

And now our mission to expose how Scotland’s sick and disabled have been left destitute after being unfairly assessed by Atos has resulted in another triumph.

For years, we have been highlighting the plight of those whose lives have been turned upside down after their benefits were wrongly snatched away.

Cancer victim George Kerr, 52, of Fort William, was left penniless because Atos made him wait six months for an appointment.

Last week, we revealed how Christine Traynor, 61, had her benefits stopped despite a severe respiratory condition.

Christine, of Blantyre, Lanarkshire, successfully appealed but she is still not receiving benefits.

Last July, we told how mum-of-three Elenore Tatton, 39, of Livingston, died of a brain tumour weeks after being told she could get a job.

Jim Elliot began feeling unwell during his Atos assessment and had a heart attack the next day.

The 55-year-old, of Cambuslang, near Glasgow, was still in hospital when a letter arrived telling him he had been assessed as being fit to go back to work.

In September 2012, Royal Marine Aaron Moon, who lost a leg in Afghanistan, was told he didn’t qualify for benefits after an Atos test.

In November of that year, Kieran McArdle, then 13, accused Atos of killing his disabled dad. Brian, 57, of Larkhall, died the day after his benefits were stopped.

The next month, we revealed how Alexander Mackie was passed fit to work and had his benefits stopped despite being registered blind and walking with a white stick.