by Newswire

Labour MPs have launched a concerted effort to challenge ATOS Healthcare – the company with a £100m a year contract to carry out work capability assessments for disabled people.

The EDM was launched by John McDonnell last week and has attracted the support of mostly Labour MPs.

Green MP Caroline Lucas and Libdem MP John Leech had also signed, also with a smattering of SNP and Plaid Cymru MPs.

The EDM states:

That this House deplores that thousands of sick and disabled constituents are experiencing immense hardship after being deprived of benefits following a work capability assessment carried out by Atos Healthcare under a 100 million a year contract; notes that 40 per cent of appeals are successful but people wait up to six months for them to be heard; deplores that last year 1,100 claimants died while under compulsory work-related activity for benefit and that a number of those found fit for work and left without income have committed or attempted suicide; condemns the International Paralympic Committee’s promotion of Atos as its top sponsor and the sponsorship of the Olympics by Dow Chemical and other corporations responsible for causing death and disability; welcomes the actions taken by disabled people, carers, bereaved relatives and organisations to end this brutality and uphold entitlement to benefits; and applauds the British Medical Association call for the work capability assessment to end immediately and to be replaced with a system that does not cause harm to some of the most vulnerable people in society.

Disabled People Against the Cuts are running a campaign to pressure MPs to sign the EDM.