Friday, April 09, 2010

Declan's formal complaint against Highgate Jobcentre Plus – Stage 3

Almost a month ago, on 13 March, Declan lodged a formal complaint against our jobcentre, Highgate Jobcentre Plus (of the Department for Work and Pensions), for threatening him with the termination of our benefits if he did not agree to a “training course” of the Jobcentre's choosing. Well, this afternoon he had to lodge a Stage 3 complaint against the Jobcentre as both his Stage 1 and Stage 2 complaints have been effectively ignored by the Jobcentre Manager and District Manager respectively. The only response he has received is archived here, stating that the matter will be investigated by the London Regional office.

Having none of it, Declan lodged his complaint this afternoon with Jobcentre Plus Chief Executive Darra Singh (presented below) at Stage 3 of the Jobcentre Plus complaints procedure. And he has no intention of resting his case there. In three weeks, it is the Independent Case Examiner followed by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.


This is Declan's registered letter to Singh, copied to Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Yvette Cooper:

Dear Mr Darra Singh

My Formal Complaint against Highgate Jobcentre Plus - Stage 3

I am writing to you as the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus in England and Wales. Please find enclosed a copy of the only response I have received to the attached copies of my formal complaint against Highgate Jobcentre Plus at Stage 1 (Jobcentre Manager) and Stage 2 (District Manager) of the Jobcentre Plus complaints procedure. Kindly note that neither Highgate Jobcentre Plus nor the Central London District Office refutes that the former (JCP) refused and continues to refuse to refer me to a Starting a Business course. Accordingly, as my complaint has not been settled at Stage 1 or Stage 2, I hereby respectfully request a Stage 3 (Jobcentre Plus Chief Executive) review of the part of my complaint that relates to Mr Freddy Brooks of Highgate Jobcentre Plus, who threatened me on 11 March with the termination of my benefits if I did not undertake a "training course" of the choosing of the Jobcentre.

My wife suspects, as I believe, that our ongoing abuse at the hands of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is almost certainly related to the Network of those Abused by Church (NAC) website we maintain at religionandmorality.net. I would be delighted to have a Starting a Business course, which would enable me to turn NAC into a registered company limited by guarantee, but Highgate Jobcentre Plus won't allow me to do that. I beg to point out that NAC is a world network organisation for exposing the public to the scientific perspective on public policy issues. It has a distinguished list of agreed Trustees pending the registration of the enterprise as a limited company as well as a distinguished and growing list of Honorary Associates, which includes two Nobel Prize winners. Among other activities, NAC has been running a petition to the United Nations on Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (Therapeutic Cloning) that has gathered 656 signatures to date; the petition's backers include recognised authorities from the world's leading universities and research institutes, as well as 26 Nobel Prize winners.

I can confirm that I am currently looking for a solicitor or counsel to represent me pro bono, who might be able to tell whether Highgate Jobcentre Plus has been acting lawfully (a) by directing me to apply for specific jobs on threat of termination of my benefits, (b) by insisting on my taking a "training course" of the choosing of the Jobcentre, and (c) what can be done to prevent recurrence of this form of unfair treatment. Notice, in particular:

• My joint claim for Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) was terminated on 27 September 2006 because I did not “sign on” TWO DAYS BEFORE I was due to do so on 29 September 2006.

• My wife and I were forced to live rough on the streets of London for more than 2 1/2 years, from 3 November 2006 to 13 July 2009.

• I exhausted the appeals process from the street, where my case was dismissed by the High Court (Judicial Review), Court of Appeal and European Court of Human Rights in spite of the fact that I was denied the internal appeal process by procedural impropriety on the part of the enforcement authority (the DWP).

• My joint claim JSA was not even reinstated until 9 October 2009 – almost three months after we gained access to a roof over our heads – because my wife’s National Insurance number was “lost” from the Department’s computer system.

Kindly note that this complaint relates to Mr Brooks threatening me on 11 March with the termination of my benefits if I do not undertake a training course of the choosing of Highgate Jobcentre Plus. I understand that I can have the Independent Case Examiner review this part of my complaint if I am not happy with the reply or not that I have received to this letter within 15 working days.

Yours sincerely

Declan Heavey

Encls

cc The Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (at ministers@dwp.gsi.gov.uk)