DWP Brown Envelopes: Any alternative options?
This is an issue that causes many anxieties amongst vulnerable adults especially with mental health so this is a debate as to whether these brown envelopes could be abolished or replaced by encrypted email instead, there is a higher degree of knowing this has been sent and received rather than by post.
There are a number of debates the DWP with their claimants should be discussing on this issue, there should be a choice if people wish to receive correspondence by email and/or post.
· You and/or your nominated person are the only persons to which will access personal information sent by email.
· You will give certain email account/s for personal and sensitive information to be sent which then will be sent via a secure encrypted email system.
· You agree that by sending correspondence by email there is a risk this could be intercepted.
· You agree that you will check your email weekly and will be responsible for checking your emails for any mail to be sent.
Cost Saving
· A national conversation should be publicly made of how much money could be saved by reducing the postage bill to the Department of Work & Pensions, this can be in Parliament in the chamber and also in the various select committees. How many letters do they send recorded delivery and could this be avoided to save additional tax payers monies?
· Claimants should be undertaking Freedom of Information Requests in relation to this matter, then set up a campaign to look at how much on average each person would cost and then if that amount of finances were to be re-distributed giving vulnerable people suits or things that could help then return to work with these monies.
These brown envelopes for people with mental health or indeed any other persons can be quite upsetting, brings many anxieties about what the future may bring so if they make more reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010 as well as saving the tax payer money would this be more beneficial for all?
What rules are in places legally stating they have to send correspondence out by post or is this really just best practice or done automatically?
Job Centre Plus offices locally, feeding into the district offices and then discussed nationally should consider whether there are different ways in which the issue of brown envelopes could be better managed, this could make it less invasive at the very least by sending out non-identifiable white envelopes if they have to send post out to clients instead of emailing sensitive information.
What do decision makers and claimants think on this issue?
