Criticism of the Work Capability Assessment assessments. On the same day, an Atos spokesman made it clear that the training curriculum was set by the DWP and duly followed by Atos, stating: "We do not deviate from government guidelines in our training". The Employment Minister was asked by the BBC about the allegations of bias but he replied with a general explanation of the principles underpinning the Incapacity Benefit reassessment programme. Tom Greatrex MP wrote to the Prime Minister to bring to his attention the whistleblower's allegations that the core assessment was "skewed against the claimant". Downing Street made no reply but simply passed the letter
Criticism of the Work Capability Assessment points after the tribunals had independently assessed their claims. A 2012 study of 28,000 tribunal hearings analysed the reasons for overturning the DWP's decisions: In 2013, the Work Programme firms responsible for training people in the Work-Related Activity Group said that, despite the modifications that had been made to the test since 2008, they still had "ongoing concerns about the accuracy of the WCA". Professor Dame Carol Black advised the government on back-to-work policy between 2006 and 2016. She said of the WCA: "I don't think anyone thinks it has been a success". Conversely, the DWP has said that a