THE figures involved and the sheer incompetence revealed by the National Audit Office’s report into the underpayment of employment and support allowance (ESA) obscure the real effect of the scandal.

Tens of thousands of disabled people, already forced to rely on meagre government benefits, have been forced into further hardship by the callous and unthinking officials of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

It boggles the mind that the problem has rumbled on for so many years, starting in 2010. The auditors put this politely, writing that the DWP “process for converting people’s benefits to ESA … did not reflect its own legislation.”