Atos accused of misleading government over how quickly it could process claims
Outsourcing firm jointly tasked with rolling out new benefit for sick and disabled people faces public accounts committee



Margaret Hodge
Margaret Hodge also accuses the Department for Work and Pensions of overlooking discrepancies in Atos' tendering document. Photograph: Richard Gardner/Rex

The outsourcing giant Atos, one of two firms tasked with rolling out a new benefit for sick and disabled people, has been accused by a committee of MPs of misleading the government over how quickly it could process claims that has led to the distress of thousands of claimants.

The chair of the public accounts committee, Margaret Hodge, said the firm had submitted a tendering document to administer personal independence payments (PIP) which claimed there were agreements in place to work with hospitals and physiotherapy centres.

However, evidence obtained by the committee showed the document had "deliberately misled" the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), she said.