On the face of it you may say that the answer is yes but please bear with me for the explanation. I have been too ill to work for the past two and a half years. My son is now almost 20 and the debits to my Employment Support Allowance were stopped on his 19th birthday. They weree deducting £5 per week from my benefit. There are no other qualifying children. I agree that there are arrears on the account but, in consultation with my MP, the CSA admitted that the arrears were caused by my previous employer being too slow in sending in my details and the failings of the CSA's own internal procedures. The CSA have admitted to me that as long as I remain in my current condition, on ESA and not able to work, they are powerless to reclaim the arrears. Once the divorce is finalised and therefore all links with her are servered, if she contacts the CSA in the future to check as to whether I am working, are they legally obliged to divulge this private information? Also for how long will the arrears be 'live' so to speak? I have had different people at the CSA telling me different stories that they will be wiped out after a period of time...but no-one is able, or wishes to tell me how long or short this is.

thank you very much. I will pursue this with some vigour now.

Caledfwlch...what are the rules about Dr's working for ATOS? The guy that saw me is a registered Dr for Boston Hospital i think?

Coledog..my heart goes out to you and your husband. You must absolutely appeal this awful decision. You ARE allowed to ask the DWP office for a copy of the ATOS report. I was bale to get mine in just two days and even though I was placed into the Support Group for ESA, I was still amazed by what had been written, what was left ouit AND certain assumptions that had been made. Do also try to contact your own local DIAL networl...this is the Disability Alliance group. I was able to talk to a very helpful chap in my area office and he offered to attend my ATOS appointment with me. Just him being there made such a difference to me and that was noted on my ATOS report. The very best of wishes with your appeal. Do let us all know how you get on. (I have had to submit my ATOS questionairre again and it went in at the beginning of September. Tomorrow is October 1st and as yet I have heard nothing. I hope the medical evidence that i sent plus my submissions to the questions have meant I do not have to attend an ATOS appointment again this time. I could well do without it).

Brief timeline for you. Ex claimed for maintenance for my son; CSA messed up the paperwork; proved that the CSA's internals systems had broken down and caused the arrears on my account; even MP happy that CSA were proved to be wrong... YET the CSA refuse to write off arrears. I went onto ESA (Support Group) and ex still wanted what she could get. CSA take £5 per week out of my benefit. Mid June my son turned 19 and all payments cease. Was told by CSA that because I am on ESA benefit they are unable to collect anything towards the arrears. Would I like to make a contribution they ask? Answer NO. Told they would leave me alone. That was end of June. Today, 30th Sept I receive a phone call at lunchtime completely out of the blue but was asleep. Called them back to be told that they were calling with regard to the arrears (remember the arrears were the CSA's fault) and would I like to make a contribution. Answer again NO because I am still on ESA. Asked why are they calling me and I receive a very 'roundabout' answer... Just ringing people with arrears I was told. BUT I said my details have not changed and I may well be unable to work ever again through this mental breakdown. (I am suffering from extreme mental illness). So why are they harassing me? No answer. Why did the person who called me originally not look more carefully at my details? Again the man couldn't comment on his colleague. I have insisted he transcribe my conversation with him and to place 'alarm warnings' on my file so that if someone wants to call me again they may decide not to due to the stresses and concerns it places upon me. He said he would place something important upon my file to this effect. He also admitted that if they had read my file properly then I probably wouldn't have been called. Slim consolation for me though. My question is this. 1) Can they continue to harass me? Surely they can see from DWP records that my ESA is continuing? 2) What happens in the unlikely situation that I start to work again? The CSA guy said they would 'try' to claim the arrears. I said what if I refuse to pay and he said they would not be able to pursue me. When I repeated what he had said he quickly changed his ground and said that as he didn't work in the collections team he couldn't comment. However he had stated they wouldn't be able to chase me. What is the situation please? Will they continue to harass me continually? I cannot take much more of these awful people Final question...Is there a limit to how long they can keep coming after me or is this for the rest of my life?

and isn't this just one of the many iniquities of a system that was too quickly set up and unprepared to be reviewed and amended

The CSA took £5 per week out of my ESA despite my protests that this was causing major financial hardship and that my ex wife was no pauper. She earned her salary plus benefits AND £40/week in undeclared income from cleaning all amounting to £1500 or so a month yet they said I had to pay it and nothing at all could be done about it. Thank goodness it has all ceased since my son turned 19

Just a quick update Lee, I spoke to the DWP and a very nice advisor said she would place a copy of the ATOS report in the post today, 2nd class but still that is much quicker than I would have expected. Fingers crossed it arrives quickly.

thank you Lee...your words and advice are always most kind. I shall keep an eye on the site for the mental health section. Will try the DWP to get a copy of the ATOS report. kind regards again Ian

Hi Lee...I hope you are feeling somewhat better now. It is never nice being unwell. I hope you don't mind if I ask you this question. I do appreciate all your assistance and feedback. I have my ATOS ESA50 to complete again for the beginning of Sept. Is it acceptable for me to request a copy of the previous ATOS reprt on me from last February? It would be interesting to see what was logged about me as I wish to provide some consistency to my next submission. My circumstances haven't changed except that I am now receiving mental health counselling/CBT which was being waited for last time. I know how hard the ATOS thing was for me last time and I do not want to cast myself in an uncertain light. You know how devious these ATOS people can be. If it is OK to ask for it, how long should it take to send?

Hi Mr History...yes I appreciate you posting the form but the forms we were talking to Lee mack about are the guides she will be writing for how we complete them with the best potential answers. regards

I am sure we all pass our best wishes onto Lee and hope she is feeling better soon. It is never much fun being ill regards Ian

Hi Rebel...I looked on the government yougov website for ET telephone numbers. There was one central number. They asked my region I lived in and where the employer was based. They stated it was the Nottingham office and gave me their telephone number. I rang them, introduced myself and asked how my claim was going as I had heard nothing about any possible Tribunal dates. The chap was very helpful and searched both databases they posses and was able to confirm that NO record of me, the union or the employer was held in relation to me or any claim I wanted to bring. He even sent me a confirming email. The Union solicitors did exactly the same thing so despite Union emails stating they were awaiting the solicitor's report AND that they would lodge my details with the ET so i wasn't out of time, they in fact did nothing. I have them hook, line and sinker and copy of Angling Times to borrow an expression. It is going to be very interesting to see how they reply.

Hi Rebel...firstly yes union does indeed begin with a 'U' but it is not Unite. It is the other shower. I have indeed been in contact on three occasions with the ET and each time they have told me I ma out of time. My ex employer would also 'cry foul' as well as they would immediately argue that the date is well over the three month limit and that it isn't their fault that Union are so incompetent. I have instigated the Union's own complaints procedure. First email with letter attached went off on 21st June. It took them till 30th June to reply via letter to my home address. I then had to email them again on 21st July saying it has been a month since my first message of complaint and the reply was somewhat bizarre in that the person thanked me for prompting them into replying. Here is a copy of part of their letter. "Thank you for prompting me with regards to your complaint I am sorry you feel we have neglected to keep you informed. I am awaiting a report into the matters you have raised and as soon as I receive this I will write to you properly. Unfortunately I am now on annual leave until the 8th August but please be assured I will contact you as soon as possible after this date." The word 'prompting' to me implies they had forgotten again; I am not surprised I continue to feel neglected...how else do I feel with not hearing anything for three whole weeks when their own complaints procedure actually states they will remain in contact to keep me informed of the progress; how it can be taking this amount of time to await a report is also beyond me when I have every email they sent that shows their lies and incompetence and then to say to me she is away until 8th August...well...I would not have known that unless I had 'prompted' them and I certainly doubt there would have been a letter to me saying she was on leave. It is typical of the complete silent treatment I have received. I can assure you all that this will not be laid to rest from my perspective.

1) tax evasion is illegal 2) she has been bleeding me dry for two years with the CSA who refuse to listen to what they are told 3) she is my ex and for five years I knew she was doing this 4) I have heard her discuss this with the neighbour about how to be paid in cash when they didn't realise I was in my garden and could hear every word and 5) If she can lie to her own solicitor what else is she capable of doing It isn't really a question of what business it is of mine. Tax evasion is a crime against all tax payers.

I hope someone out there can assist me. My ex wife who has a full time job paying tax under PAYE also has a cash in hand cleaning job working for two of my neighbours. She has been doing this for the past 7 years at least. For the last two years I have repeatedly contacted the Tax Evasion hotline and given reams of details but nothing seems to be happening. She continues to work and not declare the earnings. She is hardly poor as she receives her usual work salary plus child benefit for our one qualifying child who is now 19. She also receives Child Tax credit and Working tax credit. I even have a text message from her that actually says she is too tired to discuss matters (about the divorce) as she was cleaning 'next door' till 10pm. I have even challenged her solicitor over this and she said that she is 'merely visiting friends.' If she is visiting friends, why does she have her own set of door keys and always cleans when the two separate home owners are out of the house? How can I get the tax authorities to do something about this. I report this everytime I see her arriving.

Please bear with me as this may appear long. Last November my job was terminated and I wanted to take action by way of Industrial Tribunal under the terms of the Disability Discrimination Act. I was fully up to date with my union subscriptions and wanted them to help me. They sent me all the necessary claim forms and was told to return them to the local office so they could add their details and then they would forward them to the Regional Office. I knew there was a three month time limit for posting Tribunal appeals. I informed them about this and I have a series of emails telling me not to worry as the Regional Officer would log my claim with the Tribunal so that I wasn't marked as 'timed-out.' That was in early January. The 3 month time limit was in early February. Nothing was heard for months and the regional advisor would not return my messages d espite assurances that he would do so accoring to the local office. I was told one of the reasons was that they were awaiting advice from the Union's solicitors. In desperation in early June I contacted the solicitors directly and surprise, surprise they knew nothing about me. Somewhat in shock I contacted the Tribunal service and they too have no record of me whatsoever. Both the tribunal and solicitor have sent me emails confirming this. Although there is a complaints procedure with the Union which I have instigated it has already been a month since I had a letter from them saying they are 'looking into it.' I have some rudimentary law knowledge and consider this as a clear and uniquivacal breach of contract. I have paid for a service and have not received it. They have lied to me and I have the emails to prove it. Does anyone have any suggestion as to the necessary action I should be taking and potentially what compensation I could sue them for? In case people say this is very straightforward, please be kind in your responses as I am suffering from severe depression and mental health conditions. My ex wife is also delaying matters for me in the divorce case which has dragged on for two years. As you can imagine I am a little fragile at present.

my parents who have only just obtained their first laptop computer suddenly started receiving this telephone call. In however many years before of not having a computer they receive no calls. How in heck do they suddenly get this call pretending to be computer support? A very strange coincidence perhaps. Anyway my father, now well briefed as to how to deal with these con artists gave them such 'what for' on the phone that he had the con artist apologising most profusely. Do not under any circumstances accept any call from anyone purporting to say they have detected issues with your computer and never give out your details. I told the last call I received about so called endowment policies I may have held that he was now receiving an immediate harassment warning and any further calls would be passed to the local police. Four weeks have gone by and no return call as yet

My barclaycard debt was also 'sold' to IDR depsite me making all my £1 payments on time. Suddenly with no warning I cannot access my b/card account to make the online payments. I phoned them and was encouraged to set up a recurring debit card payment. Two days later I get a letter from b/card to say my account has been moved and sent to IDR. I instigated a complaint and was assured of a call back. 7 days went by and nothing was heard. I was told by the 'advisor' that they would recxall my account from IDR. I am suffering from severe depression and mental health conditions and the banking Lending Code says that should consider keeping these accounts for customers like me 'in house.' The complaint has now been scaled up to a level 2 complaint. I am having to get medical proof. Fortunately I had assistance from the CCCS people. B/card were happy to refer me to them but seem unwilling to now accept CCCS' advice and backing. I do not trust that IDR Finance will honour any agreement that I had with barclays after the 6 month period.

Hi LeeMack...are you able to gibe me a link to the ESA50 how to complete the new forms please? This is my second time around bu the forms have changed since january wehn they were last done thanks Ian

HI Leemack...are you able to provide me with the link please to finding the ESA link for completing? thanks Ian

I too had an appointment date sent to me very quickly after I received my first set of ESA50 forms last January.