Health: Atos

Lord Cormack Excerpts

Monday 26th November 2012 Lords Chamber

[Lord Freud]

I am not aware of the fine print of that particular contract, as it was done under a previous Government. A proportion of the assessment centres—currently 31, I believe—are not on the ground floor and lifts must be used. If there is then an emergency, such as a fire, those people will have to go down the stairs, which is obviously not satisfactory. To the extent that people are concerned about that, we make other arrangements: they are visited on the ground floor, somewhere else or at home.

[Lord Cormack]

My Lords, did anyone prior to seeing the Order Paper know what Atos was?

[Lord Freud]

My Lords, Atos is not an acronym in this case; it is the name of the company that does these assessments.