Asked by: David Linden (Scottish National Party - Glasgow East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department's transparency data entitled Complaints about DWP: financial year 2021 to 2022, published on 17 May 2022, and Complaints about DWP: financial year 2022 to 2023, published on 31 January 2023, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the trend in the number of complaints received by his Department.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP has made significant improvements to the complaints services since 2021 moving to a single tier model, with the aim of simplifying the process and prioritising vulnerable customers. We continually monitor complaints including the volumes and, where needed we have introduced further improvement including developing a consistent approach to complaints through new quality standards. We are committed to learning from complaints, using insight to support further improvements.
Complaint volumes were slightly lower in 2021-22, and whilst the data published on 31 January 2023 represents the first three quarters of 2022/23, volumes remain much lower than pre-pandemic levels. Overall volumes continue to represent less than 1% of the customer caseload.
Asked by: David Linden (Scottish National Party - Glasgow East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January to Question 126631 on Universal Credit: Young People, what proportion of Universal Credit claimants under the age of 25 lived independently in the most recent period in which data is available.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The latest available statistics show, in August 2022, there were around 170,000 single under 25 year olds on Universal Credit in payment and entitled to the housing element indicating they pay their own rent and do not live with family members or as a couple.
Asked by: David Linden (Scottish National Party - Glasgow East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish a list of the triggers used by officials in his Department which would encourage claimants to migrate to Universal Credit.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
On 10 January, the department published Completing the move to Universal Credit: Learning from the Discovery Phase - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) which details our approach in contacting claimants during the Earliest Testable Service (ETS). We will continue to test and learn what claimants need to enable them to move to UC, as we go forward.
Asked by: David Linden (Scottish National Party - Glasgow East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2023 to Question 131311 on Department for Work and Pensions: Freedom of Information, on what day the decision to cease publishing Freedom of Information responses was made.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No explicit decision has ever been made. This was simply a change in process that occurred naturally over time.
Asked by: David Linden (Scottish National Party - Glasgow East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the impact of the Universal Credit (Administrative Earnings Threshold) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 on affected Universal Credit claimants since coming into effect.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are closely monitoring the implementation of the September change. The majority of claimants impacted by the change of regulations now have a tailored Claimant Commitment agreed with their work coach.
Asked by: David Linden (Scottish National Party - Glasgow East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2023 to Question 132435 on Jobcentres: Closures, whether any Jobcentre staff have been advised of the closure of the temporary centre at which they are employed.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Further to question 132435 answered in the House of Commons on 30 January 2023 and question 127881 answered in the House of Commons on 24 January 2023, the Department has not made any formal announcements to staff regarding decommissioning temporary Jobcentres as part of its ongoing review of the Jobcentre estate.
The review is in progress and the Department will communicate outcomes with Jobcentre staff when a decision has been made on any sites that may impact them. MPs will be contacted should a decision regarding a Jobcentre estate be made that could affect their constituents.
A full list of the temporary Jobcentre sites can be found on GOV.UK.
Asked by: David Linden (Scottish National Party - Glasgow East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason his Department has not updated its web page on Collection: DWP statistical FOI releases since 2017.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department takes its obligations under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act very seriously. However, it is not a requirement to publish FOI responses.
All FOI requests that are submitted via WhatDoTheyKnow.com, automatically have their responses published on that site.
Asked by: David Linden (Scottish National Party - Glasgow East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2023 to Question 127881 on Jobcentres: Closures, if he will list the locations and proposed closure dates of the temporary Jobcentres that his Department has already made a decision to close.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Further to question 127881 answered in the House of Commons on 24 January 2023, the Department can confirm that it continues to review its Jobcentre estate with a view to start returning to its pre-pandemic size.
Once the Department is ready to provide more information on proposed closure locations, and dates, it will share the news with staff first and I can assure the House that all MPs will be contacted when a decision has been made on any sites that may impact on their constituents.
A full list of the temporary sites can be found on GOV.UK.
Asked by: David Linden (Scottish National Party - Glasgow East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2022 to Question 100665 on Question for Department for Work and Pensions, if he will publish planned or estimated closing dates for each of his Department's temporary job centres.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has publicly committed to returning the Jobcentre estate to its pre-pandemic size, restated in a Written Ministerial Statement in July 2022. The Department is currently reviewing the ongoing business need for these temporary Jobcentres.
The Department will provide more information in due course.
Asked by: David Linden (Scottish National Party - Glasgow East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department paid to claimants in payments related to gross inconvenience in (a) 2018, (b) 2019, (c) 2020, (d) 2021 and (e) 2022.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP can make a consolatory payment to a claimant in recognition for when gross inconvenience has been caused.
The table below shows the total amount spent on consolatory payments per calendar year (January to December) as requested.
Total consolatory payments by calendar year | |
Year | Amount Paid |
2018 | £323,446.33 |
2019 | £355,484.37 |
2020 | £342,901.82 |
2021 | £551,513.69 |
2022 | £580,016.18 |
*Please note: The figure for 2022 has not yet been finalised, as the figures are reported quarterly, therefore the 2022 figure above represents the first nine months only.
As a Department, DWP has continuously improved the complaints process and recognises the increase in the amount of consolatory payments paid is indicative of the departments complaints process better acknowledging when things haven’t gone as they should, and where appropriate to compensate the customer.