Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2020 to Question 1734 on the Independent Case Examiner, what the average length of time taken was to (a) commence and (b) complete an investigation into a complaint against her Department between 1 January 2020 and 31 March 2020.

The cases that reach the ICE Office are the most complex and investigations will not be compromised in order to be completed within certain timescales. Having accepted a complaint for examination, the ICE Office will initially try to broker a solution between the complainant and the relevant department or supplier, without having to request evidence to inform an investigation – this is known as “resolution”. If it’s not possible to resolve the complaint, the evidence will be requested and the case will await allocation to an Investigation Case Manager (ICM). Complainants are kept updated on the progression of their complaint and the vast majority are satisfied with the service they receive.

During the period 1 January 2020 and 31 March 2020, it took the Independent Case Examiner’s Office an average of: 62 weeks to commence an investigation (from the point at which the complaint was accepted for examination); and 18 weeks to complete an investigation (from the point at which it was allocated to an ICM).

The Independent Case Examiner’s Office began the process of recruiting additional ICMs, to help it reduce the time complaints wait to be brought into investigation, prior to the introduction of the Coronavirus lockdown measures. That process will recommence as soon as it is practicable to do so.