Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the report entitled An investigation into the Department for Work and Pensions’ handling of Ms U’s migration to Employment and Support Allowance, published by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman on 13 January 2022, for what reason her Department has not implemented the recommendation to pay compensation to people who were underpaid Employment Support Allowance beyond the arrears owed.

The Department carefully considers all recommendations made by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). This case is no different, and following the publication of the report, we took swift action to apologise unreservedly to Ms U for the failures made in her case and paid her the recommended consolatory payment plus interest on the arrears that were paid in 2017 as recommended in the PHSO report.

With regards to the other systemic recommendations on compensation made in the report the Department does not consider these to be a reasonable or proportionate course of action to take. We have ensured people have been rightly reimbursed arrears of Employment and Support Allowance owed as part of the special exercise, making 118,000 benefit arrears payments in full.

Where an individual feels their circumstances are exceptional and they may be eligible for a Special Payment, they can contact the Department and set out their reasons. All requests received will be considered on a case-by-case basis.