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Written Question
Social Security Benefits: Underpayments
Monday 29th April 2024

Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) large and (b) unusual underpayments have been referred for analysis since June 2023.

Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

DWP measures its underpayments via annual national statistics published each May. However, we do not produce an estimate for the value of a benefit underpayment.

DWP conducts internal quality assurance checks focusing on financial accuracy and service quality.


Written Question
Work and Health Programme
Monday 29th April 2024

Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to page 88 of his Department's Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023, published on 6 July 2023, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Work and Health Programme following the programme evaluation using Randomised Control Trial design.

Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The department published the Work and Health Programme evaluation: synthesis report in October 2023 - the report presents findings from the evaluation of the Work and Health Programme. The department has not yet provided an assessment of the programme’s impact.


Written Question
Work and Health Programme: Disability
Monday 29th April 2024

Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment his Department has made of the impact of the Work and Health Programme on supporting disabled people into the workforce.

Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The department published the Work and Health Programme evaluation: synthesis report in October 2023 - the report presents findings from the evaluation of the Work and Health Programme. The department has not yet provided an assessment of the programme’s impact.


Written Question
Work and Health Programme
Monday 29th April 2024

Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people the Work and Health Programme has supported into work (a) in total and (b) by region.

Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The number of participants on the Work and Health Programme who achieve job outcomes, and when they are achieved, are published in the job outcomes statistics on Stat-Xplore and are available for England and Wales and regional level to November 2023.

Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required.


Written Question
Universal Credit: Fraud
Monday 29th April 2024

Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of the advance Universal Credit claims flagged by his Department’s machine learning algorithm as potentially fraudulent in which claimants were (a) from protected groups and (b) vulnerable claimants were found to be fraudulent.

Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Publishing these figures would compromise our ability to prevent or detect fraud.


Written Question
Universal Credit: Fraud
Monday 29th April 2024

Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of the advance Universal Credit claims flagged by his Department’s machine learning algorithm as potentially fraudulent were (a) from protected groups and (b) vulnerable claimants.

Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Publishing these figures would compromise our ability to prevent or detect fraud.


Written Question
Universal Credit: Fraud
Monday 29th April 2024

Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many of the advance Universal Credit claims flagged by his Department’s machine learning algorithm as potentially fraudulent were from (a) protected groups and (b) vulnerable claimants.

Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Publishing these figures would compromise our ability to prevent or detect fraud.


Written Question
Universal Credit: Fraud
Monday 29th April 2024

Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of the advance Universal Credit claims flagged by his Department’s machine learning algorithm as potentially fraudulent were found to be fraudulent.

Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Publishing these figures would compromise our ability to prevent or detect fraud.


Written Question
Universal Credit: Fraud
Monday 29th April 2024

Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many fraudulent advance Universal Credit claims have been identified by his Department's machine learning algorithm.

Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Publishing these figures would compromise our ability to prevent or detect fraud.


Written Question
Jobcentres: Staff
Monday 29th April 2024

Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average number of Work Coaches was per Jobcentre in the latest period for which data is available; and what the average caseload was of a Work Coach in the same period.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Average number of Work Coaches per Jobcentre

Jobcentres across the DWP estate vary significantly in size and capacity, the average number of Work Coaches per Jobcentre does not reflect this variation and is not a metric used by the Department.

At the end of March 24, the number of full time equivalent (FTE) UC, JSA and ESA Work Coaches across Great Britain was 16,480 and the number of Jobcentres was 634, giving an average number of Work Coaches per Jobcentre of approximately 26.

Notes on the figures:

  • Data is correct as at the end of March 24.
  • Figures were derived from the Department’s Activity Based Model (ABM), which provides Full Time Equivalent (FTE) figures based on point in time estimate by Line Managers. They cover only FTE of staff with paid employment.
  • Work Coach figures include both Universal Credit Work Coaches and Existing Benefit Work Coaches. They do not include Work Coach Team Leaders and Disability Employment Advisers.
  • The number of colleagues employed in these directorates is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal departmental use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. As the Department holds the information, we have released it.

Average caseload of a Work Coach

The table below shows the average number of Universal Credit customers in the Intensive Work Search regime per Universal Credit work coach FTE across Great Britain in March 24.

March 24

People on UC (Intensive Work Search only)

1,495,380

Number of UC work coaches (FTE)

15,290

Intensive Work Search customers per UC work coach (FTE)

100

Data sources: Work coach FTE - DWP’s internal Activity Based Model, People on UC - Stat-Xplore (https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk)

Please note, the Department does not use caseload per Work Coach to estimate the number of Work Coaches required nationally or locally. Not all UC claimants have a Work Coach, but we have provided the number of Intensive Work Search customers per UC Work Coach as most of this group do. The Department has complex models to estimate the resource required in Jobcentres at a national level. These models cover activities across all DWP customer groups and job roles.

The Department continually impacts and assesses the service being offered to customers. Staff numbers, including the number of Work Coaches, and demand for Jobcentre services are reviewed on an ongoing basis, in line with the latest economic and benefit forecasts.

Notes on the figures:

All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 and cover Great Britain

People on UC

  • The number of Universal Credit claimants includes those who have started Universal Credit (completed the Universal Credit claim process and accepted their Claimant Commitment) and have not had a closure of their claim recorded for this spell, up to the 'count date' (second Thursday in each month).
  • A closure of their claim would be recorded either at the request of the individual or if their entitlement to Universal Credit ends, for example, if they no longer satisfy the financial conditions to receive Universal Credit as they have capital over £16,000.
  • Labour market regime is based on an individual's circumstances on the count date. More information on the Labour Market Regime can be found using the following link:

Labour Market Regimes

FTE

  • Data is correct as at the end of March 24.
  • Figures were derived from the Department’s Activity Based Model (ABM), which provides Full Time Equivalent (FTE) figures based on point in time estimate by Line Managers. They cover only FTE of staff with paid employment.
  • Work Coach figures include only Universal Credit Work Coaches. The figures do not include Work Coach Team Leaders and Disability Employment Advisers.
  • The number of colleagues employed in these directorates is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal departmental use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. As the Department holds the information, we have released it.
  • UC work coach FTE includes the following ABM categories - (DWP) Reasonable Adjustment (W&H Pilot), (UCJC) 50PLUS Work Coach, (UCJC) IWP Work Coach, (UCJC) Learning Premium, (UCJC) UC 18-24 Work Coach, (UCJC) New Style ESA Work Coach, (UCJC) New Style JSA Work Coach, (UCJC) UC Enhanced Work Coach – SE, (UCJC) UC Start Up Training, (UCJC) UC Work Coach Accreditation, (UCJC) UC Work Coach Group Sessions, (UCJC) UC Work Coach, (UCJC) Work Capability Assessment Referrals, (UCJC) Youth Employability Coach, and (UCJC) Youth Hub Work Coach.