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Written Question
Department for Work and Pensions: Labour Turnover
Tuesday 30th 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 staff turnover rate for his Department is as of 25 April 2024.

Answered by Paul Maynard

The departments turnover figures are only available at the end of each month. The DWP turnover rate as of 31st March 2024 is 7.3%.


Written Question
Department for Work and Pensions: Environment Protection
Tuesday 30th 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 progress his Department has made on meeting its Greening Government Commitment targets.

Answered by Paul Maynard

DWP’s 2023/24 GGC performance is currently being collated and will be submitted to DEFRA at the end of May 2024. Therefore, 2022/23 is the latest full year of GGC data that is available and a summary of DWP’s performance (including our ALBs) against each of the headline GGC targets from 2022/23 is provided below. Further details of DWP’s performance (excluding ALBs) is available in DWP’s 2022/23 Annual Report and Accounts.

Target A: Mitigating climate change: working towards net zero by 2050

DWP reduced our total greenhouse gas emissions by 32% compared to the 17/18 baseline, which is on track to meet the target to reduce by 45% by 2024/25.

DWP reduced our direct greenhouse gas emissions by 1% compared to the 17/18 baseline. During the pandemic DWP took on c.200 additional properties to respond to national requirements. These buildings were still part of the estate in 2022/23 which impacted the direct greenhouse gas emissions performance; however, significant estate rationalisation has occurred during 2023/24 and we forecast we will meet the 2024/25 target to reduce by 17%.

Target B: Minimising waste and promoting resource efficiency

DWP reduced our total waste generated by 31% compared to the 2017/18 baseline, exceeding the target to reduce by 15% by 2024/25.

Target C: Minimising waste and promoting resource efficiency

DWP reduced our water consumption by 19% compared to the 2017/18 baseline, exceeding the target to reduce by 8% by 2024/25.

Target D: Procuring sustainable products and services

DWP has a sustainable procurement policy and ensures all procurement activities comply with the Government Buying Standards, meeting the target requirements.

Target E: Nature Recovery – making space for thriving plants and wildlife

DWP has developed a draft nature recovery plan and intend to finalise this before 2024/25 to meet the target requirements.

Target F: Adapting to climate change

DWP has developed a climate change adaptation strategy which includes a climate change risk assessment and climate change adaptation plan for its estates and operations, meeting the target requirements.

Target G: Reducing environmental impacts from information communication technology (ICT) and digital

DWP provide annual reporting data against the ICT & digital services strategy and provide membership to the sustainable technology advice and reporting team, meeting the target requirements.


Written Question
Social Security Benefits: Appeals
Tuesday 30th April 2024

Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many appeals for all types of benefit case (a) are awaiting a hearing and (b) were awaiting a hearing on 22 April 2010 (i) nationally, (ii) by region, (iii) by Tribunal Office and (iv) by hearing venue.

Answered by Mike Freer

The table below sets out the number of appeals for all types of benefit awaiting a hearing (i) nationally, (ii) by region, and (iv) by hearing venue as at end of December 2023 (the latest period for which data are available). There is no separate data collated at (iii) Tribunal office level.

Data for 22 April 2010 could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

All SSCS Benefits at December 231

Region / Venue

Total Open Caseload

Ready To List

Listed For Hearing

London

11785

6166

1401

Bexleyheath

6

3

0

East London

2715

1443

349

Enfield

46

20

4

Fox Court

5765

2996

670

Hatton Cross

436

170

96

Romford

844

516

112

Sutton

1973

1018

170

Midlands

14569

7979

2084

Birmingham

3275

1668

603

Boston

299

196

33

Chesterfield

649

359

84

Coventry

1146

725

102

Derby

1047

618

142

Hereford

162

81

25

Kidderminster

193

93

37

Leicester

1305

700

160

Lincoln

693

422

71

Northampton

736

476

87

Nottingham

1666

906

256

Nuneaton

123

72

13

Shrewsbury

518

283

67

Stoke

681

379

78

Walsall

493

226

86

Wellingborough

280

169

31

Wolverhampton

1058

462

180

Worcester

245

144

29

North East (Leeds)

6382

2903

1205

Barnsley

314

126

67

Bradford

1055

542

178

Doncaster

448

191

75

Grimsby

300

138

57

Huddersfield

36

11

8

Hull

615

327

97

Leeds

957

341

193

Scarborough

241

111

53

Sheffield

1182

554

214

Wakefield

982

473

187

York

252

89

76

North East (Newcastle)

4775

2480

807

Bedlington

234

95

65

Berwick

20

9

4

Darlington

502

251

77

Durham

425

212

95

Gateshead

116

49

32

Newcastle

751

284

176

North Shields

208

56

63

South Shields

361

176

72

Sunderland

792

488

80

Teesside

1366

860

143

North West

10686

5704

1635

Barrow

108

65

12

Birkenhead

440

264

57

Blackburn

401

225

69

Blackpool

545

238

105

Bolton

613

303

108

Burnley

374

200

46

Bury

1

0

0

Carlisle

254

125

42

Chester

627

358

81

Lancaster

157

94

7

Liverpool

1640

778

234

Manchester

2159

1258

331

Preston

317

143

70

Rochdale

636

279

127

Runcorn

1

0

0

St Helens

676

373

99

Stockport

977

581

129

Wigan

581

327

82

Workington

179

93

36

Scotland

1557

411

508

Aberdeen

89

24

27

Ayr

101

20

40

Campbeltown Centre

2

0

0

Dumfries (Cairndale)

26

2

13

Dundee

88

18

22

Dunfermline

27

7

6

Edinburgh

315

92

114

Galashiels

28

9

8

Glasgow

489

143

155

Greenock

46

10

15

Hamilton

130

26

34

Inverness

63

9

24

Kilmarnock

7

2

2

Kirkcaldy

59

22

19

Kirkwall

1

0

1

Lerwick

3

0

1

Lewis

3

0

2

Oban

6

2

3

Stirling

65

22

19

Stranraer

4

2

1

Wick

5

1

2

South East

12225

7369

1200

Ashford

930

533

102

Basildon

399

200

75

Bedford

365

243

33

Brighton

1250

733

109

Cambridge

456

244

61

Chatham

616

434

60

Chelmsford

700

434

64

Eastbourne

135

88

11

Hastings

317

221

23

High Wycombe

509

291

55

Ipswich

619

409

37

Kings Lynn

269

136

33

Luton

605

365

46

Margate

322

197

29

Milton Keynes

309

172

38

Norwich

990

657

87

Oxford

551

351

58

Peterborough

467

243

56

Reading

593

352

53

Southend

220

109

42

Stevenage

239

137

19

Watford

1364

820

109

South West

9782

5401

823

Unallocated 2

247

156

18

Aldershot

555

309

52

Barnstaple

122

60

9

Bournemouth

12

0

1

Bristol

1922

1090

163

Exeter

385

132

55

Gloucester

715

421

54

Havant

1058

684

63

Newport IOW

319

225

20

Newton Abbot

383

190

37

Plymouth

623

303

62

Poole

801

417

67

Salisbury

73

20

12

Southampton

982

594

58

Swindon

532

322

35

Taunton

410

215

32

Truro

435

156

69

Weymouth and Dorchester

2

0

0

Worle

206

107

16

Wales

6471

3470

675

Aberystwyth

82

41

10

Caernarfon

179

64

26

Cardiff

2668

1455

310

Carmarthen

107

36

20

Haverfordwest

153

68

20

Langstone, Newport

1181

703

91

Llandrindod Wells

37

21

8

Llanelli

2

0

0

Llangefni

284

180

25

Port Talbot

531

232

45

Prestatyn

411

247

31

Swansea

317

140

34

Welshpool

81

46

14

Wrexham

438

237

41

SSCS Regional Centre Not Known

29

4

2

Grand Total

78261

41887

10340

From April 2023 the SSCS Tribunal started to list cases using a new Scheduling and Listing solution. This, alongside HMCTS migrating to a new Strategic Data Platform, has resulted in some cases heard and decided using this new listing solution not currently being included in the data above.

1. Data pulled 24/4/2024

2. Unallocated relates to appeals that have not yet been allocated to a venue.

Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that the data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when data are used.

Management information reflects the data held on the case management system, which is subject to change, and can differ from the quality-assured MOJ official statistics, which form the agreed definitive position.


Written Question
Social Security Benefits: Fraud
Tuesday 30th 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 Targeted Case Review agents there are as of 25 April 2024.

Answered by Paul Maynard

As of the 31st of March, our Targeted Case Review team currently has 3,100 Full Time equivalent agents reviewing Universal Credit claims.

This is the most recent date for which data is available.


Written Question
Restart Programme
Tuesday 30th 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 Account 2022-23, what progress his Department has made on geographical case studies to understand local delivery challenges of the Restart programme.

Answered by Jo Churchill

The evaluation of the Restart Scheme, including research using geographical case studies, is being used to inform delivery of the Restart programme.


Written Question
Department for Work and Pensions: Vacancies
Tuesday 30th 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 proportion of roles in his Department are vacant as of 25 April 2024; and of those, how many and what proportion are not actively being recruited for.

Answered by Paul Maynard

DWP currently has 79,927 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) as at January 24. The proportion of roles in the Department that are vacant is not captured as DWP is currently managing a mix of recruitment to support growth whilst also replacing turnover in priority areas of Service Delivery. DWP is managing efficiencies where posts become vacant in non front line operational areas of the Department and decisions will be made on a case by case basis as to whether they will be recruited for.


Written Question
Employment Schemes: Disability
Tuesday 30th 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 disabled people the Work and Health Programme support helps into work per year; and what estimate his Department has made of the number of how many disabled people that will be helped into work by Universal Support per year.

Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities

The latest Work and Health Programme statistics to November 2023 are published in the latest statistics on .GOV.UK and in Stat-Xplore.

There are three eligibility groups – disability, early access and long term unemployed. Up to November 2023, 77% of starts were from the disability group. For cohorts starting up to November 2021 (who had been on the programme for 24 months at the time of release) 47% had achieved first earnings and 32% achieved a job outcome. The number of job outcomes achieved in each year can be found in the table below:

Number of WHP job outcomes achieved per year in the disability group

2018-19

2019-20

2020-2

2021-22

2022-23

Apr 2023- Nov-2023

TOTAL

Disability Group

3,282

8,092

8,063

19,186

16,175

9,137

63,935

Note: there will also be disabled people in the early access group and long term unemployed, but we are unable to identify those people – therefore these numbers will be underestimates of the total numbers of disabled people who achieve job outcomes.

Further information about definitions are explained in the Work and Health Programme statistics: background information and methodology, in particular:

  • First earnings from employment – the point at which a participant achieves their first earnings from their first employment whilst on the programme. A participant may not necessarily go on to achieve a job outcome. Statistics on first earnings from employment do not include earnings from self-employment.

  • Job outcomes – a provider is classed as achieving a job outcome when a participant reaches either a specified level of earnings once in employment (which varies across the different areas – see detailed explanation of job outcome expectations for details) or 6 months of being in self-employment.

Universal Support will support up to 100,000 disabled people, people with health conditions and people with additional barriers to employment into sustained work per year, once fully rolled out.


Written Question
National Insurance Contributions: Databases
Tuesday 30th 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 10 of the National Audit Office's report entitled Report on Accounts: Department for Work & Pensions, published on 29 June 2023, what the level of assurance over the integrity of National Insurance records was compared to the previous report.

Answered by Paul Maynard

The administration of National Insurance Credits is a HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) function. DWP only use the data provided by HMRC.


Written Question
Social Security Benefits: Data Protection
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 10 of the NAO's Report on Accounts 2022-2023, when his Department plans to report to Parliament on the impact of data analytics on protected groups and vulnerable claimants.

Answered by Paul Maynard

The Department will include its first assessment in its Report and Accounts 2023-24.


Written Question
Fraud and Maladministration
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 paragraph 4.2 of the report by the National Audit Office entitled Department for Work and Pensions Accounts 2022-23, published on 6 July 2023, whether it remains his Department's plan to bring forward a Fraud and Error Bill.

Answered by Paul Maynard

As mentioned by the Prime Minister on 19th April, we are also preparing a new fraud bill for the next Parliament, which will align DWP with HMRC so that we treat benefit fraud like tax fraud with new powers to make seizures and arrests and will also enable penalties to be applied to a wider set of fraudsters through a new civil penalty.