Outsourcing: DWP Telephone Services

Baroness Altmann Excerpts

Tuesday 30th November 2021 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con)]

No—nothing below the performance indicators is acceptable. That is why we continually challenge the delivery of all our systems.

[Baroness Altmann (Con)]

My Lords, clearly the lack of training seems to have led to many claimants receiving incorrect answers when, for example, querying their state pension. Could my noble friend explain to the House whether the department has done any mystery shopping of its externally sourced claim lines, and what happens if suppliers do not meet their key performance indicators?

[Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con)]

My noble friend brings up the very important issue of training. All staff working for outsourced companies get the same training as DWP, and they will continue to get that. If they are looking after particularly vulnerable clients at any time then they will get specialist training. As for mystery shopping, yes we do: the DWP continues all the time to check out those call lines and make sure that they are being regularly performance managed.