Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what equality impact assessment was carried out before awarding the Nexus AI contract to IBM; and what safeguards are in place to prevent algorithmic bias in those AI tools used in benefits administration.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
An Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) was not undertaken at the point of award of the Nexus contract. Nexus is a call-off contract with a broad scope which, of itself, does not directly introduce defined services or functionality into live operations. EIAs are undertaken at the appropriate point for individual projects delivered through the contract, prior to being deployed into live services.
The Department for Work and Pensions has a legal requirement to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, using tools such as Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) and fairness assessments to highlight any potential bias or discrimination risks associated with AI and automation.
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2025 to Question 21326 on Personal Independence Payment Mandatory Reconsiderations, what the average clearance time is for mandatory reconsiderations of Personal Independence Payment decisions; and what progress her Department has made on reducing the backlog of cases.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The PIP Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) backlog has reduced by around 6,900 since July 2024. Intakes in March were higher than anticipated so there is still a backlog of 6,400. We are increasing resources available for PIP MRs by recruiting decision makers.
The most recent PIP official statistics release, which was published in March 2025, has data up to January 2025. The median PIP MR clearance time in January was 71 calendar days.
Personal Independence Payment statistics to January 2025 - GOV.UK
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to the public purse was of correspondence to inform pensioners about changes to the winter fuel payment.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
This winter, during a six-week period, the Department communicated with pensioners regarding the change in eligibility for the Winter Fuel Payment and also included an update on its Scottish equivalent. Around 13 million letters were issued to individuals who may have previously had entitlement to a Winter Fuel Payment, and who may have been expecting to receive a letter about the Payment this winter.
The letter informed recipients of the qualifying benefits for receipt of a Winter Fuel Payment and encouraged pensioners to check if they may be eligible for Pension Credit and how to make a claim. Additionally, the letter emphasised other benefits that becoming eligible for Pension Credit may offer, such as assistance with housing costs, energy bills, and a free TV licence for those over 75.
The cost of the exercise was £7.5 million; similar to the cost of sending out letters in previous years, where the Department has written to pensioners about the Winter Fuel Payment.