Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government plans to reform the complaints process to allow the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to intervene earlier in cases of excessive delay by her Department.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP’s online complaints portal provides an automatic acknowledgement on receipt of all complaints, however, does not generate a complaint reference number at this stage. This is because the department handles all complaints initially through its early resolution process. All complaints go to the appropriate business area to attempt early resolution for the customer. The department only generates a complaints reference number, when we have been unable to resolve a complaint through our early resolution process and it is escalated to DWP’s Complaint teams. There should be no reason why the online complaint portal would not provide an acknowledgement on submission, as it is automatically set up to do so.
There are no plans to reform the department’s complaints processes to enable the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to intervene earlier in cases that have experienced delays. The department informs the customer if there is likely to be a delay within the complaints process. If a customer is dissatisfied with DWP’s final complaints response they can escalate their complaint to the Independent Case Examiner (ICE) who is the first point in the department’s escalation process.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason her Department’s online complaints process does not provide an acknowledgment or reference number upon submission.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP’s online complaints portal provides an automatic acknowledgement on receipt of all complaints, however, does not generate a complaint reference number at this stage. This is because the department handles all complaints initially through its early resolution process. All complaints go to the appropriate business area to attempt early resolution for the customer. The department only generates a complaints reference number, when we have been unable to resolve a complaint through our early resolution process and it is escalated to DWP’s Complaint teams. There should be no reason why the online complaint portal would not provide an acknowledgement on submission, as it is automatically set up to do so.
There are no plans to reform the department’s complaints processes to enable the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to intervene earlier in cases that have experienced delays. The department informs the customer if there is likely to be a delay within the complaints process. If a customer is dissatisfied with DWP’s final complaints response they can escalate their complaint to the Independent Case Examiner (ICE) who is the first point in the department’s escalation process.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that complaints submitted online are not prematurely disregarded due to a lack of submission evidence.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Once a customer has submitted an online complaint, they will be contacted by the department regarding the issues raised, at which time the customer can offer evidence to support their complaint; therefore, no additional steps have been taken in this area.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people aged (a) between 16 and 24 and (b) over 16 are unemployed in Basildon and Billericay constituency; and how many and what proportion were unemployed in June 2024.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The latest information requested is published and available at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp
Guidance for users can be found at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many permanent civil servants in her Department are staff without assigned posts; and how many are placed in an equivalent (a) people action team, (b) priority movers list, (c) redeployment register, (d) talent pool and (e) skills match hub in the most recent period for which data is available.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
There are 11 permanent civil servants in The Department for Work and Pensions without assigned posts as of 15/05/2025.
These are all held on a priority movers list to enable matching against suitable roles and are also on the redeployment register which is shared with Other Government Departments to seek redeployment.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2025 to Question 29025 on Department for Work and Pensions: Political Impartiality, what her Department's timetable is for the conclusion of the local investigation into political campaigning during the Rochdale by-election in 2024.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The DWP will not comment further on matters pertaining to individual members of staff.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2025 to Question 29146 on Department for Work and Pensions: Equality, if she will list (a) each item of expenditure on (i) specific equality and diversity training needs and (ii) external memberships and (b) the titles of any training courses undertaken by her staff in relation to equality and diversity-related training in the 2023-24 financial year.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP is committed to being an inclusive employer with a workforce that is representative of the communities and customers we serve. To support with these commitments, we have invested a total of £69,198 in supporting our employees with specific equality and diversity related external memberships and training within the 2023-2024 financial year, the breakdown of which is below:
DWP EDI Expenditure Breakdown (including external memberships and accreditations) FY 23/24 |
| |
a:gender 22/23 funding contribution | £19715 | |
BITC Race Membership | £13000 | |
Employer for Carers membership | £2500 | |
Membership Renewal for PurpleSpace | £950 | |
Renewal of the Business Disability Forum Subscription 2023 2024 | £20500 | |
The Social Mobility Foundation Employer Index contribution | £1000 | |
UK VAT - UK VAT | £11533 | |
TOTAL | £69198 | |
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In addition, the DWP Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) internal e-learning module is mandatory for all new starters during their induction and aims to increase important knowledge of the PSED legal duties incumbent on colleagues both at an individual level and DWP at a collective level.
All new starters are also required to complete Civil Service Expectations training. This learning helps colleagues understand the behaviours expected of all Civil Servants and summarises the legislation that informs our work, policy and services for citizens. It is mandatory learning for all new Civil Servants at all grades. There are no associated costs for this training.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 9 January 2025 to Question 21056 on DWP: Political Impartiality, whether her Department holds information on a disciplinary investigation into party political campaigning by officials in her Department during the Rochdale by-election in February and March 2024.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
As explained in the Answer of 9 January 2025, details of disciplinary investigations are maintained locally. Investigations and informal sanctions are not centrally recorded.
We have been made aware of specific allegations made in relation to employee actions during the Rochdale by-election in February and March 2024, and stated at the time that these would be investigated. The DWP will not comment further on matters pertaining to individual members of staff.
Given the way information is recorded, it is not possible to confirm all investigations that may have taken place or be on-going relating to this, or any by-election, without contacting all line managers to confirm locally held information.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2024 to Question 15237 on Civil Servants: Political impartiality, whether there has been a disciplinary investigation into party political campaigning by officials in her Department during the Rochdale by-election in February and March 2024.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information you have requested is not on a central system. Gathering this information would require input from team leaders and will incur disproportionate costs.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her Department's transparency data entitled DWP and CMG: spending over £500, August 2024, published on 24 October 2024, for what reason her Department spent (a) £1,249 at John Lewis, (b) £868 and £579 at Sam Turner Sons, (c) £679, £899 and £1,139 at Screwfix, (d) £1,436 at Next Day Catering, (e) £589 and £534 at Halfords, (f) £1,099 at Laurastar SA, (g) £629 on Singer Outlet, (h) 11 amounts with SE Online and (i) £999, £619, £619, £557 and £504 at Argos.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
All these transactions would fall into the ‘Barrier Spend’ Category which is where the Flexible Support Fund (FSF) should be considered to remove barriers that are; preventing claimants from moving closer to the job market, hindering a claimant’s search for work, preventing a claimant from accepting a firm job offer or moving into self-employment or preventing them from increasing their earnings, through increased hours or job change.
Examples of ‘barrier spend’ may include smart clothing for interviews or to start work, essential work wear (excluding safety wear as it is the employer’s duty to provide this), essential tools and equipment for specialist roles/sectors (ie chef’s knives). This could also include travel costs where the inability to afford travel is preventing access to an employment opportunity.
The SE online transactions are all for the purchase of ‘Travel expenses’ from the supplier ‘Southeastern Railways’. FSF travel payments can be made in advance if it removes the barrier of arriving to, and sustaining, employment. This includes customers taking on additional job(s) or additional hours in current job(s).