Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the report entitled Independent Case Examiner for the Department for Work and Pensions: annual report 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022, published on 16 December 2022, if he will make an assessment of the reasons for which there was an increase in the number of complaints accepted for examination received by the Independent Case Examiner in 2021-22.

The ICE report is retrospective and many of the cases referenced date back to the pandemic or even earlier, this was a challenging time for DWP and we expect volumes to decrease now the service has stabilised. We continue to value ICE and we learn from the cases, helping us to put things right.

The report reflects the experience of a small proportion of DWP customers as the vast majority of complaints are handled by DWP, with only a small proportion escalating to the Independent Case Examiner who provide an independent avenue for customers.

Overall complaints to DWP remain significantly lower than pre-pandemic. Complaints equate to less than 1% of the department’s caseload.