Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2018 to Question 128682, what assessment she has made of the (a) accuracy and (b) value of the Claimant Service and Experience Survey.

The Claimant Service and Experience Survey (CSES) is an operational tool to inform delivery improvements and measure performance across ten benefits. Claimant satisfaction is measured against four areas of the DWP customer charter (getting it right, keeping you informed, ease of access and right treatment).

CSES is an externally commissioned survey and is conducted by an independent research organisation (selected through an open and rigorous competition). The design of the survey, fieldwork and outputs are extensively quality assured by DWP in line with Government Social Research guidance to ensure high standards of accuracy and robustness.

The DWP utilises the research in the following ways:

• Performance monitoring of claimant satisfaction with services provided by DWP across benefits, to inform service design and delivery improvements;
• Understanding claimant use of digital services and different communication channels;
• Feeding into DWP annual report and accounts, as well as Cabinet Office equality report.