Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of his Department’s capacity to respond to correspondence on voluntary National Insurance contributions in time for the deadline of 31 July 2023.

The DWP Futures Pension Centre has experienced unprecedented levels of contact from customers considering whether to pay voluntary National Insurance Contributions (VNICS) before the deadline. To ensure customers have the time and information to make an informed decision, HMRC announced it will extend the deadline to pay these contributions until 5 April 2025.

DWP have redeployed additional resources and continue to review options to meet current demand and improve service.

Furthermore, HMRC and the DWP are taking the opportunity through the extension period to make improvements to the digital service, with the intention that the majority of customers should be able to complete the process online. Further announcements will follow in due course.