Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people working in contact centres (a) are working on site, (b) have been furloughed, (c) are self-isolating and (d) reporting symptoms or have tested positive for covid-19.

DWP is committed to providing support to those who need it during the current Pandemic, we have moved a significant number of staff into priority roles to ensure that benefits claims are dealt with as quickly as possible, therefore most of our staff in service delivery roles will be dealing directly with claims (including establishing a virtual contact centre) and we are not able to break this down into figures for contact centres.

With this caveat in mind then on 8 June 2020, 71,231 people (headcount) were working in the service delivery areas of the Department.

a) The Department has the majority of its frontline workforce working within its offices, operating under social distancing rules. In addition, since April this year we have undertaken a programme of work to deploy IT equipment to enable staff to work from home wherever possible and as at 2 June, 15,980 items had been despatched. This number does not include those who had previously received IT KIT and who were already able to work from home. We are currently updating our Management Information systems to capture additional details on those working from home.

(b) No Departmental staff have been furloughed

(c) On 8 June 2020, 5,189 people were either self-isolating or quarantined for reasons related to covid-19 and unable to work. A high proportion of this group are shielding and, wherever possible, will receive IT equipment to enable them to work from home. Those staff who can work at home while self-isolating are continuing to do so.

(d) On 8 June 2020, 285 people were absent having notified the Department of sickness as a result of covid-19.

Across DWP locations we have a procedure in place that ensures that appropriate deep cleaning is undertaken where Covid-19 cases are reported. In addition, health and safety and social distancing guidance is shared with DWP colleagues on a regular basis.