The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will hold a scrutiny session
with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) at 10am
on Thursday 30th October. The session will
hear from senior officials from the DWP as the Committee takes
follow-up evidence on concerns raised as part of its scrutiny of
the Department in the current Parliament.
One likely topic of questions is the decision to make permanent
measures which reduce the support provided by jobcentres to
Universal Credit claimants. The PAC's report on
Jobcentreshighlighted the DWP's seeming complacency about the
impact that the reduction may be having on claimants. The session
will likely see the DWP challenged on the evidence it has on the
impact of reducing the length of the first meeting a claimant has
with a work coach from 50 to 30 minutes, with members liable to
seek greater transparency on jobcentre performance.
The session will also be informed by the Committee's DWP Customer Service and
Accounts 2023-24 report and the government's response. This report
found that disability benefits claimants at increased risk of
hardship amid a rise in DWP underpayments. Some parts of DWP's
customer service are getting worse. Overall the proportion of new
claims paid on time by DWP fell from 72.2% in 2023-24 to 69.7% in
2024-25.
Other likely topics for discussion will see officials' position
sought on digital issues, such as how the Department is keeping
pace with the rapidly evolving cyber threat, and how it is using
AI to increase its productivity.
Witnesses from 10am:
- Sir Peter Schofield KCB, Permanent
Secretary at DWP
- Barbara Bennett, Director General –
Operations at DWP
- Helen Wylie, Chief Digital and
Information Officer at DWP
