Secretary of State for Work and Pensions - Rt Hon Thérèse
Coffey MP
The Secretary of State has overall responsibility for
departmental expenditure and management.
Minister of State (Minister for Disabled People, Health
and Work) -
The minister’s responsibilities include:
- departmental strategy on disability and disability employment
- cross-government responsibility for disabled people
- Employment and Support Allowance, Personal Independence
Payment, Disability Living Allowance and elements of Universal
Credit that relate to disabled people, including severe
disability premium
- EU Exit oversight
- work and health strategy including sponsorship of the joint
Department for Work and Pensions and Department for Health and
Social Care Work and Health Unit
- disability benefit reform
- devolution framework
- Carer’s Allowance
- Motability and arms-length compensation schemes
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for
Employment) -
The minister’s responsibilities include:
- departmental strategy on the labour market, unemployment and
in work progression, with a focus on under-represented groups,
young people and skills
- in work conditionality including sanctions
- international labour market policy (International Labour
Organization; G20; Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer
Affairs Council (EPSCO); European Social Fund; UK Shared
Prosperity Fund)
- work services and Jobcentre Plus partnership working
- Jobcentre Plus campaigns
- Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support
- People and Location Programme
- Youth Obligation Support Programme
- Flexible Support Fund
- labour market interventions for self-employment (including
the New Enterprise Allowance and future offer and the ‘minimum
income floor’ used to work out earnings for Universal Credit)
- benefit cap
- Health and Safety Executive
- Office for Nuclear regulation
- cross DWP spokesperson shadowing the House of Lords
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for
Pensions and Financial Inclusion) -
The minister’s responsibilities include:
- pensioner benefits, including new State Pension, Winter Fuel
Payments, Pension Credit and Attendance Allowance
- private and occupational pensions, including regulatory
powers and the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST)
- automatic enrolment into a workplace pension
- oversight of arms-length bodies, including the Pensions
Regulator, Pension Protection Fund, Financial Assistance Scheme
and Pensions Ombudsman
- financial guidance, budgeting, saving and debt, including the
Money and Pensions Service and Financial Inclusion Policy Forum
- methods of payment and Post Office card accounts
- EU Exit preparation relevant to pensions
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for
Welfare Delivery) -
The minister’s responsibilities include:
- overall management and delivery of Universal Credit
- support for disadvantaged groups in Universal Credit
including care leavers, prison leavers, survivors of domestic
abuse, people with drug or alcohol dependency, rough sleepers and
those who are facing homelessness
- housing policy and Housing Benefit delivery
- ‘Help to Claim’ service
- poverty
- benefit uprating
- Military Covenant
- fraud, error and debt
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Work
and Pensions) - Baroness Deborah Stedman-Scott OBE DL
The minister’s responsibilities include:
- spokesperson for DWP business in the House of Lords
- child maintenance
- family test
- parental conflict
- legislation and statutory instruments strategy
- Social Security Advisory Committee relationship management
- Social Fund (Cold Weather Payments, Sure Start Maternity
grants, Funeral Expenses Payment scheme and Budgeting loans)
- bereavement benefits
- supported accommodation
- Support for Mortgage Interest
- maternity benefits
- departmental planning and performance management, including
oversight of:
- the single departmental plan, including tracking progress
against manifesto commitments
- other external reporting and governance requirements
- departmental business, including oversight of:
- departmental capability in commercial and digital affairs
- commercial contracting policy
- transparency and data-sharing issues
- research and trialling
