DWP follow-up: Autumn 2025

Public Accounts Committee Open Inquiry
Opened: 11 Sep 2025 Parliament page
The Public Accounts Committee will be following up recent scrutiny with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in autumn 2025, on various topics. The PAC’s July 2025 report on Jobcentres warned that government seemed complacent at the potential impact of a reduction in support for benefit claimants. Amid a … Read more
8 Recommendations
19 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
2 Letters
1 Event
Activity timeline 6 events
20 Apr
2026
Correspondence
1 Apr
2026
Report published
9 Jan
2026
Report published
24 Nov
2025
Correspondence
30 Oct
2025
Oral evidence
30 Oct
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
30 Oct 2025
View on parliament.uk
Barbara Bennett · Department of Work and Pensions Helen Wylie · Department of Work and Pensions Sir Peter Schofield KCB · Department for Work and Pensions
Title HC No. Published Items Response
60th Report - DWP follow-up: Autumn 2025 HC 1447 9 Jan 2026 27 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
14 results
Clear
1 Conclusion Acknowledged
60th Report - DWP follow-up: Autum…
Committee gathers evidence from DWP on issues from previous scrutiny.
We took evidence from the Department for Work and Pensions (the Department) to follow up on issues arising from our recent scrutiny of a range of topics.1
Government Response
The government agrees with the committee's introductory statement and outlines its ongoing reforms to the Post-16 education and skills system, including the transfer of adult skills and careers responsibility to the DWP, the creation of the Jobs and Careers Service, and the integration of the National Careers Service with Jobcentre Plus by October 2026. An update will be published in Spring 2026.
HM Treasury
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6 Conclusion Acknowledged
60th Report - DWP follow-up: Autum…
DWP implements machinery of government changes for skills, including staff and budget transfers.
The Department told us that, at one level, machinery of government changes were straightforward because one could announce them; but, at another level, there was a lot of detailed delivery work that needed to happen. It said that it was … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the importance of access to education and skills and has transferred responsibility for adult skills and careers to DWP to create a single government lead. It outlines the plan for the Jobs and Careers Service.
HM Treasury
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7 Conclusion Acknowledged
60th Report - DWP follow-up: Autum…
DWP merges jobcentres with National Careers Service, enhancing post-19 careers support.
We asked the Department about the merger of jobcentres with the National Careers Service and specifically about how it would do better at giving advice to young people about what their wishes and skills were best 7 Machinery of Government … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation and will be bringing together the National Careers Service with Jobcentre Plus from 1 October 2026. As the new service is being developed, the department will look to incorporate information on users’ skills and available provision to signpost people to training where they have gaps that need addressing.
HM Treasury
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8 Recommendation Acknowledged
60th Report - DWP follow-up: Autum…
DWP insources National Careers Service advice by October 2026, committing to retain staff skills.
The Department said that it was in the process of setting up the new jobs and careers service, which would need to be done by October 2026 when the current National Careers Service contracts came to an end. It had … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the importance of retaining skills from the National Careers Service providers and has transferred responsibility for adult skills and careers to DWP to create a single government lead. It outlines the plan for the Jobs and Careers Service.
HM Treasury
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10 Conclusion Acknowledged
60th Report - DWP follow-up: Autum…
DWP permanently implemented three local flexibility framework measures, reducing claimant support.
In June 2025, just before we published our report, the Department wrote to tell us that it had made three of the measures in the framework permanent. Two of these measures involved reducing the frequency of appointments for customers in … Read more
Government Response
The government will conduct qualitative research to understand the impact of the 30-minute initial claimant commitment meeting on the claimant experience, with findings used in developing the Jobs and Careers Service.
HM Treasury
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11 Conclusion Acknowledged
60th Report - DWP follow-up: Autum…
DWP lacks evidence on shortened claimant meeting impact and claimant feedback.
In September 2025, the Department wrote to us again and acknowledged that it did not hold quantitative evidence on the impact of changing the length of the first meeting claimants have with a work coach. It said that, as this … Read more
Government Response
The government will conduct qualitative research to understand the impact of the 30-minute initial claimant commitment meeting on the claimant experience, with findings used in developing the Jobs and Careers Service.
HM Treasury
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17 Conclusion Acknowledged
60th Report - DWP follow-up: Autum…
DWP's Service Modernisation Programme addresses significant unmodernised services and legacy IT.
The Department recognises that significant parts of its services remain largely unmodernised. Its Service Modernisation Programme is an 11-year organisation-wide programme, estimated to cost £312.1 million and running from 2022–23 to 2032–33, which is seeking to deliver benefits for customers, … Read more
Government Response
Acknowledges the statement and repeats it.
HM Treasury
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20 Conclusion Acknowledged
60th Report - DWP follow-up: Autum…
Significant delays in PIP claims cause debt and poverty, requiring urgent departmental attention.
We noted examples of constituents who had waited over a year for their PIP claims to be processed, and that the Department had told a Member’s office that claims would take more than 12 months.28 These delays can cause claimants … Read more
Government Response
The department has reviewed its timeliness standards, which reflect current policy and drive correct outcomes and will include this in the 2025-26 ARA. The department will however write to the Committee to provide the information available as requested, by the end of March 2026, to close this recommendation.
HM Treasury
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21 Conclusion Acknowledged
60th Report - DWP follow-up: Autum…
Health Transformation Programme progress on PIP claims is too slow for claimants.
As it has done previously, the Department pointed to the work it was doing to transform the PIP service through its Health Transformation Programme. It explained that, as part of this programme, it was testing an online application form which … Read more
Government Response
The department has reviewed its timeliness standards, which reflect current policy and drive correct outcomes and will include this in the 2025-26 ARA. The department will however write to the Committee to provide the information available as requested, by the end of March 2026, to close this recommendation.
HM Treasury
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22 Conclusion Acknowledged
60th Report - DWP follow-up: Autum…
DWP developing new integrated IT system for Personal Independence Payment processing.
The Department also highlighted that it was trialling the idea of having a named caseworker to support claimants with the PIP application process: helping customers understand the eligibility requirements, talking them through the evidence they needed to provide, acting as … Read more
Government Response
The department will provide the committee with requested information by the end of March 2026, and is offering opportunities to reduce journey times through service improvements.
HM Treasury
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23 Conclusion Acknowledged
60th Report - DWP follow-up: Autum…
DWP recognises significant cyber risk given sensitive data and essential public services.
In our May 2025 report on government cyber resilience, we concluded that government had not kept up with the severe and rapidly evolving cyber threat, that there was a longstanding shortage of experienced, technical cyber skills, and that departments had … Read more
Government Response
The Department told us that it had identified cyber risk as one of its most significant risks and it was something that its executive team looked at very closely. It stressed that, given the signif
HM Treasury
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24 Conclusion Acknowledged
60th Report - DWP follow-up: Autum…
Department demonstrates existing robust cyber security assurance and oversight mechanisms
The Department told us that it had its own assurance programme based on the world-class National Institute of Standards and Technology assurance programme, and that it also used the GovAssure process which is the government standard for the most critical … Read more
Government Response
The Department told us that it had its own assurance programme based on the world-class National Institute of Standards and Technology assurance programme, and that it also used the GovAssure process which is the government standard for the most critical systems.
HM Treasury
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25 Conclusion Acknowledged
60th Report - DWP follow-up: Autum…
Department maintains a prioritised cyber incident response and business continuity framework
The Department explained that it had a security incident response framework in place that, in the case of a cyber attack, would enable it to keep its services running as much as possible. It told us that its business continuity … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation and describes the department's plan to address the 36 most critical legacy systems, which account for around 65% of the caseload, within the coming Spending Review.
HM Treasury
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27 Conclusion Acknowledged
60th Report - DWP follow-up: Autum…
Department’s legacy IT upgrade plans risk repeating past digital transformation failures
The Department told us that, if implemented successfully, its plans to upgrade its legacy IT could transform its customer service and productivity, enabling it to provide services where customers could do more for themselves where they are able to, and … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation and states that the Service Modernisation Programme is delivering as intended. They outline several achievements and future improvements to the Customer Account.
HM Treasury
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Government Response AI assessment · 26 of 8 classified
Accepted 4
Accepted in Part 2
Acknowledged 14
Deferred 1
Not Addressed 1
Rejected 4
Total 8 recs + 19 conclusions
Correspondence 2 letters
20 Apr 2026 To committee Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Work and Pensions to the Chair of the Public Accounts Committee relating to DWP follow-up: Autumn 2025, 30 March 2026
Parliament page
24 Nov 2025 To committee Letter from the Permanent Secretary at the Department of Work and Pensions relating to a follow-up to the Committee’s evidence session DWP follow-up: Autumn 2025 on 30 October 2025, 14 November 2025
Parliament page