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
1 result
Clear
12 Conclusion Deferred
60th Report - DWP follow-up: Autum…
DWP asserts no economic model dictates meeting length and highlights system flexibility.
In our October 2025 oral evidence session, the Department highlighted that there was never an economic model that said the length of the first meeting should be 50 rather than 30 minutes. It also emphasised that there was flexibility in … Read more
Government Response
The department will be undertaking a qualitative research project to gather claimant insight on their experiences at the initial claimant commitment meeting. It will use the findings from this qualitative research alongside learning from the claimant commitment testing in its Pathfinder sites to consider the best way to provide support to claimants throughout their claim.
HM Treasury
View details
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