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Benefit Safeguards - policy issues
Thanks for spotting it for us Owen .... cheers - Shawn
https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/45115/documents/223499/default/
https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/45118/documents/223502/default/
https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/45119/documents/223505/default/
https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/45120/documents/223509/default/
https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/45121/documents/223511/default/
Part of an earlier PMIU report: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/pmiu_reports#incoming-2585114
This story references the report linked in the quoted post: https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/dwp-cant-find-report-on-universal-credit-safety-that-pms-unit-told-it-to-write/
Touches on DWP safeguards: https://inequalities.substack.com/p/after-the-wca-incapacity-benefit-reform
The DWP website now lists the responsibilities of the newly appointed ministers. Interesting to note that Sir Stephen Timms, who - until recently - chaired the Work and Pensions Committee that opened an inquiry into safeguarding vulnerable claimants, has responsibility for the Serious Case Panel. This means that it now falls under the responsibility of a Minister of State, having previously been listed as the responsibility of Viscount Younger, a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State.
Perhaps also relevant to this thread, I’m not sure, is that Baroness Sherlock is listed as having responsibility for disadvantaged groups.
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions
[ Edited: 15 Jul 2024 at 01:55 pm by Owen_Stevens ]Some mentions of DWP in the second of these reports: https://www.local.gov.uk/publications/second-national-analysis-safeguarding-adult-reviews-april-2019-march-2023
The DWP Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/669e2ca2ab418ab055592996/annual-report-accounts-2023-2024-web-ready.pdf at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-to-2024
ACSSL stats, 79
Enhanced Review Team has ‘strong focus on safeguarding vulnerable claimants’, 104
Debt management and safeguards, 136
Touches on topics relevant to vulnerable claimants: https://www.nao.org.uk/reports/dwp-customer-service/
The covering letter is careful to note that “this report was never a statement of Government Policy, rather it reflected the observations of individuals in the Prime Minister’s Implementation Unit at the time.”
Assurance activity, recommended by Implementation Unit at recommendations 2 & 4 of slide 5 in the quoted document, was not taken forward:
https://ico.org.uk/media/action-weve-taken/decision-notices/2024/4030428/ic-286031-d6p1.pdf
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/other_pmiu_reports
“DWP explained that the work referenced in the report was not recommended after the pandemic. DWP stated that this was because the performance of Universal Credit in the pandemic had shown that the fears for vulnerable customers were misplaced. DWP confirmed that it had made the point to the Implementation Unit in 2019 that these issues were being raised by stakeholders and that the evidence for problems was weak and driven from a campaigning perspective, not an evidence based one.”