This briefing has been prepared for the Work and Pensions Select Committee to provide an overview of the work and performance of the Department for Work and Pensions in the financial year 2008-09
and subsequent months.
“Train to Gain is achieving growth in training that employers value, but taxpayers have a right to expect that much more than half of the public funding should result in training that would not otherwise have occurred. Inconsistent management contributed to a slow start to the programme, followed by rapid growth and now the risk of demand exceeding budgets. We also need to see evidence that money is directed more to areas of greatest need, with training providers who do the best job for their learners and on bringing the whole range of business benefits to employers.”
“I have had to qualify my opinion on the Department for Work and Pensions accounts because of the levels of fraud and error: an estimated £2.7 billion of overpayments and £1.2 billion of underpayments. While it is promising that the total proportion of fraud and error continues to fall and the Department has put in place measures to try to reduce this still further, the Department should be aware of the risks of further fraud and error due to the pressure on the benefits system because of the current economic downturn.”
“This is a sad case of public administration failure. Warnings were first sounded years ago that there were problems but no one took responsibility for resolving them. It is essential to prevent errors on this scale from happening again, but this will happen only if one party takes responsibility for the process as a whole.”
“Greater awareness of the numbers of people with autism, as well as better understanding of autism amongst those providing health, social care, benefits, education and employment services, would lead to improved quality of life for those on the autistic spectrum. Specialist support and joint working across all areas – clinical, social and employment – could improve the transition from childhood to adult services, make services more effective and improve value for money.”
“The Department has made a determined effort to reduce reliance on burdensome long letters and piles of leaflets and has improved the efficiency of its communications with customers. It could, however, improve performance further by moving more of its services online. Where paper forms and letters are still necessary, it should make them more straightforward for the customer, particularly for the elderly and other vulnerable people.”
“The Department has improved the effectiveness of its debt management operations. More benefit overpayments are being identified and referred for recovery action. The amount of cash recovered is increasing, but so is the amount tied up in debt, as recoveries are not keeping pace with the growth in identified overpayments. Helping more customers stay out of debt will need to be an important part of the answer.”
“DWP’s services for carers are seen in a generally positive light by those taking them up, but not all eligible carers know about or take up the support on offer. Applying for Carer’s Allowance should be more straightforward, and support for carers seeking work should be more helpful by identifying part-time opportunities, in line with commitments made in the new National Strategy for Carers.”
This memorandum has been prepared for the House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee to provide information on the Department for Work and Pensions Information Technology Programmes.
