Select committee: Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 9
First Report: DWP's response to the coronavirus outbreak
Published 22 Jun 2020
Paragraph 61
Addressed to Department for Work and Pensions
Work and Pensions Committee DWP's response to the coronavirus outbreak All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
It was right that the Department, in the initial phase of the crisis, focussed on increasing the rates of Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit. Those changes could be made relatively easily and enabled the Government to get support quickly to millions of people. But that does not mean that the Government should simply ignore the needs of those people who are claiming—through no fault of their own— benefits which rely on outdated and complex administrative systems. Those benefits include support for disabled people, people with health conditions, for carers, and for people with children. Even if it takes the Department several months to make the changes, that would still be better than offering no additional support at all.
From: Work and Pensions Committee, First Report: DWP's response to the coronavirus outbreak (HC 178), paragraph 61, 22 June 2020
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 8 September 2020.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government's response sets out DWP's actions on the Committee's recommendations, committing to some further work on health assessments, terminal illness guidance and publishing evidence on the self-employed, while giving reasons for not changing other policies.
- On legacy benefits, DWP has "no plans to increase these benefits further at this stage", and says rates will be reviewed in the autumn up-rating exercise for April 2021.
- On audio recording of assessments, the government says it is "currently developing an approach" for telephone PIP assessments and Work Capability Assessments, without stating a date.
- On health and safety inspections, it says a "new rigid numerical target system would hamper the effectiveness and flexibility of operations" and that HSE uses a risk based, intelligence led approach.
- On the Employment Bill, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy "will bring forward detailed proposals on legislation in due course"; DWP "will look to publish evidence on the self-employed".