Select Committee · Public Accounts Committee

DWP follow-up: Autumn 2025

Status: Open Opened: 11 Sep 2025 8 recommendations 19 conclusions 1 report

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 shortfall of work coaches, and …

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
60th Report - DWP follow-up: Autumn 2025 HC 1447 9 Jan 2026 27 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

1 item
12 Conclusion 60th Report - DWP follow-up: Autumn 2025 Deferred

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 the system, for example to allow for initial meetings to …

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 …
HM Treasury

Oral evidence sessions

1 session
Date Witnesses
30 Oct 2025 Barbara Bennett · Department of Work and Pensions, Helen Wylie · Department of Work and Pensions, Sir Peter Schofield KCB · Department for Work and Pensions View ↗

Correspondence

2 letters
DateDirectionTitle
20 Apr 2026 To cttee Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Work and Pensions to …
24 Nov 2025 To cttee Letter from the Permanent Secretary at the Department of Work and Pensions rela…