Recommendation 1

HM Government Not Addressed

1: PA C conclusion: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department successfully proces sed millions of new benefit claims and will need to be prepared for probable further increa ses in unemployment. 1: PAC recommendation: The Department should ensure that it learns from its experience and successes of spring 2020 to be ready for future challenges. 1.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented 1.2 The Department for Work and Pensions (the department) has demonstrated how it can respond flexibly at short notice and will draw on the learning from this experience in the event of any further surge in benefit claims or events of this type. 1.3 The department’s response to the pandemic was swift and successful. Approximately 10,000 staff were reassigned, with new claims prioritized, all in short order. In addition, new staff were recruited, and estate expanded. All this strengthened capability and left the department better placed to address any second surge. 10 1.4 The department has implemented a three-wave plan covering the period to the end of 2020-21. The plan has served as a framework for guiding the response to COVID-19 pandemic and resolving ongoing supply and demand challenges. The department is currently in wave three which focusses upon increasing the department’s labour market offer through increasing work coach capacity, estates capacity and external provision. 1.5 In the event of a second surge, the department would look to utilise the type of re-deployment options that worked so well in the early months of the pandemic. This could include increasing the size of the Virtual Service Centre which was developed as a response to COVID-19 in order to increase service delivery by way of staff redeployment, via internal staffing moves and outsourcing support, and increasing staffing on priority call lines. 1.6 The department would also draw on its analysis of the way different COVID-19 related relaxations of standard processes impacted fraud and error. Utilising this knowledge will help the department strike a balance between identity verification and claim clearance, should volumes dramatically increase. 1.7 The department would develop a communication campaign as part of this approach, drawing on previous lessons learned. Targeted communications would encourage claimants to verify their identity online, via ‘Verify’ and ‘Confirm Your ID’, to protect the Universal Credit Gateway. For anyone unable to use online channels, the department would continue to use enhanced biographical questions to improve the accuracy of identity verification over the phone, supplemented by specialist intervention where necessary.