Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
60th Report - DWP follow-up: Autumn 2025
Public Accounts Committee
HC 1447
Published 9 January 2026
Recommendations
2
Accepted
Monitor the impact of shortening Universal Credit first work coach meetings, including claimant feedback.
Recommendation
The Department does not have assurance that shortening the first meeting a Universal Credit claimant has with a work coach to 30 minutes will not adversely affect the support it provides. We reported previously that 57% of jobcentres had used …
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Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the recommendation and will undertake a qualitative research project to gather claimant insights on their experiences at the initial claimant commitment meeting, including feedback on its length and content.
HM Treasury
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3
Rejected
Publish regular jobcentre-level data on work coach numbers and into-work rates for transparency.
Recommendation
Greater transparency about jobcentre performance is needed to enable effective local scrutiny. In our July 2025 report on Jobcentres, we recommended that the Department should set out how it will increase transparency around jobcentres, for example by regularly publishing jobcentre-level …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation to regularly publish jobcentre-level data on work coach numbers and into-work rates, stating that district and local authority level data is more appropriate for monitoring performance due to the risk of over-interpreting local fluctuations.
HM Treasury
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4
Accepted
Provide detailed data on PIP claim processing times, including breakdown by specific duration categories.
Recommendation
It is unacceptable how long some PIP claimants are having to wait for their claims to be processed, which can cause them to get into debt and push them into poverty. The Department does not have an adequate plan to …
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Government Response Summary
The government agrees and will write to the Committee by the end of March 2026 to provide the requested detailed data breakdown on PIP claims processing times for 2024-25. It also notes current average processing times are 16 weeks and outlines other service improvements and increased staffing.
HM Treasury
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5
Accepted
Provide information on legacy IT risk reduction plans and multi-benefit pilot rollout timetable.
Recommendation
While we are encouraged that the Department has ambitious plans to address the risks associated with its legacy IT systems, implementing these plans over the next three years will be highly challenging. Reducing reliance on legacy IT systems is a …
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Government Response Summary
The government agrees and details its accelerated three-year plan to address 36 critical legacy IT systems, including full transformation, refactoring, and code fixes, aiming for improved customer service. It is developing the first iteration of a multi-benefit customer account, will launch a message centre MVP this Summer with six-monthly releases, and enable digital evidence uploads, with all new capabilities to be rigorously evaluated.
HM Treasury
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8
Acknowledged
DWP insources National Careers Service advice by October 2026, committing to retain staff skills.
Recommendation
The Department said that it was in the process of setting up the new jobs and careers service, which would need to be done by October 2026 when the current National Careers Service contracts came to an end. It had …
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Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the importance of retaining skills from the National Careers Service providers and has transferred responsibility for adult skills and careers to DWP to create a single government lead. It outlines the plan for the Jobs and Careers Service.
HM Treasury
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13
Rejected
DWP jobcentre performance data lacks transparency on work coach numbers and into-work rates.
Recommendation
In our July 2025 report on Jobcentres, we also scrutinised jobcentre performance. We noted that, although the Department published data on its Stat-Xplore platform relating to the number of claimants in each Universal Credit labour market category at jobcentre level, …
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Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with the recommendation to publish jobcentre-level data, stating that the right level to monitor performance is at a district and local authority level. However, they will continue to develop the Get Britain Working Labour Market Insights publication and would be happy to take feedback from the Committee as this data evolves.
HM Treasury
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15
Rejected
Department avoids publishing granular jobcentre performance data due to practical challenges.
Recommendation
We asked the Department why it had not published performance data at jobcentre level as we had requested. The Department said that the challenge of presenting data at jobcentre level was that the geography of a jobcentre could be relatively …
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Government Response Summary
The government disagrees, stating the right level to monitor performance is at a district and local authority level, citing potential over-interpretation of short-term fluctuations at the jobcentre level. It is developing its quarterly Labour Market Insights and welcomes feedback.
HM Treasury
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19
Accepted in Part
Rising Personal Independence Payment caseload complicates existing multi-step application process.
Recommendation
The Department told us that it was important to take into account that, since the 75% target was set, the PIP caseload had gone up by more than 50%. In addition, it highlighted that the process of applying for PIP …
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Government Response Summary
The Department will write to the Committee to provide the requested data on PIP claim processing times by the end of March 2026, while standardising measures to 90% of cases cleared format; however, they will include it in the 2025-26 ARA.
HM Treasury
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Conclusions (19)
1
Conclusion
Acknowledged
We took evidence from the Department for Work and Pensions (the Department) to follow up on issues arising from our recent scrutiny of a range of topics.1
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the committee's introductory statement and outlines its ongoing reforms to the Post-16 education and skills system, including the transfer of adult skills and careers responsibility to the DWP, the creation of the Jobs and Careers Service, and the integration of the National Careers Service with Jobcentre Plus by October 2026. An update will be published in Spring 2026.
6
Conclusion
Acknowledged
The Department told us that, at one level, machinery of government changes were straightforward because one could announce them; but, at another level, there was a lot of detailed delivery work that needed to happen. It said that it was bringing over officials from the Department for Education into the …
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the importance of access to education and skills and has transferred responsibility for adult skills and careers to DWP to create a single government lead. It outlines the plan for the Jobs and Careers Service.
7
Conclusion
Acknowledged
We asked the Department about the merger of jobcentres with the National Careers Service and specifically about how it would do better at giving advice to young people about what their wishes and skills were best 7 Machinery of Government – Skills, HCWS930, 16 September 2025 8 HM Government, Post-16 …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation and will be bringing together the National Careers Service with Jobcentre Plus from 1 October 2026. As the new service is being developed, the department will look to incorporate information on users’ skills and available provision to signpost people to training where they have gaps that need addressing.
9
Conclusion
Work coaches in jobcentres play a critical role working directly with Universal Credit claimants to identify their needs and provide support. In our July 2025 report on Jobcentres, we highlighted that the Department had not had enough work coaches to meet the need for support. We noted that 57% of …
10
Conclusion
Acknowledged
In June 2025, just before we published our report, the Department wrote to tell us that it had made three of the measures in the framework permanent. Two of these measures involved reducing the frequency of appointments for customers in the Intensive Work Search group. The third measure was shortening …
Government Response Summary
The government will conduct qualitative research to understand the impact of the 30-minute initial claimant commitment meeting on the claimant experience, with findings used in developing the Jobs and Careers Service.
11
Conclusion
Acknowledged
In September 2025, the Department wrote to us again and acknowledged that it did not hold quantitative evidence on the impact of changing the length of the first meeting claimants have with a work coach. It said that, as this measure was part of the local flexibility framework, many jobcentres …
Government Response Summary
The government will conduct qualitative research to understand the impact of the 30-minute initial claimant commitment meeting on the claimant experience, with findings used in developing the Jobs and Careers Service.
12
Conclusion
Deferred
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 Summary
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 Pathfinder sites to consider the best way to provide support to claimants throughout their claim.
14
Conclusion
Rejected
In response to our recommendation, on the day of our evidence session in October 2025, the Department published the first in a new series of quarterly labour market insights. The Department explained that this publication provided information at jobcentre district level and local authority level, which allowed it to monitor …
Government Response Summary
The government disagrees, stating the right level to monitor performance is at a district and local authority level, citing potential over-interpretation of short-term fluctuations at the jobcentre level. It is developing its quarterly Labour Market Insights and welcomes feedback.
16
Conclusion
Not Addressed
The quality of service that the Department provides matters because claimants rely on the accurate and timely payment of the benefits to which they are entitled to avoid or mitigate financial hardship. We noted in our January 2025 report on DWP Customer Service and Accounts 2023–24 that poor service can …
Government Response Summary
The government repeats the committee's statement.
17
Conclusion
Acknowledged
The Department recognises that significant parts of its services remain largely unmodernised. Its Service Modernisation Programme is an 11-year organisation-wide programme, estimated to cost £312.1 million and running from 2022–23 to 2032–33, which is seeking to deliver benefits for customers, staff and taxpayers. This programme includes plans to upgrade substantial …
Government Response Summary
Acknowledges the statement and repeats it.
18
Conclusion
Accepted in Part
In our report on DWP Customer Service and Accounts 2023–24, we highlighted that claimants of disability benefits, including Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Employment and Support Allowance, were receiving an unacceptably poor service. One element of this was the 23 Committee of Public Accounts, DWP Customer Service and Accounts 2023–24, …
Government Response Summary
The Department will write to the Committee to provide the requested data on PIP claim processing times by the end of March 2026, while standardising measures to 90% of cases cleared format; however, they will include it in the 2025-26 ARA.
20
Conclusion
Acknowledged
We noted examples of constituents who had waited over a year for their PIP claims to be processed, and that the Department had told a Member’s office that claims would take more than 12 months.28 These delays can cause claimants to get into debt and push them into poverty.29 The …
Government Response Summary
The department has reviewed its timeliness standards, which reflect current policy and drive correct outcomes and will include this in the 2025-26 ARA. The department will however write to the Committee to provide the information available as requested, by the end of March 2026, to close this recommendation.
21
Conclusion
Acknowledged
As it has done previously, the Department pointed to the work it was doing to transform the PIP service through its Health Transformation Programme. It explained that, as part of this programme, it was testing an online application form which took claimants to the questions that related to their situation, …
Government Response Summary
The department has reviewed its timeliness standards, which reflect current policy and drive correct outcomes and will include this in the 2025-26 ARA. The department will however write to the Committee to provide the information available as requested, by the end of March 2026, to close this recommendation.
22
Conclusion
Acknowledged
The Department also highlighted that it was trialling the idea of having a named caseworker to support claimants with the PIP application process: helping customers understand the eligibility requirements, talking them through the evidence they needed to provide, acting as a point of contact and explaining the final decision on …
Government Response Summary
The department will provide the committee with requested information by the end of March 2026, and is offering opportunities to reduce journey times through service improvements.
23
Conclusion
Acknowledged
In our May 2025 report on government cyber resilience, we concluded that government had not kept up with the severe and rapidly evolving cyber threat, that there was a longstanding shortage of experienced, technical cyber skills, and that departments had not done enough to prioritise cyber security.35 The Department told …
Government Response Summary
The Department told us that it had identified cyber risk as one of its most significant risks and it was something that its executive team looked at very closely. It stressed that, given the signif
24
Conclusion
Acknowledged
The Department told us that it had its own assurance programme based on the world-class National Institute of Standards and Technology assurance programme, and that it also used the GovAssure process which is the government standard for the most critical systems. The Accounting Officer explained that security as whole was …
Government Response Summary
The Department told us that it had its own assurance programme based on the world-class National Institute of Standards and Technology assurance programme, and that it also used the GovAssure process which is the government standard for the most critical systems.
25
Conclusion
Acknowledged
The Department explained that it had a security incident response framework in place that, in the case of a cyber attack, would enable it to keep its services running as much as possible. It told us that its business continuity plan would put in place the most important steps first—getting …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation and describes the department's plan to address the 36 most critical legacy systems, which account for around 65% of the caseload, within the coming Spending Review.
26
Conclusion
Accepted
We asked the Department if it had been given extra resources to deal with some of its legacy IT and what its plans were. The Department confirmed it did get specific funding in the Spending Review for both its increase in cyber security and its ‘legacy tech debt’ programme. It …
Government Response Summary
The government is already upgrading its high-risk legacy systems, aiming to reduce overall risk by 58% over the next three years and plans to tackle the largest systems first.
27
Conclusion
Acknowledged
The Department told us that, if implemented successfully, its plans to upgrade its legacy IT could transform its customer service and productivity, enabling it to provide services where customers could do more for themselves where they are able to, and to take away some of the more administrative tasks that …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation and states that the Service Modernisation Programme is delivering as intended. They outline several achievements and future improvements to the Customer Account.