Department for Work and Pensions single departmental plan - December 2017
Updated 17 February 2020
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Our single departmental plan sets out our objectives and how we will achieve them.
DWP wants to run an affordable and sustainable welfare system that provides financial security and supports economic growth and improved productivity through the extension of opportunity and promotion of personal responsibility to help people transform their lives.
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions:
Permanent Secretary:
Our objectives
We will:
- Support economic growth and improved productivity by ensuring work always pays and people are supported to find and progress in work
- Help reduce the disadvantages faced by disabled people and people with health conditions through the welfare system and labour market
- Increase saving for, and financial security in, later life
- Maximise the number of children benefiting from an effective child maintenance arrangement, encourage family based arrangements where appropriate and reduce parental conflict in families
- Transform the way we deliver our services to improve quality and reduce costs
1. Support economic growth and improved productivity by ensuring work always pays and people are supported to find and progress in work
Lead ministers:
Alok Sharma MP, Minister of State for Employment
Lead officials:
Jonathan Mills, Director General, Strategy, Policy and Analysis
Neil Couling CBE, Director General, Universal Credit Programme
Susan Park, Director General, Universal Credit Operations
Andrew Rhodes, Director General, Operations
1.1 Deliver an effective labour market strategy
| How we will achieve this |
|---|
| Continue to support the government’s ambition to strive for full employment |
| Complete the roll out of additional support for young people in line with the roll out of Universal Credit Full Service |
| Support the retention, retraining and recruitment of older workers in the labour market through policy initiatives aimed at encouraging Fuller Working Lives |
| Use data findings of the Race Disparity Audit to improve employment outcomes for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups |
1.2 Ensure that work always pays through effective working age benefit design
| How we will achieve this |
|---|
| Finalise policy, legislate and implement plans for migrating legacy benefit claimants onto Universal Credit with appropriate transitional protection |
| Continue to review and assess the labour market impacts of policy changes on Universal Credit claimants, including both those in employment and those who are self-employed |
| Provide policy assurance of Universal Credit roll out to ensure delivery aligns with the policy intent |
1.3 Complete the roll out of Universal Credit
| How we will achieve this |
|---|
| Continue the roll out of the Universal Credit Full Service to job centres by December 2018 and complete the migration of existing benefit claims to Universal Credit by 2022 |
| Implement a £1.5bn package, announced at the Autumn Budget, to give further support to claimants transitioning onto Universal Credit by offering 100% advances, additional Housing Benefit support and quicker access to Universal Credit |
| Switch all DWP 0345 numbers over to Freephone numbers starting with Universal Credit |
1.4 Provide effective employment services
| How we will achieve this |
|---|
| Improve further the service we offer claimants within Universal Credit Full Service by changing how job centres and service centres work together |
| Develop further our personalised support for claimants, across all our benefits, by continuing to focus on building Work Coach capability, forging strong positive partnerships with those who can help enhance our service offer, and by fully exploiting the opportunities offered by technology |
| Support unemployed people to start their own businesses through the New Enterprise Allowance |
| Support those affected by redundancy via our Rapid Response service which is designed to ensure customers get the help and support they need quickly |
Our performance
Overall UK employment rate
| Quarter | Overall UK employment rate (%) |
|---|---|
| 2017 Q3 | 75.0 |
| 2017 Q2 | 75.1 |
| 2017 Q1 | 74.8 |
Source: ONS labour market statistic
Release schedule: monthly
Young people (18-24) not in full-time education in employment
| Quarter | Young people not in full-time education in employment (%) |
|---|---|
| 2017 Q3 | 76.9 |
| 2017 Q2 | 77.4 |
| 2017 Q1 | 77.1 |
Source: ONS labour market statistics
Release schedule: monthly
Children living in workless households
| Quarter | Children living in workless households (%) |
|---|---|
| 2017 Q3 | 10.4 |
| 2017 Q2 | 10.5 |
| 2017 Q1 | 10.6 |
Source: ONS working and workless households in the UK / Release schedule: quarterly
2. Help reduce the disadvantages faced by disabled people and people with health conditions through the welfare system and labour market
Lead minister:
Sarah Newton MP, Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work
Lead official:
Jonathan Mills, Director General, Strategy, Policy and Analysis
2.1 Support disabled people and people with health conditions to find and remain in work
| How we will achieve this |
|---|
| Lead jointly with the Department of Health, the delivery across Government, with employers, the health system and other partners, of the strategy set out in the command paper Improving Lives: the Future of Work, Health and Disability |
| Work collaboratively to deliver work to positively influence employers and the health system to improve their offer, to improve employment and health outcomes |
| Develop and deliver Access to Work, Disability Confident, the Personal Support Package, the Work and Health Programme and other contracted provision to support people with disabilities and health conditions |
2.2 Protect disabled people on low income
| How we will achieve this |
|---|
| Continue to process and pay Employment and Support Allowance/Universal Credit as income protection/replacement for those with health conditions that affect an individual’s ability to work |
| Continue to process and pay Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefits to compensate those with ill health or injury as a direct or indirect result of work |
2.3 Support disabled people and people with health conditions to live independently
| How we will achieve this |
|---|
| Continue the payment of Personal Independence Payment/Disability Living Allowance/Attendance Allowance as contribution towards additional costs resulting from health conditions and disabilities |
| Respond to the Second Independent Review of PIP and implement the recommendations made, where appropriate |
| Complete the roll out of PIP (Full PIP Roll-out) in a safe and consistent manner |
2.4 Encourage stakeholders, business and disabled people to work together to support disabled people’s full participation in economic and social life
| How we will achieve this |
|---|
| Lead efforts to improve the accessibility of government and society, working collaboratively with other government departments, business, stakeholders and disabled people |
| Report on the UK’s implementation of the UN’s Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities |
Our performance
Employment rate of disabled people
49.2% 2017 Q2
Source: ONS labour market statistics
Release schedule: quarterly
The percentage of disabled people with a low income
| Quarter | Individuals below headline low income indicators BHC, by family disability (%) |
|---|---|
| 2015/16 | 20 |
| 2014/15 | 20 |
Source: Households below average income (HBAI) statistics
Release schedule: annual
3. Increase saving for, and financial security in, later life
Lead minister:
Guy Opperman MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Pensions and Financial Inclusion
Lead official:
Jonathan Mills, Director General, Strategy, Policy and Analysis
3.1 Deliver a simplified state pension system which aids retirement planning
| How we will achieve this |
|---|
| Continue to deliver the new State Pension |
| Encourage, through our communications, more citizens to access the Check your State Pension digital service to view a forecast of their State Pension and options they may have to improve it |
3.2 Protect low income pensioners
| How we will achieve this |
|---|
| No change to the pensions triple lock for the duration of the Parliament |
| Continue to deliver means tested Pension Credit and provide additional financial support through Winter Fuel payments, Cold weather payments and part-fund free TV licenses for people aged 75 and over |
3.3 Get more people in workplace pension schemes
| How we will achieve this |
|---|
| Continue the successful roll out of the Auto Enrolment scheme and extend it to small employers and self-employed people |
| Publish a Pensions White Paper that will set out plans to meet the government’s commitment to strengthen the powers of The Pension Regulator to protect private pension schemes |
Our performance
Eligible employees in a pension scheme sponsored by their employer
| Year | Eligible employees participating in a workplace pension (million) |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 16.2 |
| 2015 | 15.1 |
Source: Workplace pension participation and saving trends statistics
Release schedule: annual
Total pensions savings of eligible savers
| Year | Total pensions savings of eligible savers (£billion) |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 87.1 |
| 2015 | 81.8 |
Source: Workplace pension participation and saving trends statistics
Release schedule: annual
The percentage of pensioners with a low income
| Year | Pensioners with a low income (%) |
|---|---|
| 2015/16 | 16 |
| 2014/15 | 14 |
Source: Households below average income HBAI statistics
Release schedule: annual
4. Maximise the number of children benefiting from an effective child maintenance arrangement, encourage family based arrangements where appropriate and reduce parental conflict in families
Lead minister:
Kit Malthouse MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Family Support, Housing and Child Maintenance
Lead officials:
Jonathan Mills, Director General, Strategy, Policy and Analysis
Andrew Rhodes, Director General, Operations
4.1 An effective Child Maintenance policy which encourages family based arrangements
| How we will achieve this |
|---|
| Continue to run Child Maintenance Options to provide free and impartial advice to help parents make informed decisions about their child maintenance arrangements |
4.2 An effective Child Maintenance Service which deals with the Child Support Agency legacy
| How we will achieve this |
|---|
| Continue the effective operation of the Child Maintenance Service |
| End Child Support Agency liabilities by 2018 and ensure parents have the right information to make decisions on their next maintenance arrangement |
4.3 Implement the national strategy to reduce parental conflict in workless families
| How we will achieve this |
|---|
| Integrate interventions into local services for families through the Reduce Parental Conflicts programme |
Our performance
Children in couple-parent families reporting relationship distress
11.4% 2013/14
Source: Improving lives: Helping Workless Families - evidence base
Release schedule: Every two years
Separated families with a maintenance arrangement
96% 2013/14
Source: Estimates of the separated family population
Release schedule: every two years
5. Transform the way we deliver our services to improve quality and reduce costs
Lead ministers:
Baroness Buscombe, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Lords)
Lead officials:
Charu Gorasia, Director General, Finance (Interim)
Andrew Rhodes, Director General, Operations
5.1 Provide an outstanding service to our customers and claimants
| How we will achieve this |
|---|
| Deliver a highly capable, engaged workforce which operates within more flexible hours to match customer demand |
| Design and deliver secure, high performing and user-friendly digital services |
| Improve timeliness and accuracy of benefit processing |
5.2 Reduce fraud and error within DWP benefits
| How we will achieve this |
|---|
| Work towards the 2017/18 target of 1.6% for the net loss from fraud and error overpayments on DWP benefits plus Tax Credits |
| Continue to explore how we can share information across government and with third parties to further reduce error and detect fraud |
Our performance
Customer and claimant opinion of departmental services
| Year | Customer and claimant satisfaction departmental services (%) |
|---|---|
| 2016/17 | 86 |
| 2015/16 | 84 |
Source: DWP claimant service and experience survey
Release schedule: annual
New claims processed within planned timescales
86.8% 2016/17
Source: DWP annual report and accounts
Release schedule: annual
Net loss due to fraud and error as a percentage of overall benefit expenditure
| Year | Net loss due to fraud and error as % of overall benefit expenditure |
| 2016/17 | 1.4 |
| 2015/16 | 1.3 |
Source: Fraud and error in the benefit system
Release schedule: twice a year
Our finances
Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) - £6.8 billion
Resource DEL (including depreciation) - £6.4 billion
Capital DEL – £0.3 billion
Annually Managed Expenditure – £176.9 billion
Control totals included in this document are in line with the latest voted by Parliament in the Main Supply Estimates 2017/18
Source: Main Supply Estimates 2017/18