DWP plans resourcing according to forecasted telephony demand in an effort to keep wait times down. Wait time performance and forecasted demand is frequently reviewed, and DWP is continually working to improve the service that it delivers. The Benefit Enquiry Line (0800 169 0310) freephone service which supports Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Jobseekers Allowance and Income Support, is delivered by multiskilled colleagues, who are able to flex between lines to balance customer wait times. We are aware that the line is currently experiencing high wait times for ESA enquiries, although these can vary throughout the day, and we are working to improve this position.

The Department is investing in a new capability that aims to better route customers to the right offer at the right time. This will reduce the time callers spend listening to a menu of choices and instead invite customers to say why they are calling, at the start of the call.

All government departments publish payment performance quarterly showing the percentage of invoices paid in 5 days, the percentage of invoices paid in 30 days, and net debt interest liability. This is available on GOV.UK. DWP Department’s payment performance is available at:

DWP: prompt payment data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

DWP: prompt payment data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

In addition, in accordance with 113 of the Public Contract Regulations 2015, Contracting Authorities are required to publish annually the percentage of invoices paid in 30 days online. This is available at:

DWP: prompt payment data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The Procurement Bill, currently passing through Parliament, will create a simpler and more transparent procurement regime that will further open up public procurement to SMEs. The Bill includes a new duty on contracting authorities to have regard to the particular barriers facing SMEs.

Specifically, the Procurement Bill will imply 30 day payment terms into every sub-contract that is substantially for the purpose of performing a public contract. This will ensure SMEs at every tier of the public supply chain can benefit from faster payments, even if 30 day terms aren't explicitly written into the contract.

All mail is actioned by the Mail Opening Unit on delivery from Royal Mail on date of receipt. It is processed within 24 hours which includes opening, scanning and routing to the relevant teams in DWP. There are no backlogs of work requiring opening or scanning that would require storage. Once scanned DWP manages a head of work of cases which are not automatically routed and require manual intervention. These are managed digitally.

Total number of envelopes (scanned and hard copy) processed at the Mail Opening Unit is as follows:

• Jan - Dec 2020 – 10,412,771
• Jan – Dec 2021 – 9,986,764
• Jan- Dec 2022 – 9,158,530
• Jan 2023 – 912,636

In addition, internal courier delivery, documents amounting to:

• Jan- Dec 2020 – 1,856,577
  Jan – Dec 2021 – 1,612,310
• Jan- Dec 2022 – 1,103,679
• Jan 2023 – 105,245

January 2023 is the most recent month for which we have figures.

Keeping the rules for this policy simple enabled the government to make over 30 million separate payments to support with the cost of living while maintaining core benefit delivery in 2022. This includes the clear rule that you must be entitled to at least 1p of a qualifying social security benefit with respect to the qualifying period to receive a Cost of Living Payment.

Including those on the benefits system, but not in payment of a qualifying benefit, would involve making payments to individuals who were ineligible during the qualifying period. The government’s published impact analysis released alongside the Social Security (Additional Payments) (No.2) Bill shows that 85% of those who received no Universal Credit award during the qualifying period for the first 2022 Cost of Living Payment of £326, had no award solely due to earnings. Of those with a no award due to earnings, most had no Universal Credit award for six assessment periods following the qualifying period solely due to earnings or left Universal Credit altogether. Paying those with financial resources available, which would make them ineligible for means-tested benefits, is not the intention of the Cost of Living Payments which are aimed at those on the lowest incomes.

You can find the impact analysis here: SocSec(AdditionalPayments)IA.pdf (parliament.uk)

Including those who received no payment of benefit would also involve making Cost of Living Payments to customers who had the payment of their benefit suspended during the qualifying period including those with suspected fraud or where there is a safeguarding risk related to a vulnerable claimant’s appointee.

The department has therefore made no such assessment of costs of upgrading its system to include individuals with a nil payment during a qualifying period.

The 2023/24 Cost of Living Payments are being delivered in three payments over the financial year to reduce the chance of someone missing out completely. To help households with the costs of essentials, including those who may not be eligible for the other support we are extending the Household Support Fund in England. The Devolved Administrations will receive Barnett funding to spend at their discretion with their local knowledge.

Touchbase is a weekly email newsletter from the Department for Work and Pensions which provides links to new and updated information on GOV.UK and other websites. It is the primary communication channel for DWP to a wide range of external stakeholders from diverse organisations across the UK who work with, support and advise our customers.

While Touchbase is not produced for Jobcentre Plus staff or Universal Credit claimants, DWP has a comprehensive internal communications programme which ensures that colleagues across the organisation are aware of the department’s priorities and the individual initiatives to deliver them.

The topics covered in Touchbase will routinely be part of this internal communications programme.

Touchbase is a weekly email newsletter from the Department for Work and Pensions which provides links to new and updated information on GOV.UK and other websites. It is the primary communication channel for DWP to a wide range of external stakeholders from diverse organisations across the UK who work with, support and advise our customers.

While Touchbase is not produced for Jobcentre Plus staff or Universal Credit claimants, DWP has a comprehensive internal communications programme which ensures that colleagues across the organisation are aware of the department’s priorities and the individual initiatives to deliver them.

The topics covered in Touchbase will routinely be part of this internal communications programme.

Touchbase is a weekly email newsletter from the Department for Work and Pensions which provides links to new and updated information on GOV.UK and other websites. It is the primary communication channel for DWP to a wide range of external stakeholders from diverse organisations across the UK who work with, support and advise our customers.

While Touchbase is not produced for Jobcentre Plus staff or Universal Credit claimants, DWP has a comprehensive internal communications programme which ensures that colleagues across the organisation are aware of the department’s priorities and the individual initiatives to deliver them.

The topics covered in Touchbase will routinely be part of this internal communications programme.

Touchbase is a weekly email newsletter from the Department for Work and Pensions which provides links to new and updated information on GOV.UK and other websites. It is the primary communication channel for DWP to a wide range of external stakeholders from diverse organisations across the UK who work with, support and advise our customers.

While Touchbase is not produced for Jobcentre Plus staff or Universal Credit claimants, DWP has a comprehensive internal communications programme which ensures that colleagues across the organisation are aware of the department’s priorities and the individual initiatives to deliver them.

The topics covered in Touchbase will routinely be part of this internal communications programme.

Touchbase is a weekly email newsletter from the Department for Work and Pensions which provides links to new and updated information on GOV.UK and other websites.

DWP has no plans at present to publish the email newsletters on GOV.UK because:

• they can compete with other guidance in search results and make it harder for people to find the information they need.
• they can duplicate other content on GOV.UK which is against the GOV.UK proposition Guidance.
• older editions can become out of date and there is a high risk that people will act on out of date guidance.
• DWP focuses digital resources on making sure GOV.UK guidance is kept up to date

Anyone can subscribe to receive Touchbase at Touchbase editions after March 2020 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

There are currently 15,554 subscribers to Touchbase of which 1,758 are DWP staff, which is 11.3% of the total subscribed.

The answer given to PQ 113112 outlines changes in employment since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, using the official measure of employment (based on the Labour Force Survey).

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 20th January 2022 to Question 105535.

The Answer of 1 February 2022 to Question 113112 included an estimate for the net change in self-employment since the start of Covid-19 (based on responses to the Labour Force Survey). This estimate does not necessarily represent people no-longer in paid work, as some may have become employees. The estimate cannot be broken-down geographically due to the sample size of the Labour Force Survey.

The National Audit Office (NAO) report on the Kickstart Scheme was published in November 2021. This report contains details on spend as of the end of September 2021. You can access the NAO report here.

Information relating to Kickstart grants will be published by the Cabinet Office on the Government website in due course, as is standard practice for all Government general grants. This can be viewed here.

To note, this information is normally published approximately a year after the financial year end and includes grant value and recipients.

Those who are classified as long term unemployed have been out of work and are available for and searching for employment for 12 months or more. The latest data available, from the independent Office for National Statistics, covering Sep-Nov ’21, is summarised in the table below.

Throughout the pandemic the UK Government has provided historic levels of support to the economy – a total of over £400 billion. This includes key DWP programmes such as Restart and Kickstart alongside other measures to boost work searches, skills and apprenticeships. Our support was in addition to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (furlough) and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.

We have launched 'Way to Work’, a concerted drive across the UK to help half a million people currently out of work into jobs in the next five months. We will be bringing employers into jobcentres and matching them up with claimants. This is good news for employers who need to fill vacancies and for our claimants.

There are different measures of people in work. The official measure, based on the Labour Force Survey, provides the broadest coverage of the self-employed. The latest available data, covering Sep-Nov ’21, is summarised in the table below.

* ‘Other’ includes the categories of ‘unpaid family workers’ and those stating they are employed through ‘Government supported training & employment programmes’.

Throughout the pandemic the UK Government has provided historic levels of support to the economy – a total of over £400 billion. This includes key DWP programmes such as Restart and Kickstart alongside other measures to boost work searches, skills and apprenticeships. Our support was in addition to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (furlough) and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.

We have launched 'Way to Work’, a concerted drive across the UK to help half a million people currently out of work into jobs in the next five months. We will be bringing employers into jobcentres and matching them up with claimants. This is good news for employers who need to fill vacancies and for our claimants.

The latest available statistics, detailing the period up to December 2020, were published in May 2021 and can be accessed here. Updated statistics are being prepared and we aim to publish these in March 2022.

The latest available statistics, detailing the period up to December 2020, were published in May 2021 and can be accessed here. Updated statistics are being prepared and we aim to publish these in March 2022.