Work and Pensions Committee takes evidence from the Secretary of State
This is the Work and Pensions Committee’s first oral evidence session of the 2015 Parliament with the Secretary of State. The session questions the Secretary of State on the Department’s annual report and accounts.
Watch Parliament TV: Secretary of State
View summary on Guardian website
Witnesses
- Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith MP, Secretary of State for
Work and Pensions - Robert Devereux, Permanent Secretary, Department for Work and Pensions
- Mike Driver, Director General, Finance, Department for Work and
Pensions
Purpose of the session
- The session can span the range of Department for Work and Pensions' responsibilities and expenditure, including:
- the impact of spending cuts on claimants; administrative spending; impact on capability and capacity; and high levels of fraud and error in benefit payments
- the Department’s preparedness for implementing pension reforms, including auto-enrolment and small businesses, Pensions Freedoms; and the New State Pension
- delays in processing benefit claims, including Personal Independence Payments and Employment and Support Allowance
- Welfare-to-Work and tackling the disability employment gap; and
- the rollout of Universal Credit: the Department’s plans and milestones
What Ian Duncan Smith has said to the Committee
On benefit death concerns
Duncan Smith says the system he inherited in 2010 was very harsh. Since then the WCA has improved, he says. Standard mortality figures show that people die anyway
… it is very hard to determine cause and effect.
On PIP statistics
The DWP hopes to be able to provide answers on this next year.
On the PIP 20 metre rule
… ultimately everything should be kept under review. The DWP did consult on this. It thinks the rule adds value in terms of how capability is defined.
On Tax Credits
…..from around June next year there will be no new claims for tax credits.
On food banks
IDS plans to install benefit advisers in food banks