About us

News from DWP

This page brings you DWP news and announcements.
We also have a news archive.

DWP sickness absence

30 June 2008

The Department for Work and Pensions has reported its latest quarterly figures on the level of sickness absence in its workforce to the Cabinet office.

In the 12 months up to March 2008, the average level of recorded sickness absence was 10.1 days annually per staff year. This reflects a decrease on the 10.3 days reported in April for the year up to December 2007.

Commenting on this, the Department's Head of Health, Safety and Wellbeing, Jonathan Russell said: "This improvement is encouraging and a testament to the efforts our people are making to manage sickness absences. Nevertheless, there are still improvements to be made, and we will continue to address the causes of sickness absence, through developing our Wellbeing framework, effective health and safety management and dealing with attendance issues promptly and constructively."

A work culture not a welfare culture

25 June 2008

Freedom of choice will be central to radical welfare reform plans, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, James Purnell said at the CESI Welfare to Work conference in Birmingham today.

He outlined his vision for the future of the welfare system, devolving power, and opening the door for local providers to offer their own solutions to unemployment.

He also announced an additional £5m to extend City Strategy pilots for a further two years.

Pension opt out “inducements” ban

24 June 2008

Encouraging or forcing workers not to save in a workplace pension will become unlawful under proposed changes to the Pensions Bill, Minister for Pensions Reform Mike O’Brien said today.

The DWP intends to amend the current Pensions Bill during the Lords stages to prohibit employers from offering “inducements” – such as higher salaries or one-off bonuses - which encourage workers to opt out.  The ban would come into effect with the introduction of auto-enrolment into a qualifying workplace scheme from 2012.

Sign on for benefits, sign up for skills

12 June 2008

Benefit claimants who need to improve their skills to get a job will have to attend compulsory training, under new proposals announced today by James Purnell and John Denham. The move will be backed by improvements to the training system that will give adults access to a new ‘skills account’ to fund vocational courses.

Under the plans, published in a Government welfare and skills paper ­– ‘Work Skills’ – people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance who have gaps in their skills will have to attend training to help them find a job. The Government is also announcing that it intends to consult on making it compulsory for lone parents and people on Employment and Support Allowance to attend skills training or risk losing their benefits.

Households Below Average Income

10 June 2008

The Households Below Average Income 1994/95 – 2006/07 series was published on 10 June 2008. The statistics cover the UK income distribution in 2006/07, including the latest figures for the number and percentage of children, pensioners and working-age people in the UK living in relative and absolute low-income.

Pension risk sharing consultation

5 June 2008

A consultation paper looking at how employers can continue to maintain good occupational pension provision through greater risk sharing published today (5 June 2008).

The DWP is asking for views from stakeholders on whether the Government should amend pensions law to allow new types of pension schemes which would more evenly share risks between the employer and the individual.

These risks include investment performance and increasing life expectancy which can make pensions more expensive for employers to fund.

Cash to help workers understand pensions

27 May 2008

Funding for a series of pensions education projects will be extended until March 2009, Pensions Minister Mike O’Brien announced today.

Twenty-six projects across the UK will share the £1.47m Pension Education Fund.

The funding will allow schemes to continue to offer information and educate people about the importance of saving for a pension.

Schemes take a number of different approaches including presentations, workshops and one-on-one retirement planning.

Since 2006 the projects have reached an estimated 100,000 people.

Households Below Average Income

22 April 2008

The Households Below Average Income 1994/95 - 2006/07 series was due to be published on 2 May 2008. In the course of validating the statistics, DWP statisticians identified a small but important inaccuracy in the 2006/07 data which impacts on some of the headline figures. As a result, the DWP Statistics Head of Profession has decided to delay publication of this series.

DWP sickness absence

17 April 2008

In common with all Government Departments, the Department for Work and Pensions has started a new system of providing the Cabinet Office with a quarterly report on the level of sickness absence in its workforce.

The first report showed that in the twelve months up to December 2007, the average level of recorded sickness absence was 10.3 days annually per staff year.

The Department is committed to reducing sickness absence levels. Steps are being taken to promote good health and wellbeing, and to address the main causes of long-term sickness.

Better online Blue Badge map for disabled people

9 April 2008

The Blue Badge map on the Directgov website has been improved and expanded to make it much easier for disabled people to find places to park.

Users will have more information, better graphics and search facilities. They can search by postcode, town or area name for designated Blue Badge parking bays and parking bays on red routes in London. They can find information about:

The map has been expanded to more areas. Launched in July 2006, it originally covered 64 cities and large towns. By the end of this month there will be 119.

Local Housing Allowance goes live nationally

7 April 2008

Local Housing Allowance (LHA), a new way of calculating Housing Benefit launched nationally today, will help tenants become more financially independent and put them on the road back to work.

Under the new system benefit will be paid directly to the customer to encourage them to take more personal control over their financial affairs.

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) will apply to private sector tenants who make a new claim for benefit and for existing tenants who move address, on or after 7 April 2008. It applies to tenants in the de-regulated private rented sector only.

FAS plan to help people who cannot work due to ill health

28 March 2008

People who have had to stop working because of ill health will soon be able to get help earlier from the Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS), announced Pensions Minister Mike O’Brien.

Draft regulations (357KB) PDF, published today for consultation, will mean people who have to stop working early because of poor health will be able to get payments from the FAS up to five years before their scheme’s normal retirement age.

New Employment and Support Allowance rates announced

27 March 2008

The poorest, most disabled people will be given more financial support from the Government, while other disabled people and those with long-term illnesses who can work will get greater help to find employment, Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell said today.

The announcement, which included how much money people on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) will receive, was made as regulations finalising plans to replace Incapacity Benefits (IB) in Great Britain for all new and repeat claimants with the new work-focused ESA were laid in Parliament.

The move marks the next phase in implementing the Government’s radical welfare reform programme and getting one million people off IB by 2015.

Employ ability launches in the West Midlands and South Yorkshire

27 March 2008

Employers in the West Midlands and South Yorkshire are being urged to challenge their assumptions about disabled people in the workplace.

When it comes to getting and keeping a job employers need to make sure they judge disabled employees on their ability to do the work, rather than assumptions about what they can’t do.

Minister for Disabled People Anne McGuire, launched Employ ability at the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce on 27 March 2008. The informal breakfast event was an opportunity for open discussion on some of the key challenges employers face in this area and what works best in helping them to overcome them.

Attendees included Jerry Blackett, Chief Executive of the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Arun Bajaj, Chairman of the Institute of Asian Businesses.

Employ ability will roll out to other regions over the next 12 months.

Employment at new record high

19 March 2008

Figures out today show the number of people in employment has increased to a new record high of 29.46 million.

At the same time the numbers claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance continues to fall for the seventeenth consecutive month, remaining the lowest claimant count for 32 years.

The new figures, issued by the Office for National Statistics, show unemployment has fallen by 32,000 on the quarter with 89,000 fewer people unemployed compared to a year ago. The number of vacancies remains high at 678,500.

Review maps path to healthier future

17 March 2008

A vision of a healthier Britain was unveiled today by Dame Carol Black as she proposed radical changes to work-related health services.

The National Director for Health and Work published the first review into the health of the working age population – Working for a Healthier Tomorrow – calling for urgent and comprehensive reform and a new approach to health and work.

The review recognises that for most people work is good both for their long-term health and for their family’s well-being. Its proposals focus on keeping people healthy at work, and also on helping them return to work if they get ill.

First solvent schemes taken in to FAS

11 March 2008

Around 4,000 people who lost savings when their pension schemes were wound up by solvent companies will be potentially eligible for financial help from a Government scheme.

Mike O’Brien, Minister for Pensions Reform, has announced the first six pension schemes backed by solvent employers to be admitted into the Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS).

The FAS tops up the pensions of people belonging to schemes wound-up under-funded. But, previously, all schemes eligible for the FAS had been sponsored by companies which went bust.

Fast-tracked changes to boost FAS payments

6 March 2008

Measures to increase the level of payments by the Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) are to be fast-tracked, Minister for Pensions Reform Mike O’Brien announced today.

The Government has published draft regulations to increase FAS payments to 90 per cent from people’s normal retirement age. In order to make enhanced payments as quickly as possible, the written consultation period on the draft regulations is to be limited to two weeks. This has cross-party and stakeholder support.

Mike O’Brien said: “The shorter written consultation period will enable the FAS Operational Unit to work with the trustees of the affected schemes to ensure that, from the end of May, they are in a position to start paying qualifying members 90 per cent of their accrued pensions - from their scheme normal retirement age. Our aim will be to ensure that all existing cases are reassessed and paid arrears by the end of August."

Disabled people – delivering on choice and control

3 March 2008

The Government today announced plans to transform the lives of disabled people, including extra funding for organisations that are run by disabled people.

The ‘Independent Living Strategy’, a cross-government strategy which underlines the Government’s commitment to supporting disabled people to do the things non-disabled people take for granted, is published today by the Office for Disability Issues.

It was developed in partnership with disabled people and aims to give them more choice and control over the support they need and greater access to employment, transport, health and housing opportunities.

Welcoming the strategy, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said:

“We are committed to a vision of equality for all disabled people by 2025. A vision for Britain where all citizens are respected and included as equal members, and where everyone has the opportunity to fulfil their potential.“

Specialists must help long-term unemployed find and stay in work – Purnell

28 February 2008

Employment experts in the public, private and voluntary sectors will be paid to not just help the long-term unemployed into jobs, but to keep them there, Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell announced today.

Publishing the department’s ‘Commissioning Strategy’, Mr Purnell announced a much greater focus on payments by results when awarding welfare-to-work contracts to the public, private and voluntary sectors in Great Britain.

He said: “The private and voluntary sector already plays a role in delivering our work programmes. I want to take this to the next level, free them from central control and allow them to innovate. Their involvement is here to stay and set to grow.”

New sanctions for those who try to play the system - Purnell

20 February 2008

A review into the way benefit claimants are sanctioned will pave the way for a more flexible, graduated system which gives advisers more ability to impose sanctions on those claimants who break the rules, Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell announced today.

Speaking at the Social Market Foundation (SMF) James Purnell said: “I’ve asked Lesley Strathie, Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, to lead a review which will include the sanctions applied to customers playing the system and how we might best use advisers’ discretion in tailoring services to meet the needs of citizens. These new sanctions will tackle those people who can work and choose not to.”

Getting NEETs into employment

18 February 2008

Out-of-work 18-year-olds will have to undertake at least four weeks of full-time work or face losing their benefits, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions James Purnell announced today (18 February 2008).

From April 2008, every young person who has not been in employment, education or training for at least 26 weeks by their 18th birthday will be fast tracked to the intensive, Jobcentre Plus led, support and sanctions regime.

The NEETs (not in education, employment or training), as they are known, will have to prove they are actively looking for work and engaging in work-related activity – if they don’t their benefits will be stopped.

Pensioners urged to apply for warm home grants

15 February 2008

People receiving Pension Credit are being urged to apply for grants to help insulate their homes against the cold and rising fuel bills.

Following recent well-publicised increases in energy prices, it’s more important than ever that people apply for all the help available to them to make their homes energy efficient and keep the warmth in.

Minister for Pensions Reform Mike O’Brien said: “If you own your own home or rent it from a private landlord, you may be eligible for a free grant to insulate your walls and loft. This is in addition to the Winter Fuel Payment of £200, rising to £300 for people over 80, which has benefited more than 11.6 million pensioners this year.

“The grant is available through the Government’s Warm Front scheme. It’s free to call, so I urge all people getting Pension Credit to ring the Energy Advice Line on 0800 027 7668 to find out if they are eligible for further help.”

Employment at record high

14 February 2008

Figures out today show unemployment continuing to fall with 175,000 more people finding a job in the last three months. The employment level stands at a record high with almost 29.4 million in work. 

At the same time new figures issued by the Office for National Statistics show the numbers claiming jobseekers allowance (JSA) is down for the 16th consecutive month, falling by 10,800 in January to 794,600, the first time it’s fallen below 800,000 since 1975. The number of vacancies in the UK economy remains high at 677,400. Redundancies are at their lowest level since records began in 1995.

Poll reveals “big-dreams, small-assets” generation

12 February 2008

Far from retiring quietly, young people expect the luxuries they can afford today in their latter years.

But with more than half the nation’s under 34 year olds not saving anything at all, they are at risk of becoming the ‘big dreams, small assets’ generation.

A YouGov poll of nearly 2,000 people from across the UK revealed young people are failing to back their plans with hard cash.

Strategic challenges facing Britain

7 February 2008

Today, the Strategy Unit in the Cabinet Office has published the first part of its comprehensive analysis of the key long-term strategic challenges facing the people of Britain, looking at the challenges and opportunities of improving life chances, talent and social mobility and delivering high-quality public services. The DWP has contributed to the paper looking at the challenges in the area of life chances.

Read Future strategic challenges for Britain on the Cabinet Office web site.

Latest report on sickness absence in the Civil Service

7 February 2008

The latest report on sickness absence in the Civil Service was published by the Cabinet Office on 7 February 2008.

DWP's absence level was reported as 11.1 days per staff year in 2006/07.

Commenting on the report, DWP's Permanent Secretary, Leigh Lewis, said:

"I am disappointed that, despite all our hard work, the level of sickness absence reported for DWP is higher than most other government departments.

"We should not forget that the majority of our people are committed, and take little or no sick leave. However, we must not be complacent because sickness absence adversely affects our ability to deliver services to the public. 

We have taken action to address the level of sickness absence and the underlining causes, and will continue to focus on both active management and support for employees.”

National awards to celebrate job success

31 January 2008

A new awards scheme has been launched to recognise the efforts of both employers and employees in helping the long-term unemployed into work.

The awards will mark the first year of the Local Employment Partnerships – a ‘deal’ in which the Government gets the unemployed ready to work in return for employers offering them the chance to work.

More than 400 employers from a range of sectors have already signed up to help 250,000 people into sustainable employment by December 2010.

Stephen Timms, Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform, said:

“The Local Employment Partnership awards will showcase those employers who go the extra mile to help some of the most disadvantaged get into work, as well as celebrating the success and personal achievements of employees whose lives are being transformed through the scheme.”

Hain steps up fight against benefit theft

23 January 2008

New powers to stop benefit fraudsters in their tracks are announced today by Secretary of State for Work and Pension, Peter Hain.

From March, DWP fraud investigators will use information held by credit reference agencies to pinpoint benefit cheats who are living together but claiming to be single for benefit purposes.

Launching the initiative, Peter Hain said: “We are determined to stop this disgraceful and shameless theft.”

Joining up to improve service

22 January 2008

The Pension Service and the Disability and Carers Service are to be brought together into a single agency, Work and Pensions Secretary Peter Hain announced today.

The two agencies - which will come together from 1 April 2008 and be called the Pension, Disability and Carers Service - increasingly share many of the same customers.

Announcing the change, Peter Hain said: “The new agency will help us to give many more of them the services and support they need through one organisation in a joined up way.”

More money to help disabled workers into employment

21 January 2008

More money will be available to help disabled workers move into sustained employment, announced Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Peter Hain today.

Mr Hain announced changes to WORKSTEP, a programme that helps disabled people find and retain paid employment. The changes will mean the sustained progression payment will be increased fourfold from £500 to £2,000.

Peter Hain said: “By increasing the funding in this way we are encouraging providers to help more individuals who are able to progress to work without the support that WORKSTEP provides. This in turn will free up valuable resources to help more disabled people.”

We must act now to avoid future pensions crisis - Hain

7 January 2008

Individuals must take personal responsibility by saving for later life as part of a renewed social contract designed to avoid the nightmare of a pensions crisis in years to come, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Peter Hain said.

Speaking ahead of the second reading of the Pensions Bill 2007, Mr Hain said action was vital so that future generations of workers were not left struggling to pay for an ageing population.

The Pensions Bill 2007 proposes automatic enrolment from 2012 into good workplace pensions with an employer contribution of at least three percent.

New Deal helps someone find work every three minutes

2 January 2008

Someone has moved off benefits and into work every three minutes thanks to the New Deal job-seeking programme, which is 10 years’ old this week.

More than 1.8 million people have found a job through the New Deal since its launch in 1998 – that’s one person every three minutes, every single day.

The New Deal programme offers a mix of skills training, work experience and tailored advice to help those who have been out of work for six months or more get back into the workforce.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: “This week marks 10 years of the New Deal, a time for celebration of what has been achieved but also a time for looking ahead to the next 10 years of labour market reform.”

top of page