Page 72 - Reforming Benefits Decision-Making -(updated - August 2021)

error. We were also told that DWP staff are provided with training relating
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to many of the issues we have identified, and that ‘coaching’ was part of the
Quality Assurance Framework.

2.95 However, in light of the ongoing systemic issues with decision-making, we
are clear that this framework and the current training and coaching
programme cannot be functioning effectively. For example, we were told that
part of the quality assurance standards for PIP, ESA and UC decisions include
ensuring that all evidence is considered. However, during our evidence
gathering we heard numerous examples where this had simply not happened.
We also asked the DWP about a number of issues with mandatory
reconsideration identified by CPAG’s early warning system (see Chapter 3
for further consideration of mandatory reconsideration). The DWP’s
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response was that none of the examples should be happening. Whilst they
volunteered to look into any specific examples, there was no
acknowledgement that these are recurring and therefore systemic issues that
are not being picked up by DWP’s current monitoring and quality assurance
processes.

2.96 Robust quality control and oversight systems that are able to identify systemic
issues, understand why they are occurring and provide the insight required to
fix them are crucial to improving DWP decision-making, as is training to
ensure that decision-makers are aware of their legal obligations, guidance and
best practice. In order for quality control systems to be robust there needs to
be a clear and measurable set of performance standards, which, as the
Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has pointed out, are
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currently lacking. Such standards should be published so that claimants

202 Plans are also in place to measure customer error and fraud in PIP and UC in 2021/22.
203 For example, claimants being required to follow a specific process for requesting a mandatory
reconsideration, contrary to DWP policy; claimants being dissuaded from making a mandatory
reconsideration request; DWP refusing to process mandatory reconsideration requests unless claimants
provide further evidence relating their claim; and claimants being advised to submit a ‘change of
circumstances’ rather than a mandatory reconsideration request as a ‘work around’ to the system (S.
Howes and K. Jones, Computer Says ‘No!’ Stage 2: challenging decisions (Child Poverty Action
Group, 2019))
204 EHRC, ‘Briefing note for the Work and Pensions Select Committee: Using service standards to
improve the social security system’ (WSN0124, 2019).

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