Department for Work and Pensions
From SR
Contents |
Roles
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for the Government's welfare reform agenda.
Its aim is to promote opportunity and independence for all.
DWP delivers support and advice through a modern network of local offices throughout England, Scotland and Wales, as well as providing phone and internet-based services. Its services are aimed at people of working age, pensioners, families and children, disabled people and employers.
It is the lead department for disability rights and benefits for the disabled and their carers.
Components
The Department's customers access the support and help they need through its businesses:
- Jobcentre Plus provides a range of services to link jobseekers to employers and help with claiming benefits for those who need them. Employers benefit from a fully-integrated recruitment service which helps them to fill well over a million vacancies a year
It offers practical help to those seeking jobs, and administers programmes like New Deal to help unemployed people back to work. It provides support for those who are long-term sick or disabled, including benefits and real help in finding work.
- The Pension Service supports pensioners by helping them to receive all they are entitled to. It helps those near retirement or planning for retirement to think about the right sort of pension provision
- The Disability and Carers Service supports disabled people and their carers, whether or not they work. It is responsible for delivering Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance and Carer's Allowance.
- The Child Support Agency is a child support service, which plays its part in ensuring that children whose parents do not live together are financially supported and kept out of poverty
- Debt Management provides a debt management service to the Department, from overpayment calculation through to recovery of debt
- The Rent Service provides a rental valuation service for housing benefit purposes, fair rent valuation for landlords and tenants, and advice to customers within the public and private sectors on these issues
Structure
The Department sponsors a wide range of bodies to achieve its objectives. These include executive, advisory and tribunal Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs), public corporations and other arms-length and short-term bodies.
Reporting Hierarchy
The Rt Hon James Purnell MP is Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and has overall responsibility for all work and pension matters as well as public expenditure issues.
