Written questions by Gibson.

How many calls to the Disability Service Centre helpline (a) were not answered, (b) involved the caller being on hold for more than 10 minutes and (c) were terminated by the Disability Service Centre following the caller being on hold for more than 10 minutes in each of the last 12 months.

Part (a)The table below shows the total number of unanswered calls (Calls Abandoned from Agent Queue) for Disability Services, for each of the last 12 calendar months. Month YearDirectorateCalls Abandoned from Agent QueueFeb-2024Disability Services189,821Mar-2024Disability Services199,623Apr-2024Disability Services268,374May-2024Disability Services191,549Jun-2024Disability Services133,799Jul-2024Disability Services151,056Aug-2024Disability Services152,973Sep-2024Disability Services162,451Oct-2024Disability Services157,661Nov-2024Disability Services158,028Dec-2024Disability Services118,581Jan-2025Disability Services264,966 Part (b) The department does not hold data that enables us to answer this question.Part (c) The department does not hold data that enables us to answer this question. There are many reasons why calls to a service line can attract a high call abandonment rate which can include but is not limited to increased hold times. The abandonment of calls is an area that we are unable to fully analyse as there is no data to tell us exactly why a specific customer terminates a call. We are continuously monitoring the service and reviewing our approach to ensure we are able to deliver for our customers. DISCLAIMER Please note this information is derived from the Department’s management information, designed solely for the purpose of helping the Department to manage its business. As such, it has not been subjected to the rigorous quality assurance checks applied to our published official statistics. As DWP holds the information internally, we have released it. However, it is possible information held by DWP may change due to operational reasons and we recommend that caution be applied when using it.

How many calls to the Pension Service helpline (a) were not answered, (b) involved the caller being on hold for more than 10 minutes and (c) were terminated by the Pension Service following the caller being on hold for more than 10 minutes in each of the last 12 months.

Response:Part (a)The table below shows the total number of unanswered calls (Calls Abandoned from Agent Queue) for The Pension Service, for each of the last 12 calendar months. Month YearDirectorateCalls Abandoned from Agent QueueFeb-2024Pension Service60,495Mar-2024Pension Service56,400Apr-2024Pension Service72,485May-2024Pension Service36,733Jun-2024Pension Service24,900Jul-2024Pension Service23,709Aug-2024Pension Service25,554Sep-2024Pension Service36,407Oct-2024Pension Service36,412Nov-2024Pension Service31,481Dec-2024Pension Service23,077Jan-2025Pension Service34,704 Part (b) The department does not hold data that enables us to answer this question.Part (c) The department does not hold data that enables us to answer this question. There are many reasons why calls to a service line can attract a high call abandonment rate which can include but is not limited to increased hold times. The abandonment of calls is an area that we are unable to fully analyse as there is no data to tell us exactly why a specific customer terminates a call. We are continuously monitoring the service and reviewing our approach to ensure we are able to deliver for our customers. DISCLAIMER Please note this information is derived from the Department’s management information, designed solely for the purpose of helping the Department to manage its business. As such, it has not been subjected to the rigorous quality assurance checks applied to our published official statistics. As DWP holds the information internally, we have released it. However, it is possible information held by DWP may change due to operational reasons and we recommend that caution be applied when using it.

How many complaints submitted to the Pension Ombudsman Service are awaiting adjudication; and whether she plans to provide additional resources to the Pension Ombudsman Service to reduce the backlog.

Currently there are approximately 1,700 cases with The Pensions Ombudsman (TPO) awaiting adjudication. Recently we agreed the TPO budget for 2025/26 which includes ongoing funding for additional staff to reduce backlogs.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the timeframe for PIP award reviews; whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of waiting times for appeal on PIP applicants; and what steps she is taking to tackle PIP appeal backlogs.

We are committed to ensuring people can access financial support through Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in a timely manner. Reducing customer journey times for PIP claimants is a priority for the Department and we are working constantly to make improvements to our service, including through using a blend of phone, video and face-to-face assessments where an assessment is required and by increasing case manager and assessment provider health professional resource.Where an existing award of PIP is subject to an award review, we aim to make a decision on that as quickly as possible, taking into account the need to review all available evidence, including that from the claimant. Where we can do so, we are also making decisions without referral to the Assessment Providers to speed up the process.The Department understands the potential effect of waiting for a tribunal hearing, which is why our aim is to make the right decision as early as possible in the claim journey so that people can get the support they are entitled to, without the need for an appeal.Appeals are lodged with, and administered by, HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). A variety of factors can affect the number of cases cleared by the Tribunal including the complexity of the issue in dispute; the availability of panel members assigned to a particular venue; and if an appeal is adjourned (which may be directed by the judge for a variety of reasons, such as to seek further medical evidence). Any increase to the live load is monitored, and investigated, locally.