Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-07-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Jobcentre Plus staff follow the guidance on newly recognised refugees applying for welfare benefits so as to ensure that those refugees are not left without support.

Damian Hinds

We have recently carried out an analysis of the information and instructions available to DWP staff handling claims from refugees and a number of improvements have been made to instructions as a result. These changes have been accompanied by an alert to staff.

Jobcentre Plus leaders use a Quality Assurance Framework as a tool to support their work coaches deliver a quality service. This includes a Quality Assurance Standards observation process, which is used by managers to regularly observe interviews with claimants; this observation includes ensuring specific support for refugees is provided.