Share this post:
The Department for Work and Pensions has insisted it published details of investigations into the deaths of benefit claimants “as soon as we were able” – but left serious questions unanswered.
The Department provided a further response to Vox Political following This Site’s report on a sharp rise in Internal Process Reviews (IPRs) linked to deaths and other serious harm, and the department’s failure to release key recommendations from past investigations.
The department now says:
“We published the ARA [Annual Report and Accounts] as soon as we were able to collate and audit all of the relevant information.
We have published more information on our most serious cases than ever before — emphasising our commitment to transparency. However, we needed to make sure that this is done in the right way, and protect the sensitive and personal information that IPRs can include.”
While this offers some reassurance that sensitive content is being handled carefully, it still fails to address core questions — including whether the publication could or should have occurred before Parliament passed the Universal Credit cuts.
What’s still missing?
-
The timing of publication: The figures were released just hours after MPs voted for cuts to the Universal Credit health element. The DWP has not said whether this was coincidence — or if it could have released the data earlier to inform debate.
-
Missing recommendations: The department told a tribunal it would publish recommendations from IPRs dating back to 2020 by March 31, 2025. That hasn’t happened, and there’s still no explanation for the delay — or when to expect them.
-
Why only 2022–23 recommendations were published: The DWP’s “Advanced Customer Support” report includes some learning points from that year, but nothing from earlier cases — despite numerous IPRs being completed in 2020–22.
-
Systemic reform tracking: There’s no evidence that the DWP is tracking repeated failings across reviews — or that lessons from deaths and safeguarding failures are being embedded across the system.
More questions sent to DWP
In response to the Department’s latest comments, Vox Political has sent a further series of questions, asking not only about the timing of the publication but the responsibility of civil servants to ensure MPs were properly informed before voting on major changes to Universal Credit, as follows:
-
Whether the publication date of July 10 for the Annual Report and Accounts was set before or after the Commons vote on disability benefit reforms.
-
Whether the Department considered releasing the IPR figures separately or earlier, to ensure MPs were fully informed — as civil servants are generally understood to be duty-bound to do when Parliament is making decisions on legislation.
-
Why recommendations from IPRs carried out in 2020–21 and 2021–22 — which the Department previously said would be published by March 2025 — still have not been released.
-
Why only the 2022–23 IPR recommendations were included in the most recent publication, and whether earlier ones were excluded due to content, sensitivity, or other reasons.
-
Whether the Department is tracking repeated failures or recurring recommendations across IPRs to identify systemic safeguarding risks — and if so, whether any such analysis has been published.
The DWP has been asked to respond by midday on Friday, July 25, so This Site may reflect its position in follow-up coverage.
Why this matters
The rise in IPRs involving deaths and serious harm is not just a data point.
It raises urgent questions about the safety of the benefits system, especially for vulnerable people.
Too much key information remains delayed, withheld, or trickled out with minimal context — and too late to shape policy decisions in Parliament.
Vox Political will continue to press for transparency, and to ask the questions that deserve answers — even when ministers would rather they weren’t asked.
You can read our original report here:
https://voxpoliticalonline.com/2025/07/21/dwps-internal-reviews-of-serious-incidents-nearly-doubled-before-benefit-cuts-vote-and-what-is-still-being-hidden/
Share this post:
DWP claims about Universal Credit deaths leave key questions unanswered
Share this post:
The Department for Work and Pensions has insisted it published details of investigations into the deaths of benefit claimants “as soon as we were able” – but left serious questions unanswered.
The Department provided a further response to Vox Political following This Site’s report on a sharp rise in Internal Process Reviews (IPRs) linked to deaths and other serious harm, and the department’s failure to release key recommendations from past investigations.
The department now says:
While this offers some reassurance that sensitive content is being handled carefully, it still fails to address core questions — including whether the publication could or should have occurred before Parliament passed the Universal Credit cuts.
What’s still missing?
The timing of publication: The figures were released just hours after MPs voted for cuts to the Universal Credit health element. The DWP has not said whether this was coincidence — or if it could have released the data earlier to inform debate.
Missing recommendations: The department told a tribunal it would publish recommendations from IPRs dating back to 2020 by March 31, 2025. That hasn’t happened, and there’s still no explanation for the delay — or when to expect them.
Why only 2022–23 recommendations were published: The DWP’s “Advanced Customer Support” report includes some learning points from that year, but nothing from earlier cases — despite numerous IPRs being completed in 2020–22.
Systemic reform tracking: There’s no evidence that the DWP is tracking repeated failings across reviews — or that lessons from deaths and safeguarding failures are being embedded across the system.
More questions sent to DWP
In response to the Department’s latest comments, Vox Political has sent a further series of questions, asking not only about the timing of the publication but the responsibility of civil servants to ensure MPs were properly informed before voting on major changes to Universal Credit, as follows:
Whether the publication date of July 10 for the Annual Report and Accounts was set before or after the Commons vote on disability benefit reforms.
Whether the Department considered releasing the IPR figures separately or earlier, to ensure MPs were fully informed — as civil servants are generally understood to be duty-bound to do when Parliament is making decisions on legislation.
Why recommendations from IPRs carried out in 2020–21 and 2021–22 — which the Department previously said would be published by March 2025 — still have not been released.
Why only the 2022–23 IPR recommendations were included in the most recent publication, and whether earlier ones were excluded due to content, sensitivity, or other reasons.
Whether the Department is tracking repeated failures or recurring recommendations across IPRs to identify systemic safeguarding risks — and if so, whether any such analysis has been published.
The DWP has been asked to respond by midday on Friday, July 25, so This Site may reflect its position in follow-up coverage.
Why this matters
The rise in IPRs involving deaths and serious harm is not just a data point.
It raises urgent questions about the safety of the benefits system, especially for vulnerable people.
Too much key information remains delayed, withheld, or trickled out with minimal context — and too late to shape policy decisions in Parliament.
Vox Political will continue to press for transparency, and to ask the questions that deserve answers — even when ministers would rather they weren’t asked.
You can read our original report here:
https://voxpoliticalonline.com/2025/07/21/dwps-internal-reviews-of-serious-incidents-nearly-doubled-before-benefit-cuts-vote-and-what-is-still-being-hidden/
Share this post:
you might also like
Chronically-ill Glenn Harris used electric saw to commit suicide
Government determined to lose money on RBS share sale
Healthy woman chooses death in a Swiss clinic to avoid becoming a ‘burden’