Delays in complaint probes

INVESTIGATIONS into complaints about the Department for Work and Pensions are being hit by 18 months of delay, Freedom of Information (FoI) data has revealed.

Official figures also show that about two thirds of investigations are then not being cleared within a 20-week target.

Complaints to Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) organisations can cover issues of poor customer service, excessive delays or a failure to follow proper procedures.

The Independent Case Examiner (ICE) acts as an impartial referee for people who feel they have been treated unfairly or who are unhappy with how a complaint has been dealt with by a DWP business or agency. This includes the Child Support Agency, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS), Jobcentre Plus, the Disability and Carers Service or the Pension Service.

ICE, a free service, will only consider a complaint once the complaints procedure has concluded with the original organisation.

But FoI data requested by BBC

Radio 4’s Money Box programme has revealed that there is a delay of 18 months before an ICE investigation is opened.

According to ICE standards data published online, only around a third of cases (35%) from April 1 to December 31 last year were cleared within 20 weeks of an investigation being started.

A DWP spokesman said: “We are hiring and training new staff as quickly as we can, and cleared more complaints last year than in 2017/18.”