Department for Work and Pensions written question – answered at on 5 March 2018.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential roles that staff employed by HMRC at the Waterfront offices in Dudley could play in her Department, in particular with the work associated with the introduction and administration of universal credit.
The Department and HMRC have reciprocal arrangements on filling vacancies where staff in either organisation are available for redeployment. The planning assumptions to transfer some HMRC staff and sites to the Department to support the delivery of Universal Credit were made some years ago. Since that time we have changed the way Universal Credit is delivered, with Jobcentres now joined up with Universal Credit Service Centres in local areas to provide a more seamless service for claimants.
Alongside this, high levels of employment and an increase in levels of self-service and automation have meant that the Department’s resourcing needs in certain areas and for larger centralised offices have changed. Moreover, it was always expected that fewer people would be needed to support Universal Credit than the benefits and tax credits that it replaces.
Collectively, these factors have resulted in a reduced demand for resources in the delivery of Universal Credit nationally, including the service in the Midlands. In light of this information, the decision was taken that HMRC staff employed in Dudley would no longer be required by the Department.
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