Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Departmental Response Times

Monday 27 April 2026 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial responses indicate an increase in call-answering rate to 86% in 2024-25 from previous years.
  • Vikki Slade raised concerns about long delays in dealing with a constituent's personal independence payment appeal.
  • The minister offered to investigate the specific case if Vikki Slade writes to him and acknowledged steps to improve broader responsiveness.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Vikki Slade Lib Dem Mid Dorset and North Poole
Parliamentary Procedure

Question

What steps he is taking to improve his Department's response times.

Answer from Andrew Western

Our annual report and accounts 2024-25 states that, in that year, we answered some 43 million calls—up from 37 million in the previous year. Our call-answering rate increased to 86%, and the average answering time improved by one minute and 12 seconds. However, we do of course want to make further improvements where we can. We have continued to prioritise the service by focusing extra resources, and are currently making a systematic effort to clear agent work queues to free up capacity. We hope to see that progress lead to further improvements very soon.

Answered
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Q2 Vikki Slade Lib Dem Mid Dorset and North Poole
Benefits & Welfare
Context

The MP noted her office faces long delays dealing with the DWP. In September 2024, a constituent appealed against a personal independence payment assessment for her husband who passed away two months later. She received a letter in January saying she was overpaid by £7,000 and another in April stating an owed amount of £4,086.

Question

I am glad that the call answering has speeded up, but, like those of many other Members, my office is constantly dealing with very long delays on the part of the DWP. Back in September 2024, my constituent Jackie appealed against a personal independence payment assessment for her husband, who died a couple of months later. In January, she received a letter saying that she had been overpaid by £7,000. I became involved in the middle of last year, when it was established that the figure was £75. The DWP confirmed that in January, but in April—so we are now nearly two years on—my constituent received a letter saying that she now owed £4,086. Given the radical plans to cut civil service numbers, what steps will the Secretary of State and his team take to deliver a better service in order to ensure that constituents such as Jackie do not suffer emotional or financial distress?

Answer from Andrew Western

I would be happy to look into that case if the hon. Lady writes to me. I am sorry if she feels that her constituent has been let down. We are taking additional steps—beyond those relating to call handling—to look at responsiveness more broadly. I apologise: it was not clear from the wording of her original question that she was referring to correspondence as well as telephony.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific steps and timeline for improved service in response to constituent issues were not provided

How: It Was Not Clear From The Wording Of Her Original Question

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