Department for Work and Pensions
The Department is responsible for delivering support and advice through a modern network of services to people of working age, employers, pensioners, families and children and disabled people. Its key aims are to help its customers become financially independent and to help reduce child poverty.
Contact information
- Address: Caxton House, 4th Floor, Tothill Street, London, SW1H 2NS
- Website: www.dwp.gov.uk [External website]
- Telephone: 020 7340 4000
- Generic Email format: firstname.lastname@dwp.gsi.gov.uk
Parliamentary Branch
Ministerial & Treat Officially Correspondence Section
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Ministers
James Purnell
Secretary of State for Work and Pension: The Rt Hon James Purnell MP
Leads on:
- The Secretary of State has overall responsibility for all work and pension matters as well as public expenditure issues.
Private Office to James Purnell
Stephen Timms
Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform: The Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP
Leads on:
- Labour market and the economy
- Labour market statistics
- Welfare Reform
- Jobcentre Plus
- Employment programmes, including the future of the New Deal
- Implementation of Employment and Support Allowance and Pathways to Work
- Lone parents, childcare and partners
- Ethnic minority employment (Chair of EME taskforce)
- Migrants, refugees & asylum seekers
- Adult Disadvantage
- Child Poverty and young people (including links with DCSF)
- Cities Strategy
- Employers (including the Commission for Employment and Skills)
- Skills
- Disadvantaged areas and regional issues Tax Credits (where DWP has an interest)
- E-Government (PSX(E))
- Housing Benefit
- Council Tax Benefit
- Bereavement Benefit
- Departmental IT and data security
- Benefit Simplification
- Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
Private Office to Stephen Timms
Mike O'Brien
Minister of State for Pensions Reform: Mike O'Brien QC MP
Leads on:
- Pensions Reform
- Personal accounts
- The Pension, Disability and Carers Service /li>
- State Pensions provision including Pension credit
- Winter fuel payments
- Pension Protection Fund
- Private Pensions (including Pension Regulator)
- Financial Assistance Scheme
- Ageing society strategy
- Extending working lives (including age-discrimination in relation to retirement)
- Better regulation
- Financial Capability
- Change Programme
Private Office to Mike O'Brien
Lord McKenzie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State: Lord McKenzie of Luton
Leads on:
- Lead on all DWP issues in the Lords
- Health and Safety Executive / Commission
- Health, Work and Well Being
- Vocational Rehab
- Mesothemiola
- Statutory Sick Pay
- Maternity / Paternity Pay
- Freedom of Information
- Data Protection for DWP
- Human Rights
- Research and Statistics
- Age Discrimination
Private Office to Lord McKenzie
Anne McGuire
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Disabled People): Anne McGuire MP
Leads on:
- Disability Legislation
- Equality and Human Rights Commission
- Remploy/Workstep/Supported Employment
- Access to Work
- Independent Living Funds
- Discrimination Law Review/ Equality Bill
- Incapacity Benefit
- Vaccine Damage Payments
- Carer’s Allowance/Carer’s Benefit
- Disability Living Allowance/Attendance Allowance
- Motability/SVF (Specialised Vehicles Fund)
- Civil Partnerships
- Departmental Management Issues
Leads in the House of Commons on:
- Health and Safety Executive/Commission including Employer's Liability Compulsory Insurance, Occupational Health and Sickness Absence
- Human Rights
- Freedom of Information
- Maternity and Paternity Pay
Private Office to Ann McGuire
James Plaskitt
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State: James Plaskitt MP
Leads on:
- Child Support Agency
- Child Maintenance Policy
- Income Support
- Jobseekers Allowance
- Students
- International Relations
- European Union Business
- Social Fund
- European Social Fund
- Debt Management
- Fraud and Error
- Methods of Payment Reform
- The Euro
- Better Buildings
- Habitual Residency Test
- Compensation Recovery Unit
- National Insurance Numbers (NINOs)
- Support on Pensions Legislation
- Correspondence Champion
- Social Security Advisory Committee
- Varney and Service Transformation
- Tell us Once pilots
- Financial Inclusion
- Housing Benefit delivery and performance monitoring
- Council Tax Benefit delivery and performance management
Leads in the Commons on:
- Departmental Green Issues
Private Office to James Plaskitt
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Private Office
Private Office to James Purnell
Private Office to Stephen Timms
Private Office to Mike O'Brien
Private Office to Lord McKenzie
Private Office to Ann McGuire
Private Office to James Plaskitt
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Executive Agencies
Child Support Agency
The Child Support Agency is an Executive Agency of the Department for Work and Pensions. The CSA exists to deliver a professional, efficient and sensitive child support service, which plays its part in ensuring that children, whose parents do not live together, are financially supported and kept out of poverty. Its role is to make a speedy and accurate assessment of child maintenance, ensure that this is paid on time, and help clients as they go through this activity.
Pension, Disability and Carers Service
The Disability and Carers Service and the Pensions Service merged with effect from 1 April 2008. The Pension Service is a dedicated service for current and future pensioners. It provides state financial support to over 11 million pensioners delivered at a national and local level and in partnership with other organisations. It also helps people to plan and provide for retirement. The Disability and Carers Service supports disabled people and their carers, whether or not they work. It is responsible for delivering Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance and Carer's Allowance.
Rent Service
The Rent Service makes fair rent evaluations for regulated and secure tenancies, and determines whether Housing Benefit claimants (and prospective claimants) are being asked to pay more rent than their landlord might reasonably expect in open market conditions.
Jobcentre Plus
Jobcentre Plus is an Executive Agency of the Department for Work and Pensions. DWP's overall goal for people of working age is to promote work for those who can and support for those who cannot. Fundamental to this goal is the creation of Jobcentre Plus, which has brought together the former Employment Service and those parts of the Benefits Agency which support people of working age, into a single integrated business with a clear focus on work. The first Pathfinder offices of the new organisation were opened in October 2001. There are now 272 offices, covering a quarter of Great Britain, providing a new integrated service to our customers. Jobcentre Plus' aim is to help more people into work and employers to fill their vacancies, and to provide people of working age with the help and support they are entitled to. As a result Jobcentre Plus will contribute to the Government's aim of tackling poverty, reducing worklessness, promoting growth and opportunity, and modernising Government..
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