A new report reveals that the DWP Pension Service, part of the broader Department for Work and Pensions, failed to relay crucial information regarding changes to the pension scheme, resulting in significant financial losses for vulnerable retirees such as 82-year-old Adrian Furnival. The failure, revealed through a Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman investigation, has led to compensation claims and a loss of public trust in the service.

The UN committee has clarified that the UK government’s breaches of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities were both grave and systematic. In response, the DWP (encompassing the Pension Service) dismissed the report's findings and recommendations as inaccurate, arguing that their reforms are contextual and effective. This dismissal occurs against a backdrop of significant harm to disabled communities through policy measures such as social care cuts and benefit sanctions.

The DWP has deployed automation technologies—reportedly 58 automations, with 38 still active—to process over 44 million benefit claims, saving 3.4 million staff hours and enabling agents to focus more on direct citizen support, according to Transformation Minister Andrew Western.

An investigation by the Equality and Human Rights Commission has been launched into the Department for Work and Pensions over its treatment of disabled benefit claimants, particularly regarding controversial 'fit to work' assessments that have reportedly led to harmful outcomes for vulnerable individuals.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has launched an investigation into the Department for Work and Pensions, focusing on alleged failures to make reasonable adjustments for disabled benefits claimants. This investigation raises concerns about the treatment of marginalized groups and accountability in public service operations.

A judicial review was brought against the Department for Work and Pensions over its decision not to provide a Covid-related uplift to legacy benefit claimants, leading to allegations of discriminatory treatment and a breach of human rights, particularly affecting disabled individuals.

Interviews and research reveal that during the coalition government period (2010–2015), staff within the DWP system, which includes the DWP Pension Service, engaged in punitive sanctioning practices. These practices inflicted psychological harm on vulnerable claimants, particularly disabled individuals, by imposing harsh targets and conditions that led to significant mental distress and adverse outcomes.