Department for Work and Pensions
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| Department overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 8 June 2001 |
| Preceding Department | |
| Jurisdiction | United Kingdom |
| Headquarters | Caxton House 7th Floor 6-12 Tothill Street London SW1H 9NA |
| Employees | 84,718 (as of May 2016) |
| Annual budget | £176.3 billion (Resource AME), £6.3 billion (Resource DEL), £0.3 billion (Capital DEL), £2.3 billion (Non-Budget Expenditure) Estimated for year ending 31 March 2017 |
| Minister responsible | |
| Department executive | |
| Website | www |
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is the largest government department in the United Kingdom, and is responsible for welfare and pension policy.
The Department has four operational organisations: Jobcentre Plus administers working age benefits such as Jobseeker's Allowance, and decides which claimants receive Employment and Support Allowance; the Pension Service which pays the Basic State Pension and Pension Credit and provides information on related issues; Disability and Carers Service which provides financial support to disabled people and their carers; and the Child Maintenance Group which provides the statutory Child Support Schemes, operating as the Child Support Agency and the Child Maintenance Service.
The Department was created on 8 June 2001 as a merger of the Department of Social Security, Employment Service and the policy groups of the Department for Education and Employment involved in employment policy and international issues.
The Department was initially tasked with creating Jobcentre Plus and the Pensions Service from the remains of the Employment Service and the Benefits Agency. The Department is therefore responsible for welfare and pension policy. It aims "to help its customers become financially independent and to help reduce child poverty".
The department's ministers are:
The Permanent Secretary is Robert Devereux.
With the creation of the department in June 2001, the Pension Service was created, bringing together many different departments and divisions. The Pension Service is a 'dedicated service for current and future pensioners'.
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