DWP Announces Major Benefits System Overhaul After 30 Years
The Department for Work and Pensions is set to implement a significant change to its benefits system for the first time in three decades, with officials describing the update as "imminent." The DWP will replace an ageing IT infrastructure that has supported the Access to Work program since its inception.
Modern Platform to Address Processing Delays
DWP Permanent Secretary Peter Schofield confirmed that a new modern platform will be introduced in June to replace the legacy case-management tool that currently forms the middle stage of the Access to Work system. This 30-year-old system has not been developed in recent years and fails to communicate effectively with other departmental platforms.
Schofield explained: "Over the summer... we will be introducing a modern platform for that middle stage... that will come in in June this year. That will then create a platform that can connect effectively to the other two platforms."
The current system's limitations have contributed to significant processing delays. Data reveals that the average processing time for Access to Work claims during the 2024/25 year reached 109 days, far exceeding the DWP's target of 25 days.
Integrated Modular Systems Approach
The new approach involves developing modular systems that can communicate with each other while allowing for parallel modernization. Schofield emphasized: "Each one can then be modernized without switching off the others, which enables us to do modernization in parallel and make progress more quickly."
Once the foundation is established in June, the DWP plans to build improved systems that eliminate manual data re-entry and enhance data collection capabilities. This should enable more targeted support for disabled claimants seeking workplace accommodations.
Skepticism About Technology's Limitations
Despite the technological overhaul, Schofield expressed "slight skepticism" about whether new technology alone can address all challenges in delivering benefits to disabled people. He noted that individual cases involve numerous variables, even when claimants share similar health conditions.
When questioned by Treasury Committee chair Geoffrey Clifton-Brown about whether the new technology should deliver greater productivity gains, Schofield responded cautiously about artificial intelligence's role: "I think AI augmentation will be able to help decision makers make their decisions, as it could help them sift through the evidence that is there, but I am not sure about the idea that you could press a button and just find everything out."
The DWP hopes this foundational change will "avoid the problems that we have seen in the past" and create a more efficient, integrated system for processing Access to Work claims, though officials acknowledge technology has limitations in addressing complex individual circumstances.
