PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Social Security Benefits: Injuries and Death (15 October 2021)

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many internal process reviews have been (a) started and (b) completed on cases of death or serious harm since the Answer of 28 June 2021 to Question 21211 on Social Security Benefits.

Asked by:
Jonathan Reynolds (Labour)

Internal Process Reviews (IPRs) are internal retrospective investigations, focussed on organisational learning. They are not designed to identify or apportion blame (where engaged, a Coroner has responsibility for concluding the cause of death).

IPRs are conducted when:

o there is a suggestion or allegation that the Department’s actions or omissions may have negatively contributed to the customer’s circumstances, or cases in which the department may be able to learn about the operation of its processes, AND a customer has suffered serious harm, has died (including by suicide), or where we have reason to believe there has been an attempted suicide.

o the Department is asked to participate in a Safeguarding Adults Board, or is named as an Interested Party at an Inquest. An Internal Process Review will be conducted - regardless of whether there is an allegation against the Department.

Of those IPRs that have been started since 28 June 2021, those relevant to the question’s criteria are as follows:

Death*	12
Serious Harm**	4

Of those IPRs that have been completed since 28 June 2021, those relevant to the question’s criteria are as follows:

Death*	12
Serious Harm**	1

* Death includes the categories death, alleged suicide and confirmed suicide.

** Serious Harm includes the categories self-harm, serious harm, attempted suicide and ‘other’.

Answered by:
Chloe Smith (Conservative)
1 November 2021