Ministers
To see speeches made by our Ministers go to the Speeches page
Rt Hon James Purnell MP
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The Secretary of State has overall responsibility for all work and pension matters as well as public expenditure issues.
Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP
Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform
Responsible for:
- 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 Department for Children, Schools and Families)
- 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
Mike O'Brien MP
Minister of State for Pensions Reform
Responsible for:
- Pensions Reform
- Personal accounts
- The Pension, Disability and Carers Service
- 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
Anne McGuire MP
Minister for Disabled People
Responsible for:
- 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 and Carer’s Benefit
- Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance
- Motability and Specialised Vehicles Fund (SVF)
- Civil partnerships
- Departmental management issues
Lead in the Commons:
- Health and Safety Executive and Commission including Employer’s Liability Compulsory Insurance, Occupational Health and Sickness Absence
- Human Rights
- Freedom of Information
- Maternity and Paternity Pay
James Plaskitt MP
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Commons)
Responsible for:
- Child Support Agency
- Child Maintenance policy
- Income Support
- Jobseeker’s 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.
Lord McKenzie of Luton
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Lords)
Responsible for:
- Lead on all DWP issues in the Lords
- Health and Safety Executive and Commission
- Health, Work and Well Being
- Vocational Rehabilitation
- Mesothemiola
- Statutory Sick Pay
- Maternity / Paternity Pay
- Freedom of Information
- Data Protection for DWP
- Human Rights
- Research and Statistics
- Age Discrimination
How to contact Ministers
You can contact Ministers either by email or by writing to the following address:
Department for Work and Pensions
Caxton House
Tothill Street
London
SW1H 9DA