Nearly 1,650 staff at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have been issued formal performance warnings for exceeding sickness absence limits, newly released figures reveal. The revelations have sparked criticism of the Whitehall department, which is responsible for administering benefits and helping people back into work.
The figures were disclosed in a written response to Parliament after a question from Conservative MP Neil O'Brien. Ministers confirmed that 1,649 formal performance warnings were handed out to staff whose sickness absences surpassed departmental triggers. However, the department admitted it could not confirm whether every warning was specifically due to excessive sickness, citing the way its data is recorded.
Labour's Andrew Western, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, stated that the department's sickness absence data is published annually by the Cabinet Office. He noted that the most recent data, for the year ending March 31, 2025, coincides with the last period the Conservatives were in power. As of November 2025, the total DWP headcount stands at 95,164.
The DWP oversees one executive agency, Skills England, but its absence figures are not included as HR functions fall under the Department for Education. The disclosure comes amid wider debate about public sector productivity, with ministers encouraging more people to rejoin the workforce and highlighting the burden on the welfare system due to sickness and inactivity.
John O'Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, criticised the figures, saying: 'These figures suggest a worrying culture of absence in one of the biggest departments in Whitehall. When over a thousand staff are triggering formal warnings, taxpayers are entitled to ask whether the DWP is being properly managed.' He called for tighter attendance controls and improved data systems.
