The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has apologised after an independent report found it likely lost a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimant's passport, preventing them from travelling to see their ill mother before she died.
The case was detailed in a report by the Independent Case Examiner (ICE), which investigates complaints about the DWP. The report said the claimant, referred to as Customer H, was asked to provide their passport as evidence of residence status when claiming PIP. The DWP provided an envelope for the document to be sent in, and Customer H posted a 'large letter' recorded by the Post Office as weighing 0.050kg, with the average weight of a passport being 0.042kg. A tracking number was provided.
According to the report, when the DWP receives a valuable document through the post, its Mail Opening Unit (MOU) should record receipt, scan the document onto the system, notify the relevant part of the DWP, and return the document to the customer. When Customer H contacted the DWP to request the passport back to travel to visit their ill mother, the DWP said they had not received a passport, only a letter. A search of the MOU found nothing in their records, so they did not believe the passport had been received.
Complaint upheld after examiner's evaluation
Customer H complained and asked for compensation to replace the passport. The DWP's final response repeated that the passport had not been received and advised Customer H to contact Royal Mail. When the complaint was escalated to the ICE, Customer H said that because of the lost passport and delays in getting another, their mother had died before they were able to see her.
The examiner found that the weight of the 'large letter' sent to the DWP was consistent with the average weight of a passport. The report concluded: "So, on the balance of probability I believed it was more likely than not, that DWP had received the passport, but lost it."
The complaint was upheld. The examiner recommended that the DWP make a consolatory payment of £400 and "consider reimbursing Customer H the cost of purchasing a new passport if they showed evidence of purchasing one."
Complaints reach new highs
The report covers the period from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, during which the ICE received 10,965 complaints, of which 3,215 were accepted. This marks a significant increase from 3,835 complaints in 2020, with referrals to the ICE nearly trebling over five years.
The DWP caseload continues to grow. In May 2026, there were 8.4 million people on Universal Credit, up from 7.7 million in May 2025. The DWP's Customer Experience survey has reportedly recorded a sustained rise in Universal Credit satisfaction scores to 88%, reflecting an upward trend in overall DWP satisfaction scores.
Sources say the DWP is taking steps to improve and modernise its services, including a new Quality Assurance Standards Framework designed to support continuous improvement, drive consistency in decision-making, and ensure customers receive a fair and timely service. The Health Transformation Programme is also modernising health and disability benefit services and transforming the PIP service to improve customer experience, efficiency, and trust in DWP decisions.
A DWP spokesperson said: "We apologise for mistakes made in these cases and strive to get it right every time. Of our 20 million customers, fewer than 1% complain, with our most recent survey showing satisfaction in the Department is increasing. We are not complacent, however, and continue to listen and act on feedback to ensure a consistent quality service is provided."
