QBS Team
Finance Group
Department for Work and Pensions
BP5301, Dunstanburgh House
Benton Park View
Benton Park Road,
Newcastle Upon Tyne,
NE98 1YX
DWP administrative-based benefit statistics: proposed changes to scheduling and frequency of releases
- From:
- Department for Work and Pensions
- Published
- 17 February 2026
- Last updated
-
619MarchJune 2026 — See all updates
This consultation has concluded
Read the full outcome
Detail of outcome
The department has considered the feedback received during this consultation.
This document sets out the outcome and, going forward, the impact on publication of some departmental Official Statistics.
We are grateful to all those who took the time to respond.
Original consultation
Summary
User views are sought on the Department for Work and Pension's plans to change the scheduling and alignment and reduce the frequency of some of our routine administrative-based benefit Official Statistics, including Universal Credit. This consultation will run until 31 March 2026 for proposal 1 and to 12 May 2026 for proposals 2 to 5.
This consultation closesran atfrom
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Consultation description
We would like your input as users on proposals 1 to 5. These proposals are intended to improve sequencing of our benefit Official Statistics in a way that makes sense to users, whilst ensuring we can redirect some resources to enable our statistical teams to deliver required development work to support transformation and respond to emerging policy priorities through development of new statistics and by providing additional context drawing on a wider range of source data to better inform the story.
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Ways to respond
Email to:
benefits.statistics@dwp.gov.uk
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Updates to this page
Published 17 February 2026
Last updated -
Added consultation response to the proposed changes to scheduling and frequency of releases.
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An update has been made to proposal 2 on DWP benefits statistics and benefit combination statistics to make clear that the proposal involves reducing the release frequency from quarterly to annual, including dissemination via Stat‑Xplore.
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First published.