Overview

This bill aims to exempt the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) from the legal requirement to keep physical copies of documents relating to benefit claims. The DWP will only need to maintain electronic records, provided these are stored in an approved format.

Description

The Department for Work and Pensions (Electronic File Retention) Bill allows the DWP to store benefit claim information solely in electronic form, removing the need for paper files. This is achieved by overriding any existing laws mandating paper document retention. The Secretary of State will have the power to amend existing legislation via statutory instrument to enforce this exemption. This exemption specifically applies to benefit claims covered by the Social Security and Child Support (Decisions and Appeals) Regulations 1999 (SI 1999/991).

Key aspects:

• Removes the obligation for the DWP to maintain paper copies of benefit claim documents.
• Requires electronic storage of documents in an approved format.
• Allows the Secretary of State to amend related legislation to implement this change.
• Applies to benefit claims defined in the Social Security and Child Support (Decisions and Appeals) Regulations 1999.
• The bill applies to England and Wales only.

Government Spending

The bill is expected to lead to cost savings for the government by reducing the costs associated with storing and managing physical files. No specific figures are provided in the bill itself.

Groups Affected

The primary group affected is the DWP, which will benefit from simplified record-keeping. Claimants for relevant benefits may also be indirectly affected, although the impact is unclear; for instance, access to documentation may remain unchanged or improved, or conversely may be affected depending on the system in place. Other government departments and agencies dealing with similar records may also see this as a precedent, influencing future policy decisions on record management.

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