Sir Peter Schofield looks back on a busy year and previews 2025, during which the Department for Work and Pensions will work to ‘implement important change for the years ahead’

In an annual festive-period tradition, PublicTechnology sister publication Civil Service World recently published the latest edition of the annual perm secs round-up, in which , departmental heads and other leaders from across government reflected on 2024, their plans for Christmas, and prospects for the year ahead.

Click here to read more from a wide selection of Whitehall figures.

According to permanent secretary Peter Schofield, the months to come will see the Department for Work and Pensions continue to work on delivering the priorities of the new government – including expanding its use of tech.

What was your highlight of 2024?
The professional highlight for me was leading the department through a big period of change around the general election – at around the same time as I was supporting my children through GCSEs and A Levels and receiving a knighthood. When I look back, I can reflect that it has been a big year for our department, and also for my family and me.

What was the hardest part of being a leader in 2024?
It has been an eventful 2024 where we have seen lots of change. We are always committed to serving the government of the day to the best of our abilities, and like all departments, we have needed to respond quickly to a new political landscape. In DWP we have had to achieve this while continuing to deliver for tens of millions of customers who have needed our support every day across 2024, regardless of what has been happening politically. It has been a demanding year for our leaders and their teams, but once again they have risen to the challenge brilliantly.

What are the main challenges facing DWP in the coming year – and how are you planning to meet them?
Growth is the number one priority of the new government, but we also know we face some tough economic challenges. Our big challenge is to simultaneously respond to the important customer needs we face in the immediate term, and to safely implement important change for the years ahead. This change includes delivering new ministerial priorities (such as reshaping our whole employment support offer) and going further and faster in how we use technology to design and deliver our services generally. Our values and our sense of purpose mean that we can approach these challenges with confidence, and we can draw on valued support from a wide range of partners from within and beyond government. 

What was the best Christmas present you’ve ever given or received? And the worst?
Last year my team bought me a little wooden lunch box for Christmas and, while I love it, they do tease me that it makes me look like a schoolboy again. And although not a Christmas present, we do have a new puppy in the Schofield household for this Christmas. Pippa is a labradoodle/lurcher cross and joins our family alongside our 12-year-old dog Evie. It will be fun to see how much mess Pippa gets into with a Christmas tree this year.

Click here to read all entries in the new edition of the CSW perm secs round-up