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Home > About the GLS > GLS Departments > DWP/H

Department for Work & Pensions / Health

The Department for Work and Pensions is responsible for the Government’s welfare reform agenda. Its aim is to promote opportunity and independence for all. It delivers support and advice through a modern network of services to people of working age, employers, pensioners, families and children and disabled people.

The Department of Health’s role is to improve the health and well-being of the population of England. The Department provides strategic leadership to the NHS and social care organisations in England. In addition, it is responsible for certain health issues for the entire UK, such as regulation of the medical profession.

Work of the Legal Team

Our lawyers are involved in some of the most difficult, controversial and high-profile issues that Government faces in connection with the well-being and financial security of the community. The work is demanding, stimulating and rewarding.

Our in-house legal professional services are organised in two customer-facing delivery groups – DWP Legal Services and DH Legal Services. Each of these groups includes advisory, litigation, legislative, employment, commercial and prosecution capabilities required to deliver the entirety of legal services to our client ministerial Departments.

Helping to make better law

One of our major tasks is to turn policy into law. In all our legislative work, we aim to deliver law that does exactly what the Departments are trying to achieve. We will advise on questions such as whether legislation is needed at all, and how to avoid unintended consequences. And we will always try and produce law that is as simple and readable as possible.

For DWP, our lawyers deal with the ever-changing demands of a modern welfare system and the labour market, as well as the challenges of child support and the regulation of the occupational pensions industry.

For DH, our lawyers are involved in implementing reforms to the NHS, the regulation of the medical profession and the provision of social care. They also grapple with the legal and ethical complexities of wide-ranging matters such as human fertilisation and mental health.
DWP and DH are responsible for important and far-reaching legislation - we usually have at least three Bills in each Parliamentary session.

Working closely with Ministers and policy teams, our lawyers prepare instructions for Parliamentary Counsel, follow each Bill as it progresses through both Parliament and attend debates.
We draft, again working closely with our policy colleagues, nearly all the secondary legislation made by the Departments, and are involved in negotiating and giving effect to EC legislation.

Commercial and Employment law

We also have a specialist team which deals with both Departments' commercial and employment law issues.

Commercial law advice includes State Aid, procurement, competition law, companies, intellectual property, confidentiality, trademarks (particularly for the NHS), Data Protection and Freedom of Information. Commercial lawyers work closely with colleagues in advisory and legislative teams, Departmental legal consultants, procurement advisers and the Office of Government Commerce.

Employment lawyers advise on the full range of employment matters including terms and conditions, industrial relations, TUPE, discrimination and equal pay. The team also has other smaller clients. In addition to advisory work there is a significant litigation caseload, ranging from individual employment tribunal cases to mass litigation in relation to equal pay across the NHS.

Some employment and commercial work is carried out by external solicitors and the in-house team plays an important role in helping to manage relationships with external lawyers and assure value for money. Much of the work supports the client departments in developing employment policy and strategy.

Legislation

We are one of the few Government legal teams to conduct our own litigation. We are responsible for civil litigation across a very wide range of domestic courts and tribunals. We frequently have cases of great public and legal interest a number of which reach the Court of Appeal and the House of Lords. Our lawyers are also involved in cases before the Social Security and Child Support Commissioners as well cases in the ECJ and in the European Court of Human Rights.

We are one of the largest prosecuting bodies in the country, prosecuting cases of benefit fraud and NHS fraud. The cases often have an international element. We also prosecute cases under medicines and medical devices legislation.

Whilst we are fully committed to training and developing all our staff, lawyers at all levels are expected to take full professional responsibility for their own work. There are opportunities for lawyers to move between different legal teams so as to help develop individual legal skills and experience. In addition to IIP recognition across the whole of Legal Group our litigation and prosecution teams also have a well established track record of Lexcel accreditation.

Benefits & Rewards

See the Benefits and Rewards section of the GLS website.

Location

There are about 140 lawyers in DWP Legal Group. Most are based in Carey Street just behind the Royal Courts of Justice in London; in 2009 we will be moving to the DWP’s Adelphi building in John Adam Street near Embankment tube station. We also have small teams dealing primarily with criminal prosecution or commercial work in Bootle, Birmingham, Warrington, Leeds and Cardiff.

Further Information

For further information:

Visit: http://www.dwp.gov.uk and http://www.dh.gov.uk