History
The department was created on 8 June 2001 upon the re-election of the Labour party into Government. It merged the Department of Social Security (DSS), The Employment Service and the policy groups of the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) that were involved in Employment policy and International issues, in addition to the Opportunity and Diversity group's responsibilities toward disability.
The department was initially tasked at its inception specifically with creating Jobcentre Plus and the Pensions service from the remains of the Employment service and the Benefits agency. The department is therefore responsible for welfare and pension policy. Its key aims are "to help its customers become financially independent and to help reduce child poverty."
Read more about this topic: Department For Work And Pensions
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