Human Resources FoI Team
Email:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxx.xxx.xxx.xx
Our Ref: FOI2019/05546
Peter McNab
Date 6 March 2019
request-550738-
xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
Dear Peter McNab,
Thank you for your Freedom of Information request received on 6 February. You asked for:
“
Please be kind enough and supply me with all relevant information at your disposal concerning
DWP's employee screening process to ensure their suitability to oversee the social security
benefit claims of UK citizens.
I require specifically to see the testing method/s employed by DWP that ensure an employee,
especially at management level within the organisation, is a right thinking person. This is
necessary to satisfy their part in the reciprocal common law societal contract: Duty of Care.
Psychopaths are not right thinking persons, lacking empathy for others, and cannot, therefore,
contemplate foreseeability in order to refrain from undertaking acts/omissions which may lead to
erroneous behavioural traits, affecting the rights of social security benefit claimants.
If DWP has employed Dr Robert D Hare's Psychopathy Checklist - Revised (PCL-R) to
adequately screen DWP managers for this severe personality disorder, then proof of this is
required. If Dr Hare's test has not been employed, please make clear in your response, which
method of testing was in fact used by DWP (Government of the United Kingdom).
I look forward to receiving the documents, this being a fair request in the public interest.”
Our response:
All DWP staff are bound to act in accordance with the Civil Service Code, which guarantees that
all staff behave in a fair and impartial manner and apply the highest standards of behaviour to
all actions. Staff who breach the Civil Service Code may be liable to disciplinary action.
We do not use the test you specify. DWP uses tests within its recruitment process to ensure
that people selected to undertake a role within the Department have the right skills and ability to
undertake the job effectively.
Government Recruitment Service (GRS) supplies three online psychometric tests for use in
recruitment sifting for roles up to and including for G6 level roles. These tests include the Civil
Service Judgement Test (CSJT), IBM Verbal, and IBM Numerical. The purpose of the CSJT is
to assess judgement and decision making skills in relation to the Civil Service Behaviours
framework and a test taker's aspiration and engagement. The Verbal test assesses verbal
reasoning ability; the Numerical test assesses numerical reasoning ability. None of these tests
either attempts or is able to assess psychopathic traits. DWP uses the three tests on a daily
basis for a wide range of vacancy campaigns recruiting people into DWP jobs.
If you have any queries about this letter please contact me quoting the reference number
above.
Yours Sincerely,
Human Resources FoI Team
Department for Work and Pensions
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Your right to complain under the Freedom of Information Act
If you are not happy with this response you may request an internal review by e-mailin
g freedom-of-information-
xxxxxxx@xxx.xxx.xxx.xx or by writing to DWP, Central FoI Team, Caxton House, Tothill Street, SW1H 9NA.
Any review request should be submitted within two months of the date of this letter.
If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review you may apply directly to the Information
Commissioner’s Office for a decision. General y the Commissioner cannot make a decision unless you have
exhausted our own complaints procedure. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: The Information
Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AF
ico.org.uk/Global/contact_us or telephone 0303 123 1113 or 01625 545745