In 2019 the Department made a bid, through the Spending Review process, for additional funding in the financial year 20/21 to implement the Excellence Plan. This funding was to improve support for vulnerable customers and their interactions with the Department. In March 2020, prior to the beginning of the 20/21 financial year, and like many other organisations, we had to reprioritise our operations due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the following work has been undertaken in the time since. We have introduced more than 30 Advanced Customer Support Senior Leaders (ACSSLs) who have now been appointed across Great Britain. The Department has also created central teams in the Customer Experience Directorate to focus on strategically supporting our most vulnerable customers. In August 2020 the Internal Process Review Group was established to increase oversight of Internal Process Reviews at a more senior level. The Serious Case Panel was set up in late 2019 to consider systemic themes and issues that have arisen from serious cases.