Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what percentage of (a) personal independence payment awards are open-ended, (b) open-ended PIP awards are for recipients over pension age and (c) open-ended PIP awards are awarded to people who claim under the special rules for terminally ill people.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
For information on the percentage of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) awards which are ongoing please see Section 4 ‘Clearance outcomes – Awards’ of the Personal Independence Payment Publication here. Information on the volume of total ongoing awards and ongoing awards for recipients over State Pension age is not published.
The percentage of the total caseload for which claims are made under Special Rules For End of Life (SREL) can be found also be found in Section 4 ‘Clearance outcomes – Awards’
Asked by: Lord Touhig (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people with autism they estimate have found work in the past 12 months.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Information on the number of disabled people with autism who have found work in the past 12 months is published by the Department at: The employment of disabled people - GOV.UK.
There were an estimated 90,000 people with Autism who moved into employment between 2023 and 2024 (the latest data available).
Asked by: Julia Buckley (Labour - Shrewsbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to help reduce the delays in decisions on Disability Living Allowance claims.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have seen unprecedented demand in new claims to the DLA Child service line. Additional resources have been deployed, and cases are cleared in date order to ensure fair customer service. As a result, we are seeing improvements in our processing times for new claims. As of the 30th December 2024, The Actual Average Clearance Time was 97.8 days and has since reduced to 57.3 days as of 25th of August 2025, a reduction of 40.5 days.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the unemployment rate in each month of this year, in particular those months in which unemployment rose.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The unemployment rate in May-Jul 2025 was 4.7%pts. The unemployment rate has increased by 0.2%pts since the start of the year. Over this period, the employment rate increased by 0.2% to 75.2% and the inactivity rate fell by 0.3%pts to 21.1%.
Increases in the unemployment rate have been driven by people leaving inactivity and reengaging the labour market. This shift in labour market participation, is exactly what our Get Britian Working strategy seeks to address.
Backed by £240m in Autumn 2024 Budget, our Get Britain Working strategy sets out the biggest reforms to employment support in a generation, bringing together skills and health to get more people into work and to get on in work.
Aimed at tackling rising levels of health-related economic inactivity and moving towards an 80% employment rate ambition; the Get Britain Working strategy has three main workstreams – Jobs and Careers Service, Pathways to Work, and young people. We’ve already made rapid progress, including:
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of households in receipt of Universal Credit that are affected by the Benefit Cap have (a) no debt deductions from their Universal Credit award, (b) a deduction of more than 0% of their standard allowance and less than or equal to 5%, (c) a deduction of more than 5% and less than or equal to 10%, (d) a deduction of more than 10% and less than or equal to 15% and (e) a deduction of more than 15% in (i) Wales, (ii) Scotland and (iii) England.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Statistics related to Universal Credit deductions are routinely published. The latest publication, published on 12 August 2025, is available here: Universal Credit statistics, 29 April 2013 to 10 July 2025 - GOV.UK
The narrative Universal Credit deductions statistics, June 2024 to May 2025 - GOV.UK and supporting supplementary data tables provide a range of breakdowns including deduction amounts as a percentage of the standard allowance, in Table 2 of the supplementary tables and breakdowns by Local Authorities and Parliamentary Constituencies.
Statistics on households that have had their benefits capped is also routinely published. The latest publication is available here: Benefit Cap statistics - GOV.UK.
Data on UC households affected by the Benefit Cap that have deductions is not published.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to strengthen employment opportunities in sectors experiencing the sharpest decline in job opportunities.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Following a peak during the pandemic, vacancies are returning to their long-term average. There are currently 728k vacancies, slightly above the long-term series average of 696k.
We recognise the need to provide working-age adults with the support they need to pursue opportunities in the workforce, which is essential for economic growth.
We are already delivering the biggest overhaul of jobcentres in a generation, backed by £240 million investment to boost employment.
By bringing apprenticeships, adult further education, skills training, careers guidance, and Skills England under DWP’s remit, we’re creating strong pathways to support the millions of people across the country.
This will mean a greater focus on adult skills and career outcomes, getting people into skilled work in sectors that need labour – like construction.
Part of our approach is the use of DWP’s Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) that help employers with immediate and future employment needs by upskilling benefit claimants to fill local job vacancies.
Oct. 01 2025
Source Page: DWP benefits statistics: August 2025Asked by: Lord Pack (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people opted out of receiving the winter fuel payment for 2025–26.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Around 50,000 people in England and Wales have opted out of receiving an automatic Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2025/26, although work is still underway to conclude the final position.
The above data is derived from unpublished management information which is collected for internal departmental use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics Publication standards.
Asked by: Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government why the Pension Protection Fund's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy 2025–28, published on 12 June, uses the term "gender" rather than "sex", and what plans they have to revise the strategy in the light of the decision of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Pension Protection Fund has chosen in its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategy to further its core belief of supporting everyone, beyond the protected characteristics as defined by law. The Supreme Court decision has prompted a consultation by the Equality and Human Rights Commission on its Code of Practice for services, public functions and associations. Once statutory guidance has been published, we will work with our key stakeholders to inform our ongoing approach.
Sep. 30 2025
Source Page: Economic labour market status of individuals aged 50 and over, trends over time: September 2025