Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending disability living allowance for children up to the age of 25.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Through our Green Paper, Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working, we are consulting on raising the age at which young people move from Disability Living Allowance for children (DLAc) to the adult disability benefit Personal Independence Payment (PIP). The aim of this proposed change is to better align the age at which young people first claim adult disability benefits with other key milestones in the transition to adulthood. It also aims to reduce pressure on still relatively young people going through adult PIP assessments.

The consultation question asks if the age for young people to move from claiming DLAc to PIP should be 18, and if not, at what age this should happen. We encourage the public to respond to the consultation. More details can be found at Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper - GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to restore to their full value the pension entitlements of Allied Steel and Wire workers.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department recognises that the Allied Steel and Wire pension scheme was among the earliest of schemes to benefit from the Financial Assistance Scheme. The Minister for Pensions met with some Allied Steel and Wire workers and heard first-hand how members have been affected by aspects of the Financial Assistance Scheme, including the issue of the indexation of pre-1997 pension accruals.

The erosion of income due to the high inflation of recent years has led to this matter being considered by the Work and Pensions Select Committee (WPSC) in its recent inquiry into Defined Benefit pension schemes. On 30 April, the Government response to the recommendations in the WPSC’s report was published.

The government will consider and reflect on what we have heard on the issue of Pension Protection Fund and Financial Assistance Scheme rules on the indexation of pre-1997 pension accruals. Any change in this area has significant implications on public finances for both the taxpayer funded Financial Assistance Scheme and for the levy funded Pension Protection Fund. These are complex matters requiring a balanced approach for those receiving compensation, levy payers and taxpayers. This is an important issue and one where we will continue to work with the Pension Protection Fund.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the (a) length in number of applicants and (b) duration of time of the backlog in Personal Independence Payment awards.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

As at the end of January 2025, a total of 265,000 New Claims were in progress. This figure has been rounded to the nearest 1,000.

For the average clearance times in median weeks for New Claims under Normal Rules, please see the Personal Independence Payment Official Statistics to January 2025, the information you requested can be found on Table 1A.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2025 to Question 44809 on Local Housing Allowance: Wales, what (a) metrics, (b) data points and (c) analysis were used to assess the impact of Local Housing Allowance rates referenced his answer; and whether this included the impact on the number of people becoming homeless.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The impacts referenced in the previous answer were determined using a wide variety of metrics, data and analysis. These included:

• Current and past rental data supplied by the Valuation Office Agency, Rent Officers Scotland, and Rent Officers Wales;
• Analysis of current and past DWP administrative data on recipient households from a number of angles, including policy simulation modelling: and
• Forecasts on benefit caseloads and related matters.

As covered in the previous answer, the causes of homelessness are multi-faceted and interact dynamically. This makes it very difficult to isolate the relative importance of individual factors such as individual benefit rates. But interactions with key measures such as Temporary Accommodation were considered with input from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

At Autumn Budget the Government prioritised a downpayment on poverty, by introducing a Fair Payment Rate for Universal Credit (UC) customers with deductions to retain more of their benefit award. We have invested £1bn in extending the Household Support Fund and maintaining Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) at current levels (including Barnett impacts) for 2025/26.

We continue to work across Government on the development of the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping strategy in England. Housing and homelessness policy is devolved to Wales.

Any future decisions on LHA policy will be taken in the context of the Government’s missions, goals on housing and the fiscal context.

DHPs are available from local authorities and can be paid to those entitled to Housing Benefit or UC who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the (a) length in number of applicants and (b) duration of time of the backlog in Personal Independence Payment awards for appeals where a decision was previously made.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

As of April 2025, a total of 8,900 appeals are currently in progress. This figure has been rounded to the nearest 100.

Although we hold information on the time between initial disallowance and appeal hearing, DWP is not solely responsible for this wait time. Appeals are lodged by claimants with His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS), which the claimant may take up to 13 months to do. DWP then have 28 days to respond to the appeal when notified by HMCTS. After this the time taken to list the appeal is dependent on HMCTS, who run tribunal hearings.

The median journey time for an appeal where the initial decision was made in December 2023, was 42 weeks. This represents time from appeal lodgement to clearance within DWP only and excludes any further time prior to Tribunal.

Data for initial decisions made from 2024 onwards has not been used, to ensure reasonable time has passed for an accurate assessment of the time between an appeal lodgement and clearance within DWP.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of restricting access to the limited work capability component of Universal Credit for those under the age of 22 on (a) armed forces early service leavers and (b) people who have been medically discharged from the armed forces.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

In our recent Pathways to Work Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, we announced a broad package of reforms to the health and disability benefit and support system. Importantly, no changes are proposed to Armed Forces Independence Payments (AFIP), which continue to provide support to some of the most severely disabled veterans.

For those in receipt of PIP who may be affected by the proposed eligibility changes, we are consulting on how best to support this group, including how to ensure health and eligible care needs are met. We also intend to launch a wider review of the PIP assessment process, bringing together experts, stakeholders, and individuals with lived experience. We will provide further details as plans progress.

As we develop proposals further, we are carefully considering the potential impacts, including on veterans and their families, as part of our broader response to the Green Paper consultation. We would encourage organisations supporting and representing veterans, such as the Royal British Legion, the Soldiers', Sailors', and Airmen's Families Association (SSAFA), and many others, to contribute their views on how best to support wounded, injured, and sick veterans.

I have also asked my officials to work with their counterparts in the Office for Veterans' Affairs (OVA) to organise a dedicated consultation event for armed forces stakeholders, likely to take place in June. We are also providing detailed briefings on the proposals to Ministry of Defence (MoD) and OVA officials. Once we have completed the consultation we will be building up to a White Paper, where we will once again engage with MoD and the OVA in advance of collective agreement.

We are also welcoming views on raising the age at which someone can access the Universal Credit health element to 22 as part of our Green Paper consultation.

A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

• There will be no immediate changes. Changes to PIP eligibility and rebalancing of UC aren’t coming into effect immediately. Our intention is these changes will start to come into effect from April 2026 for UC and November 2026 for PIP, subject to parliamentary approval.
• The social security system will always be there for those who can’t work. As part of making changes to the payment rates in Universal Credit, we will ensure that the incomes of those with the most severe, lifelong conditions who will never be able to work have their incomes protected.
• Protecting those most in need is at the heart of our reforms. Our Green Paper outlines why we think removing the WCA and moving to using the PIP assessment as the single assessment for additional financial support, is the correct decision for the reformed system.
• We understand that for some people, work is simply not possible. We will work through how, without a WCA, these people can be identified and put in place appropriate protections, such as considering award reviews. Engagement with employment support will be determined on a personal basis, according to needs.
• For new claimants on the UC health element after April 2026, we are proposing that those with the most severe, life-long health conditions, who will never be able to work, will see their incomes protected.
• Those on UC, with the most severe, life-long conditions, which mean a person cannot and will never work, will not be called for review in future.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the planned restructuring of the health component of Universal Credit on (a) armed forces veterans and their dependents and (b) armed forces veterans with limited access to employment.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

In our recent Pathways to Work Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, we announced a broad package of reforms to the health and disability benefit and support system. Importantly, no changes are proposed to Armed Forces Independence Payments (AFIP), which continue to provide support to some of the most severely disabled veterans.

For those in receipt of PIP who may be affected by the proposed eligibility changes, we are consulting on how best to support this group, including how to ensure health and eligible care needs are met. We also intend to launch a wider review of the PIP assessment process, bringing together experts, stakeholders, and individuals with lived experience. We will provide further details as plans progress.

As we develop proposals further, we are carefully considering the potential impacts, including on veterans and their families, as part of our broader response to the Green Paper consultation. We would encourage organisations supporting and representing veterans, such as the Royal British Legion, the Soldiers', Sailors', and Airmen's Families Association (SSAFA), and many others, to contribute their views on how best to support wounded, injured, and sick veterans.

I have also asked my officials to work with their counterparts in the Office for Veterans' Affairs (OVA) to organise a dedicated consultation event for armed forces stakeholders, likely to take place in June. We are also providing detailed briefings on the proposals to Ministry of Defence (MoD) and OVA officials. Once we have completed the consultation we will be building up to a White Paper, where we will once again engage with MoD and the OVA in advance of collective agreement.

We are also welcoming views on raising the age at which someone can access the Universal Credit health element to 22 as part of our Green Paper consultation.

A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

• There will be no immediate changes. Changes to PIP eligibility and rebalancing of UC aren’t coming into effect immediately. Our intention is these changes will start to come into effect from April 2026 for UC and November 2026 for PIP, subject to parliamentary approval.
• The social security system will always be there for those who can’t work. As part of making changes to the payment rates in Universal Credit, we will ensure that the incomes of those with the most severe, lifelong conditions who will never be able to work have their incomes protected.
• Protecting those most in need is at the heart of our reforms. Our Green Paper outlines why we think removing the WCA and moving to using the PIP assessment as the single assessment for additional financial support, is the correct decision for the reformed system.
• We understand that for some people, work is simply not possible. We will work through how, without a WCA, these people can be identified and put in place appropriate protections, such as considering award reviews. Engagement with employment support will be determined on a personal basis, according to needs.
• For new claimants on the UC health element after April 2026, we are proposing that those with the most severe, life-long health conditions, who will never be able to work, will see their incomes protected.
• Those on UC, with the most severe, life-long conditions, which mean a person cannot and will never work, will not be called for review in future.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people living in South Holland and the Deepings constituency are claiming PIP and not in work.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

In the South Holland and The Deepings constituency, 3,750 Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants are not in work.

The figure has been rounded to the nearest 10. This only includes claimants with normal rules and who are working-age adults. Data is for March 2024 which is the latest employment data available.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Health and Safety Executive plans to create a dedicated department within the Energy Division of the Hazardous Industries Directorate to take responsibility for battery energy storage system safety.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) deploys its resources to deliver risk based proportionate regulation of workplaces, including battery energy storage system (BESS) facilities. This approach is set out in HSE’s Regulatory approach – (Regulation of health and safety at work) and in HSE's Enforcement Policy Statement (EPS) (Enforcement Policy Statement) . There are no current plans to establish a dedicated department to take responsibility for BESS, however a cross HSE group of inspectors, scientists and policy makers continue to monitor developments in relation to batteries and other new and emerging technologies.

The Health and Safety at Work Act places legal duties on employers to manage risks to employees and anyone else who may be affected. There is a robust regulatory regime in place which addresses the risks associated with battery energy storage systems.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in response to the question from the hon. Member for Wokingham of 12 February 2025, Official Report, column 176WH, when further information in writing will be provided.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

It is not currently possible to accurately identify all pensioner households who may be entitled to Pension Credit from Council or DWP data. This is because eligibility for Pension Credit depends on a household’s specific financial and personal circumstances – information which the Department does not usually hold but requires from the customer.

However, there are significant opportunities for DWP and Councils to work together, not least on the overlap between Pensions Credit and Housing Benefit. As part of our Pension Credit campaign, the Department wrote to 120,000 pensioner households in receipt of Housing Benefit inviting them to claim Pension Credit. Using existing Housing Benefit data, which local authorities also have access to, enabled the Department to make an assessment of potential Pension Credit eligibility and target those households directly. Since February, we have been targeting all new Housing Benefit claimants who we identify as potentially eligible for Pension Credit in this way.

More generally, the Department shares extensive data with local authorities for a variety of purposes. Despite what is sometimes claimed, local authorities are allowed to re-use that data under the terms of a data sharing Memorandum of Understanding, subject to them seeking their own legal advice, and subject to them notifying the Department of their intent. This data reuse process can include reusing data originating from DWP to help identify people eligible for Pension Credit.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 9 May 2025 to Question 47378 on Personal Independence Payment, how many working-age people are in receipt of the PIP daily living component at (a) regional, (b) constituency and (c) local authority level by whether those people receive the (i) standard or (ii) enhanced rate; and what proportion of each of those (A) standard and (B) enhanced rate claims were awarded fewer than four points in all daily living activities.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Table 1 in the attached excel file contains data, at the regional level, of claimants in receipt of the Enhanced or Standard Daily Living award for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and the proportion of those claims which were awarded less than four points in all daily living activities by award rate.

Table 2 contains data, at the Parliamentary Constituency level, of claimants in receipt of the Enhanced or Standard Daily Living award for PIP and the proportion of those claims which were awarded less than four points in all daily living activities by award rate.

Table 3 contains data, at the Local Authority level, of claimants in receipt of the Enhanced or Standard Daily Living award for PIP and the proportion of those claims which were awarded less than four points in all daily living activities by award rate.

The number of people currently on PIP and did not score 4 points in one category in their last assessment should not be equated with the number who are likely to lose PIP. It’s important to make a clear distinction between the two, not least because we don’t want constituents to be unnecessarily fearful about their situation, when we understand many are already anxious. We will always protect the most vulnerable people.

The OBR has determined that 9 in 10 people currently on PIP will still be receiving it by the end of this Parliament. No one will lose access to PIP immediately. The changes, subject to parliamentary approval, would be brought in from November 2026. After that date, no one will lose PIP without first being reassessed by a trained assessor or healthcare professional, who assesses individual needs and circumstance. Reassessments happen on average every 3 years. Someone who didn’t score 4 points in an activity in a previous assessment may well score 4 points in a future assessment – not least as many conditions tend to get worse, not better, over time.

We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by eligibility changes, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met. PIP is not based on condition diagnosis but on functional disability as the result of one or more conditions, and is awarded as a contribution to the additional costs which result.

We have also announced a wider review of the PIP assessment, to make it fair and fit for purpose, which I will lead. We are bringing together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this. We will provide further details as plans progress.

Even with these reforms, the overall number of people on PIP is expected to rise by 750,000 by the end of this parliament and spending will rise from £23bn in 24/25 to £31bn in 29/30.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people in receipt of the Personal Independence Payment standard daily living component were awarded less than four points in all daily living activities in (a) York Central constituency, (b) City of York Local Authority area and (c) York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority area, in the most recent period for which data is available.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published here ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’(opens in a new tab), including an Evidence Pack which contains the maximum points scored on any Daily Living activity by Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants, broken down by Parliamentary Constituency and Local Authority. For York Central constituency, 42% of people scored fewer than 4 points at last assessment.

As the information is not published in the way you have requested, information on the volume and proportion of PIP claimants who received a standard Daily Living award rate and scored less than four points in all daily living activities, by different geographical breakdowns can be found in Table 1 below. This should not be equated with the number who are likely to lose PIP. It’s important to make a clear distinction between the two, not least because we don’t want constituents to be unnecessarily fearful about their situation, when we understand many are already anxious. We are clear that we will always protect the most vulnerable.

No one will lose access to PIP immediately. The changes, subject to parliamentary approval, would be brought in from November 2026. After that date, no one will lose PIP without first being reassessed by a trained assessor or healthcare professional, who assesses individual needs and circumstance. Reassessments happen on average every 3 years. Someone who didn’t score 4 points in an activity in a previous assessment may well score 4 points in a future assessment – not least as many conditions tend to get worse, not better, over time.

After taking account of behavioural changes, the OBR predicts 9 in 10 people who claim PIP in November 2026 will still receive it by the end of Parliament. If the OBR’s behavioural assumptions for England and Wales were applicable to York and North Yorkshire, around one-fifth of current claimants shown in table 1 would no longer receive their daily living component following review.

We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including how to make sure health and care needs are met. PIP is not based on condition diagnosis but on functional disability as the result of one or more conditions, and is awarded as a contribution to the additional costs which result.

We have also announced a wider review of the PIP assessment, to make it fair and fit for purpose, which I will lead. We are bringing together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to to this. We will provide further details as plans progess.

Even with these reforms, the overall number of people on PIP and DLA is expected to rise by 750,000 by the end of this parliament and spending will rise from £23bn in 24/25 to £31bn in 29/30.

Table 1: volume and percentage of PIP claimants who are in receipt of the standard daily living award rate and scored less than four points in all daily living activities by different geographical breakdowns

Notes:

• Data is for January 2025 caseload.
• Volumes are rounded to the nearest 100.
• Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole percentage.
• Data includes working aged claimants only.
• Data includes normal rules claimants only, and excludes special rules for end of life (SREL) claimants as they typically receive maximum or very high scores.
• Claimants with missing point scores have been excluded from the data.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty on the work of her Department.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department for Work and Pensions treats its responsibilities under the Armed Forces Covenant very seriously and has a number of special rules and arrangements in place.

These range from National Insurance Credits for forces spouses who have a gap in their records because they have accompanied their partner overseas; to exemptions to residency tests to those who have served abroad; to a network of Armed Forces Champions in Jobcentres who provide expert help and support to those veterans who need it most.

As we reform and modernise our services, and make other changes, we will, of course, continue to consider the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will issue guidance on raising an issue of safety on a housing development where the operators are aware of the risks.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Health and Safety Executive already provide guidance on raising health and safety issues in a workplace or public space. This can be found on their website www.hse.gov.uk/contact/tell-us-about-a-health-and-safety-issue.htm

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, on (a) benefits advisory services and (b) charities.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published here Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper. A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

There will be no immediate changes. Changes to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) eligibility and the rebalancing of Universal Credit (UC) are not coming into effect immediately. Our intention is these changes will start to come into effect from April 2026 for UC and November 2026 for PIP, subject to parliamentary approval.

We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met.

We have also announced a wider review of the PIP assessment which I will lead, and we will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this and to start the process as part of preparing for a review. We will provide further details as plans progress.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed welfare reforms on the capacity of the Household Support Fund.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published here Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper. A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

The Government has extended the Household Support Fund by a further year, from 1 April 2025 until 31 March 2026. This will ensure vulnerable households in the most need can continue to access support towards the cost of essentials, such as energy, water and food. No decision has been made at this stage on funding beyond the end of March 2026. As with all other government programmes, any such funding will be considered in the round at Phase 2 of the Spending Review.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to PIP eligibility on the (a) health and (b) economic security of people living with mental illnesses.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

No such assessment has been made. We are taking action to focus PIP more on those with the greatest needs, by introducing a new eligibility requirement. The change to the PIP eligibility criteria will mean that people with a higher level of functional need – for example, people who are unable to complete activities at all, or who require more help from others to complete them – still receive PIP.

We are also taking action to get the basics right and improve the experience for people who use the system of health and disability benefits as set out in the Green Paper. This includes exploring ways to improve PIP assessments through digitalising transfer of medical information, using evidence from eligibility for other services to reduce the need for people with very severe health conditions to undergo functional assessments and improving communication with people receiving awards who are expected to remain on disability benefits for life.

We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met. PIP is not based on condition diagnosis but on functional disability as the result of one or more conditions, and is awarded as a contribution to the additional costs which result.

We also intend to launch a wider review of the PIP assessment which I will lead, and we will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this and to start the process as part of preparing for a review. We will provide further details as plans progress.

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published here ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’(opens in a new tab).A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, by how much has the level of funding for the Access to Work scheme changed in the last 12 months.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Access to Work expenditure data is published in the annual Access to Work Official Statistics publication. The most recently available data available is for the financial year 2023/24: Access to Work statistics: April 2007 to March 2024 - GOV.UK.

The Department intends to publish expenditure data for the financial year 2024/25 in the next official statistics release which we expect to publish in September or October 2025. Forecast expenditure for this period, which includes some outturn data, is published in the Benefit Expenditure and Caseload Tables 2025: Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2025 - GOV.UK

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to support young people not able to work due to primary caring responsibilities.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

As announced in the “Get Britain Working” White Paper, we are launching a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 in England to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work.

Young people (16-24) who have full-time caring responsibilities may be eligible for Universal Credit which provides additional financial support for primary carers of children and those who provide unpaid care for a person who is receiving an eligible disability benefit. They are not required to work but can ask for employment support if they want to combine caring with work. If they are in Work Focused Interview or Work Preparation groups, they can voluntarily access the Youth Offer. DWP offers an extensive range of support through jobcentres and local partners. Childcare support is available for those with childcare responsibilities to enable them to work as well as care for their children.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to page 10 of Young Lives vs Cancer’s report entitled The cost of waiting, published in March 2025, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of average time from diagnosis to first payment of disability benefits; what steps is she taking to reduce processing times for disability benefits' applications from young people with cancer; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of reducing the three month period from diagnosis before young people with cancer can apply for disability benefits.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Entitlement to Disability Living Allowance for children (DLAc) under 16 and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for young people from age 16 are assessed based on the additional care/daily living and mobility needs arising from a long-term disability or health condition, rather than a diagnosis of a condition or disability itself.

We are committed to ensuring children and young people can access financial support in a timely manner and have increased the number of staff to respond to the increase in claim volumes.

Individual needs and circumstances vary, so the 3-month qualifying period helps establish the resulting care/daily living and mobility needs are of a long-standing nature. It provides a division between short term disability and long-term disability. The qualifying period commences from the point that additional needs start, rather than when a condition is diagnosed. A diagnosis is not required before a young person or their carer can apply for benefit, therefore the department has no information on when a diagnosis is made.

Applications under the special rules for end of life, where life expectancy is 12 months or less, do not have to satisfy the three-month qualifying period. The claim is fast tracked, and the person is eligible for the higher-rate care/daily living component from the date of claim.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her Department's report entitled Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed changes to Personal Independence Payment on people under 25 years of age with cancer; and whether people under 25 years of age with cancer and currently in receipt in Personal Independence Payment will continue to be eligible under the proposed reforms.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We have committed to introduce a new requirement that claimants must score a minimum of four points in at least one daily living activity to be eligible for the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP).  Age will not be a factor in this.

We will always protect the most vulnerable. The PIP assessment considers the needs arising from a long-term health condition or disability, not the health condition or disability itself. Therefore, the impact in each case will depend on an individual’s circumstances. For those already on PIP, the changes will only apply from November 2026 at their next award review, subject to parliamentary approval. People will be reviewed by a trained assessor or healthcare professional and assessed on individual needs and circumstance. Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published here ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’(opens in a new tab).

There will be no change for a person claiming PIP under “Special Rules for End of Life” (SREL). They will not require a consultation and will automatically be awarded the enhanced rate of daily living as is the current process.

Most people receiving PIP now will still receive it after these reforms. In the Green Paper, we are consulting on how best to support those who do lose entitlement, including how to make sure health and care needs are met.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to consult with young people with autism during the development of the Youth Employment Strategy.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We know that young people with autism can face significant barriers to seeking and remaining in employment.

We have ambitious plans to better support our young people to lead fulfilling lives and careers as set out in the Get Britain Working white paper and Pathways to Work green paper.

The government is committed to consulting with stakeholders, including young people with health conditions and those who are neurodivergent. We will run a series of collaboration committees with a wide range of stakeholders.

We are also in the process of establishing the Disability Advisory Panel to connect the Department to more voices and perspectives and improve how we collaborate with disabled people. The Disability Advisory Panel will be a strategic advisory panel consisting of up to 12 disabled people and individuals with long-term health conditions, supporting on longer-term strategic aims and specific policy design. We will finalise the workplan together with the Chair and Panel.

The Youth Advisory Guarantee Panel as part of the Youth Guarantee is being shaped and informed by the voices and lived experiences of young people, including autistic and neurodiverse young people, building on the Youth Voice Forum, established in collaboration with the Department for Education, Youth Futures Foundation and Youth Employment UK.

In addition, in January 2025, we launched an independent panel of academics with expertise and experiences of neurodiversity to advise employers and government on boosting neurodiversity awareness and inclusion at work. This will build on the work of the independently led Buckland Review which focused more specifically on autism employment. The panel will report in the summer.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the report entitled A Clean Start in Life, published by In Kind Direct on 2 May 2025.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Tackling child poverty is at the heart of this Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity. The Child Poverty Taskforce is continuing its urgent work and is exploring all available levers, including considering social security reforms, to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty.

The Strategy will tackle overall child poverty as well as going beyond that to focus on children in deepest poverty lacking essentials, and what is needed to give every child the best start in life. We are focused on reducing and alleviating the effects of child poverty to improve children’s lives and life chances now and tackle the root causes of child poverty in the long term.

The Strategy will look at four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience; and better local support especially in the early years. This will build on the reform plans underway across government and work underway in Devolved Governments.

The vital work of the Taskforce comes alongside our commitments to triple investment in breakfast clubs to over £30 million, introduce a Fair Repayment Rate for deductions from Universal Credit, improve the adequacy of the standard allowance with the first sustained above inflation rise in the basic rate of Universal Credit since it was introduced and increase the National Living Wage to £12.21 an hour to boost the pay of three million workers.

To further support struggling households, we have provided funding of £742 million to extend the Household Support Fund from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026 in England, plus additional funding for the Devolved Governments.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that autism is considered in delivery plans for the Get Britain Working White Paper, published on 26 November 2024.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

A range of stakeholders have provided input and expertise to support policy development and delivery of the reforms outlined in the Get Britain Working White Paper.

Our aim is to create an inclusive labour market in which everybody – including neurodivergent people – can participate and progress in work. We will do this by developing a new Jobs and Careers service, which will be accessible and inclusive for all users, and will provide personalised and tailored support to those looking to find or progress in work. It will also work in partnership with other local services, helping people to access the employment, health and skills support they need in their community.

Additionally, the Keep Britain Working review is exploring how employers can support healthy and inclusive workplaces. Findings from the initial discovery phase were published in March, and now the review Chair and team are engaging with a range of stakeholders to discuss the problems and how they can be addressed.

Finally, we have launched an independent panel of academics with expertise and experiences of neurodiversity to advise us on boosting neurodiversity awareness and inclusion at work. Many of the panel are diagnosed or identify as neurodivergent and/or have familial experience alongside their professional experience and expertise. Recommendations are expected to include employer actions that can support the inclusion of neurodivergent people, including in recruitment and day to day workplace practices.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she expects the Child Poverty Strategy to be published.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Child Poverty Taskforce is developing an ambitious cross-government strategy focused on long-term change and improving children’s life chances. The Strategy will look at levers across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience, and better local support especially in the early years.

We will bring forward the Child Poverty Strategy as soon as we are able.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she has taken to reduce wait times for Access to Work support.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We are committed to reducing waiting times for Access to Work and are considering the best way to deliver that for customers. Delivery practices have been streamlined, and the number of staff processing claims increased. Since May 2024, 118 additional staff have been redeployed to support Access to Work.

We prioritise applications from customers due to start a role within four weeks.

In March 2025, the department published the Pathways to Work Green Paper, to consult on the future of Access to Work. We will review all aspects of the Scheme following the conclusion of the consultation.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing flexibility within Universal Credit to enable greater labour market engagement.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

This Government committed in its manifesto to review Universal Credit, to reduce poverty and make work pay. We believe that work continues to be the best way out of poverty, and growing the economy and driving up living standards across the country is this Government’s number one mission in our Plan for Change. This requires as many people as possible to realise the benefits of good work, and Universal Credit has a critical role to play in achieving this goal. The review will consider changes to Universal Credit which could increase labour market engagement.

We have already taken positive steps through the Get Britain Working White Paper which set out the biggest reforms to employment support for a generation and we are giving people on health benefits the opportunity to try work by legislating to guarantee that work in and of itself will never lead to a reassessment.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the number of people who are providing unpaid care for a relative or loved one in Aldridge-Brownhills constituency.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The DWP does not hold data on the number of people who are providing unpaid care for a relative or loved ones in the Aldridge-Brownhills constituency.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people in receipt of the Personal Independence Payment enhanced daily living component were awarded less than four points in all daily living activities in (a) York Central constituency, (b) City of York Local Authority area and (c) York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority area in the most recent period for which data is available.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published here ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’(opens in a new tab), including an Evidence Pack which contains the maximum points scored on any Daily Living activity by Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants, broken down by Parliamentary Constituency and Local Authority. For York Central constituency, 42% of people scored fewer than 4 points at last assessment.

As the information is not published in the way you have requested, information on the volume and proportion of PIP claimants who received a standard Daily Living award rate and scored less than four points in all daily living activities, by different geographical breakdowns can be found in Table 1 below. This should not be equated with the number who are likely to lose PIP. It’s important to make a clear distinction between the two, not least because we don’t want constituents to be unnecessarily fearful about their situation, when we understand many are already anxious.

No one will lose access to PIP immediately. The changes, subject to parliamentary approval, would be brought in from November 2026. After that date, no one will lose PIP without first being reassessed by a trained assessor or healthcare professional, who assesses individual needs and circumstance. Reassessments happen on average every 3 years. Someone who didn’t score 4 points in an activity in a previous assessment may well score 4 points in a future assessment – not least as many conditions tend to get worse, not better, over time.

After taking account of behavioural changes, OBR predicts that 370,000 people who will be receiving PIP at the point of implementation of the four point requirement in November 2026, will have lost their PIP Daily Living entitlement by 2029/30. Of all PIP recipients at the point of implementation, 9 in 10 will not lose PIP during the subsequent 3 years from this change. If the OBR’s behavioural assumptions for England and Wales were applicable to York and North Yorkshire, around one-fifth of current claimants shown in table 1 would no longer receive their daily living component following review.

We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met. PIP is not based on condition diagnosis but on functional disability as the result of one or more conditions, and is awarded as a contribution to the additional costs which result.

We also intend to launch a wider review of the PIP assessment which I will lead, and we will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this and to start the process as part of preparing for a review. We will provide further details as plans progress.

Even with these reforms, the overall number of people on PIP and DLA is expected to rise by 750,000 by the end of this parliament and spending will rise from £23bn in 24/25 to £31bn in 29/30.

Table 1: volume and percentage of PIP claimants who are in receipt of the daily living award rate and scored less than four points in all daily living activities by different geographical breakdowns

Notes:

• Data is for January 2025 caseload.
• Volumes are rounded to the nearest 100.
• Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole percentage.
• Data includes working aged claimants only.
• Data includes normal rules claimants only, and excludes special rules for end of life (SREL) claimants as they typically receive maximum or very high scores.
• Claimants with missing point scores have been excluded from the data.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sherlock on 9 May (HL6877), how they monitor and evaluate whether PIP assessors are appropriately applying the reliability criteria in cases involving fluctuating or invisible conditions; and how many cases have been overturned at the mandatory reconsideration or tribunal stages due to a failure to consider these criteria correctly by assessors.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

DWP has set standards for the quality of assessments for all health professionals (HPs) conducting Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments on behalf of the department. The department closely monitors all aspects of the process including how HPs apply the criteria set out in legislation.

PIP assessments are conducted by fully qualified, clinical professionals (Doctors, Nurses, Paramedics, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and Pharmacists) who have undergone a comprehensive training programme designed and approved by DWP. The quality of their advice is continually assured internally by the assessment suppliers and externally by the department's independent audit function.

Audit refers to a comprehensive check of the elements of the assessment, including the evidence collection, further evidence provided and the completion of the assessment report by the HP. The check is completed against a set of guidelines which ensures the criteria is applied appropriately and that a consistent approach is taken in all cases, including those involving fluctuating or invisible conditions. This ensures that assessment reports are fit for purpose, clinically justified and sound, and provide sufficient information for the department to make an informed decision on entitlement to benefit.

The department does not hold data on cases overturned at mandatory reconsideration or tribunal stages due to a failure by assessors to correctly consider reliability criteria in cases involving fluctuating or invisible conditions.

The recent Pathways to Work Green Paper has proposed that assessments should, in future, be recorded by default. It is hoped that this will give new opportunities to establish what has gone wrong when assessments are subsequently found to be incorrect, including when the fault has been a failure to assess correctly the impact of a fluctuating condition.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how the National Jobs and Careers Service will complement the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new service across Great Britain that will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers. Our new service will move away from the current one size fits all approach, recognising people are individuals with different support needs and will provide better tailored support. The new service will be universal and must work for everyone, including disabled people and those with health conditions.

We are committed to working with users of the new service, and organisations representing their needs, throughout the design process to ensure the new service is inclusive, accessible, and works for everyone. We are taking a test and learn approach to develop and launch the new service. We will ensure the design of the new service supports the delivery of the Pathways to Work guaranteed support offer as we develop it.

The new Jobs and Careers Service is part of the reforms outlined in the Get Britian Working White Paper, which in total, is backed by £240m for 2025/26. The reforms set out within this are on top of other areas of support we are already progressing including:

• Connect to Work funding which will, in 2026/27, support up to 100,000 disabled people, those with health conditions or those with complex barriers to employment.
• Deploying 1,000 work coaches in 2025/26 to specifically support around 65,000 disabled people and those with health conditions who are interested in moving into work.
• WorkWell pilot, which joins up health and work support in 15 areas in England and is helping up to 56,000 people with support to remain in and get into jobs.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sherlock on 12 May (HL6876), whether the forthcoming review of the PIP assessment will include a specific focus group or panel comprising of individuals with fluctuating and neurological conditions, such as myasthenia gravis, to incorporate feedback from their lived experience in the review.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

On 12 May, the Secretary of State announced in the House of Commons the start of the first phase of the review of the PIP assessment, which will be led by the Minister for Social Security and Disability. We will work with and listen closely to stakeholders to gather views on how best to approach the review before publishing the Terms of Reference.

The review will be guided by the principle that PIP is there to support disabled people with extra costs and to enable independent living, taking account of how the nature of disability and health conditions have changed since PIP was first introduced. The work to prepare the Terms of Reference will not include a specific focus group or panel comprising individuals with fluctuating and neurological conditions, but suggestions from such individuals about what the Terms of Reference should cover would be welcome.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many individuals in receipt of Universal Credit were exempt from the benefit cap because a member of their household was in receipt of Disability Living Allowance in (1) 2020–21, (2) 2021–22, (3) 2022–23, and (4) 2023–24.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of Personal Independence Payment recipients are in work in (a) Birmingham Northfield constituency, (b) Birmingham local authority area and (c) the West Midlands.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

For the proportion of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants who are in work by different geographic breakdowns, please see table 1 below.

Table 1: the percentage of PIP claimants who are in work by different geographic breakdowns

Source(s): PIP Administrative Data and HMRC data

Notes:

• Figures are for March 2024 which is the latest employment data available.
• Figures only include claims made under normal rules and exclude claims made under Special Rules for End of Life (SREL).
• Figures only include claimants who are working age.
• Employment category includes self-employed as well as employees.
• Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the use of food banks in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We are committed to tackling poverty and ending mass dependence on emergency food parcels. To inform this work, DWP officials have engaged with a range of organisations to better understand the complex food support landscape. We also continue to provide substantial funding to Local Authorities to support those most in need and extended the Household Support Fund by a further year until March 2026, providing funding of £742 million in England. This will ensure low-income households can continue to access support towards the cost of essentials, such as food.

Alongside this, the Child Poverty Taskforce is exploring all available levers to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty. The Strategy will look at four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience; and better local support especially in the early years. We know that good work can significantly reduce the chances of people falling into poverty. Our plan to Make Work Pay, will help more people to stay in work, improve job security and boost living standards, including by increasing the National Living Wage to £12.21 an hour to boost the pay of three million workers. It is a core part of the mission to grow the economy, raise living standards across the country and create opportunities for all.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report published on 29 January by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, UK poverty 2025, which indicated that coastal areas in England have a disproportionate rate of child poverty.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Child Poverty Taskforce is progressing work to publish the Child Poverty Strategy. This is underpinned by a full review of available evidence of which the Joseph Rowntree Foundation UK Poverty 2025 report is an important contribution.

The Taskforce recognises the distinct challenges of poverty faced by children living in coastal areas, and we are considering all children across the UK in the development of the strategy. To shape and inform these plans, the Taskforce is listening to experts and campaigners and engaging with families, charities, and leading organisations across the UK, including coastal communities.

The Strategy will look at levers across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience, and better local support especially in the early years. This will build on the reform plans underway across government and work underway in Devolved Governments.

The Strategy will be UK-wide, drawing on devolved and reserved levers and working closely with Devolved Governments, recognising the progress that has been made on their poverty strategies and policies, and in England, with mayors and other local leaders.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will meet with the hon. member for Taunton and Wellington to discuss delays to the monthly retirement benefit payments suffered by his constituent.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

I am always happy to meet with colleagues. I will ask my office to contact the Hon. Member to arrange.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of including directors’ dividends in the initial calculation of child maintenance payments.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Information about the paying parent's gross income is taken directly from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for the latest tax year available. This allows calculations to be made quickly and accurately. Any income subject to income tax, including bonuses and overtime received by an employed paying parent, is included within their gross weekly income when calculating a child maintenance liability.

Where a paying parent is the Director of their limited liability company, they are legally an employee of that company and are treated the same as any other employee for child maintenance purposes. If the receiving parent believes that the paying parent has additional income from dividends, they can apply for a variation to take this into account.

Variations can be requested on grounds of unearned income, where the paying parent receives extra unearned income of at least £2,500 a year. This includes rental income from property or land, dividends, and interest from savings and investments.

Cases involving complex income can be investigated by the Financial Investigation Unit (FIU). This is a specialist team which can request information from financial institutions (such as banks, investment companies and mortgage companies) to check the accuracy of information the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is given.

The Child Maintenance Service has committed to reviewing the child maintenance calculation to make sure it fits current and future social trends. This review looks at fairness, family relations, sustainability, compliance, simplifying rates, work progression, including unearned income and assets, and how it interacts with other policies, such as Universal Credit.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with employers organisations on the viability of multi-employer Collective Defined Contribution pension schemes.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Department worked closely with a wide range of organisations, including those representing the interests of employers, in developing the policy and legislation to accommodate unconnected multiple employer collective defined contribution schemes.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of Personal Independence Payment recipients are in work in (a) Worsley and Eccles constituency, (b) Salford, (c) Wigan, (d) Greater Manchester City Region and (e) England and Wales.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

For the proportion of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants who are in work by different geographic breakdowns, please see table 1 below.

Table 1: the percentage of PIP claimants who are in work by different geographic breakdowns

Source(s): PIP Administrative Data and HMRC data

Notes:

• Figures are for March 2024 which is the latest employment data available.
• Figures only include claims made under normal rules and exclude claims made under Special Rules for End of Life (SREL).
• Figures only include claimants who are working age.
• Employment category includes self-employed as well as employees.
• Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of using mediation to facilitate an (a) easier and (b) speedier return to the workplace for people off work for (i) stress and (ii) mental health issues.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Employment Advisors in the jointly owned DWP-DHSC ‘Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies programme’ provide advice and support to those suffering with stress and/ or mental health conditions to remain in or return to work. Though not formal mediation, this support often includes liaising with employers to communicate the support that their clients need in the workplace. Additionally, if the client wishes, Employment Advisors can also work with NHS Talking Therapies patients and their employers to support returns to work following mental health-related absences.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department is taking steps to (a) provide guidance to, (b) help seek redress for and (c) otherwise help support people affected by HSBC historically deducting a portion of its workers' occupational pensions when they reached State Pension age.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Integrated pensions are intended to provide people who retire before their State Pension age with a similar pension income before and after their State Pension comes into payment. A member’s scheme pension is calculated so that the scheme pays a higher pension before the person reaches State Pension age, which is then reduced at State Pension age to take account of their State Pension.

If members of an integrated pension scheme believe that the scheme has not followed its rules or the relevant law, they should use the scheme’s internal dispute resolution service, which every scheme is required to have. If they are not satisfied with the outcome, they can take the matter to the Pensions Ombudsman.

They may also find it helpful to contact Money Helper, which provides free advice on all aspects of occupational pension schemes and personal pension schemes. Money Helper can be contacted by telephone on: 0800 011 3797 and more information is available on its website at: www.moneyhelper.org.uk

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information her Department holds on the number of (a) food banks there are, (b) donations made to food banks and (c) people who used foodbanks in (i) Slough and (b) the South East in 2024.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department does not hold information on the number food banks there are, nor the number of donations made to food banks in (i) Slough and (ii) the South East in 2024.

Regional breakdowns of the number of individuals living in households that accessed a food bank in the 12 months prior to interview are available on Stat-Xplore - Home. Disaggregation by geographical regions should be presented as three-year averages. This is because single-year regional estimates are considered too volatile.

We are committed to tackling food poverty and ending mass dependence of emergency food parcels. To inform this work, DWP officials have engaged with a range of organisations to better understand the complex food poverty landscape. We also continue to provide substantial funding to Local Authorities to support those most in need and are extending the Household Support Fund (HSF) by a further year until March 2026, providing funding of £742 million in England. This will ensure low-income households can continue to access support towards the cost of essentials, such as food.

We know that good work can significantly reduce the chances of people falling into poverty so this will be the foundation of our approach. Our plan to Make Work Pay, will help more people to stay in work, improve job security and boost living standards, including by increasing the National Living Wage to £12.21 an hour to boost the pay of three million workers. It is a core part of the mission to grow the economy, raise living standards across the country and create opportunities for all.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what consultation her Department has conducted with (a) users, (b) support workers and (c) deliverers of Access to Work before implementing changes to the operational delivery of Access to Work.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Since the beginning of this Parliament the Department for Work and Pensions has taken steps to improve operational guidance and process to ensure Access to Work grants are awarded consistently and as quickly as possible. No significant changes have been made which would entail a consultation or impact assessment.

As part of our Plan for Change, and as set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper published in March, we are consulting on the future of Access to Work and how to improve the programme to help more disabled people into work and support employers, ensuring value for money for taxpayers. We will review all aspects of the Scheme following the conclusion of the consultation and carefully assess the impact of any proposed changes.

We encourage people to have their views and voices heard on how they think the programme and the welfare system could be improved.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what (a) equality and (b) human rights impact assessments have been conducted on the proposed changes to the operational delivery of Access to Work.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Since the beginning of this Parliament the Department for Work and Pensions has taken steps to improve operational guidance and process to ensure Access to Work grants are awarded consistently and as quickly as possible. No significant changes have been made which would entail a consultation or impact assessment.

As part of our Plan for Change, and as set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper published in March, we are consulting on the future of Access to Work and how to improve the programme to help more disabled people into work and support employers, ensuring value for money for taxpayers. We will review all aspects of the Scheme following the conclusion of the consultation and carefully assess the impact of any proposed changes.

We encourage people to have their views and voices heard on how they think the programme and the welfare system could be improved.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of carers in receipt of Carer's Allowance do not receive any additional income from paid employment.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Data from the Family Resource Survey (FRS) 2023/2024, shows that around 61% of families in receipt of Carer’s Allowance in England and Wales did not also have someone in paid employment. This includes self-employment and part-time employment.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Health and Safety Executive is taking to ensure that companies using self-employed food delivery riders comply with (a) their legal obligations as clients under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and (b) the duty to ensure the (i) competence of contractors and (ii) safety of systems of work involving (A) fire and (B) road risk.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Health and safety law provides comprehensive protection to all workers. Gig economy workers should be treated no differently to other workers, irrespective of their employment contract. An employer must assess the risks created by the work activity and put measures in place to eliminate or control the risks.

Under health and safety law, employers must give their workers clear instructions and information, as well as adequate training and supervision. Employers and those who have control over work equipment (e.g. those hiring out work equipment) have responsibilities for equipment provided for use at work.

Health and safety legislation does not separately cover the specific issues of road and fire risk, nor the contractual arrangements for workers.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions her Department has had with app-based delivery companies on ensuring that health and safety protections in their workers' contracts are not undermined by the use of (a) substitution clauses and (b) accounts sublet by workers with no (i) formal agreement with and (ii) training from that company.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Health and safety law provides comprehensive protection to all workers. Gig economy workers should be treated no differently to other workers, irrespective of their employment contract. An employer must assess the risks created by the work activity and put measures in place to eliminate or control the risks.

Under health and safety law, employers must give their workers clear instructions and information, as well as adequate training and supervision. Employers and those who have control over work equipment (e.g. those hiring out work equipment) have responsibilities for equipment provided for use at work.

Health and safety legislation does not separately cover the specific issues of road and fire risk, nor the contractual arrangements for workers.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Health and Safety Executive has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the application of client duties by food delivery platforms who contract (a) self-employed riders and (b) self-employed riders who use (i) modified and (ii) potentially unsafe e-bikes.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Health and safety law provides comprehensive protection to all workers. Gig economy workers should be treated no differently to other workers, irrespective of their employment contract. An employer must assess the risks created by the work activity and put measures in place to eliminate or control the risks.

Under health and safety law, employers must give their workers clear instructions and information, as well as adequate training and supervision. Employers and those who have control over work equipment (e.g. those hiring out work equipment) have responsibilities for equipment provided for use at work.

Health and safety legislation does not separately cover the specific issues of road and fire risk, nor the contractual arrangements for workers.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the contractual right to substitution in gig economy delivery work on the Health and Safety Executive’s ability to monitor and enforce safe working conditions.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Health and safety law provides comprehensive protection to all workers. Gig economy workers should be treated no differently to other workers, irrespective of their employment contract. An employer must assess the risks created by the work activity and put measures in place to eliminate or control the risks.

Under health and safety law, employers must give their workers clear instructions and information, as well as adequate training and supervision. Employers and those who have control over work equipment (e.g. those hiring out work equipment) have responsibilities for equipment provided for use at work.

Health and safety legislation does not separately cover the specific issues of road and fire risk, nor the contractual arrangements for workers.

We want the Government to implement a scheme for employers to employ adults with learning difficulties. We think employers should be able to pay less than minimum wage for workers within the scheme.

We urge the Government to require employers to provide sanitary products at the workplace. Many workers are caught off guard at work or unable to afford sanitary products which means that they may not be able to do their job properly due to being unable to contain the bleeding.

Found: have families, only the mother qualifies for paid leave (Maternity Allowance (MA), claimed through DWP

Found: have families, only the mother qualifies for paid leave (Maternity Allowance (MA), claimed through DWP

Found: Storage HC 351 7th Asylum accommodation: Home Office acquisition of former HMP Northeye HC 361 6th DWP

Found: business registration Transparency, multi-agency trust Moderate HMT, HO, HM Passport Office, DWP

Found: Alongside the regular release of performance statistics, DWP will also undertake and publish robust

Found: What is happening in the DWP? How might that be contributing to a conducive context for VAWG?

Found: Care, the Home Office, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Department for Work and Pensions

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to support individuals with unspent convictions seeking employment.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

We know that finding employment after release reduces the chance of reoffending significantly, by up to nine percentage points. That is why the Government’s manifesto commits to break the cycle of reoffending by better supporting prisons to link up with employers and the voluntary sector.

Employment roles are in place across all 93 resettlement prisons to prepare prisoners for work on release, match them to jobs and provide ID documents to secure work. These are supported by employment advisory boards, linking local employers with the prison resettlement.

We have launched regional Employment Councils which bring businesses together with prisons, probation and the Department of Work and Pensions to support offenders in the community.

In addition, HMPPS’ Creating Future Opportunities programme offers tailored support for ex-offenders - particularly those who are furthest from the labour market - to secure employment, training and education opportunities for release.

We also work closely with the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure support is in place for ex-offenders in the community, for example, through co-location of services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 16 May 2025 to Question 51501 on Sodium Valproate: Compensation, which Government departments he is having discussions with on developing a timetable for implementation of the recommendations of the Hughes Report.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is carefully considering the valuable work done by the Patient Safety Commissioner and the resulting Hughes Report, which set out options for financial and non-financial redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. Department officials are liaising with other parts of the Government, including the National Health Service, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Department for Business and Trade, HM Treasury, and the devolved administrations, on the needs of patients and on the recommendations. We will be providing an update to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s report at the earliest opportunity.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the distances travelled and (b) costs incurred by children and young people travelling to principle treatment centres in London; and what assessment he has made of the potential the merits of introducing a young cancer patient travel fund.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care knows that the cost of travel is an important issue for many young cancer patients and their families in England. NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning and ensuring the healthcare needs of their local communities are met, including providing support for travel.

The National Health Service in England runs the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) to provide financial assistance for travel to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostics tests, when referred by a doctor or other primary healthcare professional. Patients who do not qualify for the HTCS and who are on a low income may be able to claim the costs from the Department for Work and Pensions through Universal Credit or a Personal Independence Payment. There are also several charities in the United Kingdom who provide support, including financial support, for patients with cancer.

On 4 February 2025, the Department of Health and Social Care relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experiences for young cancer patients. The work of the taskforce is ongoing, and officials are exploring opportunities for improvement across a range of areas, including detection and diagnosis, genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, and patient experience. The taskforce will also ensure that the unique needs of children and young people with cancer are carefully considered as part of the National Cancer Plan, which will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for children and young people with cancer in England.

The Department of Health and Social Care has not made a formal assessment of costs incurred by children and young people travelling to Principal Treatment Centres in London, the trends in levels of travel costs and the impact of this on young cancer patients missing appointments and delaying treatment. Young Lives vs Cancer is a valued stakeholder with a unique perspective on the issue of travel support for children and young people with cancer. The Department of Health and Social Care will continue to engage with Young Lives vs Cancer, as well as other children and young people cancer charity stakeholders as we progress this important work.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Young Lives vs Cancer's report entitled A young cancer patient travel fund, published in February 2024, whether his Department has made an assessment of (a) trends in levels of travel costs, (b) the adequacy of the amount of financial support for young cancer patients and their families and (b) the potential impact on (i) missing appointments and (ii) delaying treatment.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care knows that the cost of travel is an important issue for many young cancer patients and their families in England. NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning and ensuring the healthcare needs of their local communities are met, including providing support for travel.

The National Health Service in England runs the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) to provide financial assistance for travel to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostics tests, when referred by a doctor or other primary healthcare professional. Patients who do not qualify for the HTCS and who are on a low income may be able to claim the costs from the Department for Work and Pensions through Universal Credit or a Personal Independence Payment. There are also several charities in the United Kingdom who provide support, including financial support, for patients with cancer.

On 4 February 2025, the Department of Health and Social Care relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experiences for young cancer patients. The work of the taskforce is ongoing, and officials are exploring opportunities for improvement across a range of areas, including detection and diagnosis, genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, and patient experience. The taskforce will also ensure that the unique needs of children and young people with cancer are carefully considered as part of the National Cancer Plan, which will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for children and young people with cancer in England.

The Department of Health and Social Care has not made a formal assessment of costs incurred by children and young people travelling to Principal Treatment Centres in London, the trends in levels of travel costs and the impact of this on young cancer patients missing appointments and delaying treatment. Young Lives vs Cancer is a valued stakeholder with a unique perspective on the issue of travel support for children and young people with cancer. The Department of Health and Social Care will continue to engage with Young Lives vs Cancer, as well as other children and young people cancer charity stakeholders as we progress this important work.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the assessment process for veterans for the unemployment supplement; and what steps he is planning to take to ensure veterans with service-related disabilities are not disadvantaged by the replacement of the work capability assessment.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

Unemployability Supplement is one of the supplementary allowances paid under the War Pension Scheme which is assessed and administered by the Ministry of Defence (MOD). Where equivalent benefits provided by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) are considered to overlap, in line with longstanding public policy, assessments ensure an individual would not be compensated twice for any single injury or condition.

The MOD and DWP continue to collaborate closely to ensure that any proposed changes to respective schemes and benefits are communicated and considered.

Access to Work backlogs

Found: departments, including but not limited to the Department for Business and Trade, the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: departments, including but not limited to the Department for Business and Trade, the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: gofal cymdeithasol yn Lloegr, ac mae nawdd cymdeithasol yn gyfrifoldeb yr Adran Gwaith a Phensiynau (DWP

Found: Group, working with the Migration Advisory Committee, Industrial Strategy Council and Department for Work and Pensions

Found: LearnDelFAMCode else if FundModel = (10, 35 or 81) then 0 else - 1-1 = Not Applicable/Not Known 0 = Not DWP

Found: LearnDelFAMCode else if FundModel = (10, 35 or 81) then 0 else - 1-1 = Not Applicable/Not Known 0 = Not DWP

Found: LrnDelFam_WPP else if Fundmodel = (10, 35 or 81) then 0 else - 1-1 = Not Applicable/Not Known 0 = Not DWP

Found: LearnDelFAMCode else if FundModel = (10, 35 or 81) then 0 else - 1-1 = Not Applicable/Not Known 0 = Not DWP

Found: LrnDelFAM_WPP Else if Fundmodel = (10, 35 or 81) then 0 Else - 1-1 = Not Applicable/Not Known 0 = Not DWP

Found: LrnDelFAM_WPP else if Fundmodel = (10, 35 or 81) then 0 else - 1-1 = Not Applicable/Not Known 0 = Not DWP

Found: LrnDelFAM_WPP else if Fundmodel = (10, 35 or 81) then 0 else - 1-1 = Not Applicable/Not Known 0 = Not DWP

Found: (e) To evidence a pension: (i) Official documentation from: (1) The Department for Work and Pensions

Found: From: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Cabinet Office, Department for Work and Pensions

Found: introduced demand stimulus schemes (such as Eat-Out- to-Help-Out) and wage subsidy programmes via the DWP-led

Found: Efficiency/Energy Efficient DESNZ Department for Energy Security & Net zero DfE Department for Education DWP

Found: Licensing AgencyDepartment for TransportDWP032The Pensions OmbudsmanDepartment for Work and Pensions (DWP

Found: - other16167000Non-Current Trade and other receiveablesBalance As At 31 MarchWelfare Overpayments (DWP

Found: Education Services GrantDfE Pupil PremiumDWP Housing Benefit & Council Tax Benefit Admin Grant DWP

Found: their own CPIDs) Local police (England only) Local fire & rescue (England only) DfT (England only) DWP

Found: if this degree of exposure could be identified and whether it could be converted to something that DWP

Found: if this degree of exposure could be identified and whether it could be converted to something that DWP

Found: between the MAC, Skills England, the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council (ISAC) and the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: The following organisations agreed to be a part of the M365 Copilot experiment: ● Department for Work and Pensions

Found: From: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Cabinet Office, Department for Work and Pensions

Found: qualifying years for your State Pension, we’ll contact either the: Department of Work and Pensions (DWP

Found: Before you apply for a refund, you: should contact the Department for Work and Pensions to check if

Found: The service is available for all DWP benefits and services.   

Found: Employer for Carers Membership GLD £2,150 ● Antisemitism Event ● Black History Talk DWP

Found: These departments are: ● Department for Work and Pensions ● Home Office ● HM Revenue

Found: including HM Treasury, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: legacy report the scrutiny of the refreshed Scottish Government digital strategy and the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: Anticipated impacts (intended and unintended, positive and negative) and mitigating actions Although DWP

Found: • There is guidance from the Department for Work and Pensions on claiming benefits whilst volunteering

Found: benefits would also end if they did not follow the ‘Move to Universal Credit’ process as outlined by DWP

Found: . • Department for Work and Pensions, and Citizens Advice can also help assess eligibility for benefits

Found: DWP statistics for Scotland, up to the end of September 2024 show around 27% of people who had previously

Found: We understand that DWP are carrying out ongoing research to better understand those who chose not to

Found: I have established working relationships with NHS, social work, housing and DWP / Social security services

Found: This collection replaces similar collections made by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) in previous

Found: This collection replaces similar collections made by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) in previous

Found: ) (Department for Work and Pensions) (Child Poverty Unit, Cabinet Office) (Child Poverty