Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many days the Union Flag was flown on her Department's main sites in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

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

In response to the question raised by Sir John Hayes Conservative South Holland and the Deepings and the ask of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions as to how many days the Union Flag has been flown on her Department’s main sites:

I can confirm in response that the Department’s main sites where a flagpole is in situ and that fly the Union Flag, this is flown continuously unless we are instructed otherwise by DCMS, in line with procedures, to lower:

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish a breakdown of Personal Independence Payment claimants by (a) nationality and (b) immigration status in each year since 2020.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (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, how many people with disabilities were employed in her Department on 2 September 2025.

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

Information on the number of people declaring a disability by each government department are published annually as part of Civil Service Statistics 2025, an accredited official statistics publication. Latest published data are as at 31 March 2025 and can be found at Table 29 of the statistical tables at the following web address:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2025

Information for 31 March 2026 is due for publication in July 2026

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the devolved administrations will be represented on the Pensions Commission.

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

The Pensions Commission has been revived to examine the pensions system as a whole and look at what is required to build a future-proof pensions system that is strong, fair and sustainable. The Turner Commission achieved success through its national approach, which this Commission aims to replicate by ensuring the regular and timely involvement of the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data her Department holds on the proportion of foreign nationals claiming Universal Credit who are exempt from the habitual residence test.

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

This information is not readily available and to identify, collate and provide it would incur disproportionate cost. British and foreign nationals who are fleeing persecution and humanitarian crises overseas are exempt from the normal requirement to be habitually resident so that they can access support quickly on arrival. Those who stay in the UK are likely to meet the requirement one to three months later, without the aid of an exemption. People covered by the exemptions at the time they claim must still meet all the other eligibility criteria before they can receive Universal Credit, including being in Great Britain and, if they are a foreign national, having an immigration status that permits access to public funds.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many days were lost to sickness absence by civil servants in their Department (a) in total and (b) on average per employee between 5 July 2024 and 4 July 2025.

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

Sickness absence data for the Civil Service, including departmental breakdowns is published annually, and is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sickness-absence.

The next update will be for the year ending 31st March 2025.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate he has made of the number of families that are affected by the two child benefit cap in (a) the UK, (b) the North East and (c) Newcastle upon Tyne.

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

Statistics about the policy that limits support in Universal Credit to a maximum of two children are published annually. The latest statistics, published in July 2025, include breakdowns by geography and ethnicity, and are available here:

Universal Credit claimants statistics on the two child limit policy, April 2025 - GOV.UK

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the two child benefit cap on people by ethnicity.

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

Statistics about the policy that limits support in Universal Credit to a maximum of two children are published annually. The latest statistics, published in July 2025, include breakdowns by geography and ethnicity, and are available here:

Universal Credit claimants statistics on the two child limit policy, April 2025 - GOV.UK

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of abolishing the two-child limit policy for (a) two-earner couple households and (b) two-earner couple households in which both earners are in full-time work.

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

No such estimate has been made. This government is committed to tackling child poverty and the Child Poverty Taskforce is developing an ambitious Child Poverty Strategy which we will publish in the autumn.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate he has made of the levels of (a) fraud and (b) error in the welfare system in Lincolnshire.

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

Estimates of the levels of fraud and error in the benefit system for the financial year 2024-25 can be found at: Fraud and error in the benefit system: financial year 2024 to 2025 estimates - GOV.UK

We do not provide sub-national estimates of fraud and error as we are unable to break the statistics down to this level.

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 ensure that (a) disabled people and (b) carers are directly involved in the review of the Personal Independence Payment.

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

The Timms review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, clinicians, experts, MPs and other stakeholders, so a wide range of views and voices are heard. This will include carers' organisations so that the voices of unpaid carers are heard.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department issues to employers on managing risks associated with lone working in retail.

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

I refer the Honourable Member to the previous answer 71094.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will take steps to ensure that retail workers required to work alone are adequately protected from (a) violence, (b) abuse and (c) theft.

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

I refer the Honourable Member to the previous answer 71094.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his timetable is for the review of the Personal Independence Payment.

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

I am aiming to complete the review by Autumn 2026.

The review will ultimately report to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for final decisions. We are committed to reporting the outcomes of the review to Parliament.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of permanently linking local housing allowance rates to the bottom 30th percentile of local private rents to help ensure (a) affordable housing support and (b) a reduction in levels of child poverty.

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

My department is working closely with MHCLG as they develop the Long-Term Housing Strategy and through the Inter-Ministerial Group on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping.

The review of Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates considers a range of factors, including impact of the rental market and decisions on LHA will be taken in the context of achieving the Government’s priorities and goals within this challenging fiscal environment.

LHA was increased to the 30^th percentile of local market rents in April 2024 costing an additional £1.2 bn in 2024/25 and £7bn over 5 years. LHA is not intended to cover all rents in all areas.

Any future decisions on LHA policy will include consideration of market rents and impacts of LHA rates, including on poverty.

For those who need further support, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities. DHPs can be paid to those entitled to Housing Benefit or Universal Credit 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, what steps he is taking to improve the effectiveness of access to work programmes for disabled people.

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

Numerous steps are being taken to improve the effectiveness of access to work programmes, so that more disabled people and those with health impairments are supported to thrive in employment. By the end of the Parliament, the Government will be investing £1 billion per year in employment support for these groups.

Connect to Work is being rolled out nationally, with the roll out due to be complete early next year. In a radical shift from previous schemes, programmes are being locally commissioned, but taking a high fidelity approach based on the Individual Placement and Support and Supported Employment Quality Framework approaches.

Access to Work aims to support the recruitment and retention of disabled people into employment. It is a personalised discretionary grant that provides support with workplace adjustments beyond an employer’s obligation as outlined in the Equality Act 2010. More details can be found at Access to Work: get support if you have a disability or health condition - GOV.UK

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 Access to Work after evaluating the findings of the Pathways to Work consultation.

In our Get Britain Working White Paper, published in November 2024, we committed support for employers to recruit, retain and develop staff. As part of that, the Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions and Business and Trade have asked Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead ‘Keep Britain Working’, an independent review to consider how best to support and enable employers to recruit and retain more people with health conditions and disabilities, promote healthy workplaces, and support more people to stay in or return to work from periods of sickness absence. Sir Charlie Mayfield will deliver a final report with recommendations in the autumn.

We are discussing ideas for improving the Disability Confident Scheme, which encourages employers to create disability inclusive workplaces and to support disabled people to get work and get on in work. The scheme covers all disabilities, including hidden disabilities. More details can be found at Disability Confident employer scheme - GOV.UK. We have been discussing ideas for making the scheme criteria more robust, and officials are continuing to engage with stakeholders to discuss reform proposals.

In addition, DWP has a digital information service for employers, (www.support-with-employee-health-and-disability.dwp.gov.uk), which provides tailored guidance to businesses to support employees to remain in work. This includes guidance on health disclosures and having conversations about health and other topics.

In January this year, we launched an expert academic panel to advise us on boosting neurodiversity awareness and inclusion at work. The panel will consider the reasons why neurodivergent people have poor experiences in the workplace and low overall employment rate, making their recommendations later this year.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to launch the review into the Disability Confident Scheme.

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

My officials and I have been working with a wide range of stakeholders—including disabled people, the Devolved Governments, disability organisations, employers, and sector experts—throughout the summer to explore potential reforms to the Disability Confident Scheme.

This includes considering how to support Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) better, strengthen validation processes, enhance promotion of the scheme, and improve transparency and accountability. These reforms aim to make the scheme more robust while building better support for both employers and disabled people in and out of work.

The Government is working towards announcing next steps for improving the scheme later this autumn

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of proposed reforms to PIP on demand for (a) local authority services, (b) food banks, and (c) mental health support.

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

Any changes to PIP eligibility will come after a comprehensive review of the benefit, led by myself and co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, clinicians, experts, MPs and other stakeholders, so a wide range of views and voices are heard. This review aims to ensure that the PIP assessment is fair and fit for the future.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason her Department is advertising a role in Manchester Community Centre for a Sharia Law Administrator.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

This was a position advertised on the Find A Job portal by an independent charity, registered with the Charity Commission, and was not a role within DWP. Find A Job is a free platform to help jobseekers find vacancies with employers from various sectors. The employer had been verified as legitimate and the advertisement did not breach Find a Job website terms and conditions.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for access to work applications.

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

As set out in the Green Paper, we are reforming Access to Work to improve the scheme so that it helps more disabled people into and on in work. We are committed to reducing waiting times for claims and we prioritise customers starting a job in four weeks. Nevertheless, Access to Work is demand-led and tailored to the needs of each customer.

We are continuing to streamline delivery practices and have increased the number of staff processing claims. Since May 2024, 118 additional staff have been redeployed to support Access to Work.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department's accredited official statistics entitled ESA: Work Capability Assessments, Mandatory Reconsiderations and Appeals: June 2025, published on 12 June 2025, for how long he expects his Department's instruction to prioritise Work Capability Assessments for new claims over reassessments of existing claimants to be in place.

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

It is well-established government policy to prioritise Work Capability Assessments for new benefit claims to determine their capability for work at the earliest possible opportunity.

Reassessments occur when there is capacity in the system which has been limited due to an increase in demand for WCAs for new benefit claims. As a result, over recent months, reassessments have not been done in large numbers.

We are aware of delays in reassessing cases where the claimant has advised us that their health condition has worsened. We understand that this is a very important issue. This is why we are putting in place a process to expedite the reassessment of these cases.

The government has made it clear in the Pathways to Work Green Paper that we will turn on WCA reassessments at scale as we build capacity to do so. We continue to work on options to make the WCA process more efficient and responsive, which includes accelerating healthcare professional recruitment to increase capacity for reassessments

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department has provided to assessment providers on whether Work Capability Assessments for new claims should have priority over claimants who report a change in their circumstances.

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

It is well-established government policy to prioritise Work Capability Assessments for new benefit claims to determine their capability for work at the earliest possible opportunity.

Reassessments occur when there is capacity in the system which has been limited due to an increase in demand for WCAs for new benefit claims. As a result, over recent months, reassessments have not been done in large numbers.

We are aware of delays in reassessing cases where the claimant has advised us that their health condition has worsened. We understand that this is a very important issue. This is why we are putting in place a process to expedite the reassessment of these cases.

The government has made it clear in the Pathways to Work Green Paper that we will turn on WCA reassessments at scale as we build capacity to do so. We continue to work on options to make the WCA process more efficient and responsive, which includes accelerating healthcare professional recruitment to increase capacity for reassessments

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the evidential basis was for his Department instructing assessment providers to prioritise Work Capability Assessments for new claims over reassessments of existing claimants.

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

It is well-established government policy to prioritise Work Capability Assessments for new benefit claims to determine their capability for work at the earliest possible opportunity.

Reassessments occur when there is capacity in the system which has been limited due to an increase in demand for WCAs for new benefit claims. As a result, over recent months, reassessments have not been done in large numbers.

We are aware of delays in reassessing cases where the claimant has advised us that their health condition has worsened. We understand that this is a very important issue. This is why we are putting in place a process to expedite the reassessment of these cases.

The government has made it clear in the Pathways to Work Green Paper that we will turn on WCA reassessments at scale as we build capacity to do so. We continue to work on options to make the WCA process more efficient and responsive, which includes accelerating healthcare professional recruitment to increase capacity for reassessments

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his planned timeframe is for completing existing claimants’ Work Capability Assessment reassessments.

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

It is well-established government policy to prioritise Work Capability Assessments for new benefit claims to determine their capability for work at the earliest possible opportunity.

Reassessments occur when there is capacity in the system which has been limited due to an increase in demand for WCAs for new benefit claims. As a result, over recent months, reassessments have not been done in large numbers.

We are aware of delays in reassessing cases where the claimant has advised us that their health condition has worsened. We understand that this is a very important issue. This is why we are putting in place a process to expedite the reassessment of these cases.

The government has made it clear in the Pathways to Work Green Paper that we will turn on WCA reassessments at scale as we build capacity to do so. We continue to work on options to make the WCA process more efficient and responsive, which includes accelerating healthcare professional recruitment to increase capacity for reassessments

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on what date his Department instructed assessment providers to prioritise Work Capability Assessments for new claims over reassessments of existing claimants.

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

It is well-established government policy to prioritise Work Capability Assessments for new benefit claims to determine their capability for work at the earliest possible opportunity.

Reassessments occur when there is capacity in the system which has been limited due to an increase in demand for WCAs for new benefit claims. As a result, over recent months, reassessments have not been done in large numbers.

We are aware of delays in reassessing cases where the claimant has advised us that their health condition has worsened. We understand that this is a very important issue. This is why we are putting in place a process to expedite the reassessment of these cases.

The government has made it clear in the Pathways to Work Green Paper that we will turn on WCA reassessments at scale as we build capacity to do so. We continue to work on options to make the WCA process more efficient and responsive, which includes accelerating healthcare professional recruitment to increase capacity for reassessments

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 availability of residential training places for disabled young people in Scotland on proposed changes to eligibility for Universal Credit for people under 23.

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

No assessment has been made.

We welcomed views on raising the age someone can access the Universal Credit Health Element to 22, as part of our Green Paper consultation, which closed on 30 June. We are considering the responses to this consultation, and we will set out the policy direction in due course.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Personal Independence Payments Bill on public finances.

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

As I set out in the House of Commons on 1 July 2025, this Government has listened to the concerns raised by Members from across the House regarding the proposed changes to Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

Clause 5 of the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill would have amended the legal framework underpinning PIP assessments, specifically by implementing 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 PIP.

In light of the concerns raised, we have removed clause 5 from the Bill in Committee.

Any changes to PIP eligibility will come after a comprehensive review of the benefit, led by myself and co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, clinicians, experts, MPs and other stakeholders, so a wide range of views and voices are heard. This review aims to ensure that the PIP assessment is fair and fit for the future.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has assessed the potential impact of raising the Housing Benefit earnings disregard for people in supported accommodation on employment rates.

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

We acknowledge there is a challenge arising from the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit for those living in supported and temporary accommodation. We are considering options to improve work incentives for residents of supported and temporary accommodation, while taking into account the views of stakeholders.

The Department recognises that an increased earnings disregard for people living in supported accommodation is likely to have a net positive impact on employment rates. It remains the department’s priority to ensure that those who can work are supported to enter the labour market and to sustain employment. As funding is required to allow a change, any future decisions will take account of the current fiscal context.

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 support social housing tenants affected by the transition from Employment and Support Allowance to Universal Credit.

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

We work collaboratively with a broad range of representatives from the Social Rented Sector, with two-way communications to ensure that the customers they represent get the support they need to move safely to Universal Credit.

Help to Claim support, provided by Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland, provides support to anyone making a new Universal Credit claim, whether that is a new customer or someone moving to Universal Credit from legacy benefits. This includes helping social housing tenants to access adaptations such as direct payments to landlords, as well as navigating the claim process until the first payment is made.

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 encourage the procurement of British-made office products and stationery by (a) her Department and (b) its arms-length bodies.

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

The Government is committed to supporting British businesses and the products they produce, ensuring they have the best opportunities to win UK public contracts and deliver high-quality goods and services.

Cabinet Office are consulting on a package of further reforms to public procurement to support the Government’s Industrial Strategy.

The Government maintains robust standards across a range of categories of spend, these are set out by the Government Buying Standards, including for Paper & paper products. Furthermore, Government has also implemented a Timber Procurement Policy to ensure that only timber and wood-derived products (including paper) originating from an independently verifiable Legal and Sustainable source will be used on the government estate.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, from which countries her Department has sourced (a) pulp and (b) finished paper for (i) official stationery and (ii) other printed materials.

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

The Government is committed to supporting British businesses and the products they produce, ensuring they have the best opportunities to win UK public contracts and deliver high-quality goods and services.

Cabinet Office are consulting on a package of further reforms to public procurement to support the Government’s Industrial Strategy.

The Government maintains robust standards across a range of categories of spend, these are set out by the Government Buying Standards, including for Paper & paper products. Furthermore, Government has also implemented a Timber Procurement Policy to ensure that only timber and wood-derived products (including paper) originating from an independently verifiable Legal and Sustainable source will be used on the government estate.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has targets for employing more staff to carry out face-to-face assessments.

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

As outlined in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we are planning to increase the number of face-to-face health assessments. At the same time, we remain committed to offering alternative assessment channels to accommodate individuals who require a different approach, such as those needing reasonable adjustments.

All assessment suppliers have contractual requirements to increase the proportion of assessments conducted face-to-face. To meet these requirements, suppliers are expected to plan and manage recruitment accordingly with progress regularly reviewed.

The department is working closely with suppliers to explore ways to boost capacity for face-to-face assessments. A key focus is increasing the recruitment of suitably qualified health professionals to support delivery in assessment centres.

Suppliers continue to develop and implement strategies to enhance recruitment, training, and retention, ensuring that skilled staff are in place to support claimants effectively.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many non-UK nationals claiming Universal Credit have (a) three, (b) four, (c) five, (d) six (e) seven and (f) eight or more children in their household.

Answered by Stephen Timms - 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, how many and what proportion of Universal Credit claims are managed exclusively through the online journal without in-person Jobcentre visits.

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

The information requested is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost to develop the appropriate code and analyse the raw data.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Universal Credit claimants have not attended in-person appointments at Jobcentres in the last (a) three, (b) six and (c) twelve months.

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

The information requested is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost to develop the appropriate code and analyse the raw data.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much the National Employment Savings Trust has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Nest is a Public Corporation which operates independently of Government. This includes necessary expenditure surrounding supporting its staff to work from home. However, it has provided the following information:

Nest technology for staff is such that most equipment is used across home and office locations. Therefore, spending on equipment to enable working from home relates to specific items needed to adjust to working in a home environment (e.g. display screens and workstation accessories).

Nest Corporation working from home expenditure:

*Nest accounts, including expenses recognised, are audited by the NAO. However, this information is based on more detailed management information which is not specifically audited.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Universal Credit claimants have not attended a Jobcentre in person since the start of their claim in each of the last five years.

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

The information requested is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost to develop the appropriate code and analyse the raw data.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to respond to the correspondence of 14 August 2025 from the hon. Member for Aberdeen North, reference ZA35390, CMS Reference: 121024945817 and 73911701.

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

The Department aims to respond to all ministerial correspondences within 20 working days, but there may be instances where there is additional information needed that may cause delays.

The correspondence in question was sent to DWP Ministerial Correspondence team on 18 August. As it was in relation to a Child Maintenance Service (CMS) operational matter, it was directed to CMS to address. A response will be sent by 16 September 2025.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of employment support programmes in reducing youth unemployment.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

• Extended periods of unemployment at a young age can lead to poorer health outcomes and reduced lifetime earnings, making early intervention critical. The DWP Youth Offer provides intensive, tailored support to 16 – 24-year-olds claiming Universal Credit (UC), with the aim of maximising employment outcomes.

• The Youth Offer comprises three main elements: the Youth Employment Programme, Youth Hubs and Youth Employability Coaches (YECs). Each element is designed to support young people based on their proximity to the labour market. The Youth Employment Programme is designed to support those who are work ready. Youth Hubs support those with moderate barriers to work, offering a blend of Jobcentre Plus support and place-based services through local partnerships. For Young People with more complex needs, YECs provide intensive, tailored support for up to six months, helping them to build confidence, skills and readiness for work, where employment is a longer-term goal.

• Our Youth Offer Process Evaluation, Youth Offer process evaluation - GOV.UK published October last year, found that the majority of customers felt the support was useful, confidence-building, and tailored to their individual circumstances. Youth Hub customers were particularly likely to report that the support met their needs. In addition to those moving into employment, customers had achieved a variety of different interim outcomes including gaining skills, confidence and work experience.

• Where possible, the Department evaluates the impact of its programmes or schemes on employment and other relevant outcomes. Recent evaluations of the Job Entry Targeted Support scheme, Sector-based Work Academy Programme, the Kickstart scheme and the Youth Employment Initiative all demonstrate the effectiveness of these approaches to supporting additional young people into employment and are published on GOV.UK. Research and statistics - GOV.UK

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households affected by the two-child limit policy are (a) two-earner couple households and (b) two-earner couple households in which both earners are in full-time work.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Statistics about the policy that provides support for a maximum of 2 children in Universal Credit are published annually by a range of breakdowns and demographics. The latest figures, for April 2025, can be found here: Universal Credit claimants statistics on the two child limit policy, April 2025 - GOV.UK

Data on two-earner couple households in which both earners are in full-time work is not held.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the Health and Safety Executive’s approach to asbestos management in non-domestic buildings.

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

HSE is a non-departmental public body. Whilst it has responsibility for its own policy, it reports direct to DWP ministers.

The Work and Pensions Committee held an inquiry into HSE’s approach to asbestos management and published a report in 2022. I am now working with HSE on how it will tackle Great Britain’s asbestos legacy using a variety of regulatory interventions. Asbestos in non-domestic buildings is a key ministerial priority, and HSE provides regular updates and assurance to ministers about its approach to asbestos management.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Universal Credit online journal as a substitute for face-to-face engagement with claimants.

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

The UC service is designed as a digital-first platform, with the online journal serving as a central communication tool between claimants and DWP. It enables claimants to successfully and securely:

• Receive appointment reminders and mandatory updates.
• Communicate with Work Coaches and case managers.
• Manage their responsibilities and maintain entitlement.

The Journal is a digital channel which helps two-way communications between claimants and DWP, however it was never intended to and does not replace face-to-face appointments. Claimants have a range of channels available to them, and can mostly use their preference, unless the activity mandates a particular option.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Newton Abbot of 4 August 2025, reference MW9109.

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

A reply was sent to the hon. Member by the Minister of State for Social Security and Disability, on behalf of the Secretary of State, on 10 September 2025.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce sickness absence rates in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to supporting people to remain in or return to work, particularly those experiencing health-related barriers. In Surrey, this commitment is being delivered through several targeted initiatives as part of the Government’s wider Pathways to Work reforms, which aim to improve employment support for people with health conditions and disabilities.

DWP's current offer to employers includes a digital information service, www.support-with-employee-health-and-disability.dwp.gov.uk/ which provides tailored guidance to businesses to support employees to remain in work. This includes guidance on health disclosures and having conversations about health, plus guidance on legal obligations, including statutory sick pay and making reasonable adjustments.

Another intervention is the WorkWell pilot, which supports people both in and out of work. It provides low intensity holistic support for health and disability related barriers to employment, and a single joined up gateway to existing local work and health service provision. WorkWell is being delivered in 15 areas across England, including Surrey Heartlands. Participants get a holistic assessment, and a tailored support plan that can include employer liaison; advice on workplace adjustments; health and wellbeing support; confidential support from specialist employment and skills advisors to explore new career opportunities in Surrey; and access to local mental health or physical activity support services within seven days. Participants in Surrey can be referred through primary care hubs, Jobcentre Plus, community-based services, or they can self-refer.

Employer led occupational health services provide expert advice on fitness for work, return-to-work plans, and workplace adaptations, helping individuals remain in work and return to work after sickness absence. The Department for Work and Pensions and the Department of Health and Social Care’s OH reform programme has focused on increasing access to and uptake of occupational health services.

Together, these measures form part of a broader strategy to reduce sickness absence, improve productivity, and support economic growth in Surrey and across the country.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) increasing the housing benefit earnings disregard and (b) aligning the taper rate with Universal Credit.

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

We acknowledge there is a challenge arising from the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit, particularly for working age customers living in supported and temporary accommodation. This issue is a complex one, and eradicating the financial cliff edge some individuals face as they incrementally increase their earnings could not be achieved by simply aligning the taper rates within the two benefits.

We are considering options to improve work incentives for residents of supported housing and temporary accommodation, while taking into account the views of stakeholders. As funding is required to allow a change, any future decisions will take account of the current fiscal context.

It remains the department’s priority to ensure that those who can work are supported to enter the labour market and to sustain employment.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that there are Parkinson's trained assessors for benefit assessments involving applicants with a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.

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

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is committed to ensuring that individuals with Parkinson’s disease and other health conditions receive high-quality, objective, and accurate assessments. To uphold this commitment, DWP has established clear competency standards for health professionals (HPs), as outlined in its official guidance and regulatory framework.

DWP recognises the importance of ensuring HPs conducting assessments possess the necessary experience, skills, and training. To uphold this standard, DWP has established clear competency requirements, outlined in both guidance and regulations. Assessment suppliers must demonstrate that their HPs meet these standards before they are authorised to carry out assessments on behalf of the department.

DWP does not require HPs to be specialists in the specific medical conditions or impairments of the individuals they assess. Instead, the emphasis is on ensuring HPs are experts in disability analysis, focusing on how a person’s condition affects their daily life and functional abilities.

All HPs receive thorough training in disability analysis, which includes evaluating the impact of a wide range of health conditions on everyday activities. To support this, DWP provides suppliers with core training material and guidance on conditions such as Parkinson’s Disease. These contain clinical and functional information relevant to the condition and is quality assured to ensure its accuracy from both a clinical and policy perspective.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reviewing the universal credit taper to help more young people into work.

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

Extended periods of unemployment at a young age can have long-lasting consequences, including limiting of future employment prospects and reduced lifetime earnings. Early intervention is therefore critical. That is why our plan to Get Britain Working includes a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work. Eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers were launched earlier this year, and the insights gained will inform the future design and delivery of the Youth Guarantee.

Universal Credit is designed to top-up earnings from employment and to make work pay, so a household’s Universal Credit is withdrawn at a steady rate as their net earnings increase.

Some customers will also benefit from a work allowance which is the amount someone can earn before their Universal Credit award starts to reduce.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he will take through the benefit system to incentivise young people to work additional hours.

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

Extended periods of unemployment at a young age can have long-lasting consequences, including limiting of future employment prospects and reduced lifetime earnings. Early intervention is therefore critical. That is why our plan to Get Britain Working includes a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work. Eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers were launched earlier this year, and the insights gained will inform the future design and delivery of the Youth Guarantee.

Universal Credit is designed to top-up earnings from employment and to make work pay, so a household’s Universal Credit is withdrawn at a steady rate as their net earnings increase.

Some customers will also benefit from a work allowance which is the amount someone can earn before their Universal Credit award starts to reduce.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has had discussions with employers on (a) the adequacy of employer sick pay top-up schemes and (b) their role in supporting workers with long-term health conditions.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The government has engaged extensively, including with employers, on the impact of our plan to strengthen Statutory Sick Pay. While employers can choose to go further than their statutory requirements and provide more financial support to their employees when they are sick, and around 60% of all employees report they are eligible for this extra support, our engagement has not included the adequacy of contractual or occupational sick pay schemes. Those who need additional financial support while off sick are able to claim more help through the welfare system such as Universal Credit, depending on their individual circumstances.

In our Get Britain Working White Paper, published November 2024, we committed support for employers to recruit, retain, and develop staff. As part of that, the Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions and Business and Trade have asked Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead ‘Keep Britain Working’, an independent review to consider how best to support and enable employers to recruit and retain more people with health conditions and disabilities, promote healthy workplaces, and support more people to stay in or return to work from periods of sickness absence.

Following the discovery publication in March 2025, Sir Charlie and the review team engaged with a broad range of stakeholders, including employers. In total there were over 500 individual submissions and over 150 meetings and events through which evidence was submitted. Sir Charlie Mayfield will deliver a final report with recommendations in the autumn.

The Disability Confident (DC) Scheme encourages employers to create disability inclusive workplaces and to support disabled people to get work and get on in work. It provides employers with the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to attract, recruit, retain and develop disabled people in the workplace and to take positive action to address the issues disabled employees face.

Officials have been discussing with stakeholders, including employers, the options for making the DC scheme criteria more robust. The Government is working towards announcing next steps for improving the scheme later this autumn

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the remit of the child poverty taskforce includes examining the potential impact of the two-child benefit cap.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

This government is committed to tackling child poverty and the Child Poverty Taskforce is developing an ambitious Child Poverty Strategy which we will publish in the autumn. We are considering all available levers, including considering social security reforms, to give every child the best start in life as part of our strategy.

The causes of child poverty are wide-ranging and deep-rooted, and so it is right that the Taskforce carefully considers and assesses the available levers as it develops this Strategy.

In the meantime, we are pressing ahead with action.

As a significant downpayment ahead of strategy publication, we have already taken substantive action across major drivers of child poverty through the Spending Review 2025. This includes an expansion of Free School Meals that will lift 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of the parliament, establishing a long-term Crisis and Resilience Fund supported by £1bn a year including Barnett impact, investing in local family support services, and extending the £3 bus fare cap.

Last month, we confirmed funding of £600m for the Holiday Activities and Food programme for the next three years, ensuring that children and young people can continue to benefit from enriching experiences and nutritious meals during the school holidays.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reinstate in-person interviews for all applicants for sickness benefits.

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

We already undertake a number of face-to-face health assessments for people applying for sickness benefits. However, as announced in Pathways to Work Green Paper, we are planning to increase the number of face-to-face assessments. We will preserve alternative health assessment channels to meet the specific needs of people who require a different channel, for example as a reasonable adjustment.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the rates of poverty among people who are assessed as having limited capability for work and work-related activity, and who are under 22 years old.

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

No estimate has been made because the sample sizes in DWP’s Family Resources Survey and Households Below Average Income are too small to provide robust poverty estimates for this group of people.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to make work pay for young people in supported accommodation.

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

We acknowledge there is a challenge arising from the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit, particularly for working age customers living in supported and temporary accommodation. This issue is a complex one, and eradicating the financial cliff edge some individuals face as they incrementally increase their earnings could not be achieved by simply aligning the taper rates within the two benefits.

We are considering options to improve work incentives for residents of supported housing and temporary accommodation, while taking into account the views of stakeholders. As funding is required to allow a change, any future decisions will take account of the current fiscal context.

It remains the department’s priority to ensure that those who can work are supported to enter the labour market and to sustain employment.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Work Capability Assessments for existing claimants were undertaken in each month since January 2025.

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

Department for Work and Pensions continues to monitor waiting times for Work Capability Assessments (WCAs) and works closely with assessment suppliers to manage demand and ensure claimants progress through the process as efficiently as possible. The department remains focused on maintaining a timely assessment service, while ensuring that support is directed to those who need it most.

The number of WCAs for new claimants undertaken in each month since January 2025 are as follows.

The number of WCAs for existing claimants undertaken in each month since January 2025 are as follows.

As of 31 August 2025, approximately 110,000 existing claimants were awaiting WCAs. This total includes all claimants currently within the assessment suppliers’ caseload, including those at the questionnaire stage and those for whom further medical evidence is being gathered.

Please note:

• Volumes have been rounded to the nearest 100 or 1000.
• All above data is derived from contractual management information produced by the assessment suppliers.
• The above data is derived from unpublished management information which is collected for internal departmental use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics Publication standards.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Work Capability Assessments for new claimants were undertaken in each month since January 2025.

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

Department for Work and Pensions continues to monitor waiting times for Work Capability Assessments (WCAs) and works closely with assessment suppliers to manage demand and ensure claimants progress through the process as efficiently as possible. The department remains focused on maintaining a timely assessment service, while ensuring that support is directed to those who need it most.

The number of WCAs for new claimants undertaken in each month since January 2025 are as follows.

The number of WCAs for existing claimants undertaken in each month since January 2025 are as follows.

As of 31 August 2025, approximately 110,000 existing claimants were awaiting WCAs. This total includes all claimants currently within the assessment suppliers’ caseload, including those at the questionnaire stage and those for whom further medical evidence is being gathered.

Please note:

• Volumes have been rounded to the nearest 100 or 1000.
• All above data is derived from contractual management information produced by the assessment suppliers.
• The above data is derived from unpublished management information which is collected for internal departmental use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics Publication standards.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has spent money on promotion through social media influencers since July 2024.

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

The Department for Work and Pensions has spent money on social media influencers since July 2024. Influencers can be effective in reaching audiences that the Government and traditional marketing channels find hard to reach.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of (a) criminal and (b) civil measures to increase compliance with child maintenance payments.

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

69% of Paying Parents due to pay via the Collect & Pay service actually paid some maintenance during the calendar quarter ending March 2025. This compares with 65% during the quarter ending March 2023. In the year to March 2025, the CMS arranged around £1.5 billion in child maintenance payments.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) believes current enforcement powers are sufficient and substantial enough to encourage paying parents to comply. The CMS requires paying parents to pay their maintenance on time, to avoid accrual of arrears. Where a paying parent fails to pay on time or in full, the CMS aims to take immediate action to recover the debt and re-establish compliance. When a paying parent does not make maintenance payments on time or in full, the CMS will initially negotiate a payment that is feasible for the parent to pay. If this is unsuccessful and the paying parent is employed, the CMS will request that ongoing child maintenance payments be deducted directly from their salary by issuing what we call a Deductions from Earnings Order (DEO). A DEO instructs an employer to make deductions from the paying parent’s earnings and pay the amounts to the CMS who will pass this onto the receiving parent. The CMS also has powers to deduct maintenance from a wide range of bank accounts including joint and business accounts.

The CMS has a range of strong “civil” enforcement powers that can be used against those who consistently refuse to meet their obligations to provide financial support to their children including holding or obtaining driving licenses and passports and forcing the sale of a property.

These powers are designed to act as a deterrent and encourage parents to pay their liability. Powers are used effectively and produce positive results. In many cases, once an application to the courts has been made, paying parents have either paid their liability or agreed to a repayment plan.

Planned reforms to the Direct Pay service will allow the CMS to tackle non-compliance faster as monitoring all payments would enable the CMS to immediately identify any missed, late or partial payments and take swift enforcement action.

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 adequacy of the performance of the Child Maintenance Service.

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

The CMS has four official Key Performance Indicators (KPI). These are: Application clearances, change of circumstances clearances, Collect and Pay compliance and assessment accuracy. Each KPI has its own standard measure.

Every quarter, the CMS publishes their data on Application clearances, change of circumstances clearances and Collect and Pay compliance.

This information can be found in the latest CMS statistics with the latest data available to March 2025. CMS statistics for June 2025 are due to be released on Tuesday 30th September 2025 at 09:30am.

Information on the accuracy of CMS assessments, which has a standard level of >99%, is published in the annual CMS Client Funds Account, Child maintenance: client funds accounts - GOV.UK.

Since 2020 CMS has shown a consistent level of 99.4% accuracy increasing for the latest year available (2023/24) to 99.5%.

The CMS continues to monitor and review their KPIs to ensure they are the most appropriate measure to drive performance and improve the customer experience.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial impact for disabled people under the age of 22 of the proposal to remove their eligibility for being assessed as having limited capability for work and work-related activity.

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

As part of the Pathways to Work Green Paper consultation, the Government invited views on the proposal to raise the minimum age for accessing the Universal Credit (UC) health element to 22. The consultation closed on 30 June, and we are now considering responses.

No final policy decisions have been taken and full impacting will take place before any policy changes are made.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many existing claimants are waiting for Work Capability Assessment reassessments.

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

Department for Work and Pensions continues to monitor waiting times for Work Capability Assessments (WCAs) and works closely with assessment suppliers to manage demand and ensure claimants progress through the process as efficiently as possible. The department remains focused on maintaining a timely assessment service, while ensuring that support is directed to those who need it most.

The number of WCAs for new claimants undertaken in each month since January 2025 are as follows.

The number of WCAs for existing claimants undertaken in each month since January 2025 are as follows.

As of 31 August 2025, approximately 110,000 existing claimants were awaiting WCAs. This total includes all claimants currently within the assessment suppliers’ caseload, including those at the questionnaire stage and those for whom further medical evidence is being gathered.

Please note:

• Volumes have been rounded to the nearest 100 or 1000.
• All above data is derived from contractual management information produced by the assessment suppliers.
• The above data is derived from unpublished management information which is collected for internal departmental use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics Publication standards.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the April 2025 deadline for backdated voluntary National Insurance Contributions, how many requests for callbacks were logged by his Department before 6 April 2025; how many callbacks have so far been made and completed through all stages; how many people have made National Insurance top-ups under this concessionary arrangement; and when he expects the callback process to be complete.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

In total, DWP received c528,000 call-back requests from customers ahead of the voluntary National Insurance Contributions (VNICS) deadline of 5 April 2025. The Department has taken a two-stage approach to actioning these requests.

Stage 1 was to gather personal information such as National Insurance numbers and to filter out any duplicate requests. All stage 1 call-backs have been completed.

Stage 2 is the review of any gaps in the customer National Insurance record and to assess the impact this may have on a customer’s State Pension. All Stage 2 call-backs for customers over State Pension age, residing in the UK have been completed, with under 5,000 call-backs outstanding for customers over SP age residing abroad. There are c119,500 under State Pension (GB and abroad) Stage 2 call-back outstanding. We expect all Stage 2 call-backs to be complete by end March 2026.

DWP does not hold data on how many of the customers went on to pay VNICS under this arrangement.

Background:

DWP have prioritised Stage 2 for those over or near to their State Pension age. The Department received 56,262 stage 2 call-back requests for customers over State Pension age and living in Great Britain – all these call-backs have been completed.

In addition, DWP received 23,961 stage 2 call-back requests for customers over State Pension age, living abroad. DWP have cleared 19,184 of these with 4,777 call-backs left to complete. DWP expect to clear this set of call-back requests before the end of December 2025.

All other stage 2 call-back requests are where the customer is under State Pension age. DWP has 119,451 remaining. DWP expect to clear this set of call-back requests before the end of March 2026.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the April 2025 deadline for backdated voluntary National Insurance Contributions how many requests for callbacks were logged by HMRC before 6 April 2025; how many callbacks have so far been made and completed through all stages; how many people have made National Insurance top-ups under this concessionary arrangement; and when she expects the callback process to be completed.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

In total, DWP received c528,000 call-back requests from customers ahead of the voluntary National Insurance Contributions (VNICS) deadline of 5 April 2025. The Department has taken a two-stage approach to actioning these requests.

Stage 1 was to gather personal information such as National Insurance numbers and to filter out any duplicate requests. All stage 1 call-backs have been completed.

Stage 2 is the review of any gaps in the customer National Insurance record and to assess the impact this may have on a customer’s State Pension. All Stage 2 call-backs for customers over State Pension age, residing in the UK have been completed, with under 5,000 call-backs outstanding for customers over SP age residing abroad. There are c119,500 under State Pension (GB and abroad) Stage 2 call-back outstanding. We expect all Stage 2 call-backs to be complete by end March 2026.

DWP does not hold data on how many of the customers went on to pay VNICS under this arrangement.

Background:

DWP have prioritised Stage 2 for those over or near to their State Pension age. The Department received 56,262 stage 2 call-back requests for customers over State Pension age and living in Great Britain – all these call-backs have been completed.

In addition, DWP received 23,961 stage 2 call-back requests for customers over State Pension age, living abroad. DWP have cleared 19,184 of these with 4,777 call-backs left to complete. DWP expect to clear this set of call-back requests before the end of December 2025.

All other stage 2 call-back requests are where the customer is under State Pension age. DWP has 119,451 remaining. DWP expect to clear this set of call-back requests before the end of March 2026.

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 processing times of (a) applications for and (b) mandatory reconsiderations of Disability Living Allowance.

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

From April 2025 to August 2025, the actual average clearance times (AACT) for new Disability Living Allowance (DLA) claims is 77 days. Over the same period, the AACT for DLA Mandatory Reconsiderations (MR) is 125 days. These figures are averages, and are for child DLA claims only, as new claims for DLA are only open to children under the age of 16.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her planned timetable is for the review of the child maintenance calculation.

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

The Government is conducting a review of the child maintenance calculation to make sure it is fit for purpose. This includes updating the underlying research and considering how to ensure the calculation reflects current and future societal trends.

Options for proposed reforms are currently being considered. Any changes made to the child maintenance calculation will be subject to an extensive public consultation, which we are planning to publish late in 2025, and if made, will require amendments to legislation so would be subject to Parliamentary scrutiny in the course of 2026.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that jobseekers receive prompt CV support.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 September to PQ 73218

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support people with endometriosis in the workplace in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Good work is generally good for health and wellbeing, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. Backed by £240 million investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched last November will drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity and work toward the long-term ambition of an 80% employment rate.

Disabled people and people with health conditions are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key. The Government is committed to supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, including women with endometriosis, with their employment journey. We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems.

Measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants, as well as joining up health and employment support around the individual through Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies, Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care and WorkWell.

It is also recognised that employers play an important role in addressing health and disability. To build on this, the DWP and DHSC Joint Work & Health Directorate (JWHD) is facilitating “Keep Britain Working”, an independent review of the role of UK employers in reducing health-related inactivity and to promote healthy and inclusive workplaces. The lead reviewer, Sir Charlie Mayfield, is expected to bring forward recommendations in Autumn 2025.

In our March Green Paper, we set out our Pathways to Work Guarantee, backed by £1 billion a year of new additional funding by 2030. We will build towards a guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for all disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits.

The 10 Year Health Plan, published in July, stated our intention to break down barriers to opportunity by delivering the holistic support that people need to access and thrive in employment by ensuring a better health service for everyone, regardless of condition or service area. The Plan sets out the vision for what good joined-up care looks like for people with a combination of health and care needs, including for disabled people. Furthermore, it outlines how the neighbourhood health service will join up support from across the work, health and skills systems to help address the multiple complex challenges that often stop people finding and staying in work.

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 workers whose roles have been displaced due to offshoring by UK-based firms.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

I refer the hon. member to the answer I gave on 10 September to PQ 72893.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of people on the top level of incapacity benefit have joined a coaching scheme to help get them back into work.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The information requested is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

There are several schemes for individuals in the Universal Credit Limited Capability for Work and Related Activity group (UC LCWRA) or Employment Support Allowance Support Group which may use some coaching to support individuals back to work. Examples include Additional Work Coach Support, Work and Health Programme, WorkWell, Connect to Work and Employment Advisers in NHS Talking Therapies. However, these schemes are personalised to the needs of the individual and therefore coaching is only one of many ways to help get them back to work.

The published report “The impact of additional Jobcentre Plus support on the employment outcomes of disabled people” March 2025 includes some of the most recent relevant analysis on employment support for those on UC LCWRA.

The impact of additional Jobcentre Plus support on the employment outcomes of disabled people - GOV.UK

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support entry-level employment opportunities for young people in the hospitality sector.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

I recognise that the hospitality sector offers significant entry-level opportunities for young people. My department is working closely with UKHospitality, the trade body for the sector, to deliver Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) to 26 areas across the country. These SWAPs offer training, work experience and a guaranteed job interview to those ready to start a job, and participants that complete the programme gain the Hospitality Skills Passport which provides proof that a person is qualified to perform their job effectively and safely, giving them a universal entry standard into the sector.

A number of these SWAPs have already been delivered, most notably in coastal areas with high levels of deprivation such as Blackpool and Margate.

From April 2021 to June 2025 DWP delivered a total of 30,180 Hospitality SWAP starts across the country.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to monitor the effectiveness of employment support programmes for young people.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

I refer the Hon. member to the answer I gave 16 September to PQ 75889, referencing DWP evaluations which demonstrate the effectiveness of support programmes for young people.

The department will continue to build on the existing evidence base as we test, learn and improve the support available to help young people to find, stay in, and progress in work.

Our current evaluation plans include a dedicated evaluation of the Youth Guarantee Trailblazers. Preparatory research is already underway to map activities, identify outcome pathways, and understand the supporting systems. As part of this research, we will also assess the feasibility of different methods to evaluate the impact of the Youth Guarantee Trailblazers.

A process and theory-based evaluation will also be commissioned as part of a wider Get Britain Working Trailblazer evaluation, scheduled to begin in early 2026.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of artificial intelligence on employment levels in the next (a) five and (b) ten years.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

No current assessment has been made by the Department for Work and Pensions on the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on employment.

We are starting to witness AI’s impact within the labour market: transforming the workplace, demanding new skills and augmenting old ones. But there is uncertainty over the future scale of AI’s impact on the labour market. Given the recent rapid pace of AI development, government is planning against a range of plausible future outcomes and closely monitoring the data that will help track if we are heading towards any of these outcomes.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of support available to people with Parkinson's disease in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

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

I refer the Rt.Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 5 September 2025 to Question UIN 72849.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to promote initiatives to help reskill older workers without IT skills.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department for Work and Pensions currently offers support for those out of work, including older jobseekers, through its network of Jobcentres and through contracted employment programmes.

Where a work coach becomes aware that a customer lacks digital skills, they can refer them to suitable provision for example, Foundation Digital Skills, and then onto Essential Digital Skills. In addition, work coaches and employers are supported by 50PLUS Champions working across all 37 Jobcentre Districts. 50PLUS Champions act as enablers, working collaboratively to strengthen the support available to customers over the age of 50. Examples of personalised activities that Champions organise for older jobseekers include digital awareness sessions and confidence building. Through Midlife MOT reviews, delivered in Jobcentres across the UK and the digital MOT online, we also support older people to review their health, finances and skills.

The Government is reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new Jobs and Careers Service that will enable everyone, including the over 50s, to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them progress in their careers. This includes an enhanced focus on skills and careers advice. The new service across Great Britain will be universal and

available to anyone who wants to look for work, increase their earnings, re-train, upskill, or change their career.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans his Department has to review how the Child Maintenance Service processes cases involving domestic abuse allegations.

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

We are committed to ensuring that victims and survivors of domestic abuse get the help and support they need to use the CMS safely.

CMS domestic abuse training has been reviewed to ensure it reflects the Home Office’s updated statutory guidance on coercive and controlling behaviour, published in April 2023, to ensure CMS staff are equipped to recognise this form of domestic abuse and signpost parents appropriately.

The CMS has access to a list of resources which helps caseworkers provide signposting to supporting organisations, and a Domestic Abuse plan which includes clear steps to follow in order to support customers who are experiencing abuse. The list of resources and Domestic Abuse Plan is regularly reviewed.

As well as the domestic abuse plan, the CMS responds to cases involving domestic abuse in several ways, including by acting as an intermediary in Direct Pay cases, and providing advice on how to set up bank accounts with a centralised sort code to limit the risk of a parent’s location being traced.

The Department has introduced a domestic abuse specialist caseworker team which provides a discrete and tactful service. The CMS determines which cases are referred to the team and offer, if required, a ‘named caseworker’ to prevent customers having to retell their story at each interaction.

The CMS reviews its domestic abuse training regularly to ensure caseworkers are equipped to support parents in vulnerable situations and the Department will continue to meet stakeholders regularly to maintain an open dialogue on how to improve the service.

We believe planned reforms to the direct pay service, where all payments are collected and transferred on behalf of parents will allow the CMS to tackle non-compliance faster, and better support victims and survivors of domestic abuse who use the CMS, reducing contact with the other parent and reducing the paying parent’s ability to financially control the receiving parent by paying too little or too late, as is currently the case on Direct Pay.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of welfare reforms on demand for independent advice services; and if he will make a statement.

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

The public consultation on the “Pathways to Work” Green Paper received over 47,500 responses before closing on the 30 June. We are now carefully reviewing responses as we develop further proposals, involving disabled people, including through the Timms review of PIP, collaboration committees and the department’s new Disability Advisory Panel.

We will continue to consider the potential impacts of reforms as part of our consideration of responses to the consultation, including any impacts on services.

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 local government reorganisation in Surrey on the implementation of the Connect to Work programme in that county.

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

DWP has agreed a delivery plan and grant funding agreement with Surrey County Council to provide specialist Connect to Work employment support to up to 2500 disabled people, those with health conditions, and people with complex barriers until March 2030.

The planned local government reorganisation in Surrey is not expected to impact on the delivery of Connect to Work. Should there need to be a change to the Lead Authority (Accountable Body) for the Connect to Work programme in Surrey, DWP will work with the affected authorities to determine the best transition that maintains successful delivery of the programme.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to respond to the email from the hon. Member for Newton Abbot sent on 24 July 2025.

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

A reply was sent to the hon. Member by the Minister of State for Social Security and Disability, on behalf of the Secretary of State, on 17 September 2025.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report Drowning in debt, published by Christians Against Poverty in July, and in particular its findings on the impact of debt cases and associated mental ill-health on social mobility.

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

DWP remains committed to working with anyone who is struggling with their repayment terms. The Department strives to set affordable, sustainable repayment plans, and encourages anyone unable to afford the proposed rate of repayment to contact DWP’s Debt Management at the earliest opportunity.

DWP has introduced several measures to support our most vulnerable customers including a Vulnerability Hub for DWP Debt Management colleagues to ensure that customers who are in challenging circumstances or have complex needs are supported to help them manage their debts effectively and a specially trained Advanced Customer Support team with access to a range of tools and guidance to support our most vulnerable customers. The Department can also enlist support from a DWP Visiting Officer who can visit the individual to offer tailored support and advice and where appropriate referrals can be made to external support providers. DWP also continues to work in partnership with the Money Adviser Network (MAN) who offer free professional independent and impartial money and debt advice, and customers are routinely offered a referral to this service with their consent. DWP also remains committed to HM Treasury’s Breathing Space policy, which provides those with problem debt the right to legal protections from creditor action for a period of 60 days to enable them to receive debt advice and enter an appropriate debt solution.

In addition, we have introduced our Universal Credit Act which legislates to rebalance Universal Credit by bringing in, for the first time ever, a sustained above inflation increase to the UC standard allowance for all claimants. We have also introduced a new Fair Repayment Rate, helping 1.2 million low-income households to keep more of their Universal Credit and we have extended Free School Meals to all pupils in households in receipt of Universal Credit - lifting 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of this Parliament.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to expedite Access to Work applications from disabled people.

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

We are committed to reducing waiting times for claims to the Access to Work Scheme. We have streamlined delivery practices and have increased the number of staff processing claims. We also prioritise customers starting a job in four weeks.

Despite deploying additional staff and streamlining our procedures, the number of Access to Work applications waiting to be processed is continuing to grow.

That’s why, as set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we consulted on the future of Access to Work and how to improve the programme to help more disabled people into work and support employers.

Reforms are essential to ensure a better service for customers, to help disabled people start and stay in work, to provide clarity in what support should be provided and to ensure we are providing value for money for the taxpayer.

We will be reviewing all aspects of the Scheme now that the consultation has closed. We are continuing to work closely with stakeholders, and in particular disabled people and their representatives, on all aspects of our proposals.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support disabled households with the cost of living in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

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

Extra costs disability benefits, including Personal Independence Payment (PIP), are individual benefits paid to all qualifying members of a household. They provide a contribution towards the extra costs that may arise from a long-term disability or health condition. These benefits are non-contributory, non-means-tested, can be worth up to £9,747.40 a year, tax free and are paid in addition to any other benefits or income received. Receiving a qualifying rate of an extra costs disability benefit could also act as a ‘passport’ to extra money or higher amounts of other means-tested benefits, such as Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit and Housing Benefit. It can also provide access to council tax reductions and a Disabled Person's Railcard.

We know for those who can, work is the best route out of poverty. The Government is investing in the biggest employment support package for disabled people and those with a health condition in a generation. Our Pathways to Work Guarantee will ensure there is an offer of work, health and skills support for disabled people and those with health conditions claiming out of work benefits.

Disabled people may also benefit from the wide range of measures we have announced to support those in low-income families and households, including an expansion of Free School Meals that will lift 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of this parliament, a long-term Crisis and Resilience Fund supported by £1 billion a year (including Barnett impact), and extending the £3 bus fare cap. We have increased the national minimum wage for those on the lowest incomes and introduced a Fair Repayment Rate on Universal Credit deductions, helping around 1.2 million UC households retain more of their award, 700,000 of these households include children. We are also expanding the Warm Home Discount Scheme to give more eligible households £150 off their winter energy bills. All households on a qualifying means tested benefit will be eligible for the Discount, bringing around 2.7 million households into the scheme and pushing the total number of households that will receive the discount this winter up to around 6 million.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2025 to Question 74887 on Retail Trade: Health and Safety, whether his Department has received representations from (a) trade unions, (b) retail employers and (c) lone workers on concerns about safety (i) at the Co-op and (ii) in other retail environments.

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

The Health and Safety Executive have not had any discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade or received any representations from trade unions concerning Project Lunar. Project Lunar is an internal policy that the Co-op is introducing, so it is not a matter for HSE or the government to be involved in.

Under health and safety law it is the employer (Co-op) who is responsible for protecting its employees and others from harm. The employer must identify the risks and take action to eliminate them, or if this is not possible, to control the risk. An employer must manage any health and safety risks before people can work alone.

HSE and Local Authorities (LAs) work together as co-regulatory partners to enforce health and safety law, with LAs being responsible for regulation of health and safety in most retail businesses. Both HSE and LAs provide advice and guidance on the management of risk and what the law requires, conduct inspections and investigations, and take enforcement action where appropriate.

Any correspondence received by HSE raising workplace health and safety concerns is fully assessed, and subsequent actions can include, providing advice or guidance, further investigation or referral to another regulator where appropriate.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2025 to Question 74887 on Retail Trade: Health and Safety, how his Department assesses whether (a) employers and (b) local authorities are effectively managing risks for lone workers in these environments.

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

The Health and Safety Executive have not had any discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade or received any representations from trade unions concerning Project Lunar. Project Lunar is an internal policy that the Co-op is introducing, so it is not a matter for HSE or the government to be involved in.

Under health and safety law it is the employer (Co-op) who is responsible for protecting its employees and others from harm. The employer must identify the risks and take action to eliminate them, or if this is not possible, to control the risk. An employer must manage any health and safety risks before people can work alone.

HSE and Local Authorities (LAs) work together as co-regulatory partners to enforce health and safety law, with LAs being responsible for regulation of health and safety in most retail businesses. Both HSE and LAs provide advice and guidance on the management of risk and what the law requires, conduct inspections and investigations, and take enforcement action where appropriate.

Any correspondence received by HSE raising workplace health and safety concerns is fully assessed, and subsequent actions can include, providing advice or guidance, further investigation or referral to another regulator where appropriate.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2025 to Question 74887 on Retail Trade: Health and Safety, whether (a) he and (b) the Health and Safety Executive has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on Co-op's Project Lunar.

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

The Health and Safety Executive have not had any discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade or received any representations from trade unions concerning Project Lunar. Project Lunar is an internal policy that the Co-op is introducing, so it is not a matter for HSE or the government to be involved in.

Under health and safety law it is the employer (Co-op) who is responsible for protecting its employees and others from harm. The employer must identify the risks and take action to eliminate them, or if this is not possible, to control the risk. An employer must manage any health and safety risks before people can work alone.

HSE and Local Authorities (LAs) work together as co-regulatory partners to enforce health and safety law, with LAs being responsible for regulation of health and safety in most retail businesses. Both HSE and LAs provide advice and guidance on the management of risk and what the law requires, conduct inspections and investigations, and take enforcement action where appropriate.

Any correspondence received by HSE raising workplace health and safety concerns is fully assessed, and subsequent actions can include, providing advice or guidance, further investigation or referral to another regulator where appropriate.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for applications to the Access to Work grant.

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

As set out in the Green Paper, we are reforming Access to Work to improve the scheme so that it helps more disabled people into and on in work. We are committed to reducing waiting times for claims and we prioritise customers starting a job in four weeks. Nevertheless, Access to Work is demand-led and tailored to the needs of each customer.

We are continuing to streamline delivery practices and have increased the number of staff processing claims. Since May 2024, 118 additional staff have been redeployed to support Access to Work.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the time taken to (a) obtain and (b) renew black powder licenses.

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

Under the Explosives Regulations 2014, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) sets the legal framework for the safe acquisition and possession of explosives, including black powder. However, the responsibility for issuing and renewing explosives certificates rests with individual police forces, who act as licensing authorities under those Regulations.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people claiming housing benefit in Gosport in each of the last three years.

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

Monthly statistics for the number of Housing Benefit claimants in Great Britain are published quarterly on Stat-Xplore, The statistics are available for various geographies, including local authority and parliamentary constituency, and are currently available to May 2025.

Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that young people living in supported accommodation are not financially disadvantaged when increasing their working hours.

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

We acknowledge there is a challenge arising from the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit, particularly for young people living in supported and temporary accommodation, including the different income tapers used by each benefit.

We are considering options to improve work incentives for residents of supported housing and temporary accommodation, while taking into account the views of stakeholders. As funding is required to allow a change, any future decisions will take account of the current fiscal context.

It remains the department’s priority to ensure that those who can work are supported to enter the labour market and to sustain employment.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Housing Benefit taper rate on the number of young people living in supported accommodation who are in work.

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

We acknowledge there is a challenge arising from the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit, particularly for young people living in supported and temporary accommodation, including the different income tapers used by each benefit.

We are considering options to improve work incentives for residents of supported housing and temporary accommodation, while taking into account the views of stakeholders. As funding is required to allow a change, any future decisions will take account of the current fiscal context.

It remains the department’s priority to ensure that those who can work are supported to enter the labour market and to sustain employment.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many face-to-face PIP assessments have taken place since July 2024, broken down by month.

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

The number of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) face-to-face assessments carried out each month from July 2024 to August 2025 can be found in the table below.

Please Note

• All volumes have been rounded to the nearest 1000.
• All the above data is derived from contractual management information produced by the assessment suppliers.
• The above data is derived from unpublished management information which is collected for internal departmental use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics Publication standards.
• The dip in September is due to the introduction of the Functional Assessment Service contracts on 9 September 2024. For a brief period, face to face assessments were limited to allow for a smooth transition from the old Health and Disability Assessment Service to the new Health Assessment Advisory Service across the country.

The number of PIP face-to-face assessments conducted is not available at a regional level. However, we can provide the information split by Lot. The number of PIP face-to-face assessments carried out by Lot from July 2024 to August 2025 can be found in the table below.

Please Note

• All volumes greater than or equal to 1000 have been rounded to the nearest 1000, all volumes less than 1000 have been rounded to the nearest 100.
• All the above data is derived from contractual management information produced by the assessment suppliers.
• The above data is derived from unpublished management information which is collected for internal departmental use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics Publication standards.
• Please note that for the period July- September 2024, Lot 3 and Lot 4 data is combined due to the old contractual reporting structure.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many face-to-face PIP assessments have been conducted in each region of the UK since July 2024.

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

The number of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) face-to-face assessments carried out each month from July 2024 to August 2025 can be found in the table below.

Please Note

• All volumes have been rounded to the nearest 1000.
• All the above data is derived from contractual management information produced by the assessment suppliers.
• The above data is derived from unpublished management information which is collected for internal departmental use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics Publication standards.
• The dip in September is due to the introduction of the Functional Assessment Service contracts on 9 September 2024. For a brief period, face to face assessments were limited to allow for a smooth transition from the old Health and Disability Assessment Service to the new Health Assessment Advisory Service across the country.

The number of PIP face-to-face assessments conducted is not available at a regional level. However, we can provide the information split by Lot. The number of PIP face-to-face assessments carried out by Lot from July 2024 to August 2025 can be found in the table below.

Please Note

• All volumes greater than or equal to 1000 have been rounded to the nearest 1000, all volumes less than 1000 have been rounded to the nearest 100.
• All the above data is derived from contractual management information produced by the assessment suppliers.
• The above data is derived from unpublished management information which is collected for internal departmental use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics Publication standards.
• Please note that for the period July- September 2024, Lot 3 and Lot 4 data is combined due to the old contractual reporting structure.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of households in receipt of Universal Credit that are affected by the Benefit Cap have (a) no debt deductions from their Universal Credit award, (b) a deduction of more than 0% of their standard allowance and less than or equal to 5%, (c) a deduction of more than 5% and less than or equal to 10%, (d) a deduction of more than 10% and less than or equal to 15% and (e) a deduction of more than 15% in (i) Wales, (ii) Scotland and (iii) England.

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

Statistics related to Universal Credit deductions are routinely published. The latest publication, published on 12 August 2025, is available here: Universal Credit statistics, 29 April 2013 to 10 July 2025 - GOV.UK

The narrative Universal Credit deductions statistics, June 2024 to May 2025 - GOV.UK and supporting supplementary data tables provide a range of breakdowns including deduction amounts as a percentage of the standard allowance, in Table 2 of the supplementary tables and breakdowns by Local Authorities and Parliamentary Constituencies.

Statistics on households that have had their benefits capped is also routinely published. The latest publication is available here: Benefit Cap statistics - GOV.UK.

Data on UC households affected by the Benefit Cap that have deductions is not published.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many non-UK nationals claiming Universal Credit are affected by the two-child limit.

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

Statistics about the policy that provides support for a maximum of 2 children in Universal Credit are published annually. The latest publication is available here: Universal Credit claimants statistics on the two child limit policy, April 2025 - GOV.UK

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many additional staff have been employed to carry out face-to-face PIP assessments since July 2024.

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

The number of additional health professionals (HPs) employed to conduct face-to-face Personal Independence Payments (PIP) assessments is not held. This is because the data cannot be split to show the HPs recruited to deliver a specific type of assessment and the majority of the suppliers have multi-skilled HPs who deliver across multiple channels.

Currently, there is no formal accountability for where money given to a receiving parent is spent. No receipts for clothing/food/housing etc. This money could be being spent anywhere. We think itemised receipts for CMS spend should be mandatory.

Any individuals found guilty of belonging to or supporting a proscribed terror group should lose any entitlement to state benefits.

Found: recently launched strategies such as the Migration Strategy, Industrial Strategy, and the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: Agency following earlier roles in the Department for Energy and Climate Change and Department for Work and Pensions

Found: This includes colocation of DWP services in probation spaces and DWP Prison Work Coaches, who support

Found: .  The ability to run some Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) services.  Increased capital funding

Found: Place through our committed co-commissioned and co-designed approach with Local Authority and regional DWP

Found: The Department for Work and Pensions on delivering the Get Britain Working White Paper, including local

Found: Systems should partner with local authorities, educators, Local Skills Improvement Partnerships, DWP

Found: education and training: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmeduc/850/85002.htm 23 DWP

Found: Often programmes funded by DWP overlap or compete with DfE skills programmes, or have outcomes that

Found: Sector employer organisations’ engagement with the Department for Work and Pensions is key to this.

Found: Working closely with industry to better understand employer needs, the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: .  Police Training: In partnership with West Yorkshire Police, DWP and an established, contracted training

Found: comprises Skills England, Industrial Strategy Council, Migration Advisory Committee and Department for Work and Pensions

Found: coordinated, cross-departmental action between the Department for Education, HM Treasury, the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: , cross-departmental action between the Department for Education, HM Treasury, the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: to DCMS (regarding creative data); from DSIT (regarding AI and technology; geospatial data) to the DWP

Found: In the first instance, that has been funded by DWP with further education colleges across the country

Found: wider Plan to Make Work Pay which are led by other Government departments including the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: Q254 Mr Reynolds: Sarah, FE Week has reported today that Skills England will be moving into the new DWP

Found: Stonehill-Hammond − AFC0074 – Welsh Government − AFC0075 – Northern Ireland Office − AFC0076 – Department for Work and Pensions

Found: support them, which means that we can automatically check their entitlement with our colleagues at DWP

Found: Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Work and Pensions relating to the 36th Report

Found: in further devolution and the willingness to share information so that we know things like whether DWP

Found: in further devolution and the willingness to share information so that we know things like whether DWP

Found: level with our community safety partnerships, where we will have the police, the fire brigade and the DWP

Found: in further devolution and the willingness to share information so that we know things like whether DWP

Found: in further devolution and the willingness to share information so that we know things like whether DWP

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure coordination between her Department and the Department for Work and Pensions when monitoring foreign nationals' eligibility for Universal Credit.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) applies strict compliance and benefit eligibility checks to all claimants regardless of their nationality. In addition to verifying a claimant’s identity, DWP always checks a person’s immigration status before paying them benefits if they are a foreign national. The DWP verify this information with the Home Office, including through automatic system-to-system checks, which the Home Office is increasingly rolling out to other Government departments and public authorities.

The data made available through those system-to-system checks is specific to the need of each department and contains only the necessary information to inform their decision making.

No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) is a standard condition applied to most categories of temporary immigration permission, which prevents those who are subject to immigration control from accessing certain services or benefits.

Those who are in the UK without lawful status are also prevented from accessing public funds. This includes access to Universal Credit.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make it her policy to establish a sustainable funding model for social welfare advice services.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The Government recognises the important role that social welfare advice services play in supporting individuals.

For example, DWP provide grant funding to Citizens Advice, who deliver Help to Claim support for customers to apply for Universal Credit. In addition, the Money and Pensions Service, which is sponsored by DWP, continues to provide impartial, free money and pensions guidance directly to consumers.

DWP’s settlement at Spending Review 2025 provided DWP with funding to continue delivering these 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 25 June 2025 to Question 60209 on Carers, on how many occasions there has been a cross-Government meeting since July 2024.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Unpaid carers play a vital role and can access support from adult and children’s social care and the National Health Service, as well as through benefits, employers, schools, colleges, and universities. However, we know that too often systems are disjointed, difficult to navigate, and don’t appropriately identify and communicate with carers.

The Government is determined to work together to provide carers of all ages with the recognition and support they deserve.

Ministers from the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department for Business and Trade, and the Department for Education have convened twice this year to discuss support for unpaid carers and consider opportunities to provide further recognition and support. These are early meetings of a group exploring further ways in which carers can be supported, and as such it does not have a statutory remit.

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 25 June 2025 to Question 60209 on Carers, what the outcomes were of the cross-Government meeting.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Unpaid carers play a vital role and can access support from adult and children’s social care and the National Health Service, as well as through benefits, employers, schools, colleges, and universities. However, we know that too often systems are disjointed, difficult to navigate, and don’t appropriately identify and communicate with carers.

The Government is determined to work together to provide carers of all ages with the recognition and support they deserve.

Ministers from the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department for Business and Trade, and the Department for Education have convened twice this year to discuss support for unpaid carers and consider opportunities to provide further recognition and support. These are early meetings of a group exploring further ways in which carers can be supported, and as such it does not have a statutory remit.

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 25 June 2025 to Question 60209 on Carers, who attends the cross-Government meetings.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Unpaid carers play a vital role and can access support from adult and children’s social care and the National Health Service, as well as through benefits, employers, schools, colleges, and universities. However, we know that too often systems are disjointed, difficult to navigate, and don’t appropriately identify and communicate with carers.

The Government is determined to work together to provide carers of all ages with the recognition and support they deserve.

Ministers from the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department for Business and Trade, and the Department for Education have convened twice this year to discuss support for unpaid carers and consider opportunities to provide further recognition and support. These are early meetings of a group exploring further ways in which carers can be supported, and as such it does not have a statutory remit.

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 25 June 2025 to Question 60209 on Carers, whether the cross-Government meeting has a statutory remit.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Unpaid carers play a vital role and can access support from adult and children’s social care and the National Health Service, as well as through benefits, employers, schools, colleges, and universities. However, we know that too often systems are disjointed, difficult to navigate, and don’t appropriately identify and communicate with carers.

The Government is determined to work together to provide carers of all ages with the recognition and support they deserve.

Ministers from the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department for Business and Trade, and the Department for Education have convened twice this year to discuss support for unpaid carers and consider opportunities to provide further recognition and support. These are early meetings of a group exploring further ways in which carers can be supported, and as such it does not have a statutory remit.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of tax calculations made through HMRC's Simple Assessment procedure were subsequently found to be incorrect in each of the last five years.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Simple Assessments are based on data from customers and third parties, such as employers, pension providers, Department for Work and Pensions and financial institutions. If any of this data is incorrect, customers can raise a query by identifying the errors and providing corrected figures to HMRC. HMRC will then revise or withdraw the assessment.

HMRC does not hold data centrally on the number of Simple Assessments amended or withdrawn over the past five years

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his department has made an assessment of the potential impact of (a) delays of over 12 months for diagnoses to secure medication and (b) temporary inability to work until that medication is secured on (i) the economy and (ii) the NHS.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We have not made such an assessment on the impact of delays to diagnoses to secure medication or on the impact of patients waiting for medication being out of work.

It is a priority of the Government to bring down National Health Service waiting lists. As set out in the Plan for Change, we are committed to returning to the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment by March 2029. Where clinically appropriate, treatment will include medication.

Most patients will require one or more diagnostic test as part of their care. While most patients will receive a diagnostic test within weeks, there remain too many patients waiting in excess of six weeks. In June 2025, the period of the latest published data, 21.3% of patients waiting for a diagnostic test had been waiting for six weeks or more.

One of the reasons it is so important we focus on bringing down waiting lists for patients to receive treatment they need, including medication, is to allow them to continue with their day-to-day activities and employment. The Joint Work and Health Directorate is collaborating with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to improve the evidence on the relationship between health and labour market outcomes.

The ONS plans to link NHS waiting times data, to which they recently acquired access, to Census, Department for Work and Pensions Benefits and HM Revenue and Customs Pay As You Earn records to analyse the relationship between waiting time duration, for various health conditions and procedures, and labour market outcomes such as employment status, gross pay and benefit receipt in England. ONS will confirm in due course when related analysis will be made available.

Found: housing officer; (f) a local authority social worker; (g) a representative from the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: housing officer; (f) a local authority social worker; (g) a representative from the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: Andrew Western, Parliamentary-Under Secretary of State (Minister for Transformation) at Department for Work and Pensions

Found: 2 Department for Education Thirty-sixth report: Jobcentres 7 Department for Work and Pensions

Found: 2 Department for Education Thirty-sixth report: Jobcentres 7 Department for Work and Pensions

Found:

Found:

Found:

Found: TOTAL NON-BUDGET NON-BUDGET Department for Work and Pensions X032A031 X032A031-BENEFIT

Found: extensive experience from a career spanning multiple government departments including the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs; MHCLG = Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government; DWP

Found: 0.0 466.3 0.030389782650042 98.3 0.00698045446342412 98.3 z -368 -0.789191507613125 Department for Work and Pensions

Found: 0.017065961328853404 169.063333 0.011018224198931349 90.525302 0.006428359597138528 Department for Work and Pensions

Found: 0.0663338524166444 0 0.0 0 0.0 466.3 0.0560521106457439 0 0.0 0 0.0 98.3 0.0118131486424715 0 0.0 Department for Work and Pensions

Found: extensive experience from a career spanning multiple government departments including the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: On loan from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to IBCA until 02/10/2025. 15 On loan from Department for Work and Pensions

Found: acceptable (so 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25, 2025-date.Request for information 3: The Department for Work and Pensions

Found:   ●    CCSJ said that the Scottish Government will keep DWP and others informed of their thinking around

Found: in 2024.In 2024, Pension Age Winter Heating Payment was paid by the Department for Work and Pension (DWP

Found: includes Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd from Q1 2008.3, 5Q4 2008Q3 2012From Q3 2012 Department for Work and Pensions

Found: In May 2024, the Department for Work and Pensions rolled out an increase in the administrative earnings

Found: Forecasts are carried out using figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) so any variance

Found: securely transferred the disability benefit awards of more than 120,000 people from the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: MF are meeting with key DWP officials next week, including the Director responsible for the Green Paper

Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that an estimated 27% of state pension age people in Glasgow are not aware of Pension Credit and an estimated £30,263,573 goes unclaimed annually by 13,377 pensioners, what measures it can take to communicate directly with state pension age people to encourage maximum uptake of all relevant social security benefits they are entitled to.

Answered by Somerville, Shirley-Anne - Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice

The DWP is ultimately responsible for increasing take-up of Pension Credit. Despite this, through our Benefit Take-Up Strategy, of which there is no UK Government equivalent, we continue to tackle barriers to take-up and explore opportunities to raise awareness of this payment to people in Scotland. For example, Social Security Scotland have shared content on Pension Credit, via social media, and information is included in posts where entitlement is relevant to a devolved payment.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to recover the reported £36 million of benefit overpayments currently held by Social Security Scotland.

Answered by Somerville, Shirley-Anne - Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice

The Scottish Government is committed to recovering benefit overpayments wherever it is considered economic and reasonable to do so in line with the principles set out in the Scottish Public Finance Manual.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much Social Security Scotland has written off in overpaid benefits since 2018.

Answered by Somerville, Shirley-Anne - Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice

Social Security Scotland is committed to recovering overpaid benefits wherever it is reasonable and economical to do so, in accordance with the Scottish Public Finance Manual.

Since 2018, approximately £7.7 million in overpaid benefits has been written off, which represents an estimated 0.1% of the total lifetime expenditure on benefits administered by the agency. For comparison, the equivalent figure for write-offs relating to Scottish debt managed by the Department for Work and Pensions stands at £42.2 million or 0.3%.

These write-offs have occurred for a range of reasons, including bereavement, where there is no equity in the client’s estate to enable recovery, and small overpayments under £65, which are not economical to pursue.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of Adult Disability claimants transferred from PIP have received a reassessment of their claim, and what the outcomes were of any such reassessment, including the percentage of claims that have (a) increased, (b) decreased and (c) remained the same. 

Answered by Somerville, Shirley-Anne - Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice

Social Security Scotland is committed to transparency and accountability and routinely publishes statistics on its benefits, including Adult Disability Payment reviews in its quarterly Adult Disability Payment Official Statistics publication.

As of 30 April 2025, 345,955 people had their benefits transferred from Personal Independence Payment to Adult Disability Payment. Social Security Scotland has completed reviews for 142,100 of these awards:

• 20% of awards resulted in an increase in award (28,145 cases)
• 2% resulted in a decrease in award (2,365 cases)
• 79% stayed the same (111,590 cases)

It is not possible to directly calculate the percentage of clients who have had a review, as a small number have had more than one review since their benefit was transferred.

The initial review date for transferred Adult Disability Payment awards is based on the Personal Independence Payment review date set by the Department for Work and Pensions, so many transferred Adult Disability Payment awards are not yet due to be reviewed. The next Adult Disability Payment statistics will be published on 16 September 2025, covering up to 31 July 2025.