Asked by: Jas Athwal (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether Sikhs and Jews are recorded as (a) ethnic or (b) religious groups by the agencies his department is responsible for.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department adheres to the current harmonised definitions for ethnicity and religion, which are owned and managed by the Office for National Statistics.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to implement he recommendations of the Independent Review of Carer’s Allowance Overpayments.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer the hon. Member to my Written Statement of 25 November HCWS1092 and (at Col 22WS) Carer's Allowance Overpayments Review - Hansard - UK Parliament where I outlined the department’s response to Liz Sayce’s Independent Review. The Government has welcomed the report and is accepting or partially accepting 38 out of the 40 recommendations. In some cases, the changes the report is asking for have already been made. Others will take more time to put in place.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 requiring claimants to score four points in a single daily living activity to be eligible for the Personal Independence Payment on people with learning disabilities.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As I set out to the House on 1 July 2025, the Government listened to concerns and withdrew its proposal to introduce an additional requirement to score a minimum of 4 points in a single activity to be eligible for the daily living element of PIP.
Instead, we launched the Timms Review, the first full review of PIP since its introduction in 2013. The Review is being co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, and other experts, and aims to ensure that PIP is fair and fit for the future.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make and assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 to ensure that hazardous medicinal products with reprotoxic effects are controlled to the same standard as carcinogens and mutagens.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 October 2025 to Question UIN 84440.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
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 ensure that people who leave employment due to long-term health conditions or disability can access Employment and Support Allowance and Personal Independence Payment without (a) delays and (b) repeated appeals.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to providing timely and accurate support to people whose ability to work is affected by long-term health conditions or disabilities through Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Anyone who claims ESA and PIP must satisfy the relevant conditions of entitlement, regardless of the circumstances in which the claim is made. Initial decisions on claims will be made without delay once all evidence needed is available.
Decisions are made within a statutory framework, which allows for revision within one month of notification, with extensions where reasonable. Decisions may also be revised or superseded where there has been official error, where new medical evidence is presented or where a customer has had a relevant change in circumstances. These provisions help ensure accurate decision making and reduce the need for repeated appeals.
We recognise that some customers have complex needs and may require additional support and reasonable adjustments, including adapted communication, additional time, and advocacy from representatives or appointees.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department has issued on the consideration of occupational health reports when assessing claims for (a) Employment and Support Allowance and (b) Personal Independence Payment for people with cognitive or fluctuating conditions.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department provides comprehensive training and guidance for assessment providers and the health professionals (HPs) who carry out both Work Capability Assessments (WCA) in Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Universal Credit (UC), and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments. The WCA Handbook and the Personal Independence Payment Assessment Guide (PIPAG) sets out how HPs should evaluate all relevant evidence when assessing a claimant’s functional limitations against the respective criteria.
Both WCA and PIP assessments are functional assessments, focusing on the impact of health condition(s) or disability. HPs consider all available evidence. DWP decision makers give due consideration to all available evidence when making decisions on benefit entitlement, including the HP’s assessment report and any evidence provided by the individual, their GP or consultant, and anybody else that provides them with formal or informal support.
HPs receive training on cognitive and fluctuating conditions and how these might impact on how individuals perform the activities/descriptors which form the assessments.
Asked by: Danny Beales (Labour - Uxbridge and South Ruislip)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will set out how his Department monitors whether Universal Credit claimant commitments for single-parent claimants are appropriately tailored to individual circumstances.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Lead carers within Universal Credit have different conditionality requirements that reflect their childcare responsibilities. These expectations are set according to the age of their youngest child: where the youngest child is under 1, there are no work preparation or work search requirements; where the youngest child is aged 1 or 2, the lead carer is expected to undertake work preparation activities only; and where the youngest child is aged 3 to 12, they may be asked to undertake work-related activities for up to 30 hours per week.
Work Coaches ensure that claimant commitments for single parents are appropriately tailored through a personalised discussion with each customer. This enables the Work Coach to take into account the individual’s circumstances, including childcare availability, school hours, travel time, and wider caring responsibilities, to ensure that support remains flexible and appropriate to the customer’s needs.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance is provided to Personal Independence Payment assessors on considering the effects of active medical treatment on claimants’ functional ability.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments focus on the functional impact of a claimant’s health condition, rather than diagnosis or treatment alone. At assessment, Health Professionals (HPs) gather information on any past, current and ongoing medical treatment related to conditions that impact function, including medication, therapy, monitoring, side effects and effectiveness. Where necessary to properly inform their advice, HPs should and routinely do seek additional evidence from treating health professionals or other appropriate sources.
Medical treatment is covered throughout training and guidance, and HPs routinely consider the effects of ongoing medical treatment on functional ability when advising on appropriate descriptors. This includes both positive effects, where treatment enables activities to be completed more reliably, and negative effects, such as side effects or symptom fluctuation. These factors are particularly important when applying the reliability criteria, including whether an activity can be carried out safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly, and within a reasonable time. The impact of treatment is also assessed directly within activity 3, which relates to managing therapy or monitoring a health condition.
Where symptoms fluctuate, including because of treatment variability, HPs assess functional impact over a 12-month period to reflect good and bad days and determine how descriptors apply on the majority of days. HPs also consider what medical treatment is being undertaken when advising on a recommended review date, aligning this with the point at which an individual’s functional needs could reasonably be expected to change, for example following recovery or changes to treatment. Claimants are also expected to notify the Department directly of any changes in their condition or circumstances, so that their award can be reviewed where appropriate.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how ongoing medical treatment is taken into account within Personal Independence Payment assessments.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments focus on the functional impact of a claimant’s health condition, rather than diagnosis or treatment alone. At assessment, Health Professionals (HPs) gather information on any past, current and ongoing medical treatment related to conditions that impact function, including medication, therapy, monitoring, side effects and effectiveness. Where necessary to properly inform their advice, HPs should and routinely do seek additional evidence from treating health professionals or other appropriate sources.
Medical treatment is covered throughout training and guidance, and HPs routinely consider the effects of ongoing medical treatment on functional ability when advising on appropriate descriptors. This includes both positive effects, where treatment enables activities to be completed more reliably, and negative effects, such as side effects or symptom fluctuation. These factors are particularly important when applying the reliability criteria, including whether an activity can be carried out safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly, and within a reasonable time. The impact of treatment is also assessed directly within activity 3, which relates to managing therapy or monitoring a health condition.
Where symptoms fluctuate, including because of treatment variability, HPs assess functional impact over a 12-month period to reflect good and bad days and determine how descriptors apply on the majority of days. HPs also consider what medical treatment is being undertaken when advising on a recommended review date, aligning this with the point at which an individual’s functional needs could reasonably be expected to change, for example following recovery or changes to treatment. Claimants are also expected to notify the Department directly of any changes in their condition or circumstances, so that their award can be reviewed where appropriate.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how fluctuating symptoms are taken into account within Personal Independence Payment assessments.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments focus on the functional impact of a claimant’s health condition, rather than diagnosis or treatment alone. At assessment, Health Professionals (HPs) gather information on any past, current and ongoing medical treatment related to conditions that impact function, including medication, therapy, monitoring, side effects and effectiveness. Where necessary to properly inform their advice, HPs should and routinely do seek additional evidence from treating health professionals or other appropriate sources.
Medical treatment is covered throughout training and guidance, and HPs routinely consider the effects of ongoing medical treatment on functional ability when advising on appropriate descriptors. This includes both positive effects, where treatment enables activities to be completed more reliably, and negative effects, such as side effects or symptom fluctuation. These factors are particularly important when applying the reliability criteria, including whether an activity can be carried out safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly, and within a reasonable time. The impact of treatment is also assessed directly within activity 3, which relates to managing therapy or monitoring a health condition.
Where symptoms fluctuate, including because of treatment variability, HPs assess functional impact over a 12-month period to reflect good and bad days and determine how descriptors apply on the majority of days. HPs also consider what medical treatment is being undertaken when advising on a recommended review date, aligning this with the point at which an individual’s functional needs could reasonably be expected to change, for example following recovery or changes to treatment. Claimants are also expected to notify the Department directly of any changes in their condition or circumstances, so that their award can be reviewed where appropriate.