Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
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 three month relevant period for LCWRA on applications; and what the reason for that period is.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The LCWRA element will be paid from the start of the Assessment Period following the Assessment Period in which the ‘relevant period’ ended. This replicates the 13-week assessment period applied to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claims and is used to establish that the customer has a long-term health condition or disability.
Throughout the period before the award of the LCWRA addition, claimants will receive the applicable standard allowance plus any eligible additions, such as housing costs.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
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 regional disparities in the outcome of the Individual Placement and Support Programme.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care (IPSPC) was available in 12 areas in England and 2 Health Board areas in Wales. Evaluation of the programme is ongoing.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish the amount of people supported into employment through the Individual Placement and Support scheme.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care (IPSPC) was available in 12 areas in England and 2 Health Board areas in Wales. Evaluation of the programme is ongoing.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
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 financial impact on unpaid carers of repaying Carer’s Allowance overpayments.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This Government recognises and values the vital contribution made by unpaid carers every day in providing significant care and continuity of support to family and friends with disabilities.
The Department has published research into people’s experiences of claiming and receiving Carer’s Allowance in May 2024. The issue of overpayments is covered at pages 54-57: experiences-of-claiming-and-receiving-ca-research-report-final.pdf.
Overpayments can arise for a number of reasons. With respect to those linked to the treatment of earnings in Carer’s Allowance, we inherited a system where some busy carers, already struggling under a huge weight of caring responsibilities, found themselves with unexpected debts. We commissioned an Independent Review, led by Liz Sayce OBE, to investigate why overpayments occurred, how people affected can be better supported, and what changes are needed to prevent similar issues in future. We have published the findings of the Review, acknowledged the shortcomings identified, apologised to those affected, and accepted in full or in part 38 of the Review’s 40 recommendations.
As part of its response, the Government committed to reassessing Carer’s Allowance cases which may have been affected by faulty guidance on averaging of irregularly fluctuating earnings. This guidance was in place between April 2015 and September 2025 and did not accurately reflect the statutory position. The reassessment exercise began on 13 April 2026. Funding of £75m has been provided for the exercise in the financial years 2026/27 to 2028/29. The department expects to review over 200,000 cases, potentially reducing, cancelling, or refunding debts for around 25,000 carers.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people that were claiming Personal Independent Payment and in receipt of the both enhanced components died (a) in total and (b) who had accessed PIP under the Special Rules for terminal illness route in the last year for which information is available.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested can be found in the table provided below.
Table 1: People who have died who were recipients of Personal Independence Payment Enhanced Daily Living and Mobility components
| Special Rules for End of Life | Total |
Feb-25 | 1,490 | 3,900 |
Mar-25 | 1,590 | 4,180 |
Apr-25 | 1,460 | 3,930 |
May-25 | 1,520 | 4,000 |
Jun-25 | 1,460 | 3,790 |
Jul-25 | 1,620 | 4,060 |
Aug-25 | 1,560 | 3,880 |
Sep-25 | 1,530 | 3,860 |
Oct-25 | 1,590 | 4,210 |
Nov-25 | 1,540 | 4,080 |
Dec-25 | 1,640 | 4,620 |
Jan-26 | 1,700 | 4,760 |
Notes:
- Values have been rounded to the nearest 10.
- Figures are for claimants under DWP Policy Ownership (England, Wales and Abroad) and exclude claimants where PIP has been devolved to the Scottish Government in Scotland or The Department for Communities in Northern Ireland.
- Figures include people of both working age and those who are aged above state pension age.
Asked by: Steve Witherden (Labour - Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people are (a) receiving Employment Support Allowance in March 2026 and (b) have experienced ‘failed transitions’ from Employment Support Allowance to Universal Credit; and what steps he is taking to ensure recipients are not being left without support if they are unable to complete the administrative processes for the transition.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
a) Statistics for the number of people on Employment and Support Allowance are published quarterly. The latest statistics for August 2025 are available in the ESA data tables on Stat-Xplore - Table View.
b) Statistics for the number or people invited to Move to Universal Credit are published quarterly. The latest statistics for December 2025 are available in the People invited to Move to Universal Credit data tables on Stat-Xplore - Table View.
Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance(opens in a new tab) on how to extract the information required. There is also a Universal Credit Official Statistics: Stat-Xplore user guide(opens in a new tab)
DWP recognise some claimants may find moving to Universal Credit challenging and we are committed to providing the right support.
Migration notices signpost customers to our helpline, GOV.UK and Help to Claim (provided by Citizens Advice). Contact via these routes allows free and confidential support to be provided, based on individual need, from claim initiation to the first full payment. Customers who have not claimed Universal Credit within two weeks of their deadline enter the Enhanced Support journey, which provides tailored and flexible assistance and can include phone calls and home visits to complete the process.
Support offered to customers does not cease once a Universal Credit claim is made. A range of further support is available including a Complex Needs Toolkit and District Provision Tool for Work Coaches to use in identifying and signposting claimants to appropriate local services, including housing support, Mental Health Services and advocacy and Social Care. Where customers cannot use digital channels, DWP offer regular phone support and face-to-face appointments.
Additionally, Jobcentre staff are trained to discuss complex needs and vulnerabilities and record these along with reasonable adjustments on the Universal Credit account, including different communication channels, home visits or support from an authorised representative, including an Appointee to act on their behalf.
DWP regularly reviews its support to optimise our services and remain committed to supporting vulnerable claimants and welcome feedback. This is in addition to DWP’s internal quality monitoring, which supports agent personal performance and assurance.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 the number of people living in relative poverty in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme, b) Staffordshire and c) England.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are committed to tackling poverty and we know that good work can significantly reduce the chances of people falling into poverty. The Get Britain Working White Paper set out plans to reform employment, health and skills support to tackle rising economic inactivity levels, support people into good work, and create an inclusive labour market based on the unique needs of local communities, in which everybody can participate and progress in work.
Through our plan to Make Work Pay, we will, improve job security and boost living standards. From April, the National Living Wage increased by 6.7 per cent to £12.21 an hour, boosting the pay of 2.4 million workers. This represents an increase of £900 to the gross annual earnings of a full-time worker on the National Living Wage.
Universal Credit has a critical role to play in tackling poverty and making work pay and we have already taken steps to help those in need. The Universal Credit Act 2025, which came into force on 6 April 2026, delivered the first sustained, above inflation rise in the basic rate of Universal Credit since it was introduced. And the introduction of the Fair Repayment Rate in Universal Credit, from April 2025, means that around 1.2 million of the poorest households will retain more of their award, on average £420 a year.
The Child Poverty Strategy has looked at how the government can boost families' incomes through employment and the social security system, drive down the cost of essentials so parents can meet their children’s fundamental needs, and strengthen local support to ensure families can access vital services when they need them. The removal of the two child limit will lift 450,000 children out of poverty, rising to around 550,000 alongside other measures set out in our Strategy, such as the expansion of free school meals. These interventions will lead to the largest expected reduction in child poverty over a Parliament since comparable records began.
We have also introduced the new Crisis and Resilience Fund with £842 million per annum (£1 billion including Barnett consequential) to reform crisis support in England from 1 April 2026. This longer-term funding approach aims to enable local authorities to provide preventative support to communities as well as assisting people when faced with a financial crisis. We have allocated £28.2 million to Staffordshire over three years, (£9.3 million in 2026/27, £9.3 million in 2027/28 and £9.5 million in 2028/29) alongside £451,295 in 2026/27 to support heating oil households, with funding covering both the County and District Councils.
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 assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of financial hardship among people not eligible for support due to existing means-testing arrangements.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department's headline poverty statistics, Households Below Average Income (HBAI) statistics - GOV.UK show trends in income-based poverty back to 1994/95, including breakdowns regarding whether families are in receipt of means-tested benefits or not. The figures can be filtered to children, working age adults, and pensioners. The statistics also include measures of material deprivation which provide an indication of peoples’ ability to access or afford a range of everyday goods and services.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
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 training for Child Maintenance Service call handlers on (a) vulnerable people and (b) victims of domestic abuse.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions and the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) take the support of vulnerable customers, including victims and survivors of domestic abuse, extremely seriously.
All CMS Caseworkers receive comprehensive technical training, including specific modules on identifying and supporting vulnerable customers and victims and survivors of domestic abuse. This Domestic Abuse training is kept up to date through mandatory two year refresher training to ensure colleagues maintain the requisite skills and knowledge.
For the most complex domestic abuse cases, CMS uses a specialist team, which provides tailored support and reduces the need for victims and survivors to repeatedly recount their experiences.
All Caseworkers can access the Every Call Matters Hub, which provides access to supporting products and call standards to support confidence and quality when speaking with customers.
CMS aim to handle calls in a sensitive manner and ensure all customers get the help and support they need to use the service safely. This may include signposting to support organisations or reporting to the police where this may be necessary.
Further work is ongoing to strengthen quality assurance processes, including call listening, to ensure that vulnerable customers and victims and survivors of domestic abuse consistently receive the appropriate level of service. Insight from quality assurance outcomes is used to support ongoing training and learning.
Asked by: Antonia Bance (Labour - Tipton and Wednesbury)
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 linking employer incentive payments to apprenticeship completion and post-qualification retention in shortage occupations within the building services engineering sector.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government provides a range of financial support to help employers take on apprentices, these payments are made in instalments at set apprenticeship milestones to support retention.
Foundation apprenticeships were introduced in August 2025, to give young people a route into critical sectors. Employers that take on foundation apprentices, including in building service engineering, will receive additional payments of up to £2,000. This is designed to offset the additional costs employers face whilst supporting the recruitment, retention and progression of young people, e.g. increased mentoring and pastoral care.
The payment is made in three instalments, with the first two spread across the foundation apprenticeship, and the final payment made when an apprentice progresses onto their next apprenticeship, supporting sustained employment for young people at the start of their career.
We also know that SMEs employ large numbers of young apprentices and will be critical in reversing the 40% decline in apprenticeship starts by young people that has occurred over the last decade. That is why we are introducing a new incentive of £2,000 for non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs) that take on 16–24-year-old apprentices as new employees, to contribute to the additional costs associated with employing young people.
On top of this the government already pays £1,000 to both employers and providers for apprentices aged 16-18, and for apprentices aged 19-24 who have an Education Health Care Plan or have been, or are, in local authority care.
Both payments will be made in two equal instalments, the first at day 90 and the second at day 365 after apprenticeship started (or day 242 if apprenticeship under 12 months).