Asked by: Tessa Munt (Liberal Democrat - Wells and Mendip Hills)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department (a) currently holds and (b) previously held any documentation relating to the Chinook ZD576 which crashed on 2 June 1994.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions have conducted an extensive search of The National Archive’s search engine, Discovery, and their own records and have been unable to locate any records relating to Chinook ZD576.
Our thoughts and sympathies remain with the families, friends, and colleagues of all those who died in the Mull of Kintyre crash.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many prosecutions for benefits fraud have been made since July 2024.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in light of the Health and Safety Executive’s proposals to lower the permitted level of lead in the blood of general employees, what assessment they have made of the impact on stained glass artists.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is currently consulting on proposed changes to the Control of Lead at Work Regulations (CLAW) 2002 to enable the impact of these proposed lev-els in the working environment to be fully assessed. HSE has also been engaging with the heritage sector about potential changes to CLAW since early 2025 and is continuing to engage with a range of businesses to inform this work, including representatives of the broader heritage and specific stained-glass sectors, prior to making any final recommendations.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference the Answer of 19 February 2025 to Question 30627, if he will provide updated figures on the number of carers with Carer's Allowance overpayment debts as a result of breaching the earnings limit in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
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, 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.
The number of people with Carer's Allowance overpayment debts as a result of breaching the earnings limit where the person has a postcode in (a) England, (b) Wales, and (c) Scotland is presented below (correct as at 22 April 2026). Social security is a transferred matter in Northern Ireland, which is therefore excluded from these figures.
Carer’s Allowance has been a devolved matter in Scotland since April 2018, therefore cases with a Scottish postcode are not included where the overpayment occurred after that date. However, at the request of the Scottish Government, where such cases may have been affected by the faulty guidance on averaging of earnings identified by the Review, they are included in the current exercise to reassess such cases.
| England | Wales | Scotland |
Volume of Customers with an Outstanding CA Debt with 'Earnings over CA Limit' | 83,489 | 5,272 | 920 |
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what conversations he has had with employers regarding the timeliness of notifications of changes in employees’ Access to Work awards.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Access to Work continues to support disabled people and people with health conditions to start and stay in work, and the Department recognises increased demand has contributed to delays. In response to the increased demand, DWP has increased resourcing to support with reducing the backlog by September 2027 and is considering further improvements to the scheme.
DWP is improving the Access to Work service to ensure it remains focussed on providing timely and effective support, including how customers are notified when support changes or comes to an end. Decisions on awards are issued in writing and set out the support agreed and the period of the award. Customers who disagree with a decision can ask for it to be looked at again. The Department is continuing to improve the service so that it better supports disabled people to start and stay in work.
DWP has not had any specific conversations with employers about the timeliness of notifications to changes in employees’ Access to Work awards. However, the Department continues to engage with employers and other stakeholders about Access to Work as part of ongoing outreach work to improve the service.
Asked by: Mark Sewards (Labour - Leeds South West and Morley)
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 taxable benefits in kind appearing in payroll data on Carer’s Allowance earnings limit.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
A payment in kind is a payment made by something other than money, such as goods, vouchers or free accommodation.
An employer may also pay contributions to a private health scheme on behalf of its employees. For Carer’s Allowance purposes, such payments are treated as earnings where they arise as a result of the person’s gainful employment, in line with the relevant Social Security regulations and guidance. In calculating a person’s earnings, the value of these payments is taken into account alongside earnings from other sources.
Customers receiving Carer’s Allowance are responsible for reporting their earnings to the department, including any deductions from their gross earnings.
Asked by: Mark Sewards (Labour - Leeds South West and Morley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department provides on whether a payroll benefit in kind, including employer-provided private medical insurance, is treated as earnings for the purposes of Carer’s Allowance.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
A payment in kind is a payment made by something other than money, such as goods, vouchers or free accommodation.
An employer may also pay contributions to a private health scheme on behalf of its employees. For Carer’s Allowance purposes, such payments are treated as earnings where they arise as a result of the person’s gainful employment, in line with the relevant Social Security regulations and guidance. In calculating a person’s earnings, the value of these payments is taken into account alongside earnings from other sources.
Customers receiving Carer’s Allowance are responsible for reporting their earnings to the department, including any deductions from their gross earnings.
Asked by: Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in light of the Health and Safety Executive’s proposals to lower the permitted level of lead in the blood of general employees, what assessment they have made of the impact on those who work in the heritage arts and crafts sector.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is currently consulting on proposed changes to the Control of Lead at Work Regulations (CLAW) 2002 to enable the impact of these proposed levels in the working environment to be fully assessed. HSE has also been engaging with the heritage sector about potential changes to CLAW since early 2025 and is continuing to engage with a range of businesses.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
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 reasons for the rise in youth unemployment among people aged 16 to 24 in the past 24 months.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
This Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. For many years, our young people have not had the opportunity and support they deserve. The number of 16- to 24-year-olds in the UK not in education, employment or training (NEET) has risen by 77,000 over the last two years. This is an increase of 62,000 in those who are unemployed, and 15,000 in those who are economically inactive. However, these issues are long-standing. Between 2021-2024, the number of NEET young people rose by 250,000. There are multiple factors that can drive this, including a lack of work experience, mental health and wider economic conditions.
The interim report of the independent review into young people and work led by Alan Milburn, published on Thursday 28th May, identifies multiple reasons as to why there has been an increase in youth unemployment. This report can be found here: Young people and work: interim report - GOV.UK.
We are committed to tackling the challenges identified in the interim report, and are preparing for the recommendations expected to be published in the second phase of the Milburn review in the Autumn. We are already investing £2.5 billion into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy to support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn over the next three years. Furthermore, our Pathways to Work programme (which will be backed by £1 billion a year of funding by the end of the decade) is building 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. Through Pathways to Work, young people with health conditions or disabilities have access to tailored support including help into supported employment through Connect to Work.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on reducing the number of young people not in employment, education or training in a) Newport West and Islwyn constituency and b) South Wales.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. The Government is investing an additional £2.5 billion over the next three years into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy. This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn, including through expanded network of Youth Hubs, earlier intensive support in Jobs Centres through a new Youth Guarantee Gateway, additional work experience and training opportunities, a £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant and £2,000 apprenticeship hiring payment for employers, and a fully funded six month job for long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is working closely with the Welsh Government to support young people into employment, education and training across Wales, including in Newport West and Islwyn and the wider South Wales region.
DWP and Welsh Government policy officials meet on a regular basis to discuss young people policy, focusing on action to reduce the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET). In addition, senior policy officials from both organisations met in person on 31 March 2026 in Cardiff to focus specifically on youth outcomes and reducing the NEET rate. Lots of work has also been undertaken recently to build meaningful relationships to cover all areas of Wales, including working across both governments Youth Agendas.
The DWP Wales teams work closely with the Welsh Government and partners, with ongoing collaboration to coordinate activity and share best practice at a local level, including for Newport West and Islwyn and the wider South Wales region. DWP and Welsh Government are also working closely together on their respective future Employability Provision.