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, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using Alternative Dispute Resolution to resolve the dispute with the Women Against State Pension Inequality campaign.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 26 June 2026 to Question UIN 10714.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Independent - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to allow full-time carers with no work commitments to claim back the cost of childcare.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The Government’s Universal Credit childcare offer is designed to address a key barrier to work by providing financial help with childcare to make it easier for low-income families to work, stay in work and progress in work.
Carers who are not in paid work are not generally eligible for Universal Credit childcare support, as the support is intended to help with childcare costs associated with employment. There is an existing exception, for cases where one parent in a couple has regular and substantial caring responsibilities for a severely disabled person, and the other is in paid work, supporting the policy ambition to enable low-income families to enter and stay in work.
Whilst the Government keeps Universal Credit policy under review, there are no plans to change the existing eligibility requirements for Universal Credit childcare.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether a sum held in the Court Funds Office continues to be treated as administered by the court under regulation 75(5) of the Universal Credit Regulations 2013 after a deputy for property and financial affairs has been appointed by the Court of Protection; and what guidance his Department gives decision makers on this.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Where a deputy for property and financial affairs has been appointed by the Court of Protection, the effect on the application of regulation 75(5) will depend on whether the funds continue to be administered by the court or remain subject to disposal only by direction of the court. This is a matter for decision makers to determine on the facts of the individual case, having regard to the relevant court orders, the legislation and the nature of the arrangements in place. Departmental decision makers are provided with guidance on the consideration of capital and the application of the Universal Credit Regulations.
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, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of a Citizens Advance scheme, under which individuals could receive the first year of their state pension as an early lump sum.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The State Pension is funded on a pay-as-you-go basis, meaning that National Insurance contributions collected from today’s working population are used to help fund pension payments to current pensioners. It is therefore not a personal savings account or fund from which individuals can draw down accumulated entitlements before reaching State Pension age.
The principle of having a State Pension age that is the same for everybody is simple and clear, making it easy for people to plan for their retirement. It has always been the case that nobody can claim their State Pension before they reach their State Pension age.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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 the Timms review of Personal Independence Payment considers the needs of people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The Review is being co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, and other experts.
The Terms of Reference give the Review’s steering group a broad remit to look at whether the current assessment effectively captures the impact of all long-term health conditions and disabilities, including Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.
The steering group has adopted a mix of approaches to engage with a wide range of views and voices, including its call for evidence which received over 38,000 responses, the ‘workshop in a box’ program, and shaping recommendations workshops. This has enabled it to build a strong evidence base to refine its recommendations.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
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 effectiveness of the support that Access To Work provides for applicants who are transitioning between jobs.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
To protect employment opportunities, case managers prioritise Access to Work applications where the customer is due to start a job within four weeks. In 2025, we allocated around 96% of applications starting work within 4 weeks in 28 days, including those transitioning between jobs.
The Department recently published a new Access to Work research report, Journeys to Access to Work, which was delivered by NatCen and builds on earlier research with Access to Work customers and employers. The report summarises applicants’ and employers’ journeys to Access to Work, their experiences of the application process and delivery of the scheme, perceptions of its impact and recommendations for improvement. This includes how Access to Work operates in addition to and beyond reasonable adjustments and other sources of workplace or external support.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to implement an income change threshold for triggering a maintenance recalculation for Child Maintenance Services from 25% to 15%.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department has conducted a review of the child maintenance calculation. This was focussed on ensuring the calculation strikes the right balance between both parents to encourage willing and able compliance, with the aim of securing more money for children.
Following the review, we plan to take forward a set of changes to reflect a renewed commitment to ensuring that the child maintenance system delivers for the families who rely on it most. One of those changes includes reducing the income tolerance from 25% to 15%. The calculation is reviewed annually, and currently it can be amended outside of that annual review when a paying parent’s income changes by at least 25%. The proposed change will mean that changes in income are captured quicker and assessments remain fair for both parents.
The Department is currently developing the necessary changes and will set out implementation arrangements in due course; Timings will depend on the necessary legislative changes and delivery planning.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
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 needs of children who spend substantial periods of time living in both parents' households when calculating child maintenance.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Reductions to the child maintenance liability may be made where overnight care of the qualifying child is shared by the paying parent for at least 52 nights a year, one night a week on average. The liability is reduced within prescribed bands according to the number of nights of care provided. These provisions recognise the costs incurred by the paying parent to provide overnight care. The CMS cannot instruct parents as to what shared care should be taking place; the law requires it to work out what shared care is taking place and ensure that is accurately reflected in the maintenance calculation on the basis of the evidence presented.
Decisions on shared care are based on the available evidence, with particular weight given to the most reliable sources, including court orders, formal or informal agreements between parents, and evidence of an established pattern of care. Where actual care arrangements differ from formal arrangements, the CMS may take account of the care that is being provided in practice, provided there is sufficient evidence to do so.
In cases where parents disagree about shared care, CMS caseworkers are required to consider all relevant evidence provided by both parties and must not make assumptions in favour of either parent. Caseworkers receive training and guidance to support fair and consistent decision-making and are required to apply the law to the specific facts of each case.
Shared care remains an important consideration within the child maintenance system, and this is an area that the CMS will continue to keep under review.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what evidence the Child Maintenance Service accepts when there is a dispute about the number of nights a child spends with each parent.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Reductions to the child maintenance liability may be made where overnight care of the qualifying child is shared by the paying parent for at least 52 nights a year, one night a week on average. The liability is reduced within prescribed bands according to the number of nights of care provided. These provisions recognise the costs incurred by the paying parent to provide overnight care. The CMS cannot instruct parents as to what shared care should be taking place; the law requires it to work out what shared care is taking place and ensure that is accurately reflected in the maintenance calculation on the basis of the evidence presented.
Decisions on shared care are based on the available evidence, with particular weight given to the most reliable sources, including court orders, formal or informal agreements between parents, and evidence of an established pattern of care. Where actual care arrangements differ from formal arrangements, the CMS may take account of the care that is being provided in practice, provided there is sufficient evidence to do so.
In cases where parents disagree about shared care, CMS caseworkers are required to consider all relevant evidence provided by both parties and must not make assumptions in favour of either parent. Caseworkers receive training and guidance to support fair and consistent decision-making and are required to apply the law to the specific facts of each case.
Shared care remains an important consideration within the child maintenance system, and this is an area that the CMS will continue to keep under review.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to review the 18-month limit for Bereavement Support Payment.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 September 2026 to Question UIN 26385.