Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2026 to Question 12047 on Employment: Disability, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of (a) work coaches, (b) disability employment advisers at Jobcentres and (c) access to work grants on the number of people with disabilities in work.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department published an evaluation of Additional Work Coach Support: The impact of Additional Work Coach Support on the employment outcomes of LCWRA participants and Evaluation of Additional Work Coach Support. Additionally, we have published a study that assessed the feasibility of evaluating the impact of Access to Work: Feasibility of evaluating the impact of the Access to Work programme.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
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 merits of the provision of interview questions in advance as a reasonable adjustment for jobseekers with learning disabilities and autism.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP recognises that some disabled candidates, including people with learning disabilities and autistic people, may benefit from reasonable adjustments during recruitment and as such promotes practices that support fair and accessible recruitment, including the provision of interview questions in advance, the use of clear language and flexibility in assessment methods where appropriate. DWP's Learning Disabilities Project is also working with employers and specialist organisations to identify barriers to recruitment and develop practical guidance that supports more inclusive employment opportunities for people with learning disabilities.
Asked by: Baroness Altmann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government which regulatory body oversees the actuarial profession in connection with advice to members, trustees and sponsors of Defined Benefit pension schemes and what mechanism there is for compensation for schemes or members who lose out as a result of negligent advice or failure to warn of all material risks to the pension scheme or its members.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The actuarial profession is regulated by the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) which is the relevant professional body. It is possible to raise a concern or complaint relating to an individual member of the IFoA directly to the IFoA.
The Actuaries’ Code is the ethical Code of Conduct to which all IFoA members must adhere. Failure by a member to comply with the ethical requirements set out in the Code may lead to disciplinary proceedings under the IFoA’s Disciplinary Scheme.
The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is the oversight body for the actuarial profession, and this provides a further route for complaints about professional standards and conduct.
Where a pension scheme trustee, sponsoring employer or member believes they have suffered a loss as a result of negligent actuarial advice, redress would normally be sought through the courts under professional negligence or breach of contract.
Asked by: Lord Houchen of High Leven (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) desks, and (2) civil servants, are assigned to the Department for Work and Pensions office at Caxton House.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Below is the Department’s headcount and desks figure for DWP Caxton House London as of 30th June 2026
Site Location | Employees | Total Desks |
LONDON DWP CAXTON HOUSE | 2,245 | 1,395 |
Caxton House currently has 2,245 DWP colleagues and 1,395 desks.
This number of desks does not include alternative space where colleagues may work from through the day, including meeting rooms, collaboration areas, or privacy booths.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
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 consultations on disability benefits reforms are accessible for disabled people.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
This Government values the input of disabled people and people with health conditions in addition to the representative organisations and people that support them.
That is why we brought forward a Green Paper and opened a public consultation – which received over 47,500 responses before closing on 30 June 2025. The consultation was published in a range of accessible versions including braille, audio, British Sign Language (BSL), Welsh language, Easy Read, large print and web-accessible formats. In addition to the public consultation, we ran a programme of accessible public events to further facilitate input. The series of both virtual and in-person events across the country helped us to hear from disabled people and representative organisations directly.
Our conversations with disabled people and people with health conditions, as well as experts, shaped and informed the Green Paper. We are committed to continuing this dialogue and drawing on a wide range of insights and experiences to get these reforms right. We published our summary to the Pathways to Work Green Paper consultation responses on 30 October 2025. We are considering feedback on these proposals as we develop them further.
The Timms Review is being co-produced by disabled people, the organisations that represent them and other experts. The steering group is committed to ensuring the Review is informed by a broad range of voices and experiences, and to making engagement accessible. The steering group agreed to use a mix of approaches combining lived experience, expert insight, existing research, new quantitative data and workshops across the UK to gather evidence.
The Review has run a Call for Evidence and ‘Workshop in a Box’ sessions to gather input from individuals and organisations with a full suite of accessible versions, including British Sign Language, Braille, Easy Read, Large Print, Audio, and Welsh versions. The Call for Evidence received over 38,000 responses. A summary of these findings was published alongside the Interim Report on 9 July. The Review will report to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for final decisions by autumn 2026.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many of the respondents to the call for evidence of the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payments in the respondent group "Individuals (lived experience)" were recipients of personal independence payments.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Timms Review, the first ever full review of PIP, seeks to ensure we have a system that supports disabled people to achieve better health, higher living standards and greater independence, including through employment.
The Review is being co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, carers, clinicians, experts, MPs and other stakeholders, so a wide range of views and voices are heard. It has adopted a mix of approaches combining lived experience, expert insight, existing research, new quantitative data and workshops across the UK to gather evidence. The findings from this engagement will build a strong evidence base to inform policy analysis and the Review's recommendations.
The Timms Review Call for Evidence was open to anyone who wished to contribute and received over 38,000 responses. The response form did not ask participants to provide information about whether or not they currently received PIP. Therefore, we do not hold the data requested.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
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 repeated disability benefit assessments on the mental and physical wellbeing of claimants, including people with autism spectrum disorder and other neurodevelopmental conditions; and whether her Department has assessed the potential merits of considering evidence of a long-term health condition or disability submitted through an assessment for a different welfare benefit, including across applications for Personal Independence Payment and Universal Credit.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The Timms Review is considering the role of PIP in enabling disabled people and those with long-term health conditions to live independently and participate fully in society, and how it can remain fair and fit for the future. Listening to the lived experience and expertise of disabled people, including concerns about repeat assessments, is critical to the Review’s success. The Review will report its recommendations to the Secretary of State in the Autumn.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will consider widening the eligibility criteria for the Motability mileage allowance extension.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Whilst the Department works closely with Motability and is responsible for the main disability benefits that provide a passport to the Motability Scheme, Motability Foundation is an independent charitable organisation that is wholly responsible for the terms and the administration of the Scheme, along with oversight of Motability Operations.
Motability also understand that living in rural areas often means having to travel further to access everyday services. To support this an additional 3,000 miles per year will be provided on leases for certain customers. Motability Operations’ Rural and Islands Isolation Framework uses national Governments' data on rural isolation to determine eligible postcodes. Motability Operations, which operates the Motability Scheme, is writing directly to customers in eligible postcodes.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish the postcodes eligible for the Motability mileage allowance extension for rural areas.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Whilst the Department works closely with Motability and is responsible for the main disability benefits that provide a passport to the Motability Scheme, Motability Foundation is an independent charitable organisation that is wholly responsible for the terms and the administration of the Scheme, along with oversight of Motability Operations.
Motability also understand that living in rural areas often means having to travel further to access everyday services. To support this an additional 3,000 miles per year will be provided on leases for certain customers. Motability Operations’ Rural and Islands Isolation Framework uses national Governments' data on rural isolation to determine eligible postcodes. Motability Operations, which operates the Motability Scheme, is writing directly to customers in eligible postcodes.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent progress his Department has made in the completion of the Universal Credit split payment impact assessment; and whether they plan to use split payments as the default mechanism for all joint claims.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The Department is currently considering the policy design specification provided by the Scottish Government for its proposal to make split payments the default option for Universal Credit customers in Scotland.
The Department has no plans to make split payments the default arrangement for all joint Universal Credit claims.