Department for Work and Pensions

We are strengthening our partnership with the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE) with our Civil Society Covenant. We recognise that the VCSE sector has a strong record of supporting families and is the bedrock of our communities, showing what is possible.

To help realise the aims of the Covenant at the local level, we are launching a ‘Local Covenant Partnerships’ programme to help support partnership working and delivery between civil society organisations, local authorities and public service providers in selected areas that need it the most.

Moreover, we are stablishing the world's largest social outcomes fund. The UK wide Better Futures Fund will be backed by £500 million of government funding over ten years to support vulnerable children, young people and their families. The Fund has the potential to achieve up to £1 billion in total funding to enable collaboration between government, local communities, charities and social enterprises, social impact investors and philanthropists.

We are strengthening our partnership with the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE) with our Civil Society Covenant. We recognise that the VCSE sector has a strong record of supporting families and is the bedrock of our communities, showing what is possible.

To help realise the aims of the Covenant at the local level, we are launching a ‘Local Covenant Partnerships’ programme to help support partnership working and delivery between civil society organisations, local authorities and public service providers in selected areas that need it the most.

Moreover, we are stablishing the world's largest social outcomes fund. The UK wide Better Futures Fund will be backed by £500 million of government funding over ten years to support vulnerable children, young people and their families. The Fund has the potential to achieve up to £1 billion in total funding to enable collaboration between government, local communities, charities and social enterprises, social impact investors and philanthropists.

We are strengthening our partnership with the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE) with our Civil Society Covenant. We recognise that the VCSE sector has a strong record of supporting families and is the bedrock of our communities, showing what is possible.

To help realise the aims of the Covenant at the local level, we are launching a ‘Local Covenant Partnerships’ programme to help support partnership working and delivery between civil society organisations, local authorities and public service providers in selected areas that need it the most.

Moreover, we are stablishing the world's largest social outcomes fund. The UK wide Better Futures Fund will be backed by £500 million of government funding over ten years to support vulnerable children, young people and their families. The Fund has the potential to achieve up to £1 billion in total funding to enable collaboration between government, local communities, charities and social enterprises, social impact investors and philanthropists.

We are strengthening our partnership with the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE) with our Civil Society Covenant. We recognise that the VCSE sector has a strong record of supporting families and is the bedrock of our communities, showing what is possible.

To help realise the aims of the Covenant at the local level, we are launching a ‘Local Covenant Partnerships’ programme to help support partnership working and delivery between civil society organisations, local authorities and public service providers in selected areas that need it the most.

Moreover, we are stablishing the world's largest social outcomes fund. The UK wide Better Futures Fund will be backed by £500 million of government funding over ten years to support vulnerable children, young people and their families. The Fund has the potential to achieve up to £1 billion in total funding to enable collaboration between government, local communities, charities and social enterprises, social impact investors and philanthropists.

We are strengthening our partnership with the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE) with our Civil Society Covenant. We recognise that the VCSE sector has a strong record of supporting families and is the bedrock of our communities, showing what is possible.

To help realise the aims of the Covenant at the local level, we are launching a ‘Local Covenant Partnerships’ programme to help support partnership working and delivery between civil society organisations, local authorities and public service providers in selected areas that need it the most.

Moreover, we are stablishing the world's largest social outcomes fund. The UK wide Better Futures Fund will be backed by £500 million of government funding over ten years to support vulnerable children, young people and their families. The Fund has the potential to achieve up to £1 billion in total funding to enable collaboration between government, local communities, charities and social enterprises, social impact investors and philanthropists.

Our Youth Guarantee Trailblazers, testing innovative approaches to identify and deliver localised support to young people who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET are already underway in eight areas across England. Two of our Trailblazers are being delivered by the Greater London Authority, a ‘Pan London’ Trailblazer focused on better join-up of the systems supporting NEET young people including those with mental health conditions across London, and another delivering tailored support to young care leavers in 12 Central London Boroughs. We will use learning from the Trailblazers to inform future design and delivery of the Youth Guarantee.

For long-term unemployed 18–21-year-olds on Universal Credit, the Jobs Guarantee scheme will provide six months of paid employment. This is part of the expanded Youth Guarantee, through which young people aged 16-24 across Great Britain are set to benefit from further support into employment and learning.

Delivery of the Jobs Guarantee will begin in six areas from spring 2026. No areas in London are included in this initial phase; however, this will be followed by national roll-out across Great Britain, including in London.

The Department for Work and Pensions has published analysis on the number and proportion of working age individuals who are undersaving for retirement. This analysis is published here: Analysis of Future Pension Incomes 2025 - GOV.UK

This analysis looks at Target Replacement Rates, the percentage of pre-retirement earnings an individual would need to replace to meet an adequate income in retirement, and also at expenditure-based measures of income adequacy in retirement. This analysis includes estimates of longevity as part of assessing the level of savings needed to achieve the various levels of income.

No specific assessment has been made of the age of inheritance.

The Government has also revived the Pensions Commission, with a broad and comprehensive remit to consider the long-term future of our pension system, to ensure it delivers financial security in retirement through a framework that is strong, fair and sustainable. This includes exploring the long-term questions of adequacy and how to improve retirement outcomes for future generations of retirees.

Estimates are available for the number of children and households that are expected to gain from the removal of two-child limit at constituency level here Poverty impacts of social security changes at Budget 2025 - GOV.UK.

The Department does not hold data on the number of children in the North East, Northumberland or the Hexham constituency who will become newly eligible for support measures introduced under the Child Poverty Strategy or hold data on the proportion of low-income households in the North East, Northumberland or the Hexham constituency impacted by changes to income-related thresholds outlined in the Child Poverty Strategy.

Estimates are available for the number of children and households that are expected to gain from the removal of two-child limit at constituency level here Poverty impacts of social security changes at Budget 2025 - GOV.UK.

The Department does not hold data on the number of children in the North East, Northumberland or the Hexham constituency who will become newly eligible for support measures introduced under the Child Poverty Strategy or hold data on the proportion of low-income households in the North East, Northumberland or the Hexham constituency impacted by changes to income-related thresholds outlined in the Child Poverty Strategy.

Estimates are available for the number of children and households that are expected to gain from the removal of two-child limit at constituency level here Poverty impacts of social security changes at Budget 2025 - GOV.UK.

The Department does not hold data on the number of children in the North East, Northumberland or the Hexham constituency who will become newly eligible for support measures introduced under the Child Poverty Strategy or hold data on the proportion of low-income households in the North East, Northumberland or the Hexham constituency impacted by changes to income-related thresholds outlined in the Child Poverty Strategy.

Estimates are available for the number of children and households that are expected to gain from the removal of two-child limit at constituency level here Poverty impacts of social security changes at Budget 2025 - GOV.UK.

The Department does not hold data on the number of children in the North East, Northumberland or the Hexham constituency who will become newly eligible for support measures introduced under the Child Poverty Strategy or hold data on the proportion of low-income households in the North East, Northumberland or the Hexham constituency impacted by changes to income-related thresholds outlined in the Child Poverty Strategy.

Estimates are available for the number of children and households that are expected to gain from the removal of two-child limit at constituency level here Poverty impacts of social security changes at Budget 2025 - GOV.UK.

The Department does not hold data on the number of children in the North East, Northumberland or the Hexham constituency who will become newly eligible for support measures introduced under the Child Poverty Strategy or hold data on the proportion of low-income households in the North East, Northumberland or the Hexham constituency impacted by changes to income-related thresholds outlined in the Child Poverty Strategy.

Estimates are available for the number of children and households that are expected to gain from the removal of two-child limit at constituency level here Poverty impacts of social security changes at Budget 2025 - GOV.UK.

The Department does not hold data on the number of children in the North East, Northumberland or the Hexham constituency who will become newly eligible for support measures introduced under the Child Poverty Strategy or hold data on the proportion of low-income households in the North East, Northumberland or the Hexham constituency impacted by changes to income-related thresholds outlined in the Child Poverty Strategy.

Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) offers claimants the opportunity to challenge decisions and provide additional information which may be relevant to their claim.

Entitlement is usually from the date of claim, so if a decision is changed at MR, the amount awarded will be the same as if it were awarded at the initial decision stage. Arrears are paid as a lump sum.

We are allocating more decision makers to MRs to ensure decisions are made in as timely manner as possible.

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates are reviewed each year at Autumn Budget.

In his Written Ministerial Statement following Autumn Budget, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions confirmed that LHA rates will remain at current levels in 2026/27. He considered a range of factors, such as rental levels across Great Britain and the challenging fiscal context.

Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament

For those renters who require additional support to meet a shortfall in rent costs, Discretionary Housing Payments are available from local authorities.

Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) offers claimants the opportunity to challenge decisions and provide additional information which may be relevant to their claim.

Entitlement is usually from the date of claim, so if a decision is changed at MR, the amount awarded will be the same as if it were awarded at the initial decision stage. Arrears are paid as a lump sum.

We are allocating more decision makers to MRs to ensure decisions are made in as timely manner as possible.

The budget announced over £1.5 billion of investment in employment and skills sup-port to fund the Youth Guarantee and reform the Growth and Skills Levy over the Spending Review period.

The Youth Guarantee means every young person can access support to earn or learn.

The Growth and Skills offer will provide greater flexibility to employers and learners and support the industrial strategy. As part of the offer, new foundation apprentice-ships for young people were introduced in August 2025 alongside the ability to under-take shorter duration apprenticeships. These flexibilities will help more people learn new high-quality skills at work and fuel innovation in businesses across the country, including in Aldridge-Brownhills constituency, Walsall and the West Midlands.

Further, providers nationwide are already funded to develop training aligned with local needs. In 2025/26, 67% of the £1.44 billion Adult Skills Fund was devolved to 13 Strategic Authorities for locally tailored provision, for example to support the delivery of Sector-Based Work Academies to meet the skilled workforce requirements of a wide range of sectors.

As set out in the Skills White Paper we are investing over £1 billion to support tens of thousands of jobs, in construction, defence, digital, engineering through skills pack-ages in key areas identified in the Industrial Strategy. This will help equip the work-force with the skills needed to drive innovation, fill industry shortages, and strengthen the UK’s economic and national resilience.

These measures will help to support provision in areas such as engineering, advanced manufacturing, logistics, construction and health and social care skills across the country.

The Department publishes Official Statistics on the number of households in Great Britain on Housing Benefit or Universal Credit that have flowed off the benefit cap, including outcome at off-flow, which are published quarterly on Stat-Xplore and are currently available up to the quarter to August 2025.

Statistics on the exempting benefit outcomes above are grouped in the ‘Other outcome’ category above. The Department does not produce statistics breaking down this category into individual exempting benefits and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.

Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access general guidance on how to extract the information required.

The Department publishes Official Statistics on the number of households in Great Britain on Housing Benefit or Universal Credit that have flowed off the benefit cap, including outcome at off-flow, which are published quarterly on Stat-Xplore and are currently available up to the quarter to August 2025.

Statistics on the exempting benefit outcomes above are grouped in the ‘Other outcome’ category above. The Department does not produce statistics breaking down this category into individual exempting benefits and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.

Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access general guidance on how to extract the information required.

The Department publishes Official Statistics on the number of households in Great Britain on Housing Benefit or Universal Credit that have flowed off the benefit cap, including outcome at off-flow, which are published quarterly on Stat-Xplore and are currently available up to the quarter to August 2025.

Statistics on the exempting benefit outcomes above are grouped in the ‘Other outcome’ category above. The Department does not produce statistics breaking down this category into individual exempting benefits and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.

Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access general guidance on how to extract the information required.

On 18 December, the Timms Review’s co-chairs provided an update on the work of the Review, including recruitment of the steering group and next steps. You can find this update on GOV.UK via the following link: The Timms Review: Co-Chair Update, December 2025 - GOV.UK.

We will continue to publish updates on GOV.UK as the Review progresses.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to improving accessibility and customer experience for all users, including those in the Winchester constituency. The Department recognises that call waiting times and contact routes have not always met expected standards and has taken steps to address this.

CMS has implemented the Digital Assist Telephony Service to support customers to use online services and reduce avoidable call demand.

CMS has invested in enhanced telephony routing to prioritise vulnerable customers and direct callers to the right support quickly, with additional operational capacity deployed when required to maintain service levels. CMS has extended weekday telephony hours to 6pm to meet demand.

CMS has expanded digital self-service, including Get Help Arranging Child Maintenance (GHACM) and My Child Maintenance Case (online account), which provide 24/7 access for parents to manage their case without needing to call, improving accessibility and offering greater flexibility on how and when customers make contact. Communication has been further improved through the introduction of online messaging for specific processes, with further expansion planned.

By promoting self-service options online and efficient call routing, we have freed up valuable resources to deliver a more responsive service and allow caseworkers more time to better assist customers who need to reach out to us via telephone. These measures are delivering progresses.

The Department will continue to monitor performance and invest in further improvements to ensure customers receive timely, high-quality support through the channels that best meet their needs and remains committed to providing a reliable, fair and responsive service for all parents across the country.

The Government has reviewed the PWC Youth Employment Index report. With 1 in 8 young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), the number of young people who are NEET has been rising too long. At Budget, we announced more than £1.5 billion of investment over the next three years, funding £820m for the Youth Guarantee to support young people to earn or learn, and an additional £725 million for the Growth and Skills Levy.

Through the expanded Youth Guarantee, young people aged 16-24 across Great Britain are set to benefit from further support into employment and learning. The details of that support are:

Support to find a job: For young people on Universal Credit who are looking for work, we are introducing a new Youth Guarantee Gateway, which over the next three years will offer nearly 900,000 16–24-year-olds a dedicated session, followed by four weeks of additional intensive support with a Work Coach. This new support will identify specific work, training, or learning opportunities locally for each young person and ensure they are supported to take those up.

Further Expanding Youth Hubs: We are establishing Youth Hubs in over 360 locations so that all young people – including those not on benefits – can access opportunities and wider support in every local area of Great Britain. Youth Hubs will bring together partners from health, skills and the voluntary sector, working closely with Mayors and local authorities to deliver joined-up community-based support.

Creating c300,000 opportunities for workplace experience and training: We will create up to 150,000 additional work experience placements and up to 145,000 additional bespoke training opportunities designed in partnership with employers, including the number of our Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs). At the end of each SWAP, employers offer a guaranteed job interview to participants.

Guaranteeing jobs: For long-term unemployed 18–21-year-olds on Universal Credit, the Jobs Guarantee scheme will provide six months of paid employment. This will reach around 55,000 young people over the next three years

Preventing young people from becoming NEET: We are making it easier to identify young people who need support, by investing in better NEETs data sharing, further education attendance monitoring, and new risk of NEET data tools giving local areas more accurate insights to target support where it's needed most. We are also investing in work experience opportunities for young people at particular risk of becoming NEET, focused on pupils in state-funded Alternative Provision settings, (education provided outside mainstream or special schools for children who cannot attend a regular school—often due to exclusion, health needs, or other circumstances).

This builds on measures announced in the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper earlier this autumn. To make sure young people move smoothly from school into post-16 education or training, we are working with schools to improve support for transitions and piloting automatic enrolment at Further Education providers for those without a confirmed place. This will make it easier for young people to stay on in education and succeed later in life.

The Government has reviewed the PWC Youth Employment Index report. With 1 in 8 young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), the number of young people who are NEET has been rising too long. At Budget, we announced more than £1.5 billion of investment over the next three years, funding £820m for the Youth Guarantee to support young people to earn or learn, and an additional £725 million for the Growth and Skills Levy.

Through the expanded Youth Guarantee, young people aged 16-24 across Great Britain are set to benefit from further support into employment and learning. The details of that support are:

Support to find a job: For young people on Universal Credit who are looking for work, we are introducing a new Youth Guarantee Gateway, which over the next three years will offer nearly 900,000 16–24-year-olds a dedicated session, followed by four weeks of additional intensive support with a Work Coach. This new support will identify specific work, training, or learning opportunities locally for each young person and ensure they are supported to take those up.

Further Expanding Youth Hubs: We are establishing Youth Hubs in over 360 locations so that all young people – including those not on benefits – can access opportunities and wider support in every local area of Great Britain. Youth Hubs will bring together partners from health, skills and the voluntary sector, working closely with Mayors and local authorities to deliver joined-up community-based support.

Creating c300,000 opportunities for workplace experience and training: We will create up to 150,000 additional work experience placements and up to 145,000 additional bespoke training opportunities designed in partnership with employers, including the number of our Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs). At the end of each SWAP, employers offer a guaranteed job interview to participants.

Guaranteeing jobs: For long-term unemployed 18–21-year-olds on Universal Credit, the Jobs Guarantee scheme will provide six months of paid employment. This will reach around 55,000 young people over the next three years

Preventing young people from becoming NEET: We are making it easier to identify young people who need support, by investing in better NEETs data sharing, further education attendance monitoring, and new risk of NEET data tools giving local areas more accurate insights to target support where it's needed most. We are also investing in work experience opportunities for young people at particular risk of becoming NEET, focused on pupils in state-funded Alternative Provision settings, (education provided outside mainstream or special schools for children who cannot attend a regular school—often due to exclusion, health needs, or other circumstances).

This builds on measures announced in the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper earlier this autumn. To make sure young people move smoothly from school into post-16 education or training, we are working with schools to improve support for transitions and piloting automatic enrolment at Further Education providers for those without a confirmed place. This will make it easier for young people to stay on in education and succeed later in life.

The Government has reviewed the PWC Youth Employment Index report. With 1 in 8 young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), the number of young people who are NEET has been rising too long. At Budget, we announced more than £1.5 billion of investment over the next three years, funding £820m for the Youth Guarantee to support young people to earn or learn, and an additional £725 million for the Growth and Skills Levy.

Through the expanded Youth Guarantee, young people aged 16-24 across Great Britain are set to benefit from further support into employment and learning. The details of that support are:

Support to find a job: For young people on Universal Credit who are looking for work, we are introducing a new Youth Guarantee Gateway, which over the next three years will offer nearly 900,000 16–24-year-olds a dedicated session, followed by four weeks of additional intensive support with a Work Coach. This new support will identify specific work, training, or learning opportunities locally for each young person and ensure they are supported to take those up.

Further Expanding Youth Hubs: We are establishing Youth Hubs in over 360 locations so that all young people – including those not on benefits – can access opportunities and wider support in every local area of Great Britain. Youth Hubs will bring together partners from health, skills and the voluntary sector, working closely with Mayors and local authorities to deliver joined-up community-based support.

Creating c300,000 opportunities for workplace experience and training: We will create up to 150,000 additional work experience placements and up to 145,000 additional bespoke training opportunities designed in partnership with employers, including the number of our Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs). At the end of each SWAP, employers offer a guaranteed job interview to participants.

Guaranteeing jobs: For long-term unemployed 18–21-year-olds on Universal Credit, the Jobs Guarantee scheme will provide six months of paid employment. This will reach around 55,000 young people over the next three years

Preventing young people from becoming NEET: We are making it easier to identify young people who need support, by investing in better NEETs data sharing, further education attendance monitoring, and new risk of NEET data tools giving local areas more accurate insights to target support where it's needed most. We are also investing in work experience opportunities for young people at particular risk of becoming NEET, focused on pupils in state-funded Alternative Provision settings, (education provided outside mainstream or special schools for children who cannot attend a regular school—often due to exclusion, health needs, or other circumstances).

This builds on measures announced in the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper earlier this autumn. To make sure young people move smoothly from school into post-16 education or training, we are working with schools to improve support for transitions and piloting automatic enrolment at Further Education providers for those without a confirmed place. This will make it easier for young people to stay on in education and succeed later in life.

Accurate information on the number of level 6 and 7 qualified careers advisers employed by the National Careers Service is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Following a Written Ministerial Statement made on 16th September 2025 (HCWS930), responsibility for adult skills in England transferred to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The current National Careers Service contracts with the Department for Education (DfE) are due to expire on 30th September 2026 and adult careers advice will be brought in house to DWP from 1st October 2026.

The implications of this change in service arrangements will be worked through carefully with the relevant organisations, and where the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) TUPE Regulations apply, they will be followed.

Consequently, we will not know the number of level 6 and 7 advisers under the new Jobs and Careers Service until the process is complete and the new service starts.

The Pensions Commission is expected to publish its final report in the first half of 2027.

Most defined benefit schemes pay some indexation on pensions earned before 1997. The Government recognises that the absence of indexation on pre-1997 rights in pension schemes can erode the value of pensions over time and affect members who rely on these benefits in retirement.

Reforms in our Pension Schemes Bill will enable more trustees of well-funded defined benefit pension schemes to share surplus with employers, deliver better outcomes for members, and benefit the wider economy. As part of any agreement to release surplus funds to the employer, trustees will be better placed to negotiate additional benefits for members, including discretionary indexation.

The Government has brought forward legislation to introduce increases on compensation payments from the Pension Protection Fund and Financial Assistance Scheme that relate to pensions built up before 6 April 1997. These will be CPI-linked (capped at 2.5%) and apply prospectively (i.e. to payments going forward). This will only apply for members whose former schemes provided for these increases and will therefore create greater equality between private sector defined benefit pension schemes who provide pre-97 indexation and members of the Pension Protection Fund and Financial Assistance Scheme who had this feature in their original pension.

Since 1988 rules have been in place under successive governments which limit access to benefits for people in polygamous marriages to those who were married in a country which allows such marriages. Any polygamous relationship formed in the United Kingdom is excluded by these rules and the second or subsequent partner is treated as a non-dependant. People in polygamous relationships where they are not married to the other members of the relationship are also excluded by these rules.

Where a claimant is allowed to claim benefits as part of a polygamous marriage their benefit entitlement is based on the standard amount for couples, plus an amount for each additional partner calculated as the difference between the standard amount for a couple and the standard amount for a single person. There is no financial benefit to someone claiming as part of a polygamous marriage as more would be paid in benefits if the additional person claimed as a single person.

The Pension Credit information that has been requested is not held by the Department. Based off the most recent published data (August 2025) from the Housing Benefit Single Housing Extract (SHBE), there are fewer than ten households where the claimant is recorded as having more than one partner. This has been used as a proxy for polygamous marriage.

The Department for Education (DfE) publishes statistics on those aged 16-24 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) for England from the Labour Force Survey (LFS): NEET age 16 to 24 . In this release, estimates of the number and proportion of young people who are NEET by sex and age group are available and can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/f4e23f94-bfd1-4bcc-49c0-08de398c3998

This release also provides information on young people aged 16-24 who are NEET by health characteristics using the annual population survey (APS). The following link provides the latest data on the proportions of NEET young people aged 16-24 who have recorded a specific health condition, which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/2d152296-fc61-4e6c-b1be-08de39895a0e

The Office for National Statistics publish NEET estimates from the LFS for the UK broken down by age group and sex, and can be found here: Young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), UK - Office for National Statistics

We are committed to continuing the delivery of high quality, impartial careers advice in the new Jobs and Careers Service through professionally qualified careers advisers and recognise that their expertise is essential to enabling the government’s mission to break down the barriers to opportunity and to drive economic growth. We will ensure that anyone will be able to access support, including through the channel that best meets their needs.

In spring 2026, we will publish a report setting out more detail on how we will deliver the new Jobs and Careers Service. This report will bring together the evidence available and show how it has informed, and will continue to inform, the design and development of the new service. We will set out how we will focus on providing genuine, personalised employment support and careers advice, along with a clear outline of the support that people might expect to receive under the new service.

For Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Universal Credit (UC), the specific information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Information on the volume of 18- to 24-year-old ESA claimants with main disabling condition ‘mental and behavioural’ disorders is held and is provided below. Note that Income-related ESA has not been available to new claimants since January 2021 as this benefit is being replaced by UC.

ESA 18 -24-year-old caseload with main disabling condition ‘mental and behavioural disorders’ by year:

• All figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred.
• New Style ESA is a contributory benefit. Normally, it is only available to those who have been paid or been credited with enough National Insurance contributions in the 2 full tax years before the year they are claiming in.

As of 31 October 2025, Child Maintenance Service (CMS) cases in investigation waited an average of 25 weeks from the date they were received by the Independent Case Examiner’s office to the date they were allocated to an Investigator. This is a significant improvement compared to January 2024, when CMS cases in investigation had waited an average of 66 weeks from receipt date to the date they were allocated to an Investigator. The Independent Case Examiner’s office continually seeks to improve this further.

In CMS cases cleared between 01/04/25 – 31/10/25, it took an average of 33 weeks from the date complaints were received into the Independent Case Examiners office to the date a decision was made and issued. The 33 weeks is made up of 25 weeks awaiting allocation to an Investigator and 8 weeks in investigation.

As of 31 October 2025, Child Maintenance Service (CMS) cases in investigation waited an average of 25 weeks from the date they were received by the Independent Case Examiner’s office to the date they were allocated to an Investigator. This is a significant improvement compared to January 2024, when CMS cases in investigation had waited an average of 66 weeks from receipt date to the date they were allocated to an Investigator. The Independent Case Examiner’s office continually seeks to improve this further.

In CMS cases cleared between 01/04/25 – 31/10/25, it took an average of 33 weeks from the date complaints were received into the Independent Case Examiners office to the date a decision was made and issued. The 33 weeks is made up of 25 weeks awaiting allocation to an Investigator and 8 weeks in investigation.

DWP is transitioning its EDI Networks in line with the new Cabinet Office Guidance.

Currently in DWP we have 8 Departmental EDI Networks. Each Network has 2 co-chairs who receive 25% time allowance and up to 10 committee members who receive 10%. When all roles are occupied (which is not the case currently) this equates to 12FTE. As of November 2025 DWP has an FTE of 84,699, so this equates to around 0.01% of working time.

From April 2026, DWP will still have 8 Departmental EDI Networks. Each Network will have 2 co-chairs who receive 10% time allowance and up to 5 committee members who also receive 10%. EDI Community Network Chairs (of which we have 14) will also receive a 10% time allowance. If all roles are filled this will equate to 7FTE, a reduction of 5FTE.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 November 2025 to PQ 89153 regarding investment in skills to support technical routes and work-based learning in England, including heritage skills training. At Budget, the Government announced a package of £725 million additional investment to deliver the next phase of the Growth and Skills Levy in England.

The Government recognises the importance of skills training to supporting employment, including in rural and post-industrial areas. As set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper, we are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new service across Great Britain that will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers.

Employers start and manage apprenticeships through their apprenticeship service accounts. Employers may have more than one apprenticeship service account for their business.

In the 2024/25 academic year, 13,829 levy accounts and 58,628 non-levy accounts had apprenticeship starts.

Referrals of suspected fraud received by the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) are recorded under generalised categories for data reporting purposes, and it is not possible to specifically isolate the volume of referrals relating to supported exempt accommodation. Where the DWP feels there is sufficient evidence of benefit fraud in any case, the DWP will refer the case to the Crown Prosecution Service (Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service for Scotland) to consider prosecution. We cannot comment on any on-going investigations, however the DWP will continue to work closely with other Government agencies and Local Authorities to tackle abuse of the Housing Benefit system.

A review of the child maintenance calculation is currently underway. As part of this work, my Department has already announced plans to include gross unearned income automatically within the calculation, removing the need for either parent to request a variation in order to have this income included within their calculation.

Gross unearned income, as envisaged, will include taxable income from investments, dividends and rental property recorded by HMRC for the individual. Income taken through other company-based arrangements, such as a director’s loans, will continue to be considered under existing diversion of income powers where appropriate. Implementation of the changes to unearned income will be taken forward once the consultation has concluded.

The Department does not have a backlog of Child Maintenance Service (CMS) enforcement cases. All cases requiring enforcement action are being actively progressed in accordance with established operational procedures.

The Department continues to strengthen enforcement activity to ensure that parents meet their financial responsibilities. In recent years, it has expanded the range of enforcement powers available to the CMS, enhanced case‑handling processes, and invested in additional capability to take timely action when payments are missed.

As a result of this sustained focus, published statistics show a significant increase in compliance, with the proportion of paying parents who paid some maintenance rising from 64% in the quarter ending September 2022 to 74% in the quarter ending September 2025. The Department remains committed to driving further improvement.

System improvements have been introduced to allow earlier identification of cases at risk of non‑payment, enabling quicker action to re‑establish compliance when payments fail or become irregular.

As part of wider reforms, the Government proposes moving to a single service by removing Direct Pay and expanding the Collect and Pay service. This will create a fully monitored system in which all payments are visible in real time, making non‑compliance easier to detect and allowing faster enforcement intervention.

To strengthen enforcement further, work is underway to introduce administrative liability orders (ALOs), which would remove the need to apply to the courts and reduce the current process to around six weeks in most cases. The Department is working with HMCTS and the Scottish Government to introduce regulations to Parliament as soon as possible.

The CMS remains focused on ensuring that maintenance is paid promptly and in full.

We know that children in separated families are poorer and more likely to live in poverty than those in non-separated families. Child maintenance payments through both statutory and non-statutory arrangements keep approximately 120,000 children out of poverty each year.

The Department legally relies on data from HM Revenue & Customs and its own benefits data to assess 90% of paying parents earned income and benefit status, which are key parts of the maintenance calculation and maintains a stable accuracy rate of 99.5%

CMS undertake regular quality assurance checks and continually monitors processes to identify improvements.

The information requested on the number of children in Child Maintenance Service cases which have been subject to three or more separate enforcement actions is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

The Child Maintenance Serviced (CMS) takes the issue of domestic abuse very seriously and is committed to ensuring victims and survivors of abuse get the help and support they need to use the CMS safely.

CMS caseworkers are provided with domestic abuse training to ensure they understand, recognise and respond safely and appropriately to customers who are experiencing domestic abuse, or are survivors of domestic abuse. A programme of refresher training has been underway for all existing CMS colleagues during 2025.

There is a specialist team in place in CMS who deliver targeted support to parents subject to the most challenging and complex domestic abuse.