Department for Work and Pensions

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for welfare, pensions and child maintenance policy. As the UK’s biggest public service department it administers the State Pension and a range of working age, disability and ill health benefits to around 20 million claimants and customers.



Secretary of State

 Portrait

Pat McFadden
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

Shadow Ministers / Spokeperson
Liberal Democrat
Lord Palmer of Childs Hill (LD - Life peer)
Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson (Work and Pensions)
Steve Darling (LD - Torbay)
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Work and Pensions)

Conservative
Helen Whately (Con - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

Scottish National Party
Kirsty Blackman (SNP - Aberdeen North)
Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Work and Pensions)

Green Party
Siân Berry (Green - Brighton Pavilion)
Green Spokesperson (Work and Pensions)
Junior Shadow Ministers / Deputy Spokesperson
Conservative
Viscount Younger of Leckie (Con - Excepted Hereditary)
Shadow Minister (Work and Pensions)
Baroness Stedman-Scott (Con - Life peer)
Shadow Minister (Work and Pensions)
Junior Shadow Ministers / Deputy Spokesperson
Conservative
Mark Garnier (Con - Wyre Forest)
Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Work and Pensions)
Ministers of State
Stephen Timms (Lab - East Ham)
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Baroness Sherlock (Lab - Life peer)
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab - Life peer)
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Diana Johnson (Lab - Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham)
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State
Andrew Western (Lab - Stretford and Urmston)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Torsten Bell (Lab - Swansea West)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
There are no upcoming events identified
Debates
Wednesday 11th February 2026
Select Committee Docs
Wednesday 11th February 2026
14:10
Select Committee Inquiry
Thursday 29th January 2026
Realising potential: Delivering the Child Poverty Strategy

Members of the Education and Work and Pensions Select Committees have decided to undertake an inquiry that will consider how …

Written Answers
Tuesday 17th February 2026
Employment: Graduates
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on the proportion of graduates …
Secondary Legislation
Monday 9th February 2026
Universal Credit and Employment and Support Allowance (Rates of Allowances) (Amendment) Regulations 2026
These Regulations amend the Employment and Support Allowance Regulations 2008 (S.I. 2008/794) (“the ESA Regulations”) and the Universal Credit Regulations …
Bills
Thursday 8th January 2026
Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill 2024-26
A Bill to Make provision to remove the two child limit on the child element of universal credit.
Dept. Publications
Tuesday 17th February 2026
09:30

Department for Work and Pensions Commons Appearances

Oral Answers to Questions is a regularly scheduled appearance where the Secretary of State and junior minister will answer at the Dispatch Box questions from backbench MPs

Other Commons Chamber appearances can be:
  • Urgent Questions where the Speaker has selected a question to which a Minister must reply that day
  • Adjornment Debates a 30 minute debate attended by a Minister that concludes the day in Parliament.
  • Oral Statements informing the Commons of a significant development, where backbench MP's can then question the Minister making the statement.

Westminster Hall debates are performed in response to backbench MPs or e-petitions asking for a Minister to address a detailed issue

Written Statements are made when a current event is not sufficiently significant to require an Oral Statement, but the House is required to be informed.

Most Recent Commons Appearances by Category
Jan. 26
Oral Questions
May. 13
Urgent Questions
View All Department for Work and Pensions Commons Contibutions

Bills currently before Parliament

Department for Work and Pensions does not have Bills currently before Parliament


Acts of Parliament created in the 2024 Parliament


A Bill to make provision about the prevention of fraud against public authorities and the making of erroneous payments by public authorities; about the recovery of money paid by public authorities as a result of fraud or error; and for connected purposes.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 2nd December 2025 and was enacted into law.


Make provision to alter the rates of the standard allowance, limited capability for work element and limited capability for work and work-related activity element of universal credit and the rates of income-related employment and support allowance.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 3rd September 2025 and was enacted into law.

Department for Work and Pensions - Secondary Legislation

These Regulations amend the Employment and Support Allowance Regulations 2008 (S.I. 2008/794) (“the ESA Regulations”) and the Universal Credit Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/376) (“the UC Regulations”) to give effect to the requirements in the Universal Credit Act 2025 (c. 22).
This Order specifies the earnings percentage used to calculate the levy ceiling (article 3) and the amount of the levy ceiling (article 4) for use in relation to the Pension Protection Fund in the financial year beginning on 1st April 2026.
View All Department for Work and Pensions Secondary Legislation

Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Trending Petitions
Petition Open
24,927 Signatures
(1,494 in the last 7 days)
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7,119 Signatures
(430 in the last 7 days)
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4,576 Signatures
(243 in the last 7 days)
Petition Open
1,945 Signatures
(74 in the last 7 days)
Petitions with most signatures
Petition Open
24,927 Signatures
(1,494 in the last 7 days)
Petition Open
7,119 Signatures
(430 in the last 7 days)
Petition Open
4,664 Signatures
(25 in the last 7 days)
Petition Open
4,576 Signatures
(243 in the last 7 days)
Petition Debates Contributed
161,788
Petition Closed
21 May 2025
closed 8 months, 4 weeks ago

We call on the Government to fairly compensate WASPI women affected by the increases to their State Pension age and the associated failings in DWP communications.

Statutory maternity and paternity pay is £4.99 per hour for a full-time worker on 37.5 hours per week - approximately 59% less than the 2024 National Living Wage of £12.21 per hour for workers aged 21+, which has been set out to ensure a basic standard of living.

View All Department for Work and Pensions Petitions

Departmental Select Committee

Work and Pensions Committee

Commons Select Committees are a formally established cross-party group of backbench MPs tasked with holding a Government department to account.

At any time there will be number of ongoing investigations into the work of the Department, or issues which fall within the oversight of the Department. Witnesses can be summoned from within the Government and outside to assist in these inquiries.

Select Committee findings are reported to the Commons, printed, and published on the Parliament website. The government then usually has 60 days to reply to the committee's recommendations.


11 Members of the Work and Pensions Committee
Debbie Abrahams Portrait
Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Work and Pensions Committee Member since 11th September 2024
Amanda Hack Portrait
Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)
Work and Pensions Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Damien Egan Portrait
Damien Egan (Labour - Bristol North East)
Work and Pensions Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Johanna Baxter Portrait
Johanna Baxter (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Work and Pensions Committee Member since 21st October 2024
John Milne Portrait
John Milne (Liberal Democrat - Horsham)
Work and Pensions Committee Member since 28th October 2024
Steve Darling Portrait
Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Work and Pensions Committee Member since 28th October 2024
Peter Bedford Portrait
Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Work and Pensions Committee Member since 28th October 2024
Joy Morrissey Portrait
Joy Morrissey (Conservative - Beaconsfield)
Work and Pensions Committee Member since 21st October 2025
Lee Barron Portrait
Lee Barron (Labour - Corby and East Northamptonshire)
Work and Pensions Committee Member since 27th October 2025
David Baines Portrait
David Baines (Labour - St Helens North)
Work and Pensions Committee Member since 27th October 2025
Rushanara Ali Portrait
Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Stepney)
Work and Pensions Committee Member since 27th October 2025
Work and Pensions Committee: Previous Inquiries
Money and Pensions Service Pension stewardship and COP26 PIP and ESA Assessments DWP's response to the coronavirus outbreak Work of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Universal Credit: the wait for a first payment Plan for Jobs and employment support The sale and acquisition of BHS inquiry DWP’s preparations for changes in the world of work Protecting pension savers – five years on from the pension freedoms: Pension scams Progress with child maintenance reforms Update on auto-enrolment and a range of current pensions issues Fraud and error in the benefits system Employment and Support Allowance and Work Capability Assessments Progress with Personal Independence Payment implementation 2014 Employment support for disabled people: Access to Work One-off evidence session on pension reforms Benefit delivery inquiry Welfare to work inquiry Pension freedom guidance and advice inquiry Tax credit reforms inquiry Local welfare safety net inquiry In-work progression in Universal Credit inquiry Understanding the new State Pension inquiry Bereavement benefits inquiry Pre-appointment hearing for the Pensions Ombudsman Progress with automatic enrolment and pension reforms Financial scrutiny of the Department for Work and Pensions Benefit sanctions policy beyond the Oakley review Progress with disability and incapacity benefit reforms Universal Credit Work Programme: the experience of different user groups Youth unemployment and the Government’s Youth Contract EU Pensions Policy White Paper on Universal Credit Automatic enrolment in workplace pensions and National Employment Savings Trust Governance and best practice in workplace pensions Role of Jobcentre Plus in the reformed welfare system Support for housing costs in the reformed welfare system School holiday poverty inquiry The work of The Pensions Regulator inquiry Executive pensions inquiry Spending Review inquiry Support for the bereaved Universal Credit and Survival Sex: sex in exchange for meeting survival needs inquiry No DSS: discrimination against benefit claimants in the housing sector inquiry Benefit freeze Overpayments of Carer's Allowance Ongoing work on DWP priorities and performance inquiry Charging for pension transfer advice inquiry Pension auto-enrolment: update inquiry Universal Credit Project Assessment Reviews inquiry Carillion joint inquiry Assistive technology inquiry Pre-appointment scrutiny of the Chair of the Social Security Advisory Committee Defined benefit pensions white paper inquiry The future of the European Social Fund inquiry Two-child benefit limit inquiry Welfare safety net inquiry Benefit cap inquiry Pension costs and transparency inquiry Disability employment inquiry Concentrix and tax credits inquiry Child Maintenance Service inquiry Employment opportunities for young people inquiry Intergenerational fairness inquiry Pensions automatic enrolment inquiry Early drawing of state pension inquiry Recent pensions policy developments The Future of Jobcentre Plus inquiry Support for ex-offenders inquiry Disability employment gap inquiry Pension Protection Fund and Pensions Regulator inquiry Personal Independence Payment inquiry Citizen's income inquiry Victims of modern slavery inquiry DWP Annual Report and Accounts inquiry Self-employment and the gig economy inquiry Benefit cap inquiry Brexit and labour market policy inquiry Universal Credit update inquiry Universal Credit inquiry PIP and ESA Assessments inquiry Pension freedom and choice inquiry Defined benefit pension schemes Access to work cap on support grants inquiry Collective defined contribution pension schemes inquiry Support for carers inquiry The cost of living Children in poverty: Child Maintenance Service Defined benefit pensions with liability driven investments Benefit levels in the UK Defined benefit pension schemes Cost of living support payments Disability employment gap Health and Safety Executive Safeguarding vulnerable claimants Norton pension schemes and the Fraud Compensation Fund Statutory Sick Pay Disability employment Devolution of employment support Pensioner poverty – challenges and mitigations Get Britain Working – Reforming Jobcentres Get Britain Working: Pathways to Work Employment support for disabled people Child Maintenance Service Transition to State Pension age Youth employment, education and training Children in poverty: Measurement and targets Realising potential: Delivering the Child Poverty Strategy Welfare policy in Northern Ireland Assistive technology Benefit cap Benefit sanctions Collective defined contribution pension schemes Defined benefit pensions white paper inquiry Disability employment The future of the European Social Fund inquiry Executive pensions Universal Credit Universal Credit - In-work progression Pension costs and transparency Spending Review Welfare safety net Charging for pension transfer advice Overpayments of Carer's Allowance Pension auto-enrolment: update No DSS: discrimination against benefit claimants in the housing sector Benefit freeze Support for the bereaved The work of The Pensions Regulator Motability Ongoing work on DWP priorities and performance Pension freedom and choice PIP and ESA Assessments School holiday poverty Support for carers Two-child benefit limit Universal Credit and Survival Sex

50 most recent Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department

9th Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on the proportion of graduates that enter graduate employment schemes within one year of completing their studies.

We do not capture data on the number of graduates entering graduate schemes or graduate-level employment. The latest published DfE data shows that the unemployment rate for graduates is lower than non-graduates. A link to this data can be found here.(opens in a new tab)

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
9th Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps is he taking to help ensure JobCentre Plus provides effective support to graduates seeking graduate-level employment.

We do not capture data on the number of graduates entering graduate schemes or graduate-level employment. The latest published DfE data shows that the unemployment rate for graduates is lower than non-graduates. A link to this data can be found here.(opens in a new tab)

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
9th Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of graduates supported by Jobcentre Plus enter roles classified as graduate-level employment.

We do not capture data on the number of graduates entering graduate schemes or graduate-level employment. The latest published DfE data shows that the unemployment rate for graduates is lower than non-graduates. A link to this data can be found here.(opens in a new tab)

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
9th Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to improve levels of employment for people with disabilities.

Good work is good for health, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. Backed by £240 million investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched in November 2024 is driving forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity. The Northern Ireland Executive received consequential funding in the usual way.

Disabled people and people with health conditions can face a wide range of unique, yet intersecting barriers, relating to not just their health, but their employment and circumstance (Work aspirations and support needs of health and disability customers: Final findings report - GOV.UK). We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems. Existing measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants, as well as joining up health and employment support around the individual through Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies, Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care and WorkWell. We are also rolling out Connect to Work, our supported employment programme for anyone who is disabled, and has a health condition or is experiencing more complex barriers to work.

We set out our plan for the Pathways to Work Guarantee in our Pathways to Work Green Paper and we are building towards our guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits. The guarantee is backed by £1 billion a year of new, additional funding by the end of the decade. We anticipate the guarantee, once fully rolled out, will include: a support conversation to identify next steps, one-to-one caseworker support, periodic engagement, and an offer of specialist long-term work health and skills support.

The 10 Year Health Plan, published in July, builds on existing work to better integrate health with employment support and incentivise greater cross-system collaboration, recognising good work is good for health. The Plan states our intention to break down barriers to opportunity by delivering the holistic support that people need to access and thrive in employment by ensuring a better health service for everyone, regardless of condition or service area. It outlines how the neighbourhood health service will join up support from across the work, health and skills systems to help address the multiple complex challenges that often stop people finding and staying in work.

In Northern Ireland, health, skills, careers and employment support are transferred matters. My officials work closely with those in the Northern Ireland Executive, sharing best practice on providing employment support to disabled people.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
3rd Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the Department for Education on assessing the potential impact of reducing assistive technology support during higher education on disabled people’s employment outcomes.

The Department for Work and Pensions maintains regular dialogue with the Department for Education (DfE) to ensure disabled students are supported as they transition into the labour market. Assistive and accessible technology (ATech) is key to enabling independence, greater inclusion, and participation for disabled people. While this technology is already creating opportunities, this government believes there is potential to do much more.

The Access to Work Scheme has been operating in Great Britain since June 1994 and provides grant funding to disabled people, as well as those with a health condition. The grant supports workplace adjustments that go beyond what would normally be expected from an employer through their duty to provide reasonable adjustments as outlined in the Equality Act 2010. The grant cap was increased in April 2024 to £69,920. To further support sustainable employment, the DWP is also investing in the “Connect to Work” initiative, which is expected to support around 100,000 disabled people and those with health conditions in 2026/2027.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
9th Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applicants for (a) new Access to Work awards and (b) the renewal of existing awards who undertook holistic workplace assessments received support in line with the recommendations of those assessments in each of the last three years.

The Department does not hold data on how many applicants for (a) new Access to Work awards and (b) the renewal of existing awards who undertook holistic workplace assessments received support in line with the recommendations of those assessments in each of the last three years. Determining this information would require manually reviewing individual applications which would incur disproportionate cost.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
10th Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Access to Work awards for blind and partially sighted customers had support worker hours reduced at the point of renewal, in each of the last three years.

The Department does not hold this data. Determining this information would require manually reviewing individual applications which would incur disproportionate cost.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
10th Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the Pensions Ombudsman operating on a voluntary basis, in the context of (a) its statutory responsibilities and (b) its role in resolving pension disputes.

We have interpreted this question as being about complaints that are resolved through The Pension Ombudsman’s (TPO) Resolution Service (RS). TPO operates independently to deliver its statutory responsibilities. Its RS includes 22 employed pension specialists and 150 industry experts working on a voluntary basis. RS provides an informal route for resolving disputes and reducing pressure on formal investigations. In 2024/25, the RS resolved 1,512 complaints, 80% of the 1905 received, without the requirement for a formal ombudsman investigation. Where early resolution is not possible, the Pensions Ombudsman retains full statutory authority to investigate and determine cases.

Torsten Bell
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
9th Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce waiting times for Access to Work Applications; and what plans his Department has to introduce new measures to reduce waiting times for Access to Work Applications in 2026.

We are committed to reducing waiting times in Access to Work so that people can access the support they need. We have increased the number of staff processing Access to Work applications and prioritise cases where someone has a job starting in the next four weeks or who are renewing existing support.

The Pathways to Work Green Paper launched a consultation on the future of Access to Work which has now concluded. Following over 47,500 responses from individuals, charities and other stakeholders, as well as 18 consultation events, we published our summary of the responses to the Pathways to Work Green Paper consultation on 30 October 2025.

We are now considering the responses, and will bring forward our proposals for reforming Access to Work as soon as we are able to.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
26th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support people with disabilities into work in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency.

Good work is good for health, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. Backed by £240 million investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched in November 2024 is driving forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity.

Disabled people are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key. We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems.

Existing measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers (DEAs) in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants, as well as joining up health and employment support around the individual through Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies, Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care and WorkWell. We are also rolling out Connect to Work, our supported employment programme for anyone who is disabled, has a health condition or is experiencing more complex barriers to work.

DEAs in the Jobcentres supporting the constituency deliver in-depth Work Ability conversations, focusing on strengths, suitable work options, workplace adjustments and confidence building. Additionally, part of the constituency is served by the WorkWell West pilot in the NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board.

We set out our plan for the “Pathways to Work Guarantee” in our Pathways to Work Green Paper and are building towards our guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for disabled people and people with health conditions on out of work benefits. The guarantee is backed by £1 billion a year of new, additional funding by the end of the decade. We anticipate the guarantee, once fully rolled out, will include: a support conversation to identify next steps, one-to-one caseworker support, periodic engagement, and an offer of specialist long-term work health and skills support.

Additionally, we have developed a digital information service for employers, oversee the Disability Confident Scheme and continue to increase access to Occupational Health. Bath Jobcentre organised a Disability Confident job fair which was held at the Guildhall in October with Disability Confident employers, further job fairs targeting disabled people are currently in planning.

In recognition of employers’ vital role in addressing health-related economic activity, we appointed Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead the independent Keep Britain Working Review. The Report was published on 5 November. In partnership with the Department for Business and Trade and the Department for Health and Social Care, we are rapidly designing the Vanguard phase to test new employer-led approaches to support individuals to stay in work and develop a Healthy Workplace Standard, putting Sir Charlie’s key recommendations into action.

The 10 Year Health Plan, published in July, builds on existing work to better integrate health with employment support and incentivise greater cross-system collaboration, recognising good work is good for health. The Plan also states the Government’s intention to break down barriers to opportunity by delivering the holistic support that people need to access and thrive in employment by ensuring a better health service for everyone, regardless of condition or service area. It outlines how the neighbourhood health service will join up support from across the work, health and skills systems to help address the multiple complex challenges that often stop people finding and staying in work.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
9th Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the youth unemployment rate was in the most recent period for which data is available in (a) Scotland, (b) England and (c) Wales.

The information requested is published and available at:

https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp

Guidance for users can be found at:

https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp

The estimated youth unemployment rates can be found by selecting “Query data” on the NOMIS home page and selecting “Annual Population Survey/Labour Force Survey” and then “annual population survey (Dec 2004 to Jun 2025)” in the lists of data sources. The Geography will need to be set for the relevant countries/regions. The Variable will need to be set to “Unemployment rate - aged 16-24”. The latest date is automatically selected.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
9th Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of place-based employment support programmes such as JobsPlus in addressing levels of economic inactivity and unemployment.

Jobs Plus is a community-based model with strong potential to tackle inactivity and unemployment. The department is testing the model in ten social housing communities across England to generate evidence on place-based support. The pilots will be evaluated to assess their effectiveness in helping people enter and remain in work.

We will carefully consider what we have learnt from these pilots as we develop our future employment support offer.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
9th Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the value of expanding the number of JobsPlus sites across the UK, following the ten current pilot sites across England.

Jobs Plus is a community-based model with strong potential to tackle inactivity and unemployment. The department is testing the model in ten social housing communities across England to generate evidence on place-based support. The pilots will be evaluated to assess their effectiveness in helping people enter and remain in work.

We will carefully consider what we have learnt from these pilots as we develop our future employment support offer.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
9th Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans his Department has to help support the national rollout of community-led employment programmes such as JobsPlus following the conclusion of the current pilot phase.

Jobs Plus is a community-based model with strong potential to tackle inactivity and unemployment. The department is testing the model in ten social housing communities across England to generate evidence on place-based support. The pilots will be evaluated to assess their effectiveness in helping people enter and remain in work.

We will carefully consider what we have learnt from these pilots as we develop our future employment support offer.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
9th Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the JobsPlus programme which is being delivered through ten pilot sites across England.

Jobs Plus is a community-based model with strong potential to tackle inactivity and unemployment. The department is testing the model in ten social housing communities across England to generate evidence on place-based support. The pilots will be evaluated to assess their effectiveness in helping people enter and remain in work.

We will carefully consider what we have learnt from these pilots as we develop our future employment support offer.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the expenditure on the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment is, including payments to external contractors and panel members.

Members of the Timms Review steering group will be paid at a rate of £300 a day, with an expected time commitment of up to 5 days a month. The Review’s two external co-chairs, who were appointed in October 2025, are paid at a rate of £400 a day, with the same expected time commitment. In addition to their fees, members of the steering group and the co-chairs will be reimbursed for any reasonable expenses, including travel, accommodation and the costs of any accessibility requirements required in the course of their work on the Review.

This approach is to remove financial barriers to participation, ensuring no one is excluded due to cost, and is based on strong feedback from disabled people and other experts.

The Department also put in a contract with The Public Service Consultants (PSC) to support the Review. This is the first time that the Government has undertaken co-production on this scale, and we want to ensure we have the expertise to get it right. The contract was signed by the Department on 29th December 2025. To date, there have been no payments through this contract to them as external contractors.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much has been paid in fees and expenses to external members appointed to the Timms Review.

Members of the Timms Review steering group will be paid at a rate of £300 a day, with an expected time commitment of up to 5 days a month. The Review’s two external co-chairs, who were appointed in October 2025, are paid at a rate of £400 a day, with the same expected time commitment. In addition to their fees, members of the steering group and the co-chairs will be reimbursed for any reasonable expenses, including travel, accommodation and the costs of any accessibility requirements required in the course of their work on the Review.

This approach is to remove financial barriers to participation, ensuring no one is excluded due to cost, and is based on strong feedback from disabled people and other experts.

The Department also put in a contract with The Public Service Consultants (PSC) to support the Review. This is the first time that the Government has undertaken co-production on this scale, and we want to ensure we have the expertise to get it right. The contract was signed by the Department on 29th December 2025. To date, there have been no payments through this contract to them as external contractors.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
27th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help protect benefit claimants from being charged high fees by private companies for assistance with Personal Independence Payment applications.

We are aware that some private companies provide advice on how to claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP), including some who may charge a fee for their services.

For those claiming PIP, we provide detailed guidance and information. We would also encourage individuals to seek advice from sources such as charities and Citizen’s Advice, which offer reliable and trustworthy guidance without charge.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
4th Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of trends in the availability of flexible, remote or hybrid working on mothers with childcare responsibilities, including in Basingstoke; whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of (a) school hours, (b) school holidays and (c) the availability of informal childcare on women’s participation in the labour market; and whether his Department plans to take steps to help encourage employers to offer flexible roles that enable parents to (i) maintain employment, (ii) develop skills and (iii) reduce reliance on out-of-work benefits.

We’re delivering a modern deal for working parents through the Employment Rights Act. Improving access to flexible working to allow parents to fit work around their family life, and employers will be expected to agree flexible working requests unless there is a clear and reasonable reason why they can’t.

Access to childcare support is essential in enabling parents to move into or progress in employment. Eligible Universal Credit (UC) customers can be reimbursed up to 85% of their registered childcare costs each month up to the maximum amounts (caps). The UC childcare offer can be used alongside the Department for Education’s early years and childcare entitlements in England to help cover costs of childcare during school holidays and before or after the school day, and there are similar offers in the Devolved Nations.

To deliver our long-term ambition, the Department for Education is leading a cross-government review of early education and childcare support to design and deliver a simpler system that maximises benefits for child development and parents’ ability to work or work more hours.

We are also investing up to £289m in Wraparound Childcare places before and after school, and during the school holidays, rolling out Free Universal Breakfast Clubs in every primary school, and spending over £200m each year on free Holiday Childcare places for our most disadvantaged children. These policies will ensure that parents have access to affordable, quality childcare so they can work, study, and train.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
4th Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what capacity his Department has made available for Work Capability Assessments in the next six months; and what the backlog of cases is.

During the second half of 2024, DWP experienced a much higher level of demand for new Work Capability Assessments (WCA) than envisaged. As a result, 34,000 reassessments built up from individuals reporting a change in their condition before May 2025. We have worked with suppliers to rapidly increase capacity to clear this, including by accelerating the recruitment and training of additional assessors. As of 31 January 2026, 14,000 of these cases remain, and we expect the remainder to be cleared in the coming months.

In the meantime, claimants awaiting a reassessment will continue to receive their current rate. Where a reassessment leads to entitlement to a higher rate of benefit, that rate will be backdated accordingly.

Please note:

  • All volumes have been rounded to the nearest 1,000.
  • All of the above data is derived from contractual management information produced by the Assessment Suppliers
  • The above data is derived from unpublished management information which is collected for internal departmental use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics Publication standards.
Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
5th Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the number of wheelchair accessible vehicles that are purchased through the Motability Scheme are produced in the United Kingdom.

The Secretary of State regularly meets with colleagues across government to discuss a range of issues.

Motability Operations, an independent commercial company which delivers the Motability Scheme, will continue to prioritise customer needs, ensuring vehicles remain affordable and that support for wheelchair accessible vehicles and specialist adaptations remain at the heart of the Scheme.

Motability Operations has announced plans to support the government’s Modern Industrial Strategy. The number of British-made vehicles purchased by the Scheme will reach 25% by 2030, with an ambition of 50% of vehicles registered on the Scheme being made in the UK by 2035.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
9th Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of trends in (a) pensioner poverty and (b) child poverty across the UK.

Statistics on the number of pensioners living in absolute and relative poverty in the UK are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication, the latest available being Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2024 - GOV.UK. The table showing the percentage of pensioners in relative poverty over time by region is published as “table 6.10ts” of “pensioners- hbai-timeseries-1994-95-2023-24-tables”.

Statistics on the number of children living in absolute and relative poverty in the UK are pub-lished annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication, the latest available being Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2024 - GOV.UK. The table showing the percentage of children in relative poverty over time is published as “table 4.1tr” of “children-trends-hbai-1994-95-2023-24-tables”.

Statistics on the number of children living in absolute and relative poverty on a before housing costs basis at local level are published annually in the “Children in low income families: local area statistics” publication, the latest available being Children in low income families: local area statistics 2014 to 2024 - GOV.UK.

The latest statistics published on 27 March 2025 are up to and including 2023/24. The latest available data can also be found on https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/. Guidance on how to use it can be found here: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/User-Guide.html.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
5th Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of uprating Pension Protection Fund compensation for members who lost indexation from April 1997, to reflect the value their pensions would have held if index-linking had been preserved.

Indexation in the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) on pensions built up on or after 6 April 1997 (post-1997 indexation) broadly reflects the statutory requirements for Defined Benefit schemes more generally, which are in line with the consumer prices index, capped at 2.5%.

This may be different to the increases that would have been provided under the rules of the original scheme. The PPF is a compensation scheme and, as such, was never intended to replicate the benefits of schemes which were unable to secure their liabilities.

Torsten Bell
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
3rd Feb 2026
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of compensation for the loss of inflation protection for benefits accrued before 1997 for past members of the AEA Technology pension scheme who were transferred out of the public sector scheme in 1996.

We recognise the challenges members of the AEA Technology pension scheme face and are directly tackling the point you raise about the loss of inflation protection. The Chancellor announced at the Budget that this Government will introduce annual 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 Consumer Prices Index-linked (capped at 2.5%) and apply prospectively (i.e. to payments going forward) for members whose former schemes provided for these increases.

I am pleased to confirm that past members of the AEA Technology pension scheme with pre-97 accrual will benefit from this measure.

Baroness Sherlock
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
4th Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support young people pursuing apprenticeships who are unable to obtain English and Maths GCSEs; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the requirement to obtain English and Maths GCSEs when irrelevant to their chosen vocation on young people's confidence and self belief.

Young people are not required to hold GCSE qualifications in English and/or maths before starting an apprenticeship.

Apprentices under the age of 19 are funded to achieve up to a level 2 qualification in English and/or maths (where they do not already hold one) before the end of their apprenticeship, putting them in the best position to progress in their life and career. This can be a GCSE or functional skills qualification.

Further flexibility is in place for apprentices with a learning difficulty and/or disability, where there is evidence this is likely to be a barrier to them completing their apprenticeship. In these cases, they are able to achieve an entry level 3 functional skills qualification to complete. Since August 2024, this flexibility has been available to apprentices with a learning difficulty and/or disability but without an Education Health and Care Plan.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
4th Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the requirement to have GCSEs to enter apprenticeships on young people with disabilities, learning difficulties and neurodivergence.

Young people are not required to hold GCSE qualifications in English and/or maths before starting an apprenticeship.

Apprentices under the age of 19 are funded to achieve up to a level 2 qualification in English and/or maths (where they do not already hold one) before the end of their apprenticeship, putting them in the best position to progress in their life and career. This can be a GCSE or functional skills qualification.

Further flexibility is in place for apprentices with a learning difficulty and/or disability, where there is evidence this is likely to be a barrier to them completing their apprenticeship. In these cases, they are able to achieve an entry level 3 functional skills qualification to complete. Since August 2024, this flexibility has been available to apprentices with a learning difficulty and/or disability but without an Education Health and Care Plan.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
29th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of delays in Access to Work decision-making on the ability of people with learning disabilities to enter and remain in employment.

We are committed to reducing waiting times in Access to Work so that people can access the support they need. We have increased the number of staff processing Access to Work applications and prioritise cases where someone is about to start a job or needs to renew existing support.

Through the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we have consulted on how to improve Access to Work so it can support more disabled people. All elements of the scheme are now being reviewed as we develop plans for future reform.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
26th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to prevent fraud relating to Universal Credit recipients claiming for properties they no longer occupy.

Since Autumn Budget 2024, the Government has committed to gross savings of £14.6bn up to the end of 2030/31 from fraud, error and debt activity in GB, which includes savings from the new powers contained within the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act, an extension to continue Targeted Case Reviews to check accuracy of Universal Credit (UC) claims at risk of being incorrect until 2031 and the introduction of periodic redeclaration for UC claims to ensure claim accuracy, reduce fraud and error, and prevent avoidable debt.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
2nd Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the estimated total Universal Credit expenditure is for 16 to 21 year olds who are receiving the UC health element, including the standard allowance and other elements, and for all ages receiving the health element, for each financial year since 2019/20.

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

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
5th Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people became unemployed while waiting for a decision on their application to the Access To Work Scheme in 2025.

This information is not held. Access to Work is available only to those in, or about to begin, employment, so this information is not recorded.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
5th Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of applications for the Access To Work scheme had a wait time of more than two weeks from submitting an application to receiving a decision in 2025 in (a) Berkshire and (b) the UK.

The Department does not hold data on Access to Work application processing times at the level requested. Determining this information would require manually reviewing individual applications which would incur disproportionate cost.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
3rd Feb 2026
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the current surplus in the Pension Protection Fund; and what assessment they have made of the adequacy of that surplus to meet the demands on the fund.

As of 31 March 2025, the PPF has built up a reserve of around £14.1 billion. This is a reserve and not surplus funds. While the risks that the PPF faces are lower given improved Defined Benefit (DB) scheme funding levels, this reserve provides security for its current 8.6 million members and the taxpayer. The reserve is crucial to managing future challenges and enabling the PPF to fulfil its role as the ultimate backstop to the near £1 trillion of liabilities in DB schemes.

This Government has brought forward improvements to the level of indexation it pays and introduced greater flexibility to adjust the levy it collects in line with its funding strategy. The PPF will continue to build its reserves through investment returns, while keeping its approach to funding under regular review, prudently balancing the needs of members and levy payers. This will increase security for its current and future members and, further reduce the risk of needing to call on levy payers in the future.

Baroness Sherlock
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
6th Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department will publish (a) national and (b) regional breakdowns of under-occupied social rented housing.

The Department has not recently evaluated the effectiveness of the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy.

Information on the number of households subjected to the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy, by nations and regions, is available on Stat-Xplore via the Housing Benefit and Universal Credit official statistics (https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/). The information can be found in the Households on Universal Credit dataset, and the Housing Benefit – Data from April 2018 dataset, and are currently available to August 2025.

Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest, and if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required. There is also a Universal Credit Official Statistics: Stat-Xplore user guide.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
6th Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made a recent evaluation of the effectiveness of the under-occupation deduction policy for social rented housing.

The Department has not recently evaluated the effectiveness of the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy.

Information on the number of households subjected to the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy, by nations and regions, is available on Stat-Xplore via the Housing Benefit and Universal Credit official statistics (https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/). The information can be found in the Households on Universal Credit dataset, and the Housing Benefit – Data from April 2018 dataset, and are currently available to August 2025.

Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest, and if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required. There is also a Universal Credit Official Statistics: Stat-Xplore user guide.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
29th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to update the apprenticeship levy funding band.

Each apprenticeship standard is allocated to one of 30 funding bands, which range from £1,500 to £27,000. These represent the maximum value that government will contribute towards the training and assessment for each apprenticeship.

All apprenticeship standards are reviewed periodically for both content and funding. Employers can also request an exceptional review where they are able to evidence significant cost changes. Skills England continues to work closely with employers throughout the revision process to ensure current delivery costs are reflected, whilst also delivering value for money.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
30th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many consolatory payments were made to (a) paying and (b) receiving parents by the Child Maintenance Service in each of the last three years.

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

The department hold records of how many consolatory payments were authorised for Child Maintenance Service customers. This information is provided in the table. We are unable to supply a breakdown of payments made to paying and receiving parents without additional work at disproportionate cost.

Year

No. of consolatory payments authorised

2022/2023

2107

2023/2024

2634

2024/2025

2189

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
2nd Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of reducing public funding for Level 7 apprenticeships for learners over the age of 21 on access to advanced training in marine engineering, naval architecture and marine surveying.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 13 June 2025 to Question 57098.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
28th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help support adults who missed extended periods of education due to medical conditions they experienced as children.

We are investing in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Skills Fund (ASF), spending £1.4 billion in the 2025/26 academic year. The ASF fully funds or co-funds skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to support them to gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. This includes a statutory entitlement to fully funded qualifications for 19 to 23 year olds who don’t have either a level 2 or 3 qualification which may be relevant for learners who missed education due to medical conditions they experienced as children.

As of August 2025, approximately 68% of the ASF is devolved to 12 Strategic Authorities and the Greater London Authority. These authorities are responsible for the provision of ASF-funded adult education for their residents and allocation of the ASF to providers. For learners in Ashfield, the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) decides how to make best use of their ASF to meet their local needs beyond four statutory entitlements, including which courses are funded and the eligibility criteria.

By honouring our commitments to combine and further devolve adult skills funding, we give those with local knowledge the power they need to make decisions that are best for their areas.

The ASF also funds learning providers to help adult learners to overcome barriers which prevent them from taking part in learning. This includes Learner Support, to support learners with a specific financial hardship, and Learning Support to meet the additional needs of learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

In relation to access to higher education, all higher education providers registered with the Office for Students that intend to charge higher level tuition fees must have an Access and Participation Plan (APP) approved by the Office for Students. APPs articulate how higher education providers will improve equality of opportunity for underrepresented groups.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
28th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of recent changes to Apprenticeship Levy funding on Level 7 Senior Leader apprenticeships.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 13 June 2025 to Question 57098.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
28th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support training and skills pathways for British manufacturing industries.

DWP works closely with industry bodies such as Make UK, the Manufacturing Technologies Association and the Institute for Grocery Distributors to support jobseekers to better understand the many career opportunities available in manufacturing.

DWP also promotes pathways into manufacturing to jobseekers, including skills interventions such as Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) and Skills Bootcamps, alongside paid employment routes such as Apprenticeships. Between April 2021 and December 2025, DWP delivered 16,080 SWAP starts in the manufacturing sector.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Universal Credit overpayments arising from official error were identified in each month since 5 July 2024.

The department publishes estimates of the numbers of official error overpayments, available here: Fraud and error in the benefit system: financial year 2024 to 2025 estimates

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
3rd Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the impact of reducing government co-investment in apprenticeships once levy-paying employers have exhausted their levy funds, and (b) the impact of removing the uplift to levy accounts.

As we introduce new products, such as apprenticeship units and foundation apprenticeships, we are also simplifying the Growth and Skills Levy, improving its transparency, and making it more efficient.

From August 2026, we are removing the 10% top-up for levy-paying employers, changing expiry of levy funds to 12 months, and changing the government’s co-investment rate from 95% to 75% for levy-paying employers once they have exhausted all their funds.

Levy-paying employers will still be able to benefit from a very generous government contribution once their funds are exhausted, but it is right that employers who utilise all their levy funds contribute more to apprenticeship training and assessment.

These changes will ensure funding is available to roll out further flexibility for business and increase opportunities for young people.

We continue to support SMEs to take on apprentices and for the first time we will be fully funding the cost of training eligible apprentices aged 16-24 at non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs). From August 2026, training and assessment will be completely free for SMEs who hire young people, boosting starts and reducing bureaucracy for both SMEs and training providers.

We will carefully monitor the impact of these changes once they take effect.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
3rd Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of recent changes to (a) co-investment in apprenticeships and (b) levy accounts on apprenticeship starts.

As we introduce new products, such as apprenticeship units and foundation apprenticeships, we are also simplifying the Growth and Skills Levy, improving its transparency, and making it more efficient.

From August 2026, we are removing the 10% top-up for levy-paying employers, changing expiry of levy funds to 12 months, and changing the government’s co-investment rate from 95% to 75% for levy-paying employers once they have exhausted all their funds.

Levy-paying employers will still be able to benefit from a very generous government contribution once their funds are exhausted, but it is right that employers who utilise all their levy funds contribute more to apprenticeship training and assessment.

These changes will ensure funding is available to roll out further flexibility for business and increase opportunities for young people.

We continue to support SMEs to take on apprentices and for the first time we will be fully funding the cost of training eligible apprentices aged 16-24 at non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs). From August 2026, training and assessment will be completely free for SMEs who hire young people, boosting starts and reducing bureaucracy for both SMEs and training providers.

We will carefully monitor the impact of these changes once they take effect.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
3rd Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what distributional analysis his Department has made of the potential impact of (a) reducing government co-investment once levy-paying employers have exhausted their levy funds, and (b) removing the uplift to levy accounts on businesses.

As we introduce new products, such as apprenticeship units and foundation apprenticeships, we are also simplifying the Growth and Skills Levy, improving its transparency, and making it more efficient.

From August 2026, we are removing the 10% top-up for levy-paying employers, changing expiry of levy funds to 12 months, and changing the government’s co-investment rate from 95% to 75% for levy-paying employers once they have exhausted all their funds.

Levy-paying employers will still be able to benefit from a very generous government contribution once their funds are exhausted, but it is right that employers who utilise all their levy funds contribute more to apprenticeship training and assessment.

These changes will ensure funding is available to roll out further flexibility for business and increase opportunities for young people.

We continue to support SMEs to take on apprentices and for the first time we will be fully funding the cost of training eligible apprentices aged 16-24 at non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs). From August 2026, training and assessment will be completely free for SMEs who hire young people, boosting starts and reducing bureaucracy for both SMEs and training providers.

We will carefully monitor the impact of these changes once they take effect.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
3rd Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much additional funding an SME is expected to contribute per apprentice following the reduction in government co-investment once levy-paying employers have exhausted their levy funds.

As we introduce new products, such as apprenticeship units and foundation apprenticeships, we are also simplifying the Growth and Skills Levy, improving its transparency, and making it more efficient.

From August 2026, we are removing the 10% top-up for levy-paying employers, changing expiry of levy funds to 12 months, and changing the government’s co-investment rate from 95% to 75% for levy-paying employers once they have exhausted all their funds.

Levy-paying employers will still be able to benefit from a very generous government contribution once their funds are exhausted, but it is right that employers who utilise all their levy funds contribute more to apprenticeship training and assessment.

These changes will ensure funding is available to roll out further flexibility for business and increase opportunities for young people.

We continue to support SMEs to take on apprentices and for the first time we will be fully funding the cost of training eligible apprentices aged 16-24 at non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs). From August 2026, training and assessment will be completely free for SMEs who hire young people, boosting starts and reducing bureaucracy for both SMEs and training providers.

We will carefully monitor the impact of these changes once they take effect.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
3rd Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support young people to pursue careers in tech start ups in the Midlands.

The Government is taking a range of steps to increase awareness among young people in the Midlands about the diverse and rewarding career opportunities available in the tech sector. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has developed partnerships with local colleges to provide routes into digital content creation, social media, and other in-demand skills. We are working closely with the region’s four main universities through initiatives such as the Graduate Retune and HLSM+, offering tailored employability support, sector workshops and paid placements with local businesses.

The East and West Midlands Combined Authorities are two of eight areas delivering Youth Guarantee Trailblazers. These Trailblazers are testing innovative approaches to identify and deliver localised support to young people who are Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) or at risk of becoming NEET. This includes specialist digital boot camps delivered by providers such as Generation UK, Althaus and Birmingham Open Media. The Trailblazers will provide learning to inform the role of local areas in delivering the Youth Guarantee in the future.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has launched TechFirst, an £187 million programme designed to build the tech skills pipeline and drive local growth. TechFirst has also launched TechLocal to address the challenges SMEs and start-ups face in investing in early-stage career roles. By funding innovation in local recruitment, TechLocal will connect young people in the Midlands directly to the region's growing frontier technology sectors. Further details of the grant competition can be found at TechLocal - GOV.UK.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
6th Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the Minister of State for Social Security and Disability plans to respond to the correspondence of (a) 19 December and (b) 20 January from the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs.

A response to your correspondence of 19 December and 20 January was issued on 5 February. I apologise for the delay, and the Department is taking steps to improve the timeliness of its correspondence handling. If the Honourable Member requires any further clarification, we will be happy to assist.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
4th Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Youth Hubs there were in January (a) 2025 and (b) 2026.

The Government is committed to increasing opportunities for young people. That is why the Department for Work & Pensions is expanding Youth Hubs for 16–24 year olds to increase coverage to more than 360 locations across Great Britain, ensuring that every young person - including those not receiving benefits - can access opportunities and comprehensive support in their local area.

In January 2026, there were 114 fully opened Youth Hubs. For new and existing Youth Hubs, we have introduced a core blueprint for minimum service standards, marking a major step forward in making employment support more accessible and seamlessly integrated with other essential services—such as health, housing, and wellbeing—tailored to local needs and partnerships. In January 2025 there were 97 fully opened Youth Hubs.

The number of open Youth Hubs is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal department use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics standard.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
6th Feb 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many cases were awaiting Work Capability Assessment reassessments as of 31 January 2026 in each constituency.

The information requested about Work Capability Assessment reassessments is not held, this is because the data is not held at constituency level.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)