Department for Work and Pensions

Deductions from Universal Credit help support customers to manage debts by paying the creditor directly from their benefit, for instance paying rent arrears to ensure the customer does not face eviction. The most effective way to reduce reliance on deductions is to prevent arrears and debt in the first place, including by supporting people to increase their household income through work.

To support those with deductions, on 30 April 2025, the Fair Repayment Rate was implemented. This policy reduced the overall deductions cap from 25% to 15% of a customer’s Universal Credit (UC) standard allowance, enabling approximately 1.2 million UC households to retain more of their award, on average, £420 a year or £35 per month.

DWP is committed to supporting those who may be struggling with their repayment terms. Customers who feel they cannot afford the proposed repayment terms are encouraged to contact the DWP, so we can understand their circumstances and agree an affordable and sustainable repayment plan.

As set out in the Written Statement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 19 May (HCWS34), to increase the efficiency and reduce waiting times for the scheme we will recruit an additional 480 case staff to process the higher volume of applications. When recruitment is complete, we will have more than twice as many staff working on Access to Work as in March 2024. The recruitment process has already begun, and new case managers will receive extensive training to handle complex applications with confidence. This will ensure disabled people, and people with health conditions can receive timely support to secure and sustain employment.

We also welcome the National Audit Office’s report on AtW and are carefully considering its recommendations. In addition to this, we have consulted and collaborated widely with disabled people along with employers and representative bodies to gather evidence. These insights will help inform our work and shape any changes to Access to Work.

We will also draw on the outcomes of the Green Paper consultation and the Collaboration Committees to inform and help shape the future direction of Access to Work.

The announcement delivered on 19 May set out our commitment to deliver an AtW that is timely, efficient, and can meet new levels of demand. It will help to restore confidence in the capability of the Scheme to award the right support at the right time and sets a pathway towards further improvements.

The cost of additional staff recruited to process the backlog of Access to Work applications will be funded from within the Department’s existing budget allocation. It will not be funded from Access to Work allocated budgets.

DWP is running a small-scale trial of a transformed decision making approach within the Health Transformation Programme's new Health Assessment Service, and we will evaluate the impacts. The initial phase of testing involved around 1% of PIP assessments from 16 March 2026. From 1 June 2026, we began a second phase of testing with around 4% of PIP assessments nationally. We expect the second phase of the test to involve approximately 2,800 to 3,300 PIP customers per month.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the enforcing authority for gas businesses and engineers (including self- employed gas engineers) who work in private properties. Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 (GSIUR) requires engineers undertaking gas work to be competent, registered with Gas Safe Register (GSR), to work in accordance with the appropriate standards and in a way that does not put people in danger.

HSE regulate this in private properties through enforcement powers set under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Enforcement powers available to regulators include prosecution, prohibition notices and improvement notices.

GSR also has a dedicated team to investigate allegations of gas work by unregistered engineers and businesses (illegal gas fitters) and provides HSE with evidence of these activities. In addition to this, GSR publishes a range of gas safety information and guidance on its website and regularly runs media campaigns to promote key gas safety messages to the public.

Households in receipt of housing support living in the social rented sector have their eligible rent paid in full, unless the level of housing support is reduced because of their income or savings, contributions from non-dependants, or limited by the benefit cap or the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy (RSRS). In Northern Ireland, both the benefit cap and RSRS are mitigated.

In the private rented sector, Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum levels of housing support for households claiming Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit. LHA rates are reviewed annually, usually in the Autumn.

At Autumn Budget 2025, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions decided to maintain LHA rates at their current levels for 2026/27. Rent levels were considered alongside other factors, such as welfare priorities and support currently available within the challenging fiscal context.

Delays in allocating Access to Work applications for self‑employed customers are due to high demand and the additional complexity of these cases, which often require further evidence such as tax and income details.

The Department recognises the impact of these delays, particularly for disabled applicants without employer support. To address this, steps have been taken to recruit additional staff to clear the backlog and improve processing times: Huge recruitment boost to tackle backlog in vital disability work scheme - GOV.UK.

Priority is given to customers starting work within four weeks and to those renewing awards, to minimise disruption to employment.

Through our Jobcentres, DWP supports unpaid carers who wish to combine their caring responsibilities with paid work. Full time carers who receive Universal Credit can access voluntary employment support from a work coach, which includes identifying skills gaps and referral to skills training, careers advice, job search support and volunteering opportunities. Customers who receive Carer’s Allowance may be also eligible for the Flexible Support Fund, which helps to remove financial barriers to work.

In England and Wales, carers, whether they are in receipt of Carer’s Allowance or not, and former carers, are eligible for intensive, personalised support from our voluntary Supported Employment programme, Connect to Work, part of the Government’s Pathways to Work support offer. This programme provides up to 12 months holistic support for disabled people, individuals with health conditions and people with more complex barriers to work to help them move closer to, and into, sustained employment. It can also provide up to 4 months’ support to people who are in work but at risk of falling out of employment as a result of their condition or barrier.

In Northern Ireland, services are run by the Department for Communities.

Bringing Business Process Services in-house was considered as part of the 2020/21 delivery options assessment for Synergy, which concluded that maintaining an outsourced model offered the best value for money.

Cabinet Office and Treasury controls on civil service headcount were a key consideration, as full insourcing would have required over 1,600 additional FTEs.

The assessment also reflected the existing outsourced shared services model, the availability of a mature supplier market, and the Strategy’s requirement to separate technology delivery from transaction service delivery.

Synergy is, however, establishing an in-house Shared Services Hub to manage end-to-end service delivery, partner contracts, and continuous improvement.

The interim report of the independent review into young people and work led by Alan Milburn, published on Thursday 28th May, identifies multiple reasons as to why there has been an increase in youth unemployment. This report can be found here: Young people and work: interim report - GOV.UK.

With over one million young people not in education, employment and training, this Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. The Government is investing an additional £2.5 billion over the next three years into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy. This investment will support almost one million young people, and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn. This includes delivering work experience placements, training opportunities, a £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for employers, and providing long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds with a fully funded six month job.

Support in schools is also a key priority. We have committed to delivering two weeks’ worth of work experience for every young person during secondary education, moving towards a more flexible model of multiple, meaningful encounters that build skills and confidence over time. Mental Health Support Teams are being rolled out across schools and further education colleges to provide earlier intervention and support for young people. All schools are legally required to have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying.

Furthermore, our Pathways to Work programme (which will be backed by £1 billion a year of funding by the end of the decade) is building towards a guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for all disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits. Through Pathways to Work, young people with health conditions or disabilities have access to tailored support including help into supported employment through Connect to Work.

This Government is transforming the Apprenticeships Levy into a new Growth and Skills Levy in England, backed by £1 billion of additional investment, which will support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships and give employers, including in South Holland and the Deepings, greater flexibility to develop the workforce they need to grow and succeed.

To support non-levy paying employers (typically SMEs) to meet the additional costs associated with employing young apprentices, we are introducing a new apprenticeship hiring payment of £2,000 when they take on eligible 16–24-year-old apprentices, at all levels, as new employees.

Additionally, the government will fully fund apprenticeship training for non-levy paying employers for all eligible young people aged under 25 from the next academic year, to boost small business starts. At the moment, this only happens for apprentices aged 16 to 21 and apprentices aged 22-24 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or have been, or are, in local authority care.

We also provide £1,000 to both employers and training providers when they take on apprentices aged under 19, or 19-to-24-year-old apprentices who have an EHCP or have been, or are, in care.

The government also facilitates and funds the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network (AAN) which comprises over 3,000 employers and apprentices who volunteer to promote the benefits of apprenticeships. It operates across all parts of England, including in Lincolnshire, through nine regional networks. These networks provide buddying and mentoring support to small businesses to help them recruit and retain apprentices.

For young people, aged 16-24, on Universal Credit who are looking for work, we are also introducing a new Youth Guarantee Journey. As part of the journey, every young person will be provided with tailored employment support and a structured path into a job, apprenticeship, work experience, SWAP, learning or training from their first appointment in the Jobcentre. This support can also be delivered at a Youth Hub.

Over the next three years 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. Young people in areas where Youth Hubs will open later in the three year period will still receive the full breadth of Youth Guarantee support.

Expenditure on State Pension, which includes triple lock, for the years up to and including 2030/31 is available in the Benefit Expenditure and Caseload tables.

The Department is committed to providing a high standard of customer service for claimants contacting Jobcentre Plus and DWP about all of its services, including Jobseeker’s Allowance.

We have recently relaunched our ‘Customer Support Standards’, which sets clear expectations for all customer interactions. These standards require staff to identify and respond to customers’ individual needs and vulnerabilities, record relevant information and ensure that support is consistently and fairly applied across all contacts to improve the overall customer experience.

We also undertake regular quality assurance activity to ensure that operational teams are meeting these standards, including checks on the quality of interactions, compliance with accessibility requirements, and how effectively support is provided to customers. The standards are applied across all communications to ensure no customer is left behind.

To improve call handling, the Department is analysing telephony demand and customer contact patterns. This includes identifying the causes of repeat contact, long waiting times and call abandonment, and taking action to reduce avoidable contact through clearer information, improved signposting and better handling of customer enquiries.

In addition, we are improving how customers are directed to the most appropriate channel, including promoting online guidance where queries can be resolved more quickly, helping to free up telephony capacity for those who need it most.

For complaints, the Department operates a single, consistent complaints process across all benefits, including Jobseeker’s Allowance. We have introduced a central Complaints Hub, providing staff with a single source of guidance to ensure complaints are handled promptly, consistently and to a high standard.

Customers can raise complaints through established written routes and with their Work Coaches. Staff are supported to resolve issues at the earliest opportunity and provide clear information on how to escalate concerns where necessary.

Parental leave and pay entitlements are being considered as part of the Government’s Parental Pay and Leave Review. The Review will report in early 2027 with next steps for taking any reforms forward to implementation.

With over one million young people not in education, employment and training, this Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. The Government is investing an additional £2.5 billion over the next three years into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy. This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.

This includes the delivery of eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in England, expansion of Youth Hubs to more than 360 areas across Great Britain and introduction of a new Youth Guarantee Gateway in Jobcentres, providing more intensive support to 16–24-year-olds. We will also prioritise prevention – improving support in schools, access to work experience and further education places.

This investment will also create around 300,000 more opportunities to gain workplace experience and training. It will also help unlock up to 200,000 more employment opportunities, through a new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for employers who hire 18–24-year-olds who have been on Universal Credit for over six months, a new £2,000 apprenticeship incentive for small and medium sized employers hiring 16–24-year-olds and the Jobs Guarantee scheme, providing long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds with a fully funded six month job.

We also recognise the crisis of participation that Alan Milburn has so clearly laid out in his interim report. Between 2021 and 2024, the number of young people not in education, employment or training rose by 250,000. We know that unemployment can have a negative impact on young people – on their health, earnings, and future employment prospects. We will use this interim report to continue to build our reforms and look forward to the full recommendations in the Autumn.

Together these measures demonstrate the Government’s commitment to supporting employers, partners and young people across Great Britain.

With over one million young people not in education, employment and training, this Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. The Government is investing an additional £2.5 billion over the next three years into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy. This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.

This includes the delivery of eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in England, expansion of Youth Hubs to more than 360 areas across Great Britain and introduction of a new Youth Guarantee Gateway in Jobcentres, providing more intensive support to 16–24-year-olds. We will also prioritise prevention – improving support in schools, access to work experience and further education places.

This investment will also create around 300,000 more opportunities to gain workplace experience and training. It will also help unlock up to 200,000 more employment opportunities, through a new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for employers who hire 18–24-year-olds who have been on Universal Credit for over six months, a new £2,000 apprenticeship incentive for small and medium sized employers hiring 16–24-year-olds and the Jobs Guarantee scheme, providing long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds with a fully funded six month job.

We also recognise the crisis of participation that Alan Milburn has so clearly laid out in his interim report. Between 2021 and 2024, the number of young people not in education, employment or training rose by 250,000. We know that unemployment can have a negative impact on young people – on their health, earnings, and future employment prospects. We will use this interim report to continue to build our reforms and look forward to the full recommendations in the Autumn.

Together these measures demonstrate the Government’s commitment to supporting employers, partners and young people across Great Britain.

With over one million young people not in education, employment and training, this Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. The Government is investing an additional £2.5 billion over the next three years into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy. This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.

This includes the delivery of eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in England, expansion of Youth Hubs to more than 360 areas across Great Britain and introduction of a new Youth Guarantee Gateway in Jobcentres, providing more intensive support to 16–24-year-olds. We will also prioritise prevention – improving support in schools, access to work experience and further education places.

This investment will also create around 300,000 more opportunities to gain workplace experience and training. It will also help unlock up to 200,000 more employment opportunities, through a new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for employers who hire 18–24-year-olds who have been on Universal Credit for over six months, a new £2,000 apprenticeship incentive for small and medium sized employers hiring 16–24-year-olds and the Jobs Guarantee scheme, providing long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds with a fully funded six month job.

We also recognise the crisis of participation that Alan Milburn has so clearly laid out in his interim report. Between 2021 and 2024, the number of young people not in education, employment or training rose by 250,000. We know that unemployment can have a negative impact on young people – on their health, earnings, and future employment prospects. We will use this interim report to continue to build our reforms and look forward to the full recommendations in the Autumn.

Together these measures demonstrate the Government’s commitment to supporting employers, partners and young people across Great Britain.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) supports children through ensuring sustainable child maintenance arrangements are in place. In 2025, £1.6bn maintenance was arranged by CMS. Taken together with private arrangements, this has the ongoing impact of lifting 120,000 children out of relative low income (on an after-housing-costs basis).

To further improve our support, we intend to remove Direct Pay when parliamentary time allows. Moving to a single, strengthened Collect and Pay system will allow the CMS to monitor all payments, identify missed or partial payments immediately, and take faster enforcement action. Ahead of this change, the CMS is already moving non-compliant parents more quickly from Direct Pay to Collect and Pay to enable us to tackle non-compliance faster and get more money flowing to children.

We also intend to enhance the effectiveness of CMS in collecting arrears payments by streamlining the enforcement process. This will remove the requirement to obtain a court issued liability order and instead allow the Secretary of State to make an administrative liability order. Introducing this simpler administrative process will enable the CMS to take faster action against those paying parents who actively avoid their responsibilities and will get money to children faster. The CMS are working with His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service and the Scottish Government to establish a process for implementation and plan to introduce regulations to Parliament as soon as possible.

CMS undertake regular quality assurance checks to ensure processes are delivered accurately, reducing the requirement for rework and reinforcing our aim to ‘get it right first time’. These measures demonstrate our commitment to minimising delays and ensuring that child maintenance reaches children promptly.

DWP is committed to harnessing the benefits of artificial intelligence to improve both the productivity of our workforce, and the quality of the services we deliver to the millions of people who rely on us. The Department’s principal AI tool for official use is Copilot Chat, which is provided securely under its Microsoft agreement. Access to the listed AI systems, with the exception of DeepSeek, is permitted but security controls apply which prevents copying, pasting and file transfer. Use of such systems is monitored to ensure compliance with departmental data handling and security policies.

No estimate has been made. Students are unable to claim Universal Credit if they are studying full-time, unless they meet specific exceptions. Universal Credit is designed not to duplicate financial support for fees and living costs provided through the student finance system.

If an eligible student makes a claim to Universal Credit, any loan or grant which provides for the student's basic maintenance is taken into account as income. The first £110 of a student loan or grant paid to meet living costs is disregarded in every monthly Assessment Period in which student income is taken into account in order to help students with any added costs of books, equipment and travel which may be incurred whilst studying or training.

Universal Credit is a digital-first service and our digital approach enables proactive communication with customers, including tailored prompts and support through their account, alongside personalised assistance from Work Coaches who can signpost to wider support and employment services.

However, the Department recognises that some claimants cannot access or use online services. Support is available to these claimants through alternative channels, including telephone claims, printed correspondence where needed and tailored Assisted Digital support delivered by trained DWP staff in Jobcentres and by phone.

For customers who need additional help to engage digitally, we work with external partners to provide tailored support. This includes the Help to Claim service delivered by Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland, as well as locally delivered digital support provision, which helps claimants make and manage their Universal Credit claim online. This confidential support is free for claimants and is available to them online, by phone and face to face. Vulnerable claimants may also receive personalised support through the Enhanced Support journey, including proactive contact, home visits and alternative communication methods where appropriate.

Where a claimant cannot manage their affairs independently, appointees or authorised representatives can act on their behalf. The Department keeps these arrangements under review to ensure Universal Credit remains accessible to all claimants.

We continue to provide a full range of alternative channels and personalised support, ensuring that all customers can access our services in a way that meets their needs. This blended approach ensures we combine the benefits of digital innovation with appropriate safeguards, improving overall service quality while supporting more customers to move confidently towards digital services.

The Department keeps accessibility and support arrangements under regular review to ensure Universal Credit remains accessible to all claimants, regardless of their ability to use digital services.

According to the Annual Survey for Hours and Earnings, produced by the Office for National Statistics, the median gross annual earnings for full-time employees in the UK who had been in their jobs for at least a year were £39,039 in April 2025. Using the Family (Benefit Unit) dataset from the Family Resources Survey for financial year ending 2025, there were 200,000 families in the UK who received more than £39,039 in State Support (this comprises tax credits and all benefits, including State Pension).

On 20th May 2026, the Government announced that it would test reform of the fit note, beginning with pilots across four integrated care boards in England. These pilots are funded by £3m in the first year and will take place within a small number of GP surgeries across the following areas: Birmingham and Solihull, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, Coventry and Warwickshire, and Lancashire and South Cumbria.

The pilots will explore replacing the traditional GP-led fit note process with newly designed plans that provide better support to people who fall ill at work. They aim to move from a process of administrative sickness certification to a new service focussed on getting people the support they need to stay in work and sustainably return.

Whilst specific elements of pilot design are to be shaped locally, broadly, the pilots will test:

• New stay in work and return to work plans that provide patients with timely, proportionate, and actionable advice and support to manage their health condition
• New work and health teams who develop the plans and facilitate joined-up conversations between patients and their employers around support or adjustments needed in the workplace

The pilots have been designed through close engagement with GP leaders and the health system. We are also working with employer and patient groups to shape design as pilots progress. Within all four pilots, teams will be able to sign people off work who need time to recover from their illness. The pilots are focussed on the in-work population (either those who are at risk of falling out of work due to illness or those who are already signed off sick). Participation will be voluntary, and the pilots will not determine eligibility for any benefit entitlement or replace the Work Capability Assessment. Any future rollout or legislative reform will be informed by learnings from the pilots.

The fit note pilots are a key element of the Government's response to the recommendations made in the Keep Britain Working Review, published in November 2025. The Review was clear that the fit note is 'not working as intended', and called for the Government to test alternatives and replacements to the fit note. Any long-term system reform is expected to combine employer and state funded provision, balancing the engagement benefits of employer-led support with the necessity for non-workplace provision (for example, for those who leave work due to illness). We are working closely with the Keep Britain Working Vanguards as they test the 'best case' for an employer-led intervention, with the NHS-based pilots running in parallel, and learnings from each model being used to inform future reform.

Reliable data is not held centrally so the information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

The independent Office of National Statistics (ONS) publishes data on the number of people claiming Jobseekers Allowance and out of work Universal Credit. This can be found here: CLA01: Claimant Count - Office for National Statistics

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) for members whose former schemes provided for these increases.

At the Budget, the cost of this measure was estimated to be around £0.3 - £0.6 billion for the Financial Assistance Scheme over the lifetime of the scheme.

The Pension Protection Fund has previously estimated that the cost of providing both prospective and retrospective pre-1997 indexation in the Financial Assistance Scheme is around £2 billion for members whose former schemes had provided such indexation. This estimate is broken down as follows:

a) It includes arrears for retrospective pre-1997 pension increases of CPI capped at 5%: £0.5 billion.

b) It includes prospective and retrospective pre-1997 pension increases of CPI capped at 5%: £1.3 - £2.0 billion.

c) The estimate of £2 billion does not include post-1997 assistance costs.

The award of the contract followed a robust, two-year commercial procurement process, undertaken in compliance with Government procurement regulations and informed by specialist expertise from across the four participating departments. The process balanced service quality and cost, reflecting the critical nature of the services involved. The resulting business case was scrutinised by Treasury as per standard procedures for contract award.

The programme is already working on mobilisation of the Capita contract to ensure a smooth transition of service. The priority remains to ensure continuity of service and value for money for the public.

Ensuring current and future pensioners have adequate retirement income is a key priority for this Government.

Despite the success of Automatic Enrolment in transforming workplace retirement saving with over 23 million employees participating in 2024, we know that 45% of working-age adults are not actively saving into a pension.

That is why the government is taking action to reform the pensions landscape. The Pension Schemes Act 2026 received Royal Assent in April and will play a huge role in strengthening the private pensions market, providing better outcomes for pension savers and supporting UK growth.

We have also revived the Pensions Commission, to explore how to improve retirement outcomes for future generations. The Commission published their interim report on 19 May 2026, setting out areas of focus on the longer-term challenges around retirement adequacy, especially for those at the greatest risk of undersaving. The Government will set out its plans following the Pensions Commission’s final report, which is due in early 2027.

We are committed to ensuring people can access financial support through Disability Living Allowance for children (DLAc) in a timely manner. Reducing customer journey times for our claimants is a priority for the Department and we are working to make improvements to our service. Between October 2024 to March 2025, the Department recruited and re-deployed in excess of 100 case managers to improve clearance times for DLAc new claims. Between 1 August 2025 and 31 March 2026, the percentage of DLAc claims cleared within planned timescales rose from 4.7% to 90.7%. More information can be found on Gov.uk: DLA for children for claims cleared between 1 August 2025 and 31 March 2026 - GOV.UK.

Claimants are informed at the outset of their claim, including through the Claimant Commitment, about their responsibility to report earnings and how these are taken into account. Guidance explains that where earnings exceed the applicable weekly amount (after any disregards), Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) entitlement may be reduced or cease. This applies consistently regardless of the type of employment, including casual, agency and zero-hours work.

Claimants are required to report changes in earnings and hours worked, ensuring that entitlement is adjusted promptly to reflect their circumstances. Changes in earnings are treated as a change of circumstances, with decisions applied from the relevant benefit week in line with regulations.

The Department provides training for staff which covers how different types of income, including earnings, affect JSA payments. Learning materials include worked examples and calculations to support accurate and consistent advice to claimants.

Claimants can access additional information through guidance materials and discussions with Work Coaches, who provide tailored advice based on individual circumstances. These measures ensure that claimants receive consistent, accessible and timely information on how earnings from all forms of work affect their JSA entitlement.

The Department recognises that some Universal Credit (UC) claimants experience multiple or complex needs, which can make it more difficult for them to access and manage their claim or to move towards work.

To identify such claimants, DWP colleagues are trained to recognise indicators of vulnerability through claimant interactions, behaviours and information provided during the claim process. Work Coaches and specialist staff are supported by training, guidance and internal expert roles to ensure claimants with complex needs receive an appropriate and personalised service, with safeguarding considerations applied where necessary.

Any additional support needs are recorded on the UC system to ensure they are consistently recognised and acted upon.

Where multiple needs are identified, tailored support is put in place according to individual circumstances. This can include:

• additional time and flexibility in meeting requirements;
• alternative communication channels, including telephone or face‑to‑face support;
• home visits for those unable to engage through standard routes; and
• referrals to specialist support, including third‑party organisations where appropriate.

In addition, wider support is available through services such as Help to Claim and through adjustments to UC processes to ensure that those with health conditions or disabilities receive the financial support and work‑related requirements appropriate to their capability.

The Department continues to review and strengthen its approach to identifying and supporting vulnerable claimants, including those with multiple needs, to ensure they can access UC and receive the support to which they are entitled.

The department has not undertaken analysis to identify the causes of the increase in Access to Work claims since 2018/19. We have committed to recruiting and training an additional 360 case managers, and 120 case workers to process the higher volume of applications, that is a 72.5% increase to the existing 658 staff already working on Access to Work. Recruitment has already begun, and new case managers will receive extensive training to handle complex applications with confidence.

As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement made of 19 May, to increase the efficiency and reduce waiting times for the scheme we will recruit an additional 480 case staff to process the higher volume of applications. When recruitment is complete, we will have more than twice as many staff working on Access to Work as in March 2024. The recruitment process has already begun, and new case managers will receive extensive training to handle complex applications with confidence. This will ensure disabled people, and people with health conditions can receive timely support to secure and sustain employment.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) awards, including the rate payable and the duration, are set on an individual basis, based on the claimant’s needs and the likelihood of those needs changing. Regular reviews are a key feature of the benefit and ensure that payments accurately match the current needs of claimants. Award durations can vary from nine months to an on-going award, with a light touch review at the ten-year point.

For most claimants over 25, their first review will be a minimum of 3 years and, assuming they remain entitled, 5 years for their next review.

We know PIP can be improved, which is why we launched the Timms Review, working with disabled people and their organisations to ensure the benefit is fit for the future. We launched a Call for Evidence that closed last week and are beginning to carefully consider and analyse the responses provided. We have also outlined a varied approach to evidence gathering so people can share their views on how the benefit should be reformed.

As set out in the Department’s press release of 19 May 2026, the current plan is to clear the backlog by September 2027, supported by the recruitment of nearly 500 additional staff to improve processing times and ensure people receive support more quickly.

Access to Work applications are managed through a national queue and processed in date order. The Department does not hold the information in a format that allows the proportion of nonurgent Access to Work applications awaiting a decision for more than 28 days to be identified.

Since 15 May 2019 both members of a couple need to have reached State Pension age to be eligible for Pension Credit or pension-age Housing Benefit. Benefit support for couples where only one partner has reached State Pension age is provided through Universal Credit instead.

This change was made to ensure that the working age partner gets the right support and incentives to remain in contact with the labour market – and where appropriate moves into work – subject to their individual circumstances. No work-related conditionality applies to the pensioner partner.

This does not affect when the pension-age partner in a mixed-age couple can access their State Pension or eligibility for other benefits such as Attendance Allowance.

This Government has made supporting pensioners a priority, including by delivering a 4.8% increase to the State Pension this year. Pensioners on a low income may still qualify for help with their rent and Council Tax, and as of winter 2025/26, pensioners whose annual taxable income is at or below £35,000 will receive the Winter Fuel Payment. They may also benefit from free prescriptions and eye tests and free off-peak local bus travel. Further information on the help available can be found on: GOV.UK

The Department does collect data on people whose work capability is affected by (i) migraine and (ii) related headache disorders. We publish WCA health conditions outcomes data by ICD10 summary groups because people may have multiple conditions within each summary group. Therefore, only the summary group is retained for publication purposes.

As per the press release of 19 May 2026, the Department aims to clear the existing backlog by September 2027.

The available requested information for Universal Credit (UC) limited capability for work and work-related activity (LCWRA) Work Capability Assessment (WCA) decisions where claimants qualified for LCWRA due to 'substantial risk arising from work-related activity' is provided in the table below.

• Based on UC WCA decision data to November 2025, the latest currently available
• UC LCWRA decision volumes exclude ESA transitions (further information can be found at Universal Credit Work Capability Assessment statistics, April 2019 to December 2025 - GOV.UK)
• Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10

Information prior to April 2019 is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Information on UC WCA decisions and on UC LWCRA caseload is published and can be found on Stat-Xplore.

For time periods prior to the introduction of UC, information on ESA WCA decisions broken down by reason for allocation (including substantial risk) can also be found on Stat-Xplore.

Great Britain has a robust and well-established regulatory framework to protect workers from health risks arising from exposure to hazardous substances, including respirable crystalline silica under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. The right controls, including water suppression of dust and mist control, appropriate respiratory protective equipment and effective ventilation, can prevent exposure to respirable crystalline silica when processing engineered stone products. Health and Safety Executive inspectors are using existing enforcement powers including serving both improvement notices and prohibition notices to secure the measures necessary to protect workers at risk from exposure.

Monthly Universal Credit payment timeliness statistics for new claims are published in UC Households 6 - Payment Timeliness New Claims table in the Households on Universal Credit dataset on Stat-Xplore, and are currently available to February 2026.

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

Statistics related to deductions for households on Universal Credit are published. The relevant figures can be found in tables 6 and 7 of the Universal Credit deductions statistics March 2025 to February 2026, supplementary data tables here: Universal Credit quarterly statistics, 29 April 2013 to 12 February 2026 - GOV.UK

A narrative supporting the published deductions statistics is also available at Universal Credit deductions statistics March 2025 to February 2026 - GOV.UK

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has strengthened its guidance on health surveillance to make clear that employers must ensure that the health of employees exposed to respirable crystalline silica is regularly monitored. HSE is serving improvement notices when failings to provide statutory health surveillance are found, and further measures will be considered should it become clear they are needed.