Asked by: Graham Leadbitter (Scottish National Party - Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether an equality impact assessment has been undertaken for the potential impact of the Industry Safe Weight Limit Policy introduced by Offshore Energies UK on offshore workers.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is aware of Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) guidance documentation and policy on introducing a Safe Weight Limit for Offshore Workers on the United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS). HSE was not involved in the development of the document but was provided with a copy of the final draft for comment. HSE reviewed the guidance relating to occupational health legislation and International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) standards. As HSE is not the relevant regulatory body regarding the safe operation and use of helicopter winching systems it did not comment on the implementation of a winching weight limit.
HSE is not in a position to approve OEUK guidance documents nor will it be involved in any discussion or decision making on the applicability of equality statutes that may be relevant. That is the responsibility of individual dutyholders and employers to ensure they maintain safe operations offshore under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and all relevant regulations applicable to the sector.
HSE understands that the policy and associated guidance, developed by OEUK, is being introduced in a phased manner, over time, to enable the sector to maintain safe operations. As part of HSE’s regulatory role it carries our frequent inspections of offshore installations, which include consideration of employee roles and core competencies. HSE has the ability to take proportionate enforcement activity if it identifies failings relevant to these areas.
Asked by: Graham Leadbitter (Scottish National Party - Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Industry Safe Weight Limit Policy introduced by Offshore Energies UK on workplace safety.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is aware of Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) guidance documentation and policy on introducing a Safe Weight Limit for Offshore Workers on the United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS). HSE was not involved in the development of the document but was provided with a copy of the final draft for comment. HSE reviewed the guidance relating to occupational health legislation and International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) standards. As HSE is not the relevant regulatory body regarding the safe operation and use of helicopter winching systems it did not comment on the implementation of a winching weight limit.
HSE is not in a position to approve OEUK guidance documents nor will it be involved in any discussion or decision making on the applicability of equality statutes that may be relevant. That is the responsibility of individual dutyholders and employers to ensure they maintain safe operations offshore under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and all relevant regulations applicable to the sector.
HSE understands that the policy and associated guidance, developed by OEUK, is being introduced in a phased manner, over time, to enable the sector to maintain safe operations. As part of HSE’s regulatory role it carries our frequent inspections of offshore installations, which include consideration of employee roles and core competencies. HSE has the ability to take proportionate enforcement activity if it identifies failings relevant to these areas.
Asked by: Graham Leadbitter (Scottish National Party - Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Health and Safety Executive has formally (a) reviewed and (b) approved the Industry Safe Weight Limit Policy introduced by Offshore Energies UK.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is aware of Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) guidance documentation and policy on introducing a Safe Weight Limit for Offshore Workers on the United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS). HSE was not involved in the development of the document but was provided with a copy of the final draft for comment. HSE reviewed the guidance relating to occupational health legislation and International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) standards. As HSE is not the relevant regulatory body regarding the safe operation and use of helicopter winching systems it did not comment on the implementation of a winching weight limit.
HSE is not in a position to approve OEUK guidance documents nor will it be involved in any discussion or decision making on the applicability of equality statutes that may be relevant. That is the responsibility of individual dutyholders and employers to ensure they maintain safe operations offshore under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and all relevant regulations applicable to the sector.
HSE understands that the policy and associated guidance, developed by OEUK, is being introduced in a phased manner, over time, to enable the sector to maintain safe operations. As part of HSE’s regulatory role it carries our frequent inspections of offshore installations, which include consideration of employee roles and core competencies. HSE has the ability to take proportionate enforcement activity if it identifies failings relevant to these areas.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2026 to Question 111896, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the 2028 delivery date for the Jobs and Careers Service on mobilisation of the UK workforce between now and 2028.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have interpreted ‘mobilisation of the UK workforce’ to mean moving economically inactive or unemployed individuals into employment.
We are aiming for a fully operational, nationwide, transformed service from 2028/29, with ongoing improvement thereafter. We already provide support to help people into employment through our current Jobcentre offer which will continue and improve as we transition to the new Jobs and Careers Service. We have developed an enhanced employer offer and employer strategy and grown the Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) in priority sectors. We have also announced the integration of the careers service in England from October this year, which will provide a more joined up service for customers. In April 2025, we launched our first Pathfinder in Wakefield in April 2025 which is testing elements of the new service including new ways of delivering employment support.
We are also supporting people into employment through wider initiatives including the 17 youth and inactivity trailblazers, NHS Health and Growth Accelerators, Connect to Work programme and the Pathways to Work guarantee. In addition, the national rollout of the Youth Guarantee Gateway will start in April 2026 and follow a phased implementation to ensure adequate provision and infrastructure are in place to meet demand.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Child Maintenance Service in (a) recognising and applying court-ordered shared care arrangements when determining maintenance liability, (b) ensuring that submitted evidence of changes in care arrangements is reviewed and acted upon within reasonable timeframes, (c) reviewing continued collection of maintenance payments where administrative error has been identified, (d) supporting service users experiencing prolonged disputes or repeated reassessments and, (f) resolving complaints in a timely manner.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Where the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is satisfied that both parents have equal day-to-day care for the child, in addition to sharing overnight care, there is no requirement for either parent to pay child maintenance. There is no statutory definition of day-to-day care; the CMS’ definition is broadly aligned with that of Child Benefit, where an ‘overall care test’ is used. This provides consistency across government and receipt of Child Benefit is regarded as a good indicator of who is entitled to child maintenance payments. Where shared care exists for at least 52 night per week, the CMS will reduce liability.
If a dispute on the amount of care provided by each parent does arises, the CMS will seek to collect evidence from parents, allowing both a reasonable time to submit the evidence before we review. It will give greatest weight to evidence of a formal agreement or court order directing shared care arrangements.
When CMS backdates a change of circumstances, it will increase or decrease liability depending on the outcome of the decision.
The CMS works to ensure that liability adjustments following changes in care arrangements are processed as quickly and accurately as possible. These changes can vary in complexity, and the time taken depends on factors such as the availability of corroborating information from both parents and whether there is agreement on the new arrangements.
Where there is disagreement or insufficient evidence, additional checks are required, which can extend the timescale.
Through its Service Modernisation Programme CMS is expanding digital channels and self-service options to provide greater choice and flexibility to allow parents to submit information more quickly, helping reduce delays.
CMS has enhanced customer communications by increasing the use of SMS text and email and simplifying letters to make them clearer and easier to understand. Online services, including Get Help Arranging Child Maintenance and My Child Maintenance Case (MCMC), allow parents to access advice and manage their case 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It has also introduced online messaging for certain processes, enabling customers to respond to requests for information at a time that suits them, with plans to extend this functionality further. By promoting self-service, CMS frees up resources to support customers who need to speak to it by telephone. Recent improvements to call routing ensure more calls go directly to case-owning teams, providing a faster and more responsive service.
The DWP aims to contact a customer within 15 working days to tell them of the outcome of their complaint or when they can expect a response if it will take longer.
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what is the total value of contracts awarded to private contractors for (a) Universal Credit assessments (b) PIP assessments and (c) Disability Living Allowance in each financial year since 2019-20.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The contracts awarded in the period of the question were / are to deliver assessments in support of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Work Capability Assessments for Universal Credit and Employment and Support Allowance and a range of other benefits including Disability Living Allowance (Child). All contracts were awarded as multi year agreements. The attached links sets out the total values awarded per contract/contractor.
Please note, the contract value is the total estimated value of the contract at the point it was awarded and subsequently extended. Contract spend is the actual amount of money paid to suppliers during the contract period and can be different to the contract value as a result of a variety of factors (e.g. over/under delivery, changes in volume, demand and other variations to contract).
PIP Contracts (31 July 2012 – 6 September 2024)
Total Contract Value: £1,787,043,988
Lot 1 - Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Assessment Service - Contract Extension - Lot 1 - Find a Tender
Lot 2 - Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Assessment Service - Contract Extension - Lot 2 - Find a Tender
Lot 3 - Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Assessment Service - Contract Extension - Lot 3 - Find a Tender
HDAS Contract (29 October 2014 – 6 September 2024)
Total Contract Value: £1,297,737,098
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/9bdd9fa5-0a4c-4484-a853-702b9683db80
FAS Contract (2 October 2023 – 31 August 2029)
Total Contract Value: £2,769,913,640 (including Lot 5)
Lots 1-5 - Functional Assessment Services (FAS) 2023 - Find a Tender
(NB – Lot 5 is managed by Department for Communities)
Asked by: Michael Wheeler (Labour - Worsley and Eccles)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has assessed the potential merits of introducing measures outside of the Pension Schemes Bill to protect the real terms value of pre-1997 defined benefit pension schemes.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
We recognise that the absence of indexation on pension rights accrued before April 1997 can erode the value of pensions over time and affect members who rely on these benefits in retirement.
The reforms we have introduced through the Pension Schemes Bill will enable more trustees of well funded defined benefit schemes to share surplus with sponsoring employers, and allow them to negotiate additional benefits for members, including discretionary indexation. More broadly and outside the Pension Schemes Bill, the Pensions Regulator already expects trustees to consider whether members would benefit from a discretionary increase and to take account of any history of making such awards.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the answer of 22 October 2025 to Written Question UIN 80759, how many Access to Work claims have been processed since 10 October 2025; what the extent is of the backlog of outstanding claims; and what steps he is taking to reduce that backlog.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are committed to reducing waiting times in Access to Work so that people can access the support they need. We prioritise applications from customers who are due to start work within the next four weeks, as well as renewals for existing grants, to minimise disruption to employment.
In March 2025, the Department published the Pathways to Work Green Paper, launching a consultation on the future of Access to Work and how the scheme can better support disabled people in employment. We are reviewing all aspects of the programme as we develop plans for reform following the conclusion of the consultation.
From the period 10/10/2025 to 23/02/2026 51,924 Access to Work claims have been processed. As of the 23/02/2026 there were 66,749 applications awaiting a decision.
Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Universal Credit Work Capability Assessments were undertaken in each month since August 2025 for (a) new and (b) existing claimants.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The number of Universal Credit Work Capability Assessments undertaken in each month from August 2025 to December 2025 for a) new and b) existing claimants can be found in the table below:
| Aug 25 | Sep 25 | Oct 25 | Nov 25 | Dec 25 |
(a) New | 37,000 | 43,000 | 42,000 | 38,000 | 31,000 |
(b) Existing | 2,300 | 2,800 | 5,600 | 3,200 | 3,400 |
Please note: the volumes in the tables above have been rounded up to the nearest 1000/100.
Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of raising the state pension recipient maximum threshold on people who receive carer's allowance.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave on 23 June 2025 to Question UIN 59626.
Carer’s Allowance is devolved to the Scottish Parliament.