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, what estimate he has made of the number of people in poverty as a result of the rule preventing mixed-age couples from claiming pension-age benefits until the youngest partner reaches State Pension age.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Ensuring that individuals can get into, progress and stay in work is important in helping them to continue saving for their own retirement and contribute to the wider economy.
The requirement for mixed age couples to seek financial support from the working-age social security system until both members of the couple reach State Pension Age ensures that, once in receipt of Universal Credit, the younger partner can access the same employment support that is available for customers below State Pension Age including dedicated employment support for customers over the age of 50. The pension-age partner is placed in the no-work related requirements group.
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 27 January 2026 to Written Question UIN 106823, if he will (a) collect and analyse data on the extent of refusal, increase and reduction of Access to Work awards at renewal and (b) make an assessment of the potential impact of that data on Disabled people’s ability to maintain work and careers.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department has a broad analytical programme of work on Access to Work which includes quantitative analysis of data, qualitative research, and production of official statistics. This programme is reviewed regularly to ensure it remains relevant and helps to build understanding of the functioning of the scheme.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how often Access to Work awards for blind and partially sighted customers are reviewed for compliance with the EHRC Code of Practice.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Access to Work (AtW) awards, including those made to blind and partially sighted customers, are managed through standard casework processes, which include appropriate Service Assurance checks to ensure decisions comply with AtW guidance and principles.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether eligible (a) prospective claimants not currently in receipt of Universal Credit and (b) existing Universal Credit claimants who do not receive the health element would be entitled to the rate of the health element of Universal Credit in force before 6 April 2026 where an application for that element is received by the Department for Work and Pensions on or before 5 April 2026, including in cases where eligibility is confirmed, a Work Capability Assessment is completed, or a decision on entitlement is made on or after 6 April 2026.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Universal Credit and Employment and Support Allowance (Rates of Allowances) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 were laid in Parliament on 9 February 2026. The Regulations provide further detail on the application of the Universal Credit Act 2025 including the definition of a pre-6 April 2026 claimant confirming that claimants who declare a health condition or disability on or before 5 April 2026 and are found to have limited capability for work and work-related activity (LCWRA) will receive the higher rate of LCWRA. This applies even if their decision on entitlement is made on or after 6 April 2026.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to increase public awareness of the availability of free advice from independent providers on claiming welfare benefits; and if he will make an assessment on the potential merits of a public engagement campaign on this topic.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Free help and support in applying for Universal Credit is available from Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland. Free help and support for claiming other DWP benefits is widely available, including on GOV.UK, from the Department itself, and from organisations such as Age UK. There is no need for claimants to pay for advice and support with benefit applications.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to increase the benefit cap.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There is a statutory obligation to review the levels of the benefit cap at least once every five years. They were last reviewed in November 2022 and, as such, a further review is required by November 2027. This will happen at the appropriate time as determined by the Secretary of State.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans his Department has to engage with a) disabled people and b) disabled people's organisations during next the phase of reform for the Disability Confident scheme.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department is committed to ensuring that the next phase of Disability Confident reform is shaped by the lived experience of disabled people and disabled people’s organisations.
As set out in the Disability Confident Reform Delivery Plan the reformed scheme will embed disabled people’s voices throughout design, testing and evaluation. This includes planned engagement through qualitative interviews, surveys, and employee feedback mechanisms, ensuring that reforms reflect the real experiences of disabled employees and those with long-term health conditions.
We will also work directly with disabled people and disabled people’s organisations as part of our stakeholder engagement work. Their expertise will inform the development and testing of strengthened standards, verification processes and tools, with opportunities to contribute through engagement sessions, workshops and ongoing feedback loops.
Taken together, these measures will ensure that disabled people and the organisations representing them have clear and meaningful opportunities to shape the next phase of Disability Confident reform.
Asked by: Lorraine Beavers (Labour - Blackpool North and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many outstanding Access to Work scheme payments there were in (a) February 2026, (b) October 2025 and (c) April 2025.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Access to Work (AtW) operates as a reimbursement grant, which means that the service or support must be provided before any payment can be made. Once AtW support has been approved, the customer can then submit their claim for payment. Customers have up to nine months to submit claims for their approved costs. As a result, on any individual day, there will always be claims awaiting review and payment. On average, we are currently processing and clearing claims within 13 days. We have plans in place to reduce this to 10 days.
As of the 1st of February 2026, there were 16,389 payment claims being processed.
As of the 1st of October 2025, there were 9,103 payment claims being processed.
As of the 1st of April 2025, there were 28,499 payment claims being processed.
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: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2025 to Question 63906, what recent estimate he has made of the waiting times for Access to Work Applications.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have interpreted this question as referring to the average processing time from the date an application is submitted to the date a decision is made. The current average processing time for access to work is 100.5 days from April 2025 to January 2026.
We are committed to reducing processing times. We also 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.
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: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of reductions to Access to Work awards at renewal on employment outcomes for blind and partially sighted people.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The support that a customer will receive from Access to Work is dependent upon their needs and circumstances at the time they make an application. Case managers will use the guidance to ensure Access to Work principles are considered when making a decision on support. No changes have been made to Access to Work policy.