Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
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 help reduce the time taken to respond to casework queries from Members of Parliament.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department recognises that the recent increase in the volume of MP enquiries, alongside a rise in the complexity of cases requiring more detailed investigation, has contributed to delays in meeting our standard response timescales.
To address this, the Department has taken a number of steps to improve the timeliness and efficiency of responses to MP enquiries:
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, when he plans to respond to the letter of 24 October 2025 from the hon. Member for Lewisham North.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
We apologise for the delay in responding to this case. A reply was issued on 27 January 2026.
MP casework is handled by the Department’s complaints and correspondence teams as a priority, with a target response time of 15 working days. However, increased volumes of complaints and a rise in more complex cases have led to some delays. To address this, the Department has recruited additional staff to improve the timeliness and efficiency of responses.
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, how many people recruited by his Department were aged 16 to 24 in each calendar quarter since 1 January 2023.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
As at 31 December 2025, we can confirm the following joiner data for the 16–24 age band:
Joining Year | Age Band 16-24 Joiners |
Jan-Dec 23 | 1541 |
Jan-Dec 24 | 1622 |
Jan-Dec 25 | 1520 |
Total | 4683 |
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in each of the last 5 years, a) how many complaints to his Department have resulted in a consolatory payment being made to benefit recipients in recognition of delays or errors made by DWP; and b) what is the total amount of those consolatory payments in each of the last 5 years.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have provided the number of consolatory payments made in the last five years to benefit recipients in recognition of delays and errors made by DWP in the table below.
Year | Number of Consolatory Payments | Total Gross Cost (£) |
2020/21 | 3151 | 294315 |
2021/22 | 6483 | 525956.41 |
2022/23 | 8150 | 674850.49 |
2023/24 | 7119 | 684206.92 |
2024/25 | 6447 | 643899.70 |
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 people were waiting for decisions on Access to Work scheme claims as of (a) February 2026, (b) October 2025 and (c) April 2025.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The number of Access to Work applications has risen significantly. We are committed to reducing waiting 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.
As of the 1st of February 2026, there were 66,218 applications awaiting a decision.
As of the 1st of October 2025, please refer to the answer given on 22 October 2025 to Question UIN 80759. As of the 1st of April 2025, please refer to the answer given on 10 June 2025 to Question UIN 56299.
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: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he expects the report into the loss of a crew member on the Valaris 121 jackup drill on 22 January 2023 to be published; and on what date did his officials most recently discuss the case with the (a) Crown Office and (b) Procurator Fiscal Service.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has undertaken an investigation into the incident and has been in touch with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), most recently on 19 January.
HSE does not publish its reports.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to (a) improve the Child Maintenance Service and (b) ensure that payments are made.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government’s aim is for the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) to remove the direct pay service in order to tackle non-compliance more quickly. This change will be made 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 noncompliant parents more quickly from Direct Pay to Collect and Pay.
Where compliance cannot be achieved, the CMS has a range of strong enforcement powers that are designed to get money flowing quickly, prevent the build-up of arrears and ensure children get the financial support they deserve. These powers include the ability to deduct directly from the paying parent’s earnings or bank accounts and disqualifications from holding or obtaining driving licenses and passports.
To further improve arrears collection, the CMS will introduce administrative liability orders (ALOs) to replace the current court based process. This will streamline enforcement, reduce delays, and help the CMS act more quickly against parents who avoid their responsibilities. Work with HM Courts and Tribunals Service and the Scottish Government is underway, and regulations will be brought to Parliament as soon as possible.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what (a) number and (b) proportion of Universal Credit claimants have income levels above the income tax personal allowance.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The requested information is provided below.
a) In November 2025, 1.9 million people on UC had net earnings above £1047.50 (which is the £12,570 annual personal allowance divided by 12). This includes earnings from employment and self-employment.
b) This equates to 22% of all people on UC.
Notes:
Volume is rounded to the nearest 100,000
Percentage is rounded to the nearest 1%
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 her Department has made of the potential impact on levels of pensioner poverty among mixed-age couples of the requirement that both members of a couple must have reached State Pension age in order to be eligible for Pension Credit or pension-age Housing Benefit.
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.
The Government recognises the critical role Universal Credit has to play in tackling poverty and making work pay and is taking important steps to support people with their living costs. For the first time ever, we have introduced a sustained above inflation increase to the Universal Credit standard allowance for all claimants. From April 2026, this will see the standard allowance uprated by 3.8%, followed by a further 2.3%.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the current (a) mean average and (b) longest waiting time for a Work Capability Assessment reassessment.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to reducing waiting times for claimants awaiting a WCA reassessment. The department is increasing assessment capacity by working with suppliers to expand their workforce, including through accelerated recruitment and training of additional assessors. These measures will help ensure that the department continues to prioritise assessments for new claims, while also increasing throughput of reassessment activity.
From 1 January 2018 to 31 January 2026, the mean average working days for outstanding Work Capability Assessment (WCA) reassessments currently stands at 290 days, whilst the current longest waiting time for an outstanding WCA reassessment to be completed is 1,870 working days (3 December 2018).
Please note