Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the current processing times are for new Carer's Allowance applications and what the processing times were on average in 2025 and 2024.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Currently average processing time is 26.8 days. In parts of 2024 the average was as high as 38 days. However, this was reduced to 16.5 working days in 2025.
We are working to reduce the timeline. We are balancing current work pressures and the supply of experience Decision Makers (DM) to support the Carers Independent review (CA IR) which has meant that these times have been extended more recently.
Resourcing discussions are underway to ensure backfill is in place. However, decision maker training time is longer and can be 12 months to become fully productive for brand new staff.
In the meantime, 20 experienced AO-grade staff have been upskilled to undertake Decision Maker duties and provide additional support when available. Their deployment is considered alongside current pressures to ensure resources are directed to the highest priority areas.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Carer's Allowance claims were stopped in 2025, 2024 and 2023 because the person they look after went into hospital.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
This information is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
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 reduce the level of arrears owed through the Child Maintenance Service; and how much in arrears was collected in each of the last three years.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) has a strong range of enforcement powers to address non-compliance, including deductions from earnings and bank accounts, the use of Enforcement Agents, disqualification from driving, passport disqualification, and committal to prison in the most serious cases.
But the Government is not complacent and has a comprehensive reform programme planned. It has confirmed its intention to remove Direct Pay and move to a single, strengthened Collect and Pay service.
There are also plans to introduce Administrative Liability Orders. These will replace the current requirement for the CMS to apply to the court for a liability order. Introducing a 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 more quickly.
These changes combined will enable the CMS to monitor all payments, identify missed or partial payments more quickly, and take faster enforcement action.
We can confirm that in the year ending June 2026, the CMS collected £235.4 million in current maintenance and arrears through civil and administrative enforcement action, the highest amount recorded, compared with £202.1 million in the year ending June 2025 and £173.1 million in the year ending June 2024. In addition, only 7% of all maintenance that has been arranged since the launch of the 2012 scheme remains to be collected through Collect and Pay.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
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 prevent the Child Maintenance Service being used as a means of economic abuse.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) takes domestic abuse, including economic abuse, seriously and is committed to helping victims and survivors use the service safely. Caseworkers are trained to recognise domestic abuse, including coercive and financial control, and signpost parents to appropriate support. This training is reviewed every six months, with the CMS working with external organisations to ensure it remains effective and up to date.
The Government plans to reform child maintenance by removing Direct Pay and moving to a single service where the CMS monitors and transfers all payments. This will reduce opportunities for child maintenance payments to be used as a means of economic abuse, reduce the need for direct contact between parents, and enable the CMS to identify non-compliance and intervene more quickly when payments break down.
Ahead of these reforms, the CMS is making it easier for parents to move from Direct Pay to Collect and Pay, improving information about available support, and working with stakeholders to identify further support for victims and survivors throughout their CMS journey.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if they have plans to review the practical support that the Government intends to provide for people approaching retirement who are struggling financially or cannot continue working until State Pension age.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government recognises that some people approaching State Pension age may face financial hardship or be unable to continue working due to disabilities, health conditions, caring responsibilities or other barriers.
People who are struggling financially and have not yet reached State Pension age may be eligible for Universal Credit. Additional support is also available for disabled people, people with health conditions, or caring responsibilities that limits their ability to work.
Where people are facing financial hardship due to being unemployed but are able to work, the Department for Work and Pensions provides additional dedicated support for customers aged 50 and over in jobcentres. This includes through our 50PLUS Champions, who ensure that the specific needs of this age group are recognised and met by facilitating engagement with local employers, promoting age inclusive policies, and supporting work coaches to deliver activity locally. We also offer the Midlife MOT, which helps individuals assess their health, skills and finances, and directs them to appropriate guidance to support their return to work. In addition, our Employer and Partnership Teams work closely with local employers and partners to expand the opportunities, training and employment support available to customers aged 50 and over.
As part of our plans to Get Britain Working, we are creating a new Jobs and Careers Service, with an enhanced focus on skills and careers. Support will be more inclusive and tailored to individual needs, including those aged 50 and over, to help them find secure, meaningful work, develop skills and progress in work.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what service targets apply to (a) application processing, (b) renewals, (c) payment processing and (d) complaint handling within Access to Work.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Access to Work is a discretionary grant scheme and does not operate against published service targets for application processing or renewals.
The time taken to process applications and renewals will vary depending on a range of factors, including the complexity of the case and the provision of evidence from customers.
Access to Work operates a Service Level Agreement for payment processing. The current Service Level Agreement is to process payments within 10 working days of receiving the information required to make a payment.
Complaints are handled in accordance with the Department's complaints procedures. The Department aims to provide a full response to complaints within 15 working days.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference the Answer of 19 February 2025 to Question 30627, if he will provide updated figures on the number of carers with Carer's Allowance overpayment debts as a result of breaching the earnings limit in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Overpayments can arise for a number of reasons. With respect to those linked to the treatment of earnings in Carer’s Allowance, we inherited a system where some busy carers, already struggling under a huge weight of caring responsibilities, found themselves with unexpected debts. We commissioned an Independent Review, led by Liz Sayce OBE, to investigate why overpayments occurred, how people affected can be better supported, and what changes are needed to prevent similar issues in future. We have published the findings of the Review, acknowledged the shortcomings identified, and accepted in full or in part 38 of the Review’s 40 recommendations. As part of its response, the Government committed to reassessing Carer’s Allowance cases which may have been affected by faulty guidance on averaging of irregularly fluctuating earnings. This guidance was in place between April 2015 and September 2025 and did not accurately reflect the statutory position.
The reassessment exercise began on 13 April 2026. Funding of £75m has been provided for the exercise in the financial years 2026/27 to 2028/29. The department expects to review over 200,000 cases, potentially reducing, cancelling, or refunding debts for around 25,000 carers.
The number of people with Carer's Allowance overpayment debts as a result of breaching the earnings limit where the person has a postcode in (a) England, (b) Wales, and (c) Scotland is presented below (correct as at 22 April 2026). Social security is a transferred matter in Northern Ireland, which is therefore excluded from these figures.
Carer’s Allowance has been a devolved matter in Scotland since April 2018, therefore cases with a Scottish postcode are not included where the overpayment occurred after that date. However, at the request of the Scottish Government, where such cases may have been affected by the faulty guidance on averaging of earnings identified by the Review, they are included in the current exercise to reassess such cases.
| England | Wales | Scotland |
Volume of Customers with an Outstanding CA Debt with 'Earnings over CA Limit' | 83,489 | 5,272 | 920 |
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
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) introduce increased support and incentives for businesses that recruit and train apprentices, (b) help employers to meet the costs of apprenticeship provision and (c) expand opportunities for young people.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government has committed a further £1 billion investment in young people, taking total additional investment into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy to £2.5 billion over the next three years. This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.
We are 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 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 people as apprentices, we are introducing a new apprenticeship hiring payment of £2,000 when they take on 16–24-year-old apprentices 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 start of 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 Sussex, through nine regional networks. These networks provide buddying and mentoring support to small businesses to help them recruit and retain apprentices.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many earnings-related Carer's Allowance overpayments were referred to Debt Management between January 2025 and March 2026.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This Government recognises and values the vital contribution made by unpaid carers every day in providing significant care and continuity of support to family and friends with disabilities.
Overpayments can arise for a number of reasons. With respect to those linked to the treatment of earnings in Carer’s Allowance, we inherited a system where some busy carers, already struggling under a huge weight of caring responsibilities, found themselves with unexpected debts. We commissioned an Independent Review, led by Liz Sayce OBE, to investigate why overpayments occurred, how people affected can be better supported, and what changes are needed to prevent similar issues in future. We have published the findings of the Review, acknowledged the shortcomings identified, apologised to those affected, and accepted in full or in part 38 of the Review’s 40 recommendations.
We do not record the reason for Carer’s Allowance overpayments where we do not seek to recover those overpayments and therefore the earnings-related overpayments referred to Debt Management are not available. Therefore the information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many earnings-related Carer's Allowance overpayments were referred to Debt Management between January 2025 and March 2026.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.