Asked by: Apsana Begum (Independent - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people receiving Personal Independence Payment and no longer eligible due to the introduction of the four point requirement on a single descriptor on the daily living activities assessment criteria in (a) full time and (b) part time work.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No estimate has been made. The information requested on (a) full time and (b) part time work is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
The June 2024 Green Paper Modernising support for independent living: the health and disability green paper - GOV.UK included an estimate that around 16% of PIP claimants are in work.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Independent - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made as to the number of people in receipt of Personal Independence Payments who are in (a) full time and (b) part time work.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No estimate has been made. The information requested on (a) full time and (b) part time work is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
The June 2024 Green Paper Modernising support for independent living: the health and disability green paper - GOV.UK included an estimate that around 16% of PIP claimants are in work.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Independent - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant of the Answer of 7 March 2025 to Question 42058 on Poverty: Children, whether her Department plans to make an assessment of the potential impact of the measures in the Green Paper: Pathways to Work, published on 18 March 2025 on (a) the number of children in relative poverty and (b) the societal health inequalities of children.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government's impact assessment regarding Health and Disability Reform is available at Spring Statement 2025 health and disability benefit reforms – Impacts.
Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’.
A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Independent - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant of the Answer of 7 April 2025 to Question 42958 on Pathways to Work and her Department's Green Paper entitled Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working published on 18 March 2025, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of that Green Paper on the number of (a) children and (b) adults in relative poverty in each region in the 2029-30 financial year.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No assessment has been made on this basis.
The government's impact assessment regarding Health and Disability Reform is available at Spring Statement 2025 health and disability benefit reforms – Impacts.
Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’.
A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Independent - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of children who live in a working household who are in (a) absolute and (b) relative poverty after housing costs.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Statistics on the number of children in absolute and relative poverty after housing costs in the UK are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication at Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab). The latest available data can also be found on Stat-Xplore (https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/) in the Households Below Average Income dataset. The latest statistics were published on 21 March 2025 and are for the financial period 2023/24.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Independent - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the two child benefit limit on (a) the levels of child poverty since July 2024 and (b) the projected levels of child poverty in each year until 2029-30.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No assessment has been made using current methodological practices on this basis.
However, the department has previously produced a poverty impact assessment using OBR Spring Statement 2025 Round 2 economic assumptions on an outdated version of the DWP Policy Simulation Model. Using this methodology, the department has estimated the poverty impact removing the two-child benefit limit. Removing the two-child benefit limit has been estimated to decrease the number of children in relative poverty after housing costs by 300,000 (2.2%) in 2025/26, 300,000 (2.3%) in 2026/27, 300,000 (2.3%) in 2027/28, 350,000 (2.6%) in 2028/29, and 350,000 (2.6%) in 2029/30.
Estimates have been rounded to the nearest 50,000 and are on a UK basis. The poverty impacts are independent of the underlying trends in poverty so they are not an estimate of the total change in poverty over time.
The model used to produce this estimate is a pre-Spring Statement model and will be updated with the policies announced at the Spring Statement in due course.
Delivering our manifesto commitment to tackle child poverty is an urgent priority for this Government, and we will bring forward the Child Poverty Strategy as soon as we are able.
The Strategy will look at all available levers across four key themes of increasing incomes, including considering social security reforms, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience; and better local support especially in the early years. This will build on the reform plans underway across Government and work underway in Devolved Governments.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Independent - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of working-age adults who are in work and live in (a) absolute and (b) relative poverty after housing costs.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Statistics on the number of working-age adults living in absolute and relative poverty after housing costs by family work status in the UK are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication at Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab). The latest available data can also be found on Stat-Xplore (https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/) in the Households Below Average Income dataset. The latest statistics were published on 21 March 2025 and are for the financial period 2023/24.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Independent - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people who (a) receive Personal Independence Payment and (b) will no longer be eligible for the award as a result of the introduction of the four point requirement on a single descriptor on the daily living activities assessment criteria who are living with a child in (i) absolute and (ii) relative poverty after housing costs.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Statistics on the number of individuals living in families with children that are in absolute and/or relative poverty and where at least one member is in receipt of Personal Independence Payment are published on Stat-Xplore ( https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/) in the Households Below Average Income dataset. The latest statistics were published on 21 March 2025 and are for the financial year 2023/24.
The government's impact assessment regarding Health and Disability Reform is available at Spring Statement 2025 health and disability benefit reforms - Impacts.
No assessment has been made of the number of people living with a child who will no longer be eligible for a Personal Independence Payment award as a result of the introduction of the four point requirement on a single descriptor on the daily living activities assessment criteria who are living in poverty. However, the department has estimated that 50,000 families with children who were estimated to be in relative poverty after housing costs before the policy change will lose income as a result of this policy change in the financial year 2029/30. Estimates are rounded to the nearest 50,000 families due to uncertainties inherent in the modelling approach. Analysis is at a Great Britian level, although to ensure consistency with the Households Below Average Income methodology, the relative poverty line has been calculated at a UK level. Changes to PIP have been modelled on an England and Wales basis given it is a devolved benefit. The analysis does not model any labour market impacts of this reform.
We are consulting on how best to support those who are no longer eligible for PIP and linked entitlements, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Independent - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made as to the number of people who (a) receive Personal Independence Payment and (b) will no longer be eligible for the award as a result of the introduction of the four point requirement on a single descriptor on the daily living activities assessment criteria who are living in (i) absolute and (ii) relative poverty after housing costs.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Statistics on the number of individuals living in families that are in absolute and/or relative poverty and where at least one member is in receipt of Personal Independence Payment are published on Stat-Xplore ( https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/) in the Households Below Average Income dataset. The latest statistics were published on 21 March 2025 and are for the financial year 2023/24.
The government's impact assessment regarding Health and Disability Reform is available at Spring Statement 2025 health and disability benefit reforms - Impacts.
No assessment has been made of the number of people who will no longer be eligible for a Personal Independence Payment award as a result of the introduction of the four point requirement on a single descriptor on the daily living activities assessment criteria who are living in poverty. However, the department has estimated that 250,000 families who were estimated to be in relative poverty after housing costs before the policy change will lose income as a result of this policy change in the financial year 2029/30. Estimates are rounded to the nearest 50,000 families due to uncertainties inherent in the modelling approach. Analysis is at a Great Britian level, although to ensure consistency with the Households Below Average Income methodology, the relative poverty line has been calculated at a UK level. Changes to PIP have been modelled on an England and Wales basis given it is a devolved benefit. The analysis does not model any labour market impacts of this reform.
We are consulting on how best to support those who are no longer eligible for PIP and linked entitlements, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Independent - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2025 to Question 42955 on Employment: Disability, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of measures in the Green Paper: Pathways to Work published on 18 March 2025, on (a) part-time and (b) full-time employment opportunities for (i) disabled people and (ii) people with health conditions by 2029-30.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer the Hon. member to the answer I gave on 7 April 2025 to PQ 42955.