Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff working days have been lost to sick leave in the Child Maintenance Service in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information is not available for the whole period requested. The data is only available from October 2023. This is due to changes in departmental reporting hierarchies.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average length of time was that staff had been employed in the Child Maintenance Service in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested for the average length of time in service is not held at Child Maintenance Service level. It is only available at Department for Work and Pension level.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Child Maintenance Service cases were reviewed by the Independent Case Examiner in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
There are several ways in which complaints escalated to the Independent Case Examiner (ICE) can be concluded – resolution, settlement or investigation.
This table shows the total volumes of Child Maintenance Service (CMS) cases ICE concluded in each of the last ten operational years, and comprises of cases concluded by resolution, settlement and investigation.
CMS | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
Total | 335 | 370 | 313 | 328 | 278 | 355 | 592 | 807 | 1253 | 941 |
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many new applications have been made to the Child Maintenance Service in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department publishes quarterly statistics for the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) and the latest statistics are currently available to June 2025. Table 1 of the latest National tables includes the information on the total applications received by CMS for each of the last five quarters, from quarter ending June 2024 to quarter ending June 2025.
Statistics from August 2016 to March 2024 are available in ‘Table 1’ in the ‘National tables’ of previous releases and the resulting annual data, from August 2016 to June 2025, has been provided in the table below.
Annual Applications to the Child Maintenance Service, Great Britain, August 2016 to June 2025
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of Temporary Housing Subsidy rates on local authority budgets.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP pays local authorities a Housing Benefit subsidy for temporary accommodation cases but this is subject to limits to incentivise local authorities to find settled accommodation for residents and to ensure good value for money for the taxpayer. Local authorities usually pay the costs of temporary accommodation upfront and then claim back from DWP through the Housing Benefit subsidy.
The rate of subsidy is usually based on 90% of the January 2011 Local Housing Allowance rates and maximum subsidy caps of £500 and £375 per week are in place in some high rent areas.
DWP collects data on local authority Housing Benefit expenditure and levels of Housing Benefit subsidy paid, including temporary accommodation expenditure in England, Scotland and Wales. Housing Benefit expenditure and subsidy data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
We understand that local authorities are subject to many funding pressures which are impacting their budgets. However, any increases to the subsidy rates for temporary accommodation would need to be taken in the context of the government’s missions, goals on housing, and the fiscal position.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total uprated value of the State Pension will be from 1 April 2025, by constituency.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Government is committed to the Triple Lock, which means that in April 2025, the basic and new State pension will increase by the higher of the growth in average earnings, price increases or 2.5%.
The relevant percentage increase applied to the State Pension in April 2025 is subject to a statutory review conducted by the Secretary of State. The review will typically begin in October, once the relevant indices have been published by the Office for National Statistics. On completion of the review, the Secretary of State will lay a statement in Parliament.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the number of people who will be in receipt of the Winter Fuel Payment by constituency from 1 April 2025; and what the total value of the (a) Winter Fuel Payment and (b) State Pension uprating will be by constituency from 1 April 2025.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
We cannot estimate the number of people who will be in receipt of the Winter Fuel Payment by constituency from 1 April 2025.
The Secretary of State will undertake her annual statutory review of benefits and State Pensions for the next financial year ahead of the Autumn Budget. This means that we cannot estimate what the total value of the Winter Fuel Payment and State Pension uprating will be by constituency from 1 April 2025.