Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to address the impact of Access to Work delays on disabled people in (a) West Dorset and (b) other rural areas.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Access to Work Scheme is centrally administered and makes no distinction between the processing of applications from different regions.
Demand for Access to Work has been growing. In 2023-2024, 67,720 people were approved for Access to Work provision. This is around a 32% increase when compared to the previous year.
We are continuing to streamline delivery practices and have increased the number of staff processing claims. Since May 2024, 118 additional staff have been redeployed to support Access to Work.
Despite this, the number of Access to Work applications waiting to be processed is continuing to grow, with over 62,000 applications outstanding as of February 2025. In addition, the average processing time for Access to Work applications was 92 days from April 2025 to June 2025. We are prioritising customers who are making new applications, those who are due to start a job within the next 4 weeks, or those whose existing grant requires renewal.
We recognise that Access to Work is providing a poor experience for some applicants with processing delays affecting employees’ ability to start or continue in employment, and employers’ ability to support them.
This combination of delays, poor experience and perceived inconsistency by some customers means the Access to Work scheme needs reform in order to support disabled people starting or continuing in employment better, and to support their employers more effectively.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her oral contribution of 23 June 2025, Official Report, column 823, what steps her Department is taking to enable face-to-face meetings for PIP appeal hearings more accessible.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The oral contribution refers to the PIP assessment process and outlines our commitment to audio recording assessments.
Appeals are lodged directly with, and administered by, HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). Making appeal hearings more accessible is therefore a matter for HMCTS and MoJ.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to (a) increase the rate of and (b) expand eligibility for Carer’s Allowance, in the context of trends in the number of unpaid carers.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government keeps all aspects of Carer’s Allowance (CA) under review to see if it is meeting its objectives. It is not means-tested but is subject to a weekly earnings limit. This was increased by a record amount in April 2025, which will benefit at least 60,000 unpaid carers between 2025/26 and 2029/30.
Beyond that, to be entitled to CA, a carer must be over the age of 16 and provide 35 hours of care per week to a severally disabled person in receipt of a qualifying benefit. They must not be in ‘gainful employment’ (earning more than the equivalent of 16 hours at the National Living Wage), or in full time education (defined as being more than 21 hours per week). There are currently no plans to change the existing eligibility rules for CA.
The level of CA is protected by uprating it each April in line with inflation as measured by the CPI for the previous September. The purpose of benefit uprating is to ensure that the value of benefits stays in line with the general level of prices. From April 2025, the rate of CA was increased to £83.30 per week.
Between 2025/26 and 2029/30 real terms expenditure on CA is forecast to rise by over 6% - around £285 million. By 2029/30, the Government is forecast to spend over £4.7 billion in real terms a year on CA in England and Wales.
CA may be supplemented for those on low incomes through Universal Credit and Pension Credit. These are paid at a higher rate for carers through the Universal Credit carer element of £201.68 per monthly assessment period, paid in addition to the Standard Allowance; or the additional amount for carers in Pension Credit of £46.40 a week, paid in addition to the Standard Minimum Guarantee.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to expand eligibility for Carer’s Allowance in West Dorset.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government keeps all aspects of Carer’s Allowance (CA) under review to see if it is meeting its objectives. It is not means-tested but is subject to a weekly earnings limit. This was increased by a record amount in April 2025, which will benefit at least 60,000 unpaid carers between 2025/26 and 2029/30.
Beyond that, to be entitled to CA, a carer must be over the age of 16 and provide 35 hours of care per week to a severally disabled person in receipt of a qualifying benefit. They must not be in ‘gainful employment’ (earning more than the equivalent of 16 hours at the National Living Wage), or in full time education (defined as being more than 21 hours per week). There are currently no plans to change the existing eligibility rules for CA.
The level of CA is protected by uprating it each April in line with inflation as measured by the CPI for the previous September. The purpose of benefit uprating is to ensure that the value of benefits stays in line with the general level of prices. From April 2025, the rate of CA was increased to £83.30 per week.
Between 2025/26 and 2029/30 real terms expenditure on CA is forecast to rise by over 6% - around £285 million. By 2029/30, the Government is forecast to spend over £4.7 billion in real terms a year on CA in England and Wales.
CA may be supplemented for those on low incomes through Universal Credit and Pension Credit. These are paid at a higher rate for carers through the Universal Credit carer element of £201.68 per monthly assessment period, paid in addition to the Standard Allowance; or the additional amount for carers in Pension Credit of £46.40 a week, paid in addition to the Standard Minimum Guarantee.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many unpaid carers receive Carer’s Allowance in West Dorset constituency.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The latest figures available - from November 2024 - show that 999 people were receiving a Carer’s Allowance payment in West Dorset Constituency.
These figures can be found on Stat-Xplore.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to bring forward the timing of Personal Independence Payment review assessments.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have launched a review of the PIP assessment as a whole, to make sure it is fair and fit for the future in a changing world and helps support disabled people to achieve better health, higher living standards and greater independence. I am leading the review.
We published the Terms of Reference for the Review on 30 June 2025, and will update these shortly. We have committed to co-producing the review with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, clinicians, experts, Members of Parliament and other stakeholders. We will engage widely over the summer to design the process for the work of the review and consider how it can best be co-produced to ensure that expertise from a range of different perspectives is drawn upon.
We are committed to concluding the review by Autumn 2026 and will report outcomes to the House in a ministerial Oral Statement. We have committed to a general debate on this, in Government time. The legislation to implement the outcomes of the review will not be brought forward until that has happened.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to review the potential impact oforganophosphate exposure on occupational health outcomes in agricultural workers.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the enforcing authority for workplace health and safety on farms. The potential impact of organophosphate exposure on occupational health outcomes in agricultural workers, taking account of occupational exposure risk and current state of knowledge, is the basis for industry specific guidance in relation to organophosphate exposure and sheep dipping.
This information is published in HSE Agricultural Information Sheet AIS41 (Sheep dipping: Advice for farmers and others involved in dipping sheep) and is freely available to download from the HSE website.
HSE has no plans to carry out a further review at this time.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
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 ensure access to cost of living support schemes for people living in West Dorset constituency.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
To support people in need, we are providing £742 million to extend the Household Support Fund until 31 March 2026 in England. This enables Local Authorities to continue to provide vulnerable households with immediate crisis support towards the cost of essentials, such as energy, water and food, and to develop their schemes to help prevent poverty locally and build local resilience.
As outlined in the scheme guidance, found on GOV.UK, Local Authorities have the discretion to design their own local schemes within the parameters of the guidance and grant determination that the Department for Work and Pensions have set out, having the experience and the relationships to determine how best to support those in their local areas.
The guidance states that Authorities must have a website page dedicated to the scheme, and consider inclusive and accessible ways in which they might advertise availability of The Fund to local people. There are no set eligibility requirements, and every Authority must operate part of their scheme on an application basis to allow the opportunity for individuals struggling to ask for further support.
Further information on cost of living support can be found on Gov.UK.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
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 promote awareness of cost of living support schemes to people living in West Dorset constituency.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
To support people in need, we are providing £742 million to extend the Household Support Fund until 31 March 2026 in England. This enables Local Authorities to continue to provide vulnerable households with immediate crisis support towards the cost of essentials, such as energy, water and food, and to develop their schemes to help prevent poverty locally and build local resilience.
As outlined in the scheme guidance, found on GOV.UK, Local Authorities have the discretion to design their own local schemes within the parameters of the guidance and grant determination that the Department for Work and Pensions have set out, having the experience and the relationships to determine how best to support those in their local areas.
The guidance states that Authorities must have a website page dedicated to the scheme, and consider inclusive and accessible ways in which they might advertise availability of The Fund to local people. There are no set eligibility requirements, and every Authority must operate part of their scheme on an application basis to allow the opportunity for individuals struggling to ask for further support.
Further information on cost of living support can be found on Gov.UK.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether claimants need to appeal in order to receive transitional protection when they are moved from Employment and Support Allowance to Universal Credit.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Since 2024 the Department has been inviting claimants of income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA IR) to make a claim to Universal Credit (UC) within three months in order to maintain their financial support. Those making a UC claim before their deadline, whose circumstances remain the same as those of their ESA claim will be assessed for transitional protection and, where eligible, this will automatically be applied to their Universal Credit award without requiring an appeal although statutory appeal rights are attached to this decision.