Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Department is taking to ensure that individuals who applied to purchase voluntary National Insurance contributions through the International Pensions Centre before the April 2025 deadline and experienced delays in their processing are not disadvantaged.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Telephony demand from individuals seeking to pay Voluntary National Insurance Contributions (VNICs) ahead of the 6th April 2025 deadline was significant. In response, DWP provided routes for individuals to register their interest in paying VNICs. DWP introduced an online call-back form, a route for citizens to register their interest over the telephone and where possible, individuals were sent confirmation text messages.
Where individuals registered an interest to pay VNICs on or before the April 2025 deadline, the Department is honouring pre-deadline rates for all, even if the payment of VNICs is made after the deadline. Customers who are over State Pension age and who paid VNICs, will receive an increase to their State Pension.
For individuals living overseas (who are already over State Pension age), all DWP call-back requests were completed before the end of December 2025.
Customers who are over State Pension age and who paid VNICs based on pre-deadline rates, will receive an increase to their State Pension. The pre-deadline contribution rates required to purchase the relevant qualifying years will be honoured.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Department will consider backdating State Pension increases in cases where there were delays by his Department.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Telephony demand from individuals seeking to pay Voluntary National Insurance Contributions (VNICs) ahead of the 6th April 2025 deadline was significant. In response, DWP provided routes for individuals to register their interest in paying VNICs. DWP introduced an online call-back form, a route for citizens to register their interest over the telephone and where possible, individuals were sent confirmation text messages.
Where individuals registered an interest to pay VNICs on or before the April 2025 deadline, the Department is honouring pre-deadline rates for all, even if the payment of VNICs is made after the deadline. Customers who are over State Pension age and who paid VNICs, will receive an increase to their State Pension.
For individuals living overseas (who are already over State Pension age), all DWP call-back requests were completed before the end of December 2025.
Customers who are over State Pension age and who paid VNICs based on pre-deadline rates, will receive an increase to their State Pension. The pre-deadline contribution rates required to purchase the relevant qualifying years will be honoured.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Department has made of the adequacy of the time taken to process applications to purchase voluntary National Insurance contributions through the International Pensions Centre before the April 2025 deadline.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Telephony demand from individuals seeking to pay Voluntary National Insurance Contributions (VNICs) ahead of the 6th April 2025 deadline was significant. In response, DWP provided routes for individuals to register their interest in paying VNICs. DWP introduced an online call-back form, a route for citizens to register their interest over the telephone and where possible, individuals were sent confirmation text messages.
Where individuals registered an interest to pay VNICs on or before the April 2025 deadline, the Department is honouring pre-deadline rates for all, even if the payment of VNICs is made after the deadline. Customers who are over State Pension age and who paid VNICs, will receive an increase to their State Pension.
For individuals living overseas (who are already over State Pension age), all DWP call-back requests were completed before the end of December 2025.
Customers who are over State Pension age and who paid VNICs based on pre-deadline rates, will receive an increase to their State Pension. The pre-deadline contribution rates required to purchase the relevant qualifying years will be honoured.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to introduce new earner income disregards for housing benefit claimants in supported housing.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department will be introducing new earned income disregards for Housing Benefit claimants in Supported Housing and Temporary Accommodation from Autumn 2026. Further information will be available in the regulations pack and Explanatory Memorandum when the new regulations are laid later this year.
We continue to work collaboratively with stakeholders to ensure that the implementation is robust and we reduce the financial cliff edge for individuals in supported housing and temporary accommodation.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to review the level of the Household Benefit Cap.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There is a statutory obligation to review the levels at least once every five years. They were last reviewed in November 2022 and, as such, a further review is not required until November 2027. This will happen at the appropriate time as determined by the Secretary of State.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of levels of Local Housing Allowance rates on households in the private rented sector following the removal of the two-child limit; and whether he has plans to review LHA levels, in the context of recent trends in the cost of renting.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Secretary of State reviews LHA rates annually and rates were reviewed in November at Autumn Budget. A decision was made to maintain LHA rates at their current 2024/25 levels for 2026/27.
A range of factors were considered, including rent levels across Great Britain, the wider fiscal context and welfare priorities. This included the decision to remove the two child limit, which will lift 450k children out of poverty.
Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
Discretionary Housing Payments are available from local authorities for low-income renters who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs. From April 2026 DHPs for England will be incorporated into the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF).
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the annual budget that has been allocated for the introduction of new earned income disregards for Housing benefit claimants in supported housing.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department's estimate of the Exchequer impact of the additional earned income disregards for Housing Benefit claimants resident in supported housing and temporary accommodation from 2026/27 to 2030/31 on Annually Managed Expenditure (AME) can be found in the published Autumn Budget 2025 policy costings here: Budget_2025-Policy_Costings.pdf
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will publish further information on the four new earned income disregards for housing benefit claimants in supported housing.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department will be introducing new earned income disregards for Housing Benefit claimants in Supported Housing and Temporary Accommodation from Autumn 2026. Further information will be available in the regulations pack and Explanatory Memorandum when the new regulations are laid later this year.
We continue to work collaboratively with stakeholders to ensure that the implementation is robust and we reduce the financial cliff edge for individuals in supported housing and temporary accommodation.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Department has made of the adequacy of the time taken to process applications to purchase voluntary National Insurance contributions through the International Pensions Centre before the April 2025 deadline.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department continually monitors processing times, including allocating additional resources and streamlining processes where possible and working collaboratively with HMRC.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Department will consider backdating State Pension increases in cases where delays were caused by administrative issues.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Any arrears will be backdated to the date on which the individual made their payment to HMRC.