Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of those reforms on people with ADHD.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, with some information published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found here ‘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.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in (a) Dunfermline and Dollar constituency, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK receive the maximum award from PIP.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department regularly publishes Personal Independence Payment (PIP) statistics. The 'PIP Cases with Entitlement' dataset on Stat-Xplore, which contains the number of people entitled to PIP by geography including Parliamentary constituency and components received, can be used to calculate the number of people receiving PIP at the highest level. Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: Introduction to the Stat-Xplore User Guide.

PIP has been devolved to Scotland since April 2020 and existing claims are currently being moved to the Scottish replacement benefit Adult Disability Payment.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in (a) Dunfermline and Dollar constituency, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK receive the health rate top-up for Universal Credit.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Quarterly statistics for the number of People on Universal Credit with a health condition or disability restricting their ability to work in Great Britain are published on Stat-Xplore. The latest release provides figures up to December 2024 which can be broken down by country, Westminster Parliamentary Constituency and Local Authority.

Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required. Universal Credit statistics for Northern Ireland are published by the Department for Communities.

Note: the Universal Credit health element is paid at a household level, not to individuals, and Households on Universal Credit statistics can be broken down similarly, by the numbers receiving the Limited Capability for Work Entitlement and by geography.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, what support will be available for new claims for Universal Credit health rate.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We announced in the Pathways to Work Green Paper that we would establish a new guarantee of support for all disabled people and people with health conditions claiming out of work benefits who want help to get into or return to work, backed up by £1 billion of new funding

As the Green Paper notes, we are keen to engage widely on the design of this guarantee and the components needed to deliver it. To get this right, we will be seeking input from a wide range of stakeholders including devolved governments, local health systems, local government and Mayoral Strategic Authorities, private and voluntary sector providers, employers and potential users. We will confirm further details in due course after we have completed our consultation process.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has conducted an equality impact assessment on proposals in the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We published an Equality Analysis and Policy Rationale impacts alongside the Spring Statement.

Further analysis for the measures in the Green Paper, not included in the Spring Statement, will be published in due course.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, whether she plans to amend the work allowance for people in receipt of the limited capability for work and work related activity element of Universal Credit.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The work allowance for individuals who are found limited capability for work and work related activity (LCWRA) will remain unchanged to continue to incentivise people to try work.

In the reformed system, work allowances will continue to be available to those who receive the UC health element. We want to enable people to take advantage of this strong financial incentive to work, which means they can earn up to £404 a month (or over £673 if they don’t get help with housing costs) without their benefits being affected.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the limited capability for work and work related activity element of Universal Credit on families of disabled people aged under 22.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

No decision has been made on this policy. The key principle of our focus for 18-21 year olds should be helping them to be earning or learning, because of the long-term scarring effects for young people of a period of unemployment. That is why we are consulting on delaying access to the UC health top up until age 22 with savings reinvested into work support and training opportunities.

Universal Credit Health caseload statistics are available on DWP Stat-Xplore and were most recently updated with December 2024 data.

In December 2024, 13,650 and 68,350 16- to 21-year-olds in Great Britain were in the Limited Capability for Work (LCW) and Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) groups respectively.

Table: 16–21-year-olds in (a) Dunfermline and Dollar, (b) Scotland and (c) Great Britain on the UC Health caseload (December 2024)

1. Statistical disclosure control has been applied to this table to avoid the release of confidential data and are rounded to the nearest 10.
2. Totals may not sum due to this disclosure control and rounding.
3. Figures are a count of the number of people on Universal Credit health on the second Thursday of the month.
4. Figures are Experimental Official Statistics

Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/ (opens in new window). An account is not required to use Stat- Xplore, the ‘Guest Login’ feature gives instant access to the main functions.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people under 22 in (a) Dunfermline and Dollar constituency, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK will be impacted by changes to the limited capability for work and work related activity element of Universal Credit.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

No decision has been made on this policy. The key principle of our focus for 18-21 year olds should be helping them to be earning or learning, because of the long-term scarring effects for young people of a period of unemployment. That is why we are consulting on delaying access to the UC health top up until age 22 with savings reinvested into work support and training opportunities.

Universal Credit Health caseload statistics are available on DWP Stat-Xplore and were most recently updated with December 2024 data.

In December 2024, 13,650 and 68,350 16- to 21-year-olds in Great Britain were in the Limited Capability for Work (LCW) and Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) groups respectively.

Table: 16–21-year-olds in (a) Dunfermline and Dollar, (b) Scotland and (c) Great Britain on the UC Health caseload (December 2024)

1. Statistical disclosure control has been applied to this table to avoid the release of confidential data and are rounded to the nearest 10.
2. Totals may not sum due to this disclosure control and rounding.
3. Figures are a count of the number of people on Universal Credit health on the second Thursday of the month.
4. Figures are Experimental Official Statistics

Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/ (opens in new window). An account is not required to use Stat- Xplore, the ‘Guest Login’ feature gives instant access to the main functions.

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 impact of the Disability Confident Scheme on the ability of disabled people to find work.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

In 2022, the department commissioned a survey to understand from members’ perspectives the impact that signing up to the scheme has had on their recruitment and retention attitudes and practices towards disabled people. The survey can be accessed on gov.uk using the following link: Disability Confident: survey of participating employers, May 2022 - GOV.UK

There are currently over 19,000 employers signed up to the Disability Confident scheme. Collectively, these employers estimate over 12 million employees work in their organisations. It is not known how many of these employees are disabled, have a health condition, or are direct users of the scheme.

No assessment has been made of the impact of the scheme on the ability of disabled people to find work. I have been discussing with stakeholders in Disability Confident ideas for making the scheme criteria more robust, and plan to bring forward proposals for this in due course.

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 effectiveness of the Disability Confident Scheme.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

In 2022, the department commissioned a survey to understand from members’ perspectives the impact that signing up to the scheme has had on their recruitment and retention attitudes and practices towards disabled people. The survey can be accessed on gov.uk using the following link: Disability Confident: survey of participating employers, May 2022 - GOV.UK

There are currently over 19,000 employers signed up to the Disability Confident scheme. Collectively, these employers estimate over 12 million employees work in their organisations. It is not known how many of these employees are disabled, have a health condition, or are direct users of the scheme.

No assessment has been made of the impact of the scheme on the ability of disabled people to find work. I have been discussing with stakeholders in Disability Confident ideas for making the scheme criteria more robust, and plan to bring forward proposals for this in due course.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have used the Disability Confident Scheme.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

In 2022, the department commissioned a survey to understand from members’ perspectives the impact that signing up to the scheme has had on their recruitment and retention attitudes and practices towards disabled people. The survey can be accessed on gov.uk using the following link: Disability Confident: survey of participating employers, May 2022 - GOV.UK

There are currently over 19,000 employers signed up to the Disability Confident scheme. Collectively, these employers estimate over 12 million employees work in their organisations. It is not known how many of these employees are disabled, have a health condition, or are direct users of the scheme.

No assessment has been made of the impact of the scheme on the ability of disabled people to find work. I have been discussing with stakeholders in Disability Confident ideas for making the scheme criteria more robust, and plan to bring forward proposals for this in due course.

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 effectiveness of her Department's work with Motability.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Motability Scheme is open to claimants who are in receipt of an eligible benefit. If a claimant elects to join the Scheme, the Department directly transfers the mobility allowance to Motability Operations on behalf of the eligible claimant. The Motability Scheme does not receive any direct funding from the Department for Work and Pensions.

A range of external bodies scrutinised the Scheme between 2018 and 2020, and the Government responded to each of the reports.

The Motability Foundation is independent of government, and regulated by the Charity Commission, so is wholly responsible for the terms and the administration of the Scheme. The department does however work closely with Motability and is responsible for the disability benefits that provide a passport to the Motability Scheme. Department officials have regular meetings with Motability and will continue to do so.

As the Minister for Social Security and Disability, I met with Motability Foundation in November 2024 to discuss the Scheme and its strategic objectives.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to continue her Department's relationship with Motability.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Motability Scheme is open to claimants who are in receipt of an eligible benefit. If a claimant elects to join the Scheme, the Department directly transfers the mobility allowance to Motability Operations on behalf of the eligible claimant. The Motability Scheme does not receive any direct funding from the Department for Work and Pensions.

A range of external bodies scrutinised the Scheme between 2018 and 2020, and the Government responded to each of the reports.

The Motability Foundation is independent of government, and regulated by the Charity Commission, so is wholly responsible for the terms and the administration of the Scheme. The department does however work closely with Motability and is responsible for the disability benefits that provide a passport to the Motability Scheme. Department officials have regular meetings with Motability and will continue to do so.

As the Minister for Social Security and Disability, I met with Motability Foundation in November 2024 to discuss the Scheme and its strategic objectives.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she last met with Motability; and what she had discussions on.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Motability Scheme is open to claimants who are in receipt of an eligible benefit. If a claimant elects to join the Scheme, the Department directly transfers the mobility allowance to Motability Operations on behalf of the eligible claimant. The Motability Scheme does not receive any direct funding from the Department for Work and Pensions.

A range of external bodies scrutinised the Scheme between 2018 and 2020, and the Government responded to each of the reports.

The Motability Foundation is independent of government, and regulated by the Charity Commission, so is wholly responsible for the terms and the administration of the Scheme. The department does however work closely with Motability and is responsible for the disability benefits that provide a passport to the Motability Scheme. Department officials have regular meetings with Motability and will continue to do so.

As the Minister for Social Security and Disability, I met with Motability Foundation in November 2024 to discuss the Scheme and its strategic objectives.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of those reforms on the finances of people in receipt of carers' allowance caring for someone in receipt of PIP.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, with some information published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found here ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’. The publication ‘Spring Statement 2025 health and disability benefit reforms – Impacts’ may be of interest. In particular, Table A1 on page 6 and Table A4 on page 9.

A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of those reforms on people with (a) sarcoidosis, (b) ME and (c) other fluctuating health conditions.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, with some information published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found here ‘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.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, how she plans to introduce more active (a) engagement and (b) support for new claims for Universal Credit health rate.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We announced in the Pathways to Work Green Paper that we would establish a new guarantee of support for all disabled people and people with health conditions claiming out of work benefits who want help to get into or return to work, backed up by £1 billion of new funding

As the Green Paper notes, we are keen to engage widely on the design of this guarantee and the components needed to deliver it. To get this right, we will be seeking input from a wide range of stakeholders including devolved governments, local health systems, local government and Mayoral Strategic Authorities, private and voluntary sector providers, employers and potential users. We will confirm further details in due course after we have completed our consultation process.

In addition, Help to Claim provides tailored practical support to anyone who needs it. It enables individuals requiring additional support to make and maintain their Universal Credit claim, up until their first correct Universal Credit payment. It is also available to those moving from legacy benefits because of managed migration, voluntary moves, or a change of circumstances.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure work coaches are able to assist people with (a) ADHD and (b) autism in (i) Scotland and (ii) the UK.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

In January this year, the Government launched an independent academic panel to advise on boosting awareness and inclusion at work for those with neurodiversity. Many panel members are neurodivergent or have familial experience, alongside their professional expertise. The panel is exploring why neurodivergent individuals often have poor workplace experiences and a low employment rate. Building on the Buckland Review, the panel will recommend employer actions to support neurodivergent inclusion, including in recruitment and daily workplace practices.

This government is committed to improving the outcomes for neurodiverse people. All DWP Work Coaches undergo comprehensive training, equipping them with the skills to provide support tailored to each customer’s individual circumstances.

Work Coaches have access to a learning product specific to Autism. It covers:

• adapt how you communicate
• adapt your body language
• show empathy
• adapt your environment

Work coaches receive specialist advice from Disability Employment Advisers on customising their support for disabled customers, who also offer direct support to customers where additional bespoke assistance is beneficial. Work coaches can also use Additional Work Coach Support to provide personalised assistance to disabled people, helping them move toward and into employment and to access employment and wider services.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has discussions with international counterparts in NATO on the report entitled SkyShield: a practical security guarantee for Ukraine by CEPA, published on 17 March 2025.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Defence Secretary regularly speaks with his NATO and international counterparts, including on our collective support to Ukraine's armed forces in response to Russia's illegal and unprovoked invasion.

With reference to the report entitled SkyShield, we are working with the Coalition of the Willing for potential security assurances for Ukraine.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the new support hub for SMEs will be operational.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 March 2025 to the hon. Member for South Suffolk (James Cartlidge) to Question 34903.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 31 March 2025 to Question 40715 on Universal Credit: Disability, what steps she is taking to ensure that savings reinvested into (a) work support and (b) training opportunities impact recipients of Universal Credit health top up in (i) Dunfermline and Dollar constituency, (ii) Scotland and (iii) other devolved administrations.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We announced in the Pathways to Work Green Paper that we would establish a new guarantee of support for all disabled people and people with health conditions claiming out of work benefits who want help to get into or return to work. This is backed up by £1 billion of new funding across the United Kingdom, with the share of funding for devolved governments calculated in the usual way.

In Northern Ireland employment support is fully transferred. In Scotland and Wales, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Scottish and Welsh Governments have concurrent powers to deliver employment support, with some provision delivered and funded directly by DWP and some funding devolved through the block grant.

As outlined in the Get Britain Working White Paper, we are committed to working in partnership with the Scottish and Welsh Governments on shared employment ambitions across devolved and reserved provision, which includes employment support measures in the Health and Disability Green Paper.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 31 March 2025 to Question 40712, what the cost to the public purse was of the Disability Confidence Scheme in each of the last four years.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Disability Confident scheme expenditure is not separately recorded within departmental budgets.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what plans he has for when the next round of formal trade negotiations with Taiwan will take place.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The UK's longstanding position on Taiwan has not changed. The UK-Taiwan Trade Talks have taken place since 1991 and I look forward to co-chairing these this year. Under the UK and Taiwan Enhanced Trade Partnership we have committed to developing 'pillars' on Investment, Digital Trade and Renewable Energy and Net Zero. We are working with the Taiwanese authorities to develop and deliver these.

UK-Taiwan Trade Talks and the Enhanced Trade Partnership will support our strong unofficial relationship with Taiwan, based on deep and growing ties in a range of areas, including trade and investment.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support he provides for people with long term health conditions trying to access discounts on water charges when the supply is provided on behalf of his Department.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Ministry of Defence does not provide additional support for people with long term health conditions to access discounts on water charges when the supply is provided on behalf of the Department.

Tartan Talkers

Bridgend Pet Supplies

British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme

10 Years of Big Hearts

900th anniversary of Stirling

Found: Ferguson Elaine Stewart Catherine Fookes Rosie Duffield Irene Campbell Douglas McAllister Graeme Downie

Found: Ferguson Elaine Stewart Catherine Fookes Rosie Duffield Irene Campbell Douglas McAllister Graeme Downie

Found: Ferguson Elaine Stewart Catherine Fookes Rosie Duffield Irene Campbell Douglas McAllister Graeme Downie

Found: Ferguson Elaine Stewart Catherine Fookes Rosie Duffield Irene Campbell Douglas McAllister Graeme Downie

Found: Ferguson Elaine Stewart Catherine Fookes Rosie Duffield Irene Campbell Douglas McAllister Graeme Downie

Found: Ferguson Elaine Stewart Catherine Fookes Rosie Duffield Irene Campbell Douglas McAllister Graeme Downie

Found: Ferguson Elaine Stewart Catherine Fookes Rosie Duffield Irene Campbell Douglas McAllister Graeme Downie

Found: Ferguson Elaine Stewart Catherine Fookes Rosie Duffield Irene Campbell Douglas McAllister Graeme Downie

Found: Ferguson Elaine Stewart Catherine Fookes Rosie Duffield Irene Campbell Douglas McAllister Graeme Downie

Found: Ferguson Elaine Stewart Catherine Fookes Rosie Duffield Irene Campbell Douglas McAllister Graeme Downie

Found: Ferguson Elaine Stewart Catherine Fookes Rosie Duffield Irene Campbell Douglas McAllister Graeme Downie

Found: Alex Sobel Graeme Downie Rachael Maskell Afzal Khan Sir Iain Duncan Smith Ms Marie Rimmer Carolyn

Written questions (WPQs) allow MPs to ask for information on the work, policy and activities of Government departments, related bodies, and the administration of Parliament.