Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help tackle (a) unemployment rates and (b) job displacement.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Economic growth is this Government’s first mission; we are committed to creating good jobs, helping more people into work and raising living standards.
DWP is tackling unemployment by reshaping our employment support offer to break down barriers related to skills, health and progression. For example, we are transforming our Jobcentres into a modern Jobs and Careers Service; ensuring support for young people through our flagship Youth Guarantee; empowering local areas to explore new ways to reduce economic inactivity through youth and inactivity trailblazers; and, developing tailored support for those with health conditions and disabilities.
To adapt and mitigate the risk of job displacement, this Government is driving a programme to manage AI driven labour market shifts, supported by the newly established AI and Future of Work Unit, which monitors emerging trends and coordinates the policy response across government. This Government is investing £187 million in digital and AI learning as well as working towards training 7.5 million workers in essential AI skills by 2030 through joint work between Skills England and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
This is in conjunction with a range of wider reskilling opportunities, such as Sector Based Work Academy Programme (SWAPs) which provides opportunities to those who are looking to change career or sectors through providing placements for pre-employment training, a work experience placement and a guaranteed interview for a real job.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he has considered the potential merits of preventing foreign nationals from being able to claim universal credit.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Most migrants with temporary visas cannot access public fund benefits such as Universal Credit. Access is usually at the point of settlement, which for most people will be after they have lived in the UK legally for five years, and the Home Office plans to increase this to ten years. The Home Office is also consulting on changing the default position to maintain No Recourse to Public Funds at settlement and lifting this only at the point of British citizenship.
This year the Government also plans to consult on whether the residence tests in taxpayer funded benefits should be changed to prioritise access for those who are making an economic contribution to the UK. The consultation will look at how the benefit rules apply to those coming or returning to the UK.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data his Department holds on the total cost to the public purse of universal credit payments for foreign nationals in the last 5 years.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
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 help improve employment opportunities for older people.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Work helps everyone play active and fulfilling roles in society while building financial security for retirement, and we recognise the wealth of skills and experience that older workers bring both to the workplace and the economy. We are committed to supporting workers over the age of 50 through a wide-ranging strategy that promotes age-inclusive employment practices, flexible working, and progression and career development.
We have a dedicated offer for older workers within jobcentres, including our 50PLUS Champions who provide a critical layer of support to ensure the needs of older jobseekers are met. We also offer a Midlife MOT, which helps people to review their health, finances and skills and signpost to suitable support. Our Employer and Partnership Teams in jobcentres work with a range of employers and partners to enhance the skills and employment support available locally for customers.
As part of our plans to Get Britain Working and create a new Jobs and Careers Service, we are committed to reforming employment support to ensure it is inclusive and meets the needs of our customers. We are considering the support we offer to those aged 50 and over so that they can access support to find good, meaningful work, and help them progress in work or increase their earnings.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
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 help support adults who missed extended periods of education due to medical conditions they experienced as children.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are investing in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Skills Fund (ASF), spending £1.4 billion in the 2025/26 academic year. The ASF fully funds or co-funds skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to support them to gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. This includes a statutory entitlement to fully funded qualifications for 19 to 23 year olds who don’t have either a level 2 or 3 qualification which may be relevant for learners who missed education due to medical conditions they experienced as children.
As of August 2025, approximately 68% of the ASF is devolved to 12 Strategic Authorities and the Greater London Authority. These authorities are responsible for the provision of ASF-funded adult education for their residents and allocation of the ASF to providers. For learners in Ashfield, the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) decides how to make best use of their ASF to meet their local needs beyond four statutory entitlements, including which courses are funded and the eligibility criteria.
By honouring our commitments to combine and further devolve adult skills funding, we give those with local knowledge the power they need to make decisions that are best for their areas.
The ASF also funds learning providers to help adult learners to overcome barriers which prevent them from taking part in learning. This includes Learner Support, to support learners with a specific financial hardship, and Learning Support to meet the additional needs of learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.
In relation to access to higher education, all higher education providers registered with the Office for Students that intend to charge higher level tuition fees must have an Access and Participation Plan (APP) approved by the Office for Students. APPs articulate how higher education providers will improve equality of opportunity for underrepresented groups.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much their Department has spent on (a) advertising and (b) marketing in each of the last three years.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
As one of the largest government departments, our campaigns aim to give people straightforward information about policies and services that make a real difference in their daily lives. We focus on helping some of the UK’s most vulnerable households by showing them what support is available and how to access it. For example, letting pensioners know they could get extra money to help with living costs and explaining how to apply, guiding people through the steps to switch from older benefits to Universal Credit so they don’t miss out on payments, and sharing advice on how to access jobs and skills support.
Advertising is essential to reach the right people with these messages. We choose media channels that give the best value for money and have the biggest impact for taxpayer.
Total spend with our buying and planning agencies for the last three financial years is as follows: (amounts are rounded to nearest £0.1m):
Year | Spend |
2024-2025 | £8,500,000 |
2023-2024 | £8,700,000 |
2022-2023 | £5,200,000 |
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
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 the adequate availability of apprenticeships for people leaving (a) secondary school and (b) college.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have introduced new foundation apprenticeships to give young people a route into careers in critical sectors of the economy, enabling them to earn a wage while developing vital skills.
To support employers to offer apprenticeships, the government provides £1,000 payments to employers when they take on apprentices aged under 19, or 19 to 24-year-old apprentices who have an education, health and care plan or have been, or are, in care.
Government also pays employers up to £2,000 for eligible foundation apprenticeships to contribute to the extra costs of supporting someone at the beginning of their career.
In addition, employers benefit from not being required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25, when the employee’s wage is below £50,270 a year.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will reinstate the winter fuel payment in full.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has increased the level at which Winter Fuel Payments are means-tested in England and Wales from winter 2025/26 so that the vast majority of pensioners – around 9 million individuals – will benefit from them.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish a breakdown of the number of Personal Independence Payments claims by type of mental health condition for the last 3 years for which data is available.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The complete breakdown of PIP claims by type of mental health condition from April 2013 to July 2025 (the most recent available data) is available on Stats-Xplore (https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/jsf/login.xhtml). Guidance on how to use PIP data on Stat-Xplore is also available here: Personal Independence Payment data on Stat-Xplore: user guide - GOV.UK. An account is not required to use Stat-Xplore, the ‘Guest Login’ feature gives instant access to the main functions.
The relevant information can be found in the ‘PIP Clearances’ dataset. To customise the reporting period, use the ‘Month’ filter to select the months you wish to include.
Next, under the ‘Disability’ category, click the arrow beside ‘Psychiatric disorders’ and select ‘Disability’. This will ensure all disabilities under psychiatric disorders are included in the output.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions he has had with (a) parents and (b) carers who have had to stop full time work following a child’s cancer diagnosis.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
I met with the founders of “It’s Never You” in December 2024 and with “Young Lives vs Cancer” in May 2025. A wide range of Government Departments are involved in providing support for parents when looking after children in hospital for extended periods.
The DWP provides support for parents of children with health conditions through Disability Living Allowance and Universal Credit.
Disability Living Allowance is a benefit available to those under the age of 16 who, due to a disability or health condition have mobility issues and/or have needs which are substantially in excess of a child the same age without the disability or health condition. Receipt of Disability Living Allowance also passports families to a range of additional support including extra money in income related benefits.
Universal Credit provides financial support for eligible parents through additional amounts such as child element, carers element and, for those with children on Disability Living Allowance, a disabled child addition. This financial support is available to households with low or no income.