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 with Cabinet colleagues to help support people with disabilities to meet the cost of (a) energy bills and (b) transport (i) to medical appointments and (ii) in general.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
I have regular meetings with colleagues across Government on ways to support disabled people meet the additional costs that can arise from a long-term health condition or disability.
My department provides support with the additional generality of costs that can arise through provision of the extra costs disability benefits such as Personal Independence Payment. This is supported by provision from other departments: the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero who provide support with energy bills through the Warm Home Discount Scheme; the Department for Transport who provide guidance on concessionary fares and free parking spaces; and the Department for Health and Social Care who provide for the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme for travel costs associated with medical appointments.
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 assessment he has made of the potential impact of trends in the number of children in receipt of Disability Living Allowance on the long-term financial sustainability of that benefit.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Assessments of the financial sustainability of public expenditure as a whole are made on an annual basis by the Office for Budget Responsibility in their Fiscal Risks and Sustainability Report. Forecasts of Disability Living Allowance caseloads and expenditure for children are published in the Benefit Expenditure and Caseload Tables, under ‘Disability Benefits’, and will be updated following the Budget on 26 November.
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 many people with humanitarian leave to remain have (a) applied for and (b) received universal credit in each of the last 3 years.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested for part (i) is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
The Department publishes Universal Credit (UC) immigration status and nationality statistics as part of the Universal Credit statistics publication. These statistics can be found on https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/universal-credit-statistics-29-april-2013-to-10-july-2025. For part (ii) the number of people on Universal Credit with a humanitarian scheme immigration status, for each month from April 2022 to June 2025, is in Table 1 of the following data tables: Universal Credit immigration status and nationality statistics to July 2025.
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 spending on Disability Living Allowance on children with (a) neurodevelopmental and (b) mental health disorders in each of the last 3 years for which data is available.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information is in the table:
Financial Year | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
Neurodevelopmental Expenditure (£ millions) | 1,770 | 2,210 | 2,660 |
Mental Health Expenditure (£millions) | 560 | 850 | 1,230 |
Points to note:
o Personality disorder
o PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)
o Stress reaction disorders
o GAD (generalised anxiety disorder)
o Phobia specific
o Phobia social
o Agoraphobia
o Panic disorder
o Anxiety disorders
o OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder)
o Anxiety and depression
o Conversion disorder
o BDD (Body Dysmorphia Disorder)
o Dissociative disorders
o Depressive disorder
o Bipolar
o Mood disorders
o Schizophrenia
o Schizoaffective disorder
o Psychotic disorders
o Anorexia nervosa
o Bulimia nervosa
o Eating disorder not specified
o Munchausen syndrome
o Factitious disorder
o Psychiatric disorders of childhood
o Learning Disability
o Speech and Language Disorders
o Autism
o Asperger’s Syndrome
o Dyspraxia
o Hyperkinetic disorder
o ADHD/ADD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder)
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 the total cost to the public purse was for universal credit payments to people with humanitarian leave to remain in each of the last 3 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 her Department are taking to encourage language learning in adults.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions supports adults aged 19+ in England who speak English as a second or additional language to access English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision. ESOL is funded through the Adult Skills Fund (ASF), subject to the eligibility requirements laid out in the ASF rules. The ASF fully funds or co-funds skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3. ESOL allows learners to develop the English language skills they need for everyday life, work or further learning.
Currently, 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 the allocation of the ASF to learning providers. The Department for Work and Pensions is responsible for the remaining ASF in non-devolved areas where colleges and training providers have the freedom and flexibility to determine how they use their ASF to meet the needs of their communities.
In non-devolved areas, ASF funding is available for a range of languages for level 3 and below. These qualifications include, for example, the Level 1 Award in British Sign Language which allows learners to communicate in British Sign Language on a range of topics that involve simple, everyday language use.
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 her Department holds on the proportion of foreign nationals claiming Universal Credit who are exempt from the habitual residence test.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
This information is not readily available and to identify, collate and provide it would incur disproportionate cost. British and foreign nationals who are fleeing persecution and humanitarian crises overseas are exempt from the normal requirement to be habitually resident so that they can access support quickly on arrival. Those who stay in the UK are likely to meet the requirement one to three months later, without the aid of an exemption. People covered by the exemptions at the time they claim must still meet all the other eligibility criteria before they can receive Universal Credit, including being in Great Britain and, if they are a foreign national, having an immigration status that permits access to public funds.
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 she has had with (a) the Secretary of State for the Home Department and (b) the Chancellor of the Exchequer on removing the current eligibility criteria for foreign nationals to claim Universal Credit.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department is playing an active role in work across Government connected to the Home Office’s recent White Paper ‘Restoring Control Over the Immigration System’. This includes membership in the Labour Market Advisory Group alongside the Migration Advisory Committee, Industrial Strategy Advisory Council and Skills England and devolved equivalents. The White Paper sets out ambitious changes including plans to increase the standard qualifying period for settlement and access to public funds benefits from five to ten years.
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 assessment she has made of the adequacy of (a) prevention and (b) detection measures used to identify fraudulent claims for Universal Credit by foreign nationals.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
This government takes all cases of fraud seriously and has introduced the biggest package of measures in recent history to reduce welfare fraud, error and debt, which includes new legislation, the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill. This contains new powers to modernise our defences and is currently progressing through Parliament.
In 2024-25, we saved an estimated £25bn from our up-front controls and detect activity, with the latter delivering £2bn savings and thereby significantly exceeding our Annually Managed Expenditure savings target.
The Department always checks a person’s identity and immigration status before paying them benefits if they are a foreign national. We verify this information with the Home Office, including through automatic system-to-system checks.
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 assessment she has made of the financial sustainability of the number of asylum seekers in receipt of Universal Credit.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
People who are in the UK with no immigration status who are applying for asylum are not permitted access to public funds and therefore cannot claim Universal Credit.