Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 the requiring claimants to score four points in a single daily living activity to be eligible for the Personal Independence Payment on people with learning disabilities.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As I set out to the House on 1 July 2025, the Government listened to concerns and withdrew its proposal to introduce an additional requirement to score a minimum of 4 points in a single activity to be eligible for the daily living element of PIP.
Instead, we launched the Timms Review, the first full review of PIP since its introduction in 2013. The Review is being co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, and other experts, and aims to ensure that PIP is fair and fit for the future.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he will take to ensure that apprenticeship opportunities for young people are protected under the Growth and Skills Levy.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
This government is transforming the apprenticeships levy into a new growth and skills levy that will give greater flexibility to employers and support young people at the beginning of their careers.
In August 2025, we introduced new foundation apprenticeships to give young people a route into careers in critical sectors, enabling them to earn a wage while developing vital skills. They are underpinned by additional funding for employers of up to £2,000 to contribute to the extra costs of supporting someone at the beginning of their career.
We are investing an additional £725 million to deliver the next phase of the growth and skills levy and meet our ambition to support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships. We will expand foundation apprenticeships into sectors that traditionally recruit young people, launch a pilot with Mayoral Strategic Authorities to better connect young people to local apprenticeship opportunities, and fully fund SME apprenticeships for eligible 16–24-year-olds from the next academic year.
The government also facilitates the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network (AAN), comprising around 2,500 employer and apprentice volunteers who go into schools and colleges to share their compelling stories and experiences of what apprenticeships can do for young people.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what evaluation has been carried out of the potential impact of fully funding apprenticeship training for under-22s in small and medium-sized enterprises on apprenticeship starts, prior to the announcement of an expansion to under-25s.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 13 January 2026 to Question 101450.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what safeguards he plans to include in the Growth and Skills Levy to protect funding for small and medium-sized enterprises.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
This government recognises the importance of small and medium-sized enterprises who are responsible for around 40% of apprenticeship starts and provide valuable opportunities for young people.
That is why we have said that we will fully fund apprenticeship training for non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs) for all eligible people aged under 25 from the start of the next academic year. This change will make it easier for those employers to engage with apprenticeships across the country by cutting costs and reducing bureaucracy for both them and their training providers.
At the moment, this only happens for apprentices aged 16 to 21 and apprentices aged 22-24 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or have been, or are, in local authority care. Small and medium-sized enterprises also benefit from a £1,000 payment when they take on apprentices aged under 19, or 19-to-24-year-old apprentices who have an EHCP or have been, or are, in care.
The government also facilitates and funds the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network (AAN) which comprises 2,500 employers and apprentices who volunteer to promote the benefits of apprenticeships. It operates across all parts of England through nine regional networks. These networks provide buddying and mentoring support to small businesses to help them recruit and retain apprentices.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to publish further details of apprenticeship units funded under the Growth and Skills Levy.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department will publish this information shortly.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of employer investment in skills training since 2017.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
According to the Employer Skills Survey, a biennial site level survey of tens of thousands of employers across the UK, total employer expenditure on training fell by 17% in the UK between 2017 and 2024.
The apprenticeship levy was introduced in 2017 to support employers to invest in high-quality apprenticeships training and to ensure sustainable funding for all employers of all sizes.
We continue to engage with industry to support the upskilling and training of employees. The reforms set out in the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper support adult skills training for industries across our economy through the Growth and Skills Levy (which received an additional £725m of investment at Budget 2025), the Adult Skills Fund, and the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE), which will be available from academic year 2026/27.
We will work with business and employers over the coming months to ensure that the Growth and Skills Levy offer is developed to help meet their needs and incentivise employer investment in training.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what correspondence his Department has received from the WASPI campaign since 1 September 2025.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department for Work and Pensions receives a large volume of correspondence on a range of issues and we attach great importance to providing prompt and accurate replies.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to assess the impact of changes to the State Pension age on women born in the 1950s living in Newbury constituency.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
All women born since 6 April 1950 have been affected by changes to State Pension age.
Estimates can be made with ONS 2022 Census Data of how many women born in the 1950s were resident in each constituency in that year.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans the Government has to uprate the Local Housing Allowance to the 30th percentile of local rents.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates are reviewed each year at Autumn Budget.
In his Written Ministerial Statement following Autumn Budget, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions confirmed that LHA rates will remain at current levels in 2026/27. He considered a range of factors, such as rental levels across Great Britain and the challenging fiscal context.
Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
For those renters who require additional support to meet a shortfall in rent costs, Discretionary Housing Payments are available from local authorities.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 the time taken to decide on a compensation scheme for women impacted by State Pension age changes on those women.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced in his Oral Statement of 11 November that we will retake the decision made last December as it relates to the communications on state pension age. Information that was not considered at the time of the original decision has come to light. In retaking the decision, we will review this evidence alongside evidence previously considered.
The process to retake the decision is underway and we will update the House on the decision as soon as a conclusion is reached.