Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to support the growth of apprenticeships in Eastleigh constituency.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
This government is transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, which will offer greater flexibility to employers and learners across the country, including in Eastleigh, and support the Industrial Strategy.
In August, the department introduced new foundation apprenticeships for young people in targeted sectors, as well as shorter duration apprenticeships. These flexibilities will help more people learn new high quality skills at work and fuel innovation in businesses across the country.
To support the growth of apprenticeships, the government provides £1,000 to both employers and training providers 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. We will also pay employers up to £2,000 for eligible foundation apprenticeships to contribute to the extra costs of supporting someone at the beginning of their career. Employers also 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: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of Child Maintenance Service cases lapse each year due to failure to trace the paying parent.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The statistical information specific to the scenario you have given is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost to the Department.
The Government is committed to ensuring parents meet their financial obligations to their children.
Where a paying parent fails to take responsibility for paying their child maintenance and cannot be traced, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) will take immediate action and do everything within its powers to trace the paying parent.
The CMS have a range of enforcement powers that can be used against those parents who consistently refuse to meet or evade their obligations to provide financial support to their children. We are committed to using these powers fairly and in the best interests of children and separated families to ensure compliance.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for applications to the Access to Work grant.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As set out in the Green Paper, we are reforming Access to Work to improve the scheme so that it helps more disabled people into and on in work. We are committed to reducing waiting times for claims and we prioritise customers starting a job in four weeks. Nevertheless, Access to Work is demand-led and tailored to the needs of each customer.
We are continuing to streamline delivery practices and have increased the number of staff processing claims. Since May 2024, 118 additional staff have been redeployed to support Access to Work.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
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 promote initiatives to help reskill older workers without IT skills.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions currently offers support for those out of work, including older jobseekers, through its network of Jobcentres and through contracted employment programmes.
Where a work coach becomes aware that a customer lacks digital skills, they can refer them to suitable provision for example, Foundation Digital Skills, and then onto Essential Digital Skills. In addition, work coaches and employers are supported by 50PLUS Champions working across all 37 Jobcentre Districts. 50PLUS Champions act as enablers, working collaboratively to strengthen the support available to customers over the age of 50. Examples of personalised activities that Champions organise for older jobseekers include digital awareness sessions and confidence building. Through Midlife MOT reviews, delivered in Jobcentres across the UK and the digital MOT online, we also support older people to review their health, finances and skills.
The Government is reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new Jobs and Careers Service that will enable everyone, including the over 50s, to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them progress in their careers. This includes an enhanced focus on skills and careers advice. The new service across Great Britain will be universal and
available to anyone who wants to look for work, increase their earnings, re-train, upskill, or change their career.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the Health and Safety Executive’s approach to asbestos management in non-domestic buildings.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
HSE is a non-departmental public body. Whilst it has responsibility for its own policy, it reports direct to DWP ministers.
The Work and Pensions Committee held an inquiry into HSE’s approach to asbestos management and published a report in 2022. I am now working with HSE on how it will tackle Great Britain’s asbestos legacy using a variety of regulatory interventions. Asbestos in non-domestic buildings is a key ministerial priority, and HSE provides regular updates and assurance to ministers about its approach to asbestos management.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Office for National Statistics' dataset entitled CC02 Regional labour market, published on 12 August 2025, what steps she is taking to support young people into work in Eastleigh constituency.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department is committed to ensuring young people have access to the support they need to move into sustainable employment. DWP currently provides young people aged 16-24 with labour market support through an extensive range of interventions at a national and local level. This includes flexible provision driven by local need, nationwide employment programmes and support delivered by work coaches based in our Jobcentres and in local communities, working alongside partners such as the Kings Trust, Local Authorities, National Careers Service/Career Wales, local colleges and Youth Trusts.
Local Youth Employment Coaches in Eastleigh are providing tailored, intensive support through extended appointments and a range of targeted opportunities including:
We have also set up job matching support to assist young people with their job applications and securing suitable roles. In addition, we are providing outreach services in Romsey, while not exclusively aimed at young people, these services help overcome transport barriers in a region with a predominantly younger demographic.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether (a) disabled people and (b) carers will be consulted on the outcomes of the Timms review.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Timms review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, clinicians, experts, MPs and other stakeholders, so a wide range of views and voices are heard. This will include carers' organisations so that the voices of unpaid carers are heard.
We are committed to concluding the review by Autumn 2026 and reporting outcomes to the House in a ministerial Oral Statement. We have committed to a general debate on this, in Government time. Any legislation to implement the outcomes of the review will not be brought forward until that has happened.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Housing Benefit (a) earnings disregard and (b) taper rate on the work incentives of young people in supported accommodation; and whether she plans to review those rules.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
It remains the department’s priority to ensure that those who can work are supported to enter the labour market and to sustain employment.
The Department acknowledges there is a challenge presented by the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit for those living in Supported Housing and Temporary Accommodation and receiving their housing support through Housing Benefit. The department will consider the issue carefully in partnership with stakeholders.
Like Universal Credit, Housing Benefit has an income taper. As Housing Benefit may be claimed by those both in work and out of work, there are no rules around the number of hours that someone may work; instead, there are income tapers which apply.
The income taper in Housing Benefit ensures people in work are better off than someone wholly reliant on benefits. In addition to any financial advantage, there are important non-financial benefits of working. These benefits include learning new skills, improved confidence and independence as well as a positive effect on an individual's mental and physical health. However, the treatment of earnings in Housing Benefit is less generous than that of Universal Credit. Therefore, although customers living in Supported Housing are better off working than doing no work at all, they can be financially better off limiting the hours they work to ensure they retain a small amount of Universal Credit entitlement.
Changing the current rules would require a fiscal event and funding at a Budget. As funding is required to allow a change, any future decisions will take account of the current fiscal context.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to ensure that pension scheme trustees are able to use surplus funds to provide discretionary increases for pre-1997 pensioners whose pensions have not kept pace with inflation.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Discretionary indexation is over and above the statutory requirements. This discretion is usually exercised by the trustees with the agreement of the sponsoring employer.
The precise design of pension benefits is a matter for employers and trustees and is not covered in Department for Work and Pensions legislation. Pension scheme rules regarding pension entitlements are many and varied and must remain a matter for employers and scheme trustees to decide.
The Pension Schemes Bill 2025 makes changes so that more trustees of well-funded schemes have the flexibility to share their scheme surplus with employers, subject to strict funding safeguards for members.
Scheme trustees are required to act in the interest of scheme beneficiaries. Working with sponsoring employers, they will be responsible for decisions around surplus release. Together they will agree how members can benefit from any release of surplus, which could include discretionary benefit increases.
The Pensions Regulator already expects that trustees should be aware of members who would benefit from any decision to award a discretionary increase and whether the scheme has a history of making such awards.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the Personal Independence Payment assessment process for people living with bipolar disorder.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Entitlement to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is based on the needs arising from a long-term health condition or disability and not on a particular disability or diagnosis such as bipolar disorder. Health conditions may be physical, sensory, mental, intellectual or cognitive, or any combination of these, and the assessment takes a comprehensive approach to disability, reflecting the needs arising from the full range of conditions.
Health Professionals conducting PIP assessments are trained specialists in disability analysis. All HPs receive specific training on assessing the effects of mental health conditions and are supported by Mental Health Function Champions (MHFCs). MHFCs are experienced professionals with relevant expertise in mental health, cognitive, developmental, and learning disabilities. They are available to provide advice and support throughout the assessment process. Additionally, HPs have access to Condition Insight Reports and Continuing Professional Development guides. These resources offer detailed clinical and functional information on a range of conditions, including Bipolar, to support HPs in delivering informed assessments.