Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, who is able to reduce agreed hours for (a) self-employed job coaches and (b) support providers who have both (i) an agreed support plan under Access to Work and (ii) not had a consultation on the reduction of these hours.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The support that a customer will receive from Access to Work is dependent upon their needs and circumstances at the time they make an application. Case managers will use the current guidance to ensure Access to Work principles are considered when making a decision on support.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will will make an assessment of the potential merits of forming a national digital verification tool such as a gas tag to allow only qualified professionals to purchase gas critical products and parts.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations (1998) requires gas-fuelled appliances to be installed by a competent and Gas Safe Registered engineer. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has no power to restrict online or physical sale of gas appliances or parts. HSE strongly advises that gas appliances, flues and pipework are installed, regularly maintained and serviced at least annually by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of making it a legal requirement that all operatives entering a UK home to undertake gas work must display their Gas Safe Register accreditation and ID.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations (1998) place a legal requirement on those who undertake gas work to be competent and Gas Safe Registered. The Gas Safe Register Rules of Registration require engineers to carry an in-date, valid ID card which displays who the holder is, and what gas work they are competent to perform. HSE continue to advise consumers to always verify the identity and credentials of engineers or persons entering their property.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he will reply to the correspondence from the hon. member for Newton Abbot about case ref MW09732 / CMPT12025/78972 sent on 18 August 2025.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
A response has been issued to the MP on 12th November 2025. We apologise for the delay and are committed to improving response times. We have taken a number of steps, including deploying additional resource, to improve the timeliness of responses to MP enquiries.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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 two-child benefit cap on working class people in Newton Abbot constituency.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Statistics related to the policy to provide support for a maximum of 2 children are published annually and provide various breakdowns including by households with someone earning.
The latest publication, with April 2025 data, is published here: Universal Credit claimants statistics on the two child limit policy, April 2025 - GOV.UK data by Parliamentary Constituencies can be found in tables 12A, 12B, 12C in the published spreadsheet.
All previous releases of these statistics are published here: Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit claimants: statistics related to the policy to provide support for a maximum of 2 children - GOV.UK
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing PIP claimants to be able to claim support via the Motability Scheme when there is less than 12 months on their PIP mobility component.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
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 Foundation, and is responsible for the disability benefits that provide a passport to the Motability Scheme
The Motability Scheme supports those in receipt of a qualifying mobility allowance including the higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and the enhanced rate mobility component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP). We will continue to work with Motability to ensure the Scheme meets the transport needs of disabled people.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have had their mobility component of benefits (a) removed and (b) reduced and have (i) reported a reduction in hours worked and (ii) stopped working by parliamentary constituency since 1 January 2024.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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 changes in mobility awards on (a) disabled people’s ability to travel to employment and (b) local labour markets.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government is committed to ensuring that Personal Independence Payment (PIP) remains a non-means tested cash benefit which is there for people in and out of work, now and into the future.
The Timms Review aims to ensure we have a system that supports disabled people to achieve better health, higher living standards and greater independence, including through employment. The Review will take a comprehensive look at PIP and the PIP assessment criteria to consider whether these effectively capture the impact of long-term health conditions and disability in the modern world. Both the daily living and mobility elements of PIP are in scope.
We will ensure that the Review hears from diverse sources of evidence and the full range of views and voices. To ensure lived experience is at the heart of its work, the Review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, and other experts.
We will not seek to make further changes to PIP eligibility until the Review has reported its findings.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has updated (a) internal guidance, (b) decision-maker scripts, (c) assessor training materials and (d) scoring matrices used to assess the PIP mobility component since 1 January 2024.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There have been no substantive changes to departmental training or guidance materials relating specifically to the mobility component of Personal Independent Payment (PIP) since 1 January 2024. Departmental instructions are regularly updated to ensure they remain accurate.
The PIP Assessment Guide, and the PIP new entrant training for health professionals (HPs) who conduct assessments were updated in September 2024 to coincide with the start of the new Functional Assessment Service (FAS) contracts, and responsibility for all other HP training and guidance materials was also transferred into DWP at this time. All training and guidance material is currently undergoing a comprehensive review, with updates being made to ensure content is accurate and aligns with national best practice standards, and our policy intent.
There have been no changes to the criteria or thresholds used to assess entitlement to the PIP mobility component.
To ensure PIP is fair and fit for the future, the Government has launched the Timms Review. The Timms Review aims to ensure we have a system that supports disabled people to achieve better health, higher living standards and greater independence, including through employment. The Review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, and other experts. This means the Government will share ownership and responsibility for how the Review runs and what it recommends. The Review will report to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by autumn 2026.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many PIP claimants in Newton Abbot constituency had (a) an award with a mobility component, (b) a mobility component (i) removed and (ii) reduced following a (A) decision and (B) reassessment and (c) an active Motability agreement (1) terminated and (2) not renewed in each month since January 2024.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The figures requested have been provided in the attached tables. Regarding part (b), PIP claimants do not undergo reassessments, but they do have award reviews. Therefore, figures have been provided for the most recent decision made during the award reviews of claims (after mandatory reconsiderations and appeals have been completed).
Notes:
- Values have been rounded to the nearest 10.
- Figures provided are for claimants under DWP Policy Ownership (England, Wales or Abroad).
- Figures include both Normal Rules and Special Rules for End of Life claimants.
- A claimant's most recent award decision post-reconsideration or appeal at an award review was used to determine whether their mobility award had been reduced/removed.
- Despite a contract with Motability having ended, a claimant may make a new contract in the future.
- A Motability contract is considered to have ended if it has reached the natural end of its term. A Motability contract is considered to have been terminated if it was ended early for another reason.
- Motability contracts are terminated for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to, voluntary termination, claimant death, a change in entitlement, imprisonment, or moving abroad.