Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
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 decision to reduce the maximum UC deduction rate on a) public sector net borrowing, b) public sector net debt, c) public sector net cash requirement, d) annually managed expenditure and e) total managed expenditure in each financial year for which data are available.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what number of universal credit households in the most recent quarter for which data is available were subject to a deduction; and what proportion of these households were subject to the maximum percentage reduction of 15%.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The requested information can be found in the published Universal Credit deductions statistics, December 2024 to November 2025, supplementary data Table1 and Table2, available here: Universal Credit statistics, 29 April 2013 to 8 January 2026 - GOV.UK.
The next release of these statistics is on Tuesday 12 May 2026, Universal Credit statistics, 29 April 2013 to 12 February 2026 - Official statistics announcement - GOV.UK
Further release dates are published here: universal credit - Research and statistics - GOV.UK
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what number and proportion of pregnant Universal Credit claimants were deemed to have Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity due to pregnancy risk in the most recent year for which data is available.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Between January 2024 and December 2024 there were 1,150 UC claimants who were deemed to have Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) due to pregnancy risk following a health assessment. Information on all UC claimants who are pregnant is not readily available, so the proportion this represents of all pregnant UC claimants cannot be provided.
Notes:
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been migrated from Employment and Support Allowance to Universal Credit since July 2024.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This information will be published as part of a routinely released statistical series in February 2026.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what (a) proportion and (b) amount of Universal Credit expenditure was for adults with non-Common Travel Area immigration status in the latest period for which information is available.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Universal Credit awards are paid to households, which may include both British and foreign nationals who are eligible. Therefore, the information requested is not readily available at the required quality and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households were exempted from the benefit cap for the latest period for which data is available, by (a) reason for exemption and (b) amount they would otherwise have had capped.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The requested statistics are not readily held by the Department and to produce them would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average award is for pension credit claimants with a non-CTA immigration status.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The requested statistics are not held by the Department.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were in receipt of Pension Credit for each of the last five financial years, by immigration status.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The requested statistics are not held by the Department.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of levels of annually managed expenditure savings due to planned increases in the proportion of face to face (a) PIP and (b) Work Capability Assessments in each of the next five financial years.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department has not yet made an estimate of the impact on Annually Managed Expenditure of the planned increases in the proportion of face-to-face assessments for PIP and Work Capability Assessments.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it has ever been her Department's policy to treat moving into employment as a change of circumstances which triggers a reassessment for (a) personal independence payment and (b) the work capability assessment; and whether her Department has made an estimate of how many claimants may have been subject to reassessment due to a change in circumstances associated with a change in employment status.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Being in work, of itself, is not a change of circumstances for the purposes of triggering an award review of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or the Work Capability Assessment determination. We are legislating for this approach and believe it is the right approach to give customers the confidence to try work at any time without fear of reassessment and enable more people to move into work.
Given that employment status is not linked to reassessment, we are not able estimate how many claimants may have been subject to reassessment due to a change in circumstances associated with a change in employment status.