Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to provide support for people with mental health problems who need to (a) stop and (b) reduce spending on (i) therapy, (ii) counselling, (iii) personal care and (iv) other support following the implementation of her proposed changes to eligibility for the Personal Independence Payment.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
PIP provides a cash contribution to support people with the extra costs of living with a long-term health condition or disability. Claimants have freedom and choice to spend their PIP as they see fit and the Secretary of State has been clear this should be maintained.
We are aware there is increased anxiety relating to the Green Paper changes resulting in people seeking health related support. We want anyone who is currently in receipt of PIP and who, under the new eligibility criteria, loses their entitlement to have their health and eligible care needs met. DWP and DHSC are working together and will continue to do so as the package of reforms is developed in detail.
We also want to reassure people that the changes to PIP will not come into effect immediately. The changes will apply from November 2026 at a person’s next award review. If an existing claimant loses eligibility to PIP, they will continue to receive their full entitlement for 13 weeks after their award review. This will provide time for individuals to respond to their new situation, including accessing employment support if appropriate. This transitional cover is more than three times the length of protection provided for the transition from DLA to PIP.
The department has processes in place to support and safeguard people who use our services, and we will continue to provide this support as changes are taken forward.
If someone within a job centre is identified as being at risk of suicide, our 6-point plan will be invoked. We also have robust safeguarding processes in place during assessments where our trained health care professionals can make contact with the claimant’s GP or mental health team if they are concerned there has been or is a risk of deterioration to the mental or physical health of an individual.
We want to go further so that there is a clear and transparent process in place to ensure vulnerable individuals are adequately supported. In the Green Paper Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working published on 18 March we have committed to undertaking a thorough review of our current approach to safeguarding, with the aim of developing and implementing a new departmental-wide approach.
We have also already issued guidance strongly encouraging Local Authorities in England to support disabled people using the Household Support Fund. We will explore how Local Authorities can support disabled people through the new Crisis and Resilience Fund which starts from April 2026.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department plans to take to help support people with (a) mental health problems and (b) psychiatric disorders following the implementation of her proposed reforms to eligibility for the Personal Independence Payment.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
PIP provides a cash contribution to support people with the extra costs of living with a long-term health condition or disability. Claimants have freedom and choice to spend their PIP as they see fit and the Secretary of State has been clear this should be maintained.
We are aware there is increased anxiety relating to the Green Paper changes resulting in people seeking health related support. We want anyone who is currently in receipt of PIP and who, under the new eligibility criteria, loses their entitlement to have their health and eligible care needs met. DWP and DHSC are working together and will continue to do so as the package of reforms is developed in detail.
We also want to reassure people that the changes to PIP will not come into effect immediately. The changes will apply from November 2026 at a person’s next award review. If an existing claimant loses eligibility to PIP, they will continue to receive their full entitlement for 13 weeks after their award review. This will provide time for individuals to respond to their new situation, including accessing employment support if appropriate. This transitional cover is more than three times the length of protection provided for the transition from DLA to PIP.
The department has processes in place to support and safeguard people who use our services, and we will continue to provide this support as changes are taken forward.
If someone within a job centre is identified as being at risk of suicide, our 6-point plan will be invoked. We also have robust safeguarding processes in place during assessments where our trained health care professionals can make contact with the claimant’s GP or mental health team if they are concerned there has been or is a risk of deterioration to the mental or physical health of an individual.
We want to go further so that there is a clear and transparent process in place to ensure vulnerable individuals are adequately supported. In the Green Paper Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working published on 18 March we have committed to undertaking a thorough review of our current approach to safeguarding, with the aim of developing and implementing a new departmental-wide approach.
We have also already issued guidance strongly encouraging Local Authorities in England to support disabled people using the Household Support Fund. We will explore how Local Authorities can support disabled people through the new Crisis and Resilience Fund which starts from April 2026.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people who are (a) incapable of ever working and (b) will no longer have Universal Credit reassessments.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions has not made a formal estimate of the number of people who are incapable of ever working. However, we recognise that a proportion of claimants receiving health-related benefits have severe or lifelong conditions that significantly limit their ability to engage in work.
Subject to Parliamentary approval, the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill sets out that those who meet the Severe Conditions Criteria (SCC) will not be called for future reassessments for Universal Credit (UC).
We estimate that over 200,000 people will be covered by this exemption in 2029/30.
This comprises:
Further details can be found in The Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill: Impact Assessment (May 2025).
As outlined in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, the Department intends to make changes to both the UC health element and the reassessment process. While final decisions are yet to be made, the Government has committed to ensuring that people with severe or terminal health conditions, such as those meeting the SCC or the Special Rules for End of Life (SREL), will not be subject to routine reassessments.
The Department is currently consulting on these proposals, and further detail will be provided following the conclusion of the consultation period on 30 June 2025.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria her Department plans to use to determine when to end Universal Credit reassessments for people who are incapable of ever working.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Subject to Parliamentary approval, the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill legislates that those who meet the Severe Conditions Criteria (SCC) will not be called for reassessment for Universal Credit (UC).
The Severe Conditions Criteria are set out in the Bill, which was introduced to the House on 18 June 2025 and can be found here:
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/59-01/0267/240267.pdf
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
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 help ensure that (a) carers and (b) family members of people with (i) mental health problems and (ii) psychiatric disorders are supported, in the context of proposed changes to disability health benefits.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We will consider potential impacts of our reforms on people with all health conditions, including mental health conditions, as part of our wider consideration of responses to the consultation and as we develop our detailed proposals for change.
This includes any impacts on unpaid carers, who provide invaluable support to people with health conditions, are frail or disabled, and who this government is committed to supporting.
As we introduce changes to PIP eligibility, we are mindful of the potential impact on unpaid carers. The recently published Bill commits to providing a 13-week run-on for existing claimants who – at their next award review – are no longer eligible for PIP as a result of this change. This will include passporting to other entitlements such as Carers Allowance, allowing the carer a longer period of adjustment.
We are also taking action to improve Carer’s Allowance separate to the Green Paper. We have pegged the weekly Carer’s Allowance earnings limit to 16 hours’ work at National Living Wage (NLW) levels, and in future it will increase when the NLW increases. The Carer’s Allowance earnings limit increased to be £196 a week net earnings on 7 April 2025, compared to £151 in 24/25. This is the largest ever increase in the earnings limit since Carer’s Allowance was introduced in 1976 and the highest percentage increase since 2001. Over 60,000 additional people will be able to receive Carer’s Allowance between 2025/26 and 2029/30 as a result.
We will also continue to work closely with the Department for Health and Social Care to further assess the impacts of reforms and to see how best health and care needs can continue to be met
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will provide an estimate of the number of people eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment in 2025-26 who did not receive it in 2024-25, broken down by constituency.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The next release of Official Winter Fuel Payment statistics will cover this period and will be published on 16 September 2025.
The majority of pensioners in England and Wales – around 9 million individuals – will now benefit from Winter Fuel Payments, making it better targeted than the previous near-universal payment. This is in line with our wider welfare reforms – ensuring support is targeted and that it is a responsible use of taxpayers’ money.
Winter Fuel Payments are £200 for a household with someone of State Pension age and £300 for a household with someone aged 80 or over. They will be paid automatically to anyone who has not opted out. Individuals with a taxable income above £35,000 a year Winter Fuel Payments will be recouped via HMRC.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information her Department holds on the number of job vacancies there are in each constituency.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
There are no published statistics on the number of job vacancies by constituency. However, the number of online job adverts by local authorities can be found here: Labour demand volumes by Standard Occupation Classification (SOC 2020), UK - Office for National Statistics
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 9 May 2025 to Question 47378 on Personal Independence Payment, how many working-age people are in receipt of the PIP daily living component at (a) regional, (b) constituency and (c) local authority level by whether those people receive the (i) standard or (ii) enhanced rate; and what proportion of each of those (A) standard and (B) enhanced rate claims were awarded fewer than four points in all daily living activities.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Table 1 in the attached excel file contains data, at the regional level, of claimants in receipt of the Enhanced or Standard Daily Living award for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and the proportion of those claims which were awarded less than four points in all daily living activities by award rate.
Table 2 contains data, at the Parliamentary Constituency level, of claimants in receipt of the Enhanced or Standard Daily Living award for PIP and the proportion of those claims which were awarded less than four points in all daily living activities by award rate.
Table 3 contains data, at the Local Authority level, of claimants in receipt of the Enhanced or Standard Daily Living award for PIP and the proportion of those claims which were awarded less than four points in all daily living activities by award rate.
The number of people currently on PIP and did not score 4 points in one category in their last assessment should not be equated with the number who are likely to lose PIP. It’s important to make a clear distinction between the two, not least because we don’t want constituents to be unnecessarily fearful about their situation, when we understand many are already anxious. We will always protect the most vulnerable people.
The OBR has determined that 9 in 10 people currently on PIP will still be receiving it by the end of this Parliament. No one will lose access to PIP immediately. The changes, subject to parliamentary approval, would be brought in from November 2026. After that date, no one will lose PIP without first being reassessed by a trained assessor or healthcare professional, who assesses individual needs and circumstance. Reassessments happen on average every 3 years. Someone who didn’t score 4 points in an activity in a previous assessment may well score 4 points in a future assessment – not least as many conditions tend to get worse, not better, over time.
We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by eligibility changes, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met. PIP is not based on condition diagnosis but on functional disability as the result of one or more conditions, and is awarded as a contribution to the additional costs which result.
We have also announced a wider review of the PIP assessment, to make it fair and fit for purpose, which I will lead. We are bringing together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this. We will provide further details as plans progress.
Even with these reforms, the overall number of people on PIP is expected to rise by 750,000 by the end of this parliament and spending will rise from £23bn in 24/25 to £31bn in 29/30.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many working-age people are in receipt of the PIP daily living component at (a) regional, (b) constituency and (c) local authority level; whether those people receive the (i) standard and (ii) enhanced rate; and what proportion of those claims were awarded less than four points in all daily living activities.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Table 1 in the attached excel file contains data, at the regional level, of claimants in receipt of the Enhanced or Standard Daily Living award for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and the proportion of those claims which were awarded less than four points in all daily living activities.
Table 2 contains data, at the Parliamentary Constituency level, of claimants in receipt of the Enhanced or Standard Daily Living award for PIP and the proportion of those claims which were awarded less than four points in all daily living activities.
Table 3 contains data, at the Local Authority level, of claimants in receipt of the Enhanced or Standard Daily Living award for PIP and the proportion of those claims which were awarded less than four points in all daily living activities.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many working-age people are in receipt of the PIP daily living component at (a) regional, (b) constituency and (c) local authority level by primary health condition; and what proportion of those claims were awarded less than four points in all daily living activities.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Table 1 in the attached excel file contains data, at the regional level, of claimants in receipt of the Daily Living award for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) by primary health condition and the proportion of those claims which were awarded less than four points in all daily living activities.
Table 2 contains data, at the Parliamentary Constituency level, of claimants in receipt of the Daily Living award for PIP by primary health condition and the proportion of those claims which were awarded less than four points in all daily living activities.
Table 3 contains data, at the Local Authority level, of claimants in receipt of the Daily Living award for PIP by primary health condition and the proportion of those claims which were awarded less than four points in all daily living activities.