Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will correct the commentary in their recent fraud statistics publication regarding the transition to universal credit from tax credit recipients.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The explanation provided for the shift in the overall overpayment rate being partly driven by the growth in the Universal Credit caseload, including the migration of Tax Credit recipients is accurate and has been consistently set out in the Department’s published analysis since 2022. Therefore, there are no plans to change the commentary in the Fraud and Error Official Statistics.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to consult on the formula for child maintenance.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government is finalising a review of the child maintenance calculation. This includes updating the underlying research and ensuring it is fair for both parents and encourages willing and able compliance.
The outcome of the review and next steps will be announced shortly.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many contributing parents (1) in total, and (2) as a percentage, have made zero child maintenance payments in (a) 2023–24, (b) 2024–25 and (c) 2025–26.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sherlock on 26 March (HL15523), whether they monitor the percentage of new style Employment and Support Allowance applications that are made for the primary condition of poor mental health.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department monitors the primary conditions recorded for new style Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) applications. While primary conditions at application are not routinely published, these can be proxied through analysis of the claimants who are in the assessment phase of ESA, which is the first three months of the claim. The percentage of claimants in this phase with the main disabling condition ‘mental and behavioural’ is available on Stat-Xplore and reproduced in the table below:
Percentage of ESA Assessment Phase caseloads by main disabling condition:
| August 2024 | August 2025 |
ESA Assessment Phase with main disabling condition 'mental and behavioural disorders' | 24% | 24% |
ESA Assessment Phase with main disabling condition other than 'mental and behavioural disorders' | 76% | 76% |
* The latest available data is for August 2025.
* All new applications made to new style ESA are placed into “Assessment Phase”. This lasts for the first 13 weeks of an ESA claim.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether there has been an increase in successful claims of new style Employment Support Allowance in the past three years; and if so, what assessment they have made of the reasons for that increase.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The volume of New Style Employment and Support Allowance (NS ESA) new claims awarded has not increased in the past three years.
NS ESA new claims awarded:
Financial year | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 | 2025/26 to September 2025 |
ESA new claims awarded | 115,380 | 113,110 | 104,870 | 45,710 |
*Data is taken from internal Management Information. Volumes have been rounded to the nearest ten.
*Volumes for 2025/26 only include awards made between April 2025 and September 2025, therefore are not comparable to 2022/23 – 2024/25.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many presenting officers they employ in the Department for Work and Pensions.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions employs a total of 177.6 (FTE) Presenting Officers.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many and what percentage of the new style Employment and Support Allowance applications were for the primary condition of poor mental health in (1) 2023, (2) 2024, and (3) 2025.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Initial ESA Work Capability Assessments (WCAs) by date of decision:
| January 2023 - December 2023 | January 2024 - December 2024 | January 2025 - September 2025 | |||
| Volume | Percentage | Volume | Percentage | Volume | Percentage |
ESA WCAs with main disabling condition 'mental and behavioural disorders' | 19,260 | 23% | 18,210 | 24% | 11,040 | 23% |
ESA WCAs with main disabling condition other than 'mental and behavioural disorders' | 63,350 | 77% | 57,850 | 76% | 37,320 | 77% |
Total | 82,610 | 100% | 76,060 | 100% | 48,360 | 100% |
* Data is taken from Stat-Xplore. Volumes have been rounded to the nearest ten. Totals may not sum due to rounding and the disclosure control applied.
* The latest available data is for September 2025. Therefore, the 2025 volumes do not cover the entire year and are not comparable to the 2023 or 2024 volumes.
* New Style ESA applications and Work Capability Assessments (WCAs) are distinct processes, and condition is centrally collated only once a WCA has been completed. Not all applications proceed to a WCA, and the primary health condition as per the International Classification of Diseases (2010) classification (ICD10) used in official statistics is captured at the WCA stage rather than on the application form. As a result, the only robust data source for health condition is WCA data. The figures include WCAs for means-tested ESA as well as new style, contributory ESA, but the great majority will be for new style ESA
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of cases have presenting officers from the Department for Work and Pensions been involved in regarding (1) first tier tribunals, and (2) upper tier tribunals, in (a) 2023, (b) 2024 and (c) 2025.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
To provide information on the percentage of first tier tribunal hearings across all DWP administered benefits would incur disproportionate costs.
The Department does not send Presenting Officers to Upper Tribunal hearings.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, of the new style Employment and Support Allowance applications granted in (1) 2023, (2) 2024, and (3) 2025, how many were in the support group for (a) poor mental health as the primary condition, and (b) for any other reason.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Initial Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) Work Capability Assessment (WCA) by date of decision and group allocation being Support Group (SG):
ICD10 Medical Condition | Jan 2023 - Dec 2023 | Jan 2024 – Dec 2024 | Jan 2025 - Sept 2025* | |||
| Volume | Percentage | Volume | Percentage | Volume | Percentage |
Mental and Behavioural Disorders (F00 - F99) | 11,520 | 21% | 11,710 | 23% | 7,060 | 21% |
All Other ICD10 Medical Conditions | 42,460 | 79% | 39,850 | 77% | 26,390 | 79% |
Total | 53,980 | 100% | 51,560 | 100% | 33,450 | 100% |
* Data is taken from Stat-Xplore. Volumes have been rounded to the nearest ten. Totals may not sum due to rounding and the disclosure control applied.
* New Style ESA ‘applications’ and Work Capability Assessments (WCAs) are distinct processes, and SG assignment is determined only once a WCA has been completed. Not all applications proceed to a WCA, and the primary health condition as per the International Classification of Diseases (2010) classification (ICD10) used in official statistics is captured at the WCA rather than on the application form. As a result, the only robust data source for SG outcomes by primary health condition is WCA data.
* The latest available data is for September 2025. Therefore, the 2025 volumes do not cover the entire year and are not comparable to the 2023 or 2024 volumes.
* ESA Group Allocation refers to the result of the WCA decision that been adjusted for appeal outcome. The outcome recorded is the final DWP Decision Maker's decision or appeal tribunal's decision or the recommendation made by the Healthcare Professional where the Decision Maker's decision is not yet available.
* ICD Group refers to the World Health Organisations' International Classification of Diseases (2010) Condition Groups. In DWP statistics, these are sometimes referred to as medical conditions. For reporting purposes, the conditions as recorded on the Employment Support Allowance Benefit system have been mapped to reflect as closely as possible the appropriate ICD10 code. Conditions are based on evidence provided at the start of the claim, this in itself does not confer entitlement to Employment and Support Allowance and may not represent a claimant's most recent medical condition. Where someone has more than one diagnosis or disabling condition, only the predominant one is reported on in these statistics.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, of the new style Employment and Support Allowance applications granted in (1) 2023, (2) 2024, and (3) 2025, how many were in the work-related group for (a) poor mental health as the primary condition, and (b) for any other reason.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Initial Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) Work Capability Assessment (WCA) by date of decision and group allocation being Work-Related Activity Group (WRAG):
ICD10 Medical Condition | Jan 2023 - Dec 2023 | Jan 2024 – Dec 2024 | Jan 2025 - Sept 2025* | |||
| Volume | Percentage | Volume | Percentage | Volume | Percentage |
Mental and Behavioural Disorders (F00 - F99) | 5,070 | 42% | 4,540 | 40% | 2,420 | 41% |
All Other ICD10 Medical Conditions | 6,980 | 58% | 6,860 | 60% | 3,500 | 59% |
Total | 12,050 | 100% | 11,400 | 100% | 5,920 | 100% |
* Data is taken from Stat-Xplore. Volumes have been rounded to the nearest ten. Totals may not sum due to rounding and the disclosure control applied.
* New Style ESA ‘applications’ and Work Capability Assessments (WCAs) are distinct processes, and WRAG assignment is determined only once a WCA has been completed. Not all applications proceed to a WCA, and the primary health condition as per the International Classification of Diseases (2010) classification (ICD10) used in official statistics is captured at the WCA rather than on the application form. As a result, the only robust data source for WRAG outcomes by health condition is WCA data.
* The latest available data is for September 2025. Therefore, the 2025 volumes do not cover the entire year and are not comparable to the 2023 or 2024 volumes.
* ESA Group Allocation refers to the result of the WCA decision that been adjusted for appeal outcome. The outcome recorded is the final DWP Decision Maker's decision or appeal tribunal's decision or the recommendation made by the Healthcare Professional where the Decision Maker's decision is not yet available.
* ICD Group refers to the World Health Organisations' International Classification of Diseases (2010) Condition Groups. In DWP statistics, these are sometimes referred to as medical conditions. For reporting purposes, the conditions as recorded on the Employment Support Allowance Benefit system have been mapped to reflect as closely as possible the appropriate ICD10 code. Conditions are based on evidence provided at the start of the claim, this in itself does not confer entitlement to Employment and Support Allowance and may not represent a claimant's most recent medical condition. Where someone has more than one diagnosis or disabling condition, only the predominant one is reported on in these statistics.