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 new style Employment and Support Allowance applications were successful in (1) 2023, (2) 2024, and (3) 2025.
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 ESA group allocation:
WCA Outcome | Jan 2023 - Dec 2023 | Jan 2024 – Dec 2024 | Jan 2025 - Sept 2025* | |||
| Volume | Percentage | Volume | Percentage | Volume | Percentage |
Support Group or WRAG | 66,030 | 80% | 62,950 | 83% | 39,360 | 81% |
Fit for Work | 16,570 | 20% | 13,100 | 17% | 9,010 | 19% |
Total | 82,600 | 100% | 76,060 | 100% | 48,380 | 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 successful outcomes are centrally collated only once a WCA has been completed. Not all applications proceed to a WCA. The only robust data source for successful outcomes is WCA data.
Asked by: Steve Witherden (Labour - Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what are the qualifying criteria for "most vulnerable households" in the provision of heating oil support.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Local authorities have flexibility to determine eligibility for heating‑oil support under the Crisis and Resilience Fund, applying their own discretion to identify the most vulnerable households facing immediate financial difficulties as a result of rising heating‑oil prices.
Local authorities can use a combination of application‑based routes, referrals and their professional judgement to identify individuals in need. National datasets, such as census data, can help local authorities understand where reliance on heating oil is more prevalent and inform local targeting.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of social security assessment and application processes on the mental health of claimants.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Pathways to Work Green Paper set out our commitment to get the basics right and improve the experience for people who use the system of health and disability. This includes exploring ways to improve trust and transparency in PIP and WCA through reviewing our approach to safeguarding, recording assessments to increase trust in the process, and moving back to having more face-to-face assessments while continuing to meet the needs of people who may require different methods of assessment.
We have also launched the Timms Review, the first ever full review of PIP, 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 is being co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, carers, clinicians, experts, MPs and other stakeholders, so a wide range of views and voices are heard.
The Review will consider how PIP can enable disabled people to live independently; whether the assessment effectively captures the impact of long-term health conditions and disability in the modern world; and whether it should consider any other evidence. It will also look at how the assessment could ensure people access the right support at the right level.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
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 support those with back pain and musculoskeletal sick notes to get back to the workplace.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Musculoskeletal (MSK) problems were one of the leading causes of sickness absence in the UK in 2024. Early detection and prevention, including increasing access to employment advice, can support people with MSK conditions getting into and remaining in work.
The Government is committed to supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, including those with back pain and MSK conditions, with their employment journey. We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants, as well as Connect to Work and WorkWell.
As well as supporting people back into work, it is important that they are supported to successfully remain there. The Keep Britain Working review, published in November 2025, examined how employers can support healthier and more inclusive workplaces. Sir Charlie Mayfield was appointed to work in partnership with DWP, DBT and DHSC to oversee the implementation of his recommendations. Over 120 employers and ten regions are working with us through employer-led vanguard sprints, reshaping how health and disability are managed at work.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on utilising spare capacity in the chiropractic sector to support those with back pain and musculoskeletal sick notes back to the workforce.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government is committed to supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, including back pain and musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, with their employment journey. We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants, as well as Connect to Work and WorkWell.
As well as supporting people back into work, it is important that they are supported to successfully remain there. The Keep Britain Working review, published in November 2025, examined how employers can support healthier and more inclusive workplaces. Sir Charlie Mayfield was appointed to work in partnership with DWP, DBT and DHSC to oversee the implementation of his recommendations. Over 120 employers and ten regions are working with us through employer-led vanguard sprints, reshaping how health and disability are managed at work.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Your Party - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Government's response to Recommendation 4 of the Work and Pensions Committee's Get Britain Working, Reforming Jobcentres report, what steps he is taking to monitor the quality and consistency of sanctions pre-referral quality checks.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Pre-referral Quality Check is completed by a Jobcentre Team Leader, deputy, or colleague with the relevant experience.
The Department has a variety of internal performance metrics in place to monitor the quality of our services. We regularly review referrals to ensure they are being delivered consistently and fairly.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much was spent on the housing element of UC in each region and local authority in 2025.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Information about the amount of Universal Credit Housing Element expenditure is available by country and financial year here: Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2025 - GOV.UK (see the ‘Housing_Benefits’ tab). However, information about Universal Credit Housing Element expenditure by region and local authority for 2025 is not available and to produce this would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the findings of the Independent Review of Carer’s Allowance Overpayments published in November 2025, what assessment he has made of the proportionality and fairness of enforcement actions in cases where (a) inadvertent breaches of the earnings limit averaged only marginal amounts and (b) the total overpayment was substantially lower than the subsequent debt and penalty issued.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government inherited a system where some busy carers, already struggling under a huge weight of caring responsibilities, found themselves with unexpected debts due to overpayments of CA. The Independent Review, undertaken by Liz Sayce, showed that some mistakes were made, and we are determined to put them right. We welcomed the report and accepted or partially accepted 38 of the 40 recommendations. The Department will now continue putting things right by reassessing cases affected because guidance on averaging irregularly fluctuating earnings between 2015 and 2025 did not accurately reflect the statutory position. We will set out more details on the reassessment exercise in the next few weeks.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
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 (a) the expanded Youth Jobs Grant and (b) Apprenticeship incentives on youth employment levels in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Youth Guarantee and changes to the Growth and Skills Levy to prioritise young apprentices will together support around 1 million young people and create almost 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn, in partnership with employers and education providers. Young people in Buckingham and Bletchley will benefit from the full offer of support.
In Buckingham and Bletchley, young people also benefit from a range of support offered through our jobcentres. For example, Aylesbury Jobcentre Plus offers Work Experience opportunities specifically for youth customers, through organisations such as NHS Bright Future Opportunities. Customers also benefit from dedicated Youth Work Coaches, Digital Skills Sessions and Sector based Work Academy (SWAPs).
Milton Keynes Jobcentre Plus runs Mentoring Circles with local employers to support young people into employment, along with Work Experience opportunities with organisations, such as, Barnardos, Oxfam and B&M.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help reduce the number of unemployed young people in Staffordshire.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
For many years our young people have not had the opportunity and support they deserve. Under the last government, between 2021 and 2024, the number of young people not in education, employment or training increased by 250,000.
The Government has recently announced a further £1 billion investment in young people, taking the total investment to £2.5 billion over the next three years though the Youth Guarantee and additional investment in the Growth and Skills Levy. This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.
This includes the delivery of eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in England, expansion of Youth Hubs to more than 360 areas across Great Britain and introduction of a new Youth Guarantee Gateway in Jobcentres. The Gateway will provide 16-24-year-olds on Universal Credit a dedicated session and follow-up support to help them move into work, training or education.
This investment will also create around 300,000 more opportunities to gain workplace experience and training, including up to 150,000 work experience placements and up to 145,000 employer designed training opportunities, such as Sector based Work Academy Programmes, which offer participants a guaranteed job interview at the end.
In addition, the Government is taking action to support employers to recruit and train young people, helping to unlock up to 200,000 more employment opportunities. This includes a new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for employers who hire 18–24-year-olds who have been on Universal Credit for over six months, a new £2,000 apprenticeship incentive for small and medium sized employers hiring 16–24-year-old, and the Jobs Guarantee scheme, providing long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds with a fully funded six month job.
The Government will also prioritise prevention, building on measures announced in the Skills White Paper. The Government will improve support in schools, monitor attendance, increase access to work experience and work with local authorities to pilot auto-enrolling young people in further education, if needed.
Together these measures demonstrate the Government’s commitment to backing young people, supporting employers, and working with partners across Great Britain to create clear pathways into employment and education for young people.
In Staffordshire, our DWP Schools Advisers have supported over 3,600 young people across in the 2024/25 academic year. This includes 220 students in Newcastle-under-Lyme at Orme Academy, St Peter's Academy, and Abbey Hill Special School. Young people have access to training in Digital Marketing, Cyber Security, Web Design, and Emergency First Aid for Mental Health through The Training Initiative.