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 many households currently subject to the Household Benefit Cap are living in (a) council housing and (b) housing association accommodation.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2025 to Question 90803 on Transport: Apprentices and Training, what discussions his Department has had with representatives of the aviation sector on the removal of Level 7 apprenticeships for those over 22.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government's decision on defunding Level 7 apprenticeships for those aged 22 and over, including a summary of the evidence that informed that decision, is published here: Written Statements - Hansard - UK Parliament.
Ahead of this decision, Skills England engaged with over 700 stakeholders from various sectors, including those relating to aviation such as advanced manufacturing and defence.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the expected number of young people who will receive an offer of (a) education, (b) training, (c) an apprenticeship, or (d) guaranteed paid work through the Youth Guarantee in its first year.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) has been rising for too long, which is why we are tackling this crisis of opportunity with new energy and determination.
At Budget the government announced that £820 million has been committed to the Youth Guarantee over the next three years to support all young people aged 16 to 24 to earn or learn. This includes the previously announced Jobs Guarantee, which is guaranteeing six-months of paid work for every eligible 18-21 year old who has been on Universal Credit and looking for work for 18 months. Under the Jobs Guarantee we will fund 100% of the wages for the six months (up to 25hrs/week at the relevant minimum wage), as well as the additional employment costs and a budget for wrap around support. Further details on the Youth Guarantee will be announced shortly.
More broadly this government is supporting employers to offer apprenticeships to young people. In August we introduced new foundation apprenticeships for young people in targeted sectors which are underpinned by an employer incentive payment of up to £2,000 to contribute to the extra costs of supporting someone at the beginning of their career. In addition, as the Chancellor announced at the Budget, this government will now fully fund SME apprenticeships for eligible people aged 16-24, to boost small business starts and prioritise funding to young people, starting from the next academic year.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what measures he will use to assess the success of the Youth Guarantee in reducing youth unemployment over the next five years.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) has been rising for too long, which is why we are tackling this crisis of opportunity with new energy and determination.
At Budget the government announced that £820 million has been committed to the Youth Guarantee over the next three years to support all young people aged 16 to 24 to earn or learn. This includes the previously announced Jobs Guarantee, which is guaranteeing six-months of paid work for every eligible 18-21 year old who has been on Universal Credit and looking for work for 18 months. Further details on the Youth Guarantee will be announced shortly.
We are also working with eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers across England which are testing innovative approaches to identify and deliver localised support to young people who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET. We will use the learning from these Trailblazers to inform the future design and development of the Youth Guarantee as it rolls out across the rest of Great Britain. The Department will be commissioning an evaluation, starting in December 2025, which is expected to build evidence on the effectiveness of the programme at achieving employment outcomes, reducing levels of economic inactivity, increasing participation in education and training, and effectiveness of systems integration.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether there have been changes in the levels of (a) fraud and (b) error in the benefits system since July 2024.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Since Autumn Budget 2024, including the new announcements at Autumn Budget 2025, the Government have committed to gross savings of £14.6bn up to the end of 2030/31 from fraud, error and debt activity in the welfare state in Great Britain.
The Department publishes yearly estimates of fraud and error in the benefit system. The latest of which is available here: Fraud and error in the benefit system: financial year 2024 to 2025 estimates - GOV.UK, and relates to benefit claims sampled between September 2023 and October 2024.
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, what assessment he has made of the impact of each exemption from the Household Benefit Cap on (a) the number of households subject to the cap and (b) overall welfare expenditure.
Answered by Stephen Timms - 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: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many vehicles issued under the Motability Scheme were subject to the Expensive Car Supplement in the last year for which figures are available.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Motability Foundation is independent of government and regulated by the Charity Commission to help disabled people with their mobility and transport needs. They own and have oversight of the Motability Scheme which is delivered by an independent commercial company Motability Operations. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for the main benefits that provide a gateway to the Scheme. Data about the brands or values of vehicles leased under the Scheme is held by Motability Operations.
Vehicles leased to eligible disabled people as part of the Motability Scheme are exempt from Vehicle Excise Duty, including the expensive car supplement, if applicable.
We are protecting the taxpayer through changes to the Motability scheme, ensuring it supports disabled people whilst delivering efficient use of taxpayers’ money. This includes the removal of some luxury vehicles from the leasing scheme while maintaining a range of vehicles to support disabled people.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Government has made of the potential impact on recipients of contributory Employment and Support Allowance once the one-year limit under the proposed new system passes; and on what evidential basis he determined that a one-year limit would be applied to this cohort.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In the Pathways to Work Green Paper we announced that we would be establishing a new, simple and clear Unemployment Insurance benefit through the reform of contributory working age benefits. Following recent consultation, officials are considering the responses and developing the policy for this new benefit, including the duration of entitlement.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Government has made of the geographic distribution of contributory Employment and Support Allowance recipients affected by the proposed changes; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the merger on regional equality.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In the Pathways to Work Green Paper we announced that we would be establishing a new, simple and clear Unemployment Insurance benefit through the reform of contributory working age benefits. Following recent consultation, officials are considering the responses and developing the policy for this new benefit, including the duration of entitlement.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Government has made of the potential impact of the proposed changes to contributory ESA on recipients with long-term health conditions unable to return to work after the one-year limit.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In the Pathways to Work Green Paper we announced that we would be establishing a new, simple and clear Unemployment Insurance benefit through the reform of contributory working age benefits. Following recent consultation, officials are considering the responses and developing the policy for this new benefit, including the duration of entitlement.