Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
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 trends in the level of uptake of hospitality-related apprenticeships.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
There are a number of apprenticeships available to support employers of all sizes in the hospitality sector to benefit from and develop the skilled workforces they need.
The government has reduced the apprenticeship minimum duration to 8 months so that shorter apprenticeships are possible from August 2025. Employers in the hospitality sector will be able to make use of this flexibility where this is appropriate for the role or the apprentice.
To support apprenticeships in small and medium-sized enterprises the government pays full training costs for young apprentices aged 16 to 21, and for apprentices aged 22 to 24 who have an education, health and care (EHC) plan or have been, or are, in local authority care.
In addition, the government is delivering a hospitality Sector-based Work Academy Programme (SWAP) pilot, launched in partnership with UKHospitality. This pilot is being rolled out to 26 new areas in need of jobs and opportunity. These SWAPs support participants to gain accreditation for a digital Hospitality Skills Passport which is designed to provide proof that a person is qualified to perform their job effectively and safely, giving them a universal entry standard into the sector.
Apprenticeship starts within the Hospitality and Catering sector can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/649e785b-9332-4f3c-f886-08de0724494a
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish a breakdown of the number of Personal Independence Payments claims by type of mental health condition for the last 3 years for which data is available.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The complete breakdown of PIP claims by type of mental health condition from April 2013 to July 2025 (the most recent available data) is available on Stats-Xplore (https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/jsf/login.xhtml). Guidance on how to use PIP data on Stat-Xplore is also available here: Personal Independence Payment data on Stat-Xplore: user guide - GOV.UK. An account is not required to use Stat-Xplore, the ‘Guest Login’ feature gives instant access to the main functions.
The relevant information can be found in the ‘PIP Clearances’ dataset. To customise the reporting period, use the ‘Month’ filter to select the months you wish to include.
Next, under the ‘Disability’ category, click the arrow beside ‘Psychiatric disorders’ and select ‘Disability’. This will ensure all disabilities under psychiatric disorders are included in the output.
Asked by: Jo White (Labour - Bassetlaw)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many users of the Motability scheme there are in Bassetlaw constituency.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department is unable to provide figures for the number of Motability Scheme users there are in Bassetlaw constituency, because only information related to PIP claimants with an active Motability Scheme contract is held centrally for analysis.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
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 merits of uprating temporary accommodation subsidy rates to 90 per cent of 2024 Local Housing Allowance rates.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions pays local authorities a Housing Benefit subsidy for Temporary Accommodation cases. There are restrictions on the amount paid, including a subsidy cap which is the lowest of £500 per week in certain areas of London or £375 elsewhere, 90% of 2011 LHA rates, or the claimant’s Housing Benefit entitlement. This incentivises local authorities to ensure Temporary Accommodation is good value for money.
We recognise the financial pressures which local authorities are experiencing. This Government has invested £1bn in homelessness and rough sleeping services this year (2025/26), a £233m increase on the previous year.
We want to encourage better investment into Temporary Accommodation stock up-front to minimise costs to local authorities and £950m was announced in the latest round of the Local Authority Housing Fund. This coupled with measures to strengthen local authorities’ financial position such as a new £39 billion Affordable Homes Programme and a 10-year rental settlement at Consumer Price Index + 1, will support local authorities in England to increase the supply of good quality Temporary Accommodation and drive down the use of costly bed and breakfasts and hotels.
We continue to work with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government as part of the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Inter Ministerial Group.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which active substances used in biocidal products are approved for use in the UK and not approved in the EU by (a) name of active substance, (b) product type (c) CAS Registry Number and (d) entity name.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The only active substance that is currently approved for use in biocidal products under the GB Biocidal Product Regulation (BPR) in GB, and which is not approved in the EU under EU BPR, is sulfuryl fluoride, in product types 8 and 18, CAS 2699-79-8. The entity that supported the first approval of sulfuryl fluoride is Dow AgroSciences GmbH, and the company supporting the renewal of the approval in GB is Douglas BLG BVBA.
The EU BPR continues to apply in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether careers in the armed forces will be included in the Youth Guarantee.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper, we are developing a Youth Guarantee to ensure young people are either learning or earning. This includes access to high-quality training, apprenticeships, and personalised support to find work.
In PQ 38965 the Department for Work and Pensions confirmed its commitment to working closely alongside the Ministry of Defence to identify and support anyone in receipt of benefits with transferable skills to move into careers within the Armed Forces, with a particular focus on younger customers.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
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 ensure that the (a) application and (b) appeal processes for disability benefits are accessible to (i) blind and (ii) visually impaired people in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The (a) initial new claims application process for disability benefits is either paper or telephony based. A range of alternative formats are available for paper-based correspondence and is therefore accessible to blind and visually impaired customers. Customers can also progress their claims digitally, however, customers who are blind or visually impaired would need appropriate software to do so. If not, paper-based correspondence supported with alternative formats is available.
In respect of (b) His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has a legal obligation under the Equality Act 2010 to provide reasonable adjustments for users with specific accessibility needs and to give equal access to our information. Users may ask for HMCTS leaflets, blank forms, and any documents relating to their case in an alternative format. Everyone has individual needs which we would discuss to meet their requirements.
There are many different types of alternative formats. The more common types requested by users are:
• audio translation
• braille
• coloured paper
• documents sent by email in a specific format, to be viewed using assistive technology
• easy read
• font type
• large print / font size
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many PIP claimants had active contracts with the Motability Scheme in (a) London, (b) the West Midlands Combined Authority, (c) Greater Manchester Combined Authority and (d) the Liverpool City Region in each of the last five years.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Figures have been provided in the table below.
Table 1: Volume of PIP claimants in an active Motability contract
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
London | 29,800 | 33,400 | 36,700 | 44,400 | 56,800 | 61,600 |
West Midlands Combined Authority | 22,700 | 24,600 | 26,100 | 30,700 | 37,000 | 38,400 |
Greater Manchester Combined Authority | 20,800 | 22,400 | 23,700 | 27,900 | 33,900 | 35,600 |
Liverpool City Region | 16,700 | 17,900 | 19,000 | 22,000 | 26,400 | 27,400 |
Notes:
- Values have been rounded to the nearest 100.
- The figures have been provided in calendar years, containing data from January 2020 to July 2025.
- Figures include claims made under Normal Rules and Special Rules for End of Life
- Values in the table show any PIP claimant with an active Motability Scheme contract on the PIP caseload within that calendar year.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on the number of young people who had dropped out of further education were trying to find work or training on 20 October 2025.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department does not hold data on the number of people who have dropped out of further education and are searching for work or training.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which chemical substances have received EU Harmonised Classification and GB Mandatory Classification since 1 January 2021 by (a) chemical name, (b) European Community number, (c) CAS Registry Number, (d) EU harmonised classification (i) hazard class and category code and (ii) hazard statement code and (e) GB Mandatory Classification (i) Hazard class and category code, (ii) Hazard statement code and (iii) date of entry into legal effect.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Since 1 January 2021, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), as the regulator, has acted as the Agency for the assimilated Regulation (EC) No. 1272/2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures as amended in Great Britain (or the GB CLP Regulation).
HSE is responsible for the GB mandatory classification and labelling system (GB MCL) and for updating the GB MCL List on the HSE website with new/revised or deleted entries in accordance with a timetable set out in UK law. The GB MCL List entries provide information on chemical substances that have GB MCLs including: a) chemical name, (b) European Community number, (c) CAS Registry Number, (e) GB Mandatory Classification and Labelling (i) Hazard class and category code, (ii) Hazard statement code and (iii) date of entry into legal effect.
The GB MCL List does not include information on the EU harmonised classification and labelling, hazard class and category code and hazard statement code for these chemical substances. This information is available on the European Chemicals Agency website in the unofficial ‘Table of harmonised entries containing all updates to the harmonised classification and labelling of hazardous substances, available in Table 3 of Annex VI to the EU CLP Regulation’.
The GB MCL List includes 4430 entries. Since 1 January 2021, 206 chemical substances have received GB MCLs, following a recommendation by HSE as the Agency and a Ministerial Decision made with the consent of Scottish and Welsh Ministers. The GB MCL entries for the 206 entries, including the requested information, are published in the GB MCL List on the HSE website – please see https://www.hse.gov.uk/chemical-classification/classification/mcl-list.htm.