Department for Work and Pensions

Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) is a single benefit with two strands, contribution-based ESA, ESA C (which was rebadged New Style ESA (NS ESA)), and income-related ESA (ESA IR).

Legacy ESA is made up of a contributory (ESA C) and income-related strand (ESA IR).

​New claims to legacy ESA (i.e. ESA C and ESA IR) are no longer available. Only new claims to NS ESA can be made.

The Secretary of State has an annual Statutory duty to conduct a review of benefits and State pension rates to determine whether they have retained their value in relation to the general level of prices and/or earnings. The review will take place in the Autumn as is the convention.

The Pathways to Work Green Paper included proposals for the future rates of Employment and Support Allowance.

We know disabled people face extra costs every day and this has been exacerbated by the increased cost of living. The Disability Unit has worked to understand and assess the full impact of the cost of living on disabled people, across a range of sectors, including energy.

In order to understand more about the areas of extra costs faced by disabled people, DWP is undertaking a new survey of Personal Independence Payment customers.

The number of Carer’s Allowance new claim applications cleared in each month, starting November 2023, is shown below in Table 1 below. This is based upon weekly data, starting week commencing 30^th October 2023 (see ‘Notes to Table 1’ for more information).

For all other questions, the information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Table 1: Number of Carer’s Allowance new claim applications cleared, by month, November 2023 to April 2025.

Source: DWP Management Information

Notes to Table 1:

• data is not seasonally adjusted
• numbers in thousands have been rounded to the nearest 100
• the monthly data shown is based on the summing of weekly management information data. Where a week falls across two calendar months, the week is attributed to the month in which the most number of working days falls. As a result, the number of weeks contributing to each month’s total volume cleared may vary across months.

The number of Carer’s Allowance new claim applications cleared in each month, starting November 2023, is shown below in Table 1 below. This is based upon weekly data, starting week commencing 30^th October 2023 (see ‘Notes to Table 1’ for more information).

For all other questions, the information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Table 1: Number of Carer’s Allowance new claim applications cleared, by month, November 2023 to April 2025.

Source: DWP Management Information

Notes to Table 1:

• data is not seasonally adjusted
• numbers in thousands have been rounded to the nearest 100
• the monthly data shown is based on the summing of weekly management information data. Where a week falls across two calendar months, the week is attributed to the month in which the most number of working days falls. As a result, the number of weeks contributing to each month’s total volume cleared may vary across months.

The number of Carer’s Allowance new claim applications cleared in each month, starting November 2023, is shown below in Table 1 below. This is based upon weekly data, starting week commencing 30^th October 2023 (see ‘Notes to Table 1’ for more information).

For all other questions, the information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Table 1: Number of Carer’s Allowance new claim applications cleared, by month, November 2023 to April 2025.

Source: DWP Management Information

Notes to Table 1:

• data is not seasonally adjusted
• numbers in thousands have been rounded to the nearest 100
• the monthly data shown is based on the summing of weekly management information data. Where a week falls across two calendar months, the week is attributed to the month in which the most number of working days falls. As a result, the number of weeks contributing to each month’s total volume cleared may vary across months.

As more customers apply to the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) the demand for our service is increasing. To allow us to meet this demand and provide an efficient service we continuously look at the resources we have and where we should focus our efforts to get the greatest value for money and deliver the best service to our customers.

We review our overall resource supply regularly and take appropriate steps to ensure that staffing levels meet current demands. We have an ongoing recruitment campaign for 2025 which will ensure CMS is resourced to meet current and future forecasted demand.

Through extensive modernisation to both telephony and digital channels, and by promoting self-service online, the CMS are ensuring customers have greater choice of how and when they contact us. Our service improvements allow customers to use the most appropriate and efficient contact method to quickly resolve their queries and reduce demand on our services.

Improvements to our digital service allow us to process simple actions automatically, speeding up the time taken to make a change. Through efficient call routing, we have freed up resources to deliver a more responsive service and allow caseworkers more time to better assist customers who need to reach out to us via telephone. We have improved all forms of communication, including greater use of SMS and email as well as improving letter content. Furthermore, we have taken timely action to further train, support and redeploy resource within CMS to where it is needed most.

The CMS continually reviews the service it provides by regularly gathering feedback from customers. The Customer Experience Survey is a way in which the Department interacts with customers to understand their experience. Through regular insight used to inform ways to improve our service and the ongoing review of resources, the CMS strives to ensure we have the capability to deliver the best service which is accessible to all parents within our growing caseload.

As more customers apply to the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) the demand for our service is increasing. To allow us to meet this demand and provide an efficient service we continuously look at the resources we have and where we should focus our efforts to get the greatest value for money and deliver the best service to our customers.

We review our overall resource supply regularly and take appropriate steps to ensure that staffing levels meet current demands. We have an ongoing recruitment campaign for 2025 which will ensure CMS is resourced to meet current and future forecasted demand.

Through extensive modernisation to both telephony and digital channels, and by promoting self-service online, the CMS are ensuring customers have greater choice of how and when they contact us. Our service improvements allow customers to use the most appropriate and efficient contact method to quickly resolve their queries and reduce demand on our services.

Improvements to our digital service allow us to process simple actions automatically, speeding up the time taken to make a change. Through efficient call routing, we have freed up resources to deliver a more responsive service and allow caseworkers more time to better assist customers who need to reach out to us via telephone. We have improved all forms of communication, including greater use of SMS and email as well as improving letter content. Furthermore, we have taken timely action to further train, support and redeploy resource within CMS to where it is needed most.

The CMS continually reviews the service it provides by regularly gathering feedback from customers. The Customer Experience Survey is a way in which the Department interacts with customers to understand their experience. Through regular insight used to inform ways to improve our service and the ongoing review of resources, the CMS strives to ensure we have the capability to deliver the best service which is accessible to all parents within our growing caseload.

Easements from RSRS deductions allow for the provision of an additional bedroom to support the needs of disabled people and families of disabled children such as where members of the household are unable to share a bedroom or where overnight care is required from a non-resident carer where they meet the qualifying criteria.

Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities to those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs.

The information requested on how many people with a disabled person in their household pay a spare room subsidy payment is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

All DWP policies are kept under review and all decisions are taken in the context of the Government’s missions, goals on housing, and the challenging fiscal context. Data on number of people subject to RSRS is published and available at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk.

Easements from RSRS deductions allow for the provision of an additional bedroom to support the needs of disabled people and families of disabled children such as where members of the household are unable to share a bedroom or where overnight care is required from a non-resident carer where they meet the qualifying criteria.

Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities to those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs.

The information requested on how many people with a disabled person in their household pay a spare room subsidy payment is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

All DWP policies are kept under review and all decisions are taken in the context of the Government’s missions, goals on housing, and the challenging fiscal context. Data on number of people subject to RSRS is published and available at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk.

Easements from RSRS deductions allow for the provision of an additional bedroom to support the needs of disabled people and families of disabled children such as where members of the household are unable to share a bedroom or where overnight care is required from a non-resident carer where they meet the qualifying criteria.

Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities to those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs.

The information requested on how many people with a disabled person in their household pay a spare room subsidy payment is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

All DWP policies are kept under review and all decisions are taken in the context of the Government’s missions, goals on housing, and the challenging fiscal context. Data on number of people subject to RSRS is published and available at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) does not collect data on the numbers of people directly or indirectly exposed to welding fume.

Official statistics for the number of people on Universal Credit are published each month on Stat-Xplore, with breakdowns available by various geographies including Westminster Parliamentary Constituency. The latest statistics are available to March 2025.

Official statistics for the number of households on Universal Credit are published every three months on Stat-Xplore, with breakdowns available by various geographies including Westminster Parliamentary Constituency. In addition breakdowns are available by the number of children and the different UC elements, including the Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity payment. The latest statistics are available to November 2024.

Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access general guidance on how to extract the information required. For guidance on the Universal Credit datasets on Stat-Xplore, see the Universal Credit Official Statistics Stat-Xplore User Guide.

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates are reviewed annually, usually at an Autumn fiscal event. Rates are set based on the area of the country a person lives and their bedroom entitlement.

The decision to maintain LHA rates at current levels for 2025/26 was taken after a range of factors were considered, including rental data, the impacts of LHA rates, rate increases in April 2024 and the wider fiscal context. The April 2024 one-year LHA increase cost an additional £1.2bn in 2024/25, and approximately £7bn over 5 years.

Any future decisions on LHA policy will be taken in the context of the Government’s missions, goals on housing and the challenging fiscal context.

Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities to those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is responsible for collection of data of workplace injury and illness. The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) provides the national reporting framework for responsible persons (usually employers, the self-employed and people in control of work premises) to report certain cases of injury, diseases and specified dangerous occurrences to the relevant Enforcing Authority (HSE or Local Authority). Regulation 9 of RIDDOR requires the responsible person to report a diagnosis of any cancer attributed to an occupational exposure to a known human carcinogen in their current job.

When reporting, the responsible person must provide details on the affected person's occupation or job title and a description of the work that led to the disease. This would capture whether the person is a welder and/or carries out welding as part of their job. There is also the option to report the specific type of cancer being diagnosed.

HSE also collects data on occupational cancers through the Health and Occupational Reporting (THOR) network. This includes:

• Lung cancer and mesothelioma data from chest physicians (THOR-SWORD) and
• Skin cancer data from dermatologists (THOR-EPIDERM)

Where available, occupational information such as job title may be recorded, potentially identifying welders.

However, welders may also be exposed to other carcinogens, such as asbestos, during their work so it is difficult to directly link a diagnosis of cancer specifically to exposure to welding fumes.

In March 2025, the Department published the Pathways to Work Green Paper, which is consulting on the future of Access to Work. We are also considering the role of employers in creating accessible and inclusive workplaces as well as how we can shape the market for aids, appliances and assistive technology, to reduce their cost and spread their adoption.

We will review all aspects of the Scheme following the conclusion of the consultation on the 30^th June and encourage people to have their views and voices heard on how they think the programme and the welfare system could be improved.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the enforcing authority for workplace health and safety. HSE has no powers to compel businesses to continue to operate following serious workplace safety incidents.

The Government has not proposed to introduce two year assessments for any specific group.

Currently, Work Capability Assessment re-assessments are prioritised for customers on Employment and Support Allowance and the health element of Universal Credit who report a change in their health condition. Routine department-led reassessments are scheduled according to expected prognosis length for recovery and subject to available assessment capacity.

Individuals who have Limited Capability for Work- and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA), with the most severe and lifelong health conditions or disabilities, whose level of function means that they will always have LCWRA and are unlikely ever to be able to move into work, are not routinely reassessed.

Our wide-ranging package of reforms to health and disability benefits, set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, will improve experiences of the system for those who need it. The functional impact and severity of a condition can significantly vary across individuals, which is why we will continue to ensure that those with the most severe, life-long health conditions, who will never be able to work, will not need to be reassessed.

The Government has not proposed to introduce two year assessments for any specific group.

Currently, Work Capability Assessment re-assessments are prioritised for customers on Employment and Support Allowance and the health element of Universal Credit who report a change in their health condition. Routine department-led reassessments are scheduled according to expected prognosis length for recovery and subject to available assessment capacity.

Individuals who have Limited Capability for Work- and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA), with the most severe and lifelong health conditions or disabilities, whose level of function means that they will always have LCWRA and are unlikely ever to be able to move into work, are not routinely reassessed.

Our wide-ranging package of reforms to health and disability benefits, set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, will improve experiences of the system for those who need it. The functional impact and severity of a condition can significantly vary across individuals, which is why we will continue to ensure that those with the most severe, life-long health conditions, who will never be able to work, will not need to be reassessed.

This Government is committed to championing the rights of disabled people and people with long-term health conditions and our mission-driven approach relies on regular cross-government collaboration. We are working across government to take forward the proposals in the Green Paper and will continue to do so as the package is developed in detail. I will continue to engage closely with my Ministerial colleagues and other stakeholders throughout the consultation period and beyond.

We have published information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper here [Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper - GOV.UK]. This includes an equality analysis, which examines a range of protected characteristics. A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

Under the Social Security Administration Act 1992 the Secretary of State is required by law to review State Pension and benefit rates each year to see if they have retained their value in relation to the general level of prices or earnings. We have uprated benefit rates for 2025/26 in line with inflation, with 5.7 million Universal Credit households forecast to gain by an average of £150 annually.

In the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we recently announced that we will improve the adequacy of the standard allowance with the first sustained above inflation rise in the basic rate of Universal Credit since it was introduced. This increase will be for new and existing customers and will benefit millions of people.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published guidance on Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) which specifies RPE types, filters and standards to be used at work, Respiratory protective equipment at work: A practical guide HSG53

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) require that businesses risk assess exposure to hazardous substances like welding fume and ensure that appropriate RPE is selected, where required.

Industry sectors and businesses may have different RPE requirements, depending on the type of welding and the work environment.

To assist them in their selection the COSHH Essentials Welding Sheet WL3 gives welders guidance on the appropriate types of mask and grade of filters, suitable for welding, Welding fume control (hse.gov.uk).

HSE conducts regular inspection campaigns targeting the industries where welding is prevalent. Part of the inspection is to check that welders have the appropriate RPE where required.

HSE works with industry stakeholders to promote the guidance and improve safety in welding.

The Department has made no assessment on ending conditionality through sanctioning.

It is right that there should be conditions and consequences to labour market support. We will continue to ensure that claimants who need support receive it and consider how to best tailor this support to their individual needs.

The Department has made no assessment on ending conditionality through sanctioning.

It is right that there should be conditions and consequences to labour market support. We will continue to ensure that claimants who need support receive it and consider how to best tailor this support to their individual needs.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) does not collect data on the numbers of people directly or indirectly exposed to welding fume.

As part of our reforms announced in the Get Britain Working, we set out our plans to reform Jobcentre Plus and create a new service across Great Britain. We secured £55m at the Autumn Budget to take forward the first steps of building, testing and trialling the new service in 2025/26, including the development of a modern digital offer where people can access support through the channels that best meet their needs.

The new service must work for everyone, and we are committed to working with all users, including older individuals, on the new service, and organisations representing their needs, throughout the design process.

The Government acknowledges the key role employers play in helping older individuals to remain in or re-enter the workforce, and the importance of embracing policies conductive to this support. The 2010 Equality Act provides strong protection against direct and indirect age discrimination in employment, rendering it unlawful for employers to discriminate against employees or job applicants based on age.

We know that work helps everyone, including older people, play active and fulfilling roles in society while building financial security for retirement. That is why we are reforming employment support to ensure it helps everyone who needs it. This includes creating a Jobs and Careers service that will enable everyone, regardless of age, to access support to find good, meaningful work, and help them progress in work or increase their earnings.

We have asked Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead an independent “Keep Britain Working” review as a part of the plan to Get Britain Working again. In recognition of employer's vital role, his review is considering recommendations to support and enable employers to promote healthy and inclusive workplaces, support more people to stay in or return to work from periods of sickness absence, and recruit and retain more disabled people and people with health conditions. This includes the perspectives of older people themselves, as well as engaging with the Centre for Ageing Better.

My Department also continues to engage with employers to ensure their recruitment practises attract and support the retention of older people. This includes making businesses aware of good practice and encouraging employers to sign the Age-Friendly employer pledge.

DWP are committed to working with anyone who is struggling with their repayment terms and strive to set affordable, and sustainable repayment plans and encourage customers to make contact if they are unable to afford the proposed repayment rate.

The department does not hold this aggregate data at constituency level.

We strive to set affordable, and sustainable repayment plans and encourage customers to make contact if they are unable to afford the proposed repayment rate.

A key outcome in our Get Britain Working outcome metrics framework is our ambition to raise the country’s employment rate to 80%. To achieve this ambition, we will need to improve employment across a range of groups of the population, including people aged 50 and over.

The outcomes framework intermediate outcome metrics monitor progress of the effect of policies announced in the Get Britain Working White Paper that provide extra support for specific groups of people - for example young people; people with health conditions and disabled people.

Our Pathways to Work Green Paper set out why we are scrapping the Work Capability Assessment (WCA). We want to end the binary categorisation of groups and labelling as either ‘can or can’t work’. Instead, any extra financial support for health conditions in UC will be assessed via a single assessment – the PIP assessment – and be based on whether someone is receiving any Daily Living award in PIP, not on capacity to work. This will de-couple access to the health element in from work status, so people can be confident that the act of taking steps towards and into employment will not put their benefit entitlement at risk.

We are considering how any change of this kind could affect individuals who currently meet limited capability for work and work-related activity (LCWRA) criteria due to non-functional special circumstances; for example, those affected by cancer treatment, people with short term conditions that get better, women with a high-risk pregnancy and those currently classed as having substantial risk. Individuals in these categories may not be eligible for PIP, and therefore the UC health element, in the reformed system.

In the reformed system these groups will still be eligible for UC and for the proposed new higher rate Unemployment Insurance if they meet relevant eligibility criteria. Individuals who are nearing the end of their life with 12 months or less to live will continue to be able to access PIP through the existing fast track route (Special Rules for End of Life (SREL) to ensure we protect those who are nearing the end of their life, irrespective of the duration of their illness.

Further details on these changes will be set out in a White Paper in the Autumn.

The median mandatory reconsideration (MR) clearance times have been provided for Universal Credit (UC), Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and Employment Support Allowance (ESA) Work Capability Assessment (WCA) benefit decisions. To provide information across all other DWP administered benefits would incur disproportionate cost.

Median clearance times have been provided as the mean can be unduly affected by outlying cases.

Universal Credit

The median clearance time for UC MRs cleared in the 2024/25 financial year was 33 calendar days.

Notes:

1. Each UC claim can have more than one reconsideration registered against it. The above includes all MR decisions (excluding withdrawn and cancelled).
2. The UC MR clearance times are based on the clearance times from the date the MR was registered to the date the MR was cleared.
3. This data on UC MR clearance times is unpublished data. It should be used with caution and it may be subject to future revision.

1. Definition of median: The median time is the middle value if you were to order all the times within the distribution from lowest value to highest value.

Personal Independence Payment

PIP MR clearance times are published at Personal Independence Payment statistics - GOV.UK. They can be found by accessing the latest release and opening the excel tables. Tables 4A – 4Biii contain information on PIP MR clearance times.

Employment Support Allowance

ESA WCA MR clearance times are available on Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/. They can be found by going through “ESA Work Capability Assessments”, “Mandatory Reconsideration – Clearances” “Table 4 – Median Clearance Times by Date of Decision”.

The Department estimates in total there are around 210,000 people with State Pension underpayments due to missing Home Responsibilities Protection on their National Insurance record DWP annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024 (HTML) - GOV.UK.

Geographical breakdowns are not available.

Means tested benefits do not provide a specific disregard for a Criminal Injuries Compensation payment. However, it is very likely, due to the nature of these payments, that they will be regarded as a payment for personal injury and disregarded for 12 months from when the payment is received, or indefinitely if the payment is held in trust.

For Pension Credit, the treatment is similar with the main difference being that there is no requirement for it to be held in a trust.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is an individual-based benefit and therefore DWP does not hold household-level information on its administrative systems. However, some limited household-level information is available on the DWP’s Family Resources Survey.

Data on PIP by household can be found on Stat Xplore. The requested data can be found in the “Household dataset” under “Family Resources Survey”. You can use the “Benefit receipt” filter to select “Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Daily Living received by the household” and “Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Mobility received by the household” and select “in receipt”.

Due to sample sizes, the Department does not hold household data at Parliamentary Constituency level, however you can use the “Geography” filter to select the Region, or whether the household lives in Inner or Outer London.

You can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user and, if needed, you can access guidance on how to extract the information required.

In our Get Britain Working White Paper, published November 2024, we committed support for employers to recruit, retain and develop staff.

The Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions and Business and Trade have asked Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead an independent review to consider how best to support and enable employers to recruit and retain more people with health conditions and disabilities, promote healthy workplaces, and support more people to stay in or return to work from periods of sickness absence. Sir Charlie Mayfield will deliver his final report in the autumn.

In January this year, we launched an expert academic panel to advise us on boosting neurodiversity awareness and inclusion at work. The panel will consider the reasons why neurodivergent people have poor experiences in the workplace, and a low overall employment rate, making their recommendations to employers and government in the summer.

DWP already promotes the Disability Confident Scheme which encourages employers to create disability inclusive workplaces and to support disabled people to get work and get on in work. It provides employers with the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to attract, recruit, retain and develop disabled people in the workplace and to take positive action to address the issues disabled employees face.

We recognise there are opportunities to make the scheme more robust, and we will work with employers, disabled people, and disabled people’s organisations to realise the full potential of the scheme.

In addition, DWP has a digital information service for employers, (Support with employee health and disability – GOV.UK), which provides tailored guidance to businesses to support employees to remain in work. This includes guidance on health disclosures and having conversations about health, plus guidance on legal obligations, including statutory sick pay and making reasonable adjustments.

Access to Work aims to support the recruitment and retention of disabled people into employment. It is a personalised discretionary grant that provides support with workplace adjustments beyond an employer’s obligation as outlined in the Equality Act 2010, to support the recruitment and retention of disabled people into employment.

In 23/24 the Access to Work Scheme supported 67,720 people with workplace adjustments to move into or stay in work. This includes a wide range of support including travel to work, support workers, and specialist aides and equipment, as well as the Mental Health support service which provides up to nine months of non-clinical support for people who need additional help with their well-being.

As part of our Plan for Change, and as set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper published in March, we are consulting on the future of Access to Work and how to improve the programme to help more disabled people into work and support employers, ensuring value for money for taxpayers. We will review all aspects of the Scheme following the conclusion of the consultation and carefully assess the impact of any proposed changes.

We encourage people to have their views and voices heard on how they think the programme and the wider welfare system could be improved.

The number of outstanding Access to Work applications in each of the last 12 months was:

June 2024 = 42,403

July 2024 = 48,270

August 2024 = 50,803

September 2024 = 54,530

October 2024 = 56,028

November 2024 = 58,112

December 2024 = 58,129

January 2025 = 60,427

February 2025 = 61,719

March 2025 = 61,674

April 2025 = 62,254

May 2025 = 62,907

Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. It should therefore be treated with caution.

Information on how much the Department for Work and Pensions spent to support households a) in the Private Rented Sector (PRS) and in receipt of the Local Housing Allowance and b) in the PRS in general is published and the latest statistics can be found at: Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2025 - GOV.UK, in the Housing Benefits tab.

For real term expenditure on all claimants in receipt of housing support in the PRS this can be found in row 80 of the published statistics. Expenditure on LHA can be calculated by summing rows 75 and 76.

This government is committed to protecting the most vulnerable and giving everyone a better future, and that is at the heart of our welfare reforms. We are ensuring that our welfare state is there for people who need it now, and can be there for those who need it long into the future too.

Our intention is that the PIP changes will apply to new claims and award reviews from November 2026. This means there will be no immediate changes, and we are consulting on how best to support those impacted by the new eligibility changes.

The changes to PIP will help better target support towards those with the highest needs. This includes introducing a new requirement that, in addition to existing eligibility criteria, claimants must score at least four points in one daily living activity to qualify for the daily living component of PIP.

We have launched a review of the PIP assessment to ensure it is fair and fit for the future and we are working with disabled people and key organisations representing them to consider how best to do this.

DWP recognises the potential merits of flexible working and has experience over decades of offering and allowing a variety of flexibilities. Flexible working hours, compressed hours, part-time hours, part-year working and partial retirement are firmly established practices across DWP, enjoyed at any time by thousands of our employees. Latterly, our flexible working offer has been added to with appropriate hybrid and home working. We will continue to keep our flexible working offer under review to ensure it reflects good employment practices, is legally compliant and appropriate for DWP’s public service function, and attractive for current and future employees we wish to recruit and retain in a competitive jobs market.

The information requested is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

A Mandatory Reconsideration is where a parent has asked the Child Maintenance Service to reconsider a decision. It is a process that must be completed before the right to appeal to an independent tribunal with His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service.

A Mandatory Reconsideration can be requested during the lifetime of a case or when a new application is made, for Child Maintenance and the application is unsuccessful.

Where the Child Maintenance Service finds the original decision to be incorrect or if the parent has supplied more information the decision can change.

The full information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

The Department publishes quarterly statistics for the Child Maintenance Service and the latest statistics are currently available to December 2024. Table 9 of the latest National tables provides the total number of mandatory reconsideration requests received by the CMS and the outcomes occurring each quarter, from April 2015 to December 2024. Data from Table 9 for January 2020 to December 2024 is shown in the following table:

Mandatory Reconsiderations: the number of requests received by the Child Maintenance Service to reconsider a decision, and the outcomes occurring each quarter, Great Britain, January 2020 to December 2024

Source: Child Maintenance Service Management Information

Notes

1. A Mandatory Reconsideration is where a parent has asked the Child Maintenance Service to reconsider a decision. Mandatory Reconsiderations can include multiple requests per parent or arrangement. All requests are counted.
2. Cleared excludes mandatory reconsiderations that have been cancelled or raised in error.
3. Where the Child Maintenance Service finds the original decision to be incorrect or if the parent has supplied more information which changes the decision.
4. Some clearances cannot be categorised as 'revised' or 'not revised'. So the total cleared number will be higher than the sum of the other two categories.
5. The calculation is based on 28 calendar days. This is usually equivalent to 20 working days.
6. The measure of timeliness, calculates the number of Mandatory Reconsiderations cleared within 28 days of receipt (column F) over the total cleared within the quarter (column E).
7. During the quarter ending June 2020, the Child Maintenance Service was affected by the COVID-19 outbreak and the resultant changes to the Department’s operational priorities and staffing resources.
8. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100 or 1%.
9. These statistics are published in Table 9 of the latest CMS National tables.

A Mandatory Reconsideration is where a parent has asked the Child Maintenance Service to reconsider a decision. It is a process that must be completed before the right to appeal to an independent tribunal with His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service.

A Mandatory Reconsideration can be requested during the lifetime of a case or when a new application is made, for Child Maintenance and the application is unsuccessful.

Where the Child Maintenance Service finds the original decision to be incorrect or if the parent has supplied more information the decision can change.

The full information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

The Department publishes quarterly statistics for the Child Maintenance Service and the latest statistics are currently available to December 2024. Table 9 of the latest National tables provides the total number of mandatory reconsideration requests received by the CMS and the outcomes occurring each quarter, from April 2015 to December 2024. Data from Table 9 for January 2020 to December 2024 is shown in the following table:

Mandatory Reconsiderations: the number of requests received by the Child Maintenance Service to reconsider a decision, and the outcomes occurring each quarter, Great Britain, January 2020 to December 2024

Source: Child Maintenance Service Management Information

Notes

1. A Mandatory Reconsideration is where a parent has asked the Child Maintenance Service to reconsider a decision. Mandatory Reconsiderations can include multiple requests per parent or arrangement. All requests are counted.
2. Cleared excludes mandatory reconsiderations that have been cancelled or raised in error.
3. Where the Child Maintenance Service finds the original decision to be incorrect or if the parent has supplied more information which changes the decision.
4. Some clearances cannot be categorised as 'revised' or 'not revised'. So the total cleared number will be higher than the sum of the other two categories.
5. The calculation is based on 28 calendar days. This is usually equivalent to 20 working days.
6. The measure of timeliness, calculates the number of Mandatory Reconsiderations cleared within 28 days of receipt (column F) over the total cleared within the quarter (column E).
7. During the quarter ending June 2020, the Child Maintenance Service was affected by the COVID-19 outbreak and the resultant changes to the Department’s operational priorities and staffing resources.
8. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100 or 1%.
9. These statistics are published in Table 9 of the latest CMS National tables.

Civil Service Heads of Departments across government have agreed that the Civil Service is best able to deliver for the people it serves by taking a consistent approach to in office working. Heads of Departments agreed that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service.

The approach allows teams and departments to maximise the benefits of hybrid working and to get the best from being together. This also reflects the view of Civil Service leaders that there remain clear benefits to spending time working together face-to-face as the government delivers on the Missions commitments. The Civil Service approach is comparable to other large private and public sector employers.

In DWP around 35% of colleagues spend 100% of their time working in the office delivering face-to-face services to customers. Other colleagues are able to work in a hybrid way spending part of their time in the office and part of their time working from home. Senior Civil Service colleagues are expected to work from the office (which includes face to face time with colleagues or partners on official business elsewhere) for more than 60% of their contracted hours and the Department has now announced that colleagues at all other grades will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their contracted hours in the office from 1 September 2025. We have undertaken an Equality Analysis in respect of the increase to in office attendance to 60%.

Our revised hybrid offer, which for most hybrid working colleagues will mean them working, on average, from home two days per week, will still retain significant flexibility in line with the rest of the Civil Service. We are committed to supporting colleagues with workplace adjustments to thrive in DWP and line managers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010 for employees with disabilities.

There is a wide range of wellbeing support available within the Department from physical to mental health as well as financial wellbeing. Colleagues have been signposted to this support through communications and advice. Colleagues have also been advised to speak to their line manager if they have any concerns regarding the change to 60% office attendance. The Department conducts regular colleague surveys to understand how colleagues are feeling about their wellbeing.

We are committed to reducing waiting times for new applications for Access to Work and are considering the best way to deliver that for customers. We have increased the number of staff processing Access to Work claims and applications from customers who are about to start a job or who are renewing are prioritised.

In March 2025, DWP published the Pathways to Work Green Paper, to consult on the future of Access to Work. Alongside this, we are considering further changes within the existing policy framework to reduce the backlog of applications.