Department for Work and Pensions

The table below shows the Average Time to Answer and the Average Hold Time, in an hours, minutes and seconds (hh:mm:ss) format, for all people calling Personal Independence Payment lines for each of the last twelve complete reporting months.

DISCLAIMER Please note this information is derived from the Department’s management information, designed solely for the purpose of helping the Department to manage its business. As such, it has not been subjected to the rigorous quality assurance checks applied to our published official statistics. As DWP holds the information internally, we have released it. However, it is possible information held by DWP may change due to operational reasons and we recommend that caution be applied when using it.

The externally published staff guide replicates the internal guidance with some redactions, eg fraud referrals and any internal business processes. This is updated incrementally to mirror any changes to the internal guidance. The guidance published on 1 September was merely updating/clarifying information and reflecting minor changes to procedures, so would be considered to have little or no overall impact on the scheme.

The Government has no plans to publish a response to the Reverse Gear report.

The information is not held. Universal Credit claims can only be made in English and Welsh.

No such transfer has been made. No changes have been made to Access to Work policy, and we will announce any changes prior to them being implemented. We will be reviewing all aspects of the Scheme now that the consultation on the Pathways to Work Green Paper has closed.

Motability Foundation is independent of government and regulated by the Charity Commission so is responsible for the terms and the administration of the Scheme.

The department works closely with Motability and is responsible for the disability benefits that provide a passport to the Motability Scheme. We will continue to ensure the Scheme meets the transport needs of disabled people.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) adheres to the DWP Quality Framework, which deploys a three-line defence model for all decisions affecting the calculation and payment of maintenance.

The Debt Steer provides a policy-based framework for arrears negotiation. Its purpose is to ensure arrears are collected as promptly and reliably as possible, taking into account all relevant circumstances and financial situation.

Operational instructions and the Child Maintenance Decision Makers’ Guide are the tools used by caseworkers in applying a discretionary decision to negotiate an arrangement that extends beyond a two-year period, to ensure a reliable and sustainable plan for the payment of arrears by the paying parent in the shortest possible period of time. When the CMS makes a discretionary decision, caseworkers must consider the welfare of any child affected by that decision.

As referenced in the Get Britain Working White Paper the Universal Credit Conditionality Evidence (UCCE) Project is currently running two large, randomised control trials testing the impact of varying the frequency of interventions, and the channel for providing support in Universal Credit; a full process evaluation and impact assessments will be published once complete.

The Department is committed to refreshing our evidence base and recently published its Evidence and Evaluation Strategy 2025. Goal 1 (enable people to get into work and to get on at work, ensuring employment opportunity for all) outlines how research and evaluation will inform our Labour Market reforms.

The department currently provides young people aged 16-24 with labour market support through an extensive range of interventions at a national and local level. This includes flexible provision driven by local need, nationwide employment programmes and support delivered by work coaches based in our Jobcentres and in local communities working alongside partners.

Our plan to Get Britain Working includes a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work. This includes targeted support for young people who are NEET (not in education employment or training) or at risk of becoming NEET.

Outside of DWP provision, our new voluntary, locally-commissioned, Supported Employment programme, Connect to Work, is for anyone who is disabled, has a health condition or is experiencing non-health related barriers to work. Participants are given a dedicated specialist employment support adviser who works alongside them to understand their career goals and help them to address any specific barriers to employment. Participants are supported to have conversations with prospective employers, removing the need to go through complex application processes. The employment adviser works with both the employer and the participant to ensure that the transition into work is smooth and that the workplace is inclusive.

The programme is being led by local authorities across all of England and Wales and is rolling out throughout this year and early 2026. Local Authorities are required to offer Connect to Work through two models of Supported Employment – Individual Placement and Support and Supported Employment Quality Framework. The latter framework has been specifically designed, and has a proven track record, to support individuals with learning disabilities or who are neurodivergent to get into sustainable employment.

This Department has made no such assessment.

Reasonable adjustments are changes an employer makes to remove or reduce a disadvantage related to someone's disability. All employers have a duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ in the workplace where a disabled employee, would otherwise be put at a substantial disadvantage compared with their colleagues. The Equality and Human Rights Commission is responsible for enforcing the Equality Act and providing guidance on reasonable adjustments.

Employers have a key role to play in supporting workers with long term health conditions or disabilities in the workplace. DWP's current offer to employers includes a digital information service, www.support-with-employee-health-and-disability.dwp.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.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is committed to ensuring that all customers are able to access the support they need. It is DWP policy to provide interpretation services when required. This includes the provision of British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters for customers who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Support is available at every stage of the Universal Credit journey. This includes assistance prior to making a claim, to help customers understand the requirement to move to Universal Credit, as well as throughout the claim process itself. Where appropriate, this support can include home visits, with a BSL interpreter present if required, to ensure that no customer is disadvantaged in accessing the benefits to which they are entitled.

For the financial year 2024–2025 the total value of benefits transferred by Department for Work and Pensions to the Motability scheme was £3,074,920,421.67.

The Motability Scheme receives no direct funding from DWP. However, it does receive the direct transfer of benefit from DWP. This is claimant benefit the claimant would otherwise be receiving, and the cost of transfer is paid for by the Motability Foundation.

The Motability Scheme also receives zero rate VAT for hire of motor vehicle to individuals in receipt of specified disability benefits,: zero rate VAT for sale of lease vehicle on first sale after end of lease and zero rate Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) on Scheme policies.

Carer’s Allowance is assessed on a weekly basis and paid either weekly or 4 weekly. Payment of Carer’s Allowance (CA) is dependent upon the person being cared for receiving a “trigger” DWP benefit, such as Disability Living Allowance, Personal independence Payment or Attendance Allowance, where entitlement is also assessed on a weekly basis. Where someone has fluctuating earnings, we try and find the most suitable period to average those earnings over to obtain the most accurate figure.

Liz Sayce OBE was commissioned to lead an Independent Review into overpayments of CA. The Government is carefully considering the recommendations of this Review which investigated how overpayments of CA related to earnings occurred, how we can best support those who have accrued them, and how to reduce the risk of these problems occurring in future.

We have already taken steps to improve the way CA operates and to support those who can combine their caring responsibilities with some paid work, including changing the weekly CA earnings limit to match 16 hours work at National Living Wage levels. This is the largest ever increase in the earnings limit since CA was introduced in 1976 and the highest percentage increase since 2001. Over 60,000 additional people will be able to receive CA between 2025/26 and 2029/30 as a result from investment worth around £500 million.

As with all benefits we keep Carer’s Allowance under review to see whether it is meeting its objectives.

Data from February 2025 shows that there were 15,872 people aged 18-21 who received Universal Credit and Carer’s Allowance in England. The source for this figure is the benefit combinations dataset on Stat-Xplore.

The department does not hold data on how many carers aged 18-21 in England receive UC and Carer’s Element but not Carer’s Allowance and to provide this would be at disproportionate cost.

The UK pension sector is increasingly playing a role in investing in a more sustainable future, with many schemes setting net-zero targets and actively engaging with companies to reduce emissions. As part of the pensions legislative and regulatory framework, there are requirements for regular reporting, including through Statements of Investment Principles, Implementation Statements and annual reports aligned with the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), along with voluntary Stewardship Code Reports. Taken together these requirements mean pension schemes must disclose how they are managing risks from any exposure to fossil fuels.

The Government has consulted on new UK Sustainability Reporting Standards aligned with international sustainability standards, and on our manifesto commitment on climate transition plans. Analysis of industry feedback currently underway will help shape future policies in these crucial areas. These measures aim to improve transparency and accountability across the economy, helping investors, including pension schemes, understand how climate and nature-related issues affect their portfolios.

The Government is committed to supporting pensioners and ensuring they have financial security and dignity in retirement.

The State Pension remains the foundation of our support for pensioners. In April this year, both the basic and new State Pensions increased by 4.1%, benefitting over 12 million pensioners by up to £470. And our commitment to maintain the Triple Lock – helping to raise over time the value of the State Pension – for the entirety of this Parliament will see pensioners’ yearly incomes rising by up to £1,900.

Pension Credit continues to provide vital financial support for pensioners who, for whatever reason, find themselves on a low income. It was introduced by the last Labour Government specifically to help pensioners in financial hardship. It does this by guaranteeing a minimum level of income – called the Standard Minimum Guarantee – which was also increase by 4.1% in April to £227.10 week for a single pensioner or £346.40 week for a couple.

Receipt of Pension Credit also opens the door to other financial support, including Housing Benefit, Council Tax support and help with NHS costs as well as help with fuel bills and a free TV licence for those over 75. That is why we continue to promote Pension Credit across the whole of Great Britain, including to eligible pensioners and their family and friends in Surrey Heath. Our ongoing campaign features adverts on television and radio; on social media and on digital screens in GP surgeries and Post Offices, as well as in the press.

DWP’s visiting service can also provide face-to-face support for vulnerable individuals with complex needs, ensuring they can access services—especially when they may have no one else to support them.

The Household Support Fund remains available for those facing financial hardship, with funding extended to March 2026.

DWP, in partnership with Action Fraud, are raising awareness of Winter Fuel Payment scams across Facebook and Twitter. This is alongside DWP’s continued work with trusted partners and charities such as Independent Age to ensure accurate and timely information is available. DWP has also developed a recorded message for our telephone lines and issued a press release via GOV.UK to raise awareness of Winter Fuel Payment scams.

There is no performance metric to monitor accessibility within the Department. However, all staff complete mandatory training on the Public Sector Equality Duty, and a wide range of support is available—including instructions, guides, and awareness sessions—to help staff make reasonable adjustments and provide accessible services. Universal Credit Agents receive dedicated training to interact effectively and sensitively with customers, particularly those with learning disabilities or mental health conditions, to ensure that everyone receives the support they need.

The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) puts duties on employers and other people in charge of work premises to report and keep records of all work-related fatalities, work related injuries, diagnosed cases of re-portable occupational diseases, and certain 'dangerous occurrences' (incidents with the potential to cause harm).

When reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) all fatalities undergo an initial triage investigation to determine whether the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 applies or not. An assessment is made to determine whether a full investigation is appropriate. Consideration is given to whether all reasonably practical precautions were taken, evidence is still available, the death was ‘work-related’ or it resulted from natural causes. Where appropriate, this will result in a full investigation by an Inspector.

The table below only shows the number of RIDDOR reportable fatal injuries in HSE enforced premises and investigated by HSE.

Note:

Figures for 2024/25 are provisional and are marked as 'p' in the tables. They will be finalised in July 2026 following any necessary adjustments. Figures for 2023/24 have been revised (finalised) and are marked as 'r' in the tables.

Data on all fatalities in the workplace including for example, deaths from natural causes, is not available.

It remains the department’s priority to ensure that those who can work are supported to enter the labour market and to sustain employment.

We are considering options to improve work incentives for residents of supported housing and temporary accommodation, while taking into account the views of stakeholders.

I refer the Honourable Member to the previous answer 71094

This data is not readily available, and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

I refer the honourable member to the answer given on 8 July 63814

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

This Government is committed to a social security system which raises employment and living standards by supporting and incentivising people into work and to work more, supports those who can never work to live with dignity, reduces poverty, promotes fairness and controls overall spending to ensure the long-term sustainability of the system for future generations.

Find A Job is a free platform to help jobseekers find vacancies with employers from various sectors. Employers are verified as legitimate and all jobs they advertise must comply with our terms and conditions: https://findajob.dwp.gov.uk/terms-and-conditions-employer.html.

The Government has no plans to change the way pre-1997 indexation is applied to defined benefit occupational pension schemes.

The minimum legal requirements for indexation must be appropriate across all defined benefit schemes. Changing these minimum requirements would increase the liabilities and costs for all schemes.

The reforms in our Pension Schemes Bill give trustees more flexibility to share surplus with sponsoring employers, and better negotiate benefits for members, including discretionary increases.

• The number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits is falling. 1.69 million people claimed unemployment-related benefits in September 2025 – down 73,000 on a year earlier.
• The government is committed to ensuring that people have access to good, meaningful work. This involves adapting to structural changes in the labour market, now and over the longer-term.
• There are suggestions from some firms, mainly in the tech sector, that hiring patterns are changing due to greater use of AI, but at this stage it’s unclear how widespread this is and how much of a factor this is compared to broader factors affecting employment more generally.

• DWP has a strong track record of providing financial help during economic shifts and supporting people to re-skill (where needed) and to re-enter work. We are continuing to deliver our Get Britain Working reforms to ensure we provide people with access to good work and training opportunities fit for the future.
• DWP is also working across government to ensure that we are able to respond to emerging trends within the labour market, and to make the most of opportunities for economic growth, job creation and productivity.

The Government knows that work helps everyone play active and fulfilling roles in society while building financial security for retirement. The Department for Work and Pensions is therefore committed to supporting older people through a wide-ranging strategy that promotes inclusion, flexibility, and progression. This includes promoting age-inclusive practices, supporting workplace health, policy and service reform and removing age related barriers to employment. The Department has also signed up to and actively promotes the Age-Friendly Employer Pledge, encouraging employers to adopt flexible working, age-positive hiring, and career development.

Our Jobs and Careers service will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and help them progress in work or increase their earnings. The Jobs and Careers Service will incorporate principles of accessibility and inclusivity, acknowledging diverse support needs, including those of older individuals.

We are taking a test and learn approach to developing the new service, working in an agile and flexible way. This will allow us to hear from a range of organisations and perspectives, as we develop the new service.

The DWP’s Strategic Relationship Team is actively engaging trade bodies and strategic employers across priority sectors, such as clean energy, digital, hospitality and construction, through innovation workshops, tailored recruitment pilots, and sector-led initiatives to promote DWP as the recruitment partner of choice and expand inclusive employment opportunities.

Anyone convicted of a criminal offence and serving a custodial sentence in the UK is not eligible to receive State Pension payments during their imprisonment.

People not in prison but convicted of illegal working, would not be making National Insurance contributions during any period of illegal working, which would be required to build entitlement for the State Pension.

At the end of July 2025 (latest available data), 593,700 PIP claimants had an active contract with the Motability Scheme.

The number of PIP claimants who had an active contract with the Motability Scheme broken down by condition groups over the past 5 years is provided in the table below.

Table 1: PIP claimants with an active Motability Scheme contract by condition over the past 5 years

The Department does not hold Motability data in its analytical datasets for DLA. Obtaining these data from other sources would involve disproportionate costs.

Notes:

- The figures provided are for PIP claimants in England and Wales only.

- The figures include both claims made under Normal Rules and those made under Special Rules for End of Life.

- The claimants’ primary conditions were used to categorise them in the provided table. Many claimants have two or more health conditions, and it is not necessarily the case that the listed primary condition is that which gives rise to the functional limitation(s) behind the award of the enhanced mobility component of PIP.

- The figures have been provided in calendar years, containing data from January 2020 to July 2025.

- The calendar year 2025 only contains data to July 2025, therefore volumes may be smaller than what would appear within a full calendar year. Data beyond this point is currently unavailable centrally for analysis.

- Values in the table show any PIP claimant with an active Motability Scheme contract on the PIP caseload at some point within that calendar year.

- The “of which any depressive disorder” category is made up of 4 primary conditions:

o Anxiety and depressive disorders – mixed

o Bipolar affective disorder

o Depressive disorder

o Mood disorders – Others / type not known

- Values have been rounded to the nearest 100.

The table below provides information on the median number of weeks taken to complete a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Award Review (AR) for claimants living in West Yorkshire local authority districts. The time taken is measured from the date of AR registration to the date of completion. Figures are presented for each month in which ARs were completed, covering the 12-month period up to and including July 2025.

Table 1: Median time in weeks from PIP Award Review registration to completion, by month of completion, for the West Yorkshire local authority area.

Our aim as always is to make an award decision as quickly as possible, taking into account all available evidence, including that from the claimant. We are taking steps to improve the service by prioritising new claims, to ensure new claimants are paid as soon as possible whilst safeguarding claimants awaiting award reviews, who have returned their information as required, to ensure their payments continue until their review can be completed.

Notes:

- Figures have been rounded to the nearest whole number of weeks.

- Figures are for the following West Yorkshire local authorities: Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield.

The purpose of the standard allowance is to provide towards basic living costs. Additional amounts are added to provide for individual needs such as housing, disability, and childcare costs.

Around 4 million households will benefit overall from the Government’s decision to increase the Universal Credit standard allowance – estimated to be worth £725 annually by 2029/30 in cash terms based on Spring Statement 2025 economic assumptions - £250 annually above inflation for a single household aged 25 or over.

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.

We know that work helps everyone, including older people, play active and fulfilling roles in society while building financial security for retirement.

DWP delivers Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs), which are fully funded by government and offer training, work experience and a guaranteed job interview to those ready to start a job, as well as those who are seeking to retrain and change career. DWP’s Strategic Relationship Team (SRT) and the local Employment Advisers (EAs) based in jobcentres work together to engage with employers to support these SWAPs. Building on our relationships with national employers, SRT continues to expand its current network to more employers in key sectors such as hospitality where there is a critical demand for workers.

EAs can help employers write job descriptions, promote vacancies in job centres, help select and interview priority candidates, invite employers to local recruitment events to promote their vacancies, and help plan recruitment campaigns.

DWP are focusing on the hospitality sector by delivering a hospitality SWAP pilot, launched in partnership with the trade body UKHospitality. This pilot is being rolled out to 26 new areas in need of jobs and opportunity, including 13 coastal towns such as Scarborough and Blackpool. As part of the pilot, participants are supported to gain accreditation for a digital Hospitality Skills Passport, which is designed to provide proof that they are qualified to perform their job effectively and safely, giving them a universal entry standard into the sector.

In the last financial year, there were 5,620 SWAP starts in hospitality, which have helped people of all ages gain the relevant skills to move into work. Research has found that all demographics considered benefitted from taking part in a SWAP and that SWAPs had a greater impact improving employment outcomes for some of the most disadvantaged groups, including older claimants.

Employers and training providers in the hospitality sector who are interested in offering SWAP opportunities can contact their local Jobcentre Plus Group Partnership Manager. A contact list is available on GOV.UK at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-partnerships/national-partnership-teams.

We intend to reduce the median clearance time by increasing decision making resource for Mandatory Reconsiderations, including by recruiting new decision makers

Access to Work (AtW) is a personalised grant which supports the recruitment and retention of disabled people in employment including providing support for people who are self-employed. In 2024/5 Access to Work supported 7,080 self-employed customers.

We will be reviewing all aspects of the Scheme now that the consultation has closed. We are continuing to work closely with stakeholders, and in particular disabled people and their representatives, on all aspects of our proposals.

An assessment of whether each of the channels - telephone, video and face to face - for initial health assessments drive different award outcomes and impact Annually Managed Expenditure (AME) has recently been undertaken. The results will be published in due course.

This is in addition to the research published last year, which can be found on GOV.UK.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-assessment-channels-research/health-assessment-channels-research

To ensure Access to Work grants are renewed without interruption for our deaf and hard of hearing customers several measures have already been put in place, including streamlining our delivery processes and recruiting additional staff. We have also taken steps to modernise the Access to Work customer journey, with all core parts of the Scheme fully digital from April 2024.

There is a variety of contact methods which customers can utilise. These include telephone, textphone, Video Relay Service and email as a reasonable adjustment. Where a customer would like to use email to contact the department as a reasonable adjustment, they should let the Access to Work team know so the Case Manager can follow the appropriate procedure to ensure we can try to accommodate the request. Details can be found at Access to Work: factsheet for customers - GOV.UK

Funding has been secured to continue the Access to Work scheme throughout the Spending Review period.

The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) puts duties on employers and other people in charge of work premises to report and keep records of all work-related fatalities, work related injuries, diagnosed cases of reportable occupational diseases, and certain 'dangerous occurrences' (incidents with the potential to cause harm).

The purpose of RIDDOR is to inform the relevant enforcing authority (Health and Safety Executive (HSE), local authorities or other enforcing authorities) that a work-related accident or event has happened to enable an appropriate regulatory response where required.

Not all injuries that occur in the workplace are ‘work-related’ and not all work-related injuries are reportable under RIDDOR. Only certain specified work-related injuries, injuries to member of the public where they are taken to hospital for treatment and injuries resulting in employees being absent from work for over 7 days are reportable. Therefore, RIDDOR only provides a partial picture of injuries occurring in the workplace.

The following data is the number of RIDDOR reports relating to specified injuries to employees, work-related injuries to members of the public and over-7-day absences for HSE only i.e. it does not include injury reports notified to local authorities, the Office of Rail and Road or the Office of Nuclear Regulation who also regulate under RIDDOR.

2022/23 – 59,774

2023/24 – 61,708

[Figures for 2024/25 have not been finalised yet.]

The primary way the Department supports people nearing the end of life is through special benefit rules which are known as the Special Rules for End of Life (SREL). These enable people who are nearing the end of their lives to get faster, easier access to certain benefits, without needing to attend a medical assessment or serve waiting periods and in most cases, receive the highest rate of benefit. The system is kept under review to ensure it is meeting its objectives.

The latest figures show new claims to Personal Independence Payments (PIP) in Great Britain) under the Special Rules are being cleared in 3 working days on average. The Government is committed to ensuring that the fast-tracked access to benefits via SREL is maintained, while keeping under review how we can continue to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the delivery of the current system.

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

Minor changes to guidance have been made to increase readability and operational understanding for civil servants issuing Access to Work grants. More significantly, existing guidance has been applied more consistently. No changes have been made to Access to Work policy, and we will announce any changes prior to them being implemented.

The minimum BSL sign levels required for DWP communication support workers are:

RSLI (Registered Sign Language Interpreter) has Level 6 BSL and an Interpreting qualification (NVQ or Degree).

TSLI (Trainee Registered Sign Language) has level 6 BSL and is enrolled and working through Interpreting qualification (NVQ or degree).

All interpreters are registered with NRCPD (National Registers of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deaf/blind People).

The Department prioritises Work Capability Assessments (WCA) for new benefit claims (and for individuals already receiving UC who join the UC health journey) in order to assess these individuals’ capability for work at the earliest opportunity. This is so they get the right benefit entitlement and the right labour market support as soon as possible.

During the second half of 2024, DWP experienced a much higher level of demand for new WCAs than envisaged. As a result, 35,000 reassessments built up from individuals reporting a change in their condition before May 2025. We have worked with suppliers to rapidly increase capacity for clearing this backlog, including by accelerating the recruitment of assessors. 6,000 of these referrals have already been progressed, and we expect most of the remainder to be cleared over the next six months.

The Department prioritises Work Capability Assessments (WCA) for new benefit claims (and for individuals already receiving UC who join the UC health journey) in order to assess these individuals’ capability for work at the earliest opportunity. This is so they get the right benefit entitlement and the right labour market support as soon as possible.

During the second half of 2024, DWP experienced a much higher level of demand for new WCAs than envisaged. As a result, 35,000 reassessments built up from individuals reporting a change in their condition before May 2025. We have worked with suppliers to rapidly increase capacity for clearing this backlog, including by accelerating the recruitment of assessors. 6,000 of these referrals have already been progressed, and we expect most of the remainder to be cleared over the next six months.