Department for Work and Pensions

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for welfare, pensions and child maintenance policy. As the UK’s biggest public service department it administers the State Pension and a range of working age, disability and ill health benefits to around 20 million claimants and customers.



Secretary of State

 Portrait

Pat McFadden
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

Shadow Ministers / Spokeperson
Liberal Democrat
Lord Palmer of Childs Hill (LD - Life peer)
Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson (Work and Pensions)
Steve Darling (LD - Torbay)
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Work and Pensions)

Conservative
Helen Whately (Con - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

Scottish National Party
Kirsty Blackman (SNP - Aberdeen North)
Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Work and Pensions)

Green Party
Siân Berry (Green - Brighton Pavilion)
Green Spokesperson (Work and Pensions)
Junior Shadow Ministers / Deputy Spokesperson
Conservative
Baroness Stedman-Scott (Con - Life peer)
Shadow Minister (Work and Pensions)
Junior Shadow Ministers / Deputy Spokesperson
Conservative
Mark Garnier (Con - Wyre Forest)
Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Work and Pensions)
Ministers of State
Stephen Timms (Lab - East Ham)
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Baroness Sherlock (Lab - Life peer)
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab - Life peer)
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Diana Johnson (Lab - Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham)
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State
Andrew Western (Lab - Stretford and Urmston)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Torsten Bell (Lab - Swansea West)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
There are no upcoming events identified
Debates
Tuesday 28th April 2026
Pension Schemes Bill
Commons Chamber
Select Committee Docs
Thursday 30th April 2026
09:45
Select Committee Inquiry
Thursday 29th January 2026
Realising potential: Delivering the Child Poverty Strategy

Members of the Education and Work and Pensions Select Committees have decided to undertake an inquiry that will consider how …

Written Answers
Wednesday 29th April 2026
Personal Independence Payment: Terminal Illnesses
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in the last year for which information is available how …
Secondary Legislation
Monday 27th April 2026
Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance (Decisions and Appeals) (Amendment) Regulations 2026
These Regulations amend Part 3 of the Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance (Decisions …
Bills
Thursday 8th January 2026
Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Act 2026
A Bill to Make provision to remove the two child limit on the child element of universal credit.
Dept. Publications
Thursday 30th April 2026
09:00

Department for Work and Pensions Commons Appearances

Oral Answers to Questions is a regularly scheduled appearance where the Secretary of State and junior minister will answer at the Dispatch Box questions from backbench MPs

Other Commons Chamber appearances can be:
  • Urgent Questions where the Speaker has selected a question to which a Minister must reply that day
  • Adjornment Debates a 30 minute debate attended by a Minister that concludes the day in Parliament.
  • Oral Statements informing the Commons of a significant development, where backbench MP's can then question the Minister making the statement.

Westminster Hall debates are performed in response to backbench MPs or e-petitions asking for a Minister to address a detailed issue

Written Statements are made when a current event is not sufficiently significant to require an Oral Statement, but the House is required to be informed.

Most Recent Commons Appearances by Category
Apr. 27
Oral Questions
May. 13
Urgent Questions
Apr. 20
Written Statements
Apr. 21
Westminster Hall
Mar. 19
Adjournment Debate
View All Department for Work and Pensions Commons Contibutions

Bills currently before Parliament

Department for Work and Pensions does not have Bills currently before Parliament


Acts of Parliament created in the 2024 Parliament


A Bill to make provision about pension schemes; and for connected purposes.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 29th April 2026 and was enacted into law.


A Bill to Make provision to remove the two child limit on the child element of universal credit.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 18th March 2026 and was enacted into law.


A Bill to make provision about the prevention of fraud against public authorities and the making of erroneous payments by public authorities; about the recovery of money paid by public authorities as a result of fraud or error; and for connected purposes.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 2nd December 2025 and was enacted into law.


Make provision to alter the rates of the standard allowance, limited capability for work element and limited capability for work and work-related activity element of universal credit and the rates of income-related employment and support allowance.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 3rd September 2025 and was enacted into law.

Department for Work and Pensions - Secondary Legislation

These Regulations amend Part 3 of the Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance (Decisions and Appeals) Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/381).
These Regulations amend the Universal Credit Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/376) (“the UC Regulations 2013”), the Social Security (Personal Independence Payment) Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/377) (“the PIP Regulations 2013”) and the Employment and Support Allowance Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/379) (“the ESA Regulations 2013”).
View All Department for Work and Pensions Secondary Legislation

Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Trending Petitions
Petition Open
51,552 Signatures
(5,310 in the last 7 days)
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7,078 Signatures
(609 in the last 7 days)
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1,464 Signatures
(525 in the last 7 days)
Petitions with most signatures
Petition Open
51,552 Signatures
(5,310 in the last 7 days)
Petition Open
7,078 Signatures
(609 in the last 7 days)
Petition Open
5,091 Signatures
(12 in the last 7 days)
Petition Debates Contributed
161,788
Petition Closed
21 May 2025
closed 11 months, 1 week ago

We call on the Government to fairly compensate WASPI women affected by the increases to their State Pension age and the associated failings in DWP communications.

Statutory maternity and paternity pay is £4.99 per hour for a full-time worker on 37.5 hours per week - approximately 59% less than the 2024 National Living Wage of £12.21 per hour for workers aged 21+, which has been set out to ensure a basic standard of living.

View All Department for Work and Pensions Petitions

Departmental Select Committee

Work and Pensions Committee

Commons Select Committees are a formally established cross-party group of backbench MPs tasked with holding a Government department to account.

At any time there will be number of ongoing investigations into the work of the Department, or issues which fall within the oversight of the Department. Witnesses can be summoned from within the Government and outside to assist in these inquiries.

Select Committee findings are reported to the Commons, printed, and published on the Parliament website. The government then usually has 60 days to reply to the committee's recommendations.


11 Members of the Work and Pensions Committee
Debbie Abrahams Portrait
Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Work and Pensions Committee Member since 11th September 2024
Amanda Hack Portrait
Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)
Work and Pensions Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Damien Egan Portrait
Damien Egan (Labour - Bristol North East)
Work and Pensions Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Johanna Baxter Portrait
Johanna Baxter (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Work and Pensions Committee Member since 21st October 2024
John Milne Portrait
John Milne (Liberal Democrat - Horsham)
Work and Pensions Committee Member since 28th October 2024
Steve Darling Portrait
Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Work and Pensions Committee Member since 28th October 2024
Peter Bedford Portrait
Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Work and Pensions Committee Member since 28th October 2024
Joy Morrissey Portrait
Joy Morrissey (Conservative - Beaconsfield)
Work and Pensions Committee Member since 21st October 2025
Lee Barron Portrait
Lee Barron (Labour - Corby and East Northamptonshire)
Work and Pensions Committee Member since 27th October 2025
David Baines Portrait
David Baines (Labour - St Helens North)
Work and Pensions Committee Member since 27th October 2025
Rushanara Ali Portrait
Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Stepney)
Work and Pensions Committee Member since 27th October 2025
Work and Pensions Committee: Previous Inquiries
Money and Pensions Service Pension stewardship and COP26 PIP and ESA Assessments DWP's response to the coronavirus outbreak Work of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Universal Credit: the wait for a first payment Plan for Jobs and employment support The sale and acquisition of BHS inquiry DWP’s preparations for changes in the world of work Protecting pension savers – five years on from the pension freedoms: Pension scams Progress with child maintenance reforms Update on auto-enrolment and a range of current pensions issues Fraud and error in the benefits system Employment and Support Allowance and Work Capability Assessments Progress with Personal Independence Payment implementation 2014 Employment support for disabled people: Access to Work One-off evidence session on pension reforms Benefit delivery inquiry Welfare to work inquiry Pension freedom guidance and advice inquiry Tax credit reforms inquiry Local welfare safety net inquiry In-work progression in Universal Credit inquiry Understanding the new State Pension inquiry Bereavement benefits inquiry Pre-appointment hearing for the Pensions Ombudsman Progress with automatic enrolment and pension reforms Financial scrutiny of the Department for Work and Pensions Benefit sanctions policy beyond the Oakley review Progress with disability and incapacity benefit reforms Universal Credit Work Programme: the experience of different user groups Youth unemployment and the Government’s Youth Contract EU Pensions Policy White Paper on Universal Credit Automatic enrolment in workplace pensions and National Employment Savings Trust Governance and best practice in workplace pensions Role of Jobcentre Plus in the reformed welfare system Support for housing costs in the reformed welfare system School holiday poverty inquiry The work of The Pensions Regulator inquiry Executive pensions inquiry Spending Review inquiry Support for the bereaved Universal Credit and Survival Sex: sex in exchange for meeting survival needs inquiry No DSS: discrimination against benefit claimants in the housing sector inquiry Benefit freeze Overpayments of Carer's Allowance Ongoing work on DWP priorities and performance inquiry Charging for pension transfer advice inquiry Pension auto-enrolment: update inquiry Universal Credit Project Assessment Reviews inquiry Carillion joint inquiry Assistive technology inquiry Pre-appointment scrutiny of the Chair of the Social Security Advisory Committee Defined benefit pensions white paper inquiry The future of the European Social Fund inquiry Two-child benefit limit inquiry Welfare safety net inquiry Benefit cap inquiry Pension costs and transparency inquiry Disability employment inquiry Concentrix and tax credits inquiry Child Maintenance Service inquiry Employment opportunities for young people inquiry Intergenerational fairness inquiry Pensions automatic enrolment inquiry Early drawing of state pension inquiry Recent pensions policy developments The Future of Jobcentre Plus inquiry Support for ex-offenders inquiry Disability employment gap inquiry Pension Protection Fund and Pensions Regulator inquiry Personal Independence Payment inquiry Citizen's income inquiry Victims of modern slavery inquiry DWP Annual Report and Accounts inquiry Self-employment and the gig economy inquiry Benefit cap inquiry Brexit and labour market policy inquiry Universal Credit update inquiry Universal Credit inquiry PIP and ESA Assessments inquiry Pension freedom and choice inquiry Defined benefit pension schemes Access to work cap on support grants inquiry Collective defined contribution pension schemes inquiry Support for carers inquiry The cost of living Children in poverty: Child Maintenance Service Defined benefit pensions with liability driven investments Benefit levels in the UK Defined benefit pension schemes Cost of living support payments Disability employment gap Health and Safety Executive Safeguarding vulnerable claimants Norton pension schemes and the Fraud Compensation Fund Statutory Sick Pay Disability employment Devolution of employment support Pensioner poverty – challenges and mitigations Get Britain Working – Reforming Jobcentres Get Britain Working: Pathways to Work Employment support for disabled people Child Maintenance Service Transition to State Pension age Youth employment, education and training Children in poverty: Measurement and targets Realising potential: Delivering the Child Poverty Strategy Welfare policy in Northern Ireland Assistive technology Benefit cap Benefit sanctions Collective defined contribution pension schemes Defined benefit pensions white paper inquiry Disability employment The future of the European Social Fund inquiry Executive pensions Universal Credit Universal Credit - In-work progression Pension costs and transparency Spending Review Welfare safety net Charging for pension transfer advice Overpayments of Carer's Allowance Pension auto-enrolment: update No DSS: discrimination against benefit claimants in the housing sector Benefit freeze Support for the bereaved The work of The Pensions Regulator Motability Ongoing work on DWP priorities and performance Pension freedom and choice PIP and ESA Assessments School holiday poverty Support for carers Two-child benefit limit Universal Credit and Survival Sex

50 most recent Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department

22nd Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many instances of benefit overpayments to deceased claimants have been recorded since 2020.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
22nd Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of overpayments to deceased welfare claimants have been recovered since 2020.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
23rd Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of notifying pensioners of small upratings to the State Pension; and whether he has considered reducing the cost through alternative methods of communicating such changes.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Torsten Bell
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
23rd Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help improve (a) response times to (i) queries and (ii) complaints and (b) other communication between the Child Maintenance Service and service users.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
23rd Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for Access to Work (a) assessments and (b) decisions.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
23rd Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what minimum English language proficiency requirements apply to Jobcentre Plus work coaches and other frontline staff; and whether his Department has conducted any audits or assessments in the last five years of the ability of non‑native English‑speaking staff in those roles to communicate effectively in English with claimants, including those with complex needs.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st Apr 2026
To ask His Majesty's Government which department holds lead responsibility for reducing drowning deaths in England.

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Baroness Sherlock
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
12th Mar 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2026 to Question 98104 on DWP: Public Appointments, if any of those appointments made declarations of political activity.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
20th Apr 2026
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the latest figures they hold of the number of people receiving new style contribution-based Jobseekers Allowance, broken down by the number of (1) men, and (2) women, and the duration of award (a) up to three months, (b) three to six months, and (c) over six months.

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Baroness Sherlock
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
23rd Apr 2026
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 24 March (HL15644), what assessment the Minister for the Civil Service has made of whether the Child Poverty Strategy complies with the Civil Service Code and Ministerial Code in relation to party political content.

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Baroness Sherlock
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
17th Mar 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of Personal Independence Payment claimants who have been in receipt of the benefit for more than a) two years b) three years and c) five years without reassessment.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps he has taken to reduce agricultural fatalities in Lincolnshire.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
24th Mar 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many face-to-face assessments were conducted in the Birkenhead PIP assessment centre from September 2024 to March 2025.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
24th Mar 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many face-to-face assessments were conducted in the Cardiff PIP assessment centre from September 2024 to March 2025.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his department has made an assessment of the potential merits of delivering the Synergy payroll service in-house.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that reimbursement rates under Access to Work reflect the real cost of support, including travel and specialist equipment.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
20th Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the answer of 19 February 2025 to Question 30627, if he will provide updated figures on the number of carers with Carer's Allowance overpayment debts as a result of breaching the earnings limit in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
20th Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many earnings-related Carer's Allowance overpayments were referred to Debt Management between January 2025 and March 2026.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish a list of training programmes used by civil servants in his Department since 2020.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
17th Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many UK exports of highly hazardous substances listed in Parts II and III of GB Prior Informed Consent Regulation are exported using the waiver from explicit consent from the importing country; and what estimate his Department has made of the number of exports permissible under changes to Article 14 Chemicals (Health and Safety)(Amendment, Consequential and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2026.

Information about waivers used in the past five years under the Great Britain (GB) Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Regulations is in the table provided below:

Year

Exports notified

Waivers used for export

2025

962

12 (1.2% of exports notified)

2024

853

24 (2.8% of exports notified)

2023

914

21 (2.3% of exports notified)

2022

919

22 (2.4% of exports notified)

2021

1017

25 (2.5% of exports notified)

Prior to 2021, and so during the time when the United Kingdom was a member of the European Union, waivers were issued by the European Commission.

The current waiver provision in the GB PIC Regulations applies hazard criteria to the use of the waiver for those chemicals that are listed under the Rotterdam Convention (i.e., those chemicals listed in Part 3 of the GB PIC list). This goes beyond what the Convention requires and potentially creates a barrier to the export of a chemical that falls within these criteria when the importing country fails to respond to repeated requests for consent to import.

In order to facilitate regulatory decision-making, harmonise conditions, and create greater clarity for businesses, the draft Chemicals (Health and Safety) (Amendment, Consequential and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2026 includes an amendment to Article 14(7) in the GB PIC Regulations. This will ensure the same waiver conditions apply to all chemicals that require explicit/prior informed consent to import.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
23rd Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pension, whether he has made an assessment of trends in the levels of gender disparities in the unemployment rate.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
23rd Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to reduce regional disparities in the women’s employment rate.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt. hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
23rd Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to improve employment opportunities for women aged 16 to 25.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
23rd Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Child Maintenance Service in ensuring its processes remain gender‑neutral, particularly in relation to evidential requirements where people liable to pay maintenance are more frequently required to provide documentary evidence than the receiving parent.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
23rd Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary for Work and Pensions, with reference to the ONS document Female unemployment rate (aged 16 and over, seasonally adjusted): %, published on 21 April 2026, what steps he is taking to tackle the increase in female unemployment.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
22nd Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to introduce alternative methods of calculating the minimum income floor for self-employed people.

The government has committed to reviewing Universal Credit. I have spoken to many stakeholders on many different parts of UC, including how the system supports self-employed customers. We have engaged extensively with stakeholders, frontline staff and customers, including a large-scale survey of nearly 10,000 Universal Credit customers.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
22nd Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason supported living provided by local authorities in Wales is not recognised as exempt accommodation for the purposes of housing benefit.

Housing Benefit regulations contain a landlord definition used to determine whether supported housing and supported living qualifies as specified accommodation. Exempt accommodation is one of four categories of specified accommodation. Exempt accommodation can only be provided by non-metropolitan county councils in England, housing associations, registered charities and voluntary organisations where that body, or person acting on its behalf, also provides the claimants with care, support or supervision. Non-metropolitan county councils in England were included in the definition because these authorities were the only ones who did not administer Housing Benefit.

We continue to keep this under review and are considering ways in which this definition could be improved as we progress work with MHCLG to implement the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act. Any future decision on whether the definition should be changed will be considered in the context of the Government’s missions, including Local Government Reorganisation, as well as goals on housing and the financial environment.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
23rd Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason a non-metropolitan county council in England is defined as exempt accommodation under housing benefit regulation.

Housing Benefit regulations contain a landlord definition used to determine whether supported housing and supported living qualifies as specified accommodation. Non-metropolitan county councils in England were included in the definition because these authorities were the only ones who did not administer Housing Benefit.

We continue to keep this under review and are considering ways in which this definition could be improved as we progress work with MHCLG to implement the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act. Any future decision on whether the definition should be changed will be considered in the context of the Government’s missions, including Local Government Reorganisation, as well as goals on housing and the financial environment.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
13th Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of household income rules within Universal Credit on individuals without independent access to financial resources.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will work with the HSE to reinstate proactive inspections in the agriculture industry.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
15th Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of reductions in Access to Work awards at renewal on blind and partially sighted customers.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
20th Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2025 to Question 47466 on Pathways to Work: Impact Assessments, a) what is the most recent equivalent disaggregation by health category and b) what definitions are used in the disaggregation for Anxiety and Depression and ADHD/ADD, and how these definitions vary from the categories used for the Department’s PIP cases with entitlement from 2019 release.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt. hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
20th Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the decision to reduce the maximum UC deduction rate on a) public sector net borrowing, b) public sector net debt, c) public sector net cash requirement, d) annually managed expenditure and e) total managed expenditure in each financial year for which data are available.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
20th Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will review the Access to Work Scheme renewal process for existing claimants who have already evidenced their needs.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 1 May 2025 to Question 47466, how many Personal Independence Payment claimants there are, broken down by (a) disability category and (b) health condition; and of those claimants, how many score fewer than 12 points across all daily living activities.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish a breakdown of the number of mobility points scored by Personal Independence Payment claimants by primary health condition of the claimant.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
20th Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to (a) increase the efficiency of and (b) reduce waiting times for the Access to Work Scheme

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2025 to Question 47466 on Pathways to Work: Impact Assessments, what is the most recent equivalent disaggregation by health category for this data.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2025 to Question 47466 on Pathways to Work: Impact Assessments with specific reference to anxiety, depression and ADHD/ADD, and with further reference to the Department’s January 2025 ‘PIP cases with entitlement from 2019’ release for the same conditions, what methodology and evidential basis was used for both sets of figures and what analysis has been performed to explain the differences in these figures.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
20th Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Disability Living Allowance claim form; and whether he plans to take steps to make the form easier to complete.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
23rd Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether employment and apprenticeship reforms announced on 16 March 2026 include measures to reduce the number of young men not in education, employment or training.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
23rd Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to publish gender‑disaggregated monitoring data on the potential impact of the 200,000‑job employment and apprenticeship programme announced on 16 March 2026 on the number of men not in education, employment or training.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
23rd Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking with the Secretary of State for (a) Education and (b) Business and Trade to reduce the number of young men not in education, employment or training.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
23rd Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of disparities in rates of males and females not being in education, employment or training on boys and young men.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
23rd Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that boys and young men receive targeted support to improve education, employment and training outcomes.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
22nd Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of safeguards for members of defined benefit pension schemes where trustees recommend discretionary increases and those increases are actuarially affordable but sponsoring employers withhold consent.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Torsten Bell
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
22nd Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to require pension schemes to provide clearer advance notification to members when established policies on discretionary increases are (a) changed and (b) withdrawn.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Torsten Bell
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
22nd Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what role the Pensions Regulator plays in overseeing decisions where discretionary increases are declined despite scheme affordability; and whether that role will be expanded.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Torsten Bell
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
22nd Apr 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate he has made of the number of defined benefit pension schemes in surplus where discretionary increases have been proposed by trustees but not implemented due to employer refusal.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Torsten Bell
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)