Department for Work and Pensions

The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

a) This information is available as part of routinely released statistical series: Universal Credit claimants statistics on the two child limit policy, April 2025 - GOV.UK

b) In April 2025, 3,700 couple households where both parents were earning at least the equivalent of 36.5 hours at the national living wage were affected by the two child limit

Notes for part b

1. We have estimated full-time work status using earnings data. The earnings threshold indicative of full-time employment was estimated based on the average full-time working hours (36.5) reported by the ONS and the current National Living Wage. This is an assumption and not a standard estimate of full-time employment.
2. Net pay was calculated using the Gov.uk online calculator.
3. Couple household: A Universal Credit contract, which includes two adult claimants, who have dependent children.
4. Affected: A child is affected by the two child limit policy if they are a third or subsequent dependent child born on or after 6 April 2017. This includes children with exceptions to the two-child limit.
5. A household is affected by the policy if they have one or more affected children.
6. Figures above have been rounded to the nearest 100.
7. Figures are for GB.

This information will be published as part of a routinely released statistical series in February 2026.

As of May 2025, there were 1,800 claimants in receipt of contributory Employment and Support Allowance in the Support Group with the main disabling condition ‘Parkinson’s disease or syndrome’. In the same month, there were 300 claimants in receipt of contributory Employment and Support Allowance in the Support Group with the main disabling condition ‘Parkinsonism’.

Data is based on primary medical condition as recorded on the ESA computer systems. Claimants may have multiple disabling conditions on which their entitlement is based but only the primary condition is available for statistical purposes and shown in these statistics.

Strengthening Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is part of the Government’s commitment to implement our Plan to Make Work Pay. The Government conducted a Regulatory Impact Assessment here on the impact of the SSP measures, including the removal of the waiting period in the Employment Rights Bill.

Whilst this is not a specific assessment on the impact on recruitment agencies or agency workers, the Government believes that the SSP measures strike the right balance between providing financial security to employees and limiting additional costs to employers, including agencies. The Bill ensures that people who work through employment agencies and employment businesses have comparable rights and protections to their counterparts who are directly employed. Employers, including those in the recruitment sector, are best placed to manage sickness absences and ensuring employees receive appropriate support. If employers have the right policies and practices in place, risks of inappropriate absenteeism can be mitigated.

The Government intends to conduct a post-implementation review (PIR) of the Employment Rights Bill within five years of implementation. The impact of the measures to strengthen Statutory Sick Pay will be monitored on employers and employees alike. This can include considering the impact on workers in the agency sector.

Administrative child maintenance schemes have operated in the UK since 1993. This response addresses the position of arrears under the 2012 child maintenance scheme, which has managed new applications since December 2012. There are legislative differences between arrears arising under this scheme and those accrued under previous schemes.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) has a low percentage of unpaid maintenance. 7% of the total maintenance due to be paid since the CMS began, remains to be collected through Collect & Pay

Under the CMS 2012 scheme, all arrears are regarded as collectable unless the receiving parent (or child in Scotland) requests that CMS cease action, or in limited circumstances such as the death of the paying parent where recovery from the estate is not possible. As arrears are owed to the receiving parent rather than the Secretary of State, CMS does not deem any debt uncollectable. CMS continues to focus on enforcement based on the paying parent’s ability to pay, which may vary over time, and actively pursues unpaid maintenance of all ages to ensure children receive the financial support to which they are entitled.

The Department for Work and Pensions utilise a range of channels to ensure vulnerable customers and those with limited broadband can access support.

• Local Jobcentres provide face-to-face appointments for those unable to use digital services and have dedicated support in the form of Disability Employment Advisers for customers with health barriers, sites also have access to Vulnerable Customer Leads within their districts to support customers who are more vulnerable.
• Telephone services are available for those customers unable to manage digital claims to Universal Credit.
• Telephone and video calls are conducted to support customers who are in remote locations or have vulnerabilities which prevent them from attending offices for face-to-face interactions.
• We have over 650 Visiting Officers who carry out home visits for customers with complex needs, cannot engage via digital or telephone channels or who cannot attend a Jobcentre.
• Outreach work is in place with local providers and community organisations to help reach areas where customers, who might otherwise miss out on access to Jobcentre services, due to their rural location or lack of access to digital facilities within their home.
• Mobile Jobcentre vans are being introduced in some areas to bring services to areas with poor connectivity or limited physical access to services.
• Advanced Customer Support Senior Leaders are in place to support vulnerable customers at significant risk of harm when all business-as-usual activity has been exhausted.
• Jobcentres signpost customers to local providers such as libraries, charities and colleges who may be able to offer the relevant support needed as well as access to online or telephone services.

Ministers regularly meet representative groups of a range of types and every request to meet a Minister is given consideration.

The package of reforms to the Motability Scheme announced as part of the Budget will ensure the Scheme delivers fairness for the taxpayer, while continuing to support disabled people. The Scheme will continue to offer a choice of affordable vehicles to meet a range of accessibility needs and offer vehicles which require no advance payment, meaning that people will be able to access a suitable vehicle using only their qualifying disability benefit. Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) will apply to leases at the standard rate, bringing tax treatment in line with commercial leasing firms.

Existing leases and vehicles substantially designed for, or adapted for, wheelchair or stretcher users will continue to benefit from VAT reliefs on advance payments and the IPT exemption, in recognition of the additional costs associated with these vehicles.

Motability Foundation, the independent charity with responsibility for overseeing the Scheme, will continue to offer means-tested grants to support eligible people who would otherwise struggle to afford the advance payment.

The Motability Scheme supports many disabled people and families, by enabling them to lease a car, wheelchair accessible vehicle, scooter or powered wheelchair in exchange for an eligible disability benefit allowance. The scheme helps people with significant mobility issues participate in society, including by breaking down barriers to work.

The Motability Foundation have published its strategy to support and empower disabled people by improving their access to transport. The plan sets out how they will act directly and work with others to drive change.

We are strengthening our partnership with the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE) with our Civil Society Covenant. We recognise that the VCSE sector has a strong record of supporting families and is the bedrock of our communities.

We are putting tackling child poverty at the heart of local government by including child poverty in the new Outcomes Framework for local government as a contextual outcome. The Framework also includes wider priority outcomes that will help tackle child poverty such as preventing and reducing homelessness and rough sleeping; access to a decent, safe and affordable home; local growth; and promoting health and wellbeing in children.

Alongside the Strategy, we have set out our initial plans for monitoring and evaluation to ensure our strategy is on track to tackle child poverty as part of our ongoing commitment to transparency, accountability, and continued learning.

We are strengthening our partnership with the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE) with our Civil Society Covenant. We recognise that the VCSE sector has a strong record of supporting families and is the bedrock of our communities.

We are putting tackling child poverty at the heart of local government by including child poverty in the new Outcomes Framework for local government as a contextual outcome. The Framework also includes wider priority outcomes that will help tackle child poverty such as preventing and reducing homelessness and rough sleeping; access to a decent, safe and affordable home; local growth; and promoting health and wellbeing in children.

Alongside the Strategy, we have set out our initial plans for monitoring and evaluation to ensure our strategy is on track to tackle child poverty as part of our ongoing commitment to transparency, accountability, and continued learning.

The Department does not have an estimate of the projected number of children in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency who will become newly eligible for support measures introduced under the Child Poverty Strategy or hold data on the proportion of low-income households in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency expected to benefit from changes to income-related thresholds outlined in the Child Poverty Strategy. Estimates are available for the number of children and households that are expected to gain from the removal of two-child limit at constituency level here Poverty impacts of social security changes at Budget 2025 - GOV.UK.

The Department does not have an estimate of the projected number of children in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency who will become newly eligible for support measures introduced under the Child Poverty Strategy or hold data on the proportion of low-income households in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency expected to benefit from changes to income-related thresholds outlined in the Child Poverty Strategy. Estimates are available for the number of children and households that are expected to gain from the removal of two-child limit at constituency level here Poverty impacts of social security changes at Budget 2025 - GOV.UK.

The Secretary of State announced in his Oral Statement of 11 November that we will retake the decision made last December as it relates to the communications on state pension age. Information that was not considered at the time of the original decision has come to light. In retaking the decision, we will review the evidence alongside evidence previously considered.

The process to retake the decision is underway and we will update the House on the decision as soon as a conclusion is reached.

The information requested will be published in due course.

On 20 November the Home Secretary launched a consultation on proposals for a fairer pathway to settlement, the point at which foreign nationals generally gain access to public funds. These plans include doubling the standard qualifying period for settlement from 5 to 10 years, with the opportunity to reduce this period based on their contributions to the UK economy and society and longer periods for those who contribute less.

The consultation also covers proposals that benefits might not be available to those who have settled status, reserving them, instead, for those who have earned British citizenship.

You can find more details in here: “Restoring Order and Control: A statement on the government’s asylum and returns policy" and in “Open consultation: Earned settlement”.

In conjunction with these reforms, my Department will consult in due course on a change to taxpayer-funded benefits to prioritise access for those who are making an economic contribution to the UK.

Analysis published by the Pensions Regulator indicates that, as of March 2023, around 17 per cent of members of private sector defined benefit pension schemes do not receive any pre-1997 indexation on benefits. This information can be found at: thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/document-library/research-and-analysis/data-requests.

Reforms in our Pension Schemes Bill will enable more trustees of well-funded defined benefit pension schemes to share surplus with employers, and deliver better outcomes for members, and benefit the wider economy, unlocking some of the estimated £160 billion of scheme surplus. As part of any agreement to release surplus funds to the employer, trustees will be better placed to negotiate additional benefits for members such as discretionary indexation.

The Pension Regulator already sets out that trustees should consider the situation of those members who would benefit from a discretionary increase and whether the scheme has a history of making such awards. The Regulator will be producing further guidance on surplus sharing once the legislation is in place.

The Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, published alongside the Strategy, sets out how we will track progress and evaluate success as part of our ongoing commitment to transparency, accountability and continued learning.

We will use two complementary headline metrics, relative low income (after housing costs) and deep material poverty, as well as a comprehensive programme of analysis focusing on the drivers of child poverty and the impact of specific interventions.

The Monitoring and Evaluation framework set out that a baseline report will be published in Summer 2026, reflecting the further development of plans and updated findings from the latest poverty statistics publications, with annual reporting on progress thereafter.

At the Budget, the Chancellor announced that the Government will introduce pre-1997 indexation in the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) and the Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS), for members whose original schemes provided this. Compensation payments from these schemes on pensions built up before 6 April 1997 will be CPI-linked (capped at 2.5%), and this will apply prospectively.

The PPF have made an assessment that around 165,000 PPF members and 91,000 current FAS members will benefit from this change as they have some pre-97 benefits where their former schemes provided mandatory indexation.

Analysis published last year by the Pensions Regulator shows that, as of March 2023, around 17 per cent of members of private sector defined benefit pension schemes do not receive indexation on benefits accrued before 1997. This information can be found at: thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/document-library/research-and-analysis/data-requests

As of May 2025, there were 2,000 claimants in the Employment and Support Allowance Support Group with the main disabling condition 'Parkinson’s disease or syndrome’. In the same month, there were 300 claimants in the Employment and Support Allowance Support Group with the main disabling condition ‘Parkinsonism’.

Data is based on primary medical condition as recorded on the ESA computer systems. Claimants may have multiple disabling conditions on which their entitlement is based but only the primary condition is available for statistical purposes and shown in these statistics.

In developing the Child Poverty Strategy, the Taskforce has considered all children across the United Kingdom. To develop the strategy the Taskforce has engaged extensively with families, charities, campaigners and leading organisations across the UK to shape and inform our plans. We have engaged with organisations who have made representations on behalf of children subject to no recourse to public funds and will continue to do so.

My Department has engaged with stakeholders on the design of the Crisis and Resilience Fund through a structured co-design process involving a representative group of local authorities, third-party organisations and academics. We are considering all feedback received through this process, and we plan to publish guidance in January 2026.

The rising number of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) is a crisis of opportunity that demands more action to give them the chance to learn or earn.

To truly address the root causes of youth inactivity, we need a deeper understanding of the barriers that disabled young people and those with health conditions face. The Report will examine the drivers behind the rise in NEET rates and economic inactivity among young disabled people and those with health conditions.

On the 4^th of December my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Department for Health and Social Care launched an Independent Review into Prevalence and Support for Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism.

The review will look to understand the similarities and differences between mental health conditions, ADHD and autism. It will look at prevalence, early intervention and treatment, and the current challenges facing clinical services.

The review will also seek to identify opportunities to provide different models of support and pathways, within and beyond the NHS, that promote prevention and early intervention, supplementing clinical support.

My Department has engaged with stakeholders on the design of the Crisis and Resilience Fund through a structured co-design process including furniture provision. We are considering all feedback received through this process, and we plan to publish guidance in January 2026.

The recovery of overpayments cannot be attributed to the year in which the benefit was overpaid, as many of those overpayments will have occurred over more than one year.

Furthermore, many of the overpayments that occurred in previous years are still undergoing recovery or are likely to be identified and recovered some time in the future.

The annual National Statistics publication Fraud and error in the benefit system - GOV.UK compares the amount of money recovered in each financial year from overpayment debts with its estimate of the money that was overpaid in that financial year – with the understanding that much of that recovered money each year would have been from benefits that were overpaid in past years. Figures from the National Statistics publications are provided in the annex.

The overall amount that can be recovered by deduction from benefit is set by regulations, and priority is given to a number of other deductions above those for recovery of an overpayment of benefit.

We encourage anyone who is finding recovery difficult to get in touch with DWP Debt Management, who can consider a lower rate of recovery or temporary suspension.

The Crisis and Resilience Fund aims to enable local authorities to provide preventative support to communities – working with the voluntary and community sector – as well as assisting people when faced with a financial crisis. The Fund will support local interventions that prevent people from falling into crisis and improve their citizens’ long-term financial resilience, reducing the need for crisis support in the long-term.

My Department has engaged extensively with stakeholders on the design of the Crisis and Resilience Fund through a structured co-design process involving a representative group of local authorities, third-party organisations and academics. We are considering all feedback received through this process, and we plan to publish guidance in January 2026.

DWP secured £1.0bn (2026/27), £0.8bn (2027/28), £0.6bn (2028/29) and £0.5bn (2029/30) in capital (CDEL) funding through the Spending Review.

The Department is currently undertaking its internal business planning process, through which it will set programme budgets ahead of the new financial year. Details on DWP budgets are to be published in the explanatory memo for the 2026/27 Main Estimate.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) will do everything it can to address the non-payment of child maintenance and ensure appropriate enforcement action is taken in a timely manner.

Enforcement action can include deductions from earnings orders, or from bank accounts. Where that is not effective, CMS can apply to Court for a liability order, which legally recognises the debt. That is currently required before other enforcement action can be taken, including removal of driving licenses, disqualification from holding a passport, and committal to prison.

We are working to introduce administrative liability orders (ALO) which will replace the current requirement for the CMS to apply to the court for a liability order. Introducing a simpler administrative process will enable the CMS to take faster action against those paying parents who actively avoid their responsibilities and will get money to children more quickly.

Once it is introduced, we expect the new liability order process in the majority of cases to take around 6 weeks. Changes will mean the CMS can use its strong enforcement powers more quickly to go after those who wilfully avoid their financial obligations to their children.

We are working with His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service and the Scottish Government to establish a process for implementing ALOs and plan to introduce regulations to Parliament as soon as possible

The Department for Work and Pensions take any form of abuse and harassment (including violence-at-work incidents) of its staff very seriously. Robust controls are in place to mitigate the risk of unsafe interactions and eliminate violence-at-work as far as reasonably practicable, including security presence, risk assessments and training for our staff.

We review outcomes of our most serious incidents and consider any lessons learned to make improvements to our processes and training when necessary to help prevent reoccurrence.

DWP define assault as intentional physical contact which is directed at DWP or Partner employees (including Security Officers) in connection with working for DWP. Assaults range from minor to most serious. Actual assaults may include reports that resulted in no injury to those that result in major cuts and bruises.

Prior to 2025, regional breakdowns are not held centrally, to provide this information would incur disproportionate cost, however we can provide the national annual breakdown of JC assaults from 2015 to 2024 and a breakdown of JC assaults by region for 2025.

The following table provides the information requested for DWP reported assaults.

2025 assaults by region

No such analysis has been undertaken.

The Motability Scheme is a lifeline for many disabled people and families, supporting their independence by enabling them to lease a car, wheelchair accessible vehicle, scooter or powered wheelchair in exchange for an eligible disability benefit allowance.

We are protecting the taxpayer through changes to the Motability scheme, ensuring it supports disabled people whilst delivering efficient use of taxpayers’ money. This includes the removal of some luxury vehicles from the leasing scheme while maintaining a range of vehicles to support disabled people. Tax changes will not impact vehicles substantially adapted for wheelchair users, or existing leases, and Motability will continue to provide vehicles at no additional cost to the value of eligible disability benefits ensuring that people can access vehicles suited to their needs, whether that’s a larger vehicle or extra boot space to carry wheelchairs.

For customers who cannot afford essential costs or need more complex adaptations, the Motability Foundation will continue to provide means-tested grants to those most in need of financial help. In 2024/25, these grants totalled £59.3 million, supporting over 10,000 customers.

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

We are protecting the taxpayer through changes to the Motability scheme, ensuring it supports disabled people whilst delivering efficient use of taxpayers’ money. This includes the removal of some luxury vehicles from the leasing scheme while maintaining a range of vehicles to support disabled people. Tax changes will not impact vehicles substantially adapted for wheelchair users, or existing leases, and Motability will continue to provide vehicles at no additional cost to the value of eligible disability benefits.

Decisions on tax were made in the usual way by HM Treasury ministers, in close consultation with DWP Ministers and based on extensive advice with due consideration of equalities impacts. Estimated cost savings were published in the budget documentation: Motability Scheme: reforming tax reliefs - GOV.UK

Most UC advances (new claims, benefit transfer and Budgeting Advances) have a maximum repayment period of 24 months except change of circumstances advances which have a maximum of 6 months.

Access to Work supports workplace adjustments that go beyond what would normally be expected from an employer through their duty to provide reasonable adjustments as outlined in the Equality Act 2010, including for mental health conditions.

As set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we are reforming Access to Work to improve the scheme so that it helps more disabled people and people with health conditions, including mental health conditions, into and on in work.

Access to Work supports workplace adjustments that go beyond what would normally be expected from an employer through their duty to provide reasonable adjustments as outlined in the Equality Act 2010, including for mental health conditions.

As set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we are reforming Access to Work to improve the scheme so that it helps more disabled people and people with health conditions, including mental health conditions, into and on in work.

Access to Work supports workplace adjustments that go beyond what would normally be expected from an employer through their duty to provide reasonable adjustments as outlined in the Equality Act 2010, including for mental health conditions.

As set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we are reforming Access to Work to improve the scheme so that it helps more disabled people and people with health conditions, including mental health conditions, into and on in work.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 November 2025 to PQ UIN 92813.

Carer’s Allowance (CA) offers financial support and recognition to unpaid carers in England and Wales who are unable to work full-time due to their caring responsibilities.

Information and guidance on CA entitlement is available through multiple channels, including Jobcentre Plus offices, gov.uk, and third-party organisations such as Citizens Advice, Carers UK and Carers Trust.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has recognised the risks to textile workers who routinely handle finished fabrics, including those treated with fire-resistant finishes. HSE have produced a specific guidance page on their website which covers both the initial manufacture and any secondary processing of finished fabrics (such as upholstery). The guidance page can be found here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/textiles/fabric-finishes.htm

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) outline specific duties on employers to protect workers from harmful substances, such as foams and flame retardants, which may be contained in soft furnishings such as mattresses and sofas. HSE provides practical advice and guidance on the basics of COSHH, completing COSHH assessments and links to industry specific information and guidance to prevent and control workplace exposure to harmful substances at Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) - HSE

Between 2019 and the present date, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have inspected 2104 premises whose primary business includes the manufacture of office and shop furniture, kitchen furniture, mattresses and other furniture (based on the Standard Industry Classification (SIC)).

The breakdown by year is as follows:

The Department for Work and Pensions prioritises assessments for new claims to minimise waiting times and ensure claimants receive the right benefit entitlement as soon as possible. However, due to unforeseen high levels of Work Capability Assessments (WCA) required in late 2024, a backlog of reassessment cases built up from individuals reporting a change in their condition before May 2025. We are working with suppliers to increase capacity for clearing this backlog, including by accelerating the recruitment of assessors.