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

Mel Stride
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

Shadow Ministers / Spokeperson
Liberal Democrat
Baroness Janke (LD - Life peer)
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Work and Pensions)

Labour
Baroness Sherlock (Lab - Life peer)
Shadow Spokesperson (Work and Pensions)

Liberal Democrat
Lord Palmer of Childs Hill (LD - Life peer)
Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson (Work and Pensions)
Ministers of State
Jo Churchill (Con - Bury St Edmunds)
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Mims Davies (Con - Mid Sussex)
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State
Viscount Younger of Leckie (Con - Excepted Hereditary)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Paul Maynard (Con - Blackpool North and Cleveleys)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
There are no upcoming events identified
Debates
Friday 24th May 2024
Valedictory Debate
Commons Chamber
Select Committee Docs
Tuesday 28th May 2024
13:15
Select Committee Inquiry
Thursday 7th March 2024
Devolution of employment support

In our July 2023 Report Plan for Jobs and employment support, we considered DWP’s employment support provision following the …

Written Answers
Friday 24th May 2024
Universal Credit: East Sussex
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of parents of children with …
Secondary Legislation
Thursday 9th May 2024
Social Security (State Pension Age Claimants: Closure of Tax Credits) (Amendment) Regulations 2024
These Regulations make provision in relation to the abolition of tax credits for certain claimants who have reached the qualifying …
Bills
Tuesday 7th February 2023
Social Security (Additional Payments) Act 2023
A Bill to make provision about additional payments to recipients of means-tested benefits, tax credits and disability benefits.
Dept. Publications
Tuesday 25th June 2024
09:30

Statistics

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
May. 13
Oral Questions
Apr. 24
Westminster Hall
Apr. 22
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 2019 Parliament


A Bill to make provision about additional payments to recipients of means-tested benefits, tax credits and disability benefits.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 23rd March 2023 and was enacted into law.


A Bill to provide for certain social security rules which apply where life expectancy is 6 months or less to apply instead where life expectancy is 12 months or less

This Bill received Royal Assent on 25th October 2022 and was enacted into law.


A Bill to make provision about additional payments to recipients of means-tested benefits, tax credits and disability benefits.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 28th June 2022 and was enacted into law.


A Bill to make provision relating to the up-rating of certain social security benefits payable in the tax year 2022-23.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 17th November 2021 and was enacted into law.


A Bill to make provision about pension schemes

This Bill received Royal Assent on 11th February 2021 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 23rd September 2020

A Bill To make provision relating to the up-rating of certain social security benefits.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 23rd November 2020 and was enacted into law.

Department for Work and Pensions - Secondary Legislation

These Regulations make provision in relation to the abolition of tax credits for certain claimants who have reached the qualifying age for state pension credit (“the qualifying age”). They provide for claimants who are entitled to working tax credit to move to universal credit with transitional protection and for claimants who are entitled to child tax credit to move to pension credit with transitional protection. They also make provision consequential on these changes.
These Regulations amend regulation 99 of the Universal Credit Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/376), which sets out the circumstances in which work search and work availability requirements must not be imposed on a universal credit claimant. Regulation 2 amends paragraph (6) of regulation 99 so that work search and work availability requirements may not be imposed where a claimant has monthly earnings from employment that are equal to, or more than, 18 hours per week at the national minimum wage rate as set out in regulation 4 of the National Minimum Wage Regulations 2015 (S.I. 2015/621) (“the national living wage”) or, where the claimant is a member of a couple, their combined earnings from employment are equal to, or more than, 29 hours per week at the national living wage rate, in both cases converted to a monthly amount by multiplying by 52 and dividing by 12.
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
Petitions with most signatures
Petition Debates Contributed

The government should implement an immediate Universal Basic Income trial for all UK residents to ensure home and food security through the coronavirus Covid-19 crisis, to support the needs of those that need to self-isolate as well as the public health at large, and the wider economy.

The British State pension is far too low. We want the Government to increase the basic state pension to £19,760 a year (£380 a week), and extend this to anyone aged 60 or over. This should lift thousands out of poverty, and give our elderly folk more spending power and help grow the economy.

People with a lifelong illness should not be subject to regular reviews for eligibility for the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). People suffering lifelong conditions should not have to prove they are still ill every couple of years.

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.


0 Members of the Work and Pensions Committee
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 Children in poverty: Measurement and targets 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

21st May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of women born in the 1950s who have been impacted by State Pension age changes.

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

Paul Maynard
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much was spent on (a) dedicated work coaches, (b) support elements separate to the work coaches and (c) youth hubs through his Department's Youth Offer in (i) 2021, (ii) 2022 and (c) 2023.

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

Mims Davies
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes to the State Pension age for women born in the 1950s on those women in Eastbourne constituency.

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

Paul Maynard
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has had discussions with the Minister for Women and Equalities on the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's report into women's State Pension age changes, published on 21 March 2024.

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

Paul Maynard
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many work coaches were employed to support young people in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023.

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

Jo Churchill
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
22nd May 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government whether, when referencing benefits, they will gross up the value of each benefit to demonstrate a direct and fair comparison with salaries paid to people who are not claiming benefits.

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

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of universal credit claimants are parents of a child with special educational needs in (a) the UK and (b) Eastbourne constituency.

The information requested is not available and to provide it would be at disproportionate cost.

Jo Churchill
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of parents of children with special educational needs have returned to work due to the provision of Universal Credit in (a) Eastbourne constituency and (b) East Sussex over the most recent 12 months for which data is available.

The information requested is not available and to provide it would be at disproportionate cost.

Jo Churchill
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman report into the changes to Women’s State Pension Age, published on 21 March 2024, if he will bring forward a response to that report before 23 July 2024.

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

Paul Maynard
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman report into the changes to Women’s State Pension Age, published on 21 March 2024, if he will apologise to the women impacted by the changes to state pension age in that report.

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

Paul Maynard
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
20th May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether any ministerial redundancy payments have been repaid to his Department since 2019.

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

Paul Maynard
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's policy is on communicating future increases to the State Pension age to the public.

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

Paul Maynard
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
20th May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 14 May 2024 to Question 24973 on Attendance Allowance: Employment, for what reason his Department does not record the requested data.

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

Paul Maynard
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes to the State Pension age on women born in the 1950s in Southend West constituency.

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

Paul Maynard
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Youth Hubs there were in 2021.

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

Mims Davies
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Youth Hubs there were in 2022.

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

Mims Davies
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Youth Hubs there were in 2023.

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

Mims Davies
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Youth Hubs there are as of 21 May 2024.

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

Mims Davies
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's report into women’s State Pension age changes, published on 21 March 2024, what recent discussions he has had with the Leader of the House on making parliamentary time available for a debate on financial redress by 23 July 2024.

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

Paul Maynard
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's report entitled Women’s State Pension age: our findings on injustice and associated issues, published on 21 March 2024, what estimate the Government has made of the potential cost of providing compensation to eligible women.

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

Paul Maynard
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) face-to-face, (b) remote and (c) paper-based Personal Independence Payment assessments resulted in claims being (i) awarded, (ii) disallowed and (iii) withdrawn in each financial year since 2019-20.

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

Mims Davies
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
14th May 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that carers are not pushed into benefit debt through lack of awareness about the earnings rules.

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

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
20th May 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what information is provided to newly unemployed people about the availability of new style jobseeker's allowance (JSA); and what is their estimate of the number of newly unemployed people who are not entitled to universal credit and who have not received new style JSA despite meeting the contributory conditions.

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

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
20th May 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Stedman-Scott on 6 December 2021 (HL4310), what is the median state pension for (1) men, and (2) women, for 2024–25.

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

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
20th May 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government from how many recipients of carer's allowance the Department for Work and Pensions is seeking repayment following overpayment of that allowance.

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

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
15th May 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Department of Work and Pensions has transcripts of court judgments and accompanying documents for all cases related to the prosecution of sub-postmasters that they have initiated.

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

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
15th May 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Offord of Garvel on 13 May (HL Deb col 456), what were the titles of the 62 cases prosecuted by the Department of Work and Pensions against postmasters in England and Wales, and in each what was (1) the date of the case, (2) the location of the court, and (3) the outcome of the case.

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

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
15th May 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government when the Department of Work and Pensions began their prosecution of sub-postmasters; how many cases were prosecuted; and what was the outcome of each case.

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

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
15th May 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to provide a list of the cases of sub-postmaster prosecutions which have been initiated by the Department of Work and Pensions and subsequently passed to the Crown Prosecution Service; and the outcome of each of those cases.

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

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
14th May 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the Written Answer by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 24 April (HL3731), what discussions officials have had with occupational pension schemes and their advisers about the flaws in climate scenario modelling by pension schemes and the impact on beneficiaries, whether as part of the post-implementation review of the Occupational Pension Schemes (Climate Change Governance and Reporting) Regulations 2021 or otherwise.

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

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
20th May 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the maximum amount that the Department for Work and Pensions is seeking to recover from any individual recipient of carer's allowance as a result of overpayment of that allowance; and whether there is any cap on the total amount sought.

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

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
20th May 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment has the Department for Work and Pensions made of its own culpability in issuing overpayments to recipients of carer's allowance.

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

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
14th May 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of mandating health and safety training on film and television productions, similar to those mandated during the COVID-19 period.

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

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people entered employment through the people and skills strand of the European Social Fund in each year since its inception until its end.

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

Jo Churchill
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
20th May 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to forgoing repayment of the overpayment to recipients of carer’s allowance in instances where the Department for Work and Pensions is at fault for such overpayment.

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

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
14th May 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which health and safety is regulated to British standards on UK film and television productions when they are operating abroad.

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

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
20th May 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what changes the Department for Work and Pensions has made to its procedures to ensure that the overpayment of carer's allowance to recipients cannot occur in the future.

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

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to the public purse was of staff diversity networks in his Department in each of the last five years.

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

Paul Maynard
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant the Answer of 24 April 2024 to Question 22551 on Universal Credit: Employment, what her planned timetable is for the (a) conclusion and (b) publication of the evaluation of the Additional Jobcentre Support pilot.

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

Jo Churchill
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time was for an initial assessment for people on the Access to Work Scheme in the last five years.

The average waiting time for an initial assessment for people on the Access to Work Scheme in the last five years is not available.

However, the Access to Work statistics includes how many applications result in provision being approved from 2007/08 to 2022/23. Please see Table 3 of the Access to Work statistics.

The latest Access to Work statistics can be on the Access to Work statistics on GOV.UK

Mims Davies
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that adequate support is in place for jobseekers with (a) health conditions and (b) disabilities in the period between the end of referrals to the Work and Health Programme in Autumn 2024 and the start of Universal Support in 2025.

When referrals to the Work and Health Programme (WHP) end in September and before Universal Support begins its rollout from Autumn 2024 there will still be services available for disabled people and those with health conditions who have employment support needs. These include Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies and the Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care (IPSPC) programme for disabled people and those with mild to moderate mental and physical health conditions.

It also includes, for example, the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) programme for people with drug and alcohol dependency and the Local Supported Employment (LSE) programme for people who are learning disabled, neurodivergent or Autistic as well as locally led employment support delivered through Jobcentres.

Mims Davies
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
16th May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2024 to Question 24972 on Universal Credit: Employment, what the criteria are for classifying people as live fit note (pre-wca).

People on the Universal Credit Health caseload are in the ‘Live fit note (pre-wca)’ stage if they have accepted medical evidence of a restricted ability to work, usually a statement of fitness for work (or ‘fit note’), on the caseload date, and have not yet had a Work Capability Assessment or received a Work Capability Assessment decision.

More information about the Universal Credit Health caseload, process and WCA official statistics can be found in the published UC WCA stats background information document.

Mims Davies
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
20th May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Minister without Portfolio's article of 12 May 2024 in the Sunday Telegraph, when he expects the Office for Nuclear Regulation to cancel its contract with Lisa Ellis Training for diversity and inclusion training, procurement reference ONR/T974; and whether a notice period will be required under the provisions of that contract.

The ONR contract with Lisa Ellis of Bespoke Business Solutions for diversity and inclusion training was implemented in January 2024 for a period of three years to deliver 24 courses per annum with a total value of £36k over the three-year period. ONR has no plans to terminate this contract.

As a public corporation, ONR sits outside the civil service and is not subject to the Guidance on Diversity and Inclusion and Impartiality for Civil Servants, published on 14 May.

Paul Maynard
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
15th May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many apprentices made an Access to Work request twelve months.

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

However, the Access to Work statistics includes how many applications result in provision being approved from 2007/08 to 2021/23.

Mims Davies
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
15th May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time taken was for a decision to be made on Access to Work requests made by apprentices in the last 12 months.

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

However, the Access to Work statistics includes how many applications result in provision being approved from 2007/08 to 2021/23.

Mims Davies
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
15th May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time is for making an Access to Work request for reasonable adjustments at a job interview.

The average waiting time for making Access to Work decisions for Communication Support at Interview applications is:

2023/24 = 11.6 days

April 2024 = 9.4 days

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

Mims Davies
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
15th May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have requested communication support in job interviews through the access to work scheme in each of the last five years.

In each of the last five years the following number of applications have been received for communication support in job interviews through the access to work scheme:

2019-20 = Not available (info not collected)

2020-21 = 448

2021-22 = 708

2022-23 = 718

2023-24 = 599

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

Mims Davies
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
15th May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the shortest wait time was between a person submitting an Access to Work application and receiving initial contact from his Department in the last (a) six and (b) 12 months.

In response to what the shortest wait time was between an individual submitting an Access to Work application and receiving initial contact from the Department in the last (a) six and (b) twelve months, the shortest time for both periods is one day.

Customers making new applications where they are starting work within the next 4 weeks or have a grant coming to an end that requires renewal are prioritised to ensure customers can enter, make changes or move within the labour market.

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

Mims Davies
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
15th May 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the end date is for referrals to the Work and Health Programme.

Under current contracts the Work and Health Programme will take last referrals on 30 September, with support continuing to July 2026.

Mims Davies
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)