Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what percentage of (a) personal independence payment awards are open-ended, (b) open-ended PIP awards are for recipients over pension age and (c) open-ended PIP awards are awarded to people who claim under the special rules for terminally ill people.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

For information on the percentage of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) awards which are ongoing please see Section 4 ‘Clearance outcomes – Awards’ of the Personal Independence Payment Publication here. Information on the volume of total ongoing awards and ongoing awards for recipients over State Pension age is not published.

The percentage of the total caseload for which claims are made under Special Rules For End of Life (SREL) can be found also be found in Section 4 ‘Clearance outcomes – Awards’

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to help reduce the delays in decisions on Disability Living Allowance claims.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We have seen unprecedented demand in new claims to the DLA Child service line. Additional resources have been deployed, and cases are cleared in date order to ensure fair customer service. As a result, we are seeing improvements in our processing times for new claims. As of the 30^th December 2024, The Actual Average Clearance Time was 97.8 days and has since reduced to 57.3 days as of 25^th of August 2025, a reduction of 40.5 days.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to strengthen employment opportunities in sectors experiencing the sharpest decline in job opportunities.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Following a peak during the pandemic, vacancies are returning to their long-term average. There are currently 728k vacancies, slightly above the long-term series average of 696k.

We recognise the need to provide working-age adults with the support they need to pursue opportunities in the workforce, which is essential for economic growth.

We are already delivering the biggest overhaul of jobcentres in a generation, backed by £240 million investment to boost employment.

By bringing apprenticeships, adult further education, skills training, careers guidance, and Skills England under DWP’s remit, we’re creating strong pathways to support the millions of people across the country.

This will mean a greater focus on adult skills and career outcomes, getting people into skilled work in sectors that need labour – like construction.

Part of our approach is the use of DWP’s Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) that help employers with immediate and future employment needs by upskilling benefit claimants to fill local job vacancies.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the unemployment rate in each month of this year, in particular those months in which unemployment rose.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The unemployment rate in May-Jul 2025 was 4.7%pts. The unemployment rate has increased by 0.2%pts since the start of the year. Over this period, the employment rate increased by 0.2% to 75.2% and the inactivity rate fell by 0.3%pts to 21.1%.

Increases in the unemployment rate have been driven by people leaving inactivity and reengaging the labour market. This shift in labour market participation, is exactly what our Get Britian Working strategy seeks to address.

Backed by £240m in Autumn 2024 Budget, our Get Britain Working strategy sets out the biggest reforms to employment support in a generation, bringing together skills and health to get more people into work and to get on in work.

Aimed at tackling rising levels of health-related economic inactivity and moving towards an 80% employment rate ambition; the Get Britain Working strategy has three main workstreams – Jobs and Careers Service, Pathways to Work, and young people. We’ve already made rapid progress, including:

• 17 trailblazers are underway or imminent across England and Wales.
• Launching our first Pathfinder in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, as part of our commitment to create a new Jobs and Careers Service.
• Testing a new Get Britain Working Coaching Academy to support and upskill our teams to provide high-quality conversations and help people find work.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many people with autism they estimate have found work in the past 12 months.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Information on the number of disabled people with autism who have found work in the past 12 months is published by the Department at: The employment of disabled people - GOV.UK.

There were an estimated 90,000 people with Autism who moved into employment between 2023 and 2024 (the latest data available).

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many National Insurance numbers were issued to individuals outside the United Kingdom in the past twelve months for which figures are available.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

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

Many single parents are struggling to find more hours or new jobs that work around school holidays, resulting in pressure from the job centre with weekly phone calls / meetings. It is difficult to find holiday clubs for over 5’s in many areas which adds more pressure on the parent.

We call the Government to review and look into reforming Child Maintenance Service (CMS). We believe the current payment system does not reflect the true cost of raising children, especially in the current cost of living crisis.

We believe home owners should be entitled to additional support during maternity leave.

When applying for Universal Credit or Social Housing, you are only allowed to declare children that permanently reside with you. The government should amend the law to allow children that visit on a regular basis to be included in these calculations.

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Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of women identified as "pregnant from Ireland" who were forcibly returned from Britain to Ireland in the 20th century and what plans they have to offer recompense to those affected.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Irish Government is implementing a redress scheme which provides compensation to survivors of historical wrongs in Ireland. The Department for Work and Pensions is considering how to legislate so that UK residents who receive this compensation do not have their benefits affected. The ongoing legalisation the PQ is in relation to is Inquiry (Mother and Baby Institutions, Magdalene Laundries and Workhouses) and Redress Scheme Bill

The Home Office has, to the best of its knowledge, confirmed that it does not hold the information requested.

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Found: Amanda Reynolds - Director General Strategy and Transformation, the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: Amanda Reynolds - Director General Strategy and Transformation, the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: Amanda Reynolds - Director General Strategy and Transformation, the Department for Work and Pensions

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Found: In the initial phase of independence, the Scottish Government would work with the Department for Work and Pensions

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Found: The former Minister for Housing wrote to the DWP Secretary of State on 31 January calling for UKG action

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