Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government when the threshold for qualifying for Small Employers' Relief was last up-rated, and from what level.

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

Small employers (those who have gross Class 1 National Insurance contributions liability of £45,000 or less in the previous tax year) can claim what is known as Small Employers Relief and can recover 100 percent of Statutory Maternity Pay they have paid out plus an additional compensation payment. This additional compensation payment is known as Small Employers’ Compensation and seeks to support small employers with the associated costs of having an employee on maternity leave which are not thought to affect large employers in the same way, such as the employer’s share of National Insurance contributions that might be payable, as well as administration and recruitment costs.

The same reimbursement arrangements apply to Statutory Paternity Pay, Statutory Shared Parental Pay, Statutory Adoption Pay, Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay and Statutory Neonatal Care Pay.

The threshold for qualifying as a small employer was increased in April 2004 from £40,000 to £45,000 (or less) of gross Class 1 National Insurance contributions liability in the previous tax year.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the report by the Children's Commissioner, Growing up in a low-income family: Children’s experiences, published on 8 July; and (2) the recommendation that children in low-income households be prioritised for access to new homes under the Affordable Homes Programme.

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

The Child Poverty Taskforce, co-chaired by the Work and Pensions and Education Secretaries, is committed to listening to the voices of children and families and embed the voices of these families directly into their work.

The Office of the Children’s Commissioner’s report, Growing up in a low-income family: Children‘s experiences, was commissioned by the Child Poverty Taskforce to provide evidence on children’s lived experience of poverty to support the development of an ambitious child poverty strategy. The findings of the report make for uncomfortable reading, but it is vital that we face up to the reality of what children in poverty are feeling so we can develop a Strategy that is fit for purpose and truly responds to the needs of children as they set out from their perspective. This valuable research forms part of the Taskforce’s ongoing wider work to ensure those voices are a central part of developing a strategy.

​The Child Poverty Unit, based in the Cabinet Office, worked closely with the Office of the Children’s Commissioner on the report, including at research design and reporting stages, and the findings have already been considered as part of strategy development.

​The Minister for School Standards is planning to meet with the Children‘s Commissioner for England to discuss the report in detail and a Children’s Commissioners roundtable, co-chaired by the Minister for Employment and the Minister for School Standards, will be held in September to bring together all four Children’s Commissioners for a broader discussion on child poverty.

​The Taskforce is considering the report’s recommendations in advance of publication of the strategy in the autumn.

Given the priority this government accords to social rented housing, at least 60% of homes delivered through the new Social and Affordable Homes programme will be for Social Rent.

The programme will not set numerical targets for particular types of homes other than Social Rent but will be designed with the flexibility necessary to support a greater diversity of social and affordable supply including council, supported, community-led and rural housing.

We will set initial targets for Homes England and the GLA after receiving bids from Registered Providers and will review these targets across the lifetime of the programme to maximise delivery. It is our intention to publish a full prospectus for the new Social and Affordable Homes Programme in autumn 2025 and open it for bids in the winter.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact on young disabled people and their families of the removal of eligibility of those under 22 years of age for the limited capability for work and work-related activity element of Universal Credit.

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

As part of the Pathways to Work Green Paper consultation, the Government invited views on the proposal to raise the minimum age for accessing the Universal Credit (UC) health element to 22. The consultation closed on 30 June, and we are now considering responses. The Government’s conclusion will be announced in due course.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the proposal to remove eligibility for the Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity group from people who are under the age of 22 will affect those in specialist education colleges.

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

The Universal Credit Bill makes no change to the eligibility of young people under 22 for the Universal Credit Health element. The proposal to restrict access to the element was the subject of a consultation which closed on 30 June. The responses to the consultation are now being reviewed, and the Government’s conclusion will be announced in due course.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to support disabled people with complex needs who are not eligible for the Youth Guarantee.

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

As set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper, we will launch a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 in England to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work.

We recognise, however, that for a small minority of young people, work may never be a realistic goal. We acknowledge that we would need to include special provisions for this group and are working through how they can be best identified and supported.

The current benefit system categorises too many young people as unable to work, often leaving them without meaningful engagement or support. For most disabled young people and young people with a health condition working at some point in the near future must be a credible ambition.

The Pathways to Work Green Paper set out proposals to create a distinct and active youth phase for people aged 18 to 21 in the health and disability benefit system. The consultation closed on 30 June, and we are now carefully reviewing all responses as we develop the new support offer and our expectations of engagement.

This will build on the many interventions already, or soon to be, in place to support disabled people and people with a health condition, more broadly. This includes our new voluntary Supported Employment programme, Connect to Work, which is rolling out across England and Wales throughout 2025 and provides bespoke employment support to help people get into, and stay in, sustainable work.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote savings, particularly in pensions.

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

Automatic Enrolment has succeeded in transforming pension saving with over 22 million employees participating in saving in 2023, an increase of over 10 million since its roll out in 2012. However, there is more to be done to build on this success as many people are still not saving enough for a financially secure retirement. This is why the government have relaunched the Pensions Commission which will explore how to improve retirement outcomes, especially for those at the greatest risk of under saving.

In addition to supporting pension saving, the government is committed to supporting people of all income levels and at all stages of life to save for their future goals and build greater financial resilience. This includes saving via Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs), which allow individuals to save up to £20,000 each year, and any savings income and gains within an ISA is tax free. Separately, the Help to Save scheme also aims to promote financial resilience among working households on low incomes. The existing Help to Save scheme has been extended until April 2027 and in April 2025 eligibility was extended to all Universal Credit claimants who are in work.

Through its MoneyHelper service, the Money and Pensions Service also offers practical tools such as savings calculators and budget planners to support people in developing regular saving habits, alongside specialist pensions guidance on how to grow their retirement pot. In addition, the government is working with the Financial Conduct Authority to roll out targeted support for consumers by early next year. This represents the biggest reform of the financial advice and guidance landscape in more than a decade and will represent a step change in the support that consumers receive to invest.

Hold a referendum before changing the state pension age.

Protect the value of workers salaries by making it a legal requirement that all employers increase salary and hourly wage, at the minimum, in line with inflation annually.

Require anti-ableism training in social services to support disabled parents, and improve transparency in safeguarding decisions.

We urge the Government to limit the hours of work on all construction sites (with limited exceptions) to 8 hours per day, increase the minimum wage for construction workers so they don't lose out, and fund more apprenticeships to encourage young people to enter trades.

We call upon the government to ensure that those receiving carer’s allowance continue to get it at the full amount when in receipt of the state pension.

I would like government to review how the mobility side of PIP is assessed for those that can drive. Some disabled people who drive are being refused this lifeline due to being able to "plan and carry out a journey" etc. I think this is extremely unfair and needs to be changed.

Currently, bereavement leave for parents after the loss of a child is two weeks. We believe this is not enough time to begin to grieve or plan and have the funeral before returning to work. We want to get the law changed so parents have more time to grieve after such a huge loss.

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Found: be very complicated so you should raise it with your local Jobcentre or speak to the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: be very complicated so you should raise it with your local Jobcentre or speak to the Department for Work and Pensions