Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that any proposals to amend the Access to Work scheme are subject to consultation with disabled people and piloted before implementation.

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

This Government values the input of disabled people and people with health conditions, their representative organisations and people that support them. That is why we brought forward the Green Paper and opened a public consultation. We are now carefully reviewing responses to the Green Paper.

We have recently concluded the Access to Work Collaboration Committees, in which we engaged with a range of stakeholders, including disabled people’s organisation representatives and lived experience users, to provide discussion, experience, and challenge to the design of the future Access to Work Scheme.

We are continuing to work closely with stakeholders, and in particular disabled people and their representatives.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the receipt of combined monthly benefit payments on claimants with (a) severe mental health conditions and (b) reduced capacity.

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

Universal Credit (UC) is designed to support people both in and out of work, using up to date information to assess UC entitlement each month, meaning that the benefit calculated accurately reflects the needs of the household.

DWP understands that some customers will require support to help them adjust to monthly payments. Money guidance on budgeting, debt, pensions and savings is provided at the customer’s initial work search interview. More frequent payments are available to customers who are struggling to adapt to monthly payments.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps with the Health and Safety Executive to review the level of criminal penalties and enforcement mechanisms for illegal gas work; and if the Health and Safety Executive will issue guidance to police on prioritising such cases.

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

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is responsible for the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 (GSIUR) which address the safe installation, maintenance, and use of gas systems, in commercial and domestic premises. These regulations require that no employer or self-employed person shall carry out gas work without Gas Safe Registration. HSE and Local Authorities regulate this through enforcement powers set under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.  Enforcement powers available to regulators include prosecution, prohibition notices and improvement notices.

HSE will apply the principles laid down in the Enforcement Policy Statement (EPS), Enforcement Management Model (EMM) and internal gas procedures to ensure that enforcement action is proportional to the health and safety risks and the seriousness of the breach.

HSE cannot review the level of criminal penalties for illegal gas cases. The Health and Safety Sentencing Guidelines are set by the Sentencing Council.  HSE and Local Authorities are the enforcing authorities under GSIUR and the police investigate homicide cases. Where a person dies because of illegal and/or poor-quality gas work; the police must decide whether a manslaughter offence has been committed, the priority given to the case is a matter for the investigating police force. Guidance is in place to support the HSE and police in the event of a fatal gas incident though the Work-Related Death Protocol.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the findings of the report by the Brain Tumour Charity entitled The Price You Pay: The Financial Impact of a Brain Tumour.

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

The welfare system is there to support people with their living costs in times of need. Universal Credit provides means-tested support including a standard allowance and additional amounts to provide for individual needs such as housing, children, disability, and childcare costs.

Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payment provide a contribution towards the extra costs that may arise from a long-term disability or health condition. These benefits are non-contributory, non-means-tested and can be worth up to £9,747.40 a year, tax free.

Additionally, we have launched the Timms Review to ensure PIP is fair and fit for the future. To ensure lived experience is at the heart of its work, the Review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, and other experts.

More details about the Review’s scope can be found in its Terms of Reference, available here: Timms Review of PIP: Terms of Reference.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many pension schemes have entered the Financial Assistance Scheme; and for what proportion of (1) schemes, and (2) scheme members, does the Pension Protection Fund have definitive copies of the original scheme's trust deed and rules in relation to pre-1997 pension increases.

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

As of 16 December 2025, 1,045 schemes have transferred into the Financial Assistance Scheme.

The Pension Protection Fund (PPF) holds a significant amount of scheme information. We are confident that the PPF will be able to identify the information needed and successfully implement the reforms to award pre-97 indexation uplifts to compensation payments.

The PPF is reviewing the information it holds for each scheme. Alongside scheme rules, the PPF will use additional data sources, including scheme return data, member booklets, data provided on transfer, valuation reports, annuity reports, and bulk buyout schedules.

Where the position is unclear, the clauses within the Pension Schemes Bill provide that the presumption is in favour of the members. In such cases, the PPF will award pre-97 indexation.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to improve the enforcement of child maintenance obligations in cases where non-resident parents repeatedly change employment or sources of income in order to evade their child maintenance liabilities.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Where a paying parent changes jobs, The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) uses real-time information from HMRC where available, to quickly identify new employment and adjust maintenance calculations accordingly.

People who are self-employed are required to keep accurate records of their business income and expenses for tax purposes. HMRC can charge penalties for inaccurate reporting where it results in tax being unpaid.

Where the information available from HMRC does not give rise to a liability which accurately reflects what a customer believes a paying parent should be paying, the parent can seek a Variation. Variations allow the CMS to look at some circumstances which are not covered by the basic maintenance calculation. A variation can be requested on grounds of diversion of income. This is when the paying parent may be able to control the amount of income they receive. This includes diverting income to another person or for another purpose (including excessive pension contributions).

Cases involving complex income can be investigated by the Financial Investigation Unit (FIU). This is a specialist team which can request information from financial institutions to check the accuracy of information the Child Maintenance Service is given.

If paying parents fail to meet their financial obligation to their children, the CMS has a range of strong enforcement powers including deduction from earnings orders and bank accounts, removing a parent’s passport or driving license and commitment to prison. These require time to be deployed effectively; this is obviously frustrating for parents, but is necessary to ensure that, as far as possible, the right person pays the right amount without imposing an excessive burden on employers, the banks, or the court system.

The government is working to introduce administrative liability orders 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 the system is in place, wee 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.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of young people entering the construction sector in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Government is committed to ensuring young people have access to high-quality technical education that leads to real job opportunities in construction. Earlier this year, we announced a £625 million investment to address skills shortages and support major national projects, including housing and clean energy.

This investment will expand construction courses in colleges and grow Skills Bootcamps - short, flexible courses designed for those starting out or looking to upskill. Foundation Apprenticeships in construction launched in August, providing a clear route into the industry, and additional Skills Bootcamps are now being delivered by local and national providers.

This package also created 10 new Technical Excellence Colleges across England.

The South East region’s designated Construction Technical Excellence College (CTEC) is North Kent College. As the regional hub, it supports a network of local providers across the South East - including Surrey Heath.

The package also funds more local placements and apprenticeships, giving learners practical experience close to home. Through these measures, we are creating strong pathways for young people, including those in Surrey Heath, to enter construction and build rewarding careers in a sector critical to the UK’s growth and Net Zero ambitions.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will meet the plastics manufacturing industry to discuss upskilling and the training of existing employees.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and ministers often meet with stakeholders regarding a range of matters. We are currently focusing our skills plans on the Government Priority sectors aligned to the industrial strategy which focuses on eight priority sectors.

We continue to engage with industry to support the upskilling and training of employees. The reforms set out in the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper support adult skills training for industries across our economy through the Growth Skills Levy, which received an additional £725m of investment at Budget 2025, the Adult Skills Fund, and the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) which will be available from academic year 2026/27.

Government provides a range of support that can help employers develop their workforce including apprenticeships, the growth and skills levy and free courses for jobs. In addition, Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs) and the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) can bring significant benefits to existing employees. HTQs can help employees move into higher-paying technical or managerial roles without needing a full degree. The Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) allows employees to access funding for these courses flexibly over their lifetime, reducing financial barriers.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish HSE enforcement data on illegal gas work, including (a) investigations, (b) prosecutions, (c) convictions, and (d) penalties imposed since 2020.

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

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is responsible for the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 (GSIUR) which address the safe installation, maintenance, and use of gas systems, in commercial and domestic premises. These regulations require that no employer or self-employed person shall carry out gas work without Gas Safe Registration. HSE and Local Authorities regulate this through enforcement powers set under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.  Enforcement powers available to regulators include prosecution, prohibition notices and improvement notices.

HSE will apply the principles laid down in the Enforcement Policy Statement (EPS), Enforcement Management Model (EMM) and internal gas procedures to ensure that enforcement action is proportional to the health and safety risks and the seriousness of the breach.

HSE cannot review the level of criminal penalties for illegal gas cases. The Health and Safety Sentencing Guidelines are set by the Sentencing Council.  HSE and Local Authorities are the enforcing authorities under GSIUR and the police investigate homicide cases. Where a person dies because of illegal and/or poor-quality gas work; the police must decide whether a manslaughter offence has been committed, the priority given to the case is a matter for the investigating police force. Guidance is in place to support the HSE and Police in the event of a fatal gas incident though the Work-Related Death Protocol.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate his Department has made of the (a) number of gas jobs conducted annually by unqualified workers and (b) the proportion assessed as unsafe; and what proportion of unsafe gas works are linked to carbon monoxide leaks.

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

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is responsible for the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 (GSIUR) which address the safe installation, maintenance, and use of gas systems, in commercial and domestic premises.  Under GSIUR, gas engineering businesses must be registered with the Gas Safe Register (GSR) to carry out work covered by the Regulations legally. GSR runs the approved registration scheme for gas engineers on behalf of HSE and, as part of its remit, it ensures that all registered engineers have the appropriate qualifications to conduct gas work, and it conducts investigations into illegal gas work.

HSE has not made an estimate of the number of gas jobs conducted annually by unqualified workers, but it does have statistics for HSE enforcement notices for work carried out by unregistered gas fitters and GSR investigations into unregistered gas work.

In 2024/2025, 522 site investigations were carried out into unregistered gas work and those investigations identified 4548 immediately dangerous, at risk or not to current standard defects which were attributed to unregistered fitters. HSE issued 44 prohibition notices in relation to unregistered gas work against 42 businesses.

HSE is unable to provide figures for the proportion of unsafe gas works that were linked to carbon monoxide.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) introducing a national inventory registrar for gas‑critical products and parts and (b) restricting access to those items to operatives holding Gas Safe Register accreditation.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 November 2025 to Question UIN 89028.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has plans for digital verification tools to confirm operative identity and competence at the point of purchase and installation of gas‑critical parts.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 November 2025 to Question UIN 89029.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many young people are not in education, employment or training because they are waiting for mental health, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or autism services or diagnosis.

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

Data is not available on the number of young people who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET) because they are waiting for mental health, attention deficit hyperactive disorder or autism services or diagnosis.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he has taken to support young people in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes into employment, education or training.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

This Government is investing in young people’s futures. At the Budget, we announced more than £1.5 billion of investment over the next three years, funding £820 million for the Youth Guarantee to support young people to earn or learn, and an additional £725 million for the Growth and Skills Levy.

Through the expanded Youth Guarantee, young people aged 16-24 across Great Britain are set to benefit from further support into employment and learning, including:

• Support to find a job: For young people on Universal Credit who are looking for work, we are introducing a new Youth Guarantee Gateway, which over the next three years will offer nearly 900,000 16–24-year-olds a dedicated session, followed by four weeks of additional intensive support with a Work Coach. This new support will identify specific work, training, or learning opportunities locally for each young person and ensure they are supported to take those up. This support could be delivered at a Youth Hub.
• Further expansion of Youth Hubs: We are expanding our network of Youth Hubs to over 360 locations so that all young people – including those not on benefits – can access opportunities and wider support in every local area of Great Britain. Youth Hubs will bring together partners from health, skills and the voluntary sector, working closely with Mayors and local authorities to deliver joined-up community-based support.
• c300,000 additional opportunities for workplace experience and training: For young people on Universal Credit who are looking for work, we will create up to 150,000 additional work experience placements and up to 145,000 additional bespoke training opportunities designed in partnership with employers – Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs). At the end of each SWAP, employers offer a guaranteed job interview to participants.
• Guaranteeing jobs: For long-term unemployed 18–21-year-olds on Universal Credit, the Jobs Guarantee scheme will provide six months of paid employment. This will reach around 55,000 young people over the next three years. We know young people need support quickly and that is why we will begin delivery of the Jobs Guarantee in six areas from spring 2026 in: Birmingham & Solihull, East Midlands, Greater Manchester, Hertfordshire & Essex, Central & East Scotland, Southwest & Southeast Wales. We will deliver over 1,000 job starts in the first six months. This will be followed by national roll-out of the Jobs Guarantee across Great Britain.
• Prevention: We are also making it easier to identify young people who need support, by investing in better data sharing for those who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), further education attendance monitoring, and new risk of NEET data tools giving local areas more accurate insights to target support where it's needed most. We are also investing in work experience opportunities for young people at particular risk of becoming NEET, focused on pupils in state-funded Alternative Provision settings, (education provided outside mainstream or special schools for children who cannot attend a regular school, often due to exclusion, health needs, or other circumstances). This builds on measures announced in the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper earlier this autumn.

The Growth and Skills Levy’s £725 million investment will deliver more apprenticeships for young people and help match skills training with local job opportunities. Young people will benefit from:

• increased access to training with full cost of apprenticeships at SME’s covered by Government.
• A new wave of foundation apprenticeships in sectors such as retail and hospitality sectors to get young people into work.
• Thousands more apprenticeship starts through a £140 million partnership with local leaders.

50,000 young people across the country will be better equipped for jobs of the future through a major investment to create more apprenticeships and training courses.

As this programme is across Great Britian, my hon. Friend will be assured that it will have an effect on his constituency.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the sustainability of prosthetics and orthotics apprenticeship provision in England; and what steps she is taking to support its continuation.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The department works closely with the Department for Health and Social Care to support the availability of a diverse range of training routes into health and care careers. We have worked with the health and care sector to design the Level 6 prosthetics and orthotics and Level 6 therapeutic radiography standards. These are approved for delivery and information about these standards, including funding bands, is published here and here.

Apprenticeship providers are independent bodies responsible for making their own decisions about which courses they deliver.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of therapeutic radiography apprenticeship provision; and what steps she is taking to support the long-term viability of those courses.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The department works closely with the Department for Health and Social Care to support the availability of a diverse range of training routes into health and care careers. We have worked with the health and care sector to design the Level 6 prosthetics and orthotics and Level 6 therapeutic radiography standards. These are approved for delivery and information about these standards, including funding bands, is published here and here.

Apprenticeship providers are independent bodies responsible for making their own decisions about which courses they deliver.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who have left or are at risk of leaving employment due to reductions in Access to Work awards upon renewal.

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

The Department for Work and Pensions does not collect data on the number of people who may have left or are at risk of leaving employment due to reductions in Access to Work awards upon renewal. Access to Work is only available to individuals who are starting or in employment, so this type of data is not recorded.

Customers who disagree with a renewal outcome may request a reconsideration of their award.

The Access to Work scheme supports disabled people start and stay in employment by providing tailored support based on individual needs.

In the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we consulted on the future of the Access to Work scheme. We are considering responses to the consultation and will set out our plans in due course.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many individuals have migrated from Employment Support Allowance to Universal Credit in the last 12 months.

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

The Department regularly publishes monthly Move to Universal Credit statistics, with the latest statistics available for July 2022 to end September 2025. The next publication on 17 February 2026 will include data up to and including December 2025.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, within Crawley constituency in the most recent 12 months for which data is available, what is the total amount resulting from (a) deductions and (b) sanctions applied to Universal Credit claims.

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

a) Universal Credit deductions statistics are published quarterly with the latest figures available in table 6, row 365 in Universal Credit deductions statistics, September 2024 to August 2025, supplementary data tables, at Universal Credit statistics, 29 April 2013 to 9 October 2025 - GOV.UK

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

The Deductions policy in Universal Credit is to support customers by providing a repayment method for arrears of essential services, such as, housing, electricity, and gas and enable customers with a child maintenance liability meet their obligation to make child maintenance payments. The deductions policy also enables obligations, such as, paying Court Fines and Council Tax arrears to be enforced when other repayment methods have failed, or are not cost effective, and ensures that benefit debt is recovered in a cost-effective manner.

From April 2025 the Government introduced the Fair Repayment Rate which reduced the level of deduction taken from Universal Credit from 25% to 15%, and meant that 1.2m households retained on average £420 per year enabling these UC households to have more of their award to meet their day-to-day needs.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many people were affected by the under-occupancy charge in each of the past five years.

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

Department for Work and Pensions administrative data on the number of people affected by the under-occupancy charge, formally known as the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy (RSRS), in Housing Benefit and Universal Credit, is shown in the table below. The figures represent the position as of August for each year from 2020 to 2025.

This information is publicly available through the DWP’s Stat-Xplore service at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households received more than £1,835 per month in benefits in the last period for which data is available.

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

The Family Resources Survey (FRS) is an annual report that provides facts and figures about the incomes and living circumstances of households and families in the UK. The FRS uses a nationally representative sample of UK households and includes data on benefit receipt, at both individual and family levels.

The latest FRS is available for 2023/24 and, in the ‘Income and state support data tables’, Table 2.14a shows the number of benefit units in the UK by the total amount of annual state support received for that financial year, plus the two preceding years. This data is also available in the ‘FRS Family 2’ table in the ‘Family (Benefit Unit) Dataset’ on Stat-Xplore. Please read the notes which accompany these tables.

You can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user and, if needed, you can access guidance on how to extract the information required. In addition there is also the FRS Stat-Xplore User Guide.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households have been assessed as qualifying for each exemption from the household benefit cap in each of the last 12 months.

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

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

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households are exempt from the household benefit cap because they meet the earnings rule.

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

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

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of (a) Health and Safety Executive policy not to adopt new hazard classes in GB CLP unless agreed at the United Nations Globally Harmonized System of classification and labelling of chemicals (UN GHS) and (b) proposed legislative changes by HSE that would remove the statutory obligation on it to respond to new EU hazard classifications within a statutory timeframe on trade within the UK internal market.

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

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recently sought views on the application of a consistent UK-wide Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) regime as part of the Chemicals Legislative Reform Proposals consultation which took place from 23 June 2025 to 18 August 2025. This included seeking views on whether the adoption of EU CLP measures in GB, including the EU hazard classes, would be one way of minimising possible trade disruption in the UK Internal Market. The consultation response is expected to be published in early 2026 subject to ministerial approval and the responses received will be used to inform future work to deliver a consistent UK-wide CLP regime. In the meantime, the current GB CLP framework allows duty holders to self-classify against the new EU hazard classes and for HSE to evaluate proposals for substances covered by the EU hazard classes to be added to the GB Mandatory Classification and Labelling List on a case-by-case basis.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will implement the recommendations of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s 2025 report entitled Women’s state pension age: our findings for the Department for Work and Pensions’ communication of changes.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced in his oral statement on 11 November 2025, we have decided to retake the decision made last December as it relates to the communications on state pension age.

The work is underway, and we will update the House on the decision as soon as a conclusion is reached.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to take steps to provide compensation to women impacted by changes to the state pension age.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced in his oral statement on 11 November 2025, we have decided to retake the decision made last December as it relates to the communications on state pension age.

The work is underway, and we will update the House on the decision as soon as a conclusion is reached.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking in response to the findings of PwC’s Youth Employment Index regarding the role of long-term sickness in driving youth economic inactivity.

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

Long-term sickness continues to be the most common reason for economic inactivity in the working age population. Good work is generally good for health and wellbeing, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. Backed by £240 million investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched in November 2024 is driving forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity.

Young disabled people and young people with health conditions are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key. We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems. Existing measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants, as well as joining up health and employment support around the individual through Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies, Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care and WorkWell.

Additionally, the Youth Guarantee and Pathways to Work will guarantee specialist support for young people with long-term health conditions and disabled young people. We have announced an £820 million funding package for the Youth Guarantee to overhaul support and give a generation of young people a brighter future.

We set out our plan for the “Pathways to Work Guarantee” in our Pathways to Work Green Paper and we are building towards our guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits. The guarantee is backed by £1 billion a year of new, additional funding by the end of the decade. We anticipate the guarantee, once fully rolled out, will include: a support conversation to identify next steps, one-to-one caseworker support, periodic engagement, and an offer of specialist long-term work health and skills support.

In recognition of employers’ vital role in addressing health-related economic activity, we appointed Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead the independent Keep Britain Working Review. The Report was published on 5 November. In partnership with DBT and DHSC, we are immediately launching Vanguards to test new employer-led approaches to support individuals to stay in work and develop a Healthy Workplace Standard, putting Sir Charlie’s key recommendations into action from day one.  Additionally, the JWHD has developed a digital information service for employers, continues to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme, and continues to increase access to Occupational Health.

The NHS 10 Year Health Plan, published in July, stated our intention to break down barriers to opportunity by delivering the holistic support that people need to access and thrive in employment by ensuring a better health service for everyone, regardless of condition or service area. It outlines how the neighbourhood health service will join up support from across the work, health and skills systems to help address the multiple complex challenges that often stop people finding and staying in work.

Additionally, Alan Milburn will author an independent report to tackle the persistently high numbers of young people out of work, education and training. The report will examine why increasing numbers of young people are falling out of work or education before their careers have begun, with a particular focus on the impact of mental health conditions and disability. It will make recommendations for policy response to help young people with health conditions access work, training or education, ensuring they are supported to thrive and are not sidelined. It will complement the Timms Review by focusing specifically on the links between youth mental health, economic inactivity and the benefit system.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the number of young people entering high-quality apprenticeships, particularly in places with historically low participation.

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

This government is transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer that will give greater flexibility to employers and support young people at the beginning of their careers.

In August, we introduced new foundation apprenticeships to give young people a route into careers in critical sectors, enabling them to earn a wage while developing vital skills. They are underpinned by additional funding for employers of up to £2,000 to contribute to the extra costs of supporting someone at the beginning of their career.

More recently, we have announced our ambition to support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships and backed this with an additional £725 million of investment. This will enable us to expand foundation apprenticeships into sectors that traditionally recruit young people. It also provides £140 million to pilot new approaches, with Mayoral Strategic Authorities, to better connect young people aged 16–24, especially those who are NEET, to local apprenticeship opportunities.

In addition, from the next academic year, the government will fully fund apprenticeships for non-levy paying employers (essentially small and medium sized enterprises) for all eligible people aged under 25. At the moment, this only happens for apprentices aged 16-21 and apprentices aged 22-24 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or have been, or are, in local authority care. This change will make it easier for those employers to engage with apprenticeships by cutting costs and reducing bureaucracy for both them and their training providers.

We also provide £1,000 to both employers and training providers when they take on apprentices aged under 19, or 19-to-24-year-old apprentices who have an EHCP or have been, or are, in care. Additionally, employers benefit from not being required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25, when the employee’s wage is below £50,270 a year.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the funding available for apprenticeship training, so that small and medium-sized enterprises can take on more apprentices.

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

This government is transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer that will give greater flexibility to employers and support young people at the beginning of their careers.

In August, we introduced new foundation apprenticeships to give young people a route into careers in critical sectors, enabling them to earn a wage while developing vital skills. They are underpinned by additional funding for employers of up to £2,000 to contribute to the extra costs of supporting someone at the beginning of their career.

More recently, we have announced our ambition to support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships and backed this with an additional £725 million of investment. This will enable us to expand foundation apprenticeships into sectors that traditionally recruit young people. It also provides £140 million to pilot new approaches, with Mayoral Strategic Authorities, to better connect young people aged 16–24, especially those who are NEET, to local apprenticeship opportunities.

In addition, from the next academic year, the government will fully fund apprenticeships for non-levy paying employers (essentially small and medium sized enterprises) for all eligible people aged under 25. At the moment, this only happens for apprentices aged 16-21 and apprentices aged 22-24 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or have been, or are, in local authority care. This change will make it easier for those employers to engage with apprenticeships by cutting costs and reducing bureaucracy for both them and their training providers.

We also provide £1,000 to both employers and training providers when they take on apprentices aged under 19, or 19-to-24-year-old apprentices who have an EHCP or have been, or are, in care. Additionally, employers benefit from not being required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25, when the employee’s wage is below £50,270 a year.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many liability orders have the Child Maintenance Services applied for in respect of non-resident parents who have repeatedly failed meet their child maintenance payment obligations in each of the last five years.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Child Maintenance Service may seek a Liability Order only when a Paying Parent has not met their obligations and other measures have been exhausted. In England and Wales, such orders may enable referral to enforcement agents, previously known as bailiffs, to recover arrears. In Scotland, enforcement proceeds through the Scottish civil court system.

The Department regularly publishes Child Maintenance Service official statistics, with the latest statistics available to September 2025. Table 6.1 of the accompanying National tables provides the information about enforcement actions used by the CMS. The table shows quarterly statistics for liability order applications and enforcement agent referrals for England & Wales, between October 2015 and September 2025.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many cases of bailiff action have occurred as a result of outstanding child maintenance payments in each of the last five years.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Child Maintenance Service may seek a Liability Order only when a Paying Parent has not met their obligations and other measures have been exhausted. In England and Wales, such orders may enable referral to enforcement agents, previously known as bailiffs, to recover arrears. In Scotland, enforcement proceeds through the Scottish civil court system.

The Department regularly publishes Child Maintenance Service official statistics, with the latest statistics available to September 2025. Table 6.1 of the accompanying National tables provides the information about enforcement actions used by the CMS. The table shows quarterly statistics for liability order applications and enforcement agent referrals for England & Wales, between October 2015 and September 2025.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of civil servants in his Department are (a) on temporary contract and (b) consultants.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Information on the number of civil servants employed on temporary contracts is published quarterly by the Office for National Statistics as part of the quarterly Public Sector Employment statistics. Information can be accessed for September 2025 at the following web address:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/bulletins/publicsectoremployment/september2025

Departmental expenditure on consultancy is published within the Annual Report and Accounts. The latest report for FY 2024/25 can be found at the following web address:

DWP annual report and accounts 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that people with a serious or terminal diagnosis are not required to repay benefit overpayments that arose due to official error, particularly in cases in which the claimant notified the Department promptly that they believed they were receiving benefits to which they were not entitled.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

All DWP colleagues are trained to support our most vulnerable customers and have access to a wide range of guidance to support them.

DWP will always strive to set affordable and sustainable repayment plans and encourages customers to make contact if they are unable to afford the proposed repayment rate.

People with a serious or terminal diagnosis can request that DWP cease recovery of their overpayment. This is a waiver request and details for claimants can be found here in Chapter 8 of this link : Benefit overpayment recovery guide - GOV.UK.

Claimants can also request mandatory reconsiderations and have the right to appeal overpayment decisions. This link sets out the path for this: Challenge a benefit decision (mandatory reconsideration): Eligibility - GOV.UK

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to use AI and digital technology to improve the efficacy of job and employment services.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

We are adopting AI in DWP to help colleagues deliver better outcomes for customers and to improve productivity and efficiency.

We will develop the Jobs and Careers Service to better support jobseekers and employers. As part of the design of the service, we will explore and test the most appropriate use of technology (including AI) to support job seekers with their work search.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support pensioners with (a) energy, (b) food and (c) housing costs in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

This Government provides a range of measures to help pensioners with the cost of living.

Most significantly, the Government’s commitment to supporting and delivering for older people by maintaining the Triple Lock throughout this Parliament will ensure the value of State Pensions continues to rise faster than prices over time. On current forecasts it means pensioners’ yearly incomes are set to rise by up to £2,100 by the end of this Parliament.

From this Winter, around 9 million pensioners in England and Wales, over three quarters of all pensioners, will benefit from Winter Fuel Payments. In addition, for eligible households, Cold Weather Payments are made automatically during periods of severe weather, and the Warm Home Discount provides a £150 annual rebate on electricity bills. Pensioners receiving Pension Credit qualify automatically for Cold Weather Payments and the Warm Home Discount.

Pension Credit continues to provide invaluable financial support to help low-income pensioners with their day-to-day living costs. That is why we have been running the biggest ever Pension Credit take-up campaign, promoting it to eligible pensioners, their families and friends, so that more pensioners receive the financial help to which they are entitled. Housing Benefit is also available to help pensioners who rent their homes. Pensioner homeowners who receive an income-related benefit, including Pension Credit, can receive Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI), which provides help towards the interest on eligible loans secured against their home and means they can stay in their homes without fear of repossession.

Finally, we have enabled local authorities such as Surrey County Council to provide discretionary assistance to pensioners facing hardship, through the Household Support Fund, which has been extended until March 2026. This fund helps vulnerable households with the cost of essentials such as food and energy.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many non-resident parents who have repeatedly failed to meet their child maintenance payment obligations have had their driving licenses disqualified as a consequence in each of the last five years.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The 2012 child maintenance reforms are designed to increase cooperation between separated parents and to ensure that children receive appropriate financial support. Where family-based arrangements are not suitable, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) operates a statutory scheme and applies a Payment Compliance strategy to address nonpayment. The CMS uses firm enforcement measures - such as liability orders, deductions from earnings, account deductions, passport and driving licence removal, and, in the most serious cases, imprisonment - when parents who have the means to pay choose not to. These powers are applied proportionately and in the best interests of children, and their deterrent effect ensures that their use remains low.

The Department regularly publishes Child Maintenance Service official statistics, with the latest statistics available to September 2025. Table 6.2 of the accompanying National tables provides the outcome information where the CMS applied to courts to sanction Paying Parents for non-compliance. The table shows quarterly statistics for both suspended and immediate prison sentences and driving disqualifications for England & Wales and for Scotland, between July 2019 and September 2025.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many non-resident parents who have repeatedly failed to meet their child maintenance payment obligations have been sent to prison in each of the last five years.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The 2012 child maintenance reforms are designed to increase cooperation between separated parents and to ensure that children receive appropriate financial support. Where family-based arrangements are not suitable, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) operates a statutory scheme and applies a Payment Compliance strategy to address nonpayment. The CMS uses firm enforcement measures - such as liability orders, deductions from earnings, account deductions, passport and driving licence removal, and, in the most serious cases, imprisonment - when parents who have the means to pay choose not to. These powers are applied proportionately and in the best interests of children, and their deterrent effect ensures that their use remains low.

The Department regularly publishes Child Maintenance Service official statistics, with the latest statistics available to September 2025. Table 6.2 of the accompanying National tables provides the outcome information where the CMS applied to courts to sanction Paying Parents for non-compliance. The table shows quarterly statistics for both suspended and immediate prison sentences and driving disqualifications for England & Wales and for Scotland, between July 2019 and September 2025.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of current apprenticeship standards in meeting the UK’s future workforce needs in the digital and green industries.

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

One of Skills England’s priorities is co-creating and refining a set of education and training products with employers and other partners, including occupational standards, apprenticeships and technical qualifications. Skills England is working with employers and other experts as well as analysing data to ensure apprenticeships and technical qualifications meet the needs of the current and future workforce.

Apprenticeships and technical education in the digital route play a crucial role in developing the next generation of skilled tech professionals, equipping them with the technical expertise and practical experience needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving industry.

Skills England have approved 34 digital apprenticeship standards representing a range of technical roles (e.g. digital support, network and telecoms, cyber, software design and development, data and AI) and unlike most occupations, they underpin a range of industries and employment sectors.

Skills England also has regular meetings with other government departments including DESNZ and DWP to ensure technical education supports Industrial Strategy priority sectors such as Digital and Clean Energy in order to drive growth.

The government’s Clean Energy Superpower mission includes challenging targets to provide lower cost, clean, secure power, with good jobs. The government published a Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan in June and a Clean Energy Jobs Plan in October. These documents set out how the government will contribute to the skills pipeline by making sure skills gaps in green industries are filled through a package of recruitment and training.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve labour market transitions for graduates and strengthen the capacity of the economy to absorb new labour market entrants.

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

Economic growth is the Government’s first mission: creating good jobs, raising living standards and improving public services. We are committed to ensuring that there is a vibrant and diverse labour market in the UK which offers good jobs for graduates and new labour market entrants. As part of our plan to Get Britain Working, we committed to reforming our public employment service through building a Jobs and Careers Service and as set out to the House of Commons on 8 December 2025, the Work and Pensions Secretary announced the expansion of our Youth Guarantee.

The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, published in October 2025, outlined our plan to deliver the skilled workforce our economy needs and provides graduate focused reforms that will ensure graduates have pathways into priority sectors with real labour market demand. The reforms include more flexible opportunities for graduates to retrain or upskill, more provision for blended learning and employer aligned courses and regionally expanded training aligned to priority sectors, delivered through Skills England and Strategic Authorities. Graduates in areas like digital, engineering, defence, and construction will benefit from more tailored pathways and employer partnerships.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to assess the level and effects of occupational formaldehyde exposure, particularly but not solely in the medical and veterinary fields; and what steps they plan to take to reduce damage to health from exposure.

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

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (2002) (COSHH) (as amended) is a robust and well-established regulatory framework in place to protect workers from the health risks associated with exposure to hazardous substances in the workplace, including formaldehyde.

Under COSHH, it is the responsibility of each employer to assess the risk from their work activities involving formaldehyde and to ensure that the exposure of their employees to this hazardous substance is either prevented, or where this is not reasonably practicable, adequately controlled.

Where workers or members of the public have serious concerns regarding the compliance of individual employers with these regulations, these can be raised with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) where concerns are triaged, and appropriate action taken to ensure employers are adequately controlling the risks from working with formaldehyde.

HSE is also working with stakeholder groups to remind employers of their duty to protect their employees from the risks associated with working with formaldehyde.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to increase (a) skills and (b) employment support for people in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency who are in receipt of sickness benefits.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Get Britain Working White Paper, published in autumn 2024, and Pathways to Work Green Paper, published in spring 2025, set out the Government’s plan on skills and employment support, including for those in receipt of sickness benefits.

Our Pathways to Work Guarantee offer of personalised employment, health and skills support for all disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits is backed by £1 billion a year of new funding by the end of the decade. Once fully rolled out, we anticipate this will include a support conversation to identify next steps, one-to-one caseworker support, periodic engagement and an offer of specialist long-term work health and skills support.

In addition, Connect to Work is being made available across all of England and Wales. This is a voluntary, locally commissioned, Supported Employment programme for individuals that are disabled, have a health condition or experiencing non-health related barriers to work to find and sustain employment. There is no benefit-related requirement for this programme. DWP has agreed up to £7.2m in funding to Buckinghamshire County Council to deliver Connect to Work support across Buckinghamshire to around 1650 people by the end of the decade. We understand that Buckinghamshire County Council expect to open their service to participants at the start of April 2026.

Through the Adult Skills Fund in the 2025/26 academic year, we are spending £1.4 billion for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to support adults to gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. In Buckingham and Bletchley, the Adult Skills Fund fully funds learners who are unemployed or earn less than £25,750 (annual gross salary).

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria his Department intends to use to evaluate progress towards the Child Poverty Strategy’s headline metrics.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We want to see an enduring reduction in child poverty over this parliament as part of long-term, 10-year strategy for lasting change.

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. It can be found here: Child Poverty Strategy: Monitoring and Evaluation Framework - GOV.UK.

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

Relative low income poverty is an internationally recognised income measure of poverty which reflects changing living standards over time. Deep material poverty is a new measure based on material deprivation, which reflects our commitment to addressing deeper child poverty. It is measured based on what families report they can afford.

We will publish a baseline report next summer which will set out the latest statistics and evidence, with annual reporting thereafter to monitor and evaluate progress.

We will continue to have a dedicated team in government that works with departments across the Government, the wider public, private sectors and civil society, to keep focus on tackling this stain of child poverty, with oversight from Ministers across Government.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what mechanisms are in place to ensure ministerial accountability to Parliament for progress on child poverty reduction.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We want to see an enduring reduction in child poverty over this parliament as part of long-term, 10-year strategy for lasting change.

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. It can be found here: Child Poverty Strategy: Monitoring and Evaluation Framework - GOV.UK.

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

Relative low income poverty is an internationally recognised income measure of poverty which reflects changing living standards over time. Deep material poverty is a new measure based on material deprivation, which reflects our commitment to addressing deeper child poverty. It is measured based on what families report they can afford.

We will publish a baseline report next summer which will set out the latest statistics and evidence, with annual reporting thereafter to monitor and evaluate progress.

We will continue to have a dedicated team in government that works with departments across the Government, the wider public, private sectors and civil society, to keep focus on tackling this stain of child poverty, with oversight from Ministers across Government.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many carers have been convicted of fraud since 2015 due to Carer’s Allowance overpayments.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has prosecuted cases of benefit fraud since 2012. DWP will refer cases where there is evidence that a claimant has deliberately claimed benefits they are not entitled to or provided false information. The decision to prosecute is decided by the CPS.

The NAO published DWP’s data on the number of cases related to the overpayments of Carer’s Allowance that were referred to the Crown Prosecution Service (or Procurator Fiscal in Scotland) for prosecution since 2015.

These are available on p.23 in the NAO Investigation into overpayments of Carer's Allowance report published on 26 April 2019. These volumes relate to cases where the individuals concerned have a Carer’s Allowance overpayment, however Carer’s Allowance might not be the primary benefit under consideration for the prosecution.

On p.30 in the NAO Carer’s Allowance report published on 11 December 2024. These volumes are only where a case is being referred for prosecution where a Carer’s Allowance overpayment was the primary benefit under investigation. Therefore, they are not directly comparable to the preceding volumes.

The volumes are for all prosecutions including earnings-related cases.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the sum of money was resulting from a) deductions and b) sanctions applied to Universal Credit claims in Truro and Falmouth constituency in the most recent 12 months for which data is available.

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

a) The Deductions policy in Universal Credit (UC) is to support customers by providing a repayment method for arrears of essential services, such as, housing, electricity, and gas and enable customers with a child maintenance liability meet their obligation to make child maintenance payments. The deductions policy also enables obligations, such as, paying Court Fines and Council Tax arrears to be enforced when other repayment methods have failed, or are not cost effective, and ensures that benefit debt is recovered in a cost-effective manner.

From April 2025 the Government introduced the Fair Repayment Rate which reduced the level of deduction taken from Universal Credit from 25% to 15%, and meant that 1.2m households retained on average £420 per year enabling these UC households to have more of their award to meet their day-to-day needs.

Universal Credit deductions statistics are published quarterly with the latest figures available in table 6, row 491 in Universal Credit deductions statistics, September 2024 to August 2025, supplementary data tables, at Universal Credit statistics, 29 April 2013 to 9 October 2025 - GOV.UK

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

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to improve local job opportunities for people in Yeovil constituency.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Through our Get Britain Working Strategy, we are reforming employment, health, and skills support to tackle economic inactivity, support people into good work, and create an inclusive, thriving labour market. This means recognising that no local labour market looks the same and our approach should be based on the unique needs of local communities and employers.

Regional DWP representatives worked with local government, NHS and wider stakeholders to develop and publish the Get Somerset Working plan, ensuring organisations maximise employment opportunities for citizens locally. They will continue to work with stakeholders as they implement the plan to support more people into good work across Somerset

Additionally, Somerset Council is working with DWP to finalise their delivery plan for the Connect to Work programme across Somerset. Connect to Work is a voluntary, locally commissioned, Supported Employment programme for disabled people and people with health conditions, to find and sustain employment. The service is expected to open to participants in Somerset at the start of April 2026.

In Yeovil, our Jobcentre Employer and Partnership Teams also work with a range of employers and partners to enhance the skills and employment support available locally. For example, working with the NHS and Care South to promote care work at jobs fairs and collaborating with Angard, Royal Mail’s recruitment partner, to supply staff throughout the year, including seasonal employment. Furthermore, through partnerships with the Salvation Army and Somerset County Council, we are delivering tailored employment support to local jobseekers.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department has issued on visits by DWP staff to claimant households.

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

Our Operational Instructions include a specific section to support colleagues undertaking Home Visits. For context, please find attached an excerpt from our Core Visits Referral Guide. Other topics in this section include content relating to Safeguarding, Communication Strategies and links to Learning and Development products. This content is available to all DWP staff.

Further sections related to Identity Verification and Keeping Customer Interactions Safe includes instructional content that supports DWP staff navigating systems, which store sensitive customer data and therefore is not suitable for public disclosure.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the independent review of Carer's Allowance overpayments.

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

The Independent Review into overpayments of Carer’s Allowance linked to earnings covered England and Wales. In view of the principle of parity with DWP in matters of social security, I informed the Minister for Communities of the Review’s findings and the Government’s response to them, and officials from the two Departments are in discussion on the issues raised. Since social security is transferred in Northern Ireland, questions 99735 and 99736 are matters for the Executive.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the number of unpaid carers in Northern Ireland affected by Carer's Allowance overpayments in relation to a) earnings and b) fluctuating earnings from 2015 to 2025.

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

The Independent Review into overpayments of Carer’s Allowance linked to earnings covered England and Wales. In view of the principle of parity with DWP in matters of social security, I informed the Minister for Communities of the Review’s findings and the Government’s response to them, and officials from the two Departments are in discussion on the issues raised. Since social security is transferred in Northern Ireland, questions 99735 and 99736 are matters for the Executive.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has had made an assessment of the potential impact of the findings and recommendations of the Independent Review of Carer's Allowance payments on carers in Northern Ireland.

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

The Independent Review into overpayments of Carer’s Allowance linked to earnings covered England and Wales. In view of the principle of parity with DWP in matters of social security, I informed the Minister for Communities of the Review’s findings and the Government’s response to them, and officials from the two Departments are in discussion on the issues raised. Since social security is transferred in Northern Ireland, questions 99735 and 99736 are matters for the Executive.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2025 to question 94838, what impact enacting HSE proposals to change GB Classification, Labelling and Packaging will have on divergence between EU and GB mandatory hazard classifications for the same substance.

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

The Health and Safety Executive’s assessment is that the proposed changes to the GB Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulation will not lead to greater divergence of the mandatory classification and labelling of individual substances between GB and the EU.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support employment businesses in verifying Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) eligibility in circumstances where agency workers may be registered at multiple agencies and claim SSP from each party.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Currently, agency workers can sign up to work for multiple agencies and, once they have done some work under that contract, are eligible to receive Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) from each individual employer during periods of sickness absence. This will not change. Guidance on gov.uk already provides support to employers in verifying an employee’s eligibility to SSP.

The changes being made to SSP through the Employment Rights Act ensure that people who work through employment agencies and employment businesses have comparable rights and protections to their counterparts who are directly employed. The changes to SSP are limited and do not change the existing eligibility criteria beyond removing the waiting period and Lower Earnings Limit.

The Government intends to conduct a post-implementation review (PIR) of the Employment Rights Act 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.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what their assessment is of the number of additional families and children who will be affected by the benefit cap as a result of its thresholds not being uprated from April 2026; and what its thresholds would be from April 2026 had they been uprated in line with the universal credit standard allowance since (1) 2016 when the current thresholds were set, and (2) 2023 when they were last uprated.

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

No assessment has been made of the number of additional families and children who will be affected by the benefit cap as a result of its thresholds not being uprated from April 2026.

The requested figures for thresholds uprated in line with the Universal Credit standard allowance are shown below. Note these are annual figures for 2026/27.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to introduce additional pension protections to recognise periods of unpaid childcare, to mitigate the long-term pension disparities faced by women arising from maternity leave and reduced earnings.

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

The new State Pension, introduced in 2016, addresses historically poorer outcomes for women, low earners and self-employed people. This means, on average, women on the new State Pension are receiving almost £20 more per week than those on the pre-2016 system. That is around 98% of the amount received by men (the average for women under the pre-2016 system is 86%).

There are a wide range of National Insurance credits available to support a diverse range of people to build up entitlement to a State Pension, including credits linked to the provision of care for children (under 12).

Automatic Enrolment has succeeded in transforming workplace pension participation rates, in particular for women. We have seen participation rates amongst eligible women in the private sector now equal with those for men.

However, significant gaps remain, both in terms of pension participation and wealth. That is why we revived the Pension Commission, to consider what is required in the long term to deliver a pensions framework that is stronger, fairer and more sustainable. This will include exploring how to improve retirement outcomes, including for women, and those on the lowest incomes and at the greatest risk of poverty or under-saving.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment it has made of the level of investments by open UK defined benefit schemes, including the Parliamentary Pension Scheme, into UK equities.

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

Private sector defined benefit (DB) pension schemes which are open to new members allocate 42% of their assets to equities. However, this is not broken down by UK equities. See the PPF Purple Book for further detail: https://www.ppf.co.uk/-/media/PPF-Website/Public/Purple-Book-Data-2025/Pension-Protection-Fund-Purple-Book-2025-accessible.pdf

Public sector DB pension schemes are estimated to allocate around 9% of their assets to listed UK equities. See the Pension Policy Institute’s 2025 “Pension scheme assets” report: https://www.pensionspolicyinstitute.org.uk/media/i2cgonin/20250604-pension-scheme-assets-2025-final.pdf

The scheme trustees are responsible for the investment strategy of the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund and information on asset allocation is published in the scheme’s Annual Report and Accounts. These are published on the website of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority www.theipsa.org.uk/annual-reports.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have received from the Welsh Government concerning Allied Steel and Wire pensioners; and what response they have made.

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

A significant number of Welsh Government ministers have written to the Minister for Pensions regarding Allied Steel and Wire pensioners or raised the issue orally.

Partly in response to Welsh Government representations, Budget 2025 announced that the UK Government will introduce increases on compensation payments from the Pension Protection Fund and Financial Assistance Scheme that relate to pensions built up before 6 April 1997. These will be CPI-linked (capped at 2.5%) and apply prospectively (i.e. to payments going forward) for members, including Allied Steel and Wire pensioners, whose former schemes provided for these increases.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a yellow card warning system in place of immediate benefit sanctions for certain groups of claimants.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

There are no such plans.

Details on the Department’s assessment and position on a number of benefit sanctions related matters, including the potential use of warnings, can be found in our recent response to the Work and Pensions Select Committee on Recommendation 4 of its report Get Britain Working: Reforming Jobcentres (HC 653) (https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/50172/documents/270724/default/).

As indicated, we have set out our plans to reform Jobcentre Plus in the Get Britain Working White Paper and this new service will shift the focus of the customer-work coach relationship to constructive, personalised, and career-focused discussions. In our Pathfinder in Wakefield, we have already begun to explore alternative approaches to how claimants demonstrate they're meeting their conditionality requirements with the aim of giving them more choice and empowerment on their journey into work.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of increasing funding for construction-related courses in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 November 2025 to Parliamentary Question UIN 90589.

Introduce universal, publicly-funded day care for children, including meals. This could support early development, ensure nutrition standards for children, reduce pressure on families, improve workforce participation for parents and strengthen the economy and productivity.

The “Polkey deduction” lets tribunals reduce compensation for unfair dismissal by estimating the chance an employee would have been dismissed even if a fair process had been followed. We think this undermines the statutory right to a fair procedure and rewards employers who bypass due process.

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Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase the availability of sign language education courses.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

There are a variety of British Sign Language (BSL) qualifications available, from Level 1 through to Level 6. This includes Level 1 and 2 accredited qualifications offered by the Institute of British Sign Language, Signature and ABC Awards.

There are also funds available for adults who want to learn new skills through the Adult Skills Fund (ASF), which fully funds or co-funds skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3. 68% of the ASF is devolved to 13 strategic authorities, including the East Midlands Authority, who are responsible for ASF provision to their residents. The Department for Work and Pensions is responsible for the remaining ASF and makes funding available for a range of qualifications including the Level 1 Award in BSL.

The government, working with Ofqual, has also developed the content and assessment arrangements for a new BSL GCSE.

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Found: Andy Aston (NW Regional Skills Hub) highlighted collaboration with DWP in England for upskilling.