Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish figures for the percentage of Universal Credit claimants who are working, broken down by hourly increments, in each of the past five years.

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

Statistics on the number of people on Universal Credit are regularly published on Stat-Xplore, with the latest statistics by employment status available to February 2026. As there is no limit to how many hours a person can work and still get Universal Credit, information on the number of hours worked for those in employment is not collated.

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 service accessibility for deaf claimants who also have additional support needs.

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

The Department is committed to pursuing a just, equal, and inclusive society, ensuring independence and control for everyone, including our deaf customers.

Customers can communicate with us using Relay UK. We also offer email as a reasonable adjustment as well as a range of different (or alternative) formats such as Easy Read, which uses succinct and simplified language combined with images to convey information about government benefits and services.

UC customers can also communicate with us using the UC journal.

As a department we continue to recognise the importance and value of British Sign Language. We take our commitments seriously and are continuously seeking ways to improve the BSL services we offer.

We’re almost one year into our BSL 5-year plan and have made good progress against our goals. This includes:

• Deployment of the Video Relay Interpreting service into all Job centres and Universal Credit Review (UCR) Service Centres

• Developing our first set of BSL video standards, which are currently being reviewed by stakeholders prior to implementation

• Reviewing all existing learning content, identifying improvements for deaf and hard of hearing customers

• Creating DWP’s first ever ‘YouTube Short’ in BSL to improve our target reach and communication mediums

For customers with additional support needs, the department offers a wide range of reasonable adjustments, including a visiting service for vulnerable customers who are unable to use our other contact routes, and support from Disability Employment Advisors within our jobcentres.

We continue to review our services and make improvements to ensure they are accessible and responsive to customer needs.

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 access to his Department's services for deaf claimants.

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

The Department is committed to pursuing a just, equal, and inclusive society, ensuring independence and control for everyone, including our deaf customers.

Customers can communicate with us using Relay UK. We also offer email as a reasonable adjustment as well as a range of different (or alternative) formats such as Easy Read, which uses succinct and simplified language combined with images to convey information about government benefits and services.

UC customers can also communicate with us using the UC journal.

As a department we continue to recognise the importance and value of British Sign Language. We take our commitments seriously and are continuously seeking ways to improve the BSL services we offer.

We’re almost one year into our BSL 5-year plan and have made good progress against our goals. This includes:

• Deployment of the Video Relay Interpreting service into all Job centres and Universal Credit Review (UCR) Service Centres

• Developing our first set of BSL video standards, which are currently being reviewed by stakeholders prior to implementation

• Reviewing all existing learning content, identifying improvements for deaf and hard of hearing customers

• Creating DWP’s first ever ‘YouTube Short’ in BSL to improve our target reach and communication mediums

For customers with additional support needs, the department offers a wide range of reasonable adjustments, including a visiting service for vulnerable customers who are unable to use our other contact routes, and support from Disability Employment Advisors within our jobcentres.

We continue to review our services and make improvements to ensure they are accessible and responsive to customer needs.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what mechanisms are in place for housing providers to report the end of a tenancy where Universal Credit Housing Element is paid directly to landlords; and what steps his Department is taking to prevent and recover overpayments made in such circumstances.

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

Landlords can report changes of this nature through a range of routes, including by email and via the Department’s Employment and Partnership Manager network. However, Universal Credit is designed around the principle that claimants are responsible for reporting changes of circumstance. For that reason, while information from landlords can trigger checks and investigation, claimants are still required to make a declaration through “report a change”.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the answer of 7 November 2025 to question 86273, which variables determine whether the automated system is able to identify two sets of monthly earnings in one Universal Credit assessment period.

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

In most cases, claimants who receive two sets of monthly earnings in one Universal Credit assessment period are identified automatically and their award is corrected.

This reflects established policy intent and is implemented through system coding based on data received from HM Revenue and Customs. However, a small number of cases are not picked up by the automated process because of the complexity of the claimant’s individual circumstances.

This usually arises in situations where earnings do not follow a consistent or standard pattern, making them harder for automated systems to assess accurately. This can include irregular pay patterns or variations in how employers report earnings through Real Time Information (RTI).

In these cases, earnings may not follow a standard pattern that the system can correct automatically, and manual intervention is required to ensure the claimant receives the correct Universal Credit entitlement.

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 migration from legacy benefits to Universal Credit does not affect a benefit claimant's eligibility for Council Tax Reduction, including the level of reduction they are entitled to; and what steps he is taking to help ensure that local authorities treat the Universal Credit transitional element as a regular part of a Universal Credit award for the purposes of determining Council Tax Reduction eligibility.

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

DWP does not have any control over council tax schemes, and overarching responsibility for Local Council Tax Reduction lies with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). As a result, Council Tax Reduction entitlement may differ from the support customers previously received under legacy benefits.

We recognise that this can be difficult for customers, particularly where there has been no change in their overall household income following migration to Universal Credit. Transitional protection is designed to protect customers’ benefit entitlement levels when they move to Universal Credit. It does not provide cover for schemes that are administered by local authorities, including Council Tax Reduction, which are assessed separately from benefit entitlement.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people assessed at a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment as having a terminal condition did not receive PIP under the Special Rules in each of the latest 12 months for which data is available.

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

The Department does not collect information centrally for analysis on whether a claimant’s condition is terminal.

The Special Rules for End of Life allow people nearing the end of their life to get faster and easier access to PIP at the highest rates. The Department considers anyone likely to have fewer than 12 months to live as nearing the end of life.

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 the continuity of Adult Skills Fund allocations to further education colleges in Hampshire during the transition to the devolved skills settlement.

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

We are committed to investing in education and skills training for adults and are investing over £1.4 billion in the Adult Skills Fund (ASF) this academic year. The principal purpose of the ASF is to engage adults and provide the skills and learning they need to equip them for work, an apprenticeship or further learning.

As of August 2025, approximately 68% of the ASF has been devolved to 12 Strategic Authorities and the Greater London Authority. These authorities are responsible for the provision of ASF-funded adult education for their residents and allocation of the ASF to learning providers. The Department for Work and Pensions provides the remaining funding for learners who live in non-devolved areas.

Hampshire is currently a non-devolved area, meaning the Department funds the providers including further education colleges who decide what provision to offer. Until powers are transferred, the Department will continue to fund providers in Hampshire directly.

We believe that local areas should have more of a say and control over adult education in their areas. As such Government agreed a devolution deal with Hampshire and the Solent including, from academic year 27/28, the devolution of the ASF. This will provide the area with the ability to commission adult education for Hampshire and the Solent residents.

Under the arrangements set out in devolution deals, local areas assume the duties set out in statute around providing free courses for adults. These national statutory entitlements ensure a level of consistency across the country. By honouring our commitments to combine and further devolve adult skills funding, we give those with local knowledge the power they need to make decisions that are best for their areas and their residents.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues regarding expanding work-based training capacity for sustainable built environment careers.

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

We are working closely with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) on a range of sustainable built environment careers to ensure that the move to a clean economy benefits us all.

We are contributing labour market insight and employer engagement expertise to DESNZ’s work on the Clean Jobs Employer Handbook, which is being developed to help employers recruit into green and net zero roles.

We have also established support for our customers to apply for clean energy jobs. Our Strategic Relationship Team (SRT) has utilised employer and partner expertise to create digital resources for work coaches and employer advisors, so they are aware of the clean energy job opportunities available to our customers. In late 2025, SRT partnered with Energy and Utility Skills to develop a ‘sector-entry’ pilot. This commenced in early 2026 and supports entrants into the sector.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 16 March 2026 to Question 114815 on Administration of Estates: Correspondence, what proportion of reviews of the state pension record of the deceased were completed within (a) 15 days where there was a surviving spouse or civil partner of a customer over the State Pension age, (b) 20 days where there was no surviving spouse or civil partner of a customer over the State Pension age and (c) over 8 weeks where the customer was over the State Pension age in each of the last three years.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (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 he has made of the potential impact of the Autumn Budget 2025 on levels of youth unemployment in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.

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

This Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. For many years our young people have not had the opportunity and support they deserve. Under the last government, between 2021 and 2024, the number of young people not in education, employment or training increased by 250,000.

Building on the Youth Guarantee and Growth and Skills Levy announcement at Budget, the Government committed a further £1 billion for young people on 16^th March 2026, taking total additional investment into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy to £2.5 billion over the next three years. This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.

As part of this package, the Government is delivering eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in England, expanding Youth Hubs to more than 360 areas across Great Britain and introducing a new Youth Guarantee Gateway in Jobcentres. The Gateway will provide 16-24-year-olds on Universal Credit a dedicated session and follow-up support to help them move into work, training or education.

This investment will also create around 300,000 more opportunities to gain workplace experience and training, including up to 150,000 work experience placements and up to 145,000 employer designed training opportunities, such as Sector based Work Academy Programmes, which offer participants a guaranteed job interview at the end.

In addition, the Government is taking action to support employers to recruit and train young people, helping to unlock up to 200,000 more employment opportunities. This includes a new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for employers who hire 18–24-year-olds who have been on Universal Credit for over six months, a new £2,000 apprenticeship incentive for small and medium sized employers hiring 16–24-year-old, and the Jobs Guarantee scheme, providing long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds with a fully funded six month job.

The Government will also prioritise prevention, building on measures announced in the Skills White Paper. The Government will improve support in schools, monitor attendance, increase access to work experience and work with local authorities to pilot auto-enrolling young people in further education, if needed.

In Surrey Heath, young people are already supported through Camberley Youth Hub, which provides high-quality, holistic support, including mental health, housing, essential and vocational skills, and employer engagement. Ensuring support for every young person, including those not claiming benefits, aged 16–24 has access to training, apprenticeships, or employment support.

The information requested on trends in levels of youth unemployment and economic inactivity is published and available at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp(opens in a new tab) and the guidance for users can be found at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp(opens in a new tab).

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 young people into (a) employment, (b) education and (c) training in Surrey Heath constituency.

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

This Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. For many years our young people have not had the opportunity and support they deserve. Under the last government, between 2021 and 2024, the number of young people not in education, employment or training increased by 250,000.

Building on the Youth Guarantee and Growth and Skills Levy announcement at Budget, the Government committed a further £1 billion for young people on 16^th March 2026, taking total additional investment into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy to £2.5 billion over the next three years. This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.

As part of this package, the Government is delivering eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in England, expanding Youth Hubs to more than 360 areas across Great Britain and introducing a new Youth Guarantee Gateway in Jobcentres. The Gateway will provide 16-24-year-olds on Universal Credit a dedicated session and follow-up support to help them move into work, training or education.

This investment will also create around 300,000 more opportunities to gain workplace experience and training, including up to 150,000 work experience placements and up to 145,000 employer designed training opportunities, such as Sector based Work Academy Programmes, which offer participants a guaranteed job interview at the end.

In addition, the Government is taking action to support employers to recruit and train young people, helping to unlock up to 200,000 more employment opportunities. This includes a new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for employers who hire 18–24-year-olds who have been on Universal Credit for over six months, a new £2,000 apprenticeship incentive for small and medium sized employers hiring 16–24-year-old, and the Jobs Guarantee scheme, providing long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds with a fully funded six month job.

The Government will also prioritise prevention, building on measures announced in the Skills White Paper. The Government will improve support in schools, monitor attendance, increase access to work experience and work with local authorities to pilot auto-enrolling young people in further education, if needed.

In Surrey Heath, young people are already supported through Camberley Youth Hub, which provides high-quality, holistic support, including mental health, housing, essential and vocational skills, and employer engagement. Ensuring support for every young person, including those not claiming benefits, aged 16–24 has access to training, apprenticeships, or employment support.

The information requested on trends in levels of youth unemployment and economic inactivity is published and available at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp(opens in a new tab) and the guidance for users can be found at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp(opens in a new tab).

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether there have been any (a) disciplinary actions and (b) dismissals of (i) DWP and (ii) executive agency officials for unauthorised access to personal data since July 2024.

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

DWP takes its responsibility to safeguard personal data extremely seriously. All staff have an obligation to report suspected breaches; security responsibilities are covered in mandatory security training, undertaken annually.

As of 28 February 2026, we have 94,876 employees in the Department, of which, there are 227 individuals who have a disciplinary case currently open or closed within the last 12 months relating to ‘Unauthorised Access’, of which 7 individuals were dismissed. These figures cover both paid and unpaid Department for Work and Pensions staff only.

Information on the other parts of the question would only be available at disproportionate cost as data is not held on central DWP systems.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the Universal Credit claimant count has been in (a) Leiston and (b) the IP16 postcode area in each month since January 2022.

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

Monthly Universal Credit statistics showing the number of people on Universal Credit, for the Postcode Area IP16, and the Ward Aldeburgh & Leiston or Leiston Jobcentre Plus office, are published in the People on Universal Credit dataset on Stat-Xplore, and are currently available to February 2026.

Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract information. There is also a Universal Credit Official Statistics: Stat-Xplore user guide.

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 merits of exemptions and higher mileage allowances for Motability Scheme users with significant healthcare travel needs, including applying the previous average annual allowance of 12,000 miles per annum.

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

Responsibility for the terms and administration of the Scheme sits with Motability Foundation and its Board of Governors.

The changes to the leasing package were announced on 26 March and include reducing the mileage allowance from 20,000 per year to 10,000 per year. Changes only apply to new leases and there are no changes to the mileage allowance of existing leases. Motability Foundation have advised that approximately 75% of customers on the Scheme already use less miles than the proposed new mileage allowance. They have acknowledged that there will be an impact on some customers and are considering if the impact can be mitigated in some limited circumstances.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has he made of the impact of the reduction in mileage allowance under the Mobility scheme from 1 July 2026 on disabled people living in rural areas.

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

Responsibility for the terms and administration of the Scheme sits with Motability Foundation and its Board of Governors.

The changes to the leasing package were announced on 26 March and include reducing the mileage allowance from 20,000 per year to 10,000 per year. Changes only apply to new leases and there are no changes to the mileage allowance of existing leases. Motability Foundation have advised that approximately 75% of customers on the Scheme already use less miles than the proposed new mileage allowance. They have acknowledged that there will be an impact on some customers and are considering if the impact can be mitigated in some limited circumstances.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of amending the Social Security Administration (Representation) Regulations 1999 to allow appointees to manage child trust funds on behalf of mentally incapable young adults aged 18 and over.

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

The DWP appointee system gives access to social security benefits only. It does not give access to monies held in Child Trust Funds. Where the owner of the fund is incapable of accessing the funds themselves, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 provides for how a third party can do that on their behalf, namely, through the Court of Protection.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department collects information on whether claimants have caring responsibilities when they register for out of work benefits.

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

During the application process for Universal Credit the applicant is asked whether they are caring for someone with a health condition or disability. Information is not collected as part of a claim for New Style Jobseekers Allowance as it is not relevant for the award.

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 Public and Commercial Services Union on the Synergy contract awarded to Capita.

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

Ministers and officials regularly discuss a range of matters with PCS and other trade unions.

I have also recently written to the General Secretary of PCS on this matter specifically.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the completion rate of apprenticeships since the introduction of end point assessment.

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

The apprenticeship ‘National achievement rate tables’ are published in the Apprenticeships statistics publications.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average response time is for the Pension Service.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Information regarding the performance of The Pension Service can be found in the Annual Reports and Accounts 2024-25 linked here - DWP Annual Report and Accounts 2024 to 25

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman report on changes to women's State Pension age, published on 21 March 2024, if he will make an assessment of the potential (a) economic and (b) social impact on 1950s-born women in Hartlepool.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government carefully considered the findings of the Ombudsman’s report on the communication of changes to women’s State Pension age, and a detailed response including an Equality Analysis has been deposited in the House Library.

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 ensure (a) transparency and (b) accountability in the administration of child maintenance services.

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

The Department is committed to ensuring transparency and accountability in the administration of the Child Maintenance Service (CMS).

The Child Maintenance Decision Makers’ Guide is published on GOV.UK and provides transparency around CMS policy and guidance for both caseworkers and customers. This guidance is used alongside the Child Support Act 1991 and associated regulations, ensuring that all decisions comply with DWP policy and statutory requirements.

In addition, CMS issues operational instructions that support caseworkers in their day-to-day decision-making and promote the consistent and uniform application of rules.

The Department also publishes quarterly CMS statistics, with the most recent release covering data up to December 2025. These are supported by detailed breakdowns on Stat‑Xplore and a suite of tables within the national statistics.

Accountability is strengthened through independent external audits through National Audit Office and Government Internal Audit Agency.

External Audit reports are prepared every year and are included in the annual accounts: CMS Client Funds Accounts, providing assurance over the management of funds and enabling parliamentary and public scrutiny. For the year 25/26, going forward, Client Funds Accounts will be removed, and reporting of CMS funds will be included in the DWP Annual Report and Accounts.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of removing the 4% collection fees for receiving parents using the child maintenance service.

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

Following a public consultation on wider reforms to consolidate the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) into a single service type where the CMS collects and transfers payments, the Government published its response setting out plans to reform the CMS. This includes plans to reduce fees to 2% for both receiving parents and compliant paying parents, maintaining the 20% rate for non-compliant paying parents on top of their calculated maintenance amount.

The reformed service is expected to improve CMS’s ability to re-establish compliance more efficiently when payments break down. Retaining fees at this substantially reduced level will balance the interests of customers with the need to offset the cost of the service and provide the investment needed to make the reforms, reducing the burden on the taxpayer.

Our intention is to implement these changes as soon as parliamentary time allows.

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 proposed changes to Motability mileage allowances on disabled people living in rural areas.

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

Responsibility for the terms and administration of the Scheme sits with Motability Foundation and its Board of Governors.

The changes to the leasing package were announced on 26 March and include reducing the mileage allowance from 20,000 per year to 10,000 per year. Changes only apply to new leases and there are no changes to the mileage allowance of existing leases. Motability Foundation have advised that approximately 75% of customers on the Scheme already use less miles than the proposed new mileage allowance. They have acknowledged that there will be an impact on some customers and are considering if the impact can be mitigated in some limited circumstances.

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 adequacy of the consultation undertaken on proposed changes to Motability mileage allowances.

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

Responsibility for the terms and administration of the Scheme sits with Motability Foundation and its Board of Governors.

The changes to the leasing package were announced on 26 March and include reducing the mileage allowance from 20,000 per year to 10,000 per year. Changes only apply to new leases and there are no changes to the mileage allowance of existing leases. Motability Foundation have advised that approximately 75% of customers on the Scheme already use less miles than the proposed new mileage allowance. They have acknowledged that there will be an impact on some customers and are considering if the impact can be mitigated in some limited circumstances.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, has the department reviewed the impact on disabled people when changing the mileage allowance from 20,000 miles to 10,000 miles in the Motability Scheme.

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

Responsibility for the terms and administration of the Scheme sits with Motability Foundation and its Board of Governors.

The changes to the leasing package were announced on 26 March and include reducing the mileage allowance from 20,000 per year to 10,000 per year. Changes only apply to new leases and there are no changes to the mileage allowance of existing leases. Motability Foundation have advised that approximately 75% of customers on the Scheme already use less miles than the proposed new mileage allowance. They have acknowledged that there will be an impact on some customers and are considering if the impact can be mitigated in some limited circumstances.

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 accuracy of the payment calculation approach used by the Child Maintenance Service.

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

The Department of Work and Pensions assures the accuracy of Child Maintenance payment calculations. As part of its Quality Framework, the measurement carried out by the Department is then independently assured by the National Audit Office.

Information on calculation accuracy is published annually in the Child Maintenance Service Client Funds Accounts, which show that since 2020 the CMS has consistently achieved an assessment accuracy rate exceeding the benchmark of 99%.

Around 90 per cent of Child Maintenance calculations are based on verified HMRC earnings data and DWP benefit records, reducing the risk of income mis‑declaration, supporting timely and reliable assessments. Calculations use the most recent HMRC tax year available, are automatically reviewed annually, and may be reassessed at any time where income changes by 25 per cent or more. Statutory rates reflect income, number of children and shared care arrangements, with a flat rate protecting those on the lowest incomes.

The Department regularly review the calculation methodology to ensure it remains fair, accurate and supports compliance.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is currently taking to improve the training of staff and quality of service for users of the child maintenance service.

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

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to improving customer experience and are taking significant steps to enhance service quality for customers.

All CMS caseworkers receive extensive technical and soft skills training to ensure they are fully equipped to meet the needs of customers. We are investing in developing, reviewing, and improving new entrant and caseworker training materials and delivery across CMS in order to ensure greater consistency in customer interactions. Our transformed caseworker Smart Instructions ensure guidance is clearer, easier to follow, and more consistent, enabling caseworkers to access up to date instructions more quickly and reliably during customer interactions.

CMS proactively use quality assurance checks, call listening, customer insight from complaints and feedback to identify where caseworkers may need additional coaching or support to deliver a consistent and confident telephony service.

Through our Service Modernisation Programme, we are expanding digital channels and self-service options providing greater choice and flexibility and a faster and more responsive service to our customers. We have enhanced customer communications by increasing the use of SMS text and email and simplifying letters to make them clearer and easier to understand. Our online service My Child Maintenance Case (MCMC), allows parents to access advice and manage their case 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the child maintenance service a) minimises and mitigates administrative or otherwise errors and b) that parents using the child maintenance service are not incorrectly moved onto a non-enforced payment method despite a history of missed payments.

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

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) has a range of controls in place to minimise administrative and other errors.

CMS uses verified income information from HM Revenue and Customs and other government systems and applies statutory calculation rules in assessing maintenance liabilities. Caseworkers are supported by detailed operational instructions, the Child Maintenance Decision Makers’ Guide, and child maintenance legislation to ensure decisions are made accurately and consistently. Quality assurance activity is used to identify, mitigate, and address errors, including through case sampling, call listening, and management oversight.

Decisions on whether a case is managed under a non‑enforced or enforced payment method are based on an assessment of a paying parent’s payment history, likelihood of compliance in line with policy guidance and statutory regulations. Caseworkers are required to record decision making for changes in payment method, and these decisions are subject to team leader and quality assurance checks as part of the Department’s Quality Assurance Framework.

Parents are provided with written explanations of calculations and decisions and have access to mandatory reconsideration and independent appeal routes where they believe a decision is incorrect.

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 mileage restrictions applied to Motability scheme vehicles on disabled people and families living in semi‑rural and rural areas, particularly those reliant on their vehicle to travel longer distances to work, education settings and schools, healthcare appointments and other essential services; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that such restrictions do not create geographic inequality for disabled people.

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

Responsibility for the terms and administration of the Scheme sits with Motability Foundation and its Board of Governors.

The changes to the leasing package were announced on 26 March and include reducing the mileage allowance from 20,000 per year to 10,000 per year. Changes only apply to new leases and there are no changes to the mileage allowance of existing leases. Motability Foundation have advised that approximately 75% of customers on the Scheme already use less miles than the proposed new mileage allowance. They have acknowledged that there will be an impact on some customers and are considering if the impact can be mitigated in some limited circumstances.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many young people aged 16-24 are claiming the Universal Credit health element while in full-time non-advanced education under Universal Credit rules.

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 recent progress his Department has made on the national roll-out of the Youth Jobs Guarantee.

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

The Department recently announced that, for national rollout, eligibility for the Jobs Guarantee will be expanded to include 22-24-year-olds, meaning all eligible 18-24-year-olds across Great Britain will benefit from a fully funded six month guaranteed paid employment opportunity. Once fully rolled out, the scheme is expected to support more than 90,000 young people over the next three years.

We know that young people need support quickly, which is why delivery of Phase One of the Jobs Guarantee will begin from Spring 2026. The grant application window for Phase One has now closed and applications are being assessed, with successful Delivery Organisations to be announced in due course.

This will be followed by national rollout across Great Britain in Autumn 2026. Learning from Phase One will be used to support effective national delivery of the scheme, alongside close working with Delivery Organisations and employers. This will ensure the scheme is delivered as intended for all eligible young people.

Further details on delivery will be set out in the coming weeks.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government are taking to help increase employment opportunities for people with autism.

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

The Government is committed to supporting all neurodivergent people, including autistic people, into and at work. This is part of our wider commitment to drive healthy and inclusive workplaces for all.

Our employment support for neurodivergent people is led by DWP’s £1 billion, voluntary, locally-led Supported Employment programme, Connect to Work. It covers all of England and Wales, with the exception of Greater Manchester which is using their Connect to Work funding to pilot their Prevention Demonstrator, through their Integrated Settlement.

Connect to Work will support around 300,000 disabled people, people with health conditions and individuals with complex barriers to employment by the end of the decade. It offers intensive, personalised employment support to help people move into and stay in paid employment, and is built around two internationally recognised evidence-based Supported Employment frameworks: Individual Placement and Support, and the Supported Employment Quality Framework. The latter has been specifically designed to support neurodivergent people and those with learning disabilities into sustainable jobs. Crucially, Connect to Work supports both participants and employers, helping to ensure that individuals are given the best chance to succeed once in work.

We recognise that supporting employers to understand the needs of neurodivergent employees is also key to our efforts. This year we funded free-of-charge neurodiversity masterclasses, delivered by ACAS, to help small and medium sized businesses build their understanding of neurodivergence and improve workplace support. Over 1800 representatives of small and medium sized businesses attended these masterclasses.

As announced early this year, we are reforming our Disability Confident scheme by strengthening its criteria and expectations to drive meaningful change across its approximately 19,000 employer members and the estimated 11.5 million employees working in their organisations. The reforms will provide clearer, more robust guidance on inclusive recruitment and retention, including for autistic people; and these reforms are being closely aligned with the work of the Keep Britain Working Review.

As part of the vanguard phase of the Keep Britain Working Review, we are working directly with employers to identify what “good” looks like in inclusive workplace practice, including for neurodivergent employees. This vanguard phase includes over 150 volunteer employers and 10 regions and will, over the next three years, work with government to test employer-led approaches to support individuals to stay in and return to work.

Finally, last year, DWP launched an independent panel of academics with expertise and lived experiences of neurodiversity to advise us on boosting neurodiversity awareness and inclusion at work. The panel considered the reasons why neurodivergent people have poor experiences in the workplace, and a low overall employment rate. DWP has now received a final version of the Panel’s report and is considering its findings.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help support autistic people to find employment.

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

The Government is committed to supporting all neurodivergent people, including autistic people, into and at work. This is part of our wider commitment to drive healthy and inclusive workplaces for all.

Our employment support for neurodivergent people is led by DWP’s £1 billion, voluntary, locally-led Supported Employment programme, Connect to Work. It covers all of England and Wales, with the exception of Greater Manchester which is using their Connect to Work funding to pilot their Prevention Demonstrator, through their Integrated Settlement.

Connect to Work will support around 300,000 disabled people, people with health conditions and individuals with complex barriers to employment by the end of the decade. It offers intensive, personalised employment support to help people move into and stay in paid employment, and is built around two internationally recognised evidence-based Supported Employment frameworks: Individual Placement and Support, and the Supported Employment Quality Framework. The latter has been specifically designed to support neurodivergent people and those with learning disabilities into sustainable jobs. Crucially, Connect to Work supports both participants and employers, helping to ensure that individuals are given the best chance to succeed once in work.

We recognise that supporting employers to understand the needs of neurodivergent employees is also key to our efforts. This year we funded free-of-charge neurodiversity masterclasses, delivered by ACAS, to help small and medium sized businesses build their understanding of neurodivergence and improve workplace support. Over 1800 representatives of small and medium sized businesses attended these masterclasses.

As announced early this year, we are reforming our Disability Confident scheme by strengthening its criteria and expectations to drive meaningful change across its approximately 19,000 employer members and the estimated 11.5 million employees working in their organisations. The reforms will provide clearer, more robust guidance on inclusive recruitment and retention, including for autistic people; and these reforms are being closely aligned with the work of the Keep Britain Working Review.

As part of the vanguard phase of the Keep Britain Working Review, we are working directly with employers to identify what “good” looks like in inclusive workplace practice, including for neurodivergent employees. This vanguard phase includes over 150 volunteer employers and 10 regions and will, over the next three years, work with government to test employer-led approaches to support individuals to stay in and return to work.

Finally, last year, DWP launched an independent panel of academics with expertise and lived experiences of neurodiversity to advise us on boosting neurodiversity awareness and inclusion at work. The panel considered the reasons why neurodivergent people have poor experiences in the workplace, and a low overall employment rate. DWP has now received a final version of the Panel’s report and is considering its findings.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with (a) multiple sclerosis and (b) other progressive neurological conditions received Access to Work support in 2024-25 by provision type.

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

Although the Department collects information on the medical condition(s) of Access to Work customers, readily available primary medical condition categories do not allow for the disaggregation of people with multiple sclerosis or other progressive neurological conditions. Where this information is recorded it may be stored as descriptive free-text and extracting it would require manual review of individual records therefore incurring a disproportionate cost. Statistics on the number of people in receipt of payment for Access to Work by readily available primary medical condition categories are published annually in Table PAY03a-d of the Access to Work official statistics: Access to Work statistics - GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what measures he is taking to support long-term sick people to gain paid and accessible employment.

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

Long-term sickness continues to be the most common reason for economic inactivity among the working age population. We know that good work is good for health, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. In our Pathways to Work Green Paper we set out our Pathways to Work offer, backed by £1 billion a year of new funding by the end of the decade.

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. The Government is committed to supporting people with health conditions with their employment journey.

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. Through Pathways to Work we are building towards a guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for all disabled people and people with health conditions on out of work benefits, building on and bringing together initiatives such as Connect to Work, WorkWell and Employment Advisers in Talking Therapies.

Additionally, we have developed a digital information service for employers and continue to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme.

In November 2025, Sir Charlie Mayfield published the Keep Britain Working Review, setting out recommendations to help employers create healthier, more inclusive workplaces and to reshape how Government works with employers to improve work and health outcomes. We are now working with volunteer employers, providers and regions through a Vanguard Phase to test and refine approaches that support disabled people and people with long‑term physical and mental health conditions to thrive in work. This includes developing effective stay‑in‑work and return‑to‑work practices, strengthening prevention, and building the evidence needed to spread good practice so that disabled workers and workers with long-term health conditions receive the support they need to remain in employment successfully.

The 10 Year Health Plan, published in July, builds on existing work to better integrate health with employment support and incentivise greater cross-system collaboration, recognising good work is good for health. The Plan states 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.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the current average time taken is to pay Access to Work suppliers for services delivered; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce delays in paying suppliers.

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

Access to Work payment processing is currently at 10 working days for generic payments and 15 days for special aids and equipment. We are upskilling additional staff to deliver payments and reduce processing times.

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Found: What representations have been made to the DWP about the potential impact of the Chemicals (Health and

Found: would be grateful for any written evidence that the UK Government, particularly the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: DWP currently spends around £37 billion each year on housing support, including more than £13 billion

Found: efficiency installations HC 1229 61st Financial sustainability of children’s care homes HC 1233 60th DWP

Found: The council can then claim some of the costs back from the Department for Work and Pensions under the

Found: Justice, the Department for Education, the Department of Health and Social Care, and the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: similar way to how the Minister of Skills currently operates between the DfE and the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: The DWP has looked at different channels into work, such as jobcentres, which frankly are no longer

Found: The Action Plan remains in draft form and has not yet been finalised by the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: We have already done some data matching, so we have checked DWP records to confirm.

Found: Agencies such as Trading Standards, Environment Agency, Department for Work and Pensions, and the housing

Found: Yorkshire and Humber ROCU and the North East ROCU, staff from HM Revenue and Customs, the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: oral evidence session on 12 March, we are writing to highlight several areas where the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Work and Pensions to the Chair of the Public

Found: Letter from the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Work and Pensions to the Chair of the Public

Found: In the context of welfare and social security, the UK Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has used

Found:  In the context of welfare and social security, the UK Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has

Found: This tech has been used across the public sector, including by the Department for Work and Pensions and

Found: This tech has been used across the public sector, including by the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: We forced the DWP to explain its benefits fraud algorithm: here’s what we found. https://www.foxglove.org.uk

Found: –2025, automated systems used by UK public bodies affected access to housing and related support: a DWP

Found: 2025, automated systems used by UK public bodies affected access to housing and related support: a DWP

Found: continue with a view to adding further reserved bodies such as police, the home office and the wider DWP

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 February 2026 to Question 112445 on Shipping and with reference to section 4 of her Department's publication entitled Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2025, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the (a) level of the availability and (b) uptake of ratings apprenticeships.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department remains committed to increasing the number of seafaring jobs and ratings apprenticeships in the UK. The apprenticeship levy remains available for use in the maritime industry, including for ratings apprenticeships in England, and the Department and MCA continues to fund 50% of a cadetship through the Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) fund, which was recently increased to £19.4m.

Apprenticeships are a devolved matter, with ratings apprenticeships available in England in areas including deck rating, marine engineering and officer of the watch. Officials are engaging with industry and the Department for Work and Pensions to increase the uptake of maritime apprenticeships, particularly in areas where industry has reported skills shortages. We regularly discuss relevant areas with other Departments.

The recommendations of the review of the effectiveness of funding for UK seafarer training are being assessed by officials.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, further to the Answer of 17 February 2026 to Question 112445 on Shipping, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the (a) availability and (b) uptake of ratings apprenticeships in England and Wales.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department remains committed to increasing the number of seafaring jobs and ratings apprenticeships in the UK. The apprenticeship levy remains available for use in the maritime industry, including for ratings apprenticeships in England, and the Department and MCA continues to fund 50% of a cadetship through the Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) fund, which was recently increased to £19.4m.

Apprenticeships are a devolved matter, with ratings apprenticeships available in England in areas including deck rating, marine engineering and officer of the watch. Officials are engaging with industry and the Department for Work and Pensions to increase the uptake of maritime apprenticeships, particularly in areas where industry has reported skills shortages. We regularly discuss relevant areas with other Departments.

The recommendations of the review of the effectiveness of funding for UK seafarer training are being assessed by officials.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the recommendations in the independent review of the effectiveness of funding for UK seafarer training, published by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on 13 April 2026.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department remains committed to increasing the number of seafaring jobs and ratings apprenticeships in the UK. The apprenticeship levy remains available for use in the maritime industry, including for ratings apprenticeships in England, and the Department and MCA continues to fund 50% of a cadetship through the Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) fund, which was recently increased to £19.4m.

Apprenticeships are a devolved matter, with ratings apprenticeships available in England in areas including deck rating, marine engineering and officer of the watch. Officials are engaging with industry and the Department for Work and Pensions to increase the uptake of maritime apprenticeships, particularly in areas where industry has reported skills shortages. We regularly discuss relevant areas with other Departments.

The recommendations of the review of the effectiveness of funding for UK seafarer training are being assessed by officials.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what percentage payment was made in 2024 (when the annual Pension Increase was 6.7%) to Civil Servants who had retired before 2016, for the Guaranteed Minimum Pension (GMP/COD) component of their public service pension in respect of each of the following: (a) pre ’88 GMP, (b) post ’88 GMP up to 3%, (c) post ’88 GMP over 3%, (d) and if PI is applied to the GMP part of all public service pension schemes in the same way as above.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS) provides for annual Pension Increases (PI) in line with the relevant September to September annual increase, using the relevant Consumer Prices Index (CPI) measure for indexation. In April 2024, this increase was 6.7%. The application of this increase to the Guaranteed Minimum Pension (GMP) component for members who retired before 2016 depends on the period in which the GMP was earned and the legislation governing the indexation of "contracted-out" benefits.

For a Civil Servant who retired before 2016 and reached State Pension Age before 6 April 2016:

(a) Pre-1988 GMP: In accordance with statutory requirements, the CSPS does not apply a pension increase to the pre-1988 GMP component. For these members, indexation on this part of the pension is traditionally provided by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) through the State Pension.

(b) Post-1988 GMP up to 3%: The CSPS is responsible for increasing the post-1988 GMP by the rate of the Pensions Increase Order, capped at 3%. For the 2024 increase, the scheme paid the maximum 3% on this component.

(c) Post-1988 GMP over 3%: The CSPS does not pay the increase on the post-1988 GMP above the 3% cap. For these members, the remaining 3.7% (the difference between the 6.7% CPI and the 3% scheme cap) is typically paid by the DWP as part of the member's State Pension.

Data regarding the specific proportion of a total pension payment that is comprised of GMP for each of the approximately 500,000 pensioners is not held centrally.

(d) Application across Public Service Pension Schemes: The rules for the indexation of GMP described above are derived from the Pensions (Increase) Act 1971 and the Social Security Pensions Act 1975 and apply across the main public service pension schemes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his department has made in implementing the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs recommendation to reduce barriers to research into promising treatments for cluster headaches.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care is working with officials in the Home Office to support the changes agreed to in the letter from the Minister of State at the Department for Work and Pensions and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women’s Health and Mental Health from July 2025. The group has met with stakeholders from the clinical trials community who gave advice and assurance on the proposed changes to the legislation.

The Department is committed to turbocharging clinical research and delivering better patient care, to make the United Kingdom a world-leading destination for clinical research. We are working to fast-track clinical trials, reducing barriers and unnecessary bureaucracy to drive global investment into life sciences, improve health outcomes, and accelerate the development of the medicines and therapies of the future, including treatments for cluster headaches. We expect these efforts to attract more commercial investment in clinical research and to yield a broad and diverse portfolio of clinical trials in the UK.

The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with cluster headaches, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what measures he plans to introduce to help residents of housing estates with central, metered LPG tanks.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government has taken action and announced £53 million for low-income families, who heat their homes with oil, or other alternative fuels like LPG, to help tackle surging prices through the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF).

It is at the local authority’s discretion to determine appropriate support by taking a person-centred, needs-based approach. Guidance to LAs is clear that crisis payments can be provided to support energy for any form of fuel that is used for the purpose of domestic heating, cooking or lighting, including oil or portable gas cylinders.

The Department for Work and Pensions is responsible for the CRF in England and more information on the fund can be found here: Crisis and Resilience Fund (1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029) - GOV.UK.

In addition, the Government intends to introduce new consumer protections for LPG customers and is rapidly exploring new ways to step in and ensure households are better protected.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether his Department has has discussions with Scottish Government on levels of availability of accredited training providers for skilled trades.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)

The Scotland Office and the Department for Work and Pensions maintain regular engagement with the Scottish Government on issues relating to Scotland’s skills development. While decisions on the provision and accreditation of training providers are a matter for the Scottish Government, the UK Government continues to work constructively with the devolved governments to support skills development and economic growth across the UK.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what engagement his department has had with the Department for Education regarding accessing apprenticeship training through English providers where there is no alternative provider in Scotland.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)

The responsibility for skills policy, and the provision of apprenticeship training in Scotland, lies with the Scottish Government as a devolved matter. Funding for apprenticeships and providers in Scotland are a devolved responsibility. UK Government officials, including those from DWP responsible for apprenticeships, regularly meet their counterparts in the devolved administrations to discuss issues, including eligibility.

Apprenticeship schemes in England are available to eligible learners working most of their time in England, including those who live in other parts of the UK. Due to devolved funding arrangements, learners based in Scotland who do not work in England are not eligible for funding for an English apprenticeship, even in cases where a comparable training provider does not exist in Scotland.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of demand for additional pilots resulting from airport expansion; how many UK commercial airline pilots are set to reach mandatory retirement age in the next five years; what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability and retention of qualified flight instructors; and what consideration her Department has given to reducing financial barriers to entry for aspiring pilots.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

As of 26 March 2026, Civil Aviation Authority (the Regulator) records indicate that 1315 commercial pilots aged 60 to 64 are expected to reach the mandatory retirement age of 65 within the next five years.

The UK aviation sector operates predominantly in the private sector, and it is for individual airlines to recruit and train the pilots and flight instructors needed to meet both current and future demand. However, supporting the UK’s aviation workforce remains a priority for this Government. I welcome the steps taken by British Airways and Jet2.com to strengthen the future pilot pipeline, including through periodically offering partly or fully funded training programmes.

Ministers and officials continue to engage regularly with industry and with representative bodies, including the British Airline Pilots’ Association, on aviation skills issues. A major training organisation has now been approved to deliver the First Officer apprenticeship, which will enable young people to train as pilots at no personal cost. We are working with the Department for Work and Pensions and Skills England to encourage airlines to take up and deliver this apprenticeship.

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