Found: How could the CMS work with the wider DWP and other departments and bodies to address child poverty?

Found: Committee’s (SSAC) 2019 study Separated Parents and the Social Security System3. 1 Meeting between CMS/DWP

Found: monitoring of what is paid and received) and ‘Collect and Pay’ which is directly administered by DWP

Found: (DWP) to introduce dedicated named caseworkers so that separated parents don’t have to

Found: For many victim-survivors, their debts to the DWP are a direct consequence of abuse, often needing

Found: CMI0100 - Child Maintenance Independent Case Examiner's Office, DWP Written Evidence

Found: How could the CMS collaborate with the wider DWP and other departments to address child poverty?

Found: We also agree that the DWP should review how its own policies - such as debt deductions and the five-week

Found: DWP states child maintenance is ‘regular, reliable financial support that helps towards a child’s everyday

Found: the Social Policy Research Unit at the University of York, so in the past have done some work for DWP

Found: How could the CMS work with the wider DWP and other departments and bodies to address child poverty?

Found: require data sharing between energy suppliers, local authorities and government departments including DWP

Found: To enable effective targeting, we urge the Government to accelerate data-sharing protocols between DWP

Found: E.ON recommends data sharing between HMRC, DWP, the NHS, and relevant third parties (credit card transactions

Found: given to single parents who receive universal credit (who could be automatically identified through DWP

Found: Improved data-sharing, particularly across DWP, HMRC, and devolved agencies, would enable automatic

Found: Data matching across Government - primarily from Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and HMRC with

Found: Storage HC 351 7th Asylum accommodation: Home Office acquisition of former HMP Northeye HC 361 6th DWP

Found: Letter from Alison McGovern MP, Minister for Employment at DWP, to the Chair of the Economic Affairs

Found: Amendment) Order 2025 Instruments not reported 4 Annex 4 Appendix 1: Memorandum from the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: in fraudulent spend through compliance automation was applied, based on a specific Department for Work and Pensions

Found: Storage HC 351 7th Asylum accommodation: Home Office acquisition of former HMP Northeye HC 361 6th DWP

Found: Correspondence from DWP relating to care workers and unpaid carers HC 368 Correspondence

Found: Correspondence from DWP relating to welfare reform and adult social care HC 368 Correspondence

Found: As it happens, I have been pressing the DWP about disability benefits resulting in suicide, not just

Found: would be those people who are generally work ready and whom it would be productive to connect with DWP

Found: Palace of Westminster London SW1A 0AA Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions

Found: This estimate was produced by officials in the Department for Work and Pensions using their Policy Simulation

Found: part of our approach to mission-led government, HM Treasury works with DHSC and the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: Laura also used to work at the DWP, so there we go.

Found: coordination between key departments including the Department for Education (DfE), Department for Work and Pensions

Found: It is important that we continue to join up effectively with colleagues in DWP, for example, and our

Found: During the evidence session, you asked what engagement the department has had with the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: further data sharing to get more families signed up for their entitlements” and with the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: I believe there was a general problem with trying to get the DWP to engage with the ombudsman to start

Found: I believe there was a general problem with trying to get the DWP to engage with the ombudsman to start

Found: It is important that we continue to join up effectively with colleagues in DWP, for example, and our

Found: There is also DWP, if we are thinking about the skills that you need in the workplace, which should

Found: The role of the assessor, and the DWP decision maker, is to consider all of the evidence gathered as

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to publish (a) an arthritis action plan and (b) other disease-specific action plans following publication of the NHS 10 Year Health Plan.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are currently no plans to publish an arthritis action plan following the publication of the 10-Year Health Plan.

Services for those with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, including arthritis, are commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs). The Department expects MSK services to be fully incorporated into integrated care system planning and decision-making.

As announced in the Get Britain Working white paper, we are delivering the joint Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Health and Social Care, and NHS England Getting It Right First-Time (GIRFT) MSK Community Delivery Programme. With a £3.5 million funding boost, GIRFT teams will deploy their proven Further Faster model to work with ICB leaders to further reduce MSK community waiting times, including for those with arthritis, and improve data and metrics, and referral pathways to wider support services.

To support health and care professionals in the early diagnosis and management of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, and in the provision of services for people living with arthritis, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published expert guidance for rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, with further information on both available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng100

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng226

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of amending the filtering criteria for DBS checks to automatically exclude sentences of 12 months or under on levels of employment of people with criminal records.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The criminal records regime seeks to strike a balance between providing employers with the information they need to make safer recruitment decisions and enabling ex-offenders to rebuild their lives.

We are carefully reviewing the evidence in this area before we consider whether adjustments to the regime are necessary or desirable.

In the meantime, we are working hard to support employment of prison leavers. In January, we launched regional Employment Councils, which for the first time bring businesses together with prisons, probation and the Department for Work and Pensions to support offenders into jobs.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing financial penalties on companies that replace more than 10% of their workforce with AI.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

We are working to harness the benefits that AI can bring – such as productivity gains, rising living standards, and improved worker wellbeing; while mitigating the risks. Government is planning for a range of plausible outcomes and closely monitoring the data that will help us track and prepare for these.

The Get Britain Working White Paper from DWP, HMT and DfE also sets out how government will address key labour market challenges. We will continue to work closely with these and other government departments through the AI Opportunities Action Plan on this rapidly developing area.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of welfare reforms on (a) unpaid carers and (b) their access to (i) respite and (ii) support services.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to supporting unpaid carers, who provide invaluable support to elderly or disabled people.

In the recent Pathways to Work Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, we announced a broad package of reforms to the health and disability benefit and support system, including changes to the Personal Independence Payment (PIP). For those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including for linked entitlements such as Carer’s Allowance, we are consulting on how best to support this group, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met.

The Government will consider the impacts on benefits for unpaid carers as part of its wider consideration of responses to the consultation as it develops its detailed proposals for change. Through the Green Paper we are consulting on the support needed for those who may lose any entitlements as a result of receiving PIP daily living and what this support could look like. The Department for Work and Pensions will also work closely with the Department of Health and Social Care and others on how the health and eligible care needs of those who would lose entitlement to PIP could be met outside the benefits system.

Local authorities have duties to support people caring for their family and friends. The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable, high-quality care and support services.

The Better Care Fund includes funding that can be used for unpaid carer support, including short breaks and respite services for carers.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of expanding the criteria for Armed Forces Independence Payments to include veterans with service-related mental health conditions who may be impacted by changes to Personal Independence Payment criteria.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Veterans with service-related mental health conditions may, depending on the severity of their condition, already be eligible for Armed Forces Independence Payments. Officials in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Ministry of Defence continue to work closely to ensure that where DWP benefits interface with the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and War Pension Scheme, they are taken into consideration as work on welfare reform continues.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2025 to Question 43135, what historic information she holds on taxable state pension payments to people who are now deceased; and whether her Department would supply such data on request to the Department for Work and Pensions where a potential state pension underpayment is under investigation by that Department.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) share information via an established legislative gateway for the administration of the State Pension.

When HMRC receive updates on State Pension payments from DWP, they store it for any tax years still subject to an end of year reconciliation check. The same process takes place for deceased customers.

While HMRC may hold information on State Pension received from DWP to ensure the collection of tax, it complies with General Data Protection Regulations by deleting any customer data that is outside of the retention period for tax purposes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps with Versus Arthritis to improve the quality of data that his Department publishes on arthritis.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care will continue to work with Versus Arthritis as we consider how best to support people with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions such as arthritis. Data on MSK health, including arthritis, is published on Fingertips, and is available at the following link:

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/msk/data

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services that meet the needs of their populations. To support this, the Department of Health and Social Care is delivering the Getting It Right First Time MSK Community Delivery Programme jointly with NHS England and the Department for Work and Pensions. With a £3.5 million funding boost as part of the programme, ICBs will assess their current MSK services and share examples of best practice, roll out innovative ways of working, as well as improving data on how services are performing.

The implementation of Secure Data Environments (SDEs), allowing National Health Service data to be accessed through secure platforms rather than shared with researchers, will support safer and more secure access to health and care data for secondary uses, such as research into prevalence and impact. This is being delivered through major investment in digital infrastructure across the NHS in England, including the NHS Research SDE Network, funded by the Data for Research and Development programme.

The Single Patient Record will also give clinicians in different settings access to comprehensive records on a person's health, so that they have the information they need to make the best-informed decisions when delivering care and treatment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the average (a) distance travelled and (b) cost incurred by children and young people when attending cancer appointments in North Cornwall constituency.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department knows that the cost of travel is an important issue for many young cancer patients and their families. NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning and ensuring the healthcare needs of their local communities are met, including providing support for travel.

The National Health Service in England runs the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) to provide financial assistance for travel to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostics tests, when referred by a doctor or other primary healthcare professional.

Patients who do not qualify for the HTCS and who are on a low income may be able to claim the costs from the Department for Work and Pensions through Universal Credit or a Personal Independence Payment. There are also a number of charities in the United Kingdom who provide support, including financial support, for patients with cancer.

The Department of Health and Social Care has not made an estimate of the average distance travelled and cost incurred by children and young people when attending cancer appointments in the North Cornwall constituency.

On 4 February 2025, the Department relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experiences for young cancer patients. The taskforce will explore opportunities for improvement, including detection and diagnosis, genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, and patient experience. The taskforce will also ensure that the unique needs of children and young people with cancer are carefully considered as part of the National Cancer Plan.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a Young Cancer Patient Travel Fund.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department knows that the cost of travel is an important issue for many young cancer patients and their families. NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning and ensuring the healthcare needs of their local communities are met, including providing support for travel.

The National Health Service in England runs the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) to provide financial assistance for travel to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostics tests, when referred by a doctor or other primary healthcare professional.

Patients who do not qualify for the HTCS and who are on a low income may be able to claim the costs from the Department for Work and Pensions through Universal Credit or a Personal Independence Payment. There are also a number of charities in the United Kingdom who provide support, including financial support, for patients with cancer.

The Department of Health and Social Care has not made an estimate of the average distance travelled and cost incurred by children and young people when attending cancer appointments in the North Cornwall constituency.

On 4 February 2025, the Department relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experiences for young cancer patients. The taskforce will explore opportunities for improvement, including detection and diagnosis, genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, and patient experience. The taskforce will also ensure that the unique needs of children and young people with cancer are carefully considered as part of the National Cancer Plan.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will introduce a Young Cancer Patient Travel Fund to provide financial support for children and young people travelling to specialist cancer centres for treatment.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department knows that the cost of travel is an important issue for many young cancer patients and their families. NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning and ensuring the healthcare needs of their local communities are met, including providing support for travel.

The National Health Service in England runs the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) to provide financial assistance for travel to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostics tests, when referred by a doctor or other primary healthcare professional.

Patients who do not qualify for the HTCS and who are on a low income may be able to claim the costs from the Department for Work and Pensions through Universal Credit or a Personal Independence Payment. There are also a number of charities in the United Kingdom who provide support, including financial support, for patients with cancer.

The Department of Health and Social Care has not made an estimate of the average distance travelled and cost incurred by children and young people when attending cancer appointments in the North Cornwall constituency.

On 4 February 2025, the Department relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experiences for young cancer patients. The taskforce will explore opportunities for improvement, including detection and diagnosis, genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, and patient experience. The taskforce will also ensure that the unique needs of children and young people with cancer are carefully considered as part of the National Cancer Plan.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing auto-enrolment for free school meals.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The free school meals (FSM) scheme provides nutritious school lunches to children who could otherwise not afford them. To support take-up, the department provides an Eligibility Checking System so that eligibility can be checked as quickly and straightforwardly as possible. The department is pressing ahead with an upgraded Eligibility Checking System which will allow parents to check their own eligibility, making it quicker and easier for both families and local authorities to register eligible children for FSM.

The department is aware of locally led approaches to boost take-up of free lunches. To support these approaches, we are working with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to explore options on data sharing that will make it easier to identify families who are eligible to make a claim. We expect to have these in place from spring next year, well ahead of the 2026 academic year.

Officials are also working with the Department for Work and Pensions to consider how enrolment may be supported through the Universal Credit claims process.

The department will monitor the impact of these policies and engage with local authorities to assess the impact that these changes are having on uptake of FSM.

Found: public services)19 A Tell us Once is a long-term collaboration service between the Department for Work and Pensions

1. Withdraw proposed PIP reforms outlined in the Green Paper.
2. Maintain direct financial support rather than reimbursement schemes.
3. Agree an independent, fair, transparent, evidence-based assessment of disability benefits.
4. Involve disabled people in policy decisions affecting them

Found: 🔹 PIP fraud – Government data from the DWP (2024) reports a 0.0% fraud rate.

The proposed changes to PIP are very concerning. The UK has some of the strictest policies under disability, and has been deemed concerning by the European courts of human rights on multiple occasions. Several charities have spoken out about the short sightedness and inhumanity of these changes.

Found: Protect disabled people's rights under the DWP and PIP changes.

Found: departments, including but not limited to the Department for Business and Trade, the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: departments, including but not limited to the Department for Business and Trade, the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: departments, including but not limited to the Department for Business and Trade, the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: departments, including but not limited to the Department for Business and Trade, the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: Rehabilitation Company Total Hospital A&E or in-patient Total Mental Health Service – Acute in-patient Total DWP

Found: provided to households by the UK government, for example, cost of living payments (administered by DWP

Found: where the status was unknown).108 • Analysis produced by the MoJ under a data-share agreement with DWP

Found: Local authority case workers and DWP can provide guidance on this.

Found: Department for Education. 19 Department for Work and Pensions 36.

Found: Unless arrivals are covered by existing exemptions to the residency requirements, Department for Work and Pensions

Found: Unless arrivals are covered by existing exemptions to the residency requirements, Department for Work and Pensions

Found: • The Department for Work and Pensions strengthens the DWP Family Test Policy to include domestic

Found: • The Department for Work and Pensions strengthens the DWP Family Test Policy to include domestic

Found: . • The Department for Work and Pensions strengthens the DWP Family Test Policy to include domestic abuse

Found: Funding determin ed by DWP on receipt of the contract ual performa nce profiles and unit prices

Found: Counter-Terrorism 2008 to 2009 Ministry of Defence, Senior PR Manager 2006 to 2008 Department for Work and Pensions

Found: 20 Days 1310 0.61 0.61 Q2 20 Days 1646 0.89 0.89 Q3 20 Days 720 0.54 0.54 Q4 20 Days 1773 0.43 0.43 DWP

Found: 61% Q2 20 Days 1,646 89% 89% Q3 20 Days 720 54% 54% Q4 20 Days 1,773 43% 43% DWP

Found: Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO): Links benefits, employment, and earnings data from DWP and HMRC

Found: Pensions Schemes Bill, providing legal support relating to occupational pensions (Department for Work and Pensions

Found: information on Maternity Allowance, employees should contact their local JobCentre Plus or look at the DWP

Found: reviewers Number of evaluation plans for review Departments Ecorys 20 46 BEIS, CO, DCMS, DEFRA, DKUHC DWP

Found: Perceptions of Department for Work and Pensions

Found: Perceptions of Department for Work and Pensions

Found: Perceptions of Department for Work and Pensions

Found: of the United Kingdom·       Department for Science, Innovation and Technology·       Department for Work and Pensions

Found: lines 102 to 698) (transfers to RS line 804 as income)=SUM(H29:H46)(a) Please note up until 2016-17 DWP

Found: Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), Department of Work and Pensions (DWP

Found: a review of the evidence, Office for Disability Issues, University of Bristol and Department for Work and Pensions

Found: As a comparison, the definition used by the UK Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) for determining

Found: Background On 1 April 2013, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) abolished two elements of the

Found: Background On 1 April 2013, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) abolished two elements of the

Found: AuthorityNot within 8 week period of leaving care.Not in receipt of a qualifying benefit,Subject to a DWP

Found: (DWP) and Scottish Ministers both have provisions that allow them to appoint a person

Found: (DWP) and Scottish Ministers both have provisions that allow them to appoint a person

Found: the Crown Where a person lacks capacity to manage their own financial affairs, the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: (DWP) and Scottish Ministers both have provisions that allow them to appoint a person

Found: of the CrownWhere a person lacks capacity to manage their own financial affairs, the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: the Crown Where a person lacks capacity to manage their own financial affairs, the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: (DWP) and Scottish Ministers both have provisions that allow them to appoint a person

Found: be available.Where a person lacks capacity to manage their own financial affairs, the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: Department for Work and Pensions k. Social Security Scotland l. Home Office m.

Found: In the interim, it may be possible to use Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) data to target based

Found: in individual papers or separate chapters across the board but was asked how we are addressing data, DWP

Found: identified as potentially fuel poor, Home Energy Scotland advisors will: • Signpost to Department for Work and Pensions

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has conducted of income levels among older people in Scotland and how this compares with other parts of the UK.

Answered by Somerville, Shirley-Anne - Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice

Statistics on pensioner household income by UK country and English region are published by the Department for Work and Pensions. The median income for these households is presented in the following table.

Median weekly equivalised household income for pensioner households in £ (in 2023-24 prices), before housing costs

Found: behalf of the Department for Business and Trade, and Statutory Sick Pay, on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: The deprivation-based data comprise of mainly Census based data and DWP data.

Found: response letter from the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to the First Minister be found on DWP

Found: response letter from the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to the First Minister be found on DWP

Question

How does NHS Wales currently work with the UK Department for Work and Pensions to a) ensure the timely provision of medical evidence; and b) to expedite disability benefits applications, for children and young people with cancer?

Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip

Welfare benefits, including Disability Living Allowance for Children, are a matter for the UK Government’s Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

While NHS Wales services are not routinely involved in providing information to DWP, they do undertake holistic needs assessment for people newly diagnosed with cancer, including children and young people. This includes consideration of the financial impact of dealing with a diagnosis and making a referral to organisations, such as the Welsh Government’s Single Advice Fund providers, who will advise and support people through the disability benefit application processes.

My officials will be meeting with Young Lives vs Cancer to discuss the findings in its research in further detail and will raise concerns with DWP if its disability benefit administration processes are having a detrimental effect on young people living with cancer. They will also consider how we can encourage more effective joint working between services to ensure young people living with cancer and their families access financial and other support in a timely manner.

A four-nation Inter-Ministerial Group on Work and Pensions is being set up, which will give me the opportunity to make representation to DWP Ministers on social security issues, such as the assessment of applications for disability benefits and the wider implications for people if they face a prolonged wait for a decision on their application.

Question

How will the Government respond to Young Lives vs Cancer's 'The Cost of Waiting' research, stating that children and young people with cancer wait an average of 7 months to receive a decision on their disability benefit applications following diagnosis, and around one third finish treatment before receiving a decision?

Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip

Welfare benefits, including Disability Living Allowance for Children, are a matter for the UK Government’s Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

While NHS Wales services are not routinely involved in providing information to DWP, they do undertake holistic needs assessment for people newly diagnosed with cancer, including children and young people. This includes consideration of the financial impact of dealing with a diagnosis and making a referral to organisations, such as the Welsh Government’s Single Advice Fund providers, who will advise and support people through the disability benefit application processes.

My officials will be meeting with Young Lives vs Cancer to discuss the findings in its research in further detail and will raise concerns with DWP if its disability benefit administration processes are having a detrimental effect on young people living with cancer. They will also consider how we can encourage more effective joint working between services to ensure young people living with cancer and their families access financial and other support in a timely manner.

A four-nation Inter-Ministerial Group on Work and Pensions is being set up, which will give me the opportunity to make representation to DWP Ministers on social security issues, such as the assessment of applications for disability benefits and the wider implications for people if they face a prolonged wait for a decision on their application.

Question

Will the Welsh Government commit to reviewing the impacts on patients in Wales of the delays in the disability benefits system and how these delays affect access to forms of support such as blue badges, carer's allowance, and universal credit top-ups?

Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip

Welfare benefits, including Disability Living Allowance for Children, are a matter for the UK Government’s Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

While NHS Wales services are not routinely involved in providing information to DWP, they do undertake holistic needs assessment for people newly diagnosed with cancer, including children and young people. This includes consideration of the financial impact of dealing with a diagnosis and making a referral to organisations, such as the Welsh Government’s Single Advice Fund providers, who will advise and support people through the disability benefit application processes.

My officials will be meeting with Young Lives vs Cancer to discuss the findings in its research in further detail and will raise concerns with DWP if its disability benefit administration processes are having a detrimental effect on young people living with cancer. They will also consider how we can encourage more effective joint working between services to ensure young people living with cancer and their families access financial and other support in a timely manner.

A four-nation Inter-Ministerial Group on Work and Pensions is being set up, which will give me the opportunity to make representation to DWP Ministers on social security issues, such as the assessment of applications for disability benefits and the wider implications for people if they face a prolonged wait for a decision on their application.

Question

What assessment has been made of the impact on a household with a child or young person with cancer who on average experience 7-month wait and nearly £5000 in additional costs before receiving a decision on their benefits application, as per Young Lives vs Cancers research, The Cost of Waiting?

Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip

Welfare benefits, including Disability Living Allowance for Children, are a matter for the UK Government’s Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

While NHS Wales services are not routinely involved in providing information to DWP, they do undertake holistic needs assessment for people newly diagnosed with cancer, including children and young people. This includes consideration of the financial impact of dealing with a diagnosis and making a referral to organisations, such as the Welsh Government’s Single Advice Fund providers, who will advise and support people through the disability benefit application processes.

My officials will be meeting with Young Lives vs Cancer to discuss the findings in its research in further detail and will raise concerns with DWP if its disability benefit administration processes are having a detrimental effect on young people living with cancer. They will also consider how we can encourage more effective joint working between services to ensure young people living with cancer and their families access financial and other support in a timely manner.

A four-nation Inter-Ministerial Group on Work and Pensions is being set up, which will give me the opportunity to make representation to DWP Ministers on social security issues, such as the assessment of applications for disability benefits and the wider implications for people if they face a prolonged wait for a decision on their application.