Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average annual amount of child maintenance paid through the Child Maintenance Service was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

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.

The department publishes Child Maintenance Service official statistics every three months, with section 8 of the latest bulletin showing that £84.4 million of child maintenance due was paid through the Collect and Pay service during the quarter ending September 2025

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department is planning to (a) open and (b) close any Jobcentres this year.

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

The Department continually reviews its estate to ensure it meets the needs of customers and represents value for money, making changes where appropriate. The Department’s Workplace Transformation Programme is working closely with the Jobs and Careers Service to ensure that our physical spaces evolve to support more personalised, modern employment and skills services for customers. This includes exploring new approaches to workspace location, design and partnership working that enhance accessibility, collaboration and customer outcomes. Any future decisions regarding the Jobcentre estate will be communicated to Parliament in the usual way.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much and what proportion of funding for low-income oil heating households through the Crisis and Resilience Fund will be allocated to (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

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

In England, £27 million of funding will be delivered via the Crisis and Resilience Fund to support low-income households reliant on oil for heating. This is in addition to £842 million a year that has already been committed through the Crisis and Resilience Fund at Spending Review 2025, which all unitary and upper tier authorities in England will receive to support vulnerable and low-income households facing financial shocks, including rising essential costs such as energy.

Lincolnshire has been allocated £1,825,511 to distribute to households the local authority considers most in need. This represents 7% of the £27 million of funding available in England. Allocations have been published on gov.uk (Crisis and Resilience fund to support low-income heating oil households).

Local authorities have flexibility to apply their own discretion when determining eligibility for their Crisis Payment schemes, including how to best target support towards households in most need of help to pay for heating oil. The amount of funding that will be spent in the South Holland and the Deepings constituency is therefore at the discretion of the local authority.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria will be taken into consideration in decisions on job centre closures.

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

When considering moving colleagues and services to an alternative location the Department considers a wide range of factors and evidence. These include the impact on customers, business needs, local labour market conditions, and the ability to maintain a geographical presence and service continuity to customers. Decisions also take into account building quality, lease events, and value for money.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Jobcentres there are as of a) March 2026 and b) March 2025.

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

Number of Established Jobcentres

31^st March 2025 is 633

13^th March 2026 is 630

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of recent trends in the level of youth inactivity; and what steps he is taking to increase participation in education, employment and training among young people.

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.  The latest figures show the proportion of 16-24 year-olds that are not in employment, education or training (NEET) is 12.8% (1 in 8), up 0.1% points on the quarter and down 0.4% points on the year.

This Government has recently announced a further £1 billion investment in young people, taking the total investment to £2.5 billion over the next three years though the Youth Guarantee and additional investment in the Growth and Skills Levy. This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.

This includes the delivery of eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in England, expansion of Youth Hubs to more than 360 areas across Great Britain and introduction of 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.

Together these measures demonstrate the Government’s commitment to backing young people, supporting employers, and working with partners across Great Britain to create clear pathways into employment and education for young people.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Department’s press release entitled Major employment drive to help unlock 200,000 new jobs and apprenticeships for next generation, published on 16 March 2026, what estimate he has made of the proportion of young people supported by the programme who will remain in employment 12 months after starting work.

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

The Youth Jobs Grant is specifically targeted at young people because of the risk of lifelong scarring impacts of extended unemployment at a young age and to support the Government’s commitment to reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training.

The Youth Jobs Grant is designed to help employers with the early costs of hiring eligible young people. The first payment will not be made until after we’ve had confirmation through other sources that the young person has been employed, and the final payment will not be made until after several months of employment to encourage retention. As with all our employment programmes, we will monitor delivery to ensure the Grant is being used as intended, which is to expand opportunities for young people who need help to enter the labour market.

We estimate there are 200,000 young people eligible for the Youth Jobs Grant now, and we expect to support 60,000 young people with this over three years. We are also expanding the Jobs Guarantee to a wider age range, from 18-21 to 18-24, to create more than 35,000 extra subsidised jobs. This brings the total to be supported through the scheme to over 90,000 in the next three years.

The Youth Jobs Grant is available to employers in all sectors across Great Britain. The roles supported will depend on employers’ hiring needs rather than sector specific targets. We expect more take up in sectors that traditionally recruit young people, such as retail, hospitality, health and social care, logistics and construction, alongside opportunities in growth sectors including digital, engineering and green technologies.

The purpose of the Grant is to help young people into work by reducing the upfront costs of hiring, and it has been designed using evidence from previous schemes in the UK and wider international practice. As with all new programmes, we will monitor delivery and evaluate outcomes, including employment sustainment, once the scheme is in operation.

Further practical details on how employers will claim the Grant will be set out in guidance ahead of the scheme launching.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Department’s press release entitled Major employment drive to help unlock 200,000 new jobs and apprenticeships for next generation, published on 16 March 2026, what analysis his Department has undertaken of the sectors most likely to create jobs under the youth employment drive.

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

The Youth Jobs Grant is specifically targeted at young people because of the risk of lifelong scarring impacts of extended unemployment at a young age and to support the Government’s commitment to reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training.

The Youth Jobs Grant is designed to help employers with the early costs of hiring eligible young people. The first payment will not be made until after we’ve had confirmation through other sources that the young person has been employed, and the final payment will not be made until after several months of employment to encourage retention. As with all our employment programmes, we will monitor delivery to ensure the Grant is being used as intended, which is to expand opportunities for young people who need help to enter the labour market.

We estimate there are 200,000 young people eligible for the Youth Jobs Grant now, and we expect to support 60,000 young people with this over three years. We are also expanding the Jobs Guarantee to a wider age range, from 18-21 to 18-24, to create more than 35,000 extra subsidised jobs. This brings the total to be supported through the scheme to over 90,000 in the next three years.

The Youth Jobs Grant is available to employers in all sectors across Great Britain. The roles supported will depend on employers’ hiring needs rather than sector specific targets. We expect more take up in sectors that traditionally recruit young people, such as retail, hospitality, health and social care, logistics and construction, alongside opportunities in growth sectors including digital, engineering and green technologies.

The purpose of the Grant is to help young people into work by reducing the upfront costs of hiring, and it has been designed using evidence from previous schemes in the UK and wider international practice. As with all new programmes, we will monitor delivery and evaluate outcomes, including employment sustainment, once the scheme is in operation.

Further practical details on how employers will claim the Grant will be set out in guidance ahead of the scheme launching.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time is for the Child Maintenance Service to resolve complaints escalated beyond initial review.

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

The Department does not hold centrally collated information on the average time taken for the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) to resolve complaints escalated beyond initial review.

CMS follows the Department’s complaints service standard, aiming to resolve complaints, or provide a clear resolution plan, within 15 working days. For more complex cases, they keep complainants updated on progress and advise when a full response can be expected.

CMS continues to strengthen its complaints handling processes, drawing on insights from the Independent Case Examiner and operational feedback to support ongoing improvements and enhance the customer experience.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Department’s press release entitled Major employment drive to help unlock 200,000 new jobs and apprenticeships for next generation, published on 16 March 2026, what estimate he has made of the number of young people aged 18–24 who have been claiming Universal Credit for six months or more and would therefore be eligible for the Youth Jobs Grant scheme.

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

The Youth Jobs Grant is specifically targeted at young people because of the risk of lifelong scarring impacts of extended unemployment at a young age and to support the Government’s commitment to reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training.

The Youth Jobs Grant is designed to help employers with the early costs of hiring eligible young people. The first payment will not be made until after we’ve had confirmation through other sources that the young person has been employed, and the final payment will not be made until after several months of employment to encourage retention. As with all our employment programmes, we will monitor delivery to ensure the Grant is being used as intended, which is to expand opportunities for young people who need help to enter the labour market.

We estimate there are 200,000 young people eligible for the Youth Jobs Grant now, and we expect to support 60,000 young people with this over three years. We are also expanding the Jobs Guarantee to a wider age range, from 18-21 to 18-24, to create more than 35,000 extra subsidised jobs. This brings the total to be supported through the scheme to over 90,000 in the next three years.

The Youth Jobs Grant is available to employers in all sectors across Great Britain. The roles supported will depend on employers’ hiring needs rather than sector specific targets. We expect more take up in sectors that traditionally recruit young people, such as retail, hospitality, health and social care, logistics and construction, alongside opportunities in growth sectors including digital, engineering and green technologies.

The purpose of the Grant is to help young people into work by reducing the upfront costs of hiring, and it has been designed using evidence from previous schemes in the UK and wider international practice. As with all new programmes, we will monitor delivery and evaluate outcomes, including employment sustainment, once the scheme is in operation.

Further practical details on how employers will claim the Grant will be set out in guidance ahead of the scheme launching.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Department’s press release entitled Major employment drive to help unlock 200,000 new jobs and apprenticeships for next generation, published on 16 March 2026, what safeguards will be in place to ensure that employers do not repeatedly cycle through short-term subsidised workers.

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

The Youth Jobs Grant is specifically targeted at young people because of the risk of lifelong scarring impacts of extended unemployment at a young age and to support the Government’s commitment to reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training.

The Youth Jobs Grant is designed to help employers with the early costs of hiring eligible young people. The first payment will not be made until after we’ve had confirmation through other sources that the young person has been employed, and the final payment will not be made until after several months of employment to encourage retention. As with all our employment programmes, we will monitor delivery to ensure the Grant is being used as intended, which is to expand opportunities for young people who need help to enter the labour market.

We estimate there are 200,000 young people eligible for the Youth Jobs Grant now, and we expect to support 60,000 young people with this over three years. We are also expanding the Jobs Guarantee to a wider age range, from 18-21 to 18-24, to create more than 35,000 extra subsidised jobs. This brings the total to be supported through the scheme to over 90,000 in the next three years.

The Youth Jobs Grant is available to employers in all sectors across Great Britain. The roles supported will depend on employers’ hiring needs rather than sector specific targets. We expect more take up in sectors that traditionally recruit young people, such as retail, hospitality, health and social care, logistics and construction, alongside opportunities in growth sectors including digital, engineering and green technologies.

The purpose of the Grant is to help young people into work by reducing the upfront costs of hiring, and it has been designed using evidence from previous schemes in the UK and wider international practice. As with all new programmes, we will monitor delivery and evaluate outcomes, including employment sustainment, once the scheme is in operation.

Further practical details on how employers will claim the Grant will be set out in guidance ahead of the scheme launching.

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 Child Maintenance Service’s (a) call-back performance and (b) adherence to its own service level agreements regarding telephone communication with constituents; and what steps he is taking to help ensure that caseworkers return calls to parents within 48 hours.

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

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) monitors telephony performance daily, including call-back requests and the age of outstanding calls. As of March 2026, over 65% of call backs are completed within the Department’s 48 hour target. Performance is reviewed regularly to maintain service standards and identify where additional support may be required.

CMS is progressing its Service Modernisation Programme, expanding digital, online and telephony channels to improve access and reduce demand on advisers. Increased uptake of online self-service is helping free up resources so caseworkers can focus on customers who need telephone support. CMS are also part of the DWP Digital’s Contact Centre Modernisation Programme which is introducing state of the art contact centre technology. CMS are currently scheduled to onboard to DWPs new telephony platform in Q2 26/27.

The Department continually seeks to review, evaluate, and enhance tools and training material to support staff in delivering a quality customer service and takes timely action to further train and support staff where further improvements can be made. CMS are also addressing some of the known divers of repeat contact. With initiatives taken to enhance information available to caseworkers to enable them answer customer queries more fully during the initial call, thereby reducing the need for follow up contact.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what issues the consultation on the proposed scale test will consider, including whether it will examine (1) the definition of a Main Scale Default Arrangement, (2) how assets will be counted towards the threshold, and (3) the pathways available for schemes to reach scale.

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

The Government has committed to publish an update to the June 2025 ‘Workplace pensions: a roadmap’. This will include timelines for consultation on the scale measures, which will cover the issues raised amongst others.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government how long the consultation on the proposed scale test for defined contribution schemes will run; and when they expect the consultation process to conclude.

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

The Government has committed to publish an update to the June 2025 ‘Workplace pensions: a roadmap’. This will include timelines for consultation on the scale measures, which will cover the issues raised amongst others.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assets will count towards the £25 billion requirement for a Main Scale Default Arrangement under the Pension Schemes Bill; and whether assets held in default funds only, or across all scheme investments, will be included.

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

The Government set out its intended approach concerning the Main Scale Default Arrangements (MSDA) in the May 2025 consultation response and final report of the Pensions Investment Review. We have also recently published Pension Schemes Bill: Scale and Consolidation on Gov.UK to give an overview of the government’s direction of travel ahead of detailed consultation on regulations.

As outlined in the final report of the Review, key benefits of scale are realised at the level on which strategic decisions on investment are made. This is generally at an ‘arrangement’ level.

To meet the scale requirement, a provider must demonstrate that it holds assets of at least £25 billion in their MSDA.

These assets may be counted from a number of connected schemes offered by a single provider, but they must all be managed under a common investment strategy.

Further details will be set out in regulations following formal consultation.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the £25 billion Main Scale Default Arrangement requirement will be assessed at the level of the scheme, individual default arrangements, or sections within a scheme.

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

The Government set out its intended approach concerning the Main Scale Default Arrangements (MSDA) in the May 2025 consultation response and final report of the Pensions Investment Review. We have also recently published Pension Schemes Bill: Scale and Consolidation on Gov.UK to give an overview of the government’s direction of travel ahead of detailed consultation on regulations.

As outlined in the final report of the Review, key benefits of scale are realised at the level on which strategic decisions on investment are made. This is generally at an ‘arrangement’ level.

To meet the scale requirement, a provider must demonstrate that it holds assets of at least £25 billion in their MSDA.

These assets may be counted from a number of connected schemes offered by a single provider, but they must all be managed under a common investment strategy.

Further details will be set out in regulations following formal consultation.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to publish the formal consultation on the proposed scale test for defined contribution pension schemes.

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

The Government has committed to publish an update to the June 2025 ‘Workplace pensions: a roadmap’. This will include timelines for consultation on the scale measures, which will cover the issues raised amongst others.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to strengthen leak detection, odorisation and public health-related standards for gas used for cooking in domestic and other premises.

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

I refer the noble Baroness to the answer I gave to question HL13613 on 2 February 2026.

There is already robust regulation in place to detect leaks and odourised gas. Gas Industry standards are set by the relevant industry standard setting bodies, for example, the Institute for Gas Engineers and Managers (IGEM), British Standards Institute (BSI) and Liquid Gas UK.

The Health and Safety Executive has regulatory responsibility for public health-related standards in commercial premises, but not in domestic homes.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of including binding targets and milestones for reducing child poverty in the Child Poverty Strategy.

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

I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave to grouped questions HL15158, HL15156, HL15157, HL15155 HL on 18 March 2026

Our Child Poverty Strategy fulfils our commitment to reducing poverty this Parliament, lifting 550,000 children out of poverty, and sets out our ambition to tackle its structural drivers as part of a long-term, 10-year strategy. This Government has taken decisive action, with the interventions in the Strategy set to lead to the largest expected reduction in child poverty over a Parliament since comparable records began.

The Monitoring and Evaluation Framework Child Poverty Strategy: Monitoring and Evaluation Framework - GOV.UK, published alongside the Strategy, sets out our plans and further details on our approach will follow in a baseline report this Summer. We will continue to have a dedicated team in government that, with Ministerial oversight, will work across government, the public and private sectors and civil society to maintain focus on tackling child poverty and build on the Strategy.

Government already has a statutory duty to publish poverty statistics annually and we also hold ourselves to account on our progress through the monitoring and evaluation arrangements we have put in place, from this year and in future years, so that the progress we make is transparent for all. Deep material poverty estimates based on two-year averages will be published for each of the UK nations in the March 2026 HBAI publication.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to align apprenticeships for 16–18-year-olds with those for people aged 19 and above by removing the requirement to achieve English and maths qualifications.

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

The government is committed to high standards of English and maths and funds apprentices aged 16-18 at the start of their training to achieve English and maths qualifications, if they do not already hold suitable equivalent qualifications, in order to complete their apprenticeship.

This is consistent with our expectation that all young people should have a further meaningful opportunity to secure English and maths qualifications post-16, where they do not already hold them. This can be a GCSE or functional skills qualification.

Further flexibility is in place for apprentices with a learning difficulty and/or disability where there is evidence this is likely to be a barrier to them completing their apprenticeship. In these cases, they are able to achieve an entry level 3 functional skills qualification to complete. Since August 2024, this flexibility has been available to apprentices with a learning difficulty and/or disability but without an Education Health and Care Plan.

As with all apprenticeship policies, we continue to monitor the impact of the English and maths requirements, to ensure they are striking the right balance.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many families would be removed from the benefit cap if child benefit were not included in it; and what would be the cost.

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

The Department does not hold this data.

Give more options for under-16s to make money through safe, legal part-time work. Specifically, increase the maximum legal working hours and provide more flexibility in scheduling, especially for homeschooled children who do not have fixed school hours.

Introduce a national scheme investing £1,500 for every newborn in the UK into a long-term retirement fund. The investment would grow over decades through compounding. Full access could be linked to building a UK National Insurance record to ensure fairness.

Found: Sixty-sixth report: Tackling fraud and error in benefit expenditure 2024-25 34 Department for Work and Pensions

Found: Sixty-sixth report: Tackling fraud and error in benefit expenditure 2024-25 34 Department for Work and Pensions

Found: Sixty-sixth report: Tackling fraud and error in benefit expenditure 2024-25 34 Department for Work and Pensions

Found: Sixty-sixth report: Tackling fraud and error in benefit expenditure 2024-25 34 Department for Work and Pensions

Found: Sixty-sixth report: Tackling fraud and error in benefit expenditure 2024-25 34 Department for Work and Pensions

Found: Sixty-sixth report: Tackling fraud and error in benefit expenditure 2024-25 34 Department for Work and Pensions

Found: 90.525302 0.00642835959713852 73.7 0.00565341423804705 -16.825302 -0.185862975635254 Department for Work and Pensions

Found: Department for Business and Trade, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), Home Office, Cabinet Office, Department for Work and Pensions

Found: (e) To evidence a pension: (i) Official documentation from: (1) The Department for Work and Pensions

Found: an increase in the hours you work   details of any pending benefits claims and documentation from DWP

Found: increase in the hours you work   details of any pending benefits claims and documentation from the DWP

Found: other regulatory authorities, including the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: Employment Councils, which bring together businesses with prisons, probation and the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: over £200m worth of NHS prescription fraud that currently occurs per year. 25 23 Met Office 24 DWP

Found: Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Youth Hubs: Young Futures Hubs are establishing links with DWP

Found: “DWP” means Department for Work and Pensions. “ECtHR” means European Court of Human Rights.

Found: (e) To evidence a pension: (i) Official documentation from: (1) The Department for Work and Pensions

Found: other regulatory authorities, including the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), the Department for Work and Pensions

Found: over £200m worth of NHS prescription fraud that currently occurs per year. 25 23 Met Office 24 DWP

Found: Department for Business and Trade, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), Home Office, Cabinet Office, Department for Work and Pensions

Found: pages) or Statement from Pension Provider Additional voluntary contribution (AVC) Confirmation from DWP

Found: points: • Overview of the Local Employability Partnership model (coordination across local agencies, DWP

Found: flexibility in educational arrangements has been cited as something that can 80 UK Department for Work and Pensions