Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the measures set out in the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025 on people claiming Disability Living Allowance who are being migrated to PIP.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The impact in each case will depend on an individual’s circumstances. For those already on PIP, the changes will only apply from November 2026 at their next award review, subject to parliamentary approval. People will be reviewed by a trained assessor or healthcare professional and assessed on individual needs and circumstance. More information on the impacts and equality analysis for these changes published on 26 March can be found here: Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper - GOV.UK.
People in receipt of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) aged 16 to 64 on 8 April 2013, or who reach age 16 after that date, are being invited to claim PIP and will be assessed against the PIP criteria. People in receipt of DLA who are in scope of PIP, but have yet to be invited to claim, can do so at any point.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has considered exempting Lifetime ISAs from Universal Credit capital rules.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There are no plans to change the way savings held in a Lifetime ISA are treated in the assessment of Universal Credit.
It is appropriate that means tested benefits, including Universal Credit, take all forms of savings into account. This includes investments where the Government provides a contribution to encourage saving such as the Lifetime ISA. People will not be required to cash in these ISAs in order to claim Universal Credit, but they will be taken into account as part of their capital. If a person has capital over £16,000, they will be expected to rely on their savings until their capital reduces to £16,000 before they can claim Universal Credit.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to (a) increase in-person assessments and (b) uphold claimants' rights to (i) fair treatment and (ii) reasonable adjustments.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As announced in Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, we will be carrying out more face-to-face assessments while continuing to ensure we meet the needs of those who may require a different method of assessment because, for example, a reasonable adjustment is appropriate for them.
We are also consulting on a new DWP safeguarding approach, to make it clear what the department and its staff are expected to do to in order to safeguard the public.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to help jobseekers manage their mental health while looking for employment.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Yuan Yang (Labour - Earley and Woodley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has conducted quantitative analysis into the potential causes of increases in claims for Personal Independence Payment into shares attributable to (a) underlying ill health, (b) financial incentives and (c) other personal or behavioural factors; and whether such analysis includes a comparison with the rate of increase in economic inactivity due to long-term sickness or disability over the same period.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department has not conducted quantitative analysis exactly as described; however, we do regularly monitor potential drivers of new claims demand for PIP and how this compares with changes in disability prevalence in the population. It is likely that both health-related and behaviour-related factors have been important contributory factors in the rising number of claims for PIP, as well as changes in the population, with demand for PIP accelerating since the COVID-19 pandemic.
A number of health-related factors may have contributed to these increases, including: higher prevalence and recognition of health conditions, particularly mental health and neurodiverse conditions; the direct health impacts of the COVID-19 virus; indirect impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns on physical health (through reduced activity) and mental health (through reduced social interaction and increased anxiety); impacts of subsequent labour market changes and cost of living pressures on health; and increases in NHS waiting times.
In addition, a number of behavioural factors are also likely to have contributed to higher numbers claiming incapacity and disability benefits, including: cost of living pressures; greater awareness of disability benefits (in part due to cost of living); longer waits for NHS treatment; economically inactive people being more likely to report long-term illness or disability as their main reason for inactivity; and incentives in the benefit system that can encourage people to claim health-related benefits.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to help support (a) unpaid and (b) disabled carers in the context of her proposed changes to Personal Independence Payments.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Our recent Pathways to Work Green Paper announced a broad package of reforms which included changes to Personal Independence Payment. We will focus PIP more on those with the greatest needs, ensuring that those who are unable to complete activities at all, or who require more help from others to complete them, still get support.
For those who are affected by the new eligibility changes to disability benefits, 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.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that unpaid carers are adequately supported during the transition to the new disability benefits system.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Our recent Pathways to Work Green Paper announced a broad package of reforms which included changes to Personal Independence Payment. We will focus PIP more on those with the greatest needs, ensuring that those who are unable to complete activities at all, or who require more help from others to complete them, still get support.
For those who are affected by the new eligibility changes to disability benefits, 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.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with Parkinson's in receipt of PIP with Parkinson's as their main condition were awarded four points or more in a category under the Daily Living Activities assessment.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’.
A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Independent - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant of the Answer of 7 April 2025 to Question 42058 on Poverty: Children, whether her Department plans to make an assessment of the potential impact of changes to the uptake of Carer’s Allowance on (a) rates of poverty among carers, (b) carers’ labour market participation and (c) levels of demand for public services.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The proposals have been carefully designed to protect the most severely disabled people. For those who are affected by the new eligibility changes to disability benefits, 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 Department published both an Equality Analysis of impacts alongside the Spring Statement. A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department’s investigators can apply to police to have individuals suspected of committing fraud against the Department arrested.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Where appropriate, DWP can apply to the Police to undertake an arrest as part of a criminal investigation into suspected fraud.