Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the £625 million of funding to train up to 60,000 additional skilled construction workers, announced at the Spring Statement 2025, will be distributed; and how much funding the Welsh Government will receive through the Barnett Formula as a result.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Following recent machinery of government changes, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will have lead responsibility for the Construction Skills Package and will act as Senior Responsible Owner (SRO). Policy responsibility and budget control for different elements of the package will sit across DWP and the Department for Education (DfE), with Baroness Smith retaining ministerial responsibility for the skills portfolio, including the Construction Skills Package.
Construction skills policy and funding in Wales is devolved. HM Treasury has confirmed that information on funding received by the Welsh Government can be found in the Block Grant Transparency: October 2025 - GOV.UK. The Welsh Government is free to allocate this funding as it sees fit across its responsibilities.
The £625 million announced for construction skills training is largely for the Spending Review period from FY2026-27 to FY2028-29. Funds will be allocated and released aligned with the delivery needs of each strand of the programme.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his predecessor's Oral Statement of 17 December 2024 on Women's State Pension Age Communication: PHSO Report, Official Report, Vol. 759, column 168, what the research from 2006 was that she was referring to.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
DWP research report no. 434 “Attitudes to pensions: The 2006 survey” was considered as part of the Government’s decision announced in the 17 December 2024 Oral Statement.
DWP research report no. 447 “Evaluation of Automatic State Pension Forecasts”, was referenced in the 11 November 2025 Oral Statement and a copy of this report has been deposited in the Libraries of the House.
We have decided to retake the decision as it relates to the communication of State Pension age as report no.447 contains relevant information that was not considered at the time of the original decision. In re-taking the decision, we will consider the evidence from report no.447 alongside other relevant evidence and material. The process to re-take the decision has already begun.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his predecessor was first provided with the Department for Work and Pensions Research Report No. 434, entitled "Attitudes to Pensions: the 2006 Survey", published in 2007.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
DWP research report no. 434 “Attitudes to pensions: The 2006 survey” was considered as part of the Government’s decision announced in the 17 December 2024 Oral Statement.
DWP research report no. 447 “Evaluation of Automatic State Pension Forecasts”, was referenced in the 11 November 2025 Oral Statement and a copy of this report has been deposited in the Libraries of the House.
We have decided to retake the decision as it relates to the communication of State Pension age as report no.447 contains relevant information that was not considered at the time of the original decision. In re-taking the decision, we will consider the evidence from report no.447 alongside other relevant evidence and material. The process to re-take the decision has already begun.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he first was first provided with the Department for Work and Pensions Research report No. 434, entitled Attitudes to Pensions: the 2006 Survey, published in 2007.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
DWP research report no. 434 “Attitudes to pensions: The 2006 survey” was considered as part of the Government’s decision announced in the 17 December 2024 Oral Statement.
DWP research report no. 447 “Evaluation of Automatic State Pension Forecasts”, was referenced in the 11 November 2025 Oral Statement and a copy of this report has been deposited in the Libraries of the House.
We have decided to retake the decision as it relates to the communication of State Pension age as report no.447 contains relevant information that was not considered at the time of the original decision. In re-taking the decision, we will consider the evidence from report no.447 alongside other relevant evidence and material. The process to re-take the decision has already begun.
Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, over what period the £625 million for construction skills training announced at the Spring Statement 2025 will be (a) allocated and (b) released in each financial year; and how expenditure and outcomes will be monitored and reported.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Following recent machinery of government changes, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will have lead responsibility for the Construction Skills Package and will act as Senior Responsible Owner (SRO). Policy responsibility and budget control for different elements of the package will sit across DWP and the Department for Education (DfE), with Baroness Smith retaining ministerial responsibility for the skills portfolio, including the Construction Skills Package.
Construction skills policy and funding in Wales is devolved. HM Treasury has confirmed that information on funding received by the Welsh Government can be found in the Block Grant Transparency: October 2025 - GOV.UK. The Welsh Government is free to allocate this funding as it sees fit across its responsibilities.
The £625 million announced for construction skills training is largely for the Spending Review period from FY2026-27 to FY2028-29. Funds will be allocated and released aligned with the delivery needs of each strand of the programme.
Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which body is responsible for administering and overseeing the £625 million construction skills programme.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Following recent machinery of government changes, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will have lead responsibility for the Construction Skills Package and will act as Senior Responsible Owner (SRO). Policy responsibility and budget control for different elements of the package will sit across DWP and the Department for Education (DfE), with Baroness Smith retaining ministerial responsibility for the skills portfolio, including the Construction Skills Package.
Construction skills policy and funding in Wales is devolved. HM Treasury has confirmed that information on funding received by the Welsh Government can be found in the Block Grant Transparency: October 2025 - GOV.UK. The Welsh Government is free to allocate this funding as it sees fit across its responsibilities.
The £625 million announced for construction skills training is largely for the Spending Review period from FY2026-27 to FY2028-29. Funds will be allocated and released aligned with the delivery needs of each strand of the programme.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of making pensioners who live with a partner below State Pension age eligible to receive age-appropriate welfare benefits.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have no current plans to do so. Ensuring that individuals, including those below State Pension age, can get into and stay in work is important for individuals in helping them to continue saving for their own retirement and contributes to the wider economy.
Since 2019, couples have needed to claim working age benefits (usually Universal Credit) until both members reach pension age.
Once in receipt of Universal Credit, the younger partner can access the same employment support that is available for customers below State Pension age. The partner above State Pension age can still receive their State Pension, but this will be taken into account in full when assessing entitlement and calculating the couple’s Universal Credit award.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on the number of providers that have ceased offering Access to Work services due to (a) systemic delays and (b) insufficient funding since January 2025.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have interpreted “providers” to mean support workers, third parties, and stakeholders who deliver support to Access to Work customers.
The Department does not hold data on how many providers may have ceased offering Access to Work services due to (a) systemic delays or (b) insufficient funding since January 2025.
Access to Work operates as a reimbursement grant, the service or support must be provided before payment is made. The customer is the recipient of the grant and claims for the support they have used, not the provider. As such, the Department does not monitor providers or track whether they have ceased offering Access to Work services.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on the number of complaints submitted by disabled service users to the Access to Work scheme which were not resolved within the 20-working-day target in the last 12 months.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The standard definition of a complaint across DWP is:
Any expression of dissatisfaction about the service provided which is not resolved by operational staff as normal business.
An ‘Official’’ complaint would be received in writing and usually via the local MP or authorised advocate on behalf of the customer. These complaints would be logged and dealt with in line with our official complaints policy.
‘Official’ complaints have a 20-working day target.
During the period 01/11/2024 – 31/10/2025, 106 were received and 3 were not resolved within the target date.
‘Other’ complaints are also received but are dealt with informally as part of normal business and are usually handled in real-time by our DWP Telephony staff.
Other complaints have a 15-working day target.
During the period 01/11/2024 – 31/10/2025, 909 were received and 4 were not resolved within the target date.
What is not a complaint
Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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 people with (a) learning disabilities and (b) mental health challenges receive (i) adequate and (ii) consistent support through Access to Work.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we consulted on the future of Access to Work and how to improve the scheme so that it helps more disabled people in work. Since Access to Work was first designed, the style, scope and cost of the support that people require has changed significantly, yet Access to Work has stayed broadly the same. There is a strong case for looking at the future role and purpose of Access to Work, as part of the wider changes to Get Britain Working.
We have recently concluded (end of June) the Access to Work Collaboration Committees, in which we engaged with a range of stakeholders, including Disabled People’s Organisation representatives and lived experience users, to provide discussion, experience, and challenge to the design of the future Access to Work Scheme. Whilst the committees have now ended, we will seek opportunity to engage with stakeholders as we move forward with policy development, recognising the value of their input and expertise. We will be reviewing all aspects of the Scheme now that the consultation has closed.