Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to Answer of 11 November 2025 to Question 87663, what assessment he has made of whether the proportion of recent higher education leavers entering priority occupations is sufficient to meet forecast labour market needs in 2030.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (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: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Disability Living Allowance claimants had active contracts with the Motability Scheme in (a) the North East, (b) the North West, and (c) Yorkshire and the Humber in March of each of the last five years up to 2025.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Information on Disability Living Allowance claimants with an active Motability Scheme is not held centrally for analytical purposes. Such information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Disability Living Allowance claimants had active contracts with the Motability Scheme in (a) London, (b) the South East, (c) the South West, and (d) Wales in March of each of the last five years up to 2025.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Information on Disability Living Allowance claimants with an active Motability Scheme is not held centrally for analytical purposes. Such information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
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, whether the new Crisis and Resilience Fund will encourage local authorities to offer direct provision of furniture and white goods to those in need; and will the guidance explain the benefits of furniture provision in building up resilience for extremely low-income households.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The new Crisis and Resilience Fund will be introduced from 1 April 2026. This represents the first ever multi-year settlement for locally delivered crisis support. This longer-term funding approach aims to enable local authorities to provide preventative support to communities – working with the voluntary and community sector – as well as assisting people when faced with a financial crisis
We plan to publish guidance for the Crisis and Resilience Fund in January 2026.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much Universal Credit was paid to (a) foreign nationals and (b) households with refugee status in October 2025.
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.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people are waiting for a decision on their Access to Work scheme claim.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As of October 2025, there are 62,000 applications outstanding. We recognise the importance of reducing waiting times, which is why we have increased the number of staff working in this area by 27% in the last financial year.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions has he had with organisations that deliver supported accommodation on work for young people living in supported housing.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We acknowledge there is a challenge arising from the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit for working age customers (including young people) living in supported and temporary accommodation.
We are considering options to improve work incentives for residents of supported housing and temporary accommodation, while taking into account the views of stakeholders. Any future decisions on housing support will be made in the round, prioritising measures that best meet Government objectives within the current fiscal environment.
It remains our priority to ensure that those who can work are supported to enter and sustain employment.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to review the level of regulation of small quarrying and stone-processing firms.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has no current plans to review the level of regulation of small quarrying and stone-processing firms.
The Government is committed to reducing regulatory compliance costs for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME) and announced in March 2025 a commitment to reduce the administrative burden of regulation by 25% by the end of this Parliament - savings equivalent to £5.6 billion. HSE is committed to playing its part in reducing these administrative burdens whilst maintaining our proportionate regulatory approach to protect people and enable innovation and growth.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
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 accuracy of the symptom lists used in disability and capability assessments for people with fibromyalgia; and whether his Department plans to update that guidance.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment and the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) are functional assessments. They do not evaluate claimants based on their medical diagnosis or health condition alone and claimants are not assessed against a set symptom list for a condition when attending an assessment. Instead, the assessment focuses on how a claimant’s condition affects their mobility and ability to carry out everyday activities.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is committed to ensuring that individuals with Fibromyalgia and other health conditions receive high-quality, accurate assessments. All health professionals (HPs) undergo comprehensive training in disability analysis. Their focus is on understanding the functional impact of a claimant’s condition, rather than its clinical diagnosis.
To support this, DWP provides suppliers with core training and guidance materials on Fibromyalgia. These resources include detailed clinical and functional information relevant to the condition to assist HPs in delivering informed and accurate assessments.
Additionally, all training and guidance materials are currently undergoing a comprehensive review and update. A dedicated team is leading this work to ensure that all materials are aligned with national best practice standards. Independent clinical experts are being engaged to provide external quality assurance, helping to ensure the content remains accurate, relevant, and consistent.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Disability Living Allowance claimants had active contracts with the Motability Scheme in (a) the East Midlands, (b) the West Midlands, and (c) the East of England in March of each of the last five years up to 2025.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Information on Disability Living Allowance claimants with an active Motability Scheme is not held centrally for analytical purposes. Such information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.