Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
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 potential impact of migraine on levels of sickness absence, labour market participation and economic inactivity.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that 3.1 million days were lost due to headaches and migraines in 2024. This represents 2.1% of all days lost, the same percentage as in 2019.
No assessment has been made of the potential impact of migraine on labour market participation and economic inactivity. This information is not available because the Labour Force Survey - the primary source for data on labour market participation and economic inactivity - only reports figures by long‑term health condition. The category of “migraines and headaches” appears only as a reason for sickness absence, not as a separate long-term health condition.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of requiring Disability Living Allowance applications for children to be submitted by post on families of children with SEND.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We regularly consider the impact of our processes for Disability Living Allowance on our customers, including parents of children with Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND).
We have not identified a disproportionate impact of requiring applications to be submitted by post on families of children with SEND. We offer Parent/Guardians a 6 week window to complete the form and return it, to maintain the date of claim, as well as extending the window in relevant extenuating circumstances. We continue to explore opportunities to modernise the service.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what consideration his Department has given to reducing administration for parents of children with SEND when applying for Disability Living Allowance.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We regularly consider the impact of our processes for Disability Living Allowance on our customers, including parents of children with Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND).
We have not identified a disproportionate impact of requiring applications to be submitted by post on families of children with SEND. We offer Parent/Guardians a 6 week window to complete the form and return it, to maintain the date of claim, as well as extending the window in relevant extenuating circumstances. We continue to explore opportunities to modernise the service.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all eligible claimants are made aware of the forthcoming proposed removal of the two-child limit on Child Tax Credit and Universal Credit.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government has announced that the two child‑ limit in Child Tax Credit and Universal Credit will be removed from 6th April 2026.
For Universal Credit, the Department is contacting customers who are expected to benefit from the removal of the two child limit directly, ensuring that families are aware of the additional support they will be entitled to. Eligible customers will automatically receive the increased child element from April 2026, provided the number of children in their household is correctly recorded on their Universal Credit claim.
The Universal Credit service will be updated to reflect the policy change, and agents will receive updated guidance and communications to support them in responding to claimant enquiries. Customers can also receive additional support through Jobcentres, by telephoning the Universal Credit helpline, or via their online Universal Credit account.
HM Revenue and Customs is responsible for managing any remaining Child Tax Credit claims and will lead on communications with their affected customers.
Asked by: Damien Egan (Labour - Bristol North East)
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 potential impact of the five week wait for Universal Credit payments on prison leavers with limited or no support networks; and what steps his Department is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that people leaving custody do not face immediate financial insecurity or debt.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department has over 200 Work Coaches based in prisons across Great Britain providing benefit advice and support to individuals, including booking an appointment at their local jobcentre on or soon after their day of release.
When a claim is made for Universal Credit, the customer will receive their first award around five weeks after the claim is made, this period is known as the initial assessment period. This process ensures that customers are paid their correct entitlement, based on verified information, and reduces the risk of significant overpayments occurring.
If a customer needs support before their first payment is made, a New Claims Advance of up to 100% of their estimated Universal Credit entitlement is available at any time during the initial assessment period. With such an advance, customers receive an additional Universal Credit payment, resulting in 25 payments over a 24-month period. Crucially for prison leavers, this means that financial support can be accessed from day one of the claim subject to verification.
I am currently undertaking a review of Universal Credit. The five week wait for Universal Credit is one of the topics being considered in the review.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason the application of inflationary increases on pre-1997 defined benefit pension entitlements is limited to schemes within the Pension Protection Fund and Financial Assistance Scheme; and whether he plans to extend this policy to other defined benefit schemes.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has brought forward legislation to introduce annual CPI-linked increases, capped at 2.5 per cent, on compensation payments from the Pension Protection Fund and Financial Assistance Scheme based on pensions built up before 6 April 1997. These increases will apply prospectively (i.e. to payments going forward) and where the original scheme rules provided for such increases.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Department plans to review the legislative approach to the frozen pensions policy, including the option of presenting it in a form that enables routine parliamentary debate and vote.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Social Security Benefits Up-rating Regulations 2026 are consequential on the Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order 2026.
The regulations are subject to the negative procedure and are therefore only subject to Parliamentary debate if one is sought and granted. They were laid on 6 March 2026 and will come into force on the same date as the Up-rating Order on 6 April 2026. This is a convention that has been in place for a number of years.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2026 to Question 118868 on Personal Independence Payment, when he expects additional health professionals to be recruited.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department continues to work closely with its Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment suppliers to ensure that sufficient capacity is in place to meet operational demand. Recruitment of health professionals is a continuous activity undertaken by suppliers in line with contractual requirements and the need to maintain appropriate levels of trained staff.
Staffing levels are managed continuously by suppliers to respond to regional demand and ensure service quality.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of opportunities for parliamentary scrutiny of the Social Security Benefits Up-rating Regulations 2026, laid on 6 March 2026.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Social Security Benefits Up-rating Regulations 2026 are consequential on the Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order 2026.
The regulations are subject to the negative procedure and are therefore only subject to Parliamentary debate if one is sought and granted. They were laid on 6 March 2026 and will come into force on the same date as the Up-rating Order on 6 April 2026. This is a convention that has been in place for a number of years.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
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 extent to which administrative errors by the Child Maintenance Service contribute to the creation of incorrect arrears; and what steps his Department is taking to rectify such cases.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to providing timely, transparent, and accurate information to parents. To support this, CMS uses proportionate controls to ensure calculation accuracy, including verified income from HMRC and Child Benefit systems, dedicated verification processes, and a three tier quality framework. These measures help minimise administrative and calculation errors that could otherwise contribute to incorrect arrears being created.
Where CMS identifies—either through its internal checks or following a parent’s challenge—that a single accidental error relating to the maintenance calculation has occurred, it can apply a correction without requiring a full Mandatory Reconsideration (MR), provided the challenge is raised within legislative timescales. The CMS also operates a liability schedule which acts as the authoritative record of assessed liability, payments received, and arrears, ensuring over‑ and under‑payments are correctly reconciled.
All calculation decisions may be challenged through the MR process, which allows a parent to request a review before appealing to His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service. During MR, CMS reassesses the decision and considers any new information; where an error is confirmed, the decision is revised accordingly.
Through the Service Modernisation Programme, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) has strengthened accuracy and communication by introducing enhanced digital tools, clearer written communications, expanded use of SMS and email, and greater self‑service functionality. These improvements, including automated processing of simple case updates through My Child Maintenance Case (MCMC), enable parents to access and update case information 24/7, improve accuracy, reduce administrative errors, and speed up changes.
The Department rigorously monitors accuracy and continues to meet the National Audit Office (NAO) monetary error target of under 1%, ensuring robust oversight of error rates and arrears calculations.