Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has had recent discussions with (a) Capita and (b) other relevant organisations on ensuring that Personal Independence Payment assessors have specialist knowledge in (i) multiple sclerosis, (ii) Crohn's and (iii) other non-visible disabilities.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) recognises the importance of ensuring that health professionals (HPs) conducting assessments possess the necessary experience, skills, and training. To uphold this standard, DWP has established clear competency requirements, outlined in both guidance and regulations. Assessment suppliers (AS) must demonstrate that their HPs meet these standards before they are authorised to carry out assessments on behalf of the department.
DWP does not require HPs to be specialists in the specific medical conditions or impairments of the individuals they assess. Instead, the emphasis is on ensuring HPs are experts in disability analysis, focusing on how a person’s condition affects their daily life and functional abilities.
All HPs receive thorough training in disability analysis, which includes evaluating the impact of a wide range of health conditions on everyday activities. To support this, DWP provides AS with core training materials and guidance on conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis, Ulcerative Colitis, and other non-visible disabilities. These contain clinical and functional information relevant to the conditions and is quality assured to ensure its accuracy from both a clinical and policy perspective.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps to ensure that full-time carers are paid the national minimum wage.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Business and Trade is responsible for the enforcement of the National Minimum Wage. The Department of Health and Social Care has an interest in the terms and conditions of those working in the paid care sector in England.
DWP provides support for unpaid carers on low incomes, including through Universal Credit, Pension Credit and housing benefits. These are income-related benefits and are paid at higher rates for full-time carers than for those without full-time caring responsibilities. In England and Wales, DWP also provides support for unpaid carers through Carer’s Allowance, which can be paid alongside the income-related benefits.
Asked by: Graham Leadbitter (Scottish National Party - Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey)
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 effectiveness of (a) the Disability Confident Employer Scheme and (b) Access to Work.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Disability Confident Scheme encourages employers to create disability inclusive workplaces and to support disabled people to get work and get on in work.
In 2022, the department commissioned a survey to understand from members’ perspectives the impact that signing up to the scheme has had on their recruitment and retention attitudes and practices towards disabled people. The survey can be accessed on gov.uk using the following link: Disability Confident: survey of participating employers, May 2022 - GOV.UK
There is a Disability Confident complaints process in place that sets out the steps that should be taken to address and resolve any concerns raised that an employer is failing to comply with Disability Confident criteria. More information is available here: Disability Confident complaints process.We have worked with several employers who have been the subject of a complaint to improve their compliance with the scheme criteria.
If an employer has failed to take adequate steps to resolve an issue, and there is unambiguous evidence the employer is not adhering to the principles and criteria of the Disability Confident scheme, DWP has the right to suspend the Disability Confident status of the employer until they have taken the necessary action.
I have been discussing with stakeholders in Disability Confident ideas for making the scheme criteria more robust, and plan to bring forward proposals for this in due course.
All employers have a duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ in the workplace where a disabled person would otherwise be put at a substantial disadvantage compared with their colleagues. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Equality Act and providing guidance on reasonable adjustments.
Access to Work aims to support the recruitment and retention of disabled people into employment. In 23/24 the Access to Work Scheme supported 67,720 people with a workplace adjustment to move into or stay in work. This includes a wide range of support including travel to work, support workers, and specialist aids and equipment, as well as the Mental Health support service which provides up to nine months of non-clinical support for people who need additional help with their well-being.
The AtW evaluation conducted by IFF in 2018 provides qualitative evidence on where AtW is adding value: Access to Work: Qualitative research with applicants, employers and delivery staff (publishing.service.gov.uk).
The Department has not made an estimate of the effectiveness of the Access to Work scheme, and faces challenges to do so. Research conducted by NatCen in 2018 uncovered several challenges, including identifying an appropriate counterfactual and constructing a comparison group, meaning therefore it is difficult to conduct an impact evaluation of Access to Work. You can view the report here: Feasibility of evaluating the impact of the Access to Work programme
Access to Work is a personalised discretionary grant that provides support with workplace adjustments beyond an employer’s obligation outlined in the Equality Act 2010, to support the recruitment and retention of disabled people into employment. The grant is targeted towards individual, rather than employer needs, so we are unable to comment on employer’s compliance with the Scheme. We do encourage people to have conversations with their employer regarding reasonable adjustments in the first instance.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is her Department's policy that existing PIP claimants of pension age who are subject to a planned award review from November 2026 will be required to score at least four points in one daily living activity in order to maintain their award.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Our intention is for the new eligibility requirement for the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP)—requiring individuals to score at least four points in a single daily living activity—to apply to new claims and award reviews from November 2026, subject to parliamentary approval. In line with current policy, individuals over State Pension Age are not routinely subject to full award reviews and are therefore not expected to be affected by the proposed changes.
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, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on 29 April 2025, Official Report, col 236, how many sickfluencers have been prosecuted under the (a) Fraud Act 2006 and (b) Serious Crime Act 2007.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer the honourable member to the answer given to PQ 50195 on 12 May 2025.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the number and total value of enforcement fees that have been (1) charged to, and (2) received from, paying parents in respect of child maintenance in the financial years 2023–24 and 2024–25, under (a) liability orders, (b) lump sum deduction order, (c) regular deduction orders, (d) deduction from earnings requests, and (e) deduction from earnings order.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Financial Year | Volume Raised | Value Raised (£) |
2023/24 | 88,030 | £7,946,537 |
2024/25* | 105,495 | £8,335,937 |
Breakdown of volume and value charged to paying parents by Enforcement method
Enforcement Method (Charged) | 2023/24 Volume | 2023/24 (£) | 2024/25 Volume | 2024/25 (£) |
Liability Orders | 17,466 | £4,319,632 | 16,300 | £3,865,740 |
Lump Sum Deduction Order | 2,579 | £458,503 | 2,706 | £460,985 |
Regular Deduction Orders | 7,964 | £376,604 | 8,300 | £384,067 |
Deduction from Earnings Request / Order | 60,021 | £2,791,798 | 78,189 | £3,625,145 |
Total | 88,030 | £7,946,537 | 105,495 | £8,335,937 |
Note: Deduction from Earnings Orders (DEO) and Deduction from Earnings Requests (DER) are grouped together in reporting.
2.Total volume and value of Enforcement Fees received from paying parents.
Financial Year | Volume Received | Value Received (£) |
2023/24 | 49,763 | £2,086,180 |
2024/25* | 66,694 | £2,504,856 |
Breakdown of volume and value received from paying parents by Enforcement method.
Enforcement Method (Received) | 2023/24 Volume | 2023/24 (£) | 2024/25 Volume | 2024/25 (£) |
Liability Orders | 8,973 | £607,974 | 12,234 | £729,750 |
Lump Sum Deduction Order | 3,431 | £325,787 | 3,629 | £352,870 |
Regular Deduction Orders | 3,754 | £115,725 | 4,635 | £121,201 |
Deduction from Earnings Request / Order | 33,605 | £1,035,571 | 46,196 | £1,301,035 |
Total | 49,763 | £2,086,180 | 66,694 | £2,504,856 |
Note: Deduction from Earnings Orders (DEO) and Deduction from Earnings Requests (DER) are grouped together in reporting.
*Please note that 2024/25 figures are unaudited and subject to change
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential (a) economic and (b) social impact of enabling Universal Credit recipients to share their benefit data with consent with regulated third parties.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Customers can choose to share their information with third parties, including Universal Credit statements.
As a modern digital service Universal Credit is iterated all the time. We are always looking to make improvements to the design and build. Universal Credit undertake user research with customers and stakeholders to gain feedback on their experiences and suggestions for improvements. We always take into consideration the users of the service, including individual impacts as well as any wider implications which involve customers and their data.
Asked by: Graham Leadbitter (Scottish National Party - Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that employers who are part of the Disability Confident Employer Scheme are (a) meeting the commitments they have made and (b) undertaking the actions they agreed to when they signed up to that scheme.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Disability Confident Scheme encourages employers to create disability inclusive workplaces and to support disabled people to get work and get on in work.
In 2022, the department commissioned a survey to understand from members’ perspectives the impact that signing up to the scheme has had on their recruitment and retention attitudes and practices towards disabled people. The survey can be accessed on gov.uk using the following link: Disability Confident: survey of participating employers, May 2022 - GOV.UK
There is a Disability Confident complaints process in place that sets out the steps that should be taken to address and resolve any concerns raised that an employer is failing to comply with Disability Confident criteria. More information is available here: Disability Confident complaints process.We have worked with several employers who have been the subject of a complaint to improve their compliance with the scheme criteria.
If an employer has failed to take adequate steps to resolve an issue, and there is unambiguous evidence the employer is not adhering to the principles and criteria of the Disability Confident scheme, DWP has the right to suspend the Disability Confident status of the employer until they have taken the necessary action.
I have been discussing with stakeholders in Disability Confident ideas for making the scheme criteria more robust, and plan to bring forward proposals for this in due course.
All employers have a duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ in the workplace where a disabled person would otherwise be put at a substantial disadvantage compared with their colleagues. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Equality Act and providing guidance on reasonable adjustments.
Access to Work aims to support the recruitment and retention of disabled people into employment. In 23/24 the Access to Work Scheme supported 67,720 people with a workplace adjustment to move into or stay in work. This includes a wide range of support including travel to work, support workers, and specialist aids and equipment, as well as the Mental Health support service which provides up to nine months of non-clinical support for people who need additional help with their well-being.
The AtW evaluation conducted by IFF in 2018 provides qualitative evidence on where AtW is adding value: Access to Work: Qualitative research with applicants, employers and delivery staff (publishing.service.gov.uk).
The Department has not made an estimate of the effectiveness of the Access to Work scheme, and faces challenges to do so. Research conducted by NatCen in 2018 uncovered several challenges, including identifying an appropriate counterfactual and constructing a comparison group, meaning therefore it is difficult to conduct an impact evaluation of Access to Work. You can view the report here: Feasibility of evaluating the impact of the Access to Work programme
Access to Work is a personalised discretionary grant that provides support with workplace adjustments beyond an employer’s obligation outlined in the Equality Act 2010, to support the recruitment and retention of disabled people into employment. The grant is targeted towards individual, rather than employer needs, so we are unable to comment on employer’s compliance with the Scheme. We do encourage people to have conversations with their employer regarding reasonable adjustments in the first instance.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to help tackle poverty among parents who are carers of disabled children.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Tackling child poverty is an urgent priority for this Government. The Child Poverty Taskforce’s publication of 23 October ‘Tackling Child Poverty: Developing our Strategy’ sets out how we are developing the Strategy, exploring all available levers to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty. The Strategy will look at levers across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience; and better local support especially in the early years. Parental employment is a key part of the work we are doing. This will build on the reform plans underway across government and work underway in Devolved Governments. The Child Poverty Taskforce is progressing work to publish the Child Poverty Strategy as soon as possible.
This is a cross-government effort. The Department for Education is working to provide the best start in life through high-quality early education and childcare to raise standards and help parents to work, for example through the new breakfast club programme, and expanding wraparound childcare for primary school children across England by increasing the number of places available, to support working families. We have jointly announced with DfE that we are expanding free school meals to all children in households on Universal Credit.
The Department for Business and Trade has responsibility for policy on flexible working and carer’s leave, which is another key element.
And the benefit system, in addition, makes provision for disabled children through Disability Living Allowance (DLA), and for their parents through the carer element and the disabled child addition within Universal Credit (UC).
Support is also available through Carer’s Allowance (CA). Where carers are able to work, the weekly CA earnings limit for those in receipt of CA is now pegged at 16 hours work at National Living Wage (NLW) levels, and in future it will increase when the NLW increases. The earnings limit increased to £196 a week, on 7 April 2025, compared to £151 in 24/25. This is the largest ever increase in the earnings limit since Carer’s Allowance was introduced in 1976 and the highest percentage increase since 2001.
As a result, unpaid carers will be able to increase their income, and many will now have more certainty that if they are receiving the NLW (and have not done overtime or received a bonus) they will be able to work for 16 hours a week and still receive Carer’s Allowance.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the official statistics Child Maintenance Service statistics: data to December 2024, published 25 March, how many of the 68,000 paying parents who paid no maintenance via the Collect and Pay service in the last quarter of 2024 are undergoing an enforcement process; and how many of those have (1) agreed a repayment plan, (2) had deductions from earning applied, (3) had deductions from benefits applied, (4) had a request for deductions from earnings applied, (5) had a deduction order from a bank account or saving account applied, (6) had assets seized, (7) had passports seized, (8) had driving licences seized, (9) had criminal charged laid, and (10) had other enforcement action taken.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) has a wide range of enforcement powers and is committed to using these fairly and in the best interests of children and separated families to tackle non-paying Collect and Pay cases and challenge non-compliant behaviours. CMS will always attempt to secure alternative methods of payments to gain improved compliance in cases where this fails.
The CMS Collect and Pay service with ‘nil compliance’, i.e. those who paid no maintenance, in the quarter ending December 2024, is published on Stat-Xplore and shown in the table below.
Method of payment for Paying Parents using the CMS Collect and Pay service with ‘nil compliance’, October to December 2024
Method of Payment | No of Paying Parents with nil compliance |
No Collect & Pay Liability | .. |
Bank Head Office Collection Account | .. |
Direct Debit | 751 |
Deduction from Earnings Order | 8,410 |
Deduction from Earnings Request | 58 |
Deduction from Benefits | 24,471 |
Standing Order (Default) | 30,834 |
Payment Offset | 9 |
Unspecified | 92 |
Standing Order (Voluntary) | 3,051 |
Not available | .. |
Total | 67,673 |
Source: Stat-Xplore
Quarterly enforcement statistics are regularly published in the CMS National Tables, however it is not possible to link these statistics to the published compliance statistics within the disproportionate cost limit.