Asked by: Viscount Younger of Leckie (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure a balance of perspectives among the chairs and steering group members of the review of Personal Independent Payment, and whether they will consider members with backgrounds in operational delivery, systems reform and efficiency.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government is committed to ensuring that the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) draws on a wide range of perspectives and expertise.
On 30 October the Minister for Social Security and Disability announced that he would co-chair the Review alongside Sharon Brennan and Dr Clenton Farquharson CBE. Together, they bring a wealth of expertise and experience in health and disability issues, as well as the co-production process.
Members of the steering group will be recruited through an open Expression of Interest process, which is now live. The EOI has been designed to ensure the steering group reflects a broad range of perspectives and backgrounds. The t applications will be sifted against the criteria set out in the EOI, including experience and expertise in disability and social security issues, working with disabled people, commitment to working collaboratively and inclusively, and ability to evaluate a range of evidence and engage with complex policy issues.
The steering group will not work alone: it will oversee a wider programme of participation to ensure the full range of views and voices are heard.
The Review will report to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by autumn 2026, with an interim update expected ahead of that.
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, what steps he is taking to align the Construction Skills Mission Board to (a) training provision and (b) (i) local and (ii) regional labour needs.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
To ensure employers can work collaboratively to secure the workforce needed to meet future demand, the Government is sponsoring a new Construction Skills Mission Board (CSMB). Chaired by Mark Reynolds, Executive Chair of Mace, the Board will provide strategic leadership to the construction sector and develop an Industry led Construction Skills Action Plan.
The CSMB will work closely with Government to ensure that industry is well aligned to key initiatives within the Construction Skills Package, including Skills Bootcamps, apprenticeships, and industry placement development, ensuring these programmes reflect industry needs. It will work closely with training providers to align curricula with modern construction practices and sustainability standards.
The Board will work collaboratively with Mayoral Combined Authorities and local partners to support the effective use of devolved funding and ensure interventions reflect regional priorities. Skills England will take a national view of skills gaps and work with local partners including Mayoral Strategic Authorities to ensure provision meets the needs of learners and employers. This approach ensures national programmes remain responsive to local priorities while maintaining consistency in quality and outcomes.
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 first degree subjects have the lowest share of learners entering priority occupations; and what steps he is taking to improve alignment in those areas.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The proportion of first degree (level 6) higher education learners entering priority occupations by subject is published in the Accompanying tables for the Assessment of priority skills to 2030. This table is copied below.
Subject | Share of employed learners entering priority occupations (%) |
Nursing and midwifery | 97 |
Medicine and dentistry | 96 |
Medical sciences | 81 |
Architecture, building and planning | 79 |
Pharmacology, toxicology and pharmacy | 78 |
Allied health | 73 |
Computing | 70 |
Engineering | 68 |
Economics | 65 |
Physics and astronomy | 60 |
Mathematical sciences | 57 |
Chemistry | 56 |
Business and management | 53 |
Health and social care | 51 |
Languages and area studies | 49 |
Biosciences | 48 |
Geography, earth and environmental studies | 48 |
Politics | 48 |
Law | 47 |
Media, journalism and communications | 46 |
General, applied and forensic sciences | 44 |
Materials and technology | 44 |
History and archaeology | 44 |
Combined and general studies | 43 |
Psychology | 42 |
Philosophy and religious studies | 42 |
English studies | 39 |
Creative arts and design | 35 |
Sociology, social policy and anthropology | 33 |
Agriculture, food and related studies | 32 |
Performing arts | 31 |
Sport and exercise sciences | 25 |
Education and teaching | 10 |
Veterinary sciences | 8 |
The DfE and Skills England are working closely together to publish labour market information and support informed student choice, helping provision respond to economic demand and maintaining the breadth of provision needed for a strong and flexible workforce. Many jobs outside the priority occupations are highly productive and needed for the wider economy.
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, what assessment she has made of the health of the labour market, in light of the number of unemployed people and job vacancies.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Economic growth is a priority for this Government. Building a thriving and inclusive labour market and increasing the number of people in work is central to achieving the Government’s number one mission to grow the economy, and delivering our missions to spread opportunity and improve the health of the nation.
In November 2024, we set out our plan in the Get Britain Working White Paper, with three main pillars:
Since the start of the year, over 329,000 more people have moved into employment. Rising employment and falling inactivity have also contributed to there now being a record number (34.3 million) of working-aged people who are economically active. The UK has the 3rd highest employment rate in the G7 and had the fastest growing economy in the G7 in the first half the year. Since July 2024, real wages have risen more than in the first ten years of the previous government.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department holds data on the number of (a) starts, (b) completions and (c) licences obtained from the HGV providers (i) System Group and (ii) Qube.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government carries out assurance and financial reconciliation exercises of Skills Bootcamps across all sectors, including the HGV sector.
The department publishes data on Skills Bootcamps starts, completions and outcomes by sector. This can be found here; Skills bootcamps starts, completions and outcomes, Financial year 2023-24 - Explore education statistics - GOV.UK. The department does not publish this information by provider.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has conducted a formal audit of funding for the HGV driving bootcamp.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government carries out assurance and financial reconciliation exercises of Skills Bootcamps across all sectors, including the HGV sector.
The department publishes data on Skills Bootcamps starts, completions and outcomes by sector. This can be found here; Skills bootcamps starts, completions and outcomes, Financial year 2023-24 - Explore education statistics - GOV.UK. The department does not publish this information by provider.
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 the Answer of 29 October 2025 to Question 86589 on Construction: Apprentices and Training, how the Construction Support Package is being allocated by (a) region and (b) type of training.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
On 23 March 2025, the Government announced a construction support package worth £625 million to tackle the acute shortage of skilled workers in the construction sector.
(a) By Region
Construction Skills Package funding for initiatives including Industry Placement Support, FE Teacher Industry Exchange, and capital support to Construction Technical Excellence Colleges will be devolved to Mayoral Combined Authorities where they exist. Skills Bootcamps are delivered nationally through provider contracts.
(b) By Type of Training
The package includes a range of interventions, including:
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2024 to Question 88403 on Social Security Benefits: Foreign Nationals and with reference to the Universal Credit statistics, 29 April 2013 to 12 June 2025, published on 15 July 2025, what progress his Department has made on producing Immigration and Nationality statistics for (a) Universal Credit and b) other benefits.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Since first publishing the Universal Credit statistics by immigration status and nationality group on 15 July 2025, the Department has published regular updates, with the latest, published on 11 November 2025, covering statistics to October 2025.
The Department checks immigration status when assessing eligibility for benefits, but this information is not collated centrally across all benefit lines and hence is not readily available.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
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 paying parents who owe child maintenance are held responsible; and that enforcement action is taken to recover arrears and support children in separated families.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to ensuring separated parents support their children financially, taking robust enforcement action against those who do not.
If paying parents fail to meet their financial obligation to their children, the CMS has a range of strong enforcement powers including deduction from earnings orders and bank accounts, removing a parent’s passport or driving license and commitment to prison.
In the past year to June 2025, CMS collected £202m through administrative and legal enforcement actions (including deduction from earnings orders and requests) which is increasing year on year and is the highest amount collected through the administration of robust collection and enforcement powers.
We are working to introduce administrative liability orders (ALOs) which will replace the current requirement for the CMS to apply to the court for a liability order. Introducing a simpler administrative process will enable the CMS to take faster action against those paying parents who actively avoid their responsibilities and will get money to children more quickly.
Once in operation, we expect the new liability order process in the majority of cases to take around 6 weeks. Changes will mean the CMS can use its strong enforcement powers more quickly to go after those who wilfully avoid their financial obligations to their children.
We are working with His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service and the Scottish Government to establish a process for implementing ALOs and plan to introduce regulations to Parliament as soon as possible.
Asked by: Adam Thompson (Labour - Erewash)
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 that (a) organisations delivering commercial flooring apprenticeships and (b) other independent specialist training providers can access funding and opportunities at parity with large further education colleges delivering for trades.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The funding band of each apprenticeship standard sets out the maximum amount that the government will contribute to the costs of apprenticeship training and assessment. This is irrespective of the type or size of funding provider.
New training providers can enter the apprenticeship training market under one of the three entry routes in place: where there is a legitimate gap in provision that is generated by unmet employer demand, where a levy paying employer wants to become an employer-provider to train its own workforce, or where the provider is in an area we want to grow or where we identify a capacity issue.