Department for Work and Pensions

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments focus on the functional impact of a claimant’s health condition, rather than diagnosis or treatment alone. At assessment, Health Professionals (HPs) gather information on any past, current and ongoing medical treatment related to conditions that impact function, including medication, therapy, monitoring, side effects and effectiveness. Where necessary to properly inform their advice, HPs should and routinely do seek additional evidence from treating health professionals or other appropriate sources.

Medical treatment is covered throughout training and guidance, and HPs routinely consider the effects of ongoing medical treatment on functional ability when advising on appropriate descriptors. This includes both positive effects, where treatment enables activities to be completed more reliably, and negative effects, such as side effects or symptom fluctuation. These factors are particularly important when applying the reliability criteria, including whether an activity can be carried out safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly, and within a reasonable time. The impact of treatment is also assessed directly within activity 3, which relates to managing therapy or monitoring a health condition.

Where symptoms fluctuate, including because of treatment variability, HPs assess functional impact over a 12-month period to reflect good and bad days and determine how descriptors apply on the majority of days. HPs also consider what medical treatment is being undertaken when advising on a recommended review date, aligning this with the point at which an individual’s functional needs could reasonably be expected to change, for example following recovery or changes to treatment. Claimants are also expected to notify the Department directly of any changes in their condition or circumstances, so that their award can be reviewed where appropriate.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments focus on the functional impact of a claimant’s health condition, rather than diagnosis or treatment alone. At assessment, Health Professionals (HPs) gather information on any past, current and ongoing medical treatment related to conditions that impact function, including medication, therapy, monitoring, side effects and effectiveness. Where necessary to properly inform their advice, HPs should and routinely do seek additional evidence from treating health professionals or other appropriate sources.

Medical treatment is covered throughout training and guidance, and HPs routinely consider the effects of ongoing medical treatment on functional ability when advising on appropriate descriptors. This includes both positive effects, where treatment enables activities to be completed more reliably, and negative effects, such as side effects or symptom fluctuation. These factors are particularly important when applying the reliability criteria, including whether an activity can be carried out safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly, and within a reasonable time. The impact of treatment is also assessed directly within activity 3, which relates to managing therapy or monitoring a health condition.

Where symptoms fluctuate, including because of treatment variability, HPs assess functional impact over a 12-month period to reflect good and bad days and determine how descriptors apply on the majority of days. HPs also consider what medical treatment is being undertaken when advising on a recommended review date, aligning this with the point at which an individual’s functional needs could reasonably be expected to change, for example following recovery or changes to treatment. Claimants are also expected to notify the Department directly of any changes in their condition or circumstances, so that their award can be reviewed where appropriate.

The Social Security and Child Support (SSCS) Tribunal’s job is to establish if DWP’s decision was correct when it was originally made. As such, allegations are not part of the proceedings.

DWP lapsing a decision, which is where the department finds in a claimant’s favour before their appeal is heard by a tribunal, is the only situation in which the DWP could be considered to make a material change to its understanding of the case during proceedings. This change can only be made in the claimant’s favour and would be notified in writing to the claimant with accompanying appeal rights.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) expects to launch the statutory public consultation on the assessment of the renewal of the approval of glyphosate in Summer 2026. Further information can be found here Active substance renewal: glyphosate - HSE

The consultation will be hosted on the HSE consultation website, and they will announce the start of the consultation via their e-bulletin service. In line with the regulations, the consultation will last for 60 days.

The Family Resources Survey (FRS) is an annual report that provides facts and figures about the incomes and living circumstances of households and families in the UK. The FRS uses a nationally representative sample of UK households and includes data on benefit receipt, at both individual and family levels.

The latest FRS is available for 2023/24 and, in the ‘Income and state support data tables’, Table 2.14a shows the number of benefit units in the UK by the total amount of annual state support received for that financial year, plus the two preceding years. This data is also available in the ‘FRS Family 2’ table in the Family (Benefit Unit) Dataset on Stat-Xplore. Please read the notes which accompany these tables.

The number of families who received in excess of £28,000, can be extracted from the Family (Benefit Unit) Dataset on Stat-Xplore by using the custom range functionality (which is available to registered users) on the Family (Benefit Unit), total, annual amount of Income received from State Support, in bands, in latest prices (CPI-adjusted real terms) data by using the ‘Range’ option in the ‘Measures’ section.

You can register or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user and, if needed, you can access guidance on how to extract the information required. In addition there is also the FRS Stat-Xplore User Guide.

I refer the hon. Member to my Written Statement of 25 November HCWS1092 and (at Col 22WS) Carer's Allowance Overpayments Review - Hansard - UK Parliament where I outlined the department’s response to Liz Sayce’s Independent Review. The Government has welcomed the report and is accepting or partially accepting 38 out of the 40 recommendations. In some cases, the changes the report is asking for have already been made. Others will take more time to put in place.

The Government acknowledges the findings of Marie Curie’s Dying in Poverty report (2025), which highlights the financial insecurity experienced by individuals at the end of life.

This Government is committed to providing a financial safety net for those who need it including for those nearing the end of their life. For these claimants, the Government’s priority is to provide financial support quickly and compassionately. The main way this is applied is through the Special Rules for End of Life (SREL) which enable people who are nearing the end of their lives to get faster, easier access to certain welfare benefits without needing to attend a medical assessment or serve waiting periods, and in most cases, receive the highest rate of benefit.

As I set out to the House on 1 July 2025, the Government listened to concerns and withdrew its proposal to introduce an additional requirement to score a minimum of 4 points in a single activity to be eligible for the daily living element of PIP.

Instead, we launched the Timms Review, the first full review of PIP since its introduction in 2013. The Review is being co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, and other experts, and aims to ensure that PIP is fair and fit for the future.

Lead carers within Universal Credit have different conditionality requirements that reflect their childcare responsibilities. These expectations are set according to the age of their youngest child: where the youngest child is under 1, there are no work preparation or work search requirements; where the youngest child is aged 1 or 2, the lead carer is expected to undertake work preparation activities only; and where the youngest child is aged 3 to 12, they may be asked to undertake work-related activities for up to 30 hours per week.

Work Coaches ensure that claimant commitments for single parents are appropriately tailored through a personalised discussion with each customer. This enables the Work Coach to take into account the individual’s circumstances, including childcare availability, school hours, travel time, and wider caring responsibilities, to ensure that support remains flexible and appropriate to the customer’s needs.

The Department provides comprehensive training and guidance for assessment providers and the health professionals (HPs) who carry out both Work Capability Assessments (WCA) in Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Universal Credit (UC), and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments. The WCA Handbook and the Personal Independence Payment Assessment Guide (PIPAG) sets out how HPs should evaluate all relevant evidence when assessing a claimant’s functional limitations against the respective criteria.

Both WCA and PIP assessments are functional assessments, focusing on the impact of health condition(s) or disability. HPs consider all available evidence. DWP decision makers give due consideration to all available evidence when making decisions on benefit entitlement, including the HP’s assessment report and any evidence provided by the individual, their GP or consultant, and anybody else that provides them with formal or informal support.

HPs receive training on cognitive and fluctuating conditions and how these might impact on how individuals perform the activities/descriptors which form the assessments.

The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to providing timely and accurate support to people whose ability to work is affected by long-term health conditions or disabilities through Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Anyone who claims ESA and PIP must satisfy the relevant conditions of entitlement, regardless of the circumstances in which the claim is made. Initial decisions on claims will be made without delay once all evidence needed is available.

Decisions are made within a statutory framework, which allows for revision within one month of notification, with extensions where reasonable. Decisions may also be revised or superseded where there has been official error, where new medical evidence is presented or where a customer has had a relevant change in circumstances. These provisions help ensure accurate decision making and reduce the need for repeated appeals.

We recognise that some customers have complex needs and may require additional support and reasonable adjustments, including adapted communication, additional time, and advocacy from representatives or appointees.

The information requested is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

The Department is advised by the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC), an independent scientific body, on the changes to the list of occupational diseases for which Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit can be paid.

IIAC has published Command Papers on COVID-19 and its occupational impacts. The Department is considering the recommendations in these documents which can be accessed here: COVID-19 and Occupational Impacts - GOV.UK and Occupational Impact of COVID-19 in the Transport and Education Sectors - GOV.UK

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 October 2025 to Question UIN 84436.

Foundation skills including English, maths, and digital skills are fundamental for full participation in work, education and society.

The Jobcentre Plus’s network of over 600 local centres offers tailored, flexible support for UC claimants to build foundational skills through its Work Coaches and a broad range of local skills provision. Across Great Britain, we are also testing delivery of services and support in communities through mobile vehicles and outreach.

Responsibility for adult skills has moved to the Department for Work and Pensions, enabling a clearer focus on adult skills and career outcomes. This work is supported by the Adult Skills Fund (ASF), which helps adults aged 19+ to improve their skills and progress in work. In addition, devolved ASF funding will give local leaders the flexibility to align adult skills provision with regional economic and employment priorities.

A full summary Equalities Analysis was published alongside the Strategy and is available at: Child Poverty Strategy: Summary Equalities Analysis - GOV.UK.

The impacts of policies contributing to the Child Poverty Strategy will be kept under review and monitored on an ongoing basis by departments using their own established approaches to considerations made under the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED).

The ongoing Monitoring and Evaluation of the Child Poverty Strategy will also continue to assess the poverty risk and prevalence for groups with protected characteristics, as far as the data and evidence gathering allow. The Monitoring and Evaluation framework published alongside the Strategy set out that a baseline report will be published in Summer 2026, with annual reporting on progress thereafter.

DWP promotes a culture of encouraging data sharing for public good whilst ensuring this is done in a secure, legal and ethical way. DWP require both a lawful basis and legal power to share personal data.

DWP has been supporting Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) with since 2014 when Individual Electoral Registration (IER) was introduced in England and Wales. You can now register to vote online in as little as 3 minutes. All you need is your name, address, date of birth and National Insurance number. DWP data is used within this process.

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

A customer who is claiming Universal Credit (UC) can go abroad for up to one calendar month. If the claimant exceeds the period abroad and the reason for the trip abroad does not fall under circumstances that allow exemption, a temporary absence decision will be made and assessment periods that exceed the month can be reduced to nil entitlement. If there is a doubt on whether the claimant is habitually resident, a Habitual Residence Test will take place and a decision made on whether the claim should be disallowed.

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

A customer who is claiming Universal Credit (UC) can go abroad for up to one calendar month. If the claimant exceeds the period abroad and the reason for the trip abroad does not fall under circumstances that allow exemption, a temporary absence decision will be made and assessment periods that exceed the month can be reduced to nil entitlement. If there is a doubt on whether the claimant is habitually resident, a Habitual Residence Test will take place and a decision made on whether the claim should be disallowed.

WorkWell will be rolled out across all of England backed by up to £259 million over the next three years.

WorkWell gives funding to local Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to lead, design and deliver integrated work and health support that meets the needs of working age disabled people and those with health conditions in their communities.

Management information from the pilot can be found at: WorkWell Pilot Management Information from 1 October 2024 to 30 November 2025 - GOV.UK

An independent consortium of evaluators will carry out a national evaluation to measure the effectiveness of the WorkWell pilot, using surveys, interviews and econometric measures of success. The final evaluation report is estimated to be available in Autumn 2028.

WorkWell will be rolled out across all of England backed by up to £259 million over the next three years.

WorkWell gives funding to local Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to lead, design and deliver integrated work and health support that meets the needs of working age disabled people and those with health conditions in their communities.

Management information from the pilot can be found at: WorkWell Pilot Management Information from 1 October 2024 to 30 November 2025 - GOV.UK

An independent consortium of evaluators will carry out a national evaluation to measure the effectiveness of the WorkWell pilot, using surveys, interviews and econometric measures of success. The final evaluation report is estimated to be available in Autumn 2028.

WorkWell will be rolled out across all of England backed by up to £259 million over the next three years.

WorkWell gives funding to local Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to lead, design and deliver integrated work and health support that meets the needs of working age disabled people and those with health conditions in their communities.

Management information from the pilot can be found at: WorkWell Pilot Management Information from 1 October 2024 to 30 November 2025 - GOV.UK

An independent consortium of evaluators will carry out a national evaluation to measure the effectiveness of the WorkWell pilot, using surveys, interviews and econometric measures of success. The final evaluation report is estimated to be available in Autumn 2028.

WorkWell will be rolled out across all of England backed by up to £259 million over the next three years.

WorkWell gives funding to local Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to lead, design and deliver integrated work and health support that meets the needs of working age disabled people and those with health conditions in their communities.

Management information from the pilot can be found at: WorkWell Pilot Management Information from 1 October 2024 to 30 November 2025 - GOV.UK

An independent consortium of evaluators will carry out a national evaluation to measure the effectiveness of the WorkWell pilot, using surveys, interviews and econometric measures of success. The final evaluation report is estimated to be available in Autumn 2028.

WorkWell will be rolled out across all of England backed by up to £259 million over the next three years.

WorkWell gives funding to local Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to lead, design and deliver integrated work and health support that meets the needs of working age disabled people and those with health conditions in their communities.

Management information from the pilot can be found at: WorkWell Pilot Management Information from 1 October 2024 to 30 November 2025 - GOV.UK

An independent consortium of evaluators will carry out a national evaluation to measure the effectiveness of the WorkWell pilot, using surveys, interviews and econometric measures of success. The final evaluation report is estimated to be available in Autumn 2028.

The Government is taking a range of steps to increase awareness among young people of the diverse and rewarding career opportunities available in British manufacturing. This forms part of our wider efforts to reduce the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). Promoting the Youth Guarantee, the Government’s commitment to ensure young people have access to support to find a job, training or an apprenticeship, is a key element of this approach.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) promotes careers in manufacturing to young people through a range of national and local activity, including Jobcentre-led manufacturing-focused careers sessions, employer talks and jobs boards focused on apprenticeships and early careers roles. Work Coaches are also being upskilled to help them confidently challenge outdated myths and discuss modern manufacturing with young people.

We work closely with industry bodies such as Make UK and the Institute for Grocery Distributors, to support young people to better understand the breadth of manufacturing careers available. In addition, we encourage employers to directly engage with schools and colleges, and work closely with the National Careers Service to provide clear information on routes into the sector. We also promote pathways into manufacturing, including government skills interventions such as Sector-based Work Academy Programmes and Skills Bootcamps, and apprenticeships.

National Manufacturing Day (NMD) further supports these efforts by opening up factories and workplaces to schools, colleges, and local communities. Through activities such as factory tours, demonstrations and employer-led talks young people can see firsthand what modern manufacturing looks like and the range of roles available, including apprenticeships and graduate routes. The Department for Education (DfE) supports NMD by promoting it to schools and parents and providing materials on education and training routes into the sector for school leavers.

Finally, DWP hosts regular Jobs and Careers Fairs, with planned events throughout 2026, designed to support young people, particularly those who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET, to explore opportunities across different sectors, including manufacturing. These events enable young people to access advice and training and engage directly with employers.

All women born since 6 April 1950 have been affected by changes to State Pension age.

Estimates can be made with ONS 2022 Census Data of how many women born in the 1950s were resident in each constituency in that year.

All women born since 6 April 1950 have been affected by changes to State Pension age.

Estimates can be made with ONS 2022 Census Data of how many women born in the 1950s were resident in each constituency in that year.

All women born since 6 April 1950 have been affected by changes to State Pension age.

Estimates can be made with ONS 2022 Census Data of how many women born in the 1950s were resident in each constituency in that year.

The precise design of any benefits under an insurance policy is a matter for the insurer and the policy holder and is not covered in Department for Work and Pensions legislation.

Those in the UK without lawful status are persons subject to immigration control and have no recourse to public funds. This means that those in the UK without a valid immigration status are not able to access public funds benefits including Universal Credit.

The Secretary of State has taken a new decision, and the process has been thorough. We have looked at information previously considered and conducted new searches as part of an extensive review of relevant historical documents.

In addition to the 2007 Automatic Pension Forecast Evaluation, other evidence relating to letter effectiveness and State Pension age awareness was provided to the Secretary of State.

This included survey evidence on Combined Pension Forecasts, and additional State Pension age awareness evidence from the late 2000s. The decision document, which is available on gov.uk, includes some references to the evidence that was considered. The DWP research reports referenced are also publicly available in the National Archive.

The requested information is not held. A claimant must accept their claimant commitment to be assigned a conditionality group. Failure to do so will result in their claim being closed.

Bereavement Support Payment is available to those who are married, in a cohabiting relationship with dependent children, or in a civil partnership. It supports working age people through the immediate period following the death of a spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner.

The Government keeps the eligibility of all benefits including Bereavement Support Payments, under review.

We will announce further details about the publication of the Government’s consultation regarding the child maintenance calculation in due course.

Given the significant amount of time since the child maintenance calculation was updated, we need to assess carefully the impact of any proposed changes on all parents that use the CMS to ensure they effectively support families and children and that they are introduced in a way which works well for CMS customers.

The requested statistics are not held by the Department.

The Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 2025 changed the entitlement conditions so that payments are only made to people living in England or Wales. As a result, from Winter 2025/26, Winter Fuel Payments are no longer paid outside the UK.

The Department is committed to ensuring that its digital benefit services, including the Universal Credit online claim, are accessible to all, in line with our duties under the Equality Act 2010. This includes making reasonable adjustments for people with learning disabilities so that they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage when applying for support.

Universal Credit is designed as a modern digital service, with the online application structured in clear steps and using plain English, informed by user research and feedback. The questions presented are built dynamically based on the information the customer provides, so people only see the screens that are relevant to their circumstances, reducing complexity for those who may find long forms or highly technical language difficult to manage.

An Accessibility Statement link is also available at the bottom of each Universal Credit page. This explains how to access the service if extra support is needed, including how to ask for information in alternative formats or for additional help with managing the digital journey.

Customers who are unable to use the digital service can make a claim by telephone, and where they are unable to attend the jobcentre, a home visit can be arranged to undertake verification. Customers may also give explicit consent for a trusted third party to help manage their claim, or an appointee can be formally appointed to act on their behalf, with these arrangements recorded within the digital service.

The Department keeps the Universal Credit service under regular review and continues to work with stakeholders, disability organisations and people with lived experience to identify further improvements, including for customers with learning disabilities, to ensure that our services remain accessible and responsive to all.

With reference to the statistics requested, these are not readily available based on the requested parameters.

The Department notes the plan by the Office for National Statistics for an updated harmonised standard, which will be applied to our departmental statistics where applicable in due course.

This is an open consultation due to close on 4 February 2026, and the Department provided a response on 28 January 2026.

The government completed an equality impact assessment ahead of making its decision on the changes to level 7 apprenticeship funding.

As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement on 2 June 2025, this decision was informed by a wide range of evidence, including Skills England’s analysis of official apprenticeship statistics and engagement with a wide range of stakeholders.

Skills England’s analysis found that level 7 apprenticeships have a higher proportion of older learners than other apprenticeships, a higher proportion of learners who already hold higher level qualifications, and a significant proportion are less likely to be deprived than those in apprenticeships at lower levels. It also suggested there was unlikely to be a significant or unavoidable fall in the supply of these skills in the long term, post-defunding.

The government's decision on defunding Level 7 apprenticeships for those aged 22 and over, including the full summary of the evidence that informed that decision, is published here: Written Statements - Hansard - UK Parliament

The Government has also been working closely with the Mayor of the West Midlands and local authority leaders on a new £75 million construction skills package over the next three years to help meet rising sector demand. Alongside this, the Secretary of State is supporting the continuation of the successful Construction Gateway programme, new activity linked to the Construction Technical Excellence College led by Dudley College and wider skills initiatives delivered through the West Midlands Combined Authority and regional leaders as part of the West Midlands Works programme.

In the West Midlands, the DWP is undertaking a wide range of activity to help young people move into the building and construction sector. This includes Crown Rail’s Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) which upskill young people for track‑rail roles that link into construction and infrastructure as well as ongoing collaboration with West Midlands-based construction employers on mentoring circles, work experience, apprenticeships and large‑scale initiatives such as the HS2 Hub and the Sports Quarter development.

More generally, this Government is investing in young people’s futures. At the Budget, we announced more than £1.5 billion of investment over the next three years, funding £820 million for the Youth Guarantee to support young people to earn or learn, and an additional £725 million for the Growth and Skills Levy. Further details of the announcement can be found here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-12-08/hcws1137

Graduate schemes are designed and operated by individual employers and are not overseen or monitored by DWP. As such, DWP does not hold a central assessment of the adequacy of these employer‑run schemes.

Although we do not capture data on the adequacy of graduate schemes, the latest published DfE data shoes the unemployment rate for graduates is lower than non-graduates. A link to this data can be found here.

DWP’s role is to support all jobseekers, including graduates, into work through Jobcentre Plus and wider programmes; departments and employers are responsible for the design and evaluation of their own graduate schemes.

There have been steady increases over the last two decades in the number of children in receipt of Disability Living Allowance (DLAc), from 230,000 in May 2002 to 840,000 in May 2025, excluding Scotland claims. These increases are driven primarily by increases in the number of claimants with learning difficulties (including Autism Spectrum Disorder), hyperkinetic syndrome (including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and behavioural disorders which have increased from 48% of the caseload in May 2002 to 83% in May 2025.

DWP is committed to improving its services continuously. The Department is strengthening delivery of Upfront Childcare Costs (UFCCC), so that eligible parents receive timely support when moving into work. As part of this, guidance has been streamlined to ensure agents provide consistent UFCCC support to all eligible claimants.

The application process is being streamlined to make it simpler for work coaches and customers. The service will continue to be reviewed to identify further opportunities for improvement.

The Department publishes fraud and error statistics annually and the data for FYE 2025 can be found here: Fraud and error in the benefit system, Financial Year Ending (FYE) 2025 - GOV.UK.

All women born since 6 April 1950 have been affected by changes to State Pension age.

Estimates can be made with ONS 2022 Census Data of how many women born in the 1950s were resident in each constituency in that year.