Department for Work and Pensions

Monthly statistics for the number of Housing Benefit claimants in Great Britain are published quarterly on Stat-Xplore, The statistics are available for various geographies, including local authority and parliamentary constituency, and are currently available to May 2025.

Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required.

We acknowledge there is a challenge arising from the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit, particularly for young people living in supported and temporary accommodation, including the different income tapers used by each benefit.

We are considering options to improve work incentives for residents of supported housing and temporary accommodation, while taking into account the views of stakeholders. As funding is required to allow a change, any future decisions will take account of the current fiscal context.

It remains the department’s priority to ensure that those who can work are supported to enter the labour market and to sustain employment.

We acknowledge there is a challenge arising from the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit, particularly for young people living in supported and temporary accommodation, including the different income tapers used by each benefit.

We are considering options to improve work incentives for residents of supported housing and temporary accommodation, while taking into account the views of stakeholders. As funding is required to allow a change, any future decisions will take account of the current fiscal context.

It remains the department’s priority to ensure that those who can work are supported to enter the labour market and to sustain employment.

The Health and Safety Executive have not had any discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade or received any representations from trade unions concerning Project Lunar. Project Lunar is an internal policy that the Co-op is introducing, so it is not a matter for HSE or the government to be involved in.

Under health and safety law it is the employer (Co-op) who is responsible for protecting its employees and others from harm. The employer must identify the risks and take action to eliminate them, or if this is not possible, to control the risk. An employer must manage any health and safety risks before people can work alone.

HSE and Local Authorities (LAs) work together as co-regulatory partners to enforce health and safety law, with LAs being responsible for regulation of health and safety in most retail businesses. Both HSE and LAs provide advice and guidance on the management of risk and what the law requires, conduct inspections and investigations, and take enforcement action where appropriate.

Any correspondence received by HSE raising workplace health and safety concerns is fully assessed, and subsequent actions can include, providing advice or guidance, further investigation or referral to another regulator where appropriate.

The Health and Safety Executive have not had any discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade or received any representations from trade unions concerning Project Lunar. Project Lunar is an internal policy that the Co-op is introducing, so it is not a matter for HSE or the government to be involved in.

Under health and safety law it is the employer (Co-op) who is responsible for protecting its employees and others from harm. The employer must identify the risks and take action to eliminate them, or if this is not possible, to control the risk. An employer must manage any health and safety risks before people can work alone.

HSE and Local Authorities (LAs) work together as co-regulatory partners to enforce health and safety law, with LAs being responsible for regulation of health and safety in most retail businesses. Both HSE and LAs provide advice and guidance on the management of risk and what the law requires, conduct inspections and investigations, and take enforcement action where appropriate.

Any correspondence received by HSE raising workplace health and safety concerns is fully assessed, and subsequent actions can include, providing advice or guidance, further investigation or referral to another regulator where appropriate.

The Health and Safety Executive have not had any discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade or received any representations from trade unions concerning Project Lunar. Project Lunar is an internal policy that the Co-op is introducing, so it is not a matter for HSE or the government to be involved in.

Under health and safety law it is the employer (Co-op) who is responsible for protecting its employees and others from harm. The employer must identify the risks and take action to eliminate them, or if this is not possible, to control the risk. An employer must manage any health and safety risks before people can work alone.

HSE and Local Authorities (LAs) work together as co-regulatory partners to enforce health and safety law, with LAs being responsible for regulation of health and safety in most retail businesses. Both HSE and LAs provide advice and guidance on the management of risk and what the law requires, conduct inspections and investigations, and take enforcement action where appropriate.

Any correspondence received by HSE raising workplace health and safety concerns is fully assessed, and subsequent actions can include, providing advice or guidance, further investigation or referral to another regulator where appropriate.

As set out in the Green Paper, we are reforming Access to Work to improve the scheme so that it helps more disabled people into and on in work. We are committed to reducing waiting times for claims and we prioritise customers starting a job in four weeks. Nevertheless, Access to Work is demand-led and tailored to the needs of each customer.

We are continuing to streamline delivery practices and have increased the number of staff processing claims. Since May 2024, 118 additional staff have been redeployed to support Access to Work.

We are committed to reducing waiting times for claims to the Access to Work Scheme. We have streamlined delivery practices and have increased the number of staff processing claims. We also prioritise customers starting a job in four weeks.

Despite deploying additional staff and streamlining our procedures, the number of Access to Work applications waiting to be processed is continuing to grow.

That’s why, as set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we consulted on the future of Access to Work and how to improve the programme to help more disabled people into work and support employers.

Reforms are essential to ensure a better service for customers, to help disabled people start and stay in work, to provide clarity in what support should be provided and to ensure we are providing value for money for the taxpayer.

We will be reviewing all aspects of the Scheme now that the consultation has closed. We are continuing to work closely with stakeholders, and in particular disabled people and their representatives, on all aspects of our proposals.

DWP remains committed to working with anyone who is struggling with their repayment terms. The Department strives to set affordable, sustainable repayment plans, and encourages anyone unable to afford the proposed rate of repayment to contact DWP’s Debt Management at the earliest opportunity.

DWP has introduced several measures to support our most vulnerable customers including a Vulnerability Hub for DWP Debt Management colleagues to ensure that customers who are in challenging circumstances or have complex needs are supported to help them manage their debts effectively and a specially trained Advanced Customer Support team with access to a range of tools and guidance to support our most vulnerable customers. The Department can also enlist support from a DWP Visiting Officer who can visit the individual to offer tailored support and advice and where appropriate referrals can be made to external support providers. DWP also continues to work in partnership with the Money Adviser Network (MAN) who offer free professional independent and impartial money and debt advice, and customers are routinely offered a referral to this service with their consent. DWP also remains committed to HM Treasury’s Breathing Space policy, which provides those with problem debt the right to legal protections from creditor action for a period of 60 days to enable them to receive debt advice and enter an appropriate debt solution.

In addition, we have introduced our Universal Credit Act which legislates to rebalance Universal Credit by bringing in, for the first time ever, a sustained above inflation increase to the UC standard allowance for all claimants. We have also introduced a new Fair Repayment Rate, helping 1.2 million low-income households to keep more of their Universal Credit and we have extended Free School Meals to all pupils in households in receipt of Universal Credit - lifting 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of this Parliament.

Extra costs disability benefits, including Personal Independence Payment (PIP), are individual benefits paid to all qualifying members of a household. They provide a contribution towards the extra costs that may arise from a long-term disability or health condition. These benefits are non-contributory, non-means-tested, can be worth up to £9,747.40 a year, tax free and are paid in addition to any other benefits or income received. Receiving a qualifying rate of an extra costs disability benefit could also act as a ‘passport’ to extra money or higher amounts of other means-tested benefits, such as Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit and Housing Benefit. It can also provide access to council tax reductions and a Disabled Person's Railcard.

We know for those who can, work is the best route out of poverty. The Government is investing in the biggest employment support package for disabled people and those with a health condition in a generation. Our Pathways to Work Guarantee will ensure there is an offer of work, health and skills support for disabled people and those with health conditions claiming out of work benefits.

Disabled people may also benefit from the wide range of measures we have announced to support those in low-income families and households, including an expansion of Free School Meals that will lift 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of this parliament, a long-term Crisis and Resilience Fund supported by £1 billion a year (including Barnett impact), and extending the £3 bus fare cap. We have increased the national minimum wage for those on the lowest incomes and introduced a Fair Repayment Rate on Universal Credit deductions, helping around 1.2 million UC households retain more of their award, 700,000 of these households include children. We are also expanding the Warm Home Discount Scheme to give more eligible households £150 off their winter energy bills. All households on a qualifying means tested benefit will be eligible for the Discount, bringing around 2.7 million households into the scheme and pushing the total number of households that will receive the discount this winter up to around 6 million.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 September to PQ 73218

I refer the hon. member to the answer I gave on 10 September to PQ 72893.

Good work is generally good for health and wellbeing, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. Backed by £240 million investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched last November will drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity and work toward the long-term ambition of an 80% employment rate.

Disabled people and people with health conditions are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key. The Government is committed to supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, including women with endometriosis, with their employment journey. We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems.

Measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants, as well as joining up health and employment support around the individual through Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies, Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care and WorkWell.

It is also recognised that employers play an important role in addressing health and disability. To build on this, the DWP and DHSC Joint Work & Health Directorate (JWHD) is facilitating “Keep Britain Working”, an independent review of the role of UK employers in reducing health-related inactivity and to promote healthy and inclusive workplaces. The lead reviewer, Sir Charlie Mayfield, is expected to bring forward recommendations in Autumn 2025.

In our March Green Paper, we set out our Pathways to Work Guarantee, backed by £1 billion a year of new additional funding by 2030. We will build towards a guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for all disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits.

The 10 Year Health Plan, published in July, stated our intention to break down barriers to opportunity by delivering the holistic support that people need to access and thrive in employment by ensuring a better health service for everyone, regardless of condition or service area. The Plan sets out the vision for what good joined-up care looks like for people with a combination of health and care needs, including for disabled people. Furthermore, it outlines how the neighbourhood health service will join up support from across the work, health and skills systems to help address the multiple complex challenges that often stop people finding and staying in work.

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

There are several schemes for individuals in the Universal Credit Limited Capability for Work and Related Activity group (UC LCWRA) or Employment Support Allowance Support Group which may use some coaching to support individuals back to work. Examples include Additional Work Coach Support, Work and Health Programme, WorkWell, Connect to Work and Employment Advisers in NHS Talking Therapies. However, these schemes are personalised to the needs of the individual and therefore coaching is only one of many ways to help get them back to work.

The published report “The impact of additional Jobcentre Plus support on the employment outcomes of disabled people” March 2025 includes some of the most recent relevant analysis on employment support for those on UC LCWRA.

The impact of additional Jobcentre Plus support on the employment outcomes of disabled people - GOV.UK

I refer the Hon. member to the answer I gave 16 September to PQ 75889, referencing DWP evaluations which demonstrate the effectiveness of support programmes for young people.

The department will continue to build on the existing evidence base as we test, learn and improve the support available to help young people to find, stay in, and progress in work.

Our current evaluation plans include a dedicated evaluation of the Youth Guarantee Trailblazers. Preparatory research is already underway to map activities, identify outcome pathways, and understand the supporting systems. As part of this research, we will also assess the feasibility of different methods to evaluate the impact of the Youth Guarantee Trailblazers.

A process and theory-based evaluation will also be commissioned as part of a wider Get Britain Working Trailblazer evaluation, scheduled to begin in early 2026.

No current assessment has been made by the Department for Work and Pensions on the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on employment.

We are starting to witness AI’s impact within the labour market: transforming the workplace, demanding new skills and augmenting old ones. But there is uncertainty over the future scale of AI’s impact on the labour market. Given the recent rapid pace of AI development, government is planning against a range of plausible future outcomes and closely monitoring the data that will help track if we are heading towards any of these outcomes.

I refer the Rt.Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 5 September 2025 to Question UIN 72849.

I recognise that the hospitality sector offers significant entry-level opportunities for young people. My department is working closely with UKHospitality, the trade body for the sector, to deliver Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) to 26 areas across the country. These SWAPs offer training, work experience and a guaranteed job interview to those ready to start a job, and participants that complete the programme gain the Hospitality Skills Passport which provides proof that a person is qualified to perform their job effectively and safely, giving them a universal entry standard into the sector.

A number of these SWAPs have already been delivered, most notably in coastal areas with high levels of deprivation such as Blackpool and Margate.

From April 2021 to June 2025 DWP delivered a total of 30,180 Hospitality SWAP starts across the country.

The Department for Work and Pensions currently offers support for those out of work, including older jobseekers, through its network of Jobcentres and through contracted employment programmes.

Where a work coach becomes aware that a customer lacks digital skills, they can refer them to suitable provision for example, Foundation Digital Skills, and then onto Essential Digital Skills. In addition, work coaches and employers are supported by 50PLUS Champions working across all 37 Jobcentre Districts. 50PLUS Champions act as enablers, working collaboratively to strengthen the support available to customers over the age of 50. Examples of personalised activities that Champions organise for older jobseekers include digital awareness sessions and confidence building. Through Midlife MOT reviews, delivered in Jobcentres across the UK and the digital MOT online, we also support older people to review their health, finances and skills.

The Government is reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new Jobs and Careers Service that will enable everyone, including the over 50s, to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them progress in their careers. This includes an enhanced focus on skills and careers advice. The new service across Great Britain will be universal and

available to anyone who wants to look for work, increase their earnings, re-train, upskill, or change their career.

A reply was sent to the hon. Member by the Minister of State for Social Security and Disability, on behalf of the Secretary of State, on 17 September 2025.

DWP has agreed a delivery plan and grant funding agreement with Surrey County Council to provide specialist Connect to Work employment support to up to 2500 disabled people, those with health conditions, and people with complex barriers until March 2030.

The planned local government reorganisation in Surrey is not expected to impact on the delivery of Connect to Work. Should there need to be a change to the Lead Authority (Accountable Body) for the Connect to Work programme in Surrey, DWP will work with the affected authorities to determine the best transition that maintains successful delivery of the programme.

The public consultation on the “Pathways to Work” Green Paper received over 47,500 responses before closing on the 30 June. We are now carefully reviewing responses as we develop further proposals, involving disabled people, including through the Timms review of PIP, collaboration committees and the department’s new Disability Advisory Panel.

We will continue to consider the potential impacts of reforms as part of our consideration of responses to the consultation, including any impacts on services.

We are committed to ensuring that victims and survivors of domestic abuse get the help and support they need to use the CMS safely.

CMS domestic abuse training has been reviewed to ensure it reflects the Home Office’s updated statutory guidance on coercive and controlling behaviour, published in April 2023, to ensure CMS staff are equipped to recognise this form of domestic abuse and signpost parents appropriately.

The CMS has access to a list of resources which helps caseworkers provide signposting to supporting organisations, and a Domestic Abuse plan which includes clear steps to follow in order to support customers who are experiencing abuse. The list of resources and Domestic Abuse Plan is regularly reviewed.

As well as the domestic abuse plan, the CMS responds to cases involving domestic abuse in several ways, including by acting as an intermediary in Direct Pay cases, and providing advice on how to set up bank accounts with a centralised sort code to limit the risk of a parent’s location being traced.

The Department has introduced a domestic abuse specialist caseworker team which provides a discrete and tactful service. The CMS determines which cases are referred to the team and offer, if required, a ‘named caseworker’ to prevent customers having to retell their story at each interaction.

The CMS reviews its domestic abuse training regularly to ensure caseworkers are equipped to support parents in vulnerable situations and the Department will continue to meet stakeholders regularly to maintain an open dialogue on how to improve the service.

We believe planned reforms to the direct pay service, where all payments are collected and transferred on behalf of parents will allow the CMS to tackle non-compliance faster, and better support victims and survivors of domestic abuse who use the CMS, reducing contact with the other parent and reducing the paying parent’s ability to financially control the receiving parent by paying too little or too late, as is currently the case on Direct Pay.

From April 2025 to August 2025, the actual average clearance times (AACT) for new Disability Living Allowance (DLA) claims is 77 days. Over the same period, the AACT for DLA Mandatory Reconsiderations (MR) is 125 days. These figures are averages, and are for child DLA claims only, as new claims for DLA are only open to children under the age of 16.

The Government is conducting a review of the child maintenance calculation to make sure it is fit for purpose. This includes updating the underlying research and considering how to ensure the calculation reflects current and future societal trends.

Options for proposed reforms are currently being considered. Any changes made to the child maintenance calculation will be subject to an extensive public consultation, which we are planning to publish late in 2025, and if made, will require amendments to legislation so would be subject to Parliamentary scrutiny in the course of 2026.

In total, DWP received c528,000 call-back requests from customers ahead of the voluntary National Insurance Contributions (VNICS) deadline of 5 April 2025. The Department has taken a two-stage approach to actioning these requests.

Stage 1 was to gather personal information such as National Insurance numbers and to filter out any duplicate requests. All stage 1 call-backs have been completed.

Stage 2 is the review of any gaps in the customer National Insurance record and to assess the impact this may have on a customer’s State Pension. All Stage 2 call-backs for customers over State Pension age, residing in the UK have been completed, with under 5,000 call-backs outstanding for customers over SP age residing abroad. There are c119,500 under State Pension (GB and abroad) Stage 2 call-back outstanding. We expect all Stage 2 call-backs to be complete by end March 2026.

DWP does not hold data on how many of the customers went on to pay VNICS under this arrangement.

Background:

DWP have prioritised Stage 2 for those over or near to their State Pension age. The Department received 56,262 stage 2 call-back requests for customers over State Pension age and living in Great Britain – all these call-backs have been completed.

In addition, DWP received 23,961 stage 2 call-back requests for customers over State Pension age, living abroad. DWP have cleared 19,184 of these with 4,777 call-backs left to complete. DWP expect to clear this set of call-back requests before the end of December 2025.

All other stage 2 call-back requests are where the customer is under State Pension age. DWP has 119,451 remaining. DWP expect to clear this set of call-back requests before the end of March 2026.

In total, DWP received c528,000 call-back requests from customers ahead of the voluntary National Insurance Contributions (VNICS) deadline of 5 April 2025. The Department has taken a two-stage approach to actioning these requests.

Stage 1 was to gather personal information such as National Insurance numbers and to filter out any duplicate requests. All stage 1 call-backs have been completed.

Stage 2 is the review of any gaps in the customer National Insurance record and to assess the impact this may have on a customer’s State Pension. All Stage 2 call-backs for customers over State Pension age, residing in the UK have been completed, with under 5,000 call-backs outstanding for customers over SP age residing abroad. There are c119,500 under State Pension (GB and abroad) Stage 2 call-back outstanding. We expect all Stage 2 call-backs to be complete by end March 2026.

DWP does not hold data on how many of the customers went on to pay VNICS under this arrangement.

Background:

DWP have prioritised Stage 2 for those over or near to their State Pension age. The Department received 56,262 stage 2 call-back requests for customers over State Pension age and living in Great Britain – all these call-backs have been completed.

In addition, DWP received 23,961 stage 2 call-back requests for customers over State Pension age, living abroad. DWP have cleared 19,184 of these with 4,777 call-backs left to complete. DWP expect to clear this set of call-back requests before the end of December 2025.

All other stage 2 call-back requests are where the customer is under State Pension age. DWP has 119,451 remaining. DWP expect to clear this set of call-back requests before the end of March 2026.

Department for Work and Pensions continues to monitor waiting times for Work Capability Assessments (WCAs) and works closely with assessment suppliers to manage demand and ensure claimants progress through the process as efficiently as possible. The department remains focused on maintaining a timely assessment service, while ensuring that support is directed to those who need it most.

The number of WCAs for new claimants undertaken in each month since January 2025 are as follows.

The number of WCAs for existing claimants undertaken in each month since January 2025 are as follows.

As of 31 August 2025, approximately 110,000 existing claimants were awaiting WCAs. This total includes all claimants currently within the assessment suppliers’ caseload, including those at the questionnaire stage and those for whom further medical evidence is being gathered.

Please note:

• Volumes have been rounded to the nearest 100 or 1000.
• All above data is derived from contractual management information produced by the assessment suppliers.
• The above data is derived from unpublished management information which is collected for internal departmental use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics Publication standards.

Department for Work and Pensions continues to monitor waiting times for Work Capability Assessments (WCAs) and works closely with assessment suppliers to manage demand and ensure claimants progress through the process as efficiently as possible. The department remains focused on maintaining a timely assessment service, while ensuring that support is directed to those who need it most.

The number of WCAs for new claimants undertaken in each month since January 2025 are as follows.

The number of WCAs for existing claimants undertaken in each month since January 2025 are as follows.

As of 31 August 2025, approximately 110,000 existing claimants were awaiting WCAs. This total includes all claimants currently within the assessment suppliers’ caseload, including those at the questionnaire stage and those for whom further medical evidence is being gathered.

Please note:

• Volumes have been rounded to the nearest 100 or 1000.
• All above data is derived from contractual management information produced by the assessment suppliers.
• The above data is derived from unpublished management information which is collected for internal departmental use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics Publication standards.

Department for Work and Pensions continues to monitor waiting times for Work Capability Assessments (WCAs) and works closely with assessment suppliers to manage demand and ensure claimants progress through the process as efficiently as possible. The department remains focused on maintaining a timely assessment service, while ensuring that support is directed to those who need it most.

The number of WCAs for new claimants undertaken in each month since January 2025 are as follows.

The number of WCAs for existing claimants undertaken in each month since January 2025 are as follows.

As of 31 August 2025, approximately 110,000 existing claimants were awaiting WCAs. This total includes all claimants currently within the assessment suppliers’ caseload, including those at the questionnaire stage and those for whom further medical evidence is being gathered.

Please note:

• Volumes have been rounded to the nearest 100 or 1000.
• All above data is derived from contractual management information produced by the assessment suppliers.
• The above data is derived from unpublished management information which is collected for internal departmental use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics Publication standards.

The Department for Work and Pensions has spent money on social media influencers since July 2024. Influencers can be effective in reaching audiences that the Government and traditional marketing channels find hard to reach.

As part of the Pathways to Work Green Paper consultation, the Government invited views on the proposal to raise the minimum age for accessing the Universal Credit (UC) health element to 22. The consultation closed on 30 June, and we are now considering responses.

No final policy decisions have been taken and full impacting will take place before any policy changes are made.

The CMS has four official Key Performance Indicators (KPI). These are: Application clearances, change of circumstances clearances, Collect and Pay compliance and assessment accuracy. Each KPI has its own standard measure.

Every quarter, the CMS publishes their data on Application clearances, change of circumstances clearances and Collect and Pay compliance.

This information can be found in the latest CMS statistics with the latest data available to March 2025. CMS statistics for June 2025 are due to be released on Tuesday 30th September 2025 at 09:30am.

Information on the accuracy of CMS assessments, which has a standard level of >99%, is published in the annual CMS Client Funds Account, Child maintenance: client funds accounts - GOV.UK.

Since 2020 CMS has shown a consistent level of 99.4% accuracy increasing for the latest year available (2023/24) to 99.5%.

The CMS continues to monitor and review their KPIs to ensure they are the most appropriate measure to drive performance and improve the customer experience.

No estimate has been made because the sample sizes in DWP’s Family Resources Survey and Households Below Average Income are too small to provide robust poverty estimates for this group of people.

The government has engaged extensively, including with employers, on the impact of our plan to strengthen Statutory Sick Pay. While employers can choose to go further than their statutory requirements and provide more financial support to their employees when they are sick, and around 60% of all employees report they are eligible for this extra support, our engagement has not included the adequacy of contractual or occupational sick pay schemes. Those who need additional financial support while off sick are able to claim more help through the welfare system such as Universal Credit, depending on their individual circumstances.

In our Get Britain Working White Paper, published November 2024, we committed support for employers to recruit, retain, and develop staff. As part of that, the Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions and Business and Trade have asked Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead ‘Keep Britain Working’, an independent review to consider how best to support and enable employers to recruit and retain more people with health conditions and disabilities, promote healthy workplaces, and support more people to stay in or return to work from periods of sickness absence.

Following the discovery publication in March 2025, Sir Charlie and the review team engaged with a broad range of stakeholders, including employers. In total there were over 500 individual submissions and over 150 meetings and events through which evidence was submitted. Sir Charlie Mayfield will deliver a final report with recommendations in the autumn.

The Disability Confident (DC) Scheme encourages employers to create disability inclusive workplaces and to support disabled people to get work and get on in work. It provides employers with the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to attract, recruit, retain and develop disabled people in the workplace and to take positive action to address the issues disabled employees face.

Officials have been discussing with stakeholders, including employers, the options for making the DC scheme criteria more robust. The Government is working towards announcing next steps for improving the scheme later this autumn

The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to supporting people to remain in or return to work, particularly those experiencing health-related barriers. In Surrey, this commitment is being delivered through several targeted initiatives as part of the Government’s wider Pathways to Work reforms, which aim to improve employment support for people with health conditions and disabilities.

DWP's current offer to employers includes a digital information service, www.support-with-employee-health-and-disability.dwp.gov.uk/ which provides tailored guidance to businesses to support employees to remain in work. This includes guidance on health disclosures and having conversations about health, plus guidance on legal obligations, including statutory sick pay and making reasonable adjustments.

Another intervention is the WorkWell pilot, which supports people both in and out of work. It provides low intensity holistic support for health and disability related barriers to employment, and a single joined up gateway to existing local work and health service provision. WorkWell is being delivered in 15 areas across England, including Surrey Heartlands. Participants get a holistic assessment, and a tailored support plan that can include employer liaison; advice on workplace adjustments; health and wellbeing support; confidential support from specialist employment and skills advisors to explore new career opportunities in Surrey; and access to local mental health or physical activity support services within seven days. Participants in Surrey can be referred through primary care hubs, Jobcentre Plus, community-based services, or they can self-refer.

Employer led occupational health services provide expert advice on fitness for work, return-to-work plans, and workplace adaptations, helping individuals remain in work and return to work after sickness absence. The Department for Work and Pensions and the Department of Health and Social Care’s OH reform programme has focused on increasing access to and uptake of occupational health services.

Together, these measures form part of a broader strategy to reduce sickness absence, improve productivity, and support economic growth in Surrey and across the country.

A reply was sent to the hon. Member by the Minister of State for Social Security and Disability, on behalf of the Secretary of State, on 10 September 2025.

We already undertake a number of face-to-face health assessments for people applying for sickness benefits. However, as announced in Pathways to Work Green Paper, we are planning to increase the number of face-to-face assessments. We will preserve alternative health assessment channels to meet the specific needs of people who require a different channel, for example as a reasonable adjustment.

This government is committed to tackling child poverty and the Child Poverty Taskforce is developing an ambitious Child Poverty Strategy which we will publish in the autumn. We are considering all available levers, including considering social security reforms, to give every child the best start in life as part of our strategy.

The causes of child poverty are wide-ranging and deep-rooted, and so it is right that the Taskforce carefully considers and assesses the available levers as it develops this Strategy.

In the meantime, we are pressing ahead with action.

As a significant downpayment ahead of strategy publication, we have already taken substantive action across major drivers of child poverty through the Spending Review 2025. This includes an expansion of Free School Meals that will lift 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of the parliament, establishing a long-term Crisis and Resilience Fund supported by £1bn a year including Barnett impact, investing in local family support services, and extending the £3 bus fare cap.

Last month, we confirmed funding of £600m for the Holiday Activities and Food programme for the next three years, ensuring that children and young people can continue to benefit from enriching experiences and nutritious meals during the school holidays.

We acknowledge there is a challenge arising from the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit, particularly for working age customers living in supported and temporary accommodation. This issue is a complex one, and eradicating the financial cliff edge some individuals face as they incrementally increase their earnings could not be achieved by simply aligning the taper rates within the two benefits.

We are considering options to improve work incentives for residents of supported housing and temporary accommodation, while taking into account the views of stakeholders. As funding is required to allow a change, any future decisions will take account of the current fiscal context.

It remains the department’s priority to ensure that those who can work are supported to enter the labour market and to sustain employment.

We acknowledge there is a challenge arising from the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit, particularly for working age customers living in supported and temporary accommodation. This issue is a complex one, and eradicating the financial cliff edge some individuals face as they incrementally increase their earnings could not be achieved by simply aligning the taper rates within the two benefits.

We are considering options to improve work incentives for residents of supported housing and temporary accommodation, while taking into account the views of stakeholders. As funding is required to allow a change, any future decisions will take account of the current fiscal context.

It remains the department’s priority to ensure that those who can work are supported to enter the labour market and to sustain employment.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is committed to ensuring that individuals with Parkinson’s disease and other health conditions receive high-quality, objective, and accurate assessments. To uphold this commitment, DWP has established clear competency standards for health professionals (HPs), as outlined in its official guidance and regulatory framework.

DWP recognises the importance of ensuring 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 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 suppliers with core training material and guidance on conditions such as Parkinson’s Disease. These contain clinical and functional information relevant to the condition and is quality assured to ensure its accuracy from both a clinical and policy perspective.

Extended periods of unemployment at a young age can have long-lasting consequences, including limiting of future employment prospects and reduced lifetime earnings. Early intervention is therefore critical. That is why our plan to Get Britain Working includes a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work. Eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers were launched earlier this year, and the insights gained will inform the future design and delivery of the Youth Guarantee.

Universal Credit is designed to top-up earnings from employment and to make work pay, so a household’s Universal Credit is withdrawn at a steady rate as their net earnings increase.

Some customers will also benefit from a work allowance which is the amount someone can earn before their Universal Credit award starts to reduce.

Extended periods of unemployment at a young age can have long-lasting consequences, including limiting of future employment prospects and reduced lifetime earnings. Early intervention is therefore critical. That is why our plan to Get Britain Working includes a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work. Eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers were launched earlier this year, and the insights gained will inform the future design and delivery of the Youth Guarantee.

Universal Credit is designed to top-up earnings from employment and to make work pay, so a household’s Universal Credit is withdrawn at a steady rate as their net earnings increase.

Some customers will also benefit from a work allowance which is the amount someone can earn before their Universal Credit award starts to reduce.