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Written Question
Disability Living Allowance: Personal Independence Payment
Thursday 16th January 2025

Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of people in receipt of Disability Living Allowance transitioned to Personal Independence Payment over the last five financial years.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The table below shows the proportions of the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) caseload that have undergone a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) reassessment in each of the last five financial years (FY).

FY

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

2022/23

2023/24

Percentage of caseload

Children

6.2

7.3

8.1

9.5

8.4

Adults

22.1

7.4

2.7

2.8

2.6

Total

16.7

7.4

5.1

6.1

5.7

Points to note:

- Figures are for England and Wales only.

- Figures are split for children and adults. Adults include those of working age and those over state pension age.

- Reassessment statistics count individual people who have registered PIP claims that are classified as DLA reassessments, where there is a matching DLA record.

- Children are usually invited to claim PIP on or shortly after their 16th birthday. If they choose to apply for PIP this will be considered a reassessment.


Written Question
Personal Independence Payment: Employment
Thursday 16th January 2025

Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what data they have on the employment rate of individuals (1) before they claim Personal Independence Payment, and (2) in the 12 months after their claim is approved.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Of all individuals who subsequently went on to apply for Personal Independence Payment (PIP), 37% were in employment in the month their PIP case was cleared.

Of those who were awarded PIP, 23% were still in employment after 12 months.

Notes:

  • Figures are based on the 2021-22 financial year cohort where the claims have been cleared – the latest financial year of data available for the analysis.
  • Data is for England and Wales only.
  • Data is for New Claims only.
  • Employment includes both employed and self-employed individuals.
  • The 2022-23 tax records for self-employment were not available when the analysis was conducted, therefore the 2021-22 self-employment data was used as a proxy.

Written Question
Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations
Monday 6th January 2025

Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many and what proportion of Personal Independence Payment assessments were carried out (1) face-to-face, (2) remotely and (3) on paper in each month since March 2020.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The number and proportion of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments carried out (a) face-to-face (b) remotely (this includes telephone and video) and (c) paper-based can be found in the tables below.

March 2020 to December 2020

Month

Face-to-Face

Remote

Paper-Based

Unspecified

Number

Proportion

Number

Proportion

Number

Proportion

Number

Proportion

Mar-20

0

0%

13,610

46%

15,980

54%

0

0%

Apr-20

0

0%

38,090

73%

13,970

27%

0

0%

May-20

0

0%

42,830

82%

9,460

18%

0

0%

Jun-20

0

0%

47,000

86%

7,760

14%

0

0%

Jul-20

0

0%

52,440

87%

7,950

13%

0

0%

Aug-20

0

0%

48,370

87%

7,500

13%

0

0%

Sep-20

0

0%

53,690

83%

11,120

17%

0

0%

Oct-20

0

0%

59,110

81%

14,000

19%

0

0%

Nov-20

0

0%

53,740

82%

11,860

18%

0

0%

Dec-20

0

0%

46,120

82%

10,010

18%

0

0%

2021

Month

Face-to-Face

Remote

Paper-Based

Unspecified

Number

Proportion

Number

Proportion

Number

Proportion

Number

Proportion

Jan-21

0

0%

53,730

83%

10,970

17%

0

0%

Feb-21

0

0%

52,860

83%

10,480

17%

0

0%

Mar-21

0

0%

60,160

85%

10,800

15%

0

0%

Apr-21

0

0%

48,670

83%

9,760

17%

0

0%

May-21

0

0%

46,280

82%

9,840

18%

0

0%

Jun-21

10

0%

51,140

83%

10,490

17%

0

0%

Jul-21

50

0%

52,000

83%

10,810

17%

0

0%

Aug-21

2,430

4%

46,240

79%

9,930

17%

0

0%

Sep-21

5,340

8%

50,290

76%

10,590

16%

0

0%

Oct-21

5,190

8%

50,510

76%

10,520

16%

0

0%

Nov-21

5,640

8%

55,470

76%

11,500

16%

0

0%

Dec-21

3,730

6%

44,180

77%

9,440

16%

0

0%

2022

Month

Face-to-Face

Remote

Paper-Based

Unspecified

Number

Proportion

Number

Proportion

Number

Proportion

Number

Proportion

Jan-22

90

0%

61,300

83%

12,170

17%

0

0%

Feb-22

3,150

4%

58,070

78%

13,170

18%

0

0%

Mar-22

6,390

8%

63,230

75%

15,050

18%

0

0%

Apr-22

5,100

7%

53,580

75%

12,950

18%

0

0%

May-22

5,690

7%

63,750

77%

13,710

16%

0

0%

Jun-22

5,480

7%

58,730

75%

13,790

18%

0

0%

Jul-22

5,350

7%

59,420

75%

14,380

18%

0

0%

Aug-22

5,950

7%

60,870

73%

14,910

18%

1,990

2%

Sep-22

6,450

8%

60,050

71%

15,540

18%

2,480

3%

Oct-22

7,080

8%

63,190

71%

15,990

18%

2,190

2%

Nov-22

7,540

8%

68,890

71%

18,340

19%

2,260

2%

Dec-22

5,260

7%

50,500

71%

13,810

19%

2,030

3%

2023

Month

Face-to-Face

Remote

Paper-Based

Unspecified

Number

Proportion

Number

Proportion

Number

Proportion

Number

Proportion

Jan-23

6,150

6%

70,490

73%

17,750

18%

2,310

2%

Feb-23

6,880

8%

63,600

71%

17,420

19%

2,210

2%

Mar-23

7,210

7%

75,650

72%

20,200

19%

2,480

2%

Apr-23

6,610

8%

57,590

70%

16,260

20%

2,080

3%

May-23

7,290

8%

66,110

70%

18,600

20%

2,340

2%

Jun-23

7,400

7%

71,570

71%

19,800

20%

2,450

2%

Jul-23

7,480

8%

68,910

71%

18,270

19%

2,530

3%

Aug-23

7,950

8%

68,420

69%

20,440

21%

2,420

2%

Sep-23

7,440

8%

68,990

70%

19,690

20%

2,540

3%

Oct-23

7,700

7%

73,240

70%

21,110

20%

2,790

3%

Nov-23

7,400

7%

76,030

70%

22,250

20%

2,850

3%

Dec-23

5,430

7%

52,740

70%

14,810

20%

2,420

3%

January 2024 to November 2024

Month

Face-to-Face

Remote

Paper-Based

Unspecified

Number

Proportion

Number

Proportion

Number

Proportion

Number

Proportion

Jan-24

6,650

6%

74,750

72%

20,030

19%

2,680

3%

Feb-24

7,260

7%

75,730

73%

17,750

17%

3,110

3%

Mar-24

6,460

7%

69,570

73%

17,010

18%

2,370

2%

Apr-24

5,910

6%

73,580

74%

17,210

17%

2,210

2%

May-24

5,630

6%

74,400

74%

18,210

18%

2,010

2%

Jun-24

5,330

6%

71,410

74%

17,450

18%

1,940

2%

Jul-24

5,650

5%

78,000

74%

19,260

18%

2,150

2%

Aug-24

3,430

4%

72,040

77%

16,980

18%

1,180

1%

Sep-24

1,270

2%

59,780

81%

12,660

17%

180

0%

Oct-24

2,580

2%

82,890

79%

18,430

18%

400

0%

Nov-24

3,620

4%

70,810

77%

16,410

18%

1,350

1%

Please Note

  • All volumes have been rounded to the nearest 10.
  • Percentages and volumes may not add up to 100% due to rounding.
  • Remote assessments include telephone and video assessments.
  • There are a proportion of assessments where the channel is unspecified. We have included these assessments for completion.
  • All the 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.


Written Question
Employment: Disability
Monday 6th January 2025

Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the savings of one disabled person being in full time work, rather than out of work and fully reliant on benefits.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The department published an estimated saving for the Government of having one extra disabled person in full-time work, in July 2023. This can be found in the Consultation outcome Occupational Health: Working Better.

For Government, having one extra disabled person in full-time work, rather than being out of work and fully reliant on benefits, would mean the Government could save an estimated £18,000 a year. It could give societal savings of £28,000 a year when considering increases in output, reductions in healthcare costs and increased travel. The societal savings could increase to £34,000 a year if including Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY) impacts, or £36,000 a year if including subjective wellbeing impacts. For a disabled person working part-time, the equivalent figures could be a saving to the Government of £8,000 a year, and a societal saving of £15,000 a year, rising to £19,000 a year if including QALY impacts, or £20,000 a year if including subjective wellbeing impacts.


Written Question
Employment: Disability
Monday 6th January 2025

Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many disabled people were employed by small, medium, or large businesses in the financial years (1) 2021–22, (2) 2022–23, and (3) 2023–24.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The department publishes a range of statistics from the Annual Population Survey (APS) on the employment of disabled people. This includes the number of disabled people who were employed by workplace size. Workplace size refers to the total number of employees at the respondent’s workplace, not just the section/department or the whole organization. The APS does not collect information on the size of the whole organization, therefore only analysis on workplace size can be provided. A full time-series from 2013/14 can be found in the employment of disabled people 2024 supplementary table EMP006.

Number of disabled people in employment by workplace size, aged 16 to 64, UK

Workplace size

2021/22

2022/23

2023/24

Small (less than 50 employees)

1,919,144

2,036,454

2,080,529

Medium (between 50 and 250 employees)

909,827

917,802

970,471

Large (more than 250 employees)

1,117,175

1,168,427

1,332,062

Don't know but between 50 and 500 employees

190,401

204,425

199,334

Source: The employment of disabled people 2024: Table EMP006


Written Question
Access to Work Programme
Monday 6th January 2025

Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many disabled people were in receipt of an Access to Work grant in the financial years (1) 2021–22, (2) 2022–23, and (3) 2023–24, and by sector.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

  • 38,620 people were in receipt of payments for Access to Work provision in 2021 to 2022.

  • 49,020 people were in receipt of payments for Access to Work provision in 2022 to 2023.

  • 61,630 people were in receipt of payments for Access to Work provision in 2023 to 2024.

Table 6 of the latest Access to Work Official Statistics includes the number of individuals who were in receipt of Access to Work Provision within each financial year. The latest publication can be found here: Access to Work statistics: April 2007 to March 2024 - GOV.UK

The information requested about the number of individuals who received a payment for AtW provision by sector is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.


Written Question
Access to Work Programme: Business
Monday 6th January 2025

Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many people were in receipt of an Access to Work grant by small, medium, or large business in the financial years (1) 2021–22, (2) 2022–23, and (3) 2023–24.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Estimates of the number of individuals who received a payment for an Access to Work element, by employer size, at the end of each of the last three financial years, are provided in the table below.

Employer Size

End of March 2022

End of March 2023

End of March 2024

Small (0-49 employees)

8,180

10,770

17,480

Medium (50-249 employees)

2,680

3,190

4,420

Large (250 or more employees)

18,330

20,690

27,880

Missing

180

150

140

Total

29,370

34,800

49,920

These figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and do not include payments for an Access to Work assessment. Data on the number of Access to Work recipients by employer size is not directly recorded in the Access to Work admin datasets, so these estimates are derived from information which may provide insights to employer size. They may change in future as a consequence of subsequent system updates or changes to methodology.


Written Question
Students: Fees and Charges
Wednesday 4th December 2024

Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they gave, before deciding to increase tuition fees to £9,535 from September 2025, to using the powers in Schedule 2 of the Higher Education and Research Act 2017 to limit the fee rise only to higher education providers that hold a high-level quality rating in order to ensure good value for money for students.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The government recognises that UK higher education (HE) creates opportunity, is an engine for growth in our economy and supports local communities. In making the tough decision to increase tuition fee caps, after seven years of frozen fee caps under the previous government, the department’s immediate priority is helping all providers manage the financial pressures they are facing.

However, if the department is to maintain and enhance our national and international reputation, we need a culture that accepts nothing less than high standards, and that requires continuous improvement from all providers. This requires a rigorous approach to improving quality and supporting improvement. The department expects all providers to raise the bar further on teaching standards to maintain and improve our world-leading reputation and to drive out poor practice.

Following Sir David Behan’s review, the department will work closely with a re-focused Office for Students (OfS) as it develops its new approach to assessing quality. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has already taken the crucial first step of appointing Sir David as interim Chair of the OfS to oversee this important work.

The department expects the sector to deliver the very best outcomes, both for students and for the country. The department will publish its plan for HE reform by summer 2025 and will work with the sector and the OfS to deliver the change that the country needs.


Written Question
NHS: Muslims
Wednesday 4th December 2024

Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication of the National NHS Muslim Network’s New Muslim guidance in August to "help new Muslims navigate through the early stages of their journey", whether it is their policy to produce similar documents for all faiths.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

This document is owned by the NHS Muslim Network, which is one of several staff networks which have formed within the National Health Service. Other staff networks include the Jewish Staff Network and the Care Experienced Staff Network.

Staff networks make materials for their members with no input from NHS England or the Department, and the networks determine policies useful for their network members.


Written Question
Secondary Education
Wednesday 4th December 2024

Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the conclusions of The symbolic violence of setting: A Bourdieusian analysis of mixed methods data on secondary students’ views about setting, published in 2018, that setting children by ability in schools is (1) “symbolic violence”, and (2) “incompatible with social justice approaches to education”; and whether they took these views into consideration when appointing the article’s co-author Professor Becky Francis as Chair of the Curriculum and Assessment Review.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review and its recommendations will be driven by evidence and a commitment to high standards for all young people, irrespective of background. Professor Francis OBE was appointed due to her professional expertise including as Chief Executive of the Education Endowment Foundation.