Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the removal of the two-child benefit limit to unemployed refugees receiving Universal Credit is perceived as fair by the public.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There are strict rules that govern who can access benefits. Parents who are not British or Irish nationals can only access Universal Credit with a valid immigration status of a kind that gives them the right to access public funds. Most migrants with temporary visas cannot access the benefit system. Access to public funds and benefits is usually at the point of settlement, which for most people will be after they have lived in the UK legally for five years, and the Home Office Earned Settlement policy consultation is looking at increasing this to ten years. The Home Office is also consulting on changing the default position to maintain No Recourse to Public Funds at settlement and lifting this only at the point of British citizenship. This would mean that migrants would need to wait longer to access benefits.
DWP also plans to consult on changes to the benefit rules to prioritise access for those who are making an economic contribution to the UK. The consultation will look at how the benefit rules apply to everyone arriving or returning to the UK.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of (1) families, and (2) children, who will be affected by the removal of the two child benefit cap in the next two years, including those whose no recourse to public funds status has been lifted by exemption, broken down by immigration status (a) common travel area and right of abode, (b) EU settlement scheme, (c) humanitarian, (d) refugee, (e) indefinite leave to remain (not EU settlement scheme), and (f) limited leave to remain (not EU settlement scheme).
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department does not produce forecasts of the impact of removing the two child limit on families or children by immigration status, and the estimate requested is not available. To produce such an estimate would incur disproportionate cost.
As our published information shows, in 2026/27, we estimate around 510,000 and in 2027/28, we estimate 520,000 Universal Credit Households will benefit from this policy change.
Table 5: Estimated number of households benefitting from the policy change
| 2026/27 | 2027/28 | 2028/29 | 2029/30 | 2030/31 |
Already on UC (static) (000’s) | 500 | 510 | 520 | 550 | 560 |
Newly entitled to UC (static) (000’s) | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Reduction due to exceptions (static) (000’s) | - 20 | - 20 | - 20 | - 20 | - 20 |
Increased take-up of UC (behavioural) (000’s) | 20 | 20 | 30 | 30 | 20 |
Total (000’s) | 510 | 520 | 540 | 560 | 570 |
Note: Caseloads rounded to the nearest 10k and totals may not sum up due to rounding. Great Britain only. | |||||
Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill publications - Parliamentary Bills - UK Parliament - Regulatory impact assessment template (2023 reforms)
Most migrants with temporary visas cannot access the benefit system. Access to public funds and benefits is usually at the point of settlement, which for most people will be after they have lived in the UK legally for five years, and the Home Office Earned Settlement policy consultation is looking at increasing this to ten years. The Home Office is also consulting on changing the default position to maintain No Recourse to Public Funds at settlement and lifting this only at the point of British citizenship.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Sherlock on 3 February (HL Deb col 1428), what assessments they have carried out to determine whether access to the benefits system acts as a pull factor for migrants.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Home Office is the department responsible for assessing migration trends – including pull factors for migration. The Home Office report ‘Asylum seeker decision-making in journeys to the United Kingdom (2022)’ explores the decision-making process for asylum seekers choosing to come to the UK.
Most migrants with temporary visas cannot access the benefit system. Access to public funds and benefits is usually at the point of settlement, which for most people will be after they have lived in the UK legally for five years, and the Home Office Earned Settlement policy consultation is looking at increasing this to ten years.
The Home Office are also consulting on changing the default position to maintain No Recourse to Public Funds at settlement and lifting this only at the point of British citizenship, in addition to increasing times for path to settlement from five to ten years.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to Universal Credit – Immigration Status and Nationality Statistics to October 2025, published 11 November 2025, what plans they have to collect (1) immigration status, and (2) nationality, for those who have no nationality or immigration status recorded on digital systems.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
People who are not British or Irish can only access Universal Credit with a valid immigration status that grants them access to public funds. The majority of temporary migrants are subject to a No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) condition which restricts them from accessing certain public funded benefits and services.
The proportion of Universal Credit claimants with an immigration status recorded as ‘other’ or where there is no immigration status recorded on the digital system has decreased in the latest statistics (January 2026) compared with January 2025. There are no plans to change how this data is collected, although analysts are continuously looking at how we can improve the statistics.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Sherlock on 3 February (HL Deb col 1428), what are the terms of reference for the consultation on the relationship between residence requirements and the benefits system; when that consultation will open; and who can contribute to that consultation.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Full details about the consultation including timelines, how long the consultation will last, and how to be involved, will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what safeguards are in place to prevent the risk of self-diagnosed mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression, leading to a rise in sickness benefit claims.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Entitlement to health and disability benefits is determined by the eligibility criteria for the respective benefits. Each case is assessed individually based on the evidence provided.
We have also launched the Timms Review to ensure Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is fair and fit for the future. It is the ever first full review of PIP and will include consideration of whether the assessment effectively captures the impact of long-term health conditions and disability in the modern world.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of young people who receive health-related benefits for mental health, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or autism enter sustained employment within (1) two years, (2) five years, and (3) 10 years, of their initial claim.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not readily available, and to obtain it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sherlock on 30 December 2025 (HL12932), whether they plan to commission research into the number of young people not in education, employment or training because they are waiting for mental health, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or autism services or diagnosis; and what steps they will take to understand the scale of that issue.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Secretary of State has commissioned the Right Honourable Alan Milburn to author a report that will seek to understand the drivers of the increase in the number of young people who are not in education, employment, or training. He will be supported by a panel of experts with diverse expertise and will be mobilising the existing Youth Guarantee Advisory Panel.
The research and analysis to inform the report will aim to improve our understanding of the number of young people not in education, employment or training, including identification of those with health needs.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the correlation between waiting times for mental health, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or autism assessments and the length of time that young people claim health-related benefits.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not readily available, and to obtain it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the average annual welfare entitlement is for a single person aged 18–24 years old claiming Universal Credit on the basis of (1) anxiety, (2) depression, (2) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and (4) autism.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not readily available, and to obtain it would incur disproportionate cost.