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Written Question
Universal Credit
Monday 26th January 2026

Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many households on Universal Credit in the most recent year for which data are available have received Universal Credit of (1) £0 per month; (2) less than £50 per month; (3) less than £100 per month.

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

Using the results from the most recent Family Resources Survey published on Stat-Xplore, the estimated number of households in receipt of Universal Credit by the total gross income received by a household from all income sources, in latest prices (weekly, CPI-adjusted real terms), as reported by FRS respondents, ‘less than’ and ‘equal to or greater than’ (1) £576.92, (2) £673.08, (3) £705.77 or (4) £769.23, in financial year 2023 to 2024, is shown in the table below.

Table 1: Estimated number of households receiving Universal Credit by weekly gross income from all sources in latest prices (weekly, CPI-adjusted real terms), ‘less than’ and ‘equal to or greater than’ (1) £576.92, (2) £673.08, (3) £705.77 or (4) £769.23 in financial year 2023 to 2024, United Kingdom

Weekly gross income from all sources

Households with income less than weekly value (millions)

Households with income equal to or more than weekly value (millions)

Total

£576.92

1.6

1.6

3.1

£673.08

1.9

1.2

3.1

£705.77

2.1

1.1

3.1

£769.23

2.2

0.9

3.1

Source: Stat-Xplore - Family Resources Survey Household Dataset

Notes:

  1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 0.1 million. This rounding convention has been set to reflect that FRS estimates are based on survey data and not actual records of individuals in the UK. Totals may not sum due to the rounding method used.
  2. Figures have been extracted from the FRS Household dataset on Stat-Xplore by using the custom range functionality (which is available to registered users) on the Household total, gross income from all sources in latest prices (weekly, CPI adjusted real terms) data.
  3. If the weekly values chosen are received for 52 weeks this would be the equivalent to an income of (1) £30,000, (2) £35,000, (3) £36,700 or (4) £40,000 per year.
  4. A household consists of one person living alone or a group of people (not necessarily related) living at the same address, who share cooking facilities and share a living room or sitting room or dining area. A household will consist of one or more benefit units.
  5. The total gross income received by a household from all sources includes:
    1. Earnings from employment and self-employment
    2. Investment income
    3. Income from Retirement Pension plus any Income Support or Pension Credit paid with it
    4. Pension income
    5. Income from disability benefits
    6. Income from other benefits
    7. Income from Tax Credits
    8. Universal Credit income
    9. Remaining income
  6. Relative to administrative records, the FRS is known to under-report Universal Credit receipt by a third. Please refer to the M6A and M6B tables in the FRS Methodology and Standard Error data tables for further information.
  7. Further information can be found in the FRS Background Note and Methodology and the Family Resources Survey: quality assessment report.
  8. This answer goes beyond standard lines because while this information is publicly available, it has not been previously presented as a table in this format.
Written Question
Universal Credit
Thursday 22nd January 2026

Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how many households on Universal Credit have an income equal to or greater than (1) £30,000, (2) £35,000, (3) £36,700 or (4) £40,000 per year.

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

Using the results from the most recent Family Resources Survey published on Stat-Xplore, the estimated number of households in receipt of Universal Credit by the total gross income received by a household from all income sources, in latest prices (weekly, CPI-adjusted real terms), as reported by FRS respondents, ‘less than’ and ‘equal to or greater than’ (1) £576.92, (2) £673.08, (3) £705.77 or (4) £769.23, in financial year 2023 to 2024, is shown in the table below.

Table 1: Estimated number of households receiving Universal Credit by weekly gross income from all sources in latest prices (weekly, CPI-adjusted real terms), ‘less than’ and ‘equal to or greater than’ (1) £576.92, (2) £673.08, (3) £705.77 or (4) £769.23 in financial year 2023 to 2024, United Kingdom

Weekly gross income from all sources

Households with income less than weekly value (millions)

Households with income equal to or more than weekly value (millions)

Total

£576.92

1.6

1.6

3.1

£673.08

1.9

1.2

3.1

£705.77

2.1

1.1

3.1

£769.23

2.2

0.9

3.1

Source: Stat-Xplore - Family Resources Survey Household Dataset

Notes:

  1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 0.1 million. This rounding convention has been set to reflect that FRS estimates are based on survey data and not actual records of individuals in the UK. Totals may not sum due to the rounding method used.
  2. Figures have been extracted from the FRS Household dataset on Stat-Xplore by using the custom range functionality (which is available to registered users) on the Household total, gross income from all sources in latest prices (weekly, CPI adjusted real terms) data.
  3. If the weekly values chosen are received for 52 weeks this would be the equivalent to an income of (1) £30,000, (2) £35,000, (3) £36,700 or (4) £40,000 per year.
  4. A household consists of one person living alone or a group of people (not necessarily related) living at the same address, who share cooking facilities and share a living room or sitting room or dining area. A household will consist of one or more benefit units.
  5. The total gross income received by a household from all sources includes:
    1. Earnings from employment and self-employment
    2. Investment income
    3. Income from Retirement Pension plus any Income Support or Pension Credit paid with it
    4. Pension income
    5. Income from disability benefits
    6. Income from other benefits
    7. Income from Tax Credits
    8. Universal Credit income
    9. Remaining income
  6. Further information can be found in the FRS Background Note and Methodology and the Family Resources Survey: quality assessment report.
Written Question
Pensions: Consumer Information
Wednesday 21st January 2026

Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the expected launch date of the Money and Pensions Service pensions dashboard; and what impediments still exist for the launch of the Money and Pensions Service pensions dashboard and private sector pensions dashboards.

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

The MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard will be launched when we have assurances that the service is secure and thoroughly user tested. As confirmed last year, Government will give 6 months’ notice before the launch of the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard. Pension providers and schemes in scope are required to connect to the pensions dashboards ecosystem by 31 October 2026 and connection remains on course against this timeline.

The Government remains committed to the launch of private sector pensions dashboards. Insights gained from the launch and operation of the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard will help inform the launch of private sector pensions dashboards.

Written Question
Pensions: Consumer Information
Wednesday 21st January 2026

Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of data is already onboarded for the pensions dashboard being created by the Money and Pensions Service.

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

Three quarters of pensions records in scope of the Pensions Dashboards Regulations 2022 are now integrated into pensions dashboards. Over 700 of the largest pension providers and schemes are now connected with over 60 million records integrated into dashboards. State Pension data is also accessible, representing tens of millions of additional pensions records.

Written Question
Ministry of Justice: Freedom of Information
Wednesday 21st January 2026

Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government which Minister acted as the qualified person in regard to FOI request 251030055, which asked for the briefing pack used by Paul Candler, Policy Director at the Ministry of Justice when he appeared before the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill Committee on 29 October 2025 to be shared.

Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

I can confirm that I acted as the qualified person for this Freedom of Information Act request.

Written Question
Children: Maintenance
Tuesday 20th January 2026

Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they consider the receipt of child maintenance to be important to the wellbeing of children.

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

The Government is committed to ensuring that parents meet their financial responsibilities towards their children where they don’t live with them. The role of the Child Maintenance Service is crucial to help meet this objective where parents cannot make a child maintenance arrangement between themselves. In the 12 months up to September 2025, the CMS arranged around £1.6 billion in child maintenance payments.

Where parents fail to meet their financial obligation towards their children, the Child Maintenance Service will use its wide range of strong enforcement powers to help ensure they fulfil their responsibility.

Written Question
Treasury: Migrant Workers
Tuesday 20th January 2026

Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many civil servants are employed through Skilled Worker visas in (1) His Majesty’s Treasury, and (2) His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

We do not disclose the exact number of visas sponsored for data privacy reasons, but can confirm that fewer than five civil servants at HM Treasury are on Skilled Worker visas. Information requested on other departments is not held centrally.

Written Question
Cabinet Office: Migrant Workers
Monday 19th January 2026

Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many civil servants are employed through Skilled Worker visas in (1) the Cabinet Office, and (2) its Executive Agencies.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

39 Civil Servants are employed through Skilled Worker visas in (1) the Cabinet Office and 0 in its (2) Executive Agencies.

Written Question
Children: Maintenance
Monday 19th January 2026

Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much money for child maintenance was collected under the collect and pay service in the past three years; and for how many children this money was collected.

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

The Department publishes Child Maintenance Service official statistics every three months. Table 4 of the latest National tables provides the total amount of maintenance paid via Collect and Pay each quarter between January 2015 and September 2025.

The below table shows Money paid each Quarter via Collect and Pay for Great Britain, for the past 12 quarters October 2022 to September 2025

Quarter

Maintenance paid (£ millions)

Oct to Dec 2022

49.1

Jan to Mar 2023

49.1

Apr to Jun 2023

52.1

Jul to Sep 2023

57.5

Oct to Dec 2023

56.6

Jan to Mar 2024

58.7

Apr to Jun 2024

61.2

Jul to Sep 2024

65.4

Oct to Dec 2024

67.8

Jan to Mar 2025

72.5

Apr to Jun 2025

78.2

Jul to Sep 2025

84.4

Source: Child Maintenance Service Management Information

Notes:

  1. Figures provided are for child maintenance only and do not include fees for the use of the service and are rounded to the nearest £100,000.
  2. In a very small number of cases a child maintenance payment may be refunded to the Paying Parent. These Paying Parents are currently still counted as compliant and the money is counted as paid. In a very small number of cases a child maintenance payment may be incorrectly assigned to the wrong parent. If the money is then assigned to the correct parent then the money paid will be counted twice.

The below table shows the number of children covered by Collect and Pay arrangements by payment status, for Great Britain, by quarter end, December 2022 to September 2025

Quarter end [note 2]

Collect & Pay, paying [note 3]

Collect & Pay, not paying [note 4]

Total

December 2022

167,183

140,187

307,370

March 2023

170,753

144,587

315,343

June 2023

181,346

140,181

321,526

September 2023

191,532

137,948

329,485

December 2023

192,539

146,012

338,548

March 2024

200,457

146,153

346,605

June 2024

208,444

150,600

359,038

September 2024

216,082

160,165

376,245

December 2024

223,538

169,759

393,297

March 2025

235,795

172,915

408,713

June 2025

256,722

164,079

420,799

September 2025

271,720

160,907

432,627

Source: Stat-Xplore

Note:

  1. Statistical disclosure control has been applied to this table to avoid the release of confidential data. Totals may not sum due to the disclosure control applied.
  2. The data is collected at the end of each quarter.
  3. Children covered by Collect & Pay arrangements in which the Paying Parent paid some child maintenance during the quarter.
  4. Children covered by Collect & Pay arrangements in which the Paying Parent paid no child maintenance during the quarter. This will include some children associated with active arrangements for which no ongoing child maintenance was due in the quarter, i.e. arrears only cases.

Written Question
Children: Maintenance
Monday 19th January 2026

Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many liability orders regarding child maintenance they have applied for in the last three years.

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

The Department publishes Child Maintenance Service official statistics every three months. Table 6.1 of the latest National tables provides information about enforcement actions used by the Child Maintenance Service each quarter between April 2015 and September 2025 including the number of liability orders applied for in England and Wales.

The below table shows volumes of Liability Orders applied for in England and Wales, for the past 12 quarters from October 2022 to September 2025

Quarter

Liability Orders applied for

Oct to Dec 2022

2,700

Jan to Mar 2023

4,300

Apr to Jun 2023

4,000

Jul to Sep 2023

4,100

Oct to Dec 2023

4,500

Jan to Mar 2024

5,300

Apr to Jun 2024

4,500

Jul to Sep 2024

3,500

Oct to Dec 2024

3,700

Jan to Mar 2025

4,000

Apr to Jun 2025

3,400

Jul to Sep 2025

3,600

Source: Child Maintenance Service Administrative and Clerical Data

Note:

  1. Figures provided are restricted to England and Wales and are rounded to the nearest 100.