Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much of the £612,715.50 in proven losses reported in the Department for Work and Pensions Annual Report and Accounts 2025–26 has been (a) recovered and (b) written off.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government Internal Audit Agency undertakes independent, internal disciplinary investigations on behalf of the DWP into allegations of internal fraud and other serious misconduct.
Of the 40 benefit-related investigations completed by GIAA in 2025-26, 39 related to DWP employees and one related to an individual employed by an outsourced provider.
To avoid prejudicing ongoing investigations and to comply with data protection obligations, the Department is unable to provide further information on individual cases, including details of the benefits involved, the nature of the misconduct, the number of claimants affected, disciplinary outcomes, criminal referrals, criminal proceedings, or amounts recovered or written off.
Information relating to any successful criminal convictions becomes publicly available through the courts.
The Department takes its responsibility for protecting the public purse extremely seriously and seeks to recover losses arising from internal fraud wherever possible. The Department has a range of debt recovery powers available, including recovery of assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants were affected by the 40 benefit-related investigations reported in the Department for Work and Pensions Annual Report and Accounts 2025–26.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government Internal Audit Agency undertakes independent, internal disciplinary investigations on behalf of the DWP into allegations of internal fraud and other serious misconduct.
Of the 40 benefit-related investigations completed by GIAA in 2025-26, 39 related to DWP employees and one related to an individual employed by an outsourced provider.
To avoid prejudicing ongoing investigations and to comply with data protection obligations, the Department is unable to provide further information on individual cases, including details of the benefits involved, the nature of the misconduct, the number of claimants affected, disciplinary outcomes, criminal referrals, criminal proceedings, or amounts recovered or written off.
Information relating to any successful criminal convictions becomes publicly available through the courts.
The Department takes its responsibility for protecting the public purse extremely seriously and seeks to recover losses arising from internal fraud wherever possible. The Department has a range of debt recovery powers available, including recovery of assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many of the 40 benefit-related investigations reported in the Department for Work and Pensions Annual Report and Accounts 2025–26 resulted in (a) dismissal, (b) referral to the police and (c) criminal proceedings.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government Internal Audit Agency undertakes independent, internal disciplinary investigations on behalf of the DWP into allegations of internal fraud and other serious misconduct.
Of the 40 benefit-related investigations completed by GIAA in 2025-26, 39 related to DWP employees and one related to an individual employed by an outsourced provider.
To avoid prejudicing ongoing investigations and to comply with data protection obligations, the Department is unable to provide further information on individual cases, including details of the benefits involved, the nature of the misconduct, the number of claimants affected, disciplinary outcomes, criminal referrals, criminal proceedings, or amounts recovered or written off.
Information relating to any successful criminal convictions becomes publicly available through the courts.
The Department takes its responsibility for protecting the public purse extremely seriously and seeks to recover losses arising from internal fraud wherever possible. The Department has a range of debt recovery powers available, including recovery of assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many of the 40 benefit-related investigations reported in the Department for Work and Pensions Annual Report and Accounts 2025–26 involved (a) employees, (b) contractors and (c) providers.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government Internal Audit Agency undertakes independent, internal disciplinary investigations on behalf of the DWP into allegations of internal fraud and other serious misconduct.
Of the 40 benefit-related investigations completed by GIAA in 2025-26, 39 related to DWP employees and one related to an individual employed by an outsourced provider.
To avoid prejudicing ongoing investigations and to comply with data protection obligations, the Department is unable to provide further information on individual cases, including details of the benefits involved, the nature of the misconduct, the number of claimants affected, disciplinary outcomes, criminal referrals, criminal proceedings, or amounts recovered or written off.
Information relating to any successful criminal convictions becomes publicly available through the courts.
The Department takes its responsibility for protecting the public purse extremely seriously and seeks to recover losses arising from internal fraud wherever possible. The Department has a range of debt recovery powers available, including recovery of assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for a breakdown by (a) benefit and (b) type of misconduct of the 40 benefit-related investigations reported in the Department for Work and Pensions Annual Report and Accounts 2025–26.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government Internal Audit Agency undertakes independent, internal disciplinary investigations on behalf of the DWP into allegations of internal fraud and other serious misconduct.
Of the 40 benefit-related investigations completed by GIAA in 2025-26, 39 related to DWP employees and one related to an individual employed by an outsourced provider.
To avoid prejudicing ongoing investigations and to comply with data protection obligations, the Department is unable to provide further information on individual cases, including details of the benefits involved, the nature of the misconduct, the number of claimants affected, disciplinary outcomes, criminal referrals, criminal proceedings, or amounts recovered or written off.
Information relating to any successful criminal convictions becomes publicly available through the courts.
The Department takes its responsibility for protecting the public purse extremely seriously and seeks to recover losses arising from internal fraud wherever possible. The Department has a range of debt recovery powers available, including recovery of assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of excluding people aged 25 to 30 who are not in education, employment or training from NEET statistics on the identification of labour market disengagement.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The independent Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for the definition of those who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). The ONS uses the Labour Force Survey to collect data on the number of NEETs in the UK.
The quarterly release is currently designated as official statistic in development. Decisions about the age range covered by published NEET statistics are a matter for the independent ONS.
DWP provides employment support through its Jobcentres to help working-aged people get back into work, including those aged 25 to 30.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support his Department provides to people aged 25 to 30 who are unemployed but do not fall within the NEET category.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department for Work and Pensions offers a range of employment support that those aged 25-30 can benefit from. This includes financial support through the Flexible Support Fund to help with interviews or starting work, and tailored, flexible support through Jobcentre Plus. Alongside targeted job-search support, Work Coaches offer personalised advice to help individuals secure roles which reflect their skills, qualifications and prior experience.
Where appropriate, Work Coaches identify skill gaps and signpost jobseekers to relevant training and provision, such as Skills Bootcamps, apprenticeships, sector-based work academy programmes, and free courses for jobs, as well as essential English, maths and digital skills.
For those who have been on Universal Credit for 6 months or more, the Restart Scheme provides 12 months of more intensive support, including bespoke action plans.
Alongside this, we are developing tailored support for those with health conditions and disabilities through our Pathways to Work, backed by £1 billion a year of new funding by the end of the decade.
We are also delivering 11 Economic Inactivity Trailblazers, led by Mayoral Strategic Authorities and the Welsh Government, which are testing local approaches to support people who are hardest to reach to move towards work.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has had discussions with the Pensions Regulator on the security of the Thames Water Pension Scheme.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Pensions Regulator is the independent regulator of all trust-based occupational pension schemes and DWP Ministers and officials engage with them regularly on a wide range of issues.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of household income rules within Universal Credit on individuals without independent access to financial resources.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that jobseekers with professional experience are supported to secure employment reflecting their skills and experience.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
This Government is committed to delivering an employment support system that is personalised to individual needs. All jobseekers are entitled to tailored and flexible support through Jobcentre Plus. Work Coaches offer personalised advice to help individuals secure roles which reflect their skills, qualifications and prior experience, alongside targeted job‑search support. The Department for Work and Pensions provides job‑seeking support through a range of channels that can benefit those already with professional experience, including the Find a Job website and financial assistance, for interviews or starting work, through the Flexible Support Fund. Furthermore, the reformed Jobs and Careers Service will place greater focus on career advice and progression and better matching of people’s experience with employer’s needs.
Where appropriate, Work Coaches also identify any skills gaps and signpost jobseekers to relevant training and provision, including Skills Bootcamps, apprenticeships, sector‑based work academy programmes (SWAPs), and free courses for jobs, as well as essential English, maths and digital skills. This flexible offer allows experienced jobseekers to update, adapt or build on existing skills to meet current labour market demand. Programmes such as SWAPs can be set up for any sector, allowing them to be responsive to local labour market needs and tailored to priority and emerging sectors across Districts in England and Scotland.
The Restart Scheme provides 12 months of personalised and tailored support targeted at those who have been on Universal Credit for 6 months or more and in the Intensive Work Search regime. Providers support participants to break down their employment barriers by developing a bespoke action plan built on understanding their employment history, skills and needs.
Additionally, many providers offer a dedicated pathway, providing participants with professional or executive experience access to specialist advisors and tailored support.