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 he is taking to tackle pensioner poverty in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The State Pension remains the foundation of our support for pensioners, and our commitment to maintain the Triple Lock throughout this Parliament will ensure its value continues to rise over time. Subject to Parliamentary approval, the basic and new State Pensions will, increase by 4.8% in April 2026, benefitting over 12 million pensioners by up to £575. It also means the new State Pension is set to rise by over £2,000 over this Parliament.
Pension Credit continues to provide vital financial support for pensioners who, for whatever reason, find themselves on a low income. It does this by guaranteeing a minimum level of income - called the Standard Minimum Guarantee - which will also, subject to Parliamentary approval, increase by 4.8%, protecting the most vulnerable pensioners.
Crucially, receipt of Pension Credit also opens the door to other financial support, including Housing Benefit, Council Tax support and help with NHS costs as well as help with fuel bills and a free TV licence for those over 75. Maximising the take-up of Pension Credit remains a key priority. That is why we have been running the biggest ever Pension Credit take-up campaign, promoting Pension Credit to eligible pensioners and their family and friends. The latest campaign burst started in September and activity is planned until the end of the financial year.
Our campaign features adverts on television and 'video on demand', radio (including Greatest Hits radio, Hits Radio Lincolnshire, Classic FM and Smooth), social media, digital screens in GP surgeries and Post Offices (13 locations in Lincolnshire), as well as press activity (including advertorials in the Lincolnshire Echo, Grantham Journal, Lincolnshire Free Press, Spalding Guardian and the Stamford Mercury).
For households facing financial hardship, the Household Support Fund remains available, with funding extended to March 2026.
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 support people with mental health illnesses into work in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
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 in November 2024 is driving forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity and supporting people into work.
Disabled people and people with health conditions, including people with mental 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. 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.
In Surrey, Work Coaches refer customers to Talking Therapies via the Healthy Surrey website, ensuring timely access to professional mental health support. Additionally, DWP has strong relationships with We Are With You (Talking Therapies), particularly through Woking Jobcentre Plus (JCP) and other Surrey sites, enabling seamless referrals.
Our Youth Hub in Surrey Heath plays a key role in supporting young people with mental health needs. Mental health services such as Mind Matters, Social Prescribing, and WorkWell feed into the hub, ensuring young people can access wraparound support for wellbeing alongside employment advice. WorkWell has a twice-weekly presence at Guildford JCP, offering mental health and employment support.
Connect to Work is opening across all of England and Wales throughout 2025 and early 2026 and the Surrey Connect to Work delivery area is open for referrals. This new voluntary, locally commissioned Supported Employment programme is suitable for individuals with mental health conditions to find and stay in work. Participants are given a dedicated specialist employment support adviser who works alongside them to understand their career goals and help them to address any specific barriers to employment. The employment adviser works with both the employer and the participant to ensure that the transition into work is smooth and that the workplace is inclusive.
Other measures to support people with mental health conditions into work include support from Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants.
Our Health Work Coaches provide personalised support, including Pathways to Work and Additional Work Coach Time (AWCT) interventions, ensuring individuals receive consistent and empathetic guidance. The GP Outreach and GP Integrated Mental Health Service intersect many mental health referrals, providing holistic support and signposting.
In recognition of employers’ vital role in addressing health-related economic activity, we appointed Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead the Keep Britain Working independent review, which was published on 5 November. In partnership with DBT and DHSC we are launching Vanguards to test new employer-led approaches to support individuals to stay in work, putting his key recommendations into action from day one. In the review, Sir Charlie recommended that mental health in young people should be a priority area for the Vanguards to explore.
The 10 Year Health Plan, published in July, builds on existing work to better integrate health with employment support and incentivise greater cross-system collaboration, recognising good work is good for health. The Plan also states the Government’s 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. 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.
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 merits of reviewing the adequacy of support available to pensioners in schemes with differing indexation arrangements.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has no plans to retrospectively change defined benefit pension scheme rules to align what are highly variable indexation arrangements.
Our reforms will however introduce greater flexibility for more trustees to share surplus with employers, deliver better outcomes for members and benefit the wider economy. Trustees will be able to require that employers approve discretionary indexation for members as part of any agreement to release surplus funds to the employer.
The Pension Regulator already sets out that trustees should consider the situation of those members who would benefit from a discretionary increase and whether the scheme has a history of making such awards. The Regulator will be producing further guidance on surplus sharing once the legislation is in place.
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 estimate he has made of the number of people using the Access to Work scheme in (a) Surrey Heath constituency and (b) Surrey.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions does not publish Access to Work data at constituency or county level. However, national statistics show that 61,670 people received Access to Work support across Great Britain in the financial year ending March 2025.
Further details are available in the official publication: Access to Work statistics - GOV.UK
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 comparative data his Department holds on rates of (a) child poverty and (b) homelessness in (i) Surrey Heath constituency, (ii) Surrey, (iii) the South East and (iv) England.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Statistics on the number of children living in absolute and relative poverty in the UK are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication, the latest available being: Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2024 - GOV.UK.
Statistics on the number of children living in absolute and relative poverty on a before housing costs basis at local level are published annually in the “Children in low income families: local area statistics” publication, the latest available being: Children in low income families: local area statistics 2014 to 2024 - GOV.UK.
Homelessness statistics are published by MHCLG: Statutory homelessness in England: financial year 2024-25 - GOV.UK
Ahead of Child Poverty Strategy publication, we have already taken substantive action across major drivers of child poverty. The removal of the two child limit will lift 450,000 children out of poverty, rising to around 550,000 alongside other measures announced this year, such as the expansion of free school meals. These interventions will lead to the largest expected reduction in child poverty over a Parliament since comparable records began.
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 recent estimate he has made of the number of households experiencing food insecurity in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Data on the number of households experiencing food insecurity by constituency is not available due to sample sizes.
Statistics on the number of individuals living in households that are food insecure by region in the UK are published annually in the “Family Resources Survey” publication in “table 9_2” of “Household food security tables” at Family Resources Survey: financial year 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK.
The latest statistics published on 27 March 2025 are for the financial period 2023/24. The latest available data can also be found on Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/.
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 recent assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the level of demand for food support services in Surrey Heath constituency in winter 2025-26.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have not made a specific assessment of the potential implications for our policies of trends in the level of demand for food support services in Surrey Heath during winter 2025–26 but the Government is committed to tackling poverty and ending mass dependence on emergency food parcels.
We know that good work can significantly reduce the chances of families falling into poverty. Our Get Britain Working White Paper, backed by an initial £240 million investment in 2025/26, will target and tackle economic inactivity and unemployment and join up employment, health and skills support to meet the needs of local communities.
We have provided £742 million in England to extend the Household Support Fund (HSF) until 31 March 2026. This enables Local Authorities to continue to provide vulnerable households with immediate crisis support towards the cost of essentials, such as energy, water and food, and develop their schemes to help prevent poverty locally and build local resilience.
The Government also recognises that greater certainty helps local authorities to design and deliver sustainable plans for local welfare. This is why from 1 April 2026, we are introducing a new £1 billion Crisis and Resilience fund package. This is the first ever multi-year settlement for locally delivered crisis support. This longer-term funding approach aims to enable local authorities to provide preventative support to communities – working with the voluntary and community sector – as well as assisting people when faced with a financial crisis.
Further, ahead of Child Poverty Strategy publication in the coming weeks, we have already taken substantive action across major drivers of child poverty. The removal of the two child limit will lift 450,000 children out of poverty, rising to around 550,000 alongside other measures announced this year, such as the expansion of free school meals. These interventions will lead to the largest expected reduction in child poverty over a Parliament since comparable records began.
Finally, we have committed to reviewing Universal Credit to make sure it is doing the job we want it to, to make work pay and tackle poverty. We have already introduced the Fair Repayment Rate, reducing the Universal Credit overall deductions cap from 25% to 15% of a customer’s standard allowance, giving 1.2m households an average of £420 per year. In addition, we have also uprated benefit rates for 2025/26 in line with inflation, with 5.7 million Universal Credit households forecast to gain by an average of £150 annually.
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 recent assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of unemployment for (a) younger and (b) older people in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is published and available at:
https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp
Guidance for users can be found at:
https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp
The estimated unemployment levels can be found by selecting “Query data” on the NOMIS home page and selecting “Annual Population Survey/Labour Force Survey” and then “annual population survey (Dec 2004 to Jun 2025)” in the lists of data sources. The Geography will need to be set for the relevant Westminster constituency from the menu, and the Variable set to the desired age group from the “Unemployment rate” Category.
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 his Department has made an assessment of the barriers to employment faced by autistic people with (a) higher education qualifications and (b) professional experience in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper, we are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new service across Great Britain that will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them to progress in work. Our new service will move away from the current one size fits all approach, recognising people are individuals with different support needs and will provide better tailored support. The new service will be universal and must work for everyone, including autistic individuals with higher education qualifications and professional experience.
In the plan to Make Work Pay (October 2024), government committed to raising awareness of all forms of neurodiversity in the workplace. This includes autism. In January 2025, DWP launched an independent panel of academics with expertise and experiences of neurodiversity to advise us on why neurodivergent people have poor experiences in the workplace, and a low overall employment rate.
The panel has reviewed the formal evidence base in relation to workplace barriers neurodivergent people in getting into or remaining in employment, or in developing their careers. The panel has built on the work of the Buckland Review of Autism Employment, which reported to the previous government, and which provided useful insights on the employment barriers faced by autistic people.
We have now received a final version of the Panel’s report, which we will consider alongside the work of the major independent review on healthy and inclusive workplaces, Keep Britain Working.
Furthermore, we know that whilst there are common and consistent barriers faced by disabled people and people with health conditions, including neurodivergent people, we also know that each individual will face a unique combination of these barriers that go beyond the barriers typically associated with their condition.
DWP research asked disabled people and people with health conditions who were not currently in work the extent to which they agreed or disagreed with a series of eighteen statements about the barriers to finding work. Barriers were grouped as health, confidence and skills, employer/workplace, and DWP/benefit related barriers. Overall, 87% of customers agreed with one or more of the statements, and on average customers agreed with six of the eighteen. The research found those cognitive/neurodevelopmental conditions saw interviews as a significant barrier, along with distance and travel barriers leading to disorientation when in new or unfamiliar places.
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, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an autism employment strategy to help improve (a) recruitment, (b) retention and (c) career progression for autistic people.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In the plan to Make Work Pay (October 2024), government committed to raising awareness of all forms of neurodiversity in the workplace. This includes autism. In January 2025, DWP launched an independent panel of academics with expertise and experiences of neurodiversity to advise us on why neurodivergent people have poor experiences in the workplace, and a low overall employment rate. We have now received a final version of the Panel’s report. We will need to consider the findings alongside other key pieces of work, such as the Keep Britain Working Review.
We also support employers to be more inclusive in their workplace practices, regardless of diagnosis. DWP's current offer to employers includes:
In addition, the DWP are committed to supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, including autistic people, with their employment journey and there are currently a number of initiatives to support individuals, including autistic people, to return to work.
This includes support through our local jobcentres. Pathways to Work Advisers are delivering support in Jobcentres for disabled people and people with health conditions to help them move towards and into work, building on and expanding existing evidenced measures like additional work coach support. Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres offer advice and knowledge on how to help disabled people and people with health conditions into work.
DWP’s voluntary, locally led Supported Employment Programme, Connect to Work, helps disabled people, people with health conditions and those with complex barriers to employment to find sustained work. For neurodivergent people, including autistic people, Connect to Work follows the Supported Employment Quality Framework, which is backed by an international evidence base and has been proven to support neurodivergent people into sustainable employment. For the Surrey Connect to Work delivery area, Surrey County Council are the lead authority. Their Connect to Work service is live and more information, including how to apply for support, can be found here: Connect to Work - Surrey County Council