Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 16 June 2025 to Question 58821 on Access to Work Programme: Self-employed, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the changes to Access to Work on claimants who are (a) self-employed and (b) working for smaller employers; and whether the consultation entitled Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, includes consideration of the needs of claimants in those groups.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As announced in the Green Paper, we are consulting on the future of Access to Work and how to improve the scheme so that it helps more disabled people into and on in work. We also understand that the role of employers is key to the creation of accessible and inclusive workplaces.
This Government values the input of disabled people and people with health conditions including those who are self-employed or work for smaller employers, in addition to the representative organisations and people that support them. That is why we brought forward the Green Paper and opened a public consultation. The consultation closed on the 30 June 2025.
We will review all aspects of Access to Work, including provision for the self-employed and those working for smaller employers, as we develop plans for reform following the consultation. We will assess the impact of potential changes once they have been identified.
Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the provisions to restrict eligibility for the personal independence payment in the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill on housing for people who use some of the money they receive from PIP towards paying their rent.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
PIP provides a cash contribution to support people with the extra costs of living with a long term health condition or disability. Claimants have freedom and choice to spend their PIP as they see fit and we have been clear this should be maintained.
PIP uses a functional assessment that acts as a proxy for determining if somebody has extra costs arising from their health conditions or disabilities and the Department does not make an assessment of actual extra costs. We know from research that people use their PIP payments, pooled together with other sources of income, on a wide range of extra costs linked to their disability. Our starting point for reform has therefore been to focus PIP more on those with the greatest needs.
We are mindful of the impact this change to PIP eligibility could have on people. That is why we have committed that existing claimants who lose eligibility as a result of these changes will continue to receive PIP and its associated benefits and entitlements for 13 weeks following their award review. This protection is non-negotiable and is included on the face of the Bill.This transitional cover is one of the most generous ever and more than three times the length of protection provided for the transition from DLA to PIP.
The Government announced through the Spending Review that Discretionary Housing Payments will be included in the new Crisis and Resilience Fund from April 2026. This will provide £842 million per year (£1 billion including Barnett consequential) to reform how crisis support is delivered locally, including to those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs.
Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the provisions to restrict eligibility for the personal independence payment in the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill on (a) private renters and (b) levels of homelessness.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published here: Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill publications - Parliamentary Bills - UK Parliament.
No one will lose access to PIP immediately - and most people will not lose access at all. Our intention is that changes will start to come into effect from November 2026 for PIP, subject to parliamentary approval.
After that date, no one will lose PIP without first being reassessed by a trained assessor or healthcare professional, who assesses individual needs and circumstance. Reassessments happen on average every 3 years.
We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including ensuring health and care needs are met.
We have also announced a wider review of the PIP assessment to make it fair and fit for purpose, which I am leading. We are bringing together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this. We will provide further details as plans progress.
Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the value of the Bereavement Support payment.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Bereavement Support Payment is intended to help people through the immediate period following a bereavement. It is not a cost-of-living benefit like Universal Credit, which is generally increased in line with inflation. The rate of Bereavement Support Payment is reviewed on a discretionary basis as part of the annual uprating process, but there is no legal requirement to uprate it.
Whilst we have no plans to uprate BSP from April, the Government keeps all benefits including Bereavement Support Payments, under review.
Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make it her policy to uprate Bereavement Support Payments annually in line with inflation.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Bereavement Support Payment is intended to help people through the immediate period following a bereavement. It is not a cost-of-living benefit like Universal Credit, which is generally increased in line with inflation. The rate of Bereavement Support Payment is reviewed on a discretionary basis as part of the annual uprating process, but there is no legal requirement to uprate it.
Whilst we have no plans to uprate BSP from April, the Government keeps all benefits including Bereavement Support Payments, under review.
Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2024 to Question 16304 on Pension Credit: South Derbyshire, how many pensioner households in receipt of Housing Benefit and identified as potentially entitled to but not claiming Pension Credit her Department has targeted in Bristol Central constituency; and how many of those pensioner households have since claimed Pension Credit.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
102 pensioner households were targeted in the Bristol Central constituency as part of the Invitation to Claim initiative. The letters sent to these households encourage them to claim Pension Credit by 21 December which is the latest date for making a successful backdated claim and still receive a Winter Fuel payment.
Data on the number of claims received from the households targeted as part of the initiative, and the number of awards made will be established once the Department has completed processing all those applications and the necessary analysis is completed.