To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Department for Work and Pensions: Alcoholic Drinks
Wednesday 18th December 2024

Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many alcohol industry representatives Ministers in his Department have met since July 2024.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Details of ministers’ meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. Data for the period of July to September 2024 will be published in due course.


Written Question
State Retirement Pensions
Friday 11th October 2024

Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have deferred their State Pension.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

It is not possible to estimate the overall number of people who have deferred their State Pension, because we do not know who has deferred until they make their claim for it.

In May 2023, there were 138,872 people who had made a deferred claim for their New State Pension and are now in receipt of extra State Pension.

Data is not available on deferred claims from those reaching State Pension age prior to 2016, as the statistics were suspended following the introduction of a new DWP computer system. The most recently published statistics showing the total number of pensioners receiving extra State Pension are from May 2021 and are available here (Extra State Pension is referred to as “increments” in this document.): DWP benefits statistics: May 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)


Written Question
Social Security Benefits: Disability
Monday 29th July 2024

Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she plans to publish her Department's response to the consultation entitled Modernising support for independent living: the health and disability green paper, published in April 2024.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The consultation on the Modernising Support Green Paper closed on Monday 22 July. Over 16,000 responses have been received and we will review these responses.

The proposals in this Green Paper were developed by the previous government. We will be considering our own approach to social security in due course.


Written Question
Personal Independence Payment
Tuesday 4th July 2023

Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made a recent assessment of the (a) effectiveness of systems and (b) potential pressures on his Department's phonelines during summer 2023 of requirements to notify his Department of trips abroad by claimants of the Personal Independence Payment.

Answered by Tom Pursglove

Claimants are expected to contact the DWP if their circumstances change, including notification of periods abroad. Periods abroad may affect a claimant’s entitlement to Personal Independence Payment (PIP), so we need to know the date a claimant is leaving the country, how long they are planning to be out of the country, which country they are going to, and the purpose of the visit.

We have record levels of demand for PIP, and in turn this has increased pressure on the PIP Helpline. To meet this additional demand, significant recruitment activity has been taking place which is having a positive impact on calls answered and wait times.


Written Question
Universal Credit
Tuesday 9th May 2023

Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department plans to take to help support people to find suitable work, in the context of changes to thresholds for Universal Credit.

Answered by Guy Opperman

The government is committed to supporting people both into work and to progress in work. The changes to the Administrative Earnings Threshold (AET) ensure that more Universal Credit claimants on low incomes are provided with regular Work Coach support to help them grow their earnings. This could be by accessing provision to improve their skills, identifying opportunities to work more hours or progress with their current employer, or finding a role that better suits their careers aspirations with another employer or sector.

We have also introduced a new In Work Progression Offer, which provides Work Coach engagement to UC claimants earning above the AET. This is supported by 37 new District Progression Leads who are working with key partners, including local government, employers, and skills providers to identify and develop local progression opportunities, and to overcome barriers that limit progression, such as childcare and transport.


Written Question
Employment: Musculoskeletal Disorders
Thursday 4th May 2023

Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much he plans to spend on improving musculoskeletal health to reduce worklessness in the next five year]; and what aspects of musculoskeletal health he plans to spend that funding on.

Answered by Tom Pursglove

In the spring budget the government set out a package of measures to provide an extra £406 million over the next five years to tackle the leading health-related causes keeping people out of work, which includes investment targeted at services for musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions.

The government will pilot integrating vocational advice within MSK services to ensure people can access holistic support locally, scale up MSK Hubs in the community and ensure digital resources, such as apps for management of MSK conditions, are readily available so that more people can easily and quickly access the support that is right for them.


Written Question
Employment: Arthritis
Wednesday 29th March 2023

Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she will take to help ensure that people with arthritis can stay in work.

Answered by Tom Pursglove

A range of Government initiatives are supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, including arthritis, to start, stay, and succeed in work.

These include:

  • Increasing Work Coach support in Jobcentres for people with health conditions receiving Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance;
  • Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres offering advice and expertise on how to help disabled people and people with health conditions into work;
  • The Work and Health Programme and Intensive Personalised Employment Support, providing tailored and personalised support for participants;
  • Access to Work grants towards extra costs of working beyond standard reasonable adjustments;
  • Disability Confident, encouraging employers to think differently about disability and health, and to take positive action to address the issues disabled employees face in the workplace;
  • The Information and Advice Service, providing better integrated and tailored guidance on supporting and managing health and disability in the workplace; and
  • Support in partnership between the DWP and the health system.

To tackle rising economic inactivity due to long-term sickness, we announced a wide-reaching package at the Spring Budget to support disabled people and people with health conditions to work. New investment will provide faster access to joined-up work and health support, including for mental health and musculoskeletal conditions; the two leading causes of economic inactivity due to long term sickness.


Written Question
Local Housing Allowance
Wednesday 22nd March 2023

Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the number and proportion of people in receipt of Local Housing Allowance who were not able to meet their housing costs in the last 12 months.

Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)

It is not possible to make such an estimate as data is not available on whether people meet their housing costs.


Written Question
Carer's Allowance: Earnings Rules
Wednesday 15th March 2023

Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of raising the earnings limit for people receiving carers allowance to £200 a week.

Answered by Tom Pursglove

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer to question UIN 114688 given on 10 January 2023.


Written Question
Cost of Living: Lancaster
Tuesday 25th October 2022

Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will make an estimate of the level of reliance on charities in Lancaster and Fleetwood as a result of the increased cost of living.

Answered by Victoria Prentis

We recognise the global inflationary challenges and that people are concerned about pressures on household budgets. That is why, in England, an additional £421 million is being provided to extend the Household Support Fund from 01 October 2022 to 31 March 2023. Guidance and individual local authority allocations for this further extension to the Household Support Fund have been shared with Local Authorities and will be published soon.

Local Authorities have the ability to deliver the scheme through a variety of routes, including offering vouchers to households, directly providing food, or issuing grants to third parties including charities.