Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the timeline is for expanding the digital application option for Personal Independence Payment to all eligible claimants.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Through the Health Transformation Programme, we are expanding digital services for Personal Independence Payment customers. Over 90% of those making new PIP applications can now submit their health information online after starting their claim by phone. This is benefitting customers by removing postage times and increasing accessibility. We are continuing to extend this option to all customers and, by the end of the Programme, customers will be able to view application progress and report a change of circumstances online, reducing their need to call the enquiry line.
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training Jobcentre staff receive on Armed Forces Covenant obligations; and how compliance is monitored.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
All Jobcentre Plus staff new to DWP receive mandatory learning to support customers which includes learning for armed forces leavers. The learning provides an overview of armed forces leavers and assists colleagues in understanding what help is available to them, their spouse/partner when resettling into civilian life.
Armed Forces Champions (AFCs) are provided with point of need learning which includes the Armed Forces Covenant to provide support for service leavers and their families together with signposting to specialist organisations and charities.
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Jobcentre districts (a) are without an operational Armed Forces Champion and (b) have been without one at any point in the last two years, and how long those districts did not have champions for.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department supports Armed Forces customers through a network of Armed Forces Champions operating across Jobcentre districts, groups and areas. Armed Forces Champion support is not always delivered through a dedicated resource in each district, with many areas receiving support through group or area-level arrangements covering multiple districts. As a result, a district with no locally recorded Armed Forces Champion resource may still have been receiving Armed Forces Champion support.
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what update his department can provide on (a) waiting times for access to work and (b) the steps being taken to reduce the backlog of applications.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
a) From April 2026 to July 2026 it took an average of 125.6 days from the initial date of contact to an Access to Work decision being made. To protect employment opportunities, case managers prioritise the small minority of AtW applications where the customer is due to start a job within four weeks. In 2025, we allocated c. 96% of applications starting work within 4 weeks in 28 days.
b) We recognise the importance of clearing the backlog, which is why, in May 2026, we committed to recruiting and training an additional 360 case managers, and 120 case workers to process the higher volume of applications. That is a 72.5% increase to the existing 658 staff already working on Access to Work. We expect to have cleared the backlog by the end of September 2027.
Recruitment has already begun, and new case managers will undertake a comprehensive and robust learning routeway that lasts for 6 months to enable them to handle complex applications with confidence. All Case Managers need to successfully pass a detailed and robust assessment before they are deemed to have reached the standard required to make application decisions. Onboarding will be phased, with the first candidates starting from 1 September 2026. Management grades have already been recruited across August 2026 and September 2026, to manage and support the new starters.
We are keen to ensure Access to Work remains fair and sustainable. Access to Work is critical for the people it supports, so it is important we take the time to get reforms right so we can deliver real improvements.
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, (a) what assessment he has made of the accessibility of the Access to Work application process and ongoing communications for people with different disabilities and (b) what steps he is taking to ensure the scheme is accessible for disabled people.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
It is very important that Access to Work is accessible for people with different disabilities. As such, we currently offer several different communication methods before and during the application process. For example, applications can be made online at Access to Work: Apply for an Access to Work grant - GOV.UK, by phone via the Access to Work Helpline, via Relay UK (if you cannot hear or speak on the phone) or via the British Sign Language (BSL) video relay service. We normally require that evidence documents must be submitted by post for security reasons, however we also accept correspondence by email for those who require this as a reasonable adjustment.
As part of our continuous efforts to improve accessibility, we are also currently developing a new digital capability that will allow customers to upload documents online.
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Government has made of the barriers faced by bereaved families not in receipt of benefits who are unable to meet funeral costs; and whether the Government has considered providing additional support towards funeral costs for those struggling to meet costs.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises that some bereaved families who are not in receipt of benefits may face difficulties meeting funeral costs. Funeral Expenses Payment is targeted at those receiving qualifying benefits to ensure support is focused on those most in need.
Bereavement Support Payment may be available to bereaved spouses, civil partners and cohabiting parents and it is not means-tested. This is a contributory, working-age benefit that includes a lump sum, which is often used to help meet funeral costs. We continue to keep the Funeral Expenses Payment and bereavement support under review to ensure they remain effective and sustainable within current budgetary constraints.
Individuals experiencing financial hardship may also wish to contact their local authority to explore what other support may be available. This could be through local authorities' Crisis and Resilience Fund schemes or local welfare assistance. Support is at the discretion of the authority. Local authorities also have a statutory responsibility to arrange a public health funeral where no suitable arrangements have otherwise been made.
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
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 modernise communications with the public and claimants, including increased use of email correspondence.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department is modernising communications with the public and claimants as part of its wider digital-first strategy, while ensuring that support remains available for those who need non-digital channels.
We are moving towards the digitisation of notifications so that, by 2030, most communications will be delivered through the most appropriate channel, including email, SMS, secure messages via customer accounts and the GOV.UK App, whilst always providing a printed letter or other reasonable adjustment option where relevant customer needs are identified.
This multi-channel approach is designed to provide quicker, clearer, and more accessible communications, tailored to individual preferences and support needs, while maintaining paper correspondence and other reasonable adjustments for those who require them.
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average processing time is for a support for mortgage interest claim; and what proportion of claims have been approved over the last two years.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
In answer to your first question, we do not record processing times for Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) Loans. This is because the start date of the process is not consistently defined or easily identifiable. There is flexibility built into the timings of the process to meet the needs of the customer. As SMI is a loan, those offered the loan can choose to accept or decline at any time and payments can be backdated to the day someone first became eligible.
On your second question, all eligible benefit recipients are offered a loan when they become eligible for SMI and they can choose to accept or decline. We publish the number of households receiving SMI on a bi-annual basis here.
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
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 adequacy of (a) existing mechanisms for an employee to raise concerns about an occupational health provider appointed by their employer and (b) independent oversight of the conduct and quality of these providers.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Employers are responsible for providing a mechanism for employees to raise concerns about an occupational health provider through their own industrial relations arrangements. Concerns about the quality and conduct of occupational health practitioners should be taken to the relevant professional body, such as the General Medical Council (GMC), Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
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 delays to coroner proceedings in excess of 18 months on eligibility for Bereavement Support Payments.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Delays to coroner proceedings do not change eligibility for Bereavement Support Payment. DWP encourages those who are eligible for Bereavement Support Payment to make a claim even if they do not yet have a death certificate. DWP will work with the customer to establish what alternative evidence they can provide, such as an interim death certificate.