Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on levels of regional employment.

Answered by Justin Madders

My department has published a set of Impact Assessments that provide a comprehensive analysis on the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill. This analysis is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on the labour market in (a) rural and (b) coastal communities.

Answered by Justin Madders

My department has published a set of Impact Assessments that provide a comprehensive analysis on the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill. This analysis is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate he has made of the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on the number of young people not in education, employment or training.

Answered by Justin Madders

My department has published a set of Impact Assessments that provide a comprehensive analysis on the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill. This analysis is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on the caseload of Jobcentre Plus offices.

Answered by Justin Madders

My department has published a set of Impact Assessments that provide a comprehensive analysis on the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill. This analysis is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has conducted a sectoral analysis of the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on employment levels.

Answered by Justin Madders

My department has published a set of Impact Assessments that provide a comprehensive analysis on the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill. This analysis is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has targets for employing more staff to carry out face-to-face assessments.

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

As outlined in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we are planning to increase the number of face-to-face health assessments. At the same time, we remain committed to offering alternative assessment channels to accommodate individuals who require a different approach, such as those needing reasonable adjustments.

All assessment suppliers have contractual requirements to increase the proportion of assessments conducted face-to-face. To meet these requirements, suppliers are expected to plan and manage recruitment accordingly with progress regularly reviewed.

The department is working closely with suppliers to explore ways to boost capacity for face-to-face assessments. A key focus is increasing the recruitment of suitably qualified health professionals to support delivery in assessment centres.

Suppliers continue to develop and implement strategies to enhance recruitment, training, and retention, ensuring that skilled staff are in place to support claimants effectively.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many non-UK nationals claiming Universal Credit have (a) three, (b) four, (c) five, (d) six (e) seven and (f) eight or more children in their household.

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

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of Universal Credit claims are managed exclusively through the online journal without in-person Jobcentre visits.

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

The information requested is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost to develop the appropriate code and analyse the raw data.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Universal Credit claimants have not attended in-person appointments at Jobcentres in the last (a) three, (b) six and (c) twelve months.

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

The information requested is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost to develop the appropriate code and analyse the raw data.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Universal Credit claimants have not attended a Jobcentre in person since the start of their claim in each of the last five years.

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

The information requested is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost to develop the appropriate code and analyse the raw data.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what (a) funding and (b) other resources her Department plans to provide to support the process of recouping the Winter Fuel Payment from pensioners with an income of more than £35,000.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government announced in June 2025 that the Winter Fuel Payment will be made universal in England and Wales from winter 2025. Subsequently, the Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive have confirmed that they will mirror the approach for England and Wales.

Individuals who are of State Pension age and have total income over £35,000 will have their Winter Fuel Payment recovered through the tax system. The amount recovered will be equal to the full value of the Winter Fuel Payment.

If a pensioner’s total income is above the income threshold, the tax will be automatically recovered through PAYE, or through their Self-Assessment return if they pay tax that way.

For the majority of individuals, tax recovery will be made through PAYE automatically, meaning pensioners will not need to take any further action. For those in Self Assessment, HMRC will pre-populate their tax return with the amount of the payment, using data provided by Department for Work and Pensions, or Social Security Scotland for payments made in Scotland. Pensioners do not need to register for Self-Assessment just to declare their Winter Fuel Payment.

The Government will publish further details of the operational impacts, including staffing and IT delivery costs of HM Revenue and Customs making these changes in a Tax Information and Impact Note at Budget 2025, alongside draft Finance Bill legislation on the tax recovery of the Winter Fuel Payment.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the cost of administering Winter Fuel Payment for pensioners with an income of more than £35,000.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government announced in June 2025 that the Winter Fuel Payment will be made universal in England and Wales from winter 2025. Subsequently, the Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive have confirmed that they will mirror the approach for England and Wales.

Individuals who are of State Pension age and have total income over £35,000 will have their Winter Fuel Payment recovered through the tax system. The amount recovered will be equal to the full value of the Winter Fuel Payment.

If a pensioner’s total income is above the income threshold, the tax will be automatically recovered through PAYE, or through their Self-Assessment return if they pay tax that way.

For the majority of individuals, tax recovery will be made through PAYE automatically, meaning pensioners will not need to take any further action. For those in Self Assessment, HMRC will pre-populate their tax return with the amount of the payment, using data provided by Department for Work and Pensions, or Social Security Scotland for payments made in Scotland. Pensioners do not need to register for Self-Assessment just to declare their Winter Fuel Payment.

The Government will publish further details of the operational impacts, including staffing and IT delivery costs of HM Revenue and Customs making these changes in a Tax Information and Impact Note at Budget 2025, alongside draft Finance Bill legislation on the tax recovery of the Winter Fuel Payment.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff will be required to administer the Winter Fuel Payment in 2025-26.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government announced in June 2025 that the Winter Fuel Payment will be made universal in England and Wales from winter 2025. Subsequently, the Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive have confirmed that they will mirror the approach for England and Wales.

Individuals who are of State Pension age and have total income over £35,000 will have their Winter Fuel Payment recovered through the tax system. The amount recovered will be equal to the full value of the Winter Fuel Payment.

If a pensioner’s total income is above the income threshold, the tax will be automatically recovered through PAYE, or through their Self-Assessment return if they pay tax that way.

For the majority of individuals, tax recovery will be made through PAYE automatically, meaning pensioners will not need to take any further action. For those in Self Assessment, HMRC will pre-populate their tax return with the amount of the payment, using data provided by Department for Work and Pensions, or Social Security Scotland for payments made in Scotland. Pensioners do not need to register for Self-Assessment just to declare their Winter Fuel Payment.

The Government will publish further details of the operational impacts, including staffing and IT delivery costs of HM Revenue and Customs making these changes in a Tax Information and Impact Note at Budget 2025, alongside draft Finance Bill legislation on the tax recovery of the Winter Fuel Payment.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department plans to take to (a) recruit and (b) reallocate staff to deliver the Winter Fuel Payment in 2025-26.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government announced in June 2025 that the Winter Fuel Payment will be made universal in England and Wales from winter 2025. Subsequently, the Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive have confirmed that they will mirror the approach for England and Wales.

Individuals who are of State Pension age and have total income over £35,000 will have their Winter Fuel Payment recovered through the tax system. The amount recovered will be equal to the full value of the Winter Fuel Payment.

If a pensioner’s total income is above the income threshold, the tax will be automatically recovered through PAYE, or through their Self-Assessment return if they pay tax that way.

For the majority of individuals, tax recovery will be made through PAYE automatically, meaning pensioners will not need to take any further action. For those in Self Assessment, HMRC will pre-populate their tax return with the amount of the payment, using data provided by Department for Work and Pensions, or Social Security Scotland for payments made in Scotland. Pensioners do not need to register for Self-Assessment just to declare their Winter Fuel Payment.

The Government will publish further details of the operational impacts, including staffing and IT delivery costs of HM Revenue and Customs making these changes in a Tax Information and Impact Note at Budget 2025, alongside draft Finance Bill legislation on the tax recovery of the Winter Fuel Payment.

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 effectiveness of the Universal Credit online journal as a substitute for face-to-face engagement with claimants.

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

The UC service is designed as a digital-first platform, with the online journal serving as a central communication tool between claimants and DWP. It enables claimants to successfully and securely:

• Receive appointment reminders and mandatory updates.
• Communicate with Work Coaches and case managers.
• Manage their responsibilities and maintain entitlement.

The Journal is a digital channel which helps two-way communications between claimants and DWP, however it was never intended to and does not replace face-to-face appointments. Claimants have a range of channels available to them, and can mostly use their preference, unless the activity mandates a particular option.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many face-to-face PIP assessments have taken place since July 2024, broken down by month.

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

The number of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) face-to-face assessments carried out each month from July 2024 to August 2025 can be found in the table below.

Please Note

• All volumes have been rounded to the nearest 1000.
• All the above data is derived from contractual management information produced by the assessment suppliers.
• The above data is derived from unpublished management information which is collected for internal departmental use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics Publication standards.
• The dip in September is due to the introduction of the Functional Assessment Service contracts on 9 September 2024. For a brief period, face to face assessments were limited to allow for a smooth transition from the old Health and Disability Assessment Service to the new Health Assessment Advisory Service across the country.

The number of PIP face-to-face assessments conducted is not available at a regional level. However, we can provide the information split by Lot. The number of PIP face-to-face assessments carried out by Lot from July 2024 to August 2025 can be found in the table below.

Please Note

• All volumes greater than or equal to 1000 have been rounded to the nearest 1000, all volumes less than 1000 have been rounded to the nearest 100.
• All the above data is derived from contractual management information produced by the assessment suppliers.
• The above data is derived from unpublished management information which is collected for internal departmental use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics Publication standards.
• Please note that for the period July- September 2024, Lot 3 and Lot 4 data is combined due to the old contractual reporting structure.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many face-to-face PIP assessments have been conducted in each region of the UK since July 2024.

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

The number of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) face-to-face assessments carried out each month from July 2024 to August 2025 can be found in the table below.

Please Note

• All volumes have been rounded to the nearest 1000.
• All the above data is derived from contractual management information produced by the assessment suppliers.
• The above data is derived from unpublished management information which is collected for internal departmental use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics Publication standards.
• The dip in September is due to the introduction of the Functional Assessment Service contracts on 9 September 2024. For a brief period, face to face assessments were limited to allow for a smooth transition from the old Health and Disability Assessment Service to the new Health Assessment Advisory Service across the country.

The number of PIP face-to-face assessments conducted is not available at a regional level. However, we can provide the information split by Lot. The number of PIP face-to-face assessments carried out by Lot from July 2024 to August 2025 can be found in the table below.

Please Note

• All volumes greater than or equal to 1000 have been rounded to the nearest 1000, all volumes less than 1000 have been rounded to the nearest 100.
• All the above data is derived from contractual management information produced by the assessment suppliers.
• The above data is derived from unpublished management information which is collected for internal departmental use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics Publication standards.
• Please note that for the period July- September 2024, Lot 3 and Lot 4 data is combined due to the old contractual reporting structure.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many non-UK nationals claiming Universal Credit are affected by the two-child limit.

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

Statistics about the policy that provides support for a maximum of 2 children in Universal Credit are published annually. The latest publication is available here: Universal Credit claimants statistics on the two child limit policy, April 2025 - GOV.UK

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many additional staff have been employed to carry out face-to-face PIP assessments since July 2024.

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

The number of additional health professionals (HPs) employed to conduct face-to-face Personal Independence Payments (PIP) assessments is not held. This is because the data cannot be split to show the HPs recruited to deliver a specific type of assessment and the majority of the suppliers have multi-skilled HPs who deliver across multiple channels.