Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total cost was of centrally provided career coaching, career transition, or redeployment support accessed by Department for Work and Pensions staff in each calendar quarter from Q1 2023 to the most recent quarter for which data is available.

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

The table below covers the period from April 2023 to December 2025 for spend relating to centrally provided career coaching, career transition, or redeployment support accessed by DWP employees and March 2023 to August 2025 for spend relating to centrally provided career coaching within Talent, accessed by DWP employees.

* For the Leaders Like You programme in Year 1 (2023), payments to Ernst & Young were made monthly. For ease of presentation, the 2023 figures are shown quarterly in the table. From 2024 the payment changed from monthly to a single annual invoice.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many individuals have been ordered to make repayments to the Department after being convicted of benefit fraud in a) 2025 and b) 2026.

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

We take action to recover debt on every conviction for benefit fraud through our debt recovery processes or through recovery under the Proceeds of Crime Act where appropriate.

The fraud classification on our Debt Management system includes people who have accepted a caution or an administrative penalty, as well as those who have been convicted. We cannot identify if someone has been specifically convicted of benefit fraud without looking at each individual case.

We do however report on the number of prosecutions yearly in the Annual Report and Accounts. Last years can be found here: DWP Annual Report and Accounts 2024 to 25, page 114.

Figures for year ending 25/26 will be published in summer 2026.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what checks does his Department carry out into the ongoing circumstances of those claiming Carer's Allowance.

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

When an award of Carer’s Allowance is made, the customer is issued with a written notification letter advising of changes in circumstances they need to declare that may affect their entitlement. This is to ensure DWP holds the correct details for them. This letter also details how to contact Carer’s Allowance to declare any change, via contact number, postal address and GOV.UK details for the online service.

Annual benefit uprating letters advise the customer on the new rates of Carer’s Allowance due to be paid, any change to earnings limits, and remind the customer of the changes they need to notify to DWP, and how to do so. DWP has been working with partners such as Carer’s UK to support customers better in understanding fully their obligation to report changes in their circumstances, including employment.

DWP takes a range of action to ensure the veracity of benefit awards, including:

• Targeted Case Reviews (TCRs): DWP conducts reviews to verify that customer circumstances (income, savings, and household) match their records.
• Data Matching and Analytics: DWP uses data from HM Revenue & Customs to verify employment and income, using the Verify Earnings and Pension (VEP) system to help prevent fraud and error.
• New Legal Powers: The government is introducing legislation - such as the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act - to give DWP enhanced powers to require banks to share data that may indicate potential overpayments.
• Internal Process Reviews (IPRs): DWP conducts these reviews to ensure that interactions with customers follow correct operational processes, using feedback to make improvements.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what is the total value of contracts awarded to private contractors for (a) Universal Credit assessments (b) PIP assessments and (c) Disability Living Allowance in each financial year since 2019-20.

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

The contracts awarded in the period of the question were / are to deliver assessments in support of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Work Capability Assessments for Universal Credit and Employment and Support Allowance and a range of other benefits including Disability Living Allowance (Child). All contracts were awarded as multi year agreements. The attached links sets out the total values awarded per contract/contractor.

Please note, the contract value is the total estimated value of the contract at the point it was awarded and subsequently extended. Contract spend is the actual amount of money paid to suppliers during the contract period and can be different to the contract value as a result of a variety of factors (e.g. over/under delivery, changes in volume, demand and other variations to contract).

PIP Contracts (31 July 2012 – 6 September 2024)

Total Contract Value: £1,787,043,988

Lot 1 - Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Assessment Service - Contract Extension - Lot 1 - Find a Tender

Lot 2 - Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Assessment Service - Contract Extension - Lot 2 - Find a Tender

Lot 3 - Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Assessment Service - Contract Extension - Lot 3 - Find a Tender

HDAS Contract (29 October 2014 – 6 September 2024)

Total Contract Value: £1,297,737,098

https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/9bdd9fa5-0a4c-4484-a853-702b9683db80

FAS Contract (2 October 2023 – 31 August 2029)

Total Contract Value: £2,769,913,640 (including Lot 5)

Lots 1-5 - Functional Assessment Services (FAS) 2023 - Find a Tender

(NB – Lot 5 is managed by Department for Communities)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Work Capability Assessments assessors are required to process per day.

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

The Department for Work and Pensions has not set a specified number of Work Capability Assessments that health professionals (HP) are expected to complete per day. The number of assessments completed can vary depending on the type of assessment (telephone, video, or face‑to‑face), the claimant’s condition, and any additional evidence required, as these appointments have fixed time slots and are delivered through different channels.

While we do have expectations for the total number of assessments conducted by Functional Assessment Service (FAS) suppliers, these would be aggregate monthly numbers across their entire workforce, not individual targets for specific HPs.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what financial payments Work Capability Assessors receive for exceeding minimum daily assessment requirements.

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

The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which staff at his Department are responsible for overseeing PIP assessors; and whether those staff are able to receive bonuses.

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

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments are carried out by contracted assessment suppliers. Staff within the Department for Work and Pensions are responsible for monitoring and managing the performance of these suppliers.

DWP contract management staff are responsible for monitoring service delivery against contractual targets and for operating the independent auditing of assessments. This includes oversight of the quality of reports submitted by health professionals working for the assessment suppliers.

DWP staff also undertake work to monitor and manage assessment suppliers' performance as part of its responsibilities under the PIP assessment contracts.

These civil servants are part of the wider DWP workforce and, like other staff in the department, are eligible to receive performance‑related bonuses in line with Civil Service pay arrangements.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the number and proportion of applicants granted (a) Skilled Worker visas and (b) Health and Care Worker visas whose declared workplace is located in each local authority area.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data.

Statistics regarding the UK population is a matter for the independent Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the number and proportion of people currently in the UK on (a) Skilled Worker visas and (b) Health and Care Worker visas by local authority area.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data.

Statistics regarding the UK population is a matter for the independent Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the number and proportion of licensed sponsoring employers for (a) Skilled Worker visa holders and (b) Health and Care Worker visa holders registered in each local authority area.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data.

Statistics regarding the UK population is a matter for the independent Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many PIP assessments required the use of (a) an interpreter and (b) translation services in the period since July 2024.

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

The Functional Assessment Service contracts launched on 9 September 2024. Between then and the end of January 2026, across all delivery areas, a total of 230,000 Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments were completed with a translator present.

This includes British Sign Language, Irish Sign Language and lip speaking services, and is not limited to spoken language interpretation.

These numbers are based on completed assessments by either face-to-face, telephone or video where a request for an interpreter or translator was met and are rounded in line with statistical disclosure protocols.

Prior to September 2024, the department does not hold this data for all delivery areas in the outgoing assessment contracts.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people since the start of 2025 have been assessed for PIP a) in-person b) over the phone or c) via video call.

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

While this information is not currently published by the department, we will be sharing this data in a future statistical release.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people since the start of 2025 have been awarded PIP after an assessment a) in-person b) over the phone or c) via video call.

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

While this information is not currently published by the department, we will be sharing this data in a future statistical release.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Work Capability Assessments have been (a) curtailed and (b) closed early in the last five years.

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

The Department for Work and Pensions does not hold or publish statistics on the number of Work Capability Assessments (WCAs) that have been curtailed or closed early, either over the last five years or in the most recent year for which data is available.

Published statistical releases on Employment and Support Allowance and Universal Credit WCAs report only on completed assessments and do not include information on curtailed or discontinued assessments.

Found: employment conditions.72 Responding to the debate, the then Minister for Health and Social Care, Helen Whately