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Written Question
Social Security Benefits: Unemployment
Friday 12th December 2025

Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what analysis his Department has done on the increase in households that off-flowed from the benefits cap as a result of the increase in unemployment over the past 13 months, in the context of the 9-month grace period exemption for newly unemployed.

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

No such analysis has been undertaken.


Written Question
Jobcentres: Staff
Friday 12th December 2025

Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complex case coaches (a) are currently employed and (b) have been for each month since June 2024.

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

There is no specific Work Coach role defined as Complex Case Coach.


Written Question
Personal Independence Payment: Motability
Friday 12th December 2025

Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 24 June 2025 to Question 62284, whether his Department holds further information on the primary medical conditions of the PIP claimants with an active contract for the Motability Scheme whose primary medical condition is stated as (a) missing claim, (b) no illness or impairment claimed or identified and (c) main disability not recorded.

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

The information requested cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.


Written Question
Universal Credit
Friday 12th December 2025

Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data his Department holds on the number of people who have newly claimed Universal Credit in each of the last five years by (a) health-related reasons for claiming and (b) the searching-for-work conditionality group.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 November 2025 to PQ UIN 92813.


Written Question
Universal Credit: Children
Friday 12th December 2025

Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many families in receipt of the child benefit of UC are exempt from the household benefit cap because they (a) receive limited capability for work and work-related activity, (b) are in a grace period and (c) earn £846 or more a month.

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

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


Written Question
Families
Thursday 11th December 2025

Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many families there were in each region in England and Wales with (a) one child, (b) two children, (c) three children, (d) four children, (e) five children, (f) six to eight children, (g) eight to 10 children and (h) more than 10 children in each year since 2019.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of the 2nd of December is attached.


Written Question
Workplace Pensions: National Insurance Contributions
Wednesday 10th December 2025

Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of recent changes to salary sacrifice arrangements on employees’ pension savings.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to pensions salary sacrifice.


Written Question
Universal Credit
Wednesday 10th December 2025

Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Universal Credit claimants with dependent children are in the light touch or working conditionality groups.

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.


Written Question
Universal Credit
Wednesday 10th December 2025

Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for every year since 2017, what proportion of Universal Credit claimants with dependent children are (a) in work and (b) not in work.

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

Table 1 provides the proportion of Universal Credit households with children, broken down by in work or not in work.

Notes:

1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 1%.

2. Figures are for households receiving Universal Credit in assessment periods ending at any point in the calendar year.

3. Figures are for Great Britain (GB) only and include only households where Universal Credit was in payment.

4. Figures represent Universal Credit full service claims only, which are only available from 2019 onwards.

5. Due to differences in methodology, there may be slight differences from published statistics.

Table 1: Proportion of UC households with children, broken down by in work or not in work, for every calendar year since 2019

Calendar Year

Proportion of UC households with children

In work

Not in work

2019

69%

31%

2020

70%

30%

2021

71%

29%

2022

72%

28%

2023

72%

28%

2024

70%

30%


Written Question
Universal Credit: Employment
Wednesday 10th December 2025

Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of Universal Credit claimants with dependent children are in (a) full-time or (b) part-time work.

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

The requested information is not available.