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 households in receipt of Universal Credit have a total gross household income, including earnings and other income, within the (a) £0–£20,000, (b) £20,001–£40,000, (c) £40,001–£60,000, (d) £60,001–£80,000, (e) £80,001–£100,000, (f) £100,001–£120,000, (g) £120,001–£140,000 and (h) £140,000+ band.
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.
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 financial payments Work Capability Assessors receive for exceeding minimum daily assessment requirements.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Functional Assessment Services contracts (including delivery of Work Capability Assessments) are outsourced to four prime contractors. All reward and remuneration to employees, including any potential incentivisation to meet contractual requirements, is for contractors to determine.
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 26 January 2026 to Question 87358 on Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations, how many and what proportion of Personal Independence Payment (a) assessments and (b) reassessments were carried out (i) face-to-face, (ii) remotely and (iii) on paper in each month since September 2025.
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.
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 Jobcentres there are as of a) March 2026 and b) March 2025.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Number of Established Jobcentres
31st March 2025 is 633
13th March 2026 is 630
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, whether his Department is planning to (a) open and (b) close any Jobcentres this year.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department continually reviews its estate to ensure it meets the needs of customers and represents value for money, making changes where appropriate. The Department’s Workplace Transformation Programme is working closely with the Jobs and Careers Service to ensure that our physical spaces evolve to support more personalised, modern employment and skills services for customers. This includes exploring new approaches to workspace location, design and partnership working that enhance accessibility, collaboration and customer outcomes. Any future decisions regarding the Jobcentre estate will be communicated to Parliament in the usual way.
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 forms of photographic identification are accepted from applicants who do not hold a UK passport or driving licence during the PIP application process.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
All PIP customers are required to verify their identity during the application process. This can be done using a variety of evidence, including photographic identification if appropriate.
The following documentation can be used by British Nationals making a PIP application as part of the process to verify their identity:
In some circumstances - where they fully meet the lay conditions - someone who is not a British national can claim PIP. The Eligibility criteria to claim PIP for someone who is not a British National can be found here: Personal Independence Payment (PIP): Eligibility - GOV.UK
You must:
If you’re from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, you and your family usually also need settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme to get PIP. The deadline to apply to the scheme was 30 June 2021 for most people, but you might still be able to apply.
If a customer meets this eligibility criteria, then the following documents can be provided to prove their identity:
Please note that although a document is listed, there may be a need for accompanying evidence alongside any of these to sufficiently prove someone’s identity.
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 PIP claimants were required to show a form of identification during their application in the last five years.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
All PIP customers are required to verify their identity during the application process. This can be done using a variety of evidence, including photographic identification if appropriate.
The following documentation can be used by British Nationals making a PIP application as part of the process to verify their identity:
In some circumstances - where they fully meet the lay conditions - someone who is not a British national can claim PIP. The Eligibility criteria to claim PIP for someone who is not a British National can be found here: Personal Independence Payment (PIP): Eligibility - GOV.UK
You must:
If you’re from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, you and your family usually also need settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme to get PIP. The deadline to apply to the scheme was 30 June 2021 for most people, but you might still be able to apply.
If a customer meets this eligibility criteria, then the following documents can be provided to prove their identity:
Please note that although a document is listed, there may be a need for accompanying evidence alongside any of these to sufficiently prove someone’s identity.
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 telephone-based PIP assessments are recorded.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department does not hold readily available data on the number of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments that are recorded by assessment channel.
As set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, the department intends to move to a position where all health assessments are recorded by default, with a process allowing claimants to opt out should they wish to do so. This change is intended to improve transparency and trust in the assessment process. Work is under way to implement this measure.
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 UIN 107421, if he will provide a nationality breakdown of people with Universal Credit claims that failed the Habitual Residence Test.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
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 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.