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Written Question
Winter Fuel Payment: Pensioners
Tuesday 22nd April 2025

Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate she has made of the number of eligible pensioners not claiming Pension Credit; and what steps her Department is taking to increase take-up, in the context of Winter Fuel Payment eligibility.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The most recent estimate of Pension Credit take-up covers the financial year 2022/23 and is available at: Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year ending 2023 - GOV.UK

The Government wants all pensioners to get the support to which they are rightly entitled. That is why we have been running the biggest ever Pension Credit take-up campaign, which included adverts on Television, radio, social media such as Facebook and Instagram, on YouTube, on advertising screens, including on GP and Post Office screens as well as in the press. Around 11 million pensioners will have also recently received a leaflet promoting Pension Credit along with their State Pension uprating letter.

The latest Pension Credit applications and awards statistics were published on 27 February and are available at: Pension Credit applications and awards: February 2025 - GOV.UK The statistics show that the Department received 235,000 Pension Credit applications in the 30 weeks since the Winter Fuel Payment announcement – an 81% increase on the comparable period in 2023/24 and made 117,800 new Pension Credit awards – a 64% increase or 45,800 extra awards on the comparable period in 2023/24.

We are now writing to all pensioners who make a new claim for Housing Benefit and who appear to be entitled to Pension Credit – directly targeting this group and encouraging them to make a claim. In the longer term, we will be bringing together the administration of Pension Credit and Housing Benefit, so that pensioners receive both Housing Benefit and any Pension Credit that they are entitled to.


Written Question
Social Security Benefits: Disability
Tuesday 22nd April 2025

Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed disability benefit reforms on people with (a) post-traumatic stress disorder, (b) bipolar disorder, (c) severe depression and (d) other mental health conditions; and what steps she is taking to ensure that entitlement to support will reflect the level of need.

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

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’.

A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.


Written Question
Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations
Tuesday 22nd April 2025

Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the proportion of Personal Independence Payment decisions that are overturned on appeal; and what recent assessment she has made of the accuracy of initial Personal Independence Payment assessments.

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

It is our aim to make the right decision as early as possible in the claim journey. To support this, we have made improvements to our decision-making processes to help ensure people get the support they are entitled to without needing to appeal. This includes giving Decision Makers additional time to proactively contact customers if they think additional evidence may support the claim.

We recognise that the overturn rate at appeal is high. This is why we are continuing to learn from appeal outcomes. We regularly gather feedback on appeals from Presenting Officers who attend tribunals.

We are committed to ensuring individuals receive a high standard and accurate assessment. We want every report to reflect a high-quality functional assessment that the department can use to make their benefit entitlement decisions. This is a priority for the department, and we work extensively with assessment suppliers to make improvements to guidance, training, and audit procedures to ensure a quality service.

Suppliers are monitored against a range of measures to improve the accuracy of the advice they provide. A high standard is maintained through an independent audit function that continually monitors performance and provides feedback to its suppliers.

Independent audit refers to a comprehensive check of the elements of the assessment, including the evidence collection, further evidence provided, and the assessment report completed by the health professional. The check is completed against a set of guidelines to ensure a consistent approach is taken. This ensures that assessment reports are fit for purpose, clinically justified and sound, and provide sufficient information for the department to make an informed decision on entitlement to benefit.

We outlined our commitment to improving the PIP assessment in the recently launched Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper. We will take action to get the basics right and improve the experience for people who use the system of health and disability benefits. This includes recording health assessments as standard to build greater trust in the system. The aim is to create greater transparency, using recordings as a learning opportunity to consider potential improvements to the quality of the assessment process.


Written Question
Low Incomes: Food
Wednesday 19th March 2025

Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing financial support to enable people on low incomes to buy healthy food.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We are committed to supporting vulnerable households access healthy food. We support over 365,000 pregnant women and young children to buy healthy foods like milk or fruit through Healthy Start, provide Free School Meals to over 3 million children, are tripling investment in breakfast clubs to over £30 million, and last year invested over £200 million into the Holiday Activities and Food Programmes. We also continue to provide substantial funding to Local Authorities to support those most in need, and are extending the Household Support Fund (HSF) by a further year until March 2026, providing funding of £742 million in England. This will ensure low-income households can continue to access support towards the cost of essentials, such as food.


Written Question
Personal Independence Payment: Reform
Wednesday 8th May 2024

Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has (a) made an assessment of the potential impact of proposed reforms to Personal Independence Payment on the mental wellbeing of people who become ineligible as a result of those changes and (b) had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the adequacy of availability of Government-funded mental health services.

Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)

Modernising Support for Independent Living: The Health and Disability Green Paper looks at different options to reshape the current welfare system so that we can provide better targeted support to those who need it most. We are considering these options through our 12-week consultation which was published on Monday 29 April and will close on Monday 22 July at 11:59pm. Further analysis of these options will consider potential impacts on claimants with different health conditions.

There will be no immediate changes to PIP, or to health assessments. All scheduled PIP assessments and payments will proceed as normal, and claimants should continue to engage as usual and provide any necessary information or updates regarding their circumstances.

The Government is committed to continuing to expand and transform NHS mental health care so that more people can access the support they need. The NHS forecasts that, between 2018/19 and 2023/24, spending on mental health services has increased by £4.7 billion in cash terms, compared to the target of £3.4 billion set out at the time of the NHS Long Term Plan. Of the key mental health commitments for the first 5-year period of the Plan, over half have been met, are on track to be met, or have exceeded their original target.

We encourage everyone to respond to the consultation which can be found here, so that we are able to hear from as many disabled people, people with health conditions, their representatives, and local stakeholders as possible on these important issues.


Written Question
Disability: Finance
Wednesday 8th May 2024

Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)

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 the proposals in the Health and Disability Green Paper on the finances of people with complex disabilities.

Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)

We are looking at different options to reshape the current welfare system so that we can provide better targeted support to those who need it most. We are considering some of these options through our 12-week consultation which was published on Monday 29 April and will close on Monday 22 July at 11:59pm. Further analysis of these options will consider any potential financial impacts on claimants.

There will be no immediate changes to PIP, or to health assessments. All scheduled PIP assessments and payments will proceed as normal, and claimants should continue to engage as usual and provide any necessary information or updates regarding their circumstances.

We encourage everyone to respond to the consultation which can be found here, so that we are able to hear from as many disabled people, people with health conditions, their representatives, and local stakeholders as possible on these important issues


Written Question
Disability: Costs
Wednesday 8th May 2024

Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of disabled people who experience one-off extra costs as a result of their disability.

Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)

No such estimates have been made

As of April 2024, the rate of inflation has slowed, and the Government has also implemented uprating to benefits to reflect increased costs. We also increased extra costs disability benefits by 10.1 per cent from April 2023 and by 6.7% from April 2024 in line with the Consumer Price Index.

For 2023/24 we estimate that nearly 60 per cent of individuals who received an extra costs disability benefit would have received the means-tested benefit Cost of Living Payments, worth up to £900. Over 85 per cent would have received either or both of the means-tested and the £300 Pensioner Cost of Living Payment.

An evaluation of the Cost of Living Payments is underway. This will seek to understand their effectiveness as a means of support for low-income and vulnerable household.


Written Question
Disability: Cost of Living
Wednesday 8th May 2024

Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how his Department calculates the estimated cost of living for disabled people.

Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)

No such estimates have been made

As of April 2024, the rate of inflation has slowed, and the Government has also implemented uprating to benefits to reflect increased costs. We also increased extra costs disability benefits by 10.1 per cent from April 2023 and by 6.7% from April 2024 in line with the Consumer Price Index.

For 2023/24 we estimate that nearly 60 per cent of individuals who received an extra costs disability benefit would have received the means-tested benefit Cost of Living Payments, worth up to £900. Over 85 per cent would have received either or both of the means-tested and the £300 Pensioner Cost of Living Payment.

An evaluation of the Cost of Living Payments is underway. This will seek to understand their effectiveness as a means of support for low-income and vulnerable household.


Written Question
Asbestos: Inspections
Thursday 25th May 2023

Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many inspections relating to asbestos the Health and Safety Executive conducted in each year since 2010.

Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)

HSE grants licences to a small number of companies which carry out high risk types of asbestos work. HSE then visits a sample of these sites to ensure standards are met safely.

Historically HSE has only conducted inspections of organisations who hold a HSE granted asbestos

licence. Inspections of other, non-licenced work with asbestos such as cleaning up small quantities of asbestos-containing materials or drilling holes into asbestos insulating boards were not routinely recorded. Following the Work and Pensions Committee inquiry into HSE’s approach to asbestos management, non-licensed asbestos inspection activity will be recorded separately for 2023/24. Further information is available on HSE’s website here.

The table below show the number of inspections conducted by HSE of organisations holding an asbestos licence each year from 2010:

Year*

Number of inspections

2010 - 2011

1873

2011 - 2012

1755

2012 - 2013

1522

2013 - 2014

1275

2014 - 2015

1065

2015 - 2016

1109

2016 - 2017

1028

2017 - 2018

1052

2018 - 2019

1001

2019 - 2020

907

2020 - 2021

893

2021 - 2022

870

2022 - 2023

882**

*HSE Work Year from 1 April to 31 March - **Provisional

Since 2010, the number of license holders has reduced by 30% along with a 29% reduction in the jobs they carry out, consequently requiring less inspections. HSE also moved to a centralised, electronic system to facilitate improved targeting to asbestos inspections during this period ensuring the right number of inspections to each licensee.


Written Question
Asbestos: Diseases
Tuesday 23rd May 2023

Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will provide a breakdown of the number of people in the UK who have been diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases after exposure at work for each year since 2010.

Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)

The number of people in the UK who have been diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases due to exposure at work is not available as the data is not captured in this way.

However, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Health and Safety Executive collect statistics for deaths and new cases assessed for Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) in Great Britain. These statistics can give an indication of the scale of annual new cases of asbestos-related disease, the majority of which are attributable to past exposures at work.

Asbestos-related diseases in Great Britain, deaths and new cases assessed for Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB), 2010 onwards, Great Britain

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Mesothelioma, deaths

2360

2312

2549

2560

2522

2547

2606

2541

2453

2404

2544

N/A

Mesothelioma, new cases assessed for IIDB

1895

1985

2125

2145

2215

2130

2170

2025

2230

2025

1910

1920

Asbestosis, deaths

414

429

464

483

436

468

502

519

507

499

530

N/A

Asbestosis, new cases assessed for IIDB

1015

725

980

900

985

1175

1050

955

950

905

275

675

Asbestos-related lung cancer new cases assessed for IIDB

305

315

250

285

285

305

240

180

200

240

185

180

Pleural thickening, new cases assessed for IIDB

505

440

460

430

425

430

370

450

540

510

185

460

Note. Figures for deaths in 2021 are not yet available since for some deaths there can be a substantial delay in their registration beyond the year in which the death occurred.