Asked by: John McDonnell (Independent - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will enter into alternative dispute resolution with women impacted by changes to the State Pension age.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
This issue is now subject to live litigation and the High Court has granted permission for a full hearing.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Independent - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to bring forward a compensation scheme for women impacted by State Pension age changes.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department’s response to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s Investigation into Women’s State Pension age communications and associated issues, was published on the 17 December 2024 and is available here:
Asked by: John McDonnell (Independent - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of women born in the 1950s who have died since 17 December 2024.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department has no such assessment.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Independent - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if (a) he and (b) his officials will have an on-line meeting with carers that have been unable to secure a place at the Pathways to Work consultation meetings.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are holding a series of face to face and virtual public consultation events across the country in relation to the Pathways to Work Green Paper, to help us hear from people directly. Details of the events are advertised online and can be found at Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper - GOV.UK. These events are held at venues undergoing stringent health, safety, and risk assessment to ensure their suitability for DWP staff and members of the public attending these events.
The consultation will run until 30 June 2025 and members of the public are welcome to share their feedback on the proposals in the consultation in writing, online and via email, in addition to in person or virtually at these ticketed events. We have conducted five in person and three virtual events to date, which approximately 130 participants have joined. The consultation events have facilitated group discussions which will feed into the consultation response analysis. A full list of upcoming events can be found on gov.uk.
We hope a wide range of voices will respond to the consultation and we welcome all views, including those of carers, who provide invaluable support to elderly or disabled people. Carers have also attended our events.
In addition to the Green Paper consultation and the accompanying events, we are continuing to facilitate other ways to involve people in our reforms, especially disabled people and their representatives. This includes through the PIP assessment review that I am leading, the Disability Advisory Panel we announced in the Get Britain Working White Paper, and our ‘collaboration committees’ which will bring groups, including disabled people and other experts, together for specific work areas.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Independent - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of members of the public who will attend the Pathways to Work consultation meetings.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are holding a series of face to face and virtual public consultation events across the country in relation to the Pathways to Work Green Paper, to help us hear from people directly. Details of the events are advertised online and can be found at Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper - GOV.UK. These events are held at venues undergoing stringent health, safety, and risk assessment to ensure their suitability for DWP staff and members of the public attending these events.
The consultation will run until 30 June 2025 and members of the public are welcome to share their feedback on the proposals in the consultation in writing, online and via email, in addition to in person or virtually at these ticketed events. We have conducted five in person and three virtual events to date, which approximately 130 participants have joined. The consultation events have facilitated group discussions which will feed into the consultation response analysis. A full list of upcoming events can be found on gov.uk.
We hope a wide range of voices will respond to the consultation and we welcome all views, including those of carers, who provide invaluable support to elderly or disabled people. Carers have also attended our events.
In addition to the Green Paper consultation and the accompanying events, we are continuing to facilitate other ways to involve people in our reforms, especially disabled people and their representatives. This includes through the PIP assessment review that I am leading, the Disability Advisory Panel we announced in the Get Britain Working White Paper, and our ‘collaboration committees’ which will bring groups, including disabled people and other experts, together for specific work areas.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Independent - Hayes and Harlington)
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 publicity on the Pathways to Work consultations.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are holding a series of face to face and virtual public consultation events across the country in relation to the Pathways to Work Green Paper, to help us hear from people directly. Details of the events are advertised online and can be found at Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper - GOV.UK. These events are held at venues undergoing stringent health, safety, and risk assessment to ensure their suitability for DWP staff and members of the public attending these events.
The consultation will run until 30 June 2025 and members of the public are welcome to share their feedback on the proposals in the consultation in writing, online and via email, in addition to in person or virtually at these ticketed events. We have conducted five in person and three virtual events to date, which approximately 130 participants have joined. The consultation events have facilitated group discussions which will feed into the consultation response analysis. A full list of upcoming events can be found on gov.uk.
We hope a wide range of voices will respond to the consultation and we welcome all views, including those of carers, who provide invaluable support to elderly or disabled people. Carers have also attended our events.
In addition to the Green Paper consultation and the accompanying events, we are continuing to facilitate other ways to involve people in our reforms, especially disabled people and their representatives. This includes through the PIP assessment review that I am leading, the Disability Advisory Panel we announced in the Get Britain Working White Paper, and our ‘collaboration committees’ which will bring groups, including disabled people and other experts, together for specific work areas.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Independent - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have attended the Pathways to Work public consultation meetings.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are holding a series of face to face and virtual public consultation events across the country in relation to the Pathways to Work Green Paper, to help us hear from people directly. Details of the events are advertised online and can be found at Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper - GOV.UK. These events are held at venues undergoing stringent health, safety, and risk assessment to ensure their suitability for DWP staff and members of the public attending these events.
The consultation will run until 30 June 2025 and members of the public are welcome to share their feedback on the proposals in the consultation in writing, online and via email, in addition to in person or virtually at these ticketed events. We have conducted five in person and three virtual events to date, which approximately 130 participants have joined. The consultation events have facilitated group discussions which will feed into the consultation response analysis. A full list of upcoming events can be found on gov.uk.
We hope a wide range of voices will respond to the consultation and we welcome all views, including those of carers, who provide invaluable support to elderly or disabled people. Carers have also attended our events.
In addition to the Green Paper consultation and the accompanying events, we are continuing to facilitate other ways to involve people in our reforms, especially disabled people and their representatives. This includes through the PIP assessment review that I am leading, the Disability Advisory Panel we announced in the Get Britain Working White Paper, and our ‘collaboration committees’ which will bring groups, including disabled people and other experts, together for specific work areas.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Independent - Hayes and Harlington)
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 changes to PIP on people claiming benefits.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Alongside Spring Statement 2025, the Department published an Impact Assessment which assessed the impact of the changes to be made to PIP as part of the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper reforms.
A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
Changes to PIP will only apply at the next award review after November 2026. The average award review period is about three years. At the award review, claimants will be considered by a trained assessor or healthcare professional and assessed on individual needs and circumstances. We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including ensuring health and care needs are met.
After taking into account behavioural changes, the OBR predicts that 9 in 10 of those receiving the PIP daily living component at the point that any changes come into effect will still be receiving PIP by the end of the decade.
We have also announced a wider review of the PIP assessment to make it fair and fit for purpose, which I will lead. We are bringing together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this. We will provide further details as plans progress.
Even with these reforms, the overall number of people on PIP and DLA is expected to rise by 750,000 by the end of this parliament and spending will rise from £23bn in 24/25 to £31bn in 29/30.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Independent - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of proposed disability benefit changes on the length of NHS waiting lists.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This Government has already started to bring about change to address health-related economic inactivity. We are injecting almost £26 billion of extra funding next year to get the health and social care system back on its feet and bring down waiting lists.
The Pathways to Work Green Paper set out our plans to reform the health and disability and employment support system. As we bring forward changes, we will ensure that the most vulnerable and severely disabled people everywhere are protected, so that they can live with dignity and security.
For those affected by the changes to PIP eligibility, we are consulting on how best to support this group, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met. For new claimants on the Universal Credit health element after April 2026, we are proposing that those with the most severe, life-long health conditions, who will never be able to work, will see their incomes protected.
As we develop detailed proposals for change, we will continue to consider the potential impacts of reforms.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Independent - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to increase transparency in her Department.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
We want to be more open about the work taken forward within the department. We will continue to look at what information can be shared to further increase transparency, taking into consideration constraints that we can’t ignore, such as protecting personal customer information, and policy development and other risks.
A great example of increasing transparency can be seen with the work the department is taking forward to continue building on the information it started publishing in its Annual Report and Accounts two years ago. Detailing the work of its Advanced Customer Support Teams, and the support for vulnerable customers.
To further increase transparency in this area we will soon be releasing two separate publications. One publication will see us release Internal Process Review information for the first time, showing the learning and improvements taken forward from the departments most serious cases. The second is a publication that highlights and explains how DWP, specifically through its Advanced Customer Support teams, is delivering support for vulnerable customers and the improvements that were delivered to help those who require additional support.