Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department's publication entitled Universal Credit Statistics updated on 17 March 2026 showing people with indefinite leave to remain were 2.7% of Universal Credit claims, whether his Department holds other information of migrants claiming benefits.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The latest statistics showing the percentage of people on Universal Credit in Great Britain by immigration status were published on 17 February 2026, and reported that in January 2026 the percentage of people on Universal Credit in Great Britain with the immigration status of indefinite leave to remain was 2.6%.
Information relating to other benefits is not held on digital systems, in a way that allows it to be extracted for the publication as official statistics.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the expected increase in public funds claimed by migrant workers.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Ministers and officials at DWP and the Home Office regularly discuss a range of matters.
Most migrants with temporary visas cannot access the benefit system. Access to public funds and benefits is usually at the point of settlement, which for most people will be after they have lived in the UK legally for five years, and the Home Office Earned Settlement policy consultation is looking at increasing this to ten years.
The Home Office are also consulting on changing the default position to maintain No Recourse to Public Funds at settlement and lifting this only at the point of British citizenship.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the earned settlement proposals on the number of applicants claiming caring benefits.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department has made no such assessment.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Risk Assessed Recall Review applications on behalf of prisoners serving a sentence of imprisonment for public protection have been (a) submitted, (b) accepted, and (c) directed for release, in each month since November 2024.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Since 1 November 2024, officials in the Public Protection Casework Section (PPCS) in HMPPS has on behalf of the Secretary of State considered the suitability of every newly recalled IPP prisoner for re-release under RARR. That means that the recalled offender does not need to make an application for RARR. In each case, officials in PPCS will have regard to any recommendation made by the offender’s community offender manager. The number of recalled IPP offenders re-released via RARR in each month from 1 November 2024 to 30 September 2025 is given in the table below.
Year | Month | Release Decisions |
2024 | November | 0 |
2024 | December | 3 |
2025 | January | 8 |
2025 | February | 5 |
2025 | March | 8 |
2025 | April | 4 |
2025 | May | 4 |
2025 | June | 8 |
2025 | July | 7 |
2025 | August | 1 |
2025 | September | 2 |
Note:
Data quality: The figures in these tables have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
We have provided the RARR release data up to 30 September 2025 as we have only published general release data up to 30 September 2025.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make it her policy not to expand Managed Service Provider usage until the joint HMRC and PCS evaluation is concluded and reviewed.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC is currently in the Proof of Value phase for the use of Managed Service Providers (MSPs), supported by a joint evaluation agreed with the PCS trade union. The evaluation covers service quality, productivity, customer experience and value for money, and is intended to inform any future decisions about MSP use.
HMRC expects to complete the first phase of this evaluation in April, after which the findings will be reviewed internally and used to inform future decisions on the MSP approach. The evaluation will help ensure that any next steps are evidence‑based and aligned with service needs and value for money.
Any future planning decisions will be made through normal business planning and Spending Review processes, informed by the evaluation evidence. The findings will be considered alongside operational need, value for money and commercial sensitivities, and used to shape HMRC’s future approach to the use of MSPs.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when she expects the joint HMRC and PCS evaluation of the Managed Service Provider Proof of Value trial will be completed and published.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC is currently in the Proof of Value phase for the use of Managed Service Providers (MSPs), supported by a joint evaluation agreed with the PCS trade union. The evaluation covers service quality, productivity, customer experience and value for money, and is intended to inform any future decisions about MSP use.
HMRC expects to complete the first phase of this evaluation in April, after which the findings will be reviewed internally and used to inform future decisions on the MSP approach. The evaluation will help ensure that any next steps are evidence‑based and aligned with service needs and value for money.
Any future planning decisions will be made through normal business planning and Spending Review processes, informed by the evaluation evidence. The findings will be considered alongside operational need, value for money and commercial sensitivities, and used to shape HMRC’s future approach to the use of MSPs.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of whether current NHS funding allocations adequately reflect the health needs of children living in areas of high deprivation and inequality.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is responsible for funding allocations to integrated care boards (ICBs). NHS England takes advice on the underlying formula from the independent Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation. The formula takes account of population, age, need, and deprivation and health inequality considerations. High deprivation areas receive more funding per capita than low deprivation areas, given other, similar circumstances. ICB allocations for 2026/27 to 2028/29 were published on 17 December 2025, and are available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/allocations/
We are committed to ensuring that resources are targeted where they are most needed. As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are gradually ending the practice of providing deficit support funding and moving organisations to what is their fair share of National Health Service funding, worth £2.2 billion in 2025/26. This allows funding to be redirected more quickly to areas with the greatest health need across the country as part of ICB allocations. We are also reviewing the GP funding formula, known as the Carr-Hill formula, to ensure that resources are targeted most effectively.
ICBs are responsible for commissioning services that meet the diverse needs of their local populations, including children. All ICBs in England are required to have an Executive Lead for Children and Young People, to ensure the interests of children are reflected in decision-making.
The Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever and ensuring that all children can access timely support that meets their health needs. We are delivering on the vision for neighbourhood health set out in the 10-Year Health Plan to bring care closer to babies, children, and young people. Neighbourhood health services will work together with Best Start Family Hubs, schools, and colleges so that children get support quickly, including those with special educational needs and disabilities.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce child tooth decay rates.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Reducing rates of tooth decay is central to our commitment to help children to live healthier lives. Tooth decay is also almost entirely preventable. We are delivering the national targeted supervised toothbrushing programme for three- to five-year-olds in the most deprived areas. We are making preventative advice available to parents and young children, with oral hygiene embedded in the Healthy Child Programme and Best Start Parent Hub. Further information is available at the following two links:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/healthy-child-programme-high-impact-area-framework
https://beststartinlife.gov.uk/
Water fluoridation is an effective intervention for reducing tooth decay and oral health inequalities. We will expand community water fluoridation in the north east of England from 2028, so that it reaches 1.6 million more people by April 2030, and assess further expansion in areas where oral health outcomes are worst.
We are also acting to reduce sugar consumption, which is the main risk factor for tooth decay. The Soft Drinks Industry Levy will be extended to include pre-packaged milk based and milk substitute drinks, and the lower tax threshold at which the levy applies will be lowered from 5 grams to 4.5 grams of sugar per 100 millilitres.
On 25 March, the Government launched a consultation on the proposed application of the new Nutrient Profiling Model to the advertising and promotions restrictions on less healthy food and drink.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to reduce childhood obesity rates among children in areas of high deprivation.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan for England, we are taking decisive action on the obesity crisis and creating the healthiest generation of children ever. We are restricting junk food advertising targeted at children on television and online and have given councils stronger powers to block new fast-food outlets near schools. We have announced changes to the Soft Drinks Industry Levy and consulted on our proposals to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children. We will go further by introducing mandatory reporting on the healthiness of sales for all large food businesses and strengthening the existing advertising and promotions restrictions by applying an updated definition of ‘less healthy food and drink’.
We recognise that obesity is highly unequal and we are taking appropriate steps to support people to access healthier food. Through the Healthy Start Scheme, we are encouraging a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies, and young children under four years old from very low-income households and, in April 2026, we will be uplifting the value of weekly payments by 10%. The Government is committed to reviewing the School Food Standards so that these reflect the most recent dietary recommendations, free school meals will be extended to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026, and phase 1 of the free breakfast clubs programme will commence from April 2026, which will see a further 2,000 new schools delivering free breakfast clubs.
We are also committed to breaking down barriers and getting more people moving, especially those living in more deprived areas. We will do this through delivering the new Physical Education and School Sport Partnerships network, continued investment in grassroots sport, and cycling and walking infrastructure. We have already teamed up with Joe Wicks and launched 'Activate’, a series of animated, fun five-minute workouts to help families and schools tackle inactivity among children.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to improve access to NHS dental care for children in deprived and rural areas.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are aware of the challenges faced in accessing a dentist, particularly in more rural areas.
The 10-Year Health Plan confirms that child dental health is a priority. We are introducing changes to dental access that will benefit children. Following public consultation, from April 2026 we will introduce a new course of treatment for fluoride varnish for children to be applied by suitably trained dental nurses in between regular check-ups. We will also increase remuneration for dentists for fissure sealants, to support increased use of this effective treatment for primary prevention purposes. These reforms will put patients with the greatest need first, incentivising urgent care and complex treatments.
The Government is committed to ensuring people can access urgent dental care when they need it. Over the past year, integrated care boards have been commissioning additional urgent dental appointments and there is now an urgent care safety net available in all areas of the country. 1.8 million additional courses of National Health Service dental treatment were delivered between April and October 2025, compared to the corresponding months before the general election. Half of these additional treatments were delivered to children.
In 2025/26, we invested £11 million in 147 local authorities and in 2026/27, we will be investing a further £10.5 million, as part of a multi-year settlement, in 151 local authorities to continue to implement the national targeted supervised toothbrushing programme for three- to five-year-olds. This is alongside the innovative partnership with Colgate-Palmolive. The aim is to reach up to 600,000 children targeted in the 20% most deprived areas of England to reduce inequalities.
The Government is committed to achieving fundamental contract reform by the end of this Parliament.