Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many PIP assessment officers left their role in each month since January 2025.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not held in the format specified.
However, while data on the monthly totals for average health professional (HP) full‑time equivalents (FTEs) working on the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) contracts, and overall HP FTE leavers, is not currently published by the department, we will be sharing this information in a future statistical release.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many PIP assessment officers there were in each month since January 2025.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not held in the format specified.
However, while data on the monthly totals for average health professional (HP) full‑time equivalents (FTEs) working on the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) contracts, and overall HP FTE leavers, is not currently published by the department, we will be sharing this information in a future statistical release.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what consideration is made when awarding work capability assessment contracts of potential additional costs to the Exchequer involved in contractors awarding bonuses or making performance related salary uplifts.
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. The Department awarded these contracts following fair and open competition to deliver the best value for taxpayers. This included evaluating all of the proposed costs of delivery (including all remuneration to employees).
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Department provides work capability assessment contractors with additional funding for them to award bonuses or performance related salary uplifts.
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: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to Section 4.230 of the Autumn Budget 2025, whether she plans to publish the consultation on the new ISA product before the Easter recess.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
At Autumn Budget 25 the government announced that it will publish a consultation in early 2026 on the implementation of a new, simpler ISA product to support first time buyers to buy a home. Once available, this new product will be offered in place of the Lifetime ISA.
The new design will include the government bonus being paid at the point the individual makes a withdrawal for a house purchase. This removes the need for a withdrawal charge and means a saver can withdraw funds, should their circumstances change, without penalty.
It will remain possible to open a Lifetime ISA until the new product becomes available and for account holders to continue to save into their Lifetime ISA in line with the existing rules indefinitely.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to Section 4.230 of the Autumn Budget 2025, what steps she is taking to maintain the viability of the Lifetime ISA.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
At Autumn Budget 25 the government announced that it will publish a consultation in early 2026 on the implementation of a new, simpler ISA product to support first time buyers to buy a home. Once available, this new product will be offered in place of the Lifetime ISA.
The new design will include the government bonus being paid at the point the individual makes a withdrawal for a house purchase. This removes the need for a withdrawal charge and means a saver can withdraw funds, should their circumstances change, without penalty.
It will remain possible to open a Lifetime ISA until the new product becomes available and for account holders to continue to save into their Lifetime ISA in line with the existing rules indefinitely.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many meetings of the Retail Investment Campaign steering group have taken place.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government wants to see more people benefit from the higher returns and long-term financial resilience that investing can provide. That is why the Chancellor’s Leeds Reforms included bold actions to boost retail investment.
The Government welcomes the industry-led retail investment campaign which will promote the benefits of investing to the public, and will launch in April 2026. The inaugural meeting of the campaign steering group was held on 22 September 2025, and the steering group has met regularly since then. The Investment Association is the secretariat to the campaign, and HM Treasury supports the campaign in an observer capacity.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress she has made on the Retail Investment Campaign.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government wants to see more people benefit from the higher returns and long-term financial resilience that investing can provide. That is why the Chancellor’s Leeds Reforms included bold actions to boost retail investment.
The Government welcomes the industry-led retail investment campaign which will promote the benefits of investing to the public, and will launch in April 2026. The inaugural meeting of the campaign steering group was held on 22 September 2025, and the steering group has met regularly since then. The Investment Association is the secretariat to the campaign, and HM Treasury supports the campaign in an observer capacity.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on improving the delivery of financial education.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government recognises the importance of financial literacy in helping people to manage their finances and make the most of their money, and is taking steps to improve provision of financial education across all age groups.
In July 2024, the government established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The Review considered whether there is sufficient coverage of key knowledge and skills to prepare children and young people for future life and to thrive in a fast-changing world. The final report was published in November 2025, alongside the government’s response.
As part of that response, the government committed to making citizenship compulsory at Key Stages 1 and 2 in England, which will include financial education. The government is also legislating through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill so that all state-funded schools in England will be legally required to teach the national curriculum up to the age of sixteen. This will mean that pupils at academies, which do not currently have to follow the national curriculum, will also benefit from the changes to the curriculum.
The Treasury is working closely with the Department for Education on how we can support these changes and how they fit into the wider landscape of measures announced to support financial capability in adults as part of the government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy. My predecessor met the Minister of State (Minister for School Standards) last year ahead of the Strategy being published.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of the use of AI technologies in financial advice by (a) consumers and (b) industry.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government believes that the safe and effective adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in financial services is a major strategic opportunity, with the potential to power growth across the UK. As set out in the Government’s Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy, it is our ambition to make the UK the world's most technologically advanced global financial sector, leveraging our dual strengths in financial services and AI.
AI is already widely used across the financial sector. A 2024 survey by the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) found that around three-quarters of UK financial services firms are now deploying AI. Industry estimates also suggest that the use of AI within the financial advice sector is rapidly growing, with the proportion of advice firms using AI more than doubling over the past year.
The government has not made a formal assessment of the level of AI use by consumers, including the use of large language models for financial advice. In recognition of growing consumer interest in these tools, the FCA has published information for consumers on using AI for investment research. This sets out the pros and cons of such tools, including the risk of incorrect or out-of-date information, and makes clear that advice from general purpose AI tools is not regulated and does not benefit from protections such as the Financial Services Compensation Scheme or the Financial Ombudsman Service.
To support the effective and safe use of AI by industry, while protecting consumers and financial stability, the government has appointed Financial Services AI champions, Harriet Rees and Rohit Dhawan. They will focus on helping firms seize the opportunities for AI in a way that supports innovation, maintains trust in UK financial services, and ensures that consumers are appropriately protected.