Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to support people with a terminal illness who are in poverty.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This Government is committed to providing a financial safety net for those who need it. Support is available through the welfare system to those who are unable to work, are on a low income or have additional costs as a consequence of a long-term health condition or disability but are not eligible to pensioner benefits because of their age.
For those nearing the end of their life, the Government’s priority is to provide people with financial support quickly and compassionately. The main way the Department does this is through the Special Rules for End of Life (SREL) which enable people who are nearing the end of their lives to get faster, easier access to Personal Independence Payment, Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit and Attendance Allowance, without needing to attend a medical assessment, serve waiting periods and in most cases, receive the highest rate of benefit.
The Department is committed to ensure that eligible claimants at the end of life have their claims processed as quickly as possible. Latest figures show that In Great Britain, new claims to PIP under the Special Rules are being cleared in 3 working days on average.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what are the current wait times for mandatory reconsideration claims over PIP decisions in Devon.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The median time taken for a Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) decision to be reached for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in Devon is 70 calendar days.
The median time taken is measured from the date an MR is registered to the date an MR decision is reached. The 70 calendar days is for new claims and reassessments made under normal rules between August 2024 and July 2025.
Each PIP claim can have more than one MR registered against it over time. The above includes all MR decisions (excluding withdrawn and cancelled MRs).
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the number of Access to Work decisions that have not aligned with Access to Work guidelines in the last 12 months.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have interpreted “Access to Work decisions that have not aligned with Access to Work guidelines” as cases where a customer has challenged a decision and requested a reconsideration.
From November 2024 to October 2025:
Some overturned decisions will be due to customers providing additional information, rather than the decision not aligning with Access to Work guidelines. We do not hold data that identifies how many overturned decisions were specifically due to misalignment with the guidelines. The remaining 509 cases are still under consideration
Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what is His Department's standard response time for resolving official complaints submitted to Access to Work.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Complaints received about Access to Work are handled in line with the overall Departmental complaints process published on Gov.uk. We aim to contact customers within 15 working days to clear the complaint or agree how to investigate it if it will take longer.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Access to Work scheme in supporting disabled people into (a) sustained employment and (b) meaningful work experience.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No changes have been made to Access to Work policy. We will be reviewing all aspects of the Scheme now that the Pathways to Work Green Paper consultation has closed. We are considering responses to the consultation and will set out our plans in due course.
We are continuing to work closely with stakeholders, and in particular disabled people and their representatives.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of changes to Access to Work funding on job coaching and support service providers.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No changes have been made to Access to Work policy, and we will announce any changes prior to them being implemented.
The Department faces significant challenges assessing the effectiveness of Access to Work due to the difficulty in establishing a counterfactual.
We will be reviewing all aspects of the Scheme now that the Pathways to Work Green Paper consultation has closed. We are considering responses to the consultation and will set out our plans in due course.
We are continuing to work closely with stakeholders, and in particular disabled people and their representatives, on all aspects of our proposals.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on the number of providers that have ceased offering Access to Work services due to (a) systemic delays and (b) insufficient funding since January 2025.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have interpreted “providers” to mean support workers, third parties, and stakeholders who deliver support to Access to Work customers.
The Department does not hold data on how many providers may have ceased offering Access to Work services due to (a) systemic delays or (b) insufficient funding since January 2025.
Access to Work operates as a reimbursement grant, the service or support must be provided before payment is made. The customer is the recipient of the grant and claims for the support they have used, not the provider. As such, the Department does not monitor providers or track whether they have ceased offering Access to Work services.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on the number of complaints submitted by disabled service users to the Access to Work scheme which were not resolved within the 20-working-day target in the last 12 months.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The standard definition of a complaint across DWP is:
Any expression of dissatisfaction about the service provided which is not resolved by operational staff as normal business.
An ‘Official’’ complaint would be received in writing and usually via the local MP or authorised advocate on behalf of the customer. These complaints would be logged and dealt with in line with our official complaints policy.
‘Official’ complaints have a 20-working day target.
During the period 01/11/2024 – 31/10/2025, 106 were received and 3 were not resolved within the target date.
‘Other’ complaints are also received but are dealt with informally as part of normal business and are usually handled in real-time by our DWP Telephony staff.
Other complaints have a 15-working day target.
During the period 01/11/2024 – 31/10/2025, 909 were received and 4 were not resolved within the target date.
What is not a complaint
Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure people with (a) learning disabilities and (b) mental health challenges receive (i) adequate and (ii) consistent support through Access to Work.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we consulted on the future of Access to Work and how to improve the scheme so that it helps more disabled people in work. Since Access to Work was first designed, the style, scope and cost of the support that people require has changed significantly, yet Access to Work has stayed broadly the same. There is a strong case for looking at the future role and purpose of Access to Work, as part of the wider changes to Get Britain Working.
We have recently concluded (end of June) the Access to Work Collaboration Committees, in which we engaged with a range of stakeholders, including Disabled People’s Organisation representatives and lived experience users, to provide discussion, experience, and challenge to the design of the future Access to Work Scheme. Whilst the committees have now ended, we will seek opportunity to engage with stakeholders as we move forward with policy development, recognising the value of their input and expertise. We will be reviewing all aspects of the Scheme now that the consultation has closed.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to form a UK inventory of gas critical (a) parts and (b) products.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations (1998) place a legal requirement on those who undertake gas work to be competent and Gas Safe Registered. The Gas Safe Register Rules of Registration require engineers to carry an in-date, valid ID card which displays who the holder is, and what gas work they are competent to perform. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) continue to advise consumers to always verify the identity and credentials of engineers or persons entering their property.
HSE has no power to form a UK inventory of gas critical parts and products or restrict online or physical sale of gas appliances or parts.