Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants were deemed LCWRA via the substantial risk provisions in each of the last 15 financial years expressed in (a) numerical terms and (b) as a proportion of the caseload.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The available requested information for Universal Credit (UC) limited capability for work and work-related activity (LCWRA) Work Capability Assessment (WCA) decisions where claimants qualified for LCWRA due to 'substantial risk arising from work-related activity' is provided in the table below.
Financial Year | Volume of UC LCWRA Substantial Risk decisions | Total volume of UC LCWRA decisions | Proportion |
2019/20 | 81,240 | 246,040 | 33% |
2020/21 | 52,990 | 186,250 | 28% |
2021/22 | 55,780 | 273,180 | 20% |
2022/23 | 48,870 | 327,230 | 15% |
2023/24 | 56,130 | 357,190 | 16% |
2024/25 | 53,670 | 397,370 | 14% |
2025/26 (to Nov 25) | 26,280 | 229,020 | 11% |
Information prior to April 2019 is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Information on UC WCA decisions and on UC LWCRA caseload is published and can be found on Stat-Xplore.
For time periods prior to the introduction of UC, information on ESA WCA decisions broken down by reason for allocation (including substantial risk) can also be found on Stat-Xplore.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
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 decision to reduce the maximum UC deduction rate on a) public sector net borrowing, b) public sector net debt, c) public sector net cash requirement, d) annually managed expenditure and e) total managed expenditure in each financial year for which data are available.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department has considered the potential fiscal impacts of the decision to reduce the maximum Universal Credit deduction rate.
(a) No separate assessment has identified an impact on public sector net borrowing, as any effects are already reflected in the Government’s existing fiscal forecasts.
(b) and c) Please see paragraph 5.134 on page 138 in this link for published information:
(d) No additional impact has been quantified on Annually Managed Expenditure.
(e) No additional impact has been quantified on Total Managed Expenditure.
The Fair Repayment Rate was announced in the 2024 Autumn Budget, and reduced deductions from Universal Credit from 25% to 15%. This measure helped around 1.2 million Universal Credit households with deductions retain more of their Universal Credit award, on average £420 a year, supporting the Government’s wider objectives to raise living standards, reduce poverty, and respond to ongoing cost‑of‑living pressures.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average estimated cost is of providing a PIP assessment (a) by telephone, (b) by video call and (c) face to face.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
PIP assessment costs are managed and recorded at an overall Functional Assessment Service level rather than by specific assessment types or benefits, and as such the department does not hold this information.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
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 decision to reduce the maximum UC deduction rate on a) public sector net borrowing, b) public sector net debt, c) public sector net cash requirement, d) annually managed expenditure and e) total managed expenditure in each financial year for which data are available.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what number of universal credit households in the most recent quarter for which data is available were subject to a deduction; and what proportion of these households were subject to the maximum percentage reduction of 15%.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The requested information can be found in the published Universal Credit deductions statistics, December 2024 to November 2025, supplementary data Table1 and Table2, available here: Universal Credit statistics, 29 April 2013 to 8 January 2026 - GOV.UK.
The next release of these statistics is on Tuesday 12 May 2026, Universal Credit statistics, 29 April 2013 to 12 February 2026 - Official statistics announcement - GOV.UK
Further release dates are published here: universal credit - Research and statistics - GOV.UK
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what number and proportion of pregnant Universal Credit claimants were deemed to have Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity due to pregnancy risk in the most recent year for which data is available.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Between January 2024 and December 2024 there were 1,150 UC claimants who were deemed to have Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) due to pregnancy risk following a health assessment. Information on all UC claimants who are pregnant is not readily available, so the proportion this represents of all pregnant UC claimants cannot be provided.
Notes:
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been migrated from Employment and Support Allowance to Universal Credit since July 2024.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This information will be published as part of a routinely released statistical series in February 2026.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what (a) proportion and (b) amount of Universal Credit expenditure was for adults with non-Common Travel Area immigration status in the latest period for which information is available.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Universal Credit awards are paid to households, which may include both British and foreign nationals who are eligible. Therefore, the information requested is not readily available at the required quality and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households were exempted from the benefit cap for the latest period for which data is available, by (a) reason for exemption and (b) amount they would otherwise have had capped.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The requested statistics are not readily held by the Department and to produce them would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average award is for pension credit claimants with a non-CTA immigration status.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The requested statistics are not held by the Department.