Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help improve the financial situation of mixed-age couples where one partner has reached State Pension age but the other has not; what information his Department holds on the number of households are affected by the Pension Credit rules for mixed-age couples; what steps he is taking to help ensure that households reliant on a single State Pension can access adequate support; and what guidance he has issued to help ensure that claimants are not inaccurately told they are not entitled to state support.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Universal Credit is a working age benefit that helps with living costs. Ensuring that individuals, including those below State Pension age, can get into, progress and stay in work is important for individuals in helping them to continue saving for their own retirement and contribute to the wider economy.
Since 15 May 2019, couples requiring additional support from the benefit system have needed to claim Universal Credit until both members reach State Pension age. Once in receipt of Universal Credit, this ensures that the younger partner can access the same employment support that is available for customers below State Pension Age.
Published data shows that in December 2025 there were around 69,000 Universal Credit claimants aged over 65. This will include mixed aged couples and also some single claimants who are just about to move off UC as they reached State Pension Age during that assessment period.
Information on eligibility requirements for each benefit is published on GOV.UK guidance pages.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2025 to Question 96726, whether his Department has carried out a formal impact assessment of recent changes to the Motability scheme on disabled people’s access to suitable vehicles; what information his Department holds on the estimated savings from changes to that scheme; what criteria he used to determine which vehicles were removed; and which Ministers in his Department approved those changes.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Motability Scheme is a lifeline for many disabled people and families, supporting their independence by enabling them to lease a car, wheelchair accessible vehicle, scooter or powered wheelchair in exchange for an eligible disability benefit allowance. The package of reforms to the Motability Scheme announced as part of the Budget will ensure the Scheme delivers fairness for the taxpayer, while continuing to support disabled people. The Scheme will continue to offer a choice of affordable vehicles to meet a range of accessibility needs and offer vehicles which require no advance payment, meaning that people will be able to access a suitable vehicle using only their qualifying disability benefit.
Decisions on tax were made in the usual way by HM Treasury ministers, in close consultation with DWP Ministers and based on extensive advice with due consideration of equalities impacts. An Equality Impact Assessment was undertaken including estimated costs savings and it was published by HMT as part of the Autumn Budget. It can be found here: Motability Scheme: reforming tax reliefs - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the planned increase to the basic State Pension will apply to additional pension payments.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Subject to Parliamentary approval, the basic State Pension will increase by 4.8% in April 2026, in line with the increase in average earnings in the year to May-July 2025. The additional State Pension will increase by 3.8% in line with the increase in the consumer prices index in the year to September 2025.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
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 recent changes to the Motability scheme, including the removal of certain vehicle brands, the introduction of VAT on advance payments and Insurance Premium Tax on scheme insurance, and operational changes to breakdown cover and mileage allowances, on disabled people’s access to suitable vehicles; and if he will publish the estimated cost savings arising from each change, the criteria used to determine which vehicle categories were removed, and which Ministers approved these decisions.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are protecting the taxpayer through changes to the Motability scheme, ensuring it supports disabled people whilst delivering efficient use of taxpayers’ money. This includes the removal of some luxury vehicles from the leasing scheme while maintaining a range of vehicles to support disabled people. Tax changes will not impact vehicles substantially adapted for wheelchair users, or existing leases, and Motability will continue to provide vehicles at no additional cost to the value of eligible disability benefits.
Decisions on tax were made in the usual way by HM Treasury ministers, in close consultation with DWP Ministers and based on extensive advice with due consideration of equalities impacts. Estimated cost savings were published in the budget documentation: Motability Scheme: reforming tax reliefs - GOV.UK
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including older people in receipt of Attendance Allowance who have significant mobility needs and who are not eligible to claim Personal Independence Payment due to having reached State Pension age in the Motability Scheme.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Qualifying benefits for the Motability Scheme are the enhanced rate mobility component Personal Independence Payment (enhanced rate mobility component Adult Disability Payment in Scotland), higher rate mobility component Disability Living Allowance (higher rate mobility component Child Disability Payment in Scotland), Armed Forces Independence Payment and War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement.
Attendance Allowance is intended to help those with a severe disability who have long term care or supervision needs which arise after reaching State Pension age. It has never included a mobility component, and so cannot be used in payment for a leased Motability Scheme vehicle. There is no constraint on what an award of Attendance Allowance can be spent on, and a recipient may choose to use this benefit to fund mobility aids.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to The Universal Credit (Earned Income) Amendment Regulations 2020, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of moving double-paydays to subsequent assessment periods on (a) working Universal Credit recipients and (b) resourcing within her Department; and what steps she is taking to reduce the impact on (i) claimants and (ii) resources.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department recognised the impact that having double earnings in an assessment period can have on individual households and their ability to manage their finances and that is why we made the regulations changes. The amendment allows the Department to reallocate a payment of earnings reported via the Real Time Information (RTI) service to a different Universal Credit assessment period, either because it was reported in the wrong assessment period or (in the case of calendar monthly paid employees) it is necessary to maintain a regular payment cycle. This will also enable certain claimants to benefit from any applicable work allowance in each assessment period.
Those claimants who are paid two sets of monthly earnings in one assessment period are usually identified by an automated system that corrects the Universal Credit award. However, there are a small number of claimants who are not automatically identified and will need to be manually identified, this work has been absorbed by a multi-skilled centralised team and is resourced flexibly to meet demand. This only generally applies to a very small proportion of claimants and applies equally to all claimants.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
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 that (a) highly skilled and (b) experienced jobseekers are able to access suitable employment opportunities; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of perceptions of being overqualified on those jobseekers.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government is committed to supporting customers into secure employment, including highly skilled and experienced jobseekers.
DWP currently offers tailored, flexible advice and employment support through its network of Jobcentres across the UK. Work Coaches offer all customers a comprehensive menu of help, including referral into skills provision and job search support.
In addition, the National Careers Service provides free, up to date, impartial information, advice and guidance on careers, skills and the Labour Market in England. Further information about the National Careers Service can be found online by visiting https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk.
As part of our plans to Get Britain Working, we are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new, more personalised, Jobs and Careers Service. This will enable everyone, including experienced and skilled jobseekers, to access support to find good, meaningful work. It will support people to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers.
We are also transforming DWP’s employer commitment and working with a broader range of employers, including those requiring skilled and specialist talent, to offer customers jobs that match their skillset and qualifications.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to extend the (a) statutory and (b) regulatory standards for drilling boreholes in mineral exploration or evaluation to the drilling of boreholes for the purposes of installing ground-source heat pumps; and whether her Department plans to introduce safety legislation for borehole drilling on private land.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Borehole Sites and Operations Regulations 1995 (BSOR) require operators to notify the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in advance if drilling is taking place in a defined mining area. These Regulations do not apply to drilling for the purposes of installing ground-source heat pumps (GSHPs).
Drilling for the purposes of installing GSHPs is covered by the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA), which places a fundamental general duty on employers to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of their employees, and of other people who may be affected by the work activity. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 also apply, which requires suitable and sufficient risk assessments to be carried out and suitable arrangements to be implemented to manage risks.
There is currently no intention to bring drilling for the installation of GSHPs within the scope of BSOR.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of using the same eligibility criteria for Universal Credit and Child Benefit for claimants in non-advanced education; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of that approach on families supporting students whose education may be extended due to having additional needs.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There are no current plans to make such an assessment.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
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 merits of allowing future childcare costs to be met in advance through Universal Credit rather than being recovered retrospectively.
Answered by Jo Churchill
The Government recognises that high childcare costs can affect parents’ decisions to take up paid work or increase their working hours which is why on June 28, 2023, the Department started providing even more help with initial upfront childcare costs when parents move into work or increase their hours.
This means that a parent who needs this additional financial help can now be provided with funding towards both their first and second set of costs (or increased costs), upfront, thereby easing them into the UC childcare costs cycle.