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Written Question
Department for Work and Pensions: Correspondence
Monday 23rd February 2026

Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)

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 reduce the time taken to respond to casework queries from Members of Parliament.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department recognises that the recent increase in the volume of MP enquiries, alongside a rise in the complexity of cases requiring more detailed investigation, has contributed to delays in meeting our standard response timescales.

To address this, the Department has taken a number of steps to improve the timeliness and efficiency of responses to MP enquiries:

  • Additional resource has been deployed to our complaints and correspondence teams, with ongoing monitoring of the impact on response times.
  • The Universal Credit MP hotline service has been streamlined through the introduction of a single national contact number, improving accessibility and consistency.
  • Guidance on the W4MP website has been updated to ensure MP offices have clear visibility of the appropriate contact numbers for each benefit product line.
  • Recruitment is underway for additional Universal Credit complaint handlers to support efforts to reduce the volume of outstanding enquiries and improve response times.

Written Question
State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad
Tuesday 8th July 2025

Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with her Australian counterpart on negotiating a new reciprocal social security agreement for the uprating of UK State Pensions for UK pensioners residing in Australia.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Department has not engaged with their Australian counterparts on negotiating a new reciprocal social security agreement.