Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what consideration his department has made of the potential merits of introducing an equivalent to Severe Disability Premium in Universal Credit.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
In the legacy benefits (e.g. Employment & Support Allowance (ESA), Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) and Income Support (IS)) there were multiple disability premia (e.g. Disability Premium, Enhanced Disability Premium and Severe Disability Premium). These were complex, fragmented and often underpaid, each with differing and often overlapping rules that made administration difficult and confusing for claimants.
Universal Credit replaces these with a single structure and clearer elements (e.g. disability and caring support), reducing complexity and improving consistency and claimant understanding.
The Universal Credit rate for people who have Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) and meet the Severe Conditions Criteria (SCC) or the Special Rules for End of Life (SREL) is more than double the equivalent rate of the ESA support group and provides financial support to those with the most severe disabilities and health conditions.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his department will review the rules for transitional protection in the case of severely disabled people living in supported housing.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Transitional Protection within Universal Credit is intended to support customers whose entitlement would otherwise be lower at the point of moving from legacy benefits. This includes Transitional Protection provided in respect of the Severe Disability Premium.
Rules apply equally to all forms of Transitional Protection, ensuring that entitlement remains aligned with a customer’s circumstances. This is a standard feature of Transitional Protection and not based on disability status.
The Department keeps all aspects of Universal Credit policy under consideration to ensure it continues to provide effective support.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
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 impact of reduction in the Transitional Severe Disability Premium Element on the ability of severely disabled people receiving Universal Credit to meet other daily living costs.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Transitional Protection is designed to ensure that, at the point of moving onto Universal Credit, eligible customers do not see a reduction in their overall entitlement compared to their previous legacy benefits. These rules apply equally to the Severe Disability Premium Transitional Protection.
All forms of Transitional Protection are a temporary measure and will adjust over time as other elements of a customer’s Universal Credit award change.
Any reduction in the value of Transitional Protection occurs gradually and is offset by increases in underlying Universal Credit entitlement, for example through uprating or the addition of new elements. This means that a customer’s overall monetary entitlement does not decrease as a result of Transitional Protection reducing and will increase once Transitional Protection has fully eroded.
Universal Credit also provides additional support for disabled people, including through elements for those with limited capability for work and work-related activity, which may be included in awards where applicable.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on the potential merits of introducing a maximum temperature to be allowed in the workplace.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has engaged with other departments across government in the development of the proposals for workplace temperature as part of the review of the Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) for the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.
HSE will be consulting on the review of the ACOP, and there will be an opportunity to respond to the consultation.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
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 benefit sanctions on people forced into prostitution due to destitution.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The core objective of Universal Credit is to support people who are out of work or on a low income to enter work, earn more, or to prepare for work in the future, and claimants are generally expected to undertake certain work-related activities in return for financial support.
Any work-related requirements are agreed in discussion with the claimant and will always be tailored in light of a claimant’s circumstances, ensuring they are realistic and achievable. Work coaches have the flexibility to personalise work-related requirements for claimants based on the impact of any health condition, caring responsibilities, or other circumstance.
A sanction is only applicable where a claimant fails to undertake their agreed activity without good reason. Before a sanction decision is made, claimants are always asked to provide their reasoning, and several safety measures, including checking for any vulnerabilities, are in place before deciding whether a sanction is applicable. These include: checking to see if the claimants circumstances had changed and if the requirement remained reasonable; considering whether the claimant had undertaken alternative activity that means the requirement was met; and reviewing any known vulnerabilities and their impact on a claimant’s ability to meet their requirements.
If a claimant is sanctioned and can demonstrate that they cannot meet their most immediate and essential needs, we also have a system of recoverable hardship payments. These needs can include heating, food, and hygiene.
DWP’s commitments to the violence against women and girls (VAWG) Strategy will help align us with the wider cross government ambition to tackle sexual exploitation. This includes strengthening the training and guidance provided to frontline staff and Domestic Abuse SPOCs, ensuring they are better equipped to recognise and respond to all forms of VAWG, including sexual exploitation. In addition, DWP is rolling out its 5-year plan for safeguarding following the Written Statement in December 2025.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
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 freeze in Local Housing Allowance on levels of rough sleeping and homelessness in England.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The causes of rough sleeping and homelessness are multifaceted and are driven by a range of factors, both personal and structural.
Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates are annually reviewed, usually in the Autumn. At Autumn budget 2025, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions reviewed LHA and announced that rates would be maintained at their current levels for 2026/27. Rent levels across Great Britian were considered alongside other factors such as the challenging fiscal context and welfare priorities, including the removal of the two-child limit which will bring 450,000 children out of poverty.
DWP worked closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on the National Plan to End Homelessness, which is driving sustainable change and addressing the root causes of homelessness and we continue working together with MHCLG and HMT to keep LHA rates under review.
Renters facing a shortfall in meeting their housing costs can apply for discretionary housing support from local authorities.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
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 effectiveness of the voluntary and community sector on providing employment support to help tackle the disability employment gap.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Evaluation is a key driver in delivering DWP’s priority outcomes and ensuring alignment with the Government’s Plan for Change. As set out in the DWP Evidence and Evaluation Strategy, ongoing evaluation of employment support programmes assesses whether they are achieving intended results and informs future policy design.
For example, an evaluation of the Work Choice programme - a voluntary scheme supporting disabled people facing employment barriers or at risk of job loss – was published in April 2025. Voluntary sector organisations, including providers such as Shaw Trust and Leonard Cheshire Disability, played a significant role in delivering Work Choice, both as prime contractors and as subcontractors.
The evaluation found that, eight years after referral, participants had a payrolled employment rate 11 percentage points higher than the comparison group. This meant that the programme delivered strong value for money, estimated to return £1.67 to the Exchequer, in benefit savings and taxes, for every £1 spent.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who have left or are at risk of leaving employment due to reductions in Access to Work awards upon renewal.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The Department for Work and Pensions does not collect data on the number of people who may have left or are at risk of leaving employment due to reductions in Access to Work awards upon renewal. Access to Work is only available to individuals who are starting or in employment, so this type of data is not recorded.
Customers who disagree with a renewal outcome may request a reconsideration of their award.
The Access to Work scheme supports disabled people start and stay in employment by providing tailored support based on individual needs.
In the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we consulted on the future of the Access to Work scheme. We are considering responses to the consultation and will set out our plans in due course.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
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 any proposals to amend the Access to Work scheme are subject to consultation with disabled people and piloted before implementation.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
This Government values the input of disabled people and people with health conditions, their representative organisations and people that support them. That is why we brought forward the Green Paper and opened a public consultation. We are now carefully reviewing responses to the Green Paper.
We have recently concluded 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.
We are continuing to work closely with stakeholders, and in particular disabled people and their representatives.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
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 establishing legally-binding poverty reduction targets.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
This Government is committed to tackling Child Poverty and the Child Poverty Taskforce is developing an ambitious child poverty strategy which we will publish in the autumn. The Taskforce will continue to explore all available levers to drive forward short and long-term action across government to reduce child poverty.
The Taskforce will be guided by the leading, internationally-recognised measure of poverty - Relative Poverty After Housing Costs (the proportion of families with below 60% of the median income, after deducting housing costs).
We will also measure the experience of children in the most severe and acute forms of poverty, which we are considering how best to measure as we develop the strategy.
These headline metrics will be supported by a range of other metrics as part of a monitoring framework to ensure the Strategy is on track to meet its aims.
The strategy is focused on metrics related to child poverty, but we are working closely with colleagues on complementary metrics across government. An example is the Plan for Change measure on the percentage of five-year-olds reaching a good level of development in the early years foundation stage assessment.