Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether apprenticeships have been created through unspent Growth and Skills Levy funds.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions has responsibility for apprenticeships in England only. The English apprenticeships budget is set by HM Treasury and although closely linked, is distinct from the income collected from the Growth and Skills Levy.
The apprenticeships budget pays for apprenticeship training costs at both levy-paying and non-levy paying employers, as well as the costs of English and maths tuition for apprentices and additional payments to employers, training providers and apprentices.
The funds available to levy-paying employers, through their apprenticeship service accounts, are not the same as the annual apprenticeships budget, and while levy-paying employers can use all their levy funds, the majority do not. This allows the government to fund apprenticeship training for non-levy paying employers from the apprenticeship budget.
As a result, over the last four years, on average, 98% of the English apprenticeships budget has been spent.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimated waiting times his Department is communicating to applicants to the Access to Work Programme.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department is currently advising applicants submitting a new Access to Work grant that the estimated waiting time for their application to be reviewed is up to 30 weeks.
Applications from individuals who have a job starting in the next four weeks, or who are renewing existing support, are prioritised.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2025 to Question 63906, what recent estimate he has made of the waiting times for Access to Work Applications.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have interpreted this question as referring to the average processing time from the date an application is submitted to the date a decision is made. The current average processing time for access to work is 100.5 days from April 2025 to January 2026.
We are committed to reducing processing times. We also prioritise applications from customers who are due to start work within the next four weeks, as well as renewals for existing grants, to minimise disruption to employment.
In March 2025, the Department published the Pathways to Work Green Paper, launching a consultation on the future of Access to Work and how the scheme can better support disabled people in employment. We are reviewing all aspects of the programme as we develop plans for reform following the conclusion of the consultation.
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: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
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 waiting times for Access to Work Applications; and what plans his Department has to introduce new measures to reduce waiting times for Access to Work Applications in 2026.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are committed to reducing waiting times in Access to Work so that people can access the support they need. We have increased the number of staff processing Access to Work applications and prioritise cases where someone has a job starting in the next four weeks or who are renewing existing support.
The Pathways to Work Green Paper launched a consultation on the future of Access to Work which has now concluded. Following over 47,500 responses from individuals, charities and other stakeholders, as well as 18 consultation events, we published our summary of the responses to the Pathways to Work Green Paper consultation on 30 October 2025.
We are now considering the responses, and will bring forward our proposals for reforming Access to Work as soon as we are able to.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Access to Work scheme on the economy and society.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Access to Work (AtW) is a demand-led, personalised discretionary grant which supports the recruitment and retention of disabled people in employment. The Scheme has been providing support for over 30 years.
In 2024-2025, 74,190 people received a payment for an Access to Work provision. This is around a 10% increase when compared to 2023/24. Expenditure on Access to Work provision was around £320.7 million.
We recognise that Access to Work is providing a poor experience for some applicants with processing delays affecting employees’ ability to start or continue in employment, and employers’ ability to support them.
That is why 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. We are reviewing all aspects of Access to Work as we develop plans for reform following the conclusion of the consultation.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to bring forward proposals to improve the Access to Work scheme.
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. We are reviewing all aspects of Access to Work as we develop plans for reform following the conclusion of the consultation.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to provide targeted support for small employers to help meet the cost of day-one Statutory Sick Pay.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Strengthening Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is part of the Government’s Plan to Make Work Pay ensuring the safety net of sick pay is available to those who need it most. The Government believes that removing the waiting period is essential to ensure employees feel better able to take the time they need to recover from short term illness, without struggling in work and often spreading infectious diseases such as influenza.
The government conducted a Regulatory Impact Assessment on the changes to strengthen Statutory Sick Pay in the Employment Rights Bill, which was published on 21 October 2024. This includes the impacts on small businesses. The additional cost to business of the SSP reforms is around £15 per employee. The government intends to conduct a post-implementation review of the Employment Rights Bill within five years of implementation.
Previous SSP rebate schemes that were available to employers, such as the Percentage Threshold Scheme were seen as complex, expensive to administer, underused by small businesses and did not encourage employers to support their employees during sickness absence.
The Department for Business and Trade provides a range of offers that SMEs may wish to access. They include the Business Support Service, Gov.uk, the network of 41 local Growth Hubs across England, and the Help to Grow: Management scheme to help improve leadership and management capabilities. The recently launched Business Growth Service (BGS) makes it easier for businesses across the UK to get the advice and support they need to grow and thrive.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has considered the risks posed by (a) climate change and (b) nature destruction as factors for the Pensions Commission to take into account.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Climate Change Governance and Reporting Regulations in the UK already require trustees of larger occupational pension schemes to identify, assess, and manage climate-related risks and opportunities, and to report on these actions in a manner aligned with the Task Force Climate Related Disclosures TCFD recommendations. Regulations do not currently cover nature risks, but in line with guidance from the Pensions Regulator pension schemes should be placing greater consideration on nature-related risks, including familiarisation with the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures framework.
My department is legislating through the Pensions Scheme Bill for a larger, more consolidated pensions system, which will be better equipped to manage systemic risks such as those posed by climate change and biodiversity loss, and to invest in projects and businesses that contribute to climate solutions and environmental resilience.
Separately, the Government is currently consulting on UK Sustainability Reporting Standards aligned with international sustainability standards, and Climate Transition Plans. Together these initiatives will support the UK’s net-zero goals and broader green agenda and are expected to influence the investment landscape in which pension schemes operate.
The Government has asked the Pensions Commission to examine the pensions system as a whole and look at what is required to build a future-proof pensions system that is strong, fair and sustainable.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to prevent business owners from closing their business following serious workplace safety incidents.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the enforcing authority for workplace health and safety. HSE has no powers to compel businesses to continue to operate following serious workplace safety incidents.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
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 potential merits of enabling local authorities access to up-to-date Universal Credit claimant data for all claimants in their area.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) recognises the benefits of further Universal Credit data sharing with Local Authorities to support vulnerable citizens.
DWP is working on a project to do exactly this, and aims to have delivered a test version to a small group of LAs by Spring 2026. Subject to this test being successful, we will roll this out to all LAs during the rest of 2026.