Rebecca Long Bailey

The 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy will set out the Government’s approach to core economic and social infrastructure, including transport. The Department recognises the Strategic Road Network (SRN) as a critical component of the UK’s transport infrastructure, supporting economic growth, connectivity, and the movement of people and goods across the country.

In collaboration with National Highways, the Department undertakes regular assessments of the SRN to identify priorities for investment and improvement through the preparation of road investment strategies. The third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3), starting in April 2026, is currently in development.

Decisions on longer-term funding for the SRN will be made through the Spending Review 2025. However, the Government has already committed £4.842 billion for the SRN in 2025/26. The Interim Settlement, published in March 2025, details how this funding will be allocated, including priorities for maintenance, operations, and enhancements.

The Autumn 2024 Budget announced nearly £1.6 billion in capital funding for local highways maintenance in England for the financial year 2025 to 2026. This includes £500 million of additional funding when compared to funding levels for 2024 to 2025.

National Highways is responsible for the operation, maintenance, renewal and enhancement of the strategic road network of major A-roads and motorways in England. £4.842 billion of funding for this has been announced for the 2025 to 2026 financial year as part of an Interim Road Investment Strategy published on 24 March.

Funding allocations for highways investment beyond 2025/26 will be determined as part of the Spending Review.

The Government will publish a Ten-year Infrastructure Strategy this summer, alongside the Spending Review, to outline the approach it is taking to improve the delivery of economic infrastructure, such as transport. The strategy aims to address the root causes of many of the cost drivers of major projects identified by the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) in 2024. The strategy also includes plans for housing and social infrastructure, such as hospitals.

My department also has a rolling programme of project delivery change activity to improve project delivery outcomes over time. This includes established learning and development pathways, with all Senior Responsible Officers of our Major Projects Portfolio required to complete the Major Projects Leadership Academy.

Significant progress has also been made improving the governance of our portfolio of projects with the introduction of “IPDC (the Department’s senior investment committee) in Portfolio Mode”, and new arrangements to manage portfolio-level risks with our delivery partners, including National Highways, Network Rail, and HS2 Ltd.

Access to Work expenditure data is published in the annual Access to Work Official Statistics publication. The most recently available data available is for the financial year 2023/24: Access to Work statistics: April 2007 to March 2024 - GOV.UK.

The Department intends to publish expenditure data for the financial year 2024/25 in the next official statistics release which we expect to publish in September or October 2025. Forecast expenditure for this period, which includes some outturn data, is published in the Benefit Expenditure and Caseload Tables 2025: Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2025 - GOV.UK

We are committed to reducing waiting times for Access to Work and are considering the best way to deliver that for customers. Delivery practices have been streamlined, and the number of staff processing claims increased. Since May 2024, 118 additional staff have been redeployed to support Access to Work.

We prioritise applications from customers due to start a role within four weeks.

In March 2025, the department published the Pathways to Work Green Paper, to consult on the future of Access to Work. We will review all aspects of the Scheme following the conclusion of the consultation.

Since the beginning of this Parliament the Department for Work and Pensions has taken steps to improve operational guidance and process to ensure Access to Work grants are awarded consistently and as quickly as possible. No significant changes have been made which would entail a consultation or impact assessment.

As part of our Plan for Change, and as set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper published in March, we are consulting on the future of Access to Work and how to improve the programme to help more disabled people into work and support employers, ensuring value for money for taxpayers. We will review all aspects of the Scheme following the conclusion of the consultation and carefully assess the impact of any proposed changes.

We encourage people to have their views and voices heard on how they think the programme and the welfare system could be improved.

Since the beginning of this Parliament the Department for Work and Pensions has taken steps to improve operational guidance and process to ensure Access to Work grants are awarded consistently and as quickly as possible. No significant changes have been made which would entail a consultation or impact assessment.

As part of our Plan for Change, and as set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper published in March, we are consulting on the future of Access to Work and how to improve the programme to help more disabled people into work and support employers, ensuring value for money for taxpayers. We will review all aspects of the Scheme following the conclusion of the consultation and carefully assess the impact of any proposed changes.

We encourage people to have their views and voices heard on how they think the programme and the welfare system could be improved.

Our response to the PHSO report on the communication of changes to State Pension age was based on evidence of awareness of the change from two key reports.

The Public Awareness of State Pension Age Equalisation, published in 2004, was conducted as part of the National Statistics Omnibus survey and interviewed a representative sample of around 2,700 working age adults. This 2004 research found that 73% of respondents aged 45-54 were aware that the State Pension age for women was increasing, with no significant gender differences in awareness levels. Both the 2004 and 2006 awareness surveys, based on independent samples, demonstrate a high level of awareness of State Pension age changes amongst 45–54-year-old women.

The Attitudes to Pensions: the 2006 Survey was a large-scale survey commissioned by DWP and carried out by the respected National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and the School of Social Sciences, University of Birmingham. The authors included a mix of academics and research professionals, experienced in survey design and delivery, and the report was quality assured to Government Social Research standards. Almost 2,000 adults took part in the survey, and weightings were applied to ensure results were representative of the population.

The percentage of women who reported knowing that women’s State Pension age would increase in the future was 90% for women aged 45-54, and 86% for women aged 55-64.

Those born in the 1950s would have been 46-56 at the time of this survey. The closest age category provided by the survey is the female 45-54 subgroup, which has a sample size of 203, and makes up 10.4% of the overall sample of 1,950 individuals aged 18 to 69. With a sample of this size, we can get a reliable estimate of the percentage of women among this group who reported knowing that the women’s State Pension age would increase in the future. Using confidence intervals, we can have 95% confidence that this figure would be around 85-95%.

The 95% level is a widely accepted standard of confidence. Therefore, even at the lower estimate, the data shows the majority of 1950s women were aware.

The exact number of women born in the 1950s in the 55-64 age group is not given in the survey report. However, assuming an even spread, by far the majority of this group falls within the 45-54 subgroup of respondents in the survey. Those who are in the relevant age group but don't fall in the 45-54 subgroup would be in the 55-64 subgroup, and the rate of knowing about the increase in women’s State Pension age is 86% for this group, which corroborates that there were high levels of awareness.

There were 227 women aged 55-64 included in the survey, which represents 11.6% of the overall sample of individuals aged 18 to 69.

Further information on the design and make up of the survey is available in the survey report.

The 2006 Attitudes to Pensions Survey report is available online at https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20100208141655mp_/http:/research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rports2007-2008/rrep434.pdf.

Our response to the PHSO report on the communication of changes to State Pension age was based on evidence of awareness of the change from two key reports.

The Public Awareness of State Pension Age Equalisation, published in 2004, was conducted as part of the National Statistics Omnibus survey and interviewed a representative sample of around 2,700 working age adults. This 2004 research found that 73% of respondents aged 45-54 were aware that the State Pension age for women was increasing, with no significant gender differences in awareness levels. Both the 2004 and 2006 awareness surveys, based on independent samples, demonstrate a high level of awareness of State Pension age changes amongst 45–54-year-old women.

The Attitudes to Pensions: the 2006 Survey was a large-scale survey commissioned by DWP and carried out by the respected National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and the School of Social Sciences, University of Birmingham. The authors included a mix of academics and research professionals, experienced in survey design and delivery, and the report was quality assured to Government Social Research standards. Almost 2,000 adults took part in the survey, and weightings were applied to ensure results were representative of the population.

The percentage of women who reported knowing that women’s State Pension age would increase in the future was 90% for women aged 45-54, and 86% for women aged 55-64.

Those born in the 1950s would have been 46-56 at the time of this survey. The closest age category provided by the survey is the female 45-54 subgroup, which has a sample size of 203, and makes up 10.4% of the overall sample of 1,950 individuals aged 18 to 69. With a sample of this size, we can get a reliable estimate of the percentage of women among this group who reported knowing that the women’s State Pension age would increase in the future. Using confidence intervals, we can have 95% confidence that this figure would be around 85-95%.

The 95% level is a widely accepted standard of confidence. Therefore, even at the lower estimate, the data shows the majority of 1950s women were aware.

The exact number of women born in the 1950s in the 55-64 age group is not given in the survey report. However, assuming an even spread, by far the majority of this group falls within the 45-54 subgroup of respondents in the survey. Those who are in the relevant age group but don't fall in the 45-54 subgroup would be in the 55-64 subgroup, and the rate of knowing about the increase in women’s State Pension age is 86% for this group, which corroborates that there were high levels of awareness.

There were 227 women aged 55-64 included in the survey, which represents 11.6% of the overall sample of individuals aged 18 to 69.

Further information on the design and make up of the survey is available in the survey report.

The 2006 Attitudes to Pensions Survey report is available online at https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20100208141655mp_/http:/research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rports2007-2008/rrep434.pdf.

Our response to the PHSO report on the communication of changes to State Pension age was based on evidence of awareness of the change from two key reports.

The Public Awareness of State Pension Age Equalisation, published in 2004, was conducted as part of the National Statistics Omnibus survey and interviewed a representative sample of around 2,700 working age adults. This 2004 research found that 73% of respondents aged 45-54 were aware that the State Pension age for women was increasing, with no significant gender differences in awareness levels. Both the 2004 and 2006 awareness surveys, based on independent samples, demonstrate a high level of awareness of State Pension age changes amongst 45–54-year-old women.

The Attitudes to Pensions: the 2006 Survey was a large-scale survey commissioned by DWP and carried out by the respected National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and the School of Social Sciences, University of Birmingham. The authors included a mix of academics and research professionals, experienced in survey design and delivery, and the report was quality assured to Government Social Research standards. Almost 2,000 adults took part in the survey, and weightings were applied to ensure results were representative of the population.

The percentage of women who reported knowing that women’s State Pension age would increase in the future was 90% for women aged 45-54, and 86% for women aged 55-64.

Those born in the 1950s would have been 46-56 at the time of this survey. The closest age category provided by the survey is the female 45-54 subgroup, which has a sample size of 203, and makes up 10.4% of the overall sample of 1,950 individuals aged 18 to 69. With a sample of this size, we can get a reliable estimate of the percentage of women among this group who reported knowing that the women’s State Pension age would increase in the future. Using confidence intervals, we can have 95% confidence that this figure would be around 85-95%.

The 95% level is a widely accepted standard of confidence. Therefore, even at the lower estimate, the data shows the majority of 1950s women were aware.

The exact number of women born in the 1950s in the 55-64 age group is not given in the survey report. However, assuming an even spread, by far the majority of this group falls within the 45-54 subgroup of respondents in the survey. Those who are in the relevant age group but don't fall in the 45-54 subgroup would be in the 55-64 subgroup, and the rate of knowing about the increase in women’s State Pension age is 86% for this group, which corroborates that there were high levels of awareness.

There were 227 women aged 55-64 included in the survey, which represents 11.6% of the overall sample of individuals aged 18 to 69.

Further information on the design and make up of the survey is available in the survey report.

The 2006 Attitudes to Pensions Survey report is available online at https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20100208141655mp_/http:/research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rports2007-2008/rrep434.pdf.

Our response to the PHSO report on the communication of changes to State Pension age was based on evidence of awareness of the change from two key reports.

The Public Awareness of State Pension Age Equalisation, published in 2004, was conducted as part of the National Statistics Omnibus survey and interviewed a representative sample of around 2,700 working age adults. This 2004 research found that 73% of respondents aged 45-54 were aware that the State Pension age for women was increasing, with no significant gender differences in awareness levels. Both the 2004 and 2006 awareness surveys, based on independent samples, demonstrate a high level of awareness of State Pension age changes amongst 45–54-year-old women.

The Attitudes to Pensions: the 2006 Survey was a large-scale survey commissioned by DWP and carried out by the respected National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and the School of Social Sciences, University of Birmingham. The authors included a mix of academics and research professionals, experienced in survey design and delivery, and the report was quality assured to Government Social Research standards. Almost 2,000 adults took part in the survey, and weightings were applied to ensure results were representative of the population.

The percentage of women who reported knowing that women’s State Pension age would increase in the future was 90% for women aged 45-54, and 86% for women aged 55-64.

Those born in the 1950s would have been 46-56 at the time of this survey. The closest age category provided by the survey is the female 45-54 subgroup, which has a sample size of 203, and makes up 10.4% of the overall sample of 1,950 individuals aged 18 to 69. With a sample of this size, we can get a reliable estimate of the percentage of women among this group who reported knowing that the women’s State Pension age would increase in the future. Using confidence intervals, we can have 95% confidence that this figure would be around 85-95%.

The 95% level is a widely accepted standard of confidence. Therefore, even at the lower estimate, the data shows the majority of 1950s women were aware.

The exact number of women born in the 1950s in the 55-64 age group is not given in the survey report. However, assuming an even spread, by far the majority of this group falls within the 45-54 subgroup of respondents in the survey. Those who are in the relevant age group but don't fall in the 45-54 subgroup would be in the 55-64 subgroup, and the rate of knowing about the increase in women’s State Pension age is 86% for this group, which corroborates that there were high levels of awareness.

There were 227 women aged 55-64 included in the survey, which represents 11.6% of the overall sample of individuals aged 18 to 69.

Further information on the design and make up of the survey is available in the survey report.

The 2006 Attitudes to Pensions Survey report is available online at https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20100208141655mp_/http:/research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rports2007-2008/rrep434.pdf.

Our response to the PHSO report on the communication of changes to State Pension age was based on evidence of awareness of the change from two key reports.

The Public Awareness of State Pension Age Equalisation, published in 2004, was conducted as part of the National Statistics Omnibus survey and interviewed a representative sample of around 2,700 working age adults. This 2004 research found that 73% of respondents aged 45-54 were aware that the State Pension age for women was increasing, with no significant gender differences in awareness levels. Both the 2004 and 2006 awareness surveys, based on independent samples, demonstrate a high level of awareness of State Pension age changes amongst 45–54-year-old women.

The Attitudes to Pensions: the 2006 Survey was a large-scale survey commissioned by DWP and carried out by the respected National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and the School of Social Sciences, University of Birmingham. The authors included a mix of academics and research professionals, experienced in survey design and delivery, and the report was quality assured to Government Social Research standards. Almost 2,000 adults took part in the survey, and weightings were applied to ensure results were representative of the population.

The percentage of women who reported knowing that women’s State Pension age would increase in the future was 90% for women aged 45-54, and 86% for women aged 55-64.

Those born in the 1950s would have been 46-56 at the time of this survey. The closest age category provided by the survey is the female 45-54 subgroup, which has a sample size of 203, and makes up 10.4% of the overall sample of 1,950 individuals aged 18 to 69. With a sample of this size, we can get a reliable estimate of the percentage of women among this group who reported knowing that the women’s State Pension age would increase in the future. Using confidence intervals, we can have 95% confidence that this figure would be around 85-95%.

The 95% level is a widely accepted standard of confidence. Therefore, even at the lower estimate, the data shows the majority of 1950s women were aware.

The exact number of women born in the 1950s in the 55-64 age group is not given in the survey report. However, assuming an even spread, by far the majority of this group falls within the 45-54 subgroup of respondents in the survey. Those who are in the relevant age group but don't fall in the 45-54 subgroup would be in the 55-64 subgroup, and the rate of knowing about the increase in women’s State Pension age is 86% for this group, which corroborates that there were high levels of awareness.

There were 227 women aged 55-64 included in the survey, which represents 11.6% of the overall sample of individuals aged 18 to 69.

Further information on the design and make up of the survey is available in the survey report.

The 2006 Attitudes to Pensions Survey report is available online at https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20100208141655mp_/http:/research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rports2007-2008/rrep434.pdf.

In order to maximise the take-up of Pension Credit, we have been running an extensive national campaign since September on a range of channels, including print and broadcast media to encourage pensioners to check their eligibility and make a claim. The campaign targets potential pension-age customers, as well as friends and family who can encourage and support them to apply.

We continue to engage with a range of external partners who can help promote Pension Credit through their own channels and networks.

Building on last year’s ‘Invitation to Claim’ trial, the Department will be directly contacting approximately 120,000 pensioner households who are in receipt of Housing Benefit and who may also be eligible for, but not currently claiming, Pension Credit. We can identify and target these households using DWP’s Housing Benefit data.

We are also asking local authorities to support our Pension Credit campaign - the Secretary of State and the Deputy Prime Minister wrote to all local authorities in August. Many already undertake their own initiatives to identify eligible households and promote take-up; and over 160 local authorities have responded positively to our ‘call for action’.

Building on last year’s ‘Invitation to Claim’ trial, the Department will be directly contacting approximately 120,000 pensioner households who are in receipt of Housing Benefit and who may also be eligible for, but not currently claiming, Pension Credit. We can identify and target these households using DWP’s Housing Benefit data.

In order to maximise the take-up of Pension Credit, we have been running an extensive national campaign since September on a range of channels, including print and broadcast media to encourage pensioners to check their eligibility and make a claim. The campaign targets potential pension-age customers, as well as friends and family who can encourage and support them to apply.

We continue to engage with a range of external partners who can help promote Pension Credit through their own channels and networks.

We are also asking local authorities to support our Pension Credit campaign - the Secretary of State and the Deputy Prime Minister wrote to all local authorities in August. Many already undertake their own initiatives to identify eligible households and promote take-up; and over 160 local authorities have responded positively to our ‘call for action’

Like all means-tested benefits, a person’s eligibility for Pension Credit and the amount they may get depends on their specific financial and personal household circumstances, information which DWP does not have. That’s why it is not currently possible to accurately identify people who may be entitled to Pension Credit just from DWP data.

Bereavement Support Payment is currently only available to those who are married, in a cohabiting relationship with dependent children, or in a civil partnership. A marriage or civil partnership is a legal contract associated with certain rights. including entitlement to benefits derived from another person's National Insurance contributions such as Bereavement Support Payment. In February 2023, the Government extended bereavement benefits to cohabitees with children in response to two court judgments. However, for families without children, the basic principle for only paying BSP where there was a legal union remains. The Government keeps the eligibility of all benefits including Bereavement Support Payments, under review.