Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Wales on the potential impact of the Green Paper entitled Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working, published on 29 May 2025, on people with arthritis.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This Government is committed to championing the rights of disabled people and people with long-term health conditions and our mission-driven approach relies on regular cross-government collaboration. We are working across government and with the Devolved Governments to further assess the impacts of the Green Paper and will continue to do so as the package is developed in detail. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions met with the Welsh First Minister and the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice on the 4 June to discuss the proposals and their impacts in Wales. I also continue to engage closely with my Ministerial colleagues and other stakeholders throughout the consultation period and beyond.
Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published in the impacts analysis and equality analysis on 26 March 2025 and the evidence pack on 2 May 2025 at:
The functional impact and severity of a condition can significantly vary across individuals, so we are not planning for specific conditions to be exempt from the changes. We recognise the challenges that people with arthritis face and our reforms will ensure the most vulnerable and severely disabled people are protected, while supporting those who can work to do so.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 7 May 2024 to Question 24202 on Lead: Health and Safety, what recent estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of the assessment of lead ammunition restrictions by the Health and Safety Executive.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
For the period 1 March 2021 to 15 March 2025, HSE’s full economic cost estimate is £700,000. This includes the costs of both HSE and independent scientific experts engaged in this work but excludes work undertaken by the Environment Agency.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to align with recent changes to EU classification, labelling and packaging regulations requiring regular and timely updates on non-animal science.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The United Kingdom (UK) is no longer required to implement changes to European Union (EU) legislation automatically following our withdrawal from the EU. This includes Regulation (EU) 2024/2865 of 23 October 2024, which amends the EU Classification Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation (CLP) Regulation. The assimilated Great Britain (GB) CLP Regulation aims to ensure the effective identification and communication of chemical hazards and the safe and secure packaging of chemicals in order to protect human health and the environment. The EU legislation will apply in Northern Ireland under the terms of the Windsor Framework.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which leads on CLP issues in the UK, is currently examining the scientific and technical basis and the wider policy context and it will advise the Government on whether any of these amendments have any merits that could be incorporated into the GB CLP regulations.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in England and Wales received discretionary housing payment after qualifying for local housing allowance in 2023-24.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We do not hold this information.
Local authorities administer the Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) scheme as they are best placed to make informed judgements about relative priorities and needs in their area to ensure that the most vulnerable are supported and the funds are targeted effectively. As such, DWP do not hold administrative data on households in receipt of a DHP and thus cannot state how many awards were made for households who received housing support via the Local Housing Allowance in 2023/24.
The Department publishes Official Statistics on the use of DHPs twice a year, based on information supplied by local authorities: Discretionary Housing Payments statistics - GOV.UK
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's report on women’s State Pension age changes, published on 21 March 2024, if she will publish the related departmental submissions to the Ombudsman.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
We will not publish the Departmental submissions to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.
The Parliamentary and Health Ombudsman’s investigations are conducted in private as set out in section 7(2) of the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's report on women’s State Pension age changes, published on 21 March 2024, if she will publish related (a) impact assessments and (b) financial modelling for a compensation scheme.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
We will consider what to publish when we announce our decision on the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s report.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when Pension Credit was last (a) reviewed and (b) adjusted.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The rates of Pension Credit were last reviewed in Autumn 2023 as part of the Secretary of State’s annual statutory review of State pension and benefit rates. Following that review, the Pension Credit standard minimum guarantee was increased by 8.5%, in line with the percentage increase in average earnings, to £218.15 a week for a single pensioner and £332.95 a week for a pensioner couple, with effect from 8 April 2024. Other Pension Credit amounts, including the maximum rate of Savings Credit and additional amounts for those with a severe disability or caring responsibilities, were increased by 6.7% in line with price inflation.
The next review will be undertaken this Autumn with the new rates taking effect from 7 April 2025.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps the Government has taken to reduce levels of economic inactivity among women aged between 45 and 60 in (a) Newport West constituency and (b) Wales.
Answered by Jo Churchill
Local Jobcentre teams are supporting customers into work and helping those in work to progress to higher paid jobs. We are working with local and national employers to help fill vacancies quickly, recruitment days, Job Fairs, wellbeing events and work trials, all of which can help support women across Wales to return to work.
Eligible older jobseekers on Universal Credit benefit from additional time with their Work Coach and the delivery of Mid Life MOTs in Jobcentres which support people to review their health, wealth and skills, with sessions delivered in Newport Jobcentre and across Wales. DWP also offers the digital MOT which is available online to help anyone who needs help to assess their finances, skills and work.
In addition, Newport Jobcentre offers bespoke support for over 50s including Job Clubs in collaboration with C4W+, offering 4-weeks of employability skills support, events with Springboard Charity focused on the hospitality sector, providing training, qualifications and work placements, and events with 1st Impressions, a charity that supplies clothing to women attending interviews or starting work.
Further planned support in Newport includes a Digital Skills course and wellbeing hubs as part of our 50Plus offer, myth busting sessions with Admiral Insurance and coaching support from Business in the Community. Activity across Wales includes a six week back to work programme for over 50s in Llandudno, and sessions delivered by local provider, Groundworks, to support customers in Shotton, both of which were well attended by local women.
We also work with businesses and the Government's Menopause Employment Champion to drive awareness of issues surrounding the menopause and work; encouraging employers to develop policies that create a more supportive environment to help women return to, stay in and progress in work. As part of the 50plus choices offer, 50plus Champions have delivered presentations to Jobcentre teams in Newport and across Wales on the menopause and the support available.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he has made an assessment of the potential benefits to carers in Newport West of increasing the Carer's Allowance to £93 a week.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
This Government continues to protect the value of benefits paid to carers whilst also spending record amounts in real terms.
The level of Carer’s Allowance is protected by uprating it each April in line with inflation as measured by the CPI for the previous September. The purpose of benefit uprating is to ensure that the value of benefits stays in line with the general level of prices. From April 2024, the Carer’s Allowance payment was increased to £81.90. Since 2010, the rate of Carer’s Allowance has increased from £53.90 to £81.90 a week, providing an additional £1,500 a year for carers.
Real terms expenditure on Carer’s Allowance in 2024/25 is forecast to be £4.1 billion. Between 2024/25 and 2028/29 real terms expenditure on Carer’s Allowance is forecast to rise by 12% - around £500 million. By 2028/29, the Government is forecast to spend just over £4.5 billion a year on Carer’s Allowance.
As well as Carer’s Allowance, carers have access to the full range of social security benefits. For example, carers on Universal Credit can receive around an additional £2,400 a year through the Carer Element.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
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 number of people who are in (a) paid employment and (b) receipt of universal credit in (i) Newport West constituency and (ii) Wales.
Answered by Jo Churchill
(a)
The information requested is published and available at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp
(b)
Monthly statistics on the number of people who are on Universal Credit by employment status, by parliamentary constituency and by domestic country, are published on Stat-Xplore, and are currently available to March 2024.