Viscount Younger of Leckie
Conservative - Excepted Hereditary
Became Member: 28th June 2010
Shadow Minister (Work and Pensions)
(since September 2024)1 APPG Membership
SepsisDivision Voting information
Debates during the 2024 Parliament
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
Sparring Partners
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
(69 debate interactions)
Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson (Work and Pensions)
(18 debate interactions)
Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
(17 debate interactions)
Department Debates
(87 debate contributions)
(2 debate contributions)
(2 debate contributions)
(2 debate contributions)
Legislation Debates
(40,276 words contributed)
(5,346 words contributed)
(208 words contributed)
Lords initiatives
These initiatives were driven by Viscount Younger of Leckie, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
2 Bills introduced by Viscount Younger of Leckie
A Bill to make provision about public service pension schemes, including retrospective provision to rectify unlawful discrimination in the way in which existing schemes were restricted under the Public Service Pensions Act 2013 and corresponding Northern Ireland legislation; to make provision for the establishment of new public pension schemes for members of occupational pension schemes of bodies that were brought into public ownership under the Banking (Special Provisions) Act 2008; to make provision about the remuneration and the date of retirement of holders of certain judicial offices; to make provision about judicial service after retirement; and for connected purposes
This Bill received Royal Assent on 10th March 2022 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to make provision about intellectual property.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 14th May 2014 and was enacted into law.
Viscount Younger of Leckie has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
Latest 21 Written Questions
(View all written questions)The Government is committed to ensuring that the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) draws on a wide range of perspectives and expertise.
On 30 October the Minister for Social Security and Disability announced that he would co-chair the Review alongside Sharon Brennan and Dr Clenton Farquharson CBE. Together, they bring a wealth of expertise and experience in health and disability issues, as well as the co-production process.
Members of the steering group will be recruited through an open Expression of Interest process, which is now live. The EOI has been designed to ensure the steering group reflects a broad range of perspectives and backgrounds. The t applications will be sifted against the criteria set out in the EOI, including experience and expertise in disability and social security issues, working with disabled people, commitment to working collaboratively and inclusively, and ability to evaluate a range of evidence and engage with complex policy issues.
The steering group will not work alone: it will oversee a wider programme of participation to ensure the full range of views and voices are heard.
The Review will report to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by autumn 2026, with an interim update expected ahead of that.
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government is committed to spending public money as effectively as possible to support disabled people in living independent and fulfilling lives. The aim of the Review is to ensure we have a system that supports disabled people to achieve better health, higher living standards and greater independence, including through employment.
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Timms Review will report its findings to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for decision in autumn 2026, with an interim update expected ahead of this.
As my right hon. Friend the Minister for Social Security and Disability set out to the House of Commons on the 9 July, the Government will report the Review's outcomes to Parliament.
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Timms Review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, clinicians, experts, MPs and other stakeholders, to ensure that expertise from a wide range of perspectives is drawn upon.
On 30 October, the Government published revised Terms of Reference on GOV.UK which set out further details about its scope. The Review will include consideration of:
- the role of PIP – as the future single gateway to health-related and disability benefits – in enabling disabled people and those with long-term conditions to live independently and fully participate in society
- the assessment criteria – including activities, descriptors and associated points – to consider whether these effectively capture the impact of long-term health conditions and disability in the modern world. The Review will consider both the Daily Living and Mobility elements of PIP
- whether any other evidence should be considered alongside the functional assessment to fairly reflect the impact of living with a long-term health condition or disability, including related to an individual’s personal circumstances and environment
- how the PIP assessment could provide fair access to the right support at the right level across the benefits system
- what role the assessment could and should play in unlocking wider support to better achieve higher living standards and greater independence
We also announced that the Review will be co-chaired by the Minister for Social Security and Disability, Stephen Timms, alongside Sharon Brennan and Dr Clenton Farquharson CBE. They will oversee a steering group responsible for leading the co-production process, setting the Review's strategic direction, priorities and workplan. The group will be made up of a majority of disabled people or representatives of disabled people's organisations and will be recruited through an open and transparent Expression of Interest process.
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Timms Review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, clinicians, experts, MPs and other stakeholders, to ensure that expertise from a wide range of perspectives is drawn upon.
On 30 October, the Government published revised Terms of Reference on GOV.UK which set out further details about its scope. The Review will include consideration of:
- the role of PIP – as the future single gateway to health-related and disability benefits – in enabling disabled people and those with long-term conditions to live independently and fully participate in society
- the assessment criteria – including activities, descriptors and associated points – to consider whether these effectively capture the impact of long-term health conditions and disability in the modern world. The Review will consider both the Daily Living and Mobility elements of PIP
- whether any other evidence should be considered alongside the functional assessment to fairly reflect the impact of living with a long-term health condition or disability, including related to an individual’s personal circumstances and environment
- how the PIP assessment could provide fair access to the right support at the right level across the benefits system
- what role the assessment could and should play in unlocking wider support to better achieve higher living standards and greater independence
We also announced that the Review will be co-chaired by the Minister for Social Security and Disability, Stephen Timms, alongside Sharon Brennan and Dr Clenton Farquharson CBE. They will oversee a steering group responsible for leading the co-production process, setting the Review's strategic direction, priorities and workplan. The group will be made up of a majority of disabled people or representatives of disabled people's organisations and will be recruited through an open and transparent Expression of Interest process.
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
At the Spring Statement 2025, it was announced that DWP will provide additional resourcing to action data alerts which will enable the Department to detect and correct under- and over-payments. The cost of these staff actioning these data alerts comes from a package of £80m out to 29/30 to support this measure and expected to generate AME savings of £245m by 29/30. Recruitment options are being considered but will likely include some redeployment of existing operational staff.
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Table 1 shows the estimated corrections to benefit claims associated with the costing entitled “Welfare Fraud and Error: Recruit over 500 new counter fraud and error staff from April 2025”. This costing is described on page 15 of the Spring Statement 2025: Policy Costings document which accompanied the publication of the Spring Statement.
Table 1. Forecast corrections to benefit claims
Total | 360000 |
Caveats:
- Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10,000.
- Corrections to benefit claims includes both overpayments and underpayments.
The methodology underpinning this forecasts is outlined on page 15 of the Spring Statement 2025: Policy Costings document which accompanied the publication of the Spring Statement.
The cost base
The cost base for this measure is estimated using DWP data on performance of current fraud and error programmes and current and forecasted levels of fraud and error in DWP benefits, including national statistics on DWP fraud and error.
Costing
The costing is estimated by taking the performance of the Verify Earnings and Pensions Service and the General Matching Service and applying this to forecasted levels of DWP benefit expenditure. This produces the savings achieved from correcting payments that were incorrect in the past, as well as correcting payments that would have otherwise been incorrect in the future without DWP’s intervention.
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have set out proposals to reform the health and disability benefits proposals in the Pathways to Work Green Paper published on 18 March 2025. A full suite of accessible versions is available including Audio, British Sign Language, Braille, Large Print and Easy Read.
The consultation will close on 30 June 2025, to ensure that everyone has sufficient time to engage with and respond to the consultation.
We want to improve and refine our plans by consulting on certain measures as described within the paper. We are committed to putting the views and voices of disabled people and people with health conditions at the heart of everything we do.
The Green Paper is an important staging post on a journey of reform, building on the vision and approach set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper in November 2024. It sets out our vision, strategy and proposals for change. We would like to hear views from a wide group of people, in particular disabled people and people with health conditions and disability organisations and encourage responses to the consultation through the online form, email and post.
We are also running a number of accessible virtual and face-to-face events on the Green Paper to hear from stakeholders, including disabled people and their representative organisations, directly. More information on these events and registration are available on GOV.UK.
In the Green Paper, we have also announced that we will set up collaboration committees to develop parts of our reforms further. This will involve bringing together disabled people and other experts with civil servants around specific issues to collaborate, provide ideas, challenge, and input into recommendations.
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The National Careers Service provides free, up to date, impartial careers information and advice for citizens aged 13+, plus in-depth careers guidance from 19+, and can help people make informed decisions on learning, training, and work at all stages in their career.
As we set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper, we are reforming Jobcentre Plus, and in England bringing it together with the National Careers Service, to help get more people into work and help them get on at work, including through greater focus on skills and careers. We are starting a test and learn approach to develop the new service, ensuring that we develop a service that is locally tailored and embedded, designed to meet the different needs of local labour markets, local people and local employers.
As a start to our commitment to better integrate employment support and careers advice in England, we have launched a data sharing agreement between the Department for Education (DfE) and DWP. This will encourage ‘join-up’ of our services and promote a more streamlined process for our customers ahead of the new service. We will continue to work closely with the DfE to develop the new service, including career advisers, who will be able to share their experiences, views and ideas around how we deliver careers services in the future.
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Bringing together the National Careers Service with Jobcentre Plus in England and the creation of a new Jobs and Careers Service will form a key part of our plans to transform our employment support, as we set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper.
We will deliver this transformation using a test and learn approach, allowing us to gather evidence based on small-scale tests, iterate the service design, and scale up interventions that meet success criteria. Through this approach, lessons from our small-scale tests will be taken into consideration as part of our plans to bring the two services together.
At the Autumn Budget, the government announced £55m to take forward the first steps of building, testing and trialling the new service in 2025/26. Departmental budgets for the next Spending Review period will be outlined by the Chancellor in due course.
As a start to our commitment to better integrate employment support and careers advice in England, we have launched a data sharing agreement between the Department for Education (DfE) and DWP. This will encourage ‘join-up’ of our services and promote a more streamlined process for our customers ahead of the new service. We will continue to work closely with the DfE as we develop the new service, including careers advisers, who will be able to share their experiences, views and ideas around how we deliver careers services in the future.
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
£240 million was announced in the Autumn budget to help us deliver and build on labour market reforms to Get Britain Working. Measures in the White Paper will include:
- £45m for Youth Guarantee Trailblazers so that all young people in England, aged 18-21, can access quality training and education opportunities or help to find work.
- £55m for the development of the new public employment and careers service, which will be open to everyone, transforming our ability to support people into and on at work.
- £125m for Trailblazers to tackle economic inactivity through increased engagement and tailored approaches in England and Wales.
- And £15m to support local areas in England to go further, developing their own Get Britain Working Plans.
We are working with trailblazers to create their local plans and we are developing an evaluation strategy to measure impacts, including savings to ensure we make the most effective interventions to Get Britain working.
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As part of the £240m Get Britain Working SR package, the department will deliver eight inactivity trailblazers and three of these will be health and growth accelerators. The accelerators represent a shift by the NHS towards prevention and commitment to a role in addressing economic inactivity, including exploring the role of the fit note in this system.
The Government has no current plans to reform the fit note (Statement of Fitness for Work) in terms of the content of the form or the healthcare professionals who are legally allowed to issue them.
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
4 Department of Health and Social Care Questions
(View all Viscount Younger of Leckie's DHSC questions)The Government inherited a £22 billion black hole in the nation’s finances, which has required necessary choices around spending priorities. Despite this backdrop, we were determined to identify the funding required to support additional places for NHS Talking Therapies and individual placement and support schemes.
The Get Britain Working White Paper confirms the Government’s commitment to expand access to both services, to help thousands of people with common or severe mental illness to find and keep employment
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government inherited a £22 billion black hole in the nation’s finances, which has required necessary choices around spending priorities. Despite this backdrop, we were determined to identify the funding required to support additional places for NHS Talking Therapies and individual placement and support schemes.
The Get Britain Working White Paper confirms the Government’s commitment to expand access to both services, to help thousands of people with common or severe mental illness to find and keep employment
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government inherited a £22 billion black hole in the nation’s finances, which has required necessary choices around spending priorities. Despite this backdrop, we were determined to identify the funding required to support additional places for NHS Talking Therapies and individual placement and support schemes.
The Get Britain Working White Paper confirms the Government’s commitment to expand access to both services, to help thousands of people with common or severe mental illness to find and keep employment
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government inherited a £22 billion black hole in the nation’s finances, which has required necessary choices around spending priorities. Despite this backdrop, we were determined to identify the funding required to support additional places for NHS Talking Therapies and individual placement and support schemes.
The Get Britain Working White Paper confirms the Government’s commitment to expand access to both services, to help thousands of people with common or severe mental illness to find and keep employment
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
4 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Questions
(View all Viscount Younger of Leckie's MHCLG questions)LGPS funds and strategic authorities will be required to co-operate with each other to identify and develop appropriate investment opportunities, but there is no plan to require local authorities or mayors to submit business cases. LGPS funds and strategic authorities should agree how best to work together within their region.
The decision to make local investments will be the responsibility of the pool who must implement the strategy set by partner funds. This delegation to the pools will help funds to manage potential conflicts of interest such as political pressures. While funds will be required to have regard to local growth plans and priorities, they have a legal fiduciary duty to pay benefits in the first instance. The pools will be FCA-regulated investment managers with the capacity to set their own assessment criteria for making local investments and will be required to conduct due diligence on local investments.
The Government will issue supporting guidance on these issues in due course.
Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
LGPS funds and strategic authorities will be required to co-operate with each other to identify and develop appropriate investment opportunities, but there is no plan to require local authorities or mayors to submit business cases. LGPS funds and strategic authorities should agree how best to work together within their region.
The decision to make local investments will be the responsibility of the pool who must implement the strategy set by partner funds. This delegation to the pools will help funds to manage potential conflicts of interest such as political pressures. While funds will be required to have regard to local growth plans and priorities, they have a legal fiduciary duty to pay benefits in the first instance. The pools will be FCA-regulated investment managers with the capacity to set their own assessment criteria for making local investments and will be required to conduct due diligence on local investments.
The Government will issue supporting guidance on these issues in due course.
Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
LGPS funds and strategic authorities will be required to co-operate with each other to identify and develop appropriate investment opportunities, but there is no plan to require local authorities or mayors to submit business cases. LGPS funds and strategic authorities should agree how best to work together within their region.
The decision to make local investments will be the responsibility of the pool who must implement the strategy set by partner funds. This delegation to the pools will help funds to manage potential conflicts of interest such as political pressures. While funds will be required to have regard to local growth plans and priorities, they have a legal fiduciary duty to pay benefits in the first instance. The pools will be FCA-regulated investment managers with the capacity to set their own assessment criteria for making local investments and will be required to conduct due diligence on local investments.
The Government will issue supporting guidance on these issues in due course.
Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government intends to provide guidance in due course to strategic authorities and to Local Government Pension Scheme funds and asset pools, including on working together to increase local investment.
Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)