Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment they have made of the impact of the UK's departure from the EU on their ability to deliver successful policy outcomes.

As a result of the UK’s exit from the European Union, the Department established an EU Exit programme team to help successfully implement and deliver policy change. By leaving the European Union the Department was able to deliver on the key manifesto commitment on access to benefits, namely ensuring that EEA citizens arriving in the UK from 1 January 2021 under the new points-based immigration system will have access to benefits on the same terms as non-EEA migrants. In addition, we have been able to implement new social security agreements.

As well as being able to deliver successful policy outcomes, we continue to attend and input in to key European Union social security coordination forums, such as the Administrative Commission. We also co-chair the new Specialised Committee on Social Security Coordination.