Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to ensure a just transition and economic fairness for communities when reducing air pollution from the energy sector.
Answered by Katie White - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government’s approach to the transition is built on the principle of fairness – for households by ensuring energy security and protecting billpayers, and for workers by ensuring decarbonisation is a route to reindustrialisation.
The transition will unlock a range of social and health benefits from lower energy bills and cleaner air for people across the country, including those in vulnerable circumstances.
Working towards net zero and adapting to climate change is essential to prevent widening inequalities, because we know that if we do not act, the impacts of climate change will more severely impact vulnerable groups.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Coaker on 27 January (HL13563), when the contract for the Defence Marine Services Next Generation In-Port Services was signed; and in doing so what consideration was given to social value in line with the provisions of the Procurement Act 2023.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The contract for Defence Marine Services Next Generation In-Port Services was signed on 25 April 2025. This procurement had commenced in 2022 under the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011, rather than the Procurement Act 2023 which came into force in February 2025. In compliance with the regulations in force at the time, the tender evaluation process included assessment of social value responses on education, training and environmental benefits.
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to verify the ongoing residency of non-UK national claimants who have been absent from the UK for more than a month.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department uses the Habitual Residence Test (HRT) for income-related benefits, such as Universal Credit, to assess whether someone has a legal right to be here and whether they are factually resident in the UK. For an individual to be factually habitually resident they must have been present in the UK for an appreciable period, usually between one and three months, and have a settled intention to remain.
Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the benefit cap on children's physical and mental health outcomes, including nutrition, stress and access to early intervention services.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The benefit cap aims to incentivise work as, where possible, it is in the best interest of children to be in working households. Living in a working family has a positive impact on children’s educational attainment, mental health, and long-term aspirations. The Government is driving forward labour market interventions that will deliver a step-change in support and help parents to enter and progress in work.
Alongside employment support, the department supports families in work through an exemption from the benefit cap for households earning at least £846 each month. There is also protection for the most vulnerable as those who are caring or are severely disabled are exempt from the benefit cap.
The Government is investing in the future of our children and introducing a fundamental change by removing the two child limit on Universal Credit and therefore reinstating support for all children. This comes alongside a package of measures that will drive down working poverty by raising the minimum wage, creating more secure jobs by strengthening rights at work, and expanding free childcare.
Furthermore, the Government is committed to rolling out Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority by April 2026 and creating up to 1,000 hubs across the country by the end of 2028. Family Hubs will offer universal, open access support for families and connect them to other local services such as healthcare, welfare, early education, and housing.
Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the existing exemptions from the benefit cap for households with disabled children, including whether those exemptions reflect the additional costs associated with disability.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government recognises that households with disabled children have additional costs and that is reflected in the support that is available for these families.
For example, Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is available as a contribution to the extra costs associated with being disabled to those under the age of 16 who, due to a disability or health condition have mobility issues and/or care needs which are substantially in excess of a child the same age without the disability or health condition. Universal Credit also provides an additional amount for disabled children.
Households in receipt of disability and/or caring benefits, including child DLA, are exempt from the benefit cap. This reflects the impact a disability and/or caring responsibilities may have on a household's ability to work and earn enough to meet the benefit cap work exemption of at least £846 each month. Additionally, disability and caring benefits do not count towards the benefit cap.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of unemployed graduates who are claiming benefits; and what is the proportion of females and males represented in that number.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
Please see the letter attached from the Permanent Secretary at the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Lord Patten
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
02 February 2026
Dear Lord Patten,
As Permanent Secretary of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what assessment has been made of the number of unemployed graduates who are claiming benefits; and what is the proportion of females and males represented in that number (HL13936).
The ONS collects information on the labour market status of individuals through the Labour Force Survey (LFS), which is a survey of people resident in households in the UK. People are classed as unemployed if they were not doing paid work in the reference week, or had a job they were temporarily away from, and are actively seeking and available to start work.
Respondents who are not in employment and are aged between 16 and 69 years are asked if they are claiming any state benefits or tax credits, as well as information regarding any qualifications they have.
The estimated number of unemployed people in the UK aged between 16 and 69 years, who claim any state benefits or tax credits, and have a degree or equivalent qualification, for September to November 2025, the latest LFS period available, is 190,000. This number is made up of an estimated 58% women and 42% men.
Because the identification of whether someone claims benefits is based on survey responses, the total number will differ from administrative counts of claimants.
Labour Force Survey (LFS) are considered ‘official statistics in development’ until further review. Previous challenges with response rates, response levels and weighting approach led to increased volatility. While these have lessened following improvement action, we still advise some caution when interpreting changes in recent periods.
Yours sincerely,
Darren Tierney
Asked by: Juliet Campbell (Labour - Broxtowe)
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 use AI and automation to (a) improve the delivery of, (b) reduce administrative burdens of and (c) improve the accuracy of assessments for welfare benefits.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are adopting AI in DWP to help colleagues deliver better outcomes for customers and to improve productivity and efficiency, so that colleagues can get more decisions right first time and can support the people who need it most.
The Department uses automated decision-making in some areas, as described in our Personal Information Charter. Customers are told when an automated decision may have been made in relation to their case, along with information on the steps they would need to take if they want to exercise their right to ask for a human to review that decision.
DWP has a legal requirement to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place when carrying out automated decision-making. The Department carries out regular checks to ensure our systems are working as intended, and any new features go through rigorous testing.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
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 ensure that people who leave employment due to long-term health conditions or disability can access Employment and Support Allowance and Personal Independence Payment without (a) delays and (b) repeated appeals.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to providing timely and accurate support to people whose ability to work is affected by long-term health conditions or disabilities through Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Anyone who claims ESA and PIP must satisfy the relevant conditions of entitlement, regardless of the circumstances in which the claim is made. Initial decisions on claims will be made without delay once all evidence needed is available.
Decisions are made within a statutory framework, which allows for revision within one month of notification, with extensions where reasonable. Decisions may also be revised or superseded where there has been official error, where new medical evidence is presented or where a customer has had a relevant change in circumstances. These provisions help ensure accurate decision making and reduce the need for repeated appeals.
We recognise that some customers have complex needs and may require additional support and reasonable adjustments, including adapted communication, additional time, and advocacy from representatives or appointees.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department has issued on the consideration of occupational health reports when assessing claims for (a) Employment and Support Allowance and (b) Personal Independence Payment for people with cognitive or fluctuating conditions.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department provides comprehensive training and guidance for assessment providers and the health professionals (HPs) who carry out both Work Capability Assessments (WCA) in Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Universal Credit (UC), and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments. The WCA Handbook and the Personal Independence Payment Assessment Guide (PIPAG) sets out how HPs should evaluate all relevant evidence when assessing a claimant’s functional limitations against the respective criteria.
Both WCA and PIP assessments are functional assessments, focusing on the impact of health condition(s) or disability. HPs consider all available evidence. DWP decision makers give due consideration to all available evidence when making decisions on benefit entitlement, including the HP’s assessment report and any evidence provided by the individual, their GP or consultant, and anybody else that provides them with formal or informal support.
HPs receive training on cognitive and fluctuating conditions and how these might impact on how individuals perform the activities/descriptors which form the assessments.
Asked by: John Milne (Liberal Democrat - Horsham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of families subject to the household benefit cap are blended families.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.